I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Chen Yuan immediately stopped and held his breath.

I could vaguely see Cao Jixiang slowly turning around, squinting as he scanned the room.

His somber gaze lingered on the screen for a moment before shifting away: "It's the wind. The window paper is torn."

"I'll go take a look."

As Wang Zhen spoke, he walked towards the window.

Chen Yuan gripped the dagger tightly.

If discovered, the only option is to fight them head-on.

Wang Zhen walked to the window and checked the paper window: "It's torn. This awful weather..."

He casually pressed down on the torn window paper and walked back to his desk.

Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and continued unlocking.

This time, I was more careful and moved more slowly.

"Click".

The lock is open.

He gently pulled open the hidden door.

Sure enough, inside was a bright yellow imperial edict, bound with gold thread and stamped with the imperial seal.

There were also several letters next to it; judging from the envelopes, they were secret correspondence between Cao Jixiang and his court officials.

Catch it all in one go.

Chen Yuan took out the imperial edict and the secret letter and stuffed them into his robes.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed something else in the hidden compartment—a jade pendant, carved from white jade with a dragon, its eyes inlaid with rubies.

He was jolted.

This jade pendant is exactly the same as the one he received from the Grand Princess.

A hidden dragon lies in the abyss.

Why did Cao Jixiang have this jade pendant?

I don't have time to think about it anymore.

Chen Yuan grabbed the jade pendant, stuffed it into his robes, and quickly retreated to the window.

Just as he was about to climb out the window, a commotion of footsteps and shouts suddenly came from outside: "Fire! The granary is on fire!"

The two people in the duty room were both taken aback.

Cao Jixiang rushed to the door: "What happened?"

"My Lord, the granary on the west side is on fire!" A foreign guard came running up, panting.

"Useless!" Cao Jixiang roared, "Hurry up and put out the fire!"

The guards outside the duty room were in chaos, all running westward.

The opportunity is here.

Chen Yuan jumped out of the window, rolled upon landing, and disappeared into the shadows.

He didn't go straight back to Yongshou Palace, but instead took a long detour to make sure no one was following him before heading towards the Duke of Cheng's residence—Chen Jin should still be there, and he needed to go and meet him.

The study of the Duke of Cheng's residence.

Chen Jin sat in the chair with her back ramrod straight.

Across from him stood Duke Zhu Yong of Cheng and his wife, Lady Zhang, and the three of them had been talking for half an hour.

"His Highness said that as long as the Duke exposes Cao Jixiang's forgery of the imperial edict at tomorrow's court meeting, all past transgressions will be overlooked."

Chen Jin tried her best to keep her voice steady.

At this moment, his palms were sweaty.

This was the first time he had independently carried out such an important task.

The other party was a Duke, a high-ranking official of the court, while he was just a seventeen-year-old boy.

But strangely, he wasn't afraid.

Perhaps he had experienced too much, or perhaps the burden on his shoulders was too heavy, he had forgotten what fear felt like.

Zhu Yong remained silent, tapping his fingers on the table.

Zhang glanced at him and said, "Young Master Chen, please go back and tell His Highness that we have agreed."

"lady!"

Zhu Yong wanted to say something more.

"Shut up."

Zhang glared at him. "That's settled then. That eunuch Cao Jixiang has committed countless evils over the years; it's time for him to get his comeuppance."

Chen Jin rose and cupped his hands in thanks: "Then thank you very much, Duke and Madam. Please attend tomorrow's court assembly, Duke..."

Before he could finish speaking, the study door was suddenly pushed open.

A servant rushed in, panicked: "Master! Madam! Something terrible has happened! The Eastern Depot...the Eastern Depot has sent people!"

The expressions on the faces of all three changed.

"How many people?" Zhang asked calmly.

"More than twenty of them, all carrying knives, have surrounded the mansion gate!" The servant's voice trembled. "The leader said... said he was ordered by Eunuch Cao to invite the Duke to the Eastern Depot for questioning!"

Zhang sneered, "Questioning? More like luring someone into a trap."

She turned to Chen Jin, "Young Master Chen, go out the back door. Old Zhao, take the young master out."

An old servant answered and came in to lead Chen Jin away.

But Chen Jin didn't move: "I can't leave. What will you do if I leave?"

"Silly child," Madam Zhang laughed. "We are the Duke's mansion, and the Eastern Depot wouldn't dare to act openly. But you, if you were discovered, that would be real trouble."

As they were talking, the sound of banging on the door and shouting came from the front yard.

time is limited.

Chen Jin gritted her teeth and followed the old servant to the backyard.

As soon as they reached the back gate, they heard fighting and screams coming from the front yard—the people from the Eastern Depot had already rushed in.

"Hurry up!" The old servant pushed open the back door.

Just as Chen Jin was about to leave, she suddenly turned back: "Uncle, you..."

"Go!" The old servant shoved him out the door and slammed it shut from the inside.

Chen Jin stood in the snow in the back alley, listening to the sounds of fighting and shouting coming from inside the mansion, her eyes reddening.

But he knew that now was not the time to act on emotion.

He turned and ran.

The alley was dark and the snow was slippery. He slipped and fell, scraping his knee, but he immediately got up and kept running.

As he ran to the alley entrance, a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, covered his mouth, and dragged him behind a wall.

"Don't make a sound." It was Chen Yuan's voice.

Chen Jin was both surprised and delighted: "Brother Yuan! What's wrong...?"

"Don't talk, come with me." Chen Yuan pulled him through the alley, winding and turning until they arrived at an abandoned house.

The two climbed over the wall and hid in the dilapidated house.

Chen Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Something happened at the Duke of Cheng's mansion?"

Chen Jin briefly explained the situation: "The Eastern Depot came to arrest people, and Madam Zhang told me to leave first... Brother Yuan, what if they...?"

"Don't worry." Chen Yuan patted his shoulder. "The Duke of Cheng is, after all, a Duke. Cao Jixiang wouldn't dare to kill him openly. At most, he'll be placed under house arrest, and we'll deal with him after tomorrow's court meeting."

He pulled out the imperial edict and jade pendant from his pocket: "I got the items. But I found this in Cao Jixiang's secret compartment."

Chen Jin took the jade pendant, and upon examining it by the moonlight, she was stunned: "This...this is the same as yours..."

"Exactly the same," Chen Yuan said in a deep voice. "Two jade pendants, one with me, and one with Cao Jixiang. What does that mean?"

"This suggests... that King Zhao may have given Cao Jixiang a piece back then?" Chen Jin speculated.

"Or perhaps Cao Jixiang seized it from the King of Zhao." A cold glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. "The King of Zhao died suddenly back then, and Cao Jixiang was very likely involved in it."

Chen Jin gasped.

If that's the case, then Cao Jixiang is not only the Grand Princess's political enemy, but also the murderer who killed the Prince of Zhao.

A blood feud!

"What do we do now?" Chen Jin asked.

"Return to the palace," Chen Yuan said. "Give the imperial edict to His Highness and expose Cao Jixiang's forgery. Tomorrow's court assembly will be the decisive moment."

Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps and hoofbeats outside.

Chen Yuan peeked out and saw that both ends of the alley were blocked, and the agents of the Eastern Depot were searching house to house with torches in hand.

"Search! Search thoroughly! The assassin couldn't have gone far!"

It's been exposed.