He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

She placed the note side by side under the candlelight.

The wedding is scheduled for ten days from now.

Both the Lin and Wang families need time to plan, build momentum, and package this dirty deal as a "match made in heaven."

There is still time.

But finding Zheng Jiu was now of utmost urgency.

This is the first key to unlocking my mother's past.

As for Ji Shaohuan and Ji Zhaowu...

With the Dowager Empress's protection, Ji Yunhan's guilt, and even Ji Chengyun's presence, there was hope.

Keeping them calm is not difficult.

The most pressing issue right now is the North.

It was that greedy, anonymous "Zheng Laoqi".

She had to go in person.

She couldn't place her hopes on anyone, especially Ji Ling.

Who knows if he'll change his mind halfway through, or try to fool her with a fake "Zheng Laoqi"?

The truth of what happened back then, every detail, had to be revealed by her own hands.

***

The study in the Yue King's mansion was brightly lit.

Ji Ling was reading a border military report, and when he learned that Jiang Bingning was coming to visit, he was not surprised at all.

He didn't even look up when he heard footsteps.

"Have you figured it out?"

Jiang Bingning walked to the desk.

"I agree to your deal."

Ji Ling finally looked up.

"very good."

"However, I have one condition."

Jiang Bingning met his gaze.

"I will go to the North myself."

Ji Ling frowned slightly, then relaxed.

"absurd."

"I want to interrogate Zheng Jiu myself."

Jiang Bingning stood her ground, saying, "I don't trust anyone."

"You don't trust me?"

Ji Ling's voice carried a hint of danger.

"I only believe what I have obtained myself."

Jiang Bingning looked directly at him. "Your people can find him, but only I know what to ask."

Ji Ling leaned back in his chair.

"The North is dangerous, not a place for you to play house. It's teeming with bandits. Who do you think you are?"

"My identity is indeed sensitive."

Jiang Bingning frankly admitted, "But it concerns my mother, and I am also of the Liu family bloodline, so I have to go even more."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resonant.

Ji Ling's gaze lingered on her face for a long time.

He was silent.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"I will soon travel to the northern border under the pretext of inspecting the border defenses."

"You can travel together, but you can't be Jiang Bingning."

Ji Ling stood up and walked up to her.

"I will give you the status of a personal guard. Along the way, your words and actions must obey my orders."

"If my identity is exposed, or if I cause any trouble..."

He lowered his voice.

"I will personally throw you into the mass graves of the North."

Jiang Bingning met his gaze.

It's a deal.

***

It was around midnight.

Zhang's Blacksmith Shop had already turned off its lights.

Jiang Bingning, dressed in black, sneaked in silently.

Zhang Meng had been waiting for a long time, and upon seeing her arrive, he immediately bowed in greeting.

"Miss."

"Uncle Zhang, I want to ask you about someone."

"Please speak, Miss."

"Zheng Jiu".

Jiang Bingning stared intently into Zhang Meng's eyes.

"Zheng Jiu?"

As expected, Zhang Meng's face showed a mixture of shock and confusion.

He frowned, deep in thought.

"This name... seems vaguely familiar..."

"But I really don't know what he did specifically back then, as I was in a lowly position..."

Zhang Meng's eyes were filled with guilt.

Jiang Bingning understood; Ji Ling's information was correct, and this person was indeed unremarkable.

"He now goes by the alias Zheng Laoqi and works as a logistics clerk in the Northern Army."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Zhang Meng's eyes.

"In the Northern Army..."

He was silent for a moment, then finally raised his head with a firm gaze.

"Miss, please grant this old servant three days."

"Please come again in three days, at the same time."

***

Three days later, late at night.

Jiang Bingning returned to the backyard of the blacksmith shop.

Zhang Meng opened the door for her.

There were no lights on inside the door; only seven dark figures stood in the darkness.

As Jiang Bingning stepped in, the seven people all knelt down on one knee.

"Greetings, Miss!"

Zhang Meng lit an oil lamp on the wall.

Under the dim light, Jiang Bingning finally saw their faces clearly.

The leader was a man about the same age as Zhang Meng, with a hideous scar on his face and large, calloused hands. He was another blacksmith in the shop.

Behind him were peddlers dressed in shorts, an old man still smelling of a night watchman, and a thin young man who looked like a street thug...

Each of them looked like an ordinary commoner in the capital.

But now, they knelt there, their backs ramrod straight, their eyes like wolves.

These people were all around thirty or forty years old, some even with graying temples.

Sixteen years.

They had been lying low in the capital for sixteen years!

Zhang Meng's voice sounded behind her, carrying a hint of sorrow and pride.

"Miss, the number of secret guards loyal to the Liu family is far more than just us."

"But without complete military tallies, we cannot mobilize them all."

"These seven are all brothers who have risked their lives for me, and I can trust them."

"From this day forward, their lives belong to you, Miss."

Looking at the seven pairs of shining eyes in front of her, Jiang Bingning felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

She walked up to the seven people.

"Please rise, everyone."

"During my absence from the capital, there are two things I would like to ask of you all."

The seven people stood up, stood with their hands at their sides, and listened quietly.

"First and foremost, Tingxuexuan, my mother's safety is of paramount importance. I do not wish for her to be disturbed in any way."

"Second, keep a close watch on Prime Minister Lin's residence and all the post stations in the city."

The scarred man at the head of the group stepped forward and responded in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, Miss!"

The seven people knelt down again, their knees touching the ground as they kowtowed before them.

***

The next morning.

Jiang Bingning went to Liu Jingyi's room to pay her respects.

"Mother."

Liu Jingyi was coughing. When she saw her come in, she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled gently.

"Ning'er is here, please have a seat."

Jiang Bingning poured her a glass of warm water and said softly, "Mother, I would like to leave the capital for a few days."

Liu Jingyi's face instantly filled with panic.

"Leaving the capital? Where are you going?"

"Don't worry, Mother."

Jiang Bingning held her cold hand. "My daughter has been relearning the 'Wolf Sacrifice Dance' recently, but she feels that some parts are not quite right. She wants to go for a walk in the mountains outside Beijing to find some inspiration."

She took out the jade pendant bestowed upon her by the Dowager Empress from her sleeve.

"With the Dowager Empress's keepsake and the Prince's guards following us, we'll be fine."

Looking at her daughter's calm face, Liu Jingyi felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Jiang Bingning noticed her mother's worry and gently pressed her cheek against the back of her mother's hand.

"Mother, we are ultimately guests in the Northern Barbarian lands."

"My daughter needs to have something solid to stand on."

"I have to make it better, so that no one has anything to say."

Liu Jingyi's eyes reddened.

It was her, it was her who put her daughter in such a dangerous situation.

What right does she have to stop her daughter from paving the way for her future?

Finally, she nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"Go."

Be careful in everything you do.

Meanwhile, in another courtyard of the Prince Xin's Mansion.

As Ji Zhaowu listened to his subordinate's secret report, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

"Is Jiang Bingning leaving Beijing?"

"Where have they gone?"

He sneered and paced around the room a few times.

"What a restless woman."

He turned and whispered instructions to a dark figure in the corner.

"Immediately send someone to the Lin residence with a message, saying that the fish is about to leave the net."

"Make them prepare."