The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Zhao Yi's pupils contracted to their maximum size the moment he saw Xiao Jingchen.

The color drained from his face instantly, the effects of the alcohol wore off, leaving only boundless fear.

"Xiao...Xiao Jingchen!"

He finally understood.

This is a trap!

From the moment they climbed into the drain, they had already fallen into a carefully laid trap!

"Liu... Liu Changqing! You..." Zhao Yi stared in disbelief at the silk shop owner who had just been calling him brother. "You betrayed me?"

Liu Changqing bowed respectfully to Xiao Jingchen.

"My lord, I have not failed in my mission."

Then, he turned his head, looked at Zhao Yi who was lying on the ground, and sneered.

"Commander Zhao, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"I, Liu Changqing, have always been the Marquis's man."

"My identity as a member of the Imperial City Guard is nothing more than a disguise bestowed upon me by the Marquis."

"What?!" Zhao Yi was struck dumb, completely stunned.

Liu Changqing, the highest-ranking official of the Imperial City Guard in Shuobei, is actually one of Xiao Jingchen's men?

How...how is this possible?!

This is absolutely the most absurd thing in the world!

The Empress's most trusted intelligence chief turned out to be the man of the vassal king she feared most?

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..." Zhao Yi muttered to himself, feeling as if his worldview had been turned upside down.

Xiao Jingchen walked up to him, looking down at him with a cold expression.

"Nothing is impossible."

"Do you think he could have found out so much about your list of hundreds of people without my tacit approval?"

"Do you think that without my backing, a mere silk shop owner like him could have infiltrated my military camp?"

"The princess is clever; she wants to plant spies in my city."

"Unfortunately, every nail she planted was under my control from the very beginning."

"This is called 'inviting the enemy into the urn, catching the turtle in the urn'."

Zhao Yi was completely paralyzed.

He lay sprawled on the ground like a lump of mud, his eyes vacant, muttering "impossible" over and over again.

This blow was too great for him.

The meticulously planned infiltration, the seemingly flawless scheme, turned out to be nothing more than a well-acted show put on by the other side.

They were like a few self-important clowns, performing energetically on stage, unaware that the real masters in the audience were watching them with cold smiles as they finished their final act.

Xiao Jingchen didn't bother to look at him again.

"Take him and his men away and keep them under strict guard," he ordered Black Crow. "I still have a use for him."

"Yes."

With a wave of his hand, Black Crow immediately sent several guards forward to drag Zhao Yi and his unconscious confidants away like dead dogs.

Only Xiao Jingchen and Liu Changqing remained in the room.

"Well done." Xiao Jingchen patted Liu Changqing on the shoulder.

Liu Changqing was flattered and quickly bowed, saying, "It was all thanks to Your Excellency's strategic planning; I was merely following the rules."

"How long can you retain your position as the head of the Imperial City Guard?" Xiao Jingchen asked.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Zhao Yi's disappearance will soon arouse the princess's suspicion. Within three days at most, the Imperial City Guard headquarters in the capital will know that something has happened to me," Liu Changqing replied respectfully. "However, Your Excellency, rest assured, I have already made arrangements for my escape route and can make a clean getaway at any time."

"Hmm." Xiao Jingchen nodded. "What do you think of the people on this list?"

He was referring to the list of Imperial City Guard spies that he had just burned, which was "discovered" by Liu Changqing.

Liu Changqing pondered for a moment and said, "This list is nine parts true and one part false. Most of them are indeed spies planted by the Imperial City Guard over the years, and some are opportunists who have been bought off by me with benefits. These people don't have deep roots and can't cause any big trouble. They can be dealt with at any time."

"But there are a few people among them, such as Wang Ergou, and two other captains who hold important positions in the army, they..." Liu Changqing paused, his eyes becoming somewhat complicated, "they genuinely pledged allegiance to the imperial court."

"Oh?" Xiao Jingchen became interested. "Why?"

"Because their families are all in the capital," Liu Changqing sighed. "They're called family members, but they're really hostages. The Imperial City Guard uses this method to control many border generals. Although these people are in the northern frontier, their hearts are firmly tied to the capital. They dare not disobey."

"My lord, these people... though hateful, are also truly pitiful. What do you think we should do with them?"

Xiao Jingchen fell silent.

He knew that the Empress and her men were accustomed to using such despicable methods.

Using family members as leverage is the most shameless and effective method.

"Wasn't Lei Lie just yelling about killing that Wang Ergou?" Xiao Jingchen suddenly asked.

"Yes, Your Excellency stopped me."

"Call him here."

Soon, Lei Lie, still seething with anger, stormed in.

"My lord, you summoned me? Isn't it time to go and teach those traitorous dogs a lesson?"

Xiao Jingchen did not answer him, but instead repeated exactly what Liu Changqing had said.

After listening, Lei Lie's anger gradually faded, replaced by a complex emotion.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

After a long while, he slammed his fist hard into his palm.

"Damn it! What kind of mess is this?!"

Yeah, what a mess.

Your brothers are risking their lives for you on the front lines, while your family is being held hostage in the hands of others behind the scenes.

If it were Lei Lie, what would he do?

he does not know.

"My lord, what about... what about Wang Ergou and the others..." Lei Lie's voice trailed off.

"Don't touch them for now," Xiao Jingchen said. "Keep them under close surveillance and cut off all contact between them and the outside world."

"As for their families..." Xiao Jingchen looked at Black Crow, "Send someone to the capital to find a way to bring them out safely for me."

Both Black Crow and Liu Changqing were startled.

Snatching people from the Imperial City Guard? Or right here in the capital, under the emperor's nose?

This is no less difficult than pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.