I traveled back to the Southern Song Dynasty and was actually outmaneuvered by Yue Fei.

After Qin Keqing left, Qin Hui sat alone in the signing room, with a plate of osmanthus cake and a cup of tea that had been served but never touched in front of him.

He removed his hand from the prayer beads and laid it flat on the desk, then slowly clenched it back, tightening his grip on the prayer beads on his wrist.

Qin Keqing paused at the alley entrance as she walked out of the back gate of the Qin residence.

Six gauze lanterns tinged the bluestone slabs beneath her feet with a faint red hue. She stood on the boundary between the red light and the shadows, looking down at her hands.

Back then, on the banks of the Jiaozhou River, she stood on the dock watching her father's boat sail through the middle of the river without stopping.

She was five years old at the time and thought that her father couldn't see her because she wasn't standing tall enough.

Now she knows that her father may be able to see her, but he just doesn't want to stop.

After straightening the bamboo hairpin, Qin Keqing walked back to the Prince of Puan's residence.

......

Cining Palace.

Consort Wei sat by the window in the side chamber, with Zhang Quwei standing behind her, holding a cup of ginseng tea that had long since gone cold.

"Your Majesty, Qin Keqing went to the Qin residence tonight. Qin Hui met with her in the signing room."

"I know."

"The Imperial City Guard is still investigating Qin Keqing's identity. Once Wan Qixie obtains Tian Ruyi's complete report—"

Zhang Quwei whispered to his superior, "Should we give her a Cining Palace status first? As long as you recognize her as a lady-in-waiting in Cining Palace, the Imperial City Guard won't dare to touch her."

"I can acknowledge her, but if I do, it would be tantamount to telling Qin Hui: Cining Palace has already chosen sides, and now is not the time."

Consort Wei moved the ebony box closer to the lamp.

"Pass a message to Feng Yi: if Qin Keqing is investigated by the Imperial City Guard, have Feng Yi change her status from a document official in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to a female official in charge of foreign affairs in the Deshou Palace."

Deshou Palace was the residence of Consort Zhang. Before the Imperial City Guard could investigate anyone from Deshou Palace, they had to get past the Inner Palace Attendants' Department. Not all the old eunuchs in the Inner Palace Attendants' Department listened to Qin Hui.

Zhang Quwei lowered his head, "This old servant will take care of it tomorrow."

"There's one more thing." Consort Wei stood up, walked to the shrine, took out a tiny brocade pouch from the shrine, and placed it in Zhang Quwei's hand.

"Send this to Zhao Bozong. You don't need to explain what it is; he'll understand as soon as he sees it."

Zhang Quwei took the brocade pouch; it felt very light in his hand.

He knew what was inside without even opening it: a very thin shard of porcelain with dried dark stains on the edges.

That was a relic left by Emperor Huizong for Consort Wei in Wuguo City. She had it sharpened into the shape of a razor blade, hidden it in the Jin camp for sixteen years, and brought it from Wuguo City to Lin'an.

She gave this piece of broken porcelain to Zhao Bocong to tell him: I'm betting my last trump card on you.

......

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon looked up.

According to the custom of the Song Dynasty, on this day the emperor would bestow a spring banquet upon all officials in the Chongzheng Hall, and all departments below the Ministry of Personnel were required to send representatives to attend.

Qin Hui, as prime minister, presided over the banquet, Zhao Gou sat on the throne, and Consort Wei, as empress dowager, attended as an attendee. This was the second time she had attended a public court event since the winter solstice sacrifice to heaven.

Zhao Bocong sat in the royal family's seat, neither too close nor too far from the throne.

Xin Qizong increased patrols at the old camp in the southern suburbs, and Jiao Qiong replaced the guards of the Divine Warriors of the Palace Guard with his own trusted confidants for the Spring Festival banquet security duty.

Everything was ready, but nothing happened.

Qin Hui chatted and laughed at the banquet, while Wan Qixie was busy toasting officials from various departments. Even the osmanthus cake sent from Cining Palace became a snack at the banquet.

As the banquet ended, a man approached Zhao Bocong in the crowd leaving the court.

This man was in his forties, with a fair complexion and a light beard. He wore a blue robe typical of a fifth-rank civil official and was holding a stack of documents from the Ministry of Personnel.

He walked with his head down and his shoulders slightly tucked in, a habit of officials from out of town when walking in the capital, always ready to give way to everyone.

But as he passed by Zhao Bozong, his sleeve brushed lightly against the hem of Zhao Bozong's robe, and a small folded piece of paper fell into Zhao Bozong's sleeve.

Zhao Bozong didn't turn back and continued walking. When he unfolded the note, it contained only four words:

"I wish to see Your Highness."

Signed: Tang Situi.

Zhao Bozong placed the note on the table and remained silent for a long time.

He had read the name Tang Situi in the history before he traveled through time.

He was an important figure in the pro-peace faction during the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty. He rose to the position of prime minister and spearheaded the reduction of military power after Yue Fei was exonerated.

This is a name that was nailed to the pillar of shame in later historical records, placed alongside Zhang Jun and Wan Qixie in the line of iron statues kneeling in front of the Yue Fei Temple.

If history had continued on its original trajectory, Tang Situi would have remained Qin Hui's man, advocating peace to the very end.

But he carefully recalled the court structure after the eleventh year of Shaoxing.

Tang Situi truly earned his infamy in history books after the 25th year of the Shaoxing era.

At this time in the thirteenth year of the Shaoxing era, he was merely a fifth-rank official in the Secretariat-Chancellery, living cautiously under the shadow of Qin Hui.

Before that, there was a hidden story that most historians had not recorded.

On the eve of the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing, someone passed on intelligence about the Jin army's troop movements from Lin'an to Yue Fei, helping Yue Fei's army seize the initiative in Yancheng.

The source of this intelligence has been debated by historians in later generations.

Some say it was a pro-war official in the court, others say it was a Han Chinese collaborator within the Jin state, and a very obscure theory points to Tang Situi.

This person served as a compiler in the Privy Council during the tenth year of Shaoxing, and had the opportunity to access intelligence on the Jin army's troop movements. However, this claim lacks conclusive evidence and is considered unreliable by most historians.

Zhao Bozong didn't pay much attention to this passage when he read it before time travel.

But now, holding Tang Situi's note in his hand, he suddenly felt that the "unbelievable" statement might actually be the truth.

"Liu An." Zhao Bozong folded the note again and put it into the copper box. His voice was deep. "Investigate Tang Situi's background."

When he served as a compiler in the Privy Council during the tenth year of the Shaoxing era, what area of ​​affairs was he responsible for? He should not rely on the public archives of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, but rather on the old eunuchs of the Inner Palace Secretariat under Feng Yi's jurisdiction.

Liu An accepted the order and left.

Qin Keqing stood up from the chair opposite the desk, walked to Zhao Bocong, and without asking him who Tang Situi was, took out the booklet from her sleeve and turned to a pre-written intelligence analysis.

This was a background investigation she had conducted before the Battle of Jiaoshan. On the eve of the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing, she made two sets of deductions about the incident in which the Privy Council passed on the Jin army's troop deployment information to Yue Fei. In one of the deductions, the last unconfirmed clues pointed to Tang Situi.

The lead was shelved at the time due to a lack of evidence, but she marked it in the booklet.

"Your Highness, that intelligence helped Yue Family Army seize the initiative in Yancheng."

If this intelligence was leaked by Tang Situi, he had already taken a risk once during the ten years of Shaoxing. Later, when Qin Hui purged the Privy Council, Tang Situi was not only spared but also promoted.

Either Qin Hui was unaware of this matter, or he knew but didn't want to take action.

In either case, it shows that Tang Situi was not Qin Hui's close ally, but rather a pawn on Qin Hui's chessboard that could be captured at any time. Such a person could be used, but must be guarded against.

Zhao Bozong took the booklet from her hand, looked it over, and nodded.

Then he sat down and wrote an instruction on a blank sheet of paper with extremely fine strokes, which was for Feng Yi.

Feng Yi was instructed to review all intelligence communications concerning the Jin army handled by the Privy Council during the tenth year of the Shaoxing era in the old archives of the Inner Palace Secretariat, with a focus on checking for any secret documents that were not included in the official archives.

After he finished writing, he folded the note.

"Have Liu An sent to the palace tonight, the sooner the better."