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

April 24th, 5:00 AM.

Zhao Bocong was dressed in the official robes of the prefectural dynasty, with a jade sword hanging at his waist.

He looked no different from any other member of the imperial family on official business outside the capital, and even carried a bit of the excitement that a young man should have when he sets out on a long journey.

"Your Highness." Qin Keqing's voice came from behind.

Zhao Bozong turned his head to the side.

Qin Keqing was dressed in a blue cloth robe, typical of a female official of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. Her hair was tied up with a bamboo hairpin, and she had an old cloth bag hanging from her waist. She looked no different from an accompanying clerk.

Zhao Bozong withdrew his gaze: "Is everything ready?"

"It's ready." Qin Keqing opened the booklet in her hand. "There are thirty-two of our own men in the Imperial Guard, all of them are tied with black ropes."

Vice Envoy Zhang Cheng spent the entire night in the Ministry of Revenue's office, supposedly to check the final accounts for Qin Hui. Also—"

Qin Keqing paused at this point.

"There are seven spies from the Imperial City Guard. I have had Liu An memorize their faces and figures. The list is here."

Zhao Bozong did not take the booklet. "Just remember it."

Qin Keqing closed the booklet and lowered her hands.

There was a few moments of silence between the two. A morning breeze blew by, lifting the hem of Zhao Bozong's royal robe before letting it fall back down.

"Your Highness," Qin Keqing suddenly spoke, her voice a degree softer than before, "Are you nervous?"

Zhao Bozong looked at her, but Qin Keqing did not look up; her gaze was fixed on the cover of the booklet in her hand.

Zhao Bozong remained silent for a moment.

"I'm nervous, but I'm not nervous because I'm afraid."

Qin Keqing's fingers tightened slightly at the edge of the booklet.

"Why is that?"

Zhao Bozong turned around and looked at the official road outside the North Gate. That road led to Huaibei, to the Jin Kingdom, to a place he had never been to but had drawn countless times in his mind.

"Let's go," he said after a long pause.

Qin Keqing did not ask any further questions. She followed Zhao Bozong down the stone steps and towards the caravan.

The mission set off at exactly 7:00 AM.

The convoy passed through the North Gate and headed north along the official road.

Zhao Bozong sat in the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked at Lin'an City.

Qin Keqing sat opposite him, already opening the booklet and beginning to write.

"Miss Qin," Zhao Bozong suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

Your hands are shaking.

Qin Keqing looked down at her hands, and sure enough, the hand holding the charcoal pencil was trembling slightly.

She put down her pen, clenched her fist, and then relaxed it.

"It always happens when we leave the city," Qin Keqing said softly, her voice flat. "When we were in the Qin residence, whenever I overheard something important, my hands would tremble after we came out, but it would be fine after a while."

Zhao Bozong didn't say anything like "Don't be nervous," he just pushed one of the water pouches next to him over.

"Have a drink of water."

Qin Keqing glanced at the water pouch, took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. When she returned the water pouch, her fingers were no longer trembling.

The carriage rumbled forward. The carriage fell silent, save for the sound of wheels rolling over gravel and the distant footsteps of imperial guards.

Zhao Bozong closed his eyes. He mentally reviewed all the key moments of this trip.

The route from Lin'an to Sizhou, the locations of the post stations along the way, the places where Qin Hui might have taken action, the composition of the Jin Dynasty delegation, and the characteristics of Shen Wenshu.

On the third day of their journey, the mission stopped at a post station outside Jiaxing Prefecture.

When Zhao Bozong got off the carriage, he noticed that there were some people in the courtyard of the post station who shouldn't be there at this time.

Several men dressed in short brown clothes squatted at the foot of the courtyard wall, with several bundles of firewood in front of them.

They looked like wood-selling villagers, but Zhao Bocong noticed that their hands were too clean.

People who chop wood year-round will not only have a thin layer of calluses on their hands; their hands will look more like they have gripped knife handles.

He didn't look at it for long, then turned and went into the main hall of the post station.

Qin Keqing followed behind him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Four people, three against the left wall and one behind the stable, all with black ropes tied around their left wrists."

Zhao Bozong picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Are you one of Xiao Bieli's men?"

"It should be. I checked the code. There was a woodcutter's knife at the feet of the man behind the stable, with the handle facing north. That's the marking method used by Yue Fei's army," Qin Keqing said thoughtfully. "They came from Xiangyang, having traveled over a thousand li."

Zhao Bozong didn't turn around to look at those people again. He carried his teacup to the railing on the second floor of the post station and looked down at the courtyard.

Those four people have disappeared.

When Zhao Bozong returned to his room, there was something extra on the table.

He unfolded a folded piece of paper, weighed down by a small stone. It contained only four characters, the handwriting unfamiliar yet forceful:

"Have a safe journey, Yue."

It is Yue Yinping's handwriting.

Zhao Bozong burned the paper over an oil lamp.

"Xiao Bieli personally led the team."

Qin Keqing stood by the window, her back to Zhao Bocong.

"Your Highness," Qin Keqing said solemnly, "Xiao Bieli is not here to serve as a guard this time..."

Zhao Bocong did not respond.

Qin Keqing turned around and her gaze fell on Zhao Bozong's face.

"Yue Yinping sending him out indicates that the initial assembly in Xiangyang has been completed."

She no longer needed Xiao Bieli to stay in Xiangyang, so she released him and placed him on His Highness's route as a reserve force.

She paused, then added, "This is also a statement from Yue Yinping."

"What stance?"

She told His Highness: Xiangyang is ready. Xiangyang will support everything His Highness does in the north.

Zhao Bozong remained silent for a moment. The night wind blew in through the cracks in the window, causing the oil lamp on the table to tilt.

"Miss Qin."

"Um."

"When you left the city with me, did Yue Yinping know that you were Qin Hui's daughter?"

Qin Keqing's fingers curled slightly on the windowsill.

"Know."

"What did she say?"

Qin Keqing remained silent for a few moments.

She said that Qin Hui's daughter knew even better how to deal with Qin Hui.

Zhao Bozong didn't reply. He walked to the table, added a new wick, and the flame lit up again.

"We'll set off at dawn tomorrow," he said. "You should get some rest."

Qin Keqing nodded, turned and walked out. When she reached the door, she paused but did not look back.

"Your Highness."

"Um?"

"There's someone on night duty outside the window tonight."

Zhao Bozong paused in adjusting the wick of the lamp.

"It's Xiao Bieli's man."

"No," Qin Keqing said, "I arranged it myself. When His Highness is asleep in the post station, someone has to guard him outside. Without you in Lin'an, no one can sleep peacefully."

After saying that, she pushed open the door and walked out.

On the seventh day, the mission passed through Yangzhou.

Zhao Bozong did not enter Yangzhou City; instead, he had his caravan stop at an abandoned ferry crossing outside the city for an hour.

Ostensibly, it was to "inspect the silver silk for dampness," but in reality, they were waiting for someone.

The man arrived very quickly.

An old man rowed his rickety fishing boat down from the upper reaches of the Huai River, with a basket of freshly caught river fish on the bow.

He moored his boat at the ferry crossing and shouted, "Sir, want to buy some fish? Fresh river fish, cheap!"

The imperial guards waved him away, but Zhao Bozong poked his head out of the carriage and asked, "How much are the fish?"

The old man held up three fingers. Zhao Bozong nodded and had his entourage buy ten catties of fish.

When buying fish, the old man flipped over a crucian carp the size of his palm. There was a thin knife mark on the belly of the fish, and a roll of oil paper was stuffed inside.

When Qin Keqing took the fish, her fingers paused on the fish's belly for a moment before she put the fish into the bamboo basket.

The old man rowed away, not giving Zhao Bozong even a second glance.

When they set up camp that night, Qin Keqing unwrapped the oil paper roll in the tent. There were only a few lines of writing on the paper, and the ink was very fresh.

"Wanyan Yong arrived in Sizhou three days ago. The Jin delegation consisted of a hundred people, including three Han scribes, one of whom was surnamed Shen, had a scar on his left eyebrow, and often walked around in front of Wanyan Yong's tent."

Furthermore, the defense map of Huaibei has changed, with the Jin people adding three beacon towers on the north bank of the Huai River, which is suspected to be an reinforcement of sentry posts.

Liu Guangshi arrived in Sizhou four days ago, posing as a merchant and checking into the city's largest inn. He was accompanied by twelve men, all carrying short blades.

Qin Keqing finished reading the note and handed it to Zhao Bocong.

Zhao Bocong read it aloud word by word.

"Liu Guangshi arrived in Sizhou earlier than us. Qin Hui's game of chess in Lin'an is already in full swing."

"He's waiting for us," Qin Keqing replied.

"Yes, but he doesn't know what he's waiting for."

Qin Keqing looked up at him.

Zhao Bozong folded the note and put it in his sleeve. "He thought he was waiting for prey, unaware that the chessboard had already been switched with ours."

Qin Keqing remained silent for a while.

"Your Highness," she said, "you haven't told me your true plans yet."

Zhao Bozong looked at her.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Qin Keqing lowered her head, "it's that I don't want you to bear this alone."

The tent remained quiet for a long time.

Zhao Bocong walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain and glanced outside. The night was completely dark, and a couple of fishing lights flickered in the distance towards the Huai River.

Then he lowered the curtain and turned around.

"Miss Qin, why do you think the Jurchens were willing to sign a peace treaty with us?"

Qin Keqing was slightly taken aback.

"Because they thought we were afraid," Zhao Bocong continued. "Yue Fei is dead, military generals have been suppressed, and the pro-peace faction has taken power. The Jin people think that the Song Dynasty will never have another Yue Fei."

Zhao Bocong paused here.

"If we can get them to admit that Yue Fei is the person they fear most, then the foundation of Qin Hui's peace treaty will crack from the ground up."

Qin Keqing's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Does Your Highness want Wanyan Yong to say these words himself?"

"Not only that." Zhao Bozong walked up to her, sat down on the low stool, and aligned himself with her at eye level. "I want five hundred people to hear this."

Qin Keqing's fingers unconsciously pressed on the cover of the booklet.

"Wanyan Yong is not a fool; he would not praise a dead general of an enemy state in public for no reason."

"So we need an occasion that will force him to say it." Zhao Bozong's lips curled up slightly, the expression of a chess player when he sees his opponent's inevitable move.

"I'm creating this occasion."

Qin Keqing looked at him, the candlelight flickering between the two of them, cutting Zhao Bozong's profile into two halves of light and shadow.

The night wind outside the tent suddenly picked up, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

The two of them reached out to touch the lamp at the same time, their fingertips touched in the air, and then they both pulled back.

"Your Highness, please rest early." Qin Keqing stood up, took the booklet, and walked out of the tent.

Zhao Bozong sat alone in the tent, looking down at his hands. The moment he touched them, his fingertips were cold, as if he had been standing in the night wind for too long.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

Lin'an on the same day.

After Qin Hui finished reviewing the last official document in the signing room, he put down his pen.

A secret report sent from Yangzhou lay spread out in front of him, containing very brief writing:

"The mission stopped at the ferry outside Yangzhou for an hour and bought ten catties of fish. Nothing else was unusual."

Qin Hui stared at the words "buy ten catties of fish" and remained silent for a while.

He knew that Zhao Bozong wouldn't stop at the ferry for an hour to buy fish for no reason, but the secret report didn't provide any more information. The people following him didn't see any rendezvous or any messages being sent; all they saw was "a fishing boat, an old man, and a basket of fish being sold."

He folded the secret report, put it in a copper box, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the locust tree in the backyard of the Qin family mansion, its leaves already full by the end of April. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled softly.

"Mr. Tian," Qin Hui said.

Tian Ruyi emerged from the shadows in the corner of the study, holding a stack of papers in her hands.

"Prime Minister."

"How's it going in Xiangyang?"

"Yue Yinping is still in the old camp outside Xiangyang City, training every day without increasing or decreasing the number of troops, and without gathering or dispersing."

Tian Ruyi turned to one of the pages, "But starting last month, several of her important former subordinates left Xiangyang one after another, claiming to be visiting relatives, selling goods, or seeking medical treatment. The whereabouts of three of them are unknown."

Qin Hui did not turn around. "His whereabouts are unknown; he must have gone to Huaibei."

"I also deduce this." Tian Ruyi closed the paper. "Yue Yinping is sending someone to Zhao Bocong."

She drew her most capable knives, one by one, and carried them north along the Han River. At the post stations, ferry crossings, and teahouses along the way, there were people waiting to meet her.

Qin Hui turned around. "Does she know what Zhao Bozong is doing?"

"I know. And she chose to support him."

Qin Hui remained silent for a moment. Then he returned to his desk, sat down, and wrote a warrant on a blank sheet of paper.

"Starting today, all ferry crossings between Xiangyang and Ezhou will be closed."

Under the guise of inspecting smuggled salt, every ship was checked, with three shifts per day.

Yue Yinping has already sent out enough people; she can't be allowed to send out any more.

Tian Ruyi took the order and nodded.

"Furthermore—" Qin Hui put down his pen, his voice even lower, "The Prince of Puan's residence needs additional manpower. Although Zhao Bozong is not in Lin'an, he has left quite a few things there."

Tian Ruyi withdrew.

Qin Hui was the only one left in the study. He picked up the secret report about "purchasing ten catties of fish" again and read it for the third time.

A prince from the imperial family stopped at an abandoned ferry crossing for an hour. He wasn't there to rest; there wasn't even a shed for resting at the crossing, so what was there to do?

It wasn't for sightseeing; there was only a river, a few crooked willows, and not even a decent road.

What is he waiting for?

Qin Hui put down the secret report. His right hand unconsciously twirled the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, the beads slowly spinning between his index finger and thumb.

He considered one possibility.

Perhaps Zhao Bocong doesn't need to do anything. Perhaps he'll just stay there and let Qin Hui guess.

Guess what he did, guess what he didn't do. Guess what he's really going to do.

Qin Hui stopped and looked down at the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

"You've become smarter," he said to the empty study.

It's unclear whether he was speaking to Zhao Bocong or to himself.