Isolated town in northern border region

Northern Frontier, Youzhou City, late at night.

Xiao Yu's body has been placed in a coffin and is kept in the back hall of the government office.

Covered in white cloth, with candles burning eternally, the entire back room was as quiet as an isolated island.

Xiao Lie knelt before the altar for a full two hours.

Bisu stood outside the door three times with the food in her hands, and each time she carried it back the same way she brought it in.

In the latter half of the night, only Xiao Lie remained in the mourning hall.

The two sentences Xiao Yu uttered before her death kept echoing in his mind.

"In my next life... I don't want to be born into royalty..."

"Wife and children... I beg you..."

Xiao Lie chewed on those words repeatedly, and the more he chewed, the more bitter they became.

comfortable……

Xiao Yu lived for more than twenty years, and only in the last few days did she taste the joy of freedom.

But some people don't want him to be at ease.

A secret letter from a thousand miles away, along with a packet of poison, drove a man who had finally found a way to survive to a dead end.

Xiao Lie's hands clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white. He stood up, walked to the altar, and reached out to touch the cold coffin.

"Brother, rest assured, I will treat your wife and children well."

His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of waking someone who was sleeping.

"I will avenge you!"

"He is not worthy to be the emperor of Great Chu, much less your father."

…………

Kyoto, Imperial Study.

Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu has not slept well for three days.

His face was frighteningly gloomy, and his eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

Three secret reports were laid out in front of him.

A secret report from a spy in the northern frontier said that Xiao Yu was dead, the cause of death being "heart collapse";

A spy from Youzhou City said that Xiao Yu spoke to Xiao Lie before he died;

There was another one, the last secret report Xiao Yu had sent back, which contained only one line: "Your subject is no longer willing to be a pawn."

The Chu Emperor's gaze finally settled on that line of text.

"I no longer want to be a pawn," he said softly, as if he were chewing on something hard to swallow.

Then he suddenly grabbed the secret report, crumpled it into a ball, and slammed it to the ground.

"The traitor!"

The Chu Emperor stood up, walked to the window, and his chest heaved much faster than usual.

His hand gripped the window frame, his knuckles turning white.

"I am the Son of Heaven!"

"It must be the will of Heaven!"

"This rebellious son dares to defy me!"

He cursed fiercely and spoke very loudly.

But after he finished scolding, the Imperial Study suddenly fell silent.

He turned around, sat back on the dragon throne, straightened his back, and remained expressionless.

"Issue the decree: Crown Prince Xiao Yu has succumbed to illness and passed away in the northern frontier."

"The Prince of Ning, Xiao Lie, was ordered to oversee the funeral arrangements, and the burial was to be conducted with the honors due to a prince."

The eunuch obeyed and left. Emperor Chu sat alone in the empty imperial study, remaining silent for a long time.

…………

More than half a month has passed.

The people from the Bureau of Geography were scattered like mud oxen disappearing into the sea; they couldn't even find a trace of the personal guard who had been missing for nearly eight years.

Every day, Jiang Min would receive secret reports from various places, and each one contained the same word: "None".

She sat in the study of the post station, with a thick stack of files spread out in front of her.

That was all the information she brought from Jing Kingdom about Xiao Lie.

From his impoverished days in the capital to the bloody battle of Cangwu City, and then to the restoration of the northern frontier, the awe of the grasslands, and the development of industry, every detail is covered here.

Jiang Min had been feeling uneasy lately, wanting to review the case files and his interactions with Xiao Lie to see if he could figure out what Xiao Lie was planning.

She turned the pages one by one, her brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Beneath the walls of Cangwu City, the Northern Barbarians drove their people to attack the city. Xiao Lie led his army straight into the enemy forces, which outnumbered them several times over, just to save those strangers.

At this moment, an image gradually emerged in her mind.

Xiao Lie is a compassionate and sentimental person who cares deeply for the common people. Despite being a prince, he risked his life for a group of ordinary citizens with his passionate heart.

"If the Chu Emperor is truly his father's killer, he will definitely raise an army."

"Xiao Lie cannot let the murder of his father go unpunished!"

Muttering to herself, Jiang Min turned to another page.

Xiao Lie made peace with the Northern Barbarians and then launched a surprise attack on Youzhou City.

The peace talks were a sham; the real purpose was to lull them into complacency. They even brazenly pinned the blame for "sabotaging the peace talks" on the Northern Barbarians.

At this moment, the image in Jiang Min's heart changed again.

Xiao Lie didn't care about reputation at all; what he wanted was real, tangible benefits.

How could someone like that be purely emotional?

Jiang Min's finger stopped on the dossier, and suddenly she felt a chill.

Peace talks!

Xiao Lie's greatest skill is "peace negotiation"!

He negotiated peace with the Northern Barbarians in order to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and launch a surprise attack.

Once the Northern Barbarians couldn't resist making the first move, he had a "just cause" to use as an excuse to devour them.

Now, isn't Xiao Lie's agreement with himself just another "peace talk"?

Jiang Min believed he wouldn't be as impatient as the Northern Barbarians, so who was Xiao Lie waiting for to sabotage this "peace talks"?

"Xiao Lie! Well done!"

Jiang Min suddenly stood up.

Who is most likely to make a move? The Emperor of Chu!

The fact that the Chu Emperor's spies did not return to report meant that he must have become suspicious.

If Xiao Yu's poisoning plot is exposed, what will the Chu Emperor fear most?

It was Jiang Min who exposed his crimes to the public!

Therefore, he will definitely send someone to silence them.

If the Chu emperor sent someone to assassinate the Jing envoy, it would be tantamount to admitting guilt. If he didn't do it, why would he kill someone to silence them?

By then, there would be no need to find the guard; the guilty conscience and the act of killing to cover it up would be irrefutable evidence.

Moreover, the assassination of the Jing envoy in the Chu interior was a declaration of war against the Jing state!

Xiao Lie's only task was to ensure that Princess Minyue of Dajing survived the assassination attempt and could serve as a witness to identify the Chu Emperor!

What Xiao Lie wanted was not personal guards at all, but an opportunity for the Chu Emperor to step forward on his own!

And Jiang Min was the bait.

After figuring all this out, Jiang Min gasped.

She thought she was using Xiao Lie, but she didn't expect that Xiao Lie was also using her.

For so many years, Jiang Min, who prided himself on his wisdom and resourcefulness, had not experienced what it felt like to be manipulated by others!

She wasn't angry; instead, she smiled.

"interesting."

"A worthy opponent indeed, a match made in heaven!"

She picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"Since you want me to be the bait, I'll show you that bait can bite!"

The next morning, Jiang Min changed into her finest clothes and ordered a sedan chair to be prepared.

Zhang Quan was puzzled.

"Princess, where are you going?"

"Go to the prefectural capital and see Xiao Lie."

"See Xiao Lie? But... we didn't send an invitation beforehand..."

Jiang Min smiled.

"Sending out invitations? I'm sure His Highness Prince Ning won't care about such formalities."

Zhang Quan was completely confused, but he knew the princess's personality; she was a woman of her word.

There are only two streets between the post station and the prefectural government.

As soon as Jiang Min's sedan chair stepped out of the door, she sensed something was amiss.

There were twice as many patrol soldiers on the streets as usual. They were all from the elite elite unit, their armor gleaming and their steel swords shining. Unlike usual, they were no longer chatting and laughing with the people. Instead, they were staring wide-eyed, wary of something.

There was one every few steps, keeping the whole street completely sealed off.

Jiang Min lifted the sedan curtain, glanced at it, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"As expected! That ruthless Xiao Lie was prepared all along!"

She looked at both sides of the street again, and her heart skipped a beat.

The shops, teahouses, and taverns on both sides have many new faces.

As the person in charge of the Bureau of Folklore, they had already thoroughly investigated the situation around the post station!

Those people appeared to be drinking tea, eating, and shopping, but their eyes kept glancing at the sedan chair.

Several people kept their hands tucked into their sleeves, the cuffs bulging, clearly hiding something.

Jiang Min lowered the sedan curtain, her heartbeat quickening slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.

She knew those men were the Chu Emperor's secret guards. If it weren't for the soldiers of the Trapped Camp everywhere on the streets, they probably would have already made their move.

"Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu was truly a ruthless man who murdered his brother and usurped the throne!"

"It seems we'll need to gather even more detailed intelligence about the Chu Emperor in the future."

The sedan chair came to a steady stop in front of the prefectural government building.

Jiang Min alighted from the sedan chair, straightened his clothes, and stepped up the stairs.

The guards recognized her and quickly went inside to report.

Xiao Lie was revising the steam engine blueprints in his study.

Bisu ran in, panting.

"Your Highness, Princess Jing has arrived! She's right at the door!"

Xiao Lie put down his pen, his brows furrowing slightly.

Why did you come in such a hurry? Before he could even go out to greet you, Jiang Min had already walked in by herself.

According to custom, when an envoy arrives at the door, the host must greet him at the entrance.

Jiang Min's actions were against etiquette.

But Xiao Lie didn't have time to worry about these things. He walked quickly outside and saw Jiang Min standing inside the main hall. She was dressed in formal attire, dignified and elegant, with a smile on her face and a letter in her hand.

He recognized that letter!

It's a secret letter from the Chu Emperor!

Xiao Lie's pupils contracted slightly.

Jiang Min didn't give him time to react. In front of the people coming and going at the door and the spies pretending to drink tea across the street, she handed the letter to Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness Prince Ning, this is a secret letter from Emperor Xiao Mu of the Great Chu."

"I intercepted it en route; it should not have been opened and read."

"But I am worried that the contents of the letter involve His Highness's safety, so I dare not delay."

"Now we are returning the item to you in its original form. We hope Your Highness will take good care of it."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"As a princess of the Jing Kingdom, I cannot participate in the affairs of the Chu Kingdom."

Xiao Lie looked at the letter, then at Jiang Min's clear eyes, and cursed inwardly.

"What a pitiful Princess Minyue!"

At this moment, Jiang Min returned the letter in front of countless Chu Emperor spies, which was tantamount to throwing out a hot potato!

The letter was in her hands, and the Chu Emperor wanted to kill her to silence her; if the letter wasn't in her hands, the Chu Emperor wouldn't have needed to risk provoking the Jing Kingdom at all!

Her statement, "It's inconvenient for me to participate," completely absolved her of any responsibility!

In other words, she was no longer concerned with the Chu Emperor's crimes! She was an outsider and wouldn't get involved!

Now that the evidence is in Xiao Lie's hands, the Emperor of Chu should use whatever means he wants, preferably to force Xiao Lie into rebellion!

Xiao Lie stared at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He reached out and took the letter.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he stepped forward and scooped Jiang Min up in his arms.

Jiang Min's mind went completely blank for a moment!

She never dreamed that Xiao Lie would do such a rude thing in broad daylight, in front of everyone.

Her face flushed red to her ears, and her whole body stiffened.

"What...what are you doing! Put me down!"

Xiao Lie did not release him.

Instead, he smiled and hugged her, then turned to face the door.

"Gentlemen! I hereby announce this publicly!"

"I, the King, and Princess Minyue of Jing Kingdom are already engaged!"

"One month from now, I will personally escort the princess back to Jing Kingdom to propose marriage!"

There was an uproar at the entrance.

The people were discussing it, some applauding and cheering, others making a fuss.

The spies looked at each other, their faces turning ashen.

We wouldn't have needed to take any risks otherwise, but now that you two are family, we have no choice but to kill you!

Xiao Lie carried Jiang Min and strode into the government office, the door slamming shut behind him.

Once inside the main hall, Xiao Lie put Jiang Min down.

The moment Jiang Min landed, she bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on!

Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide open.

"Xiao Lie! You...you...you are utterly rude!"

Xiao Lie's expression changed.

He dropped his flippant expression and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Princess, you are incredibly intelligent. Not only did you see through my scheme, but you also came up with a countermeasure so quickly."

"Impressive! I am utterly impressed!"

Jiang Min was speechless after being praised by him.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and gave a cold laugh.

"His Highness Prince Ning is not only an impolite person, but also has a penchant for breaking his word."

"The claim that they would raise an army once they found the emperor's personal guards and proved his guilt is all just an excuse!"

"They're just using me, a weak woman, as bait."

She stared at Xiao Lie.

"The fact that the Chu Emperor's assassins have now infiltrated the northern frontier is enough to prove that he harbors ulterior motives."

"If Your Highness doesn't raise an army now, when will you?"

Xiao Lie leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms behind his head, and smiled.

"We are engaged, so you will be my future queen."

"What kind of princess instigates her own prince to rebel?"

Jiang Min was speechless, choked by his words.

She'd seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless!

When others resort to scheming and trickery, they at least try to cover it up and save face.

Xiao Lie, on the other hand, completely gave up and abandoned all sense of shame.

"Xiao Lie!"

She gritted her teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"If the Emperor of Chu were truly your father's killer, would you still shamelessly cower like a coward?"