Prince Yi's Residence.
Yang Yin glanced back at Qin Liuqi, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Is Zhuang Die's information accurate?"
Qin Liuqi whispered, "She found it in Fang Jie's room. Fang Jie was attacked on his way out of Wu Yidao's residence and hurriedly returned to his shop. Not long after, Wu Yidao sent his subordinate, a man named Jiu Se Cai, to check on Fang Jie's shop. He stayed for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before leaving. After that, Fang Jie was summoned to the palace."
"When Fang Jie entered the palace, Zhuang Die didn't act immediately. She was afraid Fang Jie wouldn't believe she had someone secretly monitoring him. After Fang Jie returned, he was directly invited by the prince. Zhuang Die knew that Fang Jie and his group were definitely being watched by people from the prince's residence, so she went in and searched. At first, she didn't find anything, only a wooden box containing a lot of silver notes. The large amounts..." "It's quite astonishing. Such a large sum of silver clearly doesn't belong to Fang Jie. The only possibility is that Wu Yidao gave it to him."
"Zhuang Die only found these silver notes in Fang Jie's room. Before leaving, she was unwilling to give up, so she went back to look for more. She found some ashes on the back window. Zhuang Die jumped out of the back window and picked up a piece of paper with only a corner left."
Qin Liuqi said, "Only a few words can be vaguely made out on the paper: February 11th, South of the city… The rest of the words have been burned away."
Yang Yin was silent for a while and then asked, "What do you think?"
Qin Liuqi thought for a moment and replied, "If nothing unexpected happens, Wu Yidao should be leaving the city. The note was probably taken by Jiu Se Cai, and Fang Jie probably burned it after reading it. Therefore, it seems that the relationship between Fang Jie and Wu Yidao is definitely not what it appears to be." "So shallow, if nothing unexpected happens, Fang Jie should know quite a few secrets about Wu Yidao."
Yang Yin shook his head: "Have you ever thought about why such a secret would be passed around on a note? Since Jiu Se Cai has already arrived at Fang Jie's shop, why doesn't he tell him personally?"
Qin Liuqi was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and said: "Does Your Highness mean that Fang Jie did this on purpose?"
"That's not quite right."
Yang Yin shook his head again: "What if Wu Yidao is afraid that Jiu Se Cai will be overheard when he speaks? The information you gathered earlier said that the three people with Fang Jie were sent by Luo Weiran, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and their cultivation levels are all quite high. Fang Jie must be wary of them, and so is Wu Yidao. If the Emperor wants to take action against Wu Yidao, Fang Jie will definitely be on guard against the Imperial Guards. If they speak, they will inevitably be overheard." "That's why they used notes to pass messages. Fang Jie would burn them after reading them, leaving no trace."
Qin Liuqi thought for a moment and said, "A few days ago, two of Fang Jie's men left Chang'an. Could they have been paving the way for Wu Yidao? Wu Yidao's men are all locked down in Chang'an; we know who's moving. My subordinates were also lax and didn't send anyone to keep an eye on where Fang Jie's men went."
"Better safe than sorry."
Yang Yin's lips curled up: "Anyway, I won't be directly involved in this matter. Let those people prepare. Go to the south of the city tomorrow and wait. If Wu Yidao really wants to escape, he'll definitely have those account books with him. Anyway, those people won't be of much use after the 12th; use them while you can."
"Why February 11th?"
Qin Liuqi asked. Yang Yin pondered for a moment and said, "The army will set off the day after tomorrow. The city gates will be heavily guarded, making escape difficult. Tomorrow, everyone will be busy preparing for the army's departure, fearing something might go wrong if the emperor personally escorts the troops. It seems tense, but it actually benefits Wu Yidao. If he disguises himself, leaving Chang'an won't be difficult."
"Starting today, keep a close eye on the Sanjin Marquis's residence!"
Yang Yin waved his hand: "Since Fang Jie has a close relationship with Wu Yidao, he will definitely make some moves tomorrow. Keep a close watch, but no one in the residence is allowed to interfere. The most important day is the day after tomorrow… No matter what happens tomorrow, we cannot let all my years of planning go to waste."
Qin Liuqi nodded: "Understood."
Sanjin Marquis's Residence
Wu Yidao sat back in his recliner, his book still on the first page he had turned. His eyes were on the book, but he hadn't absorbed a single word.
"Wine, women, and wealth."
He called softly, and the fat man, Wine, Women, and Wealth, floated over and bowed, asking, "My lord, what are your orders?"
Wu Yidao frowned and hesitated for a moment: "Fang Jie's method isn't foolproof. It's not guaranteed to lure Prince Yi out from behind the scenes. Prince Yi is clean in the business world; aside from commercial matters, he has no dirt on him. It's best to consider this carefully. Go to Fang Jie's shop again and tell him he'd better think it through."
Wine, Women, and Wealth said, "Fang Jie said that it's definitely impossible to lure Prince Yi out tomorrow. But as long as those court officials are all involved, there's nothing to worry about. If ten people are involved, at least one will know something about what Prince Yi is up to. If we act quickly, Prince Yi won't have time to rescue them. Starting the investigation under this pretext will inevitably throw Prince Yi into disarray."
"Fang Jie wants to force Prince Yi into a corner."
Wu Yidao sighed and said, "He'll use this..." "The matter is set for tomorrow... I haven't fully grasped the meaning behind it yet."
"Fang Jie said, 'It seems that Prince Yi has not only won over a large number of civil officials over the years.'"
"I know that."
Wu Yidao's expression was grave: "Does Fang Jie think that Prince Yi will do something big on February 12th? That doesn't make sense. Even if General Yu Manlou of the Left Guard took at least 50,000 troops from Chang'an, there are still at least 200,000 troops from other guards. Even if Prince Yi has extraordinary abilities, can he control all the troops? His Majesty's transfer of 100,000 troops from the capital region to the northwest was indeed somewhat inappropriate. But it's not time to leave Chang'an undefended. Besides... His Majesty still has 800 elite soldiers from the Imperial Guard, plus the Imperial Guard and the people from the Imperial Household Department. Even with tens of thousands of troops, how could they easily storm the Taiji Palace?"
"That's not right!"
Wu Yidao suddenly stood up, suddenly remembering something he had overlooked.
...
...
February 11th. Fang Jie changed into a set of close-fitting clothes, wearing his long robe over them. He wrapped his Morning Dew Blade in silk cloth, and underneath the robe, he strapped on the broken Blood Butcher Blade given to him by the old cripple. After getting ready, he walked to the bronze mirror and carefully examined himself, then turned to Shen Qingshan and asked, "Does it look like me?"
Shen Qingshan nodded: "Unless you look closely up close, it's hard to tell you're an imposter."
The face in the bronze mirror wasn't Fang Jie's, but Wu Yidao's.
Last night, Fang Jie had drugged Zhuang Die's food, leaving the little girl unconscious and still unconscious. Shen Qingshan spent half the night making a mask for Fang Jie. This mask was brought by Jiu Se Cai a couple of days ago; Wu Yidao had made many of his own masks for safety. Several times when he went out, he disguised himself as a servant, with bodyguards wearing his mask in the carriage.
The mask was exquisitely made, and Shen Qingshan used a mixture of flour and eggs to seal the seams between the mask and the face, so from a distance, it looked flawless.
"Let's go."
Fang Jie smiled, picked up a hat, and put it on. He lowered the veil from the hat, obscuring his face. The three men, including the black-haired boy, exchanged glances, their expressions grave.
"Fang Jie, I still think we should report to His Majesty first."
Chen Xiaoru said, "His Majesty might not agree to your plan."
Fang Jie stopped and looked at Chen Xiaoru, asking, "Do you know who our opponent is?"
Chen Xiaoru nodded: "Of course I know!"
"Who is it?"
Fang Jie asked. Chen Xiaoru replied, "Prince Yi."
Fang Jie shook his head: "He is His Majesty's younger brother, and the Empress Dowager's favorite son. Why can Prince Yi stay in Chang'an instead of going to his fiefdom? Because the Empress Dowager can't bear to part with him. Prince Yi's residence has illegal buildings, so why hasn't anyone impeached him? Because the Empress Dowager herself spoke on his behalf, and the court officials naturally don't want to offend her. Does His Majesty not know that Prince Yi's background is tainted? He certainly does, but because of the Empress Dowager's presence, His Majesty can't do anything without solid evidence."
"To put it bluntly... Prince Yi is the Empress Dowager's biological son, but His Majesty isn't! Yet His Majesty is known throughout the land for his filial piety. Do you understand what I mean by all this?"
Fang Jie asked, "If we, as subjects, wait for His Majesty's orders before doing anything, what use are we to him? I agree that you should tell Eunuch Su about this. Go and ask him, see what Eunuch Su thinks." "What do you mean?"
Chen Xiaoru and the other two were taken aback. The young man was silent for a moment before saying, "But it's still too reckless. We only have these few people."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "More than that."
"Who else?"
"I can't say."
Fang Jie said as he walked out, "The three of you can come if you want, or go to the Taiji Palace to see His Majesty if you don't. I've made up my mind about this. What if something big happens on the day the troops are dispatched? Won't you regret it?"
"I really can't imagine what Prince Yi will do on the day the troops are dispatched. He has no chance of winning. There are hundreds of thousands of troops in Chang'an, tens of thousands of soldiers in flying fish robes, and eight hundred imperial guards!"
Chen Xiaoru said, "What makes Prince Yi think he can?"
"Precisely because I don't know what makes him think he can."
Fang Jie said seriously, "That's why we have to force him."
"Let's go."
Fang Jie said softly to Shen Qingshan.
Shen Qingshan nodded and followed Fang Jie out of the shop. Chen Xiaoru and the other two exchanged glances. Finally, he gritted his teeth and followed, saying, "If we can truly uncover the truth for His Majesty, what's a little risk? Fang Jie, we've entrusted our lives to you this time. Don't let us down."
Fang Jie smiled and shook his head, "My own life is also tied to this. I cherish my own life a hundred times, ten thousand times more than yours."
He boarded the carriage and said to Nie Xiaoju, "Let's go, let's drive to the Sanjin Marquis's residence."
Sitting in the carriage, Fang Jie looked at Shen Qingshan beside him and asked, "Why aren't you carrying your sword?"
Shen Qingshan countered, "What's a sword?"
Fang Jie paused, then shook his head, saying, "Is it because your cultivation has reached a certain level that you naturally lose the ability to speak human language?"
Shen Qingshan smiled and remained silent.
...
...
On the official road three hundred li from Chang'an City, a man covered in dust and blood rode a horse at breakneck speed towards the city. He was utterly exhausted; if his legs hadn't been tied to the warhorse, he would have fallen long ago. His face was pale and filthy, as if he hadn't washed for days.
The warhorse was snorting, its hooves already weakening as it ran. When they were still a few dozen meters from the post station, the horse finally collapsed. Because his legs were tied to the horse, the fall pinned the man's legs down. He cried out in pain, trying to untie the ropes but unable to find the knot.
The postmaster, who was on duty at the post station, happened to come out to urinate and saw this. He hesitated for a moment, then ran over with several postmen to check on him.
"Quick, get me out! I have urgent military intelligence to send to Chang'an!"
The man pinned down by the warhorse pleaded.
The postmaster was startled, only then realizing that the man was wearing the uniform of a fifth-rank military officer. However, the clothes were covered in blood and mud, making it almost invisible at first glance.
"What happened?"
The innkeeper asked instinctively while frantically trying to save the man.
The general looked up at the innkeeper but didn't answer, his eyes filled with pain.