Xiao Yu's words immediately made Yu Hanjiang tense up, his expression becoming extremely serious: "You mean, the assassins from Yan State are planning to assassinate the Emperor in the capital? Is this information reliable?"
Xiao Yu nodded with a serious face: "It should be reliable. Before I left, they had already sent several assassins to the capital. It is said that Great Qi State's inside agents in the capital will arrange for several women to enter the palace under the guise of show girls."
" Show Girl?" Xiao Lou paused slightly, then looked at Yu Hanjiang: "Is His Majesty planning to hold a talent show recently?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "As far as I know, when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, the Former Emperor arranged a marriage for him, making him marry the daughter of a general as his Crown Princess, and he also took two concubines. In the years since he ascended the throne, he has not taken any concubines, and there are currently only three concubines in the harem."
Ancient emperors often had thousands of beauties around them, but with only one empress and two concubines, the harem seemed rather sparse. Even if the emperor was young and unwilling to choose concubines, the ministers of the Ministry of Rites would urge him to expand his harem.
According to Xiao Yu, there are also contacts in Yan State in the capital, who may have been lurking for many years like Aunt Qing. This is a good opportunity to send the assassin into the palace disguised as a show girl.
The assassins they send must be extremely beautiful; they might stand out in this selection process and be kept in the emperor's harem. Then, the emperor will favor the new show girls, and they can take action in bed, making their success rate very high.
Even the most far-sighted emperor could never have imagined that his concubines would plot against him.
Xiao Lou gently rubbed his temples, saying with a headache, " The assassins from Yan State really seem to thrive on chaos!"
Qi State already harbors a mysterious rebellious force. If the emperor were assassinated, those plotting a rebellion could reap the benefits, inevitably plunging the entire Qi State into further turmoil. Moreover, the fact that there are people in the Great Qi State's capital who could meet the Yan State assassins suggests that Yan State's intelligence network within Qi State is deeply entrenched, and they may have even bribed some officials in Great Qi State.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Yu and lowered his voice, saying, " Xiao Yu, do you know who the leader of the assassin organization is in Yan State?"
Xiao Yu said, "It is His Highness the Crown Prince of Yan State."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
No wonder that person could control the families of all the girls in Tianxiang Tower. It turns out he was the Crown Prince of Yan State. The intelligence and assassin organization that His Highness personally created had indeed been lying low in Qi State for many years.
Yu Hanjiang continued, "Do you have any leads on the people who met the assassins in the capital of Great Qi State and arranged for them to enter the palace?"
Xiao Yu shook her head: "I don't know about that. But I guess that person must be a powerful minister who can change the background of the show girl at will and plant assassins in the palace to carry out missions."
Yu Hanjiang stroked his chin and speculated, "Perhaps it's someone from the Ministry of Rites. Other officials are usually not allowed to interfere in the emperor's selection of concubines; it's all arranged by the Ministry of Rites. If there's a traitor within the Ministry of Rites, it would be very easy for them to tamper with the Show Girls ' information."
Xiao Yu thought about it and felt that it made sense, so she remained silent.
Yu Hanjiang wasn't sure of the exact date of the Emperor's formal selection of consorts, but it should be soon. Regardless, ensuring His Majesty's safety was paramount. With that in mind, Yu Hanjiang immediately whispered, "We must inform His Majesty of this as soon as possible so we can prepare accordingly."
Xiao Lou asked, "Shouldn't we inform the Prince first?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, I'd better write a secret letter directly to His Majesty."
When His Majesty left the palace, he instructed, "If you encounter any difficulties, you can send me a secret memorial as quickly as possible." Ordinary memorials from officials to the emperor had to be sent through multiple levels of government, but secret memorials from certain officials, granted special permission by the emperor, could be sent directly to the capital and delivered to him. His Majesty's words were clearly an implication—in case of emergency, Yu Hanjiang could send him a message directly.
Yu Hanjiang said decisively, "I will write a secret letter tonight and send it to the capital by express courier. His Majesty will receive it by tomorrow night at the latest. The imperial concubine selection should not have started yet, so it is still not too late to send the letter now. As long as His Majesty is on guard, those assassins will not be able to succeed easily, even if they are mixed in with the selection process."
Xiao Lou agreed, saying, "His Majesty's safety is of utmost importance. Let's inform him of this matter first and ask him to take precautions. We can investigate the spies in the capital later. Officials from the Ministry of Rites are highly suspicious; His Majesty should also be aware of this."
The two looked at each other, nodded, and confirmed their next plan.
Standing to the side, Xiao Yu felt extremely awkward watching the two of them exchange a knowing glance. He couldn't help but cough and said coolly, "Brother, I remember you used to hate officialdom the most. How come you've suddenly become concerned about court affairs after following Lord Yu?"
Xiao Lou explained, "Now that Hanjiang and I are married, husband and wife should be of one mind."
Xiao Yu snorted coldly, glanced at Yu Hanjiang, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "The political situation is complicated. He might lose his life any day, and you'll suffer along with him. It's too dangerous for you to stay by his side. Brother, why don't you come with me..."
Yu Hanjiang immediately interrupted him: "Nonsense. Your brother is in danger with me, but is he safe with you? Don't forget, you're currently infiltrating Yan State as an assassin, barely able to protect yourself, how can you protect Xiao Lou?"
You want to take Xiao Lou away from him? Little brother, are you dreaming?
Xiao Yu was speechless for a moment, her brows furrowing into a deep frown.
Seeing that he looked displeased and was about to argue with Yu Hanjiang, Xiao Lou smiled slightly and quickly changed the subject, saying, " Xiao Yu, you've been missing for many years, what exactly happened?"
What happened? Who sent you to Yan State as an inside man?
As Xiao Yu recalled, he carefully explained, "The year I went to the front line, I was highly skilled in martial arts and performed outstandingly in the army, which attracted the attention of the general. After he examined me, he thought that my unfamiliar face was very suitable for carrying out special missions, so he forged an identity for me as a Yan State person—my parents were killed by soldiers of the Great Qi State, and I was also seriously injured. I hate the Qi State extremely."
"The general made me stage a self-inflicted injury, leaving me covered in wounds and lying among the dead bodies on the Yan State front. When the Yan State team was inspecting the battle damage, they found me 'on the verge of death' and rescued me. My 'tragic experience' quickly won their sympathy."
"Later, I made several great contributions to the Yan State troops. In addition, my martial arts skills attracted the attention of His Highness the Crown Prince's spies on the front lines, who recommended me to the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince greatly admired me and recruited me into the intelligence organization, where I was responsible for intelligence gathering and assassination missions."
"Besides supervising Aunt Qing and her group's actions, I have another special mission in Jiangzhou this time—in case Aunt Qing and her group fail, I will be responsible for the aftermath and personally take the heads of the Prince and the Prefect." Xiao Yu said, giving Yu Hanjiang a cold glance, her eyes seeming to say, "With my martial arts skills, I can kill you!"
Yu Hanjiang calmly looked at his younger brother: "So, I should thank you for sparing my life?"
Xiao Yu gave a soft snort: "If I wasn't afraid of hurting my brother, I would have stabbed you a few times just now. You must have used some despicable means to force my brother! Otherwise, why would my brother dress up as a woman and act as your wife?"
This younger brother was extremely protective of his own, and he looked indignant. He always felt that Xiao Lou would suffer if he followed Yu Hanjiang, so he was full of hostility towards Yu Hanjiang. Yu Hanjiang, out of consideration for him being Xiao Lou's younger brother, didn't bother to argue with him.
Xiao Lou was both amused and exasperated: "What are you talking about? My marriage to Hanjiang was my own choice. He didn't force me in any way. Besides, do you think my brother is the kind of person who would be forced into marriage?"
Xiao Yu murmured, "That won't happen..."
"Isn't that good?" Xiao Lou said gently. "It's normal that you find it hard to accept that your brother is marrying a man, but Hanjiang has been very good to me. You should put aside your prejudices and treat him as your brother as well."
"I can't do it," Xiao Yu said, frowning.
Xiao Lou didn't want to make things difficult for him. Memories of his time with his younger brother in this world flooded his mind. When they were little, Xiao Yu liked to be his older brother's little follower. His father was busy handling various cases, and his mother was always treating patients. Xiao Yu was practically raised by Xiao Lou, so it was understandable that he was dependent on Xiao Lou and unhappy that Xiao Lou married a man.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lou couldn't help but soften and asked with concern, "You must have suffered a lot these past few years in Yan State, right?"
Xiao Yu's eyes welled up with tears as his brother showed concern for him. He immediately turned his head away, trying to suppress the stinging in his eyes, and said calmly, "Compared to those brothers who died on the front lines, what is this little bit of suffering? A real man should always have things he will do and things he will not do. I was born a Qi State citizen and I will die a Qi State ghost. As long as it is for the Great Qi State, I am willing to do anything."
The passionate young man had a very upright mind. Xiao Lou stepped forward, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "You did a great job, brother. Your parents in heaven will be proud of you."
Xiao Yu's expression immediately improved after being praised and flattered, her ears turning slightly red: "I didn't do anything big..."
Xiao Lou praised, "You returned to Qi State in time, risking your life to inform His Majesty of the assassination attempt. This is a major event for all the people of Qi State. His Majesty is a good ruler; nothing can go wrong with him."
Yu Hanjiang echoed Xiao Lou's words, praising him: "Your brother is right. You have indeed had a tough time in Yan State these past few years. Once this is accomplished, I will definitely report to His Majesty and reward you accordingly."
Xiao Yu was flattered by the two people's praise, and his hostility towards Yu Hanjiang lessened considerably. He looked at Yu Hanjiang and said, "Ahem, I also know some things. I originally wanted to report to the Eighth Prince, but there has been a murder at the Prince's mansion these past few days, and it is heavily guarded with a bunch of Shadow Guards around. I can't get close at all... So I'll just tell you. Please ask Lord Yu to pass on the message to the Prince."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "I'm all ears."
Xiao Yu cleared his throat and said, "Actually, Yan State is also in a state of chaos. I infiltrated Yan State for four years and discovered that it's divided into two factions: the Crown Prince and Empress's faction, and the Third Prince and Consort Qin's faction. The Emperor of Yan State is over sixty years old and in poor health, and could pass away at any time. The two princes are in their prime, and their power is relatively balanced. As soon as the old Emperor of Yan State passes away, the Third Prince will definitely not sit idly by and wait for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, and Yan State will absolutely erupt into internal strife!"
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and met his clear eyes— the clues provided by Xiao Yu were crucial!
In Yan State, the Crown Prince controls the intelligence organization and assassin group. If the Crown Prince is eliminated, this organization will naturally collapse. If the Third Prince is willing to make peace with Qi State, perhaps His Majesty can be persuaded to assist the Third Prince in seizing power, eliminating the Crown Prince's faction in Yan State, and installing the Third Prince on the throne, while securing his promise to no longer invade the borders of Great Qi State.
This would not only completely eliminate the assassin organization, but also ease tensions between the Qi State and the Yan State, thus preventing the suffering of the people from years of war.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and said through the Telepathic Connection channel, " In Turmoil of War, besides investigating the cases of the Royal Palace and the Assassin Gang, perhaps, to achieve a perfect completion, we also need to assist the Emperor of the Great Qi State in quelling the current chaos?"
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement: "That's right. If we can not only find out the assassin's origins and the murderers in the two murders at the Prince's mansion, but also quell the chaos, Red Heart A wouldn't give us..."
Even an S rating is difficult.
Yu Hanjiang said, " The news of the internal strife in Yan State that Xiao Yu brought will definitely be very useful. I think it's worth a try. I'll mention this matter in my secret letter to His Majesty tonight and see his attitude and whether he can assist Yan State." The Third Prince seized power and formed an alliance with the Third Prince.
Seeing the two of them staring at each other as if no one else was around, Xiao Yu immediately put on a sour face: "Brother, what's so interesting about staring at him like that!"
Yu Hanjiang: "..."
Xiao Lou felt a flush rise to his ears at what was said, turned to look at his younger brother, and said, " Xiao Yu, we have a very risky mission and we'd like your help. I wonder if you'd be willing?"
Xiao Yu asked in confusion, "What mission?"
Xiao Lou glanced at Yu Hanjiang, and seeing him nod, he said, " Since the Crown Prince of Yan State has personally established an intelligence and assassin organization to target Qi State, and even sent people to assassinate the Prefect, the Prince, and even His Majesty, if he succeeds to the throne as the Emperor of Yan State, given his hostility towards Great Qi State, he will definitely start a full-scale war against Qi State, right?"
Xiao Yu nodded and said coldly, "That's right. The Crown Prince of Yan State is ruthless and ambitious. Back then, his favorite concubine was stabbed to death with a sword simply because she got up in the middle of the night and saw him meeting with a minister. He showed no mercy... I've been by his side for the past few years, and I've lived in constant fear. His study is often decorated with maps of the four kingdoms. I think he not only wants to annex Qi State, but also wants to unify the four kingdoms and become the ruler of the world."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Therefore, we must not let him become the next ruler of Yan State."
Xiao Yu finally realized what was going on: "You mean, during the internal strife in Yan State, you'd help Third Prince kill the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Lou said, " We are not yet sure what the Third Prince's attitude is towards the Great Qi State, which is why we wanted to ask you to make this trip. You are most familiar with the Yan State. Could you try to contact the Third Prince and probe whether he is willing to form an alliance with the Great Qi State? If the Great Qi State helps him ascend the throne and he signs an alliance with the Great Qi State to cease hostilities and make peace, would he be willing?"
Historically, there are many examples of two countries signing alliances and truces. Xiao Lou observed that Jiangzhou, the border city between Great Qi State and Zhao State, was prosperous due to the absence of war, with a constant stream of merchants and the entire city of Jiangzhou being incredibly bustling.
One can imagine what kind of life the people lived on the border between Great Qi State and Yan State due to years of war.
War only makes people suffer. If a truce can be reached, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the people of the world.
If they could influence the balance of power among the four kingdoms, transforming the Great Qi State and the Yan State from enemies to allies, and bringing an end to war, perhaps that would be the true, perfect way to complete " Turmoil of War."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu nodded in agreement: "Brother is right, I'll return to Yan State right away."
Yu Hanjiang asked with concern, "But how will you report back on your mission? You failed to assassinate the prince and the prefect. Will the crown prince let you off the hook?"
Xiao Yu smiled and said, "I have a plan. Tomorrow I will lure Aunt Qing and the others to the outskirts of Jiangzhou City. I will trouble Lord Yu to capture all the other assassins, including me, and pretend to kill me on the spot. I will find a way to secretly return to Yan State under another identity."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it for you."
Xiao Yu said, "I should go back now, brother..." He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Lou, his eyes full of reluctance: "Take care."
Xiao Lou also clasped his hands in a fist salute to him: "You too, be careful."
Xiao Yu flew out of the cave and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye. His teammates, who had been hiding nearby, then emerged and entered the cave. Xiao Lou briefly recounted the clues his brother had brought to everyone. Old Mo couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems that in this secret room, we not only have to solve the case, but also assist His Majesty in quelling the rebellion! No wonder it's an A-level difficulty level; you wouldn't have thought of this if you missed any clue!"
Yu Hanjiang said solemnly, "I will go back immediately and write a secret letter to His Majesty. Long Sen, to ensure that this secret letter reaches His Majesty's hands, you must personally send this letter to the capital at full speed."
Long Sen nodded vigorously: "Understood!"
Upon returning to the prefecture, Yu Hanjiang carefully considered his wording and wrote a letter to the emperor.
The letter stated two things: first, there was an assassin among the Show Girls in this talent show, who wanted to assassinate His Majesty. His Majesty was asked to take precautions, postpone the talent show, or conduct a secret investigation to find the traitor in the capital; second, there was the matter of the Crown Prince of Yan State and the Third Prince vying for the throne. Qi State might be able to intervene and support the Third Prince to ascend the throne.
He wrote two long pages before sealing the letter and having Long Sen deliver it that very night.
The origins of the assassin team have been fully investigated. The next major event is the murder case at the Prince's mansion.
Everything has returned to square one.
Who is the real killer behind the death of Young Master Lin?