Qingluan felt the sudden surge of murderous intent radiating from her mistress. She lowered her head and stood solemnly, not daring to speak.
Baili Jun laid out all the evidence. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a line of small characters carved into the bottom of the wooden box, “When the birds are gone, the bow is put away. When the rabbit dies, the hound is cooked.”
The strokes varied in depth, clearly traced over many times at different moments. It was as if the box’s owner had spent countless nights retracing the words, afraid of ever forgetting this truth.
The terrified expression of Ji Huaian at the moment of his death flashed before her eyes. That fool, thinking himself clever, believed leaving behind this evidence would serve as his escape route.
Baili Jun gently rubbed the token in her hand, suddenly finding it laughable. These so‑called “proofs” had now become the sharpest blade in her grasp.
The Crown Prince would never have imagined that the elaborate trap he had set would end up becoming the noose around his own neck.
A mocking curve tugged at Baili Jun’s lips. She ordered Qingluan to burn the box later. Then, as if recalling something, she asked softly: “Didn’t you once say that Mother left hidden agents in the palace?”
Qingluan immediately understood. “Yes, Your Highness. Do you wish to activate them?”
Baili Jun pondered for a moment. “Send word to them. Have them watch for anyone in the palace who resembles me. If they find such a person, report at once.”
Qingluan bowed with grave seriousness.
“What news from the Crown Prince?” Baili Jun asked again, flipping open the ledger where the words ‘Already transferred to Youzhou’ were marked.
Qingluan reported promptly: “The shadow guards watching the Prince’s residence sent word. This afternoon, he dispatched several groups secretly out of the manor. Their movements were suspicious. Our men have already followed in batches.”
“One group is heading toward Youzhou. Qinglan is leading a unit of Red‑Feather Guards to track their final destination.”
Youzhou! The embezzled military funds!
Baili Jun’s gaze sharpened. So the Crown Prince was preparing to move them already—fast indeed!
This confirmed her suspicion: the destroyed ledgers in the Ministry of Revenue pointed directly to the transfer of the Northern Army’s stolen silver to Youzhou.
“Tell Qinglan to uncover the final hiding place of that silver. Do not alert them—just confirm the location. This is one of the Prince’s greatest vulnerabilities!” Baili Jun commanded decisively.
Merely intercepting the route map was not enough. Only by securing proof of the hidden treasury could she deliver a fatal blow.
“Yes!” Qingluan responded. She then reported gravely: “Your Highness, I noticed on my return that the Third Prince has doubled his men outside the manor. Their surveillance points are more concealed than before.”
“As expected,” Baili Jun said coolly. “After I rejected him, he would not give up. Strengthening surveillance is his way of tracking my movements, waiting for an opportunity.”
“Tell our people to stay alert. Daily purchases and comings‑and‑goings should remain normal—no need for deliberate concealment. But the core areas and personnel must remain airtight. Especially you, Qingluan. Your movements are what they most want to grasp. Be cautious.”
“I understand,” Qingluan replied solemnly.
Baili Jun leaned back slowly against her chair, her fingers absently stroking the cold surface of the token. The candlelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting turbulent thoughts and icy calculations.
Today, the Third Prince had been bitten back by the Crown Prince in court, suffering a hidden loss. With his temperament, he would never let it rest. He would surely watch the Crown Prince’s every move, hoping to seize a greater weakness and crush him completely.
The vast sum in Youzhou was, to the Third Prince—who also needed funds to build his faction—nothing less than a piece of enormous, tempting meat.
The Crown Prince, desperate to protect himself, would stop at nothing to move or destroy the stolen silver. And the Third Prince, eager to prove the Crown Prince’s crimes—or even take a share for himself—would pounce on Youzhou like a beast scenting blood.
When two tigers fight, one must be wounded—or worse, both may perish.
Why should she reveal all her cards now and place herself at the eye of the storm?
“Qingluan.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Keep strict watch on every move from the Crown Prince’s manor and the Third Prince’s manor. Especially their men heading toward Youzhou. Report any changes immediately.” Baili Jun’s voice was calm, without a ripple.
“And another thing—” a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes, “find a way to leak the news that ‘the Crown Prince is preparing to transfer the embezzled military silver to Youzhou’ to the Third Prince’s people. Make it seem natural, as if they discovered it through their own ‘hard work.’”
Qingluan instantly understood. “Your Highness intends… to divert the disaster eastward? To let the Third Prince fight the Crown Prince over that stolen silver?”
“Exactly.” Baili Jun nodded. “What the Third Prince most desires now is the core evidence that can destroy the Crown Prince. The silver in Youzhou is the biggest target. Once he learns the Crown Prince is moving it, he will spare no effort to pursue and seize it.”
“The Crown Prince, to protect the silver, will surely send men to intercept—perhaps even clash head‑on with the Third Prince’s forces. Let them tear each other apart, dog against dog. We can sit back and watch the tigers fight, while their attention is drawn away from me.”
“Send the order…” Baili Jun’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Tighten surveillance on all routes toward Youzhou, especially every passage in and out of Baili Yue’s fief—by land and water. Once the Crown Prince’s men move, the Third Prince’s men will follow the scent. When they battle to the death over that silver on Youzhou’s soil…”
She paused, tapping the evidence on the table. “…that will be the perfect moment for our people to strike and ‘take over’ the silver. Ensure both the money and the men are seized—leave not a single living witness to the other side!”
What she wanted was not the silver itself, but the irrefutable proof that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had fought over stolen funds, even deploying private soldiers. That would be the final straw to break the Crown Prince!
“Brilliant strategy, Your Highness!” Qingluan said with genuine admiration.
“And another thing—” Baili Jun’s gaze cut like a blade, “these replacement lists for the Imperial Guards and the defense maps of the capital must be sealed tightly. Not a whisper must leak. This is our true killing move.”
She picked up the jet‑black token, weighing it in her palm.
To swap out the Imperial Guards, to secretly hold the capital’s defense maps—this was ironclad proof of treason. Far deadlier than charges of embezzling military funds or framing loyal ministers. It must be unleashed at the most critical moment to deliver the Crown Prince his fatal blow.
“I understand!” Qingluan answered gravely, then withdrew from the study, her figure vanishing into the shadows.
Inside, the candle flames flickered.
Baili Jun sat quietly for a while, then picked up the replacement list and the copy of the defense map again. Imitating Ji Huaian’s handwriting, she recopied a pared‑down version, leaving only the names of posts most likely to expose the scheme. Perhaps this information would prove useful later.
She carefully stored the copy and the defense map together with the “Zhang” token, locking them in the most hidden compartment of the study’s secret drawer. Only after finishing did she exhale slowly, gazing out at the heavy night beyond the window.
This game of chess had only just begun.
After a while, Baili Jun lowered her head, recalling what she had seen while bathing earlier.
Though only a single night had passed, the scar that had suddenly appeared on her chest had already shifted—slowly transforming into a dragon‑shaped mark.
What did this mark signify?
This uncontrollable, unknown variable filled Baili Jun with deep unease. She closed her eyes, drew a long breath, and when she opened them again, all turbulent emotions had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only cold composure.
The urgent task now was to shatter the Crown Prince’s claim to the heir’s throne, dragging him down from the clouds into the mire. Only by crushing him beneath her feet, grinding his ambition to dust, and tearing out his heart could she find peace enough to uncover the truth of her own.