A moment later.
Chu Wujin walked out of the secret room holding two letters in his hand, immediately spotting the young girl in the room beaming like a flower.
Hmm… this girl seemed to have gained quite a bit of weight compared to before.
The corner peeking out from her collar looked like… banknotes?
[No wonder he’s the head of the Northern Liang spies, his consideration is truly thorough.]
[Plenty of money, small in volume, gold and banknotes are all here, just tuck them in your clothes and you’re ready to run.]
[Let this big sister’s clever little brain calculate: over a hundred taels of gold, and even more in banknotes… a full thirty thousand taels!]
[Speaking of which, the Northern Liang spies’ banknotes are actually all from Great Chu.]
[No need for this big sister to exchange them anymore, what a good man!]
Although the night had been somewhat thrilling, Jiang Yueyao felt… it was worth it!
The sounds of fighting outside had already faded. After hiding the gold and banknotes, Jiang Yueyao had secretly peeked through the window lattice… there was no one outside anymore.
“Ahem… big brother, you’ve gotten what you wanted, right?”
“Should we make our exit?”
[This big sister has already gotten her little money, if we don’t leave now, when will we?]
[What Northern Liang spies have nothing to do with me, I’m just an extra.]
“Big brother, you guys have it tough working outside. Don’t worry, I understand completely. I definitely won’t mention how I accidentally wandered in here today. I’d never give anyone a chance to accuse you of bringing unrelated people inside, and I’d absolutely never let your merits be discounted!”
Chu Wujin didn’t speak, merely pushed open the door and walked out very naturally.
Seeing this, Jiang Yueyao quickly followed with small steps.
What if there were still Black Armor Guards outside? It felt safer to stick with big brother.
However…
The moment they stepped out.
“Yao Yao!”
A figure floated directly to Jiang Yueyao’s side—it was Jiang Yuehua, her face full of anxiety.
And naturally, standing beside Jiang Yuehua was Xie Yanqing.
“Sis, pig… I mean, Young Marquis, why are you two here too?”
When Jiang Yuehua and Xie Yanqing had realized Jiang Yueyao was missing, their souls nearly flew away in fright. Now, seeing Jiang Yueyao safe and sound before them, they finally felt slightly relieved.
But…
Seeing the black-clothed man beside Jiang Yueyao, they only felt… a chill wind blowing straight from the crown of their heads down to the soles of their feet.
Frozen solid.
Frozen all the way to The Underworld.
“Pri… Pri… Prince…”
“Sis, what’s wrong? Are you that shocked to see me?”
Jiang Yueyao blinked happily.
[My dear sister, if you knew that I just scooped up tens of thousands of taels that the Northern Liang spy leader had hidden in his lair in one go, wouldn’t you be even more shocked?!]
[We even have the money to open a tavern now]
[Wahahaha~~]
Jiang Yuehua: … felt even colder.
Ice-cold to the core, heart frozen solid.
Beside her, Xie Yanqing took a deep breath, clasped his hands, and bowed.
“Greetings, Prince Jing.”
Jiang Yueyao: …
Prince Jing, Your Highness?
Wait, she recognized all four of those words, but why did they sound strange when put together?
Chu Wujin had long known these two had followed Jiang Yueyao here.
He had only been able to easily take Jiang Yueyao away while these two were busy fighting.
Calculating the time, they had found their way here quite quickly.
However…
Chu Wujin didn’t look at Xie Yanqing, instead turning his gaze toward Jiang Yueyao.
“Yao Yao? Didn’t the young lady say her name was Daiqing? Miss Daiqing of the Loyal Marquis Manor.”
Jiang Yueyao: …【Damn, how do you remember this so clearly?!】
【Speaking of which, isn’t Prince Jing… the legendary White Moonlight who died young? How could this person possibly still be alive?】
【Holy moly, I knew someone this handsome was wasted as a Black Armor Guard. Turns out he’s a prince!】
【No no no, Jiang Yueyao, snap out of it!】
【The real issue here is your cover being blown on the spot!】
【It’s fine, your girl’s still got her resilience】
“Oh right, I’m Daiqing.”
“Truly?”
“Um… actually Daiqing is my childhood name. My formal name is Jiang Yueyao.”
“Jiang? Not Xie?”
“Well… a sworn brother is still my brother, right, bro?”
Jiang Yueyao blinked at Xie Yanqing.
【You pig trotter, back me up here!】
【Though this handsome guy looks quite young too, about my sister’s age. Why does his stare make me want to confess everything?】
【Good thing your girl’s still got her backbone】
Xie Yanqing listened to his future sister-in-law’s nonsense while she spouted ridiculous thoughts internally, feeling cold sweat breaking out.
But…
He still nodded.
“Indeed, Yao Yao is my sworn sister. If she has offended Prince Jing in any way, I beg Your Highness to forgive her youthful ignorance.”
“So it’s Jiang Yueyao.”
Chu Wujin nodded.
“Although Miss Jiang was inadvertently involved tonight… this matter is confidential, so I cannot request rewards for her.”
Xie Yanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Prince Jing’s statement had defined the nature of the incident.
Yao Yao’s presence here was merely accidental involvement. Otherwise, how would a young girl explain being connected to a Northern Liang spy’s hideout!
Fortunately, Prince Jing was noble in character.
“Not at all, not at all. As long as my little sister’s mischief hasn’t caused trouble for Your Highness. Thank you for your magnanimity. I’ll take my leave with her now.”
Watching Xie Yanqing and Jiang Yuehua eagerly trying to leave, wanting no part in this matter, Chu Wujin unconsciously frowned.
“Wait… Miss Jiang actually provided me with significant assistance tonight. Though I cannot request official rewards, thanks are still due.”
“I’ve heard Minister Jiang recently moved to a new residence… I should pay a visit to offer congratulations.”
Jiang Yuehua: …
Xie Yanqing: …
Jiang Yueyao: … (⊙_⊙)
【I don’t need you coming over ahhhhh!!!】
……
The Imperial Palace.
Late at night, but the Hall of Diligent Governance remained brightly lit.
“You reckless boy!”
“You actually left the army alone and rode light back to the capital! Don’t you know the Northern Liang people all hate you to the bone? Don’t you know the Empress nearly fainted when she heard you’d gone missing!”
“You scoundrel! You’ve been in the capital for so long, yet only told me today that you’ve returned!”
“What exactly are you trying to do!”
The emperor, now in his forties, was a handsome middle-aged man with scholarly elegance and dignified features.
Though at this moment, his expression was twisted with anger.
In his fury, he couldn’t help but want to kick out.
But seeing the cold-faced young man before him, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“You… ah, you.”
“Your Majesty.”
Chu Wujin stood straight-backed, showing no anxiety or panic at the emperor’s reprimand, speaking only in cool, detached tones.”Although our Great Chu emerged victorious in the war against Northern Liang, during the final decisive battle, our army’s marching route was known to the Northern Liang forces in advance. Were it not for this… the Northern Wing Army wouldn’t have suffered such devastating losses, and General Zhang wouldn’t have fallen on the battlefield with dozens of arrows in his body, dying with eternal regret.”
“On the battlefield, we fear not the enemy’s blades, but we cannot endure a stab in the back from our own.”
“The person who colluded with Northern Liang and leaked our military intelligence must be uncovered!”