The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

Chapter 481: Beginning (1)

When the clock struck three, Yang Qi put down his wolf-hair brush, his knuckles turning pale blue from holding the brush for so long.

The candlelight cast a faint shadow in front of Yang Qi’s eyes. The secret reports piled on the desk were rustling in the night wind—the shift change record of the Fifth Prince’s Mansion’s concierge, Prince An’s recent travel record, the recent dispatches of the Salesian Home, the movements of Guangming Hall’s secret agents…

Every page was soaked with key points annotated by Yang Qi in ink; even the Biluochun tea in the teacup had gone cold and was covered with a thin layer of dirt.

"Miss, Pei'er went to the Ministry of War today and talked with the Left Vice Minister for half an hour." Xiaoqing stood in front of the table, her voice hoarse from staying up late for days.

"I saw him enter the side hall, but I didn't dare to approach him for fear of being discovered by Pei'er."

Yang Qi rubbed his swollen temples, reached out to take the fruit box on the table, picked up a grape and put it in his mouth. These fruits were Yang Qi's favorite snacks, but now they have become a way to calm his mind.

"Ministry of War," Yang Qi looked at the reflection of the jade pendant dancing in the candlelight, "After the incident with Nianchuan, most of the Ministry of War were imprisoned. This Zuo Shilang is a rare person who was not implicated."

Was it that this Zuo Shilang was deceived by Pei'er, or was it that Zuo Shilang was originally the Fifth Prince's man and had just hidden himself too deeply and gone unnoticed? Yang Qi was unable to make an accurate judgment for a moment.

Xiaoqing took out an oilcloth bag from her sleeve and unfolded it to reveal half a piece of burnt letter paper: "This is what I found at the Zuo Shilang's place. It is a burnt page."

Yang Qi took it and looked at it carefully. Although the ink was blurry, he could still make out the words "Inspect the military strength on March 15th".

Yang Qi sneered a few times, "Okay," she threw the torn page onto the candle, sparks flew up, "Keep following, don't alert the enemy."

Pei'er's move was a steady one. He was worried that the Crown Prince would discover something unusual in advance, so he asked the Ministry of War to pay attention to the troop deployment in advance.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had said before that Pei'er was prudent and careful in his work, often even more so than Peilin, and he was indeed right about this man.

The leaves rustled by the back lake. Yang Qi looked at the swaying lantern in the corner of the yard and suddenly remembered the Crown Prince's comments on Sun Tzu's Art of War: "The chessboard should be laid out large, the pieces should be placed steadily, and there should be room for maneuvers."

At this moment, she had set up the "plot" herself. Xiaoqing was staring at Pei'er, A'du was rushing to Jiangnan to report the news to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and even Xinche was sent by her to watch the secret door of the Fifth Prince's Mansion - but even so, she still felt it was not enough.

"Xiaoqing," Yang Qi suddenly said, "Remember to carry some sharp weapons with you these days and hide them in your clothes."

Seeing Xiaoqing was stunned, Yang Qi said, "Pei'er is the deputy commander of the secret guards. If he gets suspicious, he will suffer if he takes action."

Yang Qi's sudden concern warmed Xiao Qing's heart. After responding softly, she turned and left to prepare for related matters.

Watching Xiaoqing's back getting farther and farther away, Yang Qi couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his aching temple.

She had hardly had a moment of peace and rest these days, and her headaches became more severe due to excessive fatigue.

However, it's not just Yang Qi, everyone is working overtime and desperately during this difficult time.

Xiaoqing's task was also arduous - to keep a close eye on Pei'er.

This is undoubtedly an extremely dangerous mission. If you are not careful, Pei'er may find out, which will lead to a vicious fight.

However, the current situation is complicated. There are more people secretly watching Pei'er than just Yang Qi's forces. I'm afraid even Gao Xian has sent people to secretly monitor him.

Pei'er, as the deputy commander of His Highness's secret guards, must be aware of Xiaoqing's existence and purpose. If Xiaoqing is noticed by Pei'er, she can confuse Pei'er's sight and temporarily conceal Gao Xian's true intentions.

Another sleepless night.

When Nanny Zhu came in with the makeup box to help the young lady with her makeup, Yang Qi was already at the table checking the news from the previous day.

"Miss," Nanny Zhu lowered her voice, "The Queen's personal aunt Rong Pei came and said that the Queen has summoned you to the palace."

Yang Qi's hand holding the brush paused in the air.

The Empress is now in a hurry to summon her - it must be that the Fifth Prince or Concubine Hua has made new moves.

She quickly took the eyebrow pencil from the makeup box and touched her eyebrows in front of the mirror.

Then he grasped the piece of Molten Mountain Warm Jade in front of his chest and stuffed it into the lapel close to his body. This was a gift from the prince, and it was also a "peace of mind" for Yang Qi during these days.

From the corridor of the Queen's palace, a breeze carrying the fragrance of agarwood blew over.

Yang Qi saw the queen leaning on the soft couch through the vermilion threshold. Her hair, which was usually adorned with oriental pearls, was loosely tied up in a bun today, with a few strands of hair even visible on her temples.

"Aqi is here." The queen's voice was softer than usual, but still carried her usual calmness.

Hearing the Queen's change of address for her, Yang Qi was stunned for a moment, and then when she stepped forward and bowed, the Queen had already waved for her to come closer: "Come, let me take a look."

She reached out and stroked Yang Qi's cheek, her fingertips touching the faint blue shadows under her eyes, "You've been very hard these past few days."

Seeing that the Queen was also unable to hide her fatigue, Yang Qi took out a sachet from her sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, although the toxins in your body have been completely cleared, you still need to take care of yourself.

This sachet is a new one that Xiaoqi made recently. It contains some Albizia Julibrissin and Polygala Tenuifolia. It may help you, the Queen, to sleep better. Would you like to try it?

The queen took the sachet, put it to her nose and sniffed it, and the tiredness on her face faded: "After all, Ah Qi loves me."

"The Queen called me, but is there any new news in the palace?" Yang Qi went straight to the point.

The Queen tapped twice with her fingertips on the armrest of the couch - this was her habit when she was anxious.

"Hua Fei ran into the Emperor in the Imperial Garden today. He said he was going to hold a Hundred Flowers Banquet on March 30th and invited all the civil and military officials to enjoy it together."

The Queen looked at the light outside the window and said, "The Emperor agreed and ordered the Crown Prince to return to the capital as soon as possible."

Although Yang Qi had been mentally prepared before this, when she actually heard the news, her heart still involuntarily skipped a beat.

"March 30th..." Yang Qi muttered to himself, his eyes becoming increasingly tense.

They all knew what this date meant—the Fifth Prince was finally going to take action!

According to the plan, the message that Yang Qi had previously conveyed should soon reach the hands of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

However, if they had not sent the letter in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Once His Royal Highness the Crown Prince rushes back to the Imperial City upon receiving the Emperor's order to return to the capital, he will probably be waiting for a conspiracy carefully planned by the Fifth Prince.

Thinking of this, Yang Qi couldn't help but think of the fire that burned all night in his previous life, and his face turned pale again and again.

The Queen Mother noticed that something was wrong with Yang Qi's condition. She thought it was Yang Qi's first exposure to the royal family's secrets and patted Yang Qi's hand: "Don't worry, Ah Qi, we have already started to deal with this matter. Even if there are many dangers, we can overcome them."