Inside the Star Palace.
The Emperor rubbed his brow, having looked at the maps all morning, pondering over and over, still missing something, unable to think of a perfect solution.
As Cao De had mentioned, the location chosen by Xue Ping for the private soldiers to hide was exceptionally advantageous. They needed to be rapidly and completely annihilated; otherwise, these people could immediately flee to another country. Once the situation cooled down, they could regroup and return, causing endless harm.
If it were regular troops, it would be over, but with Shen Shi stealthily leading his men there and summoning additional forces from the nearest garrisons to watch the paths to Goryeo, the Tartar, and the Northern Slave Cadre, they could ambush and destroy these soldiers as they attempted to flee through these routes.
But now these private soldiers had blended in with the civilians, breaking into smaller units, making it hard to distinguish between soldiers and civilians, which inevitable led to hesitation and missed opportunities.
Wanting to avoid harming civilians while quickly annihilating these private soldiers was difficult!
The Emperor felt such a headache that he simply set aside the maps, not wanting to look at them anymore, as he couldn’t think of a better strategy, and continuing to look was pointless.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and summoned someone, saying, "Send my secret decree, let Shen Shi take his troops to secretly enter Ximu City, meet with Cao De, and wait for further orders."
The lands of Northern Liaoning and Eastern Liaoning were bitterly cold, fearing most the heavy snow that sealed the roads. Let Shen Shi take his men there in scattered groups, to avoid drawing attention while also getting used to the local environment and terrain.
Cao De’s contribution was indispensable. He was still at the location of the private soldiers, trying to ascertain the number of private soldiers and the layout of the local villages; hence, it was crucial for Shen Shi to meet with him.
Although the situation with the private soldiers was complex, the biggest weight was lifted off the Emperor’s heart.
What he feared most was the unknown threat, but now that the private soldiers had been discovered, what remained was to find a way to completely capture them.
Xue Ping’s greatest threat had been exposed; the rest was negligible...
As the Emperor was agonizing over how to deal with these private soldiers, the Internal Guard Bureau had a visit from a handsome young man with peach blossom eyes, who explicitly asked to see the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau.
Upon returning and having been busy for half a day, all dusty and disheveled, Chen Wei, hearing the news, brightened up.
His arrival was timely!
This return trip, besides bringing back news of the rodent infestation to His Majesty, was to carry out the task the Ancestral Master had entrusted to him: to find those two individuals who had provided the initial clues!
Before they left the Capital, the Ancestral Master had instructed Chen Fa to investigate those two individuals, but they had vanished without a trace in the Capital, leaving no clues to their whereabouts. Furthermore, with many issues arising later in the Capital, the details of these two individuals were still unclear.
He had been wondering how to find these two and ascertain their backgrounds; here, the main person had just arrived.
Though only one had come, this young man was the most crucial.
The sound of a soup bowl smashing echoed in the hall, followed immediately by an angry roar:
"Absurd, the audacity she has, to actually slander this palace!"
Noble Consort, furiously, rested her hands on the table, breathing heavily, her face twisted with hatred, her eyes glaring fiercely.
The floor was littered with fragments of porcelain bowls, scattered with thick black medicinal soup, which was still emitting steam, obviously hot.
Cai Xia crouched to one side, not daring to make a sound; she wished she could hide herself, regretting standing in such a conspicuous spot.
She bitterly thought to herself, wondering if Cai Qin had done it on purpose.
Consort had been happy last night and had entertained herself with a few drinks in the courtyard, where she enjoyed the breeze. This morning, she was groggy and somewhat headachy.
She had applied a wind-dispelling medicine for Consort and attended to her as she went back to sleep.
Just now, Consort had barely risen when she had just brought the medicine to Consort, Cai Qin immediately came to report such news, fearful that Consort might direct her anger toward her.
She didn’t believe it was unintentional.
It was her fault too, during this critical period recently, Consort had ordered them to shut the doors tightly, not to meet anyone, pretending to have no disputes with the world, she had neglected the news from outside, didn’t pay attention in time, and all news was passed by Cai Qin.
At noon, while such news was spreading outside, she was personally preparing medicine for Consort, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
She hung her head low, afraid of being scolded, her heart trembling, and she stealthily glanced at the person in the corner, only to see that person as calm as ever.
Cai Qin was expressionless, standing in the corner as usual.
The Noble Consort’s anger grew as she thought about it, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Shi Zhener, this wretch, I have been good to her, and I should have..."
...eliminated her instead of mercifully sparing this wretch’s life.
Her words were filled with unexpressed murderous intent.
Cai Xia cautiously interjected, "Yes, Consort, despite how well you have treated Consort Zhen over the years, she still tarnished your reputation, which is utterly detestable."
Consort Xu De dismounted, considering it a foregone conclusion, yet an unexpected change occurred...
"Ha..." The Noble Consort let out laugh after laugh, her chest heaving, "Very good, I thought she was a coward, but unexpectedly, haha, this wretch deceived me so bitterly!"
She spat out each word, unable to reconcile herself, having always been the hunter, only to be pecked in the eye by the prey, she had underestimated this despicable person.
Her eyes were ready to burst, and her hands swept across the desk fiercely.
An inkstone was swept onto the floor and shattered into pieces, one piece ricocheted near Cai Xia’s feet, startling her, but she dared not make a sound.
Thinking of something, the Noble Consort’s pupils shrank suddenly, and she exclaimed, "Did that wretch collude with that person from Huafu Hall?"
Did the two of them reach some agreement? That would explain Consort Zhen’s unreasonable actions!
If that’s the case, the affair of that year...
At the thought, her mind was in turmoil. Even though many years had passed, and she was sure there had been no oversight, she felt uneasy about involvements with that person from Huafu Hall, whose schemes ran deep, unmatched by ordinary people, and who was a major concern for her.
Cai Qin stepped out from the corner, calmly saying, "This servant has checked, Consort Zhen has not colluded with them, nor had the chance to connect."
The Noble Consort calmed down a bit, then suddenly looked at Cai Qin, not missing any expression on her face, "Cai Qin, don’t forget, your siblings were saved by this palace."
Cai Qin bowed her head, respectfully saying, "This servant has never dared to forget Consort’s lifesaving grace."
A touch of mockery crossed her eyes as she looked at the ground.
Mentioning that person from Huafu Hall, the Noble Consort specifically emphasized having saved her life, demanding her loyalty, clearly a sign of guilt.
Years ago, after the death of their parents, she and her brother were left destitute on the streets. In desperation, she stole from a shop to feed her brother. They were caught and almost beaten to death on the street.
It was Miss Xue from the Xue Family who passed by, saved them, and brought them back to Xue Residence, providing them with a meal.
At that moment, she swore that in this lifetime, her life would belong to Miss Xue of the Xue Family, repaying her with her life. If not for recently learning that the disappearance of her brother was orchestrated by Miss Xue—now the Noble Consort Xue—she would probably have loyally served Miss Xue until her death.