After being warned by Xie Huan, Li Zhong was still uncertain.

He had people watching the Xie residence, trying to find out if anyone new had moved in recently.

After much effort, they discovered that a young lady had taken up residence in the Xie residence.

Her identity was unknown, but she had been brought back to the residence by the young master a few days ago and was treated with great respect.

Li Zhong felt a sense of alarm.

The Governor of Liangzhou, Pei Zhongqing, had three sons and a daughter.

The two older sons had died in battle with Pei Zhongqing in Liangzhou.

After the city fell, Lady Pei had committed suicide in the Governor’s Office, leaving only her third daughter and younger son to escape in a carriage.

Now, wasn’t the girl staying in the Xie family none other than the third daughter of the Pei family?

Li Zhong had his men keep an eye on the movements of the Hou family, which naturally didn’t escape the attention of the Xie brothers.

Xie Huan’s words that day were intentionally probing, wanting to see Li Zhong’s reaction and maybe find out more about the letter.

But Li Zhong’s focus on the Hou residence puzzled Xie Chi.

He asked his brother, “Why is Li Zhong keeping an eye on us? Could it be that he thinks the letter is hidden in our house?”

It was meant as a joke, but it made Xie Huan’s expression change. His lips slowly curved into a smile. “You actually hit the mark.”

Xie Chi was puzzled. “What did I hit the mark on?”

Xie Huan tossed the chess pieces back into the basket. “If the letter were in Li Zhong’s hands, he would have destroyed it long ago and wouldn’t leave any evidence behind.

But when I deceived him that day, he looked panicked.

Obviously, the letter hadn’t been destroyed yet. Now, with him focusing on the Hou residence, he must think the letter is in our hands.”

Xie Chi sighed. “After all this fuss, we still haven’t found a trace of that letter.”

Xie Huan smiled. “It’s not entirely fruitless.

At least it proves that the information from the former Crown Prince’s side is reliable.

There is indeed such a letter, and now Li Zhong doesn’t have it.

Making Li Zhong think that we have the letter in our hands might intimidate him a bit.”

Xie Chi furrowed his brows. “Brother, why do I feel like you’re always speaking favorably of the former Crown Prince, both overtly and covertly?”

Xie Huan shook his head with a wry smile. “The Xie family was once a vassal of Chu. But in just a few months, the former Crown Prince managed to reclaim Jianghuai and defeat Li Xin’s army.

Before that, only a few thousand bandits were supporting the former Crown Prince.

The Xie family has built its reputation in the Northern region over decades, while the former Crown Prince raised a tens of thousands army and gained the support of the people in Jianghuai in just a few months.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Xie Chi seriously. “Even if we can’t form an alliance, the Xie family must not become enemies with the former Crown Prince.”

Xie Chi wasn’t foolish.

He frowned. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. The former Crown Prince is a big threat to Li Xin. Why doesn’t Li Xin concentrate his forces to deal with the former Crown Prince instead of focusing on us?”

Regardless of the chaos in the Southern capital, their Xie family’s hundred thousand cavalry had never left the Northern border, guarding the defense line that hadn’t been breached by the Northern Barbarians for decades.

Xie Chi originally thought that after Li Xin, the former Crown Prince, and Prince Huainan settled their scores, they would negotiate for territory and allegiance.

But Li Xin targeted their military power first.

There was a hint of coldness in Xie Huan’s smile. “If he ends up fighting a bloody battle with the former Crown Prince, who do you think will benefit in the end?”

Xie Chi immediately understood. “Prince Huainan!”

Xie Huan sighed. “Father holds a strong military force, only wanting to guard the Qiangle Pass, not aspiring for hegemony. But others don’t see it that way.”

He patted Xie Chi’s shoulder. “To hold a precious thing makes one guilty.”

With Xie Huan’s explanation, Xie Chi suddenly understood the whole situation.

Li Xin must have targeted their hundred thousand cavalry from the beginning, even before the former Crown Prince became a real threat.

Otherwise, Liangzhou wouldn’t have fallen so suddenly.

From beginning to end, Li Xin never intended to engage in direct conflict with Prince Huainan.

He planned to seize the hundred thousand cavalry of the Xie family first and then deal with Prince Huainan.

Otherwise, even if Li Xin and Prince Huainan settled their scores, Li Xin was afraid that Prince Huainan would take advantage of their situation.

Now, with the former Crown Prince rising unexpectedly, dividing the former Chu territory into four factions, Li Xin and the former Crown Prince were entangled.

However, Li Xin didn’t dare to commit all his forces to attack, fearing that the Xie family and Prince Huainan would take advantage of their disarray and divide their territory.

So Li Xin promised benefits to Prince Huainan, letting him help attack the former Crown Prince, while also starting to encroach on the Xie family’s territory according to his original plan.

It was indeed a clever strategy!

Xie Chi, putting himself in the former Crown Prince’s position, was almost chilled to the bone. “Brother, the former Crown Prince is being besieged by Li Xin and Prince Huainan. He even sent ten thousand troops to support us? Wouldn’t he just be heading towards his own death?”

Xie Huan replied, “…This is also part of the former Crown Prince’s strategy to lure the enemy.

The troops heading to the Northern border mainly consist of women.

We must make sure not to let them join the battle on the former Crown Prince’s side.”

The Xie family’s iron cavalry faced perilous situations even against the Northern Barbarians, let alone these Southern women.

“Women joining the army?” Xie Chi found it somewhat unbelievable.

But after the initial shock, he quickly understood the key point. “Although it sounds absurd, this move can turn public opinion around, create a false impression of Jianghuai’s weak defense, and also distract Li Zhong’s forces. This former Crown Prince… is truly remarkable.”

Xie Chi had followed Duke Lianqin onto the battlefield since he could handle a blade and spear, and his knowledge of military strategy was exceptional.

He rarely praised anyone, making this an exception.

Li Zhong had kept his surveillance on the Duke’s mansion without withdrawing his men, which left Xie Huan thinking it was just making things difficult for Li Zhong, so he went along with it.

But one day, a dark guard reported that a person from the Duke’s mansion, who Li Zhong had bribed, died in the courtyard of Qin Sheng.

This development puzzled Xie Huan.

To be cautious, he secretly increased the guards around Qin Sheng’s residence.

Soon, the bribed maidservant began to act.

Following instructions, she brought a snack given by the contact person to Qin Sheng.

Xie Huan ordered the snack to be replaced and examined by a physician, only to discover that it was poisoned with Crane’s Crest Red.

Li Zhong intended to kill Qin Sheng!

But Qin Sheng had been staying in the Xie mansion for many days, and her identity had been kept secret.

How did Li Zhong find out about her?

Following the trail, Xie Huan captured the bribed maid and the spies outside the mansion.

Despite severe torture, they revealed nothing.

The maid was easily bought, and the spy, although he gathered much information about Qin Sheng, didn’t know why they were ordered to watch her.

All he knew was that the higher-ups wanted them to find an opportunity to kill Qin Sheng.

When Xie Chi learned of this, he suddenly had a realization. “Brother, these people started monitoring the Duke’s mansion after you went to probe Li Zhong. They initially targeted Miss Qin. Could they have mistaken Miss Qin for someone else?”

Xie Huan’s brow furrowed instantly. “I didn’t expect this matter to involve Miss Qin.”

Xie Chi, arms crossed, leaned against the enamel screen, understanding his brother’s concern for Qin Sheng but also seeing through the current situation. “Regardless of whether Miss Qin’s identity is exposed or not, Li Zhong’s people have already targeted her.

For now, it’s worth taking a risk to see if we can use Miss Qin to lure out valuable information and find out the identity of the person Li Zhong wants to kill.

This might lead us to the whereabouts of the letter!”

Xie Huan instinctively refused. “That’s too risky…”

Xie Chi replied, “Once the war with the Northern Barbarians breaks out, there won’t be time to consider the Duke’s mansion. If Li Xin takes advantage of the situation, Miss Qin will be in danger.”

Xie Huan thought for a moment. “Miss Qin should be informed about this. I’ll talk to her and see what she thinks.”

Watching his brother walk away, Xie Chi was perplexed.

What was there to talk about? When luring the snake out of its hole, it’s best to send more people to protect her, right?

**

Qin Sheng, upon arriving at the Northern border, lived a secluded life but still learned about the battles in the South from her maidservants, understanding the difficult situation faced by Qin Zheng and the others, besieged by Li Xin and Prince Huainan.

She worried about her mother and siblings far away in Qingzhou and shed many tears in secret.

After Xie Huan told her about the secret letter regarding the loss of Liangzhou, she agreed without hesitation.

With that letter, they could expose Li Zhong’s conspiracy, indirectly helping her family.

She didn’t even think twice before agreeing.

Xie Huan deeply bowed and said, “This plan is perilous. The Li family’s people are like mad dogs. I… can’t guarantee Miss Qin’s safety.”

Qin Sheng lowered her head slightly, her black hair framing a small portion of her snow-white neck.

With her long eyelashes fluttering like butterflies, every movement seemed to touch one’s heart. “Qin Sheng was supposed to be sent to the barbarians’ land for marriage.

It was my elder sister who made every effort to save me from the fire pit in a time of crisis.

I was fortunate enough to be sheltered by the Duke’s mansion.

Now that my sister and the mansion are in trouble, Qin Sheng only regrets not being a man, unable to fight and assist.

Now that there is a place where Qin Sheng can be of use, Qin Sheng is delighted beyond words.”

With her saying so, Xie Huan stopped trying to dissuade her.

Looking at this fragile yet resilient girl, he felt a twinge of pity. “I will make sure to protect Miss Qin thoroughly.”

This statement was a bit too much, causing Qin Sheng to grip the fabric of her skirt tighter.

She dared not raise her head and simply bowed in gratitude before leaving.

As she reached the gate, she couldn’t help but steal a glance back through the plum blossom trees.

She found Xie Huan still standing there.

Compared to her sneaky behavior, his expression was calm as he gave her a distant bow.

Qin Sheng’s face flushed, her heart beating faster.

She let go of the plum blossom branch she was holding onto and hurriedly entered the gate.

Xie Huan watched her retreating figure, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Two days later, Qin Sheng made an unprecedented visit to the Marquis mansion.

Accompanying her on the carriage was only a martial maid disguised as a common maidservant.

Upon entering the carriage, Qin Sheng realized that Xie Huan was also there, which made her feel somewhat uneasy.

The carriage slowly made its way towards the bustling market.

Sensing her nervousness, Xie Huan poured her a cup of tea. “To lure Li Zhong into the trap, it’s not good to have too many troops openly stationed. If anything happens, I’ll be in the carriage to assist Miss Qin.”

Qin Sheng accepted the tea with a word of thanks and held it in both hands, taking a small sip.

In the past, there were “Twin Beauties” in the city of Bianjing, and naturally, there were also the two most famous young masters.

One was her elder brother, Qin Jian, and the other was Crown Prince Rong’s son, Shen Yanzhi.

Qin Sheng had been frail since childhood and rarely participated in the gatherings of noble ladies.

She had seen few men, but the two she knew well were the cream of the crop among the young men of Bianjing.

The man before her may not have the extraordinary talents praised by officials for her brother, nor the unforgettable handsome appearance of Shen Yanzhi, but he exuded a scholarly and easygoing demeanor that inexplicably reminded Qin Sheng of her mother.

They were both calm, even when the building was about to collapse, being by their side made her feel at ease.

Since embarking on the marriage journey, Qin Sheng hadn’t felt this sense of security for a long time.

She absently rubbed the cup’s edge and stole a glance at Xie Huan.

Seemingly sensing something, Xie Huan raised his eyes just as the carriage suddenly jolted.

Qin Sheng failed to steady the teacup, and it flew out of her hand, spilling the hot tea.

The martial maid quickly supported her to prevent her from getting hurt.

“Miss Qin, be careful.” Xie Huan raised his sleeve to block the splashing hot tea for Qin Sheng.

The teacup shattered as it fell onto the carriage, and Xie Huan’s wide sleeve was soaked with dark stains from the tea.

His back hand that was splashed was also red.

The tea was freshly brewed and scalding.

At the same time, the carriage wall sounded with the thud of arrows hitting it. Luckily, the partitions inside the carriage were filled with molten iron, preventing the arrows from piercing through.

Outside, the sound of swords and the screams of fleeing pedestrians could be heard.

Despite being mentally prepared, Qin Sheng’s face turned pale from this assassination attempt.

Xie Huan spoke to reassure her, “Don’t be afraid. There have been disguised guards following the carriage.”

Li Zhong’s men couldn’t find an opportunity to strike in the mansion, so they attracted so many assassins when they went out.