In late autumn, thick layers of leaves had piled up beneath the parasol tree in the courtyard, like a thick carpet laid over the ground. Qing Ying stepped lightly on these parasol leaves as she turned onto the covered walkway. Seeing Luyi feeding the birds, she first asked: “Is Miss here?”

Luyi had already finished feeding and was using a stick to play with the birds. She replied: “She’s inside talking with Miss Mingzi and Fourth Miss.”

Jasmine incense was burning in the room, wisps of smoke rising from the three-legged qilin auspicious beast incense burner, making one involuntarily feel invigorated upon breathing it in. Qing Ying hurried through the door, just in time to see Song Chumi and Xiang Mingzi already rising. She smiled, paid her respects, and waited to one side.

Seeing her expression, Xiang Mingzi knew something was afoot. She smiled at Song Chuyi, telling her not to bother seeing them out: “Then Fourth Sister and I will go to Ningde Courtyard to chat with Old Madam. We’ll come visit you again later.”

The newly married Xiang Mingzi looked remarkably well, her face rosy and her teeth white, satisfaction evident at the corners of her eyes and brows. Before leaving, she leaned close to Song Chuyi’s ear and whispered advice: “Put your mind at ease. Before I married out, Grandmother told me the same things. But people live out their own days. I’ve never heard of any case where a son could inherit his father’s skills without learning them just because the father knew how to do something. So you can see that the experiences of our elders aren’t necessarily always accurate. How can it be advisable for you to refuse food for fear of choking?”

As she spoke, the beaded curtain had already been lifted. Xiang Mingzi smiled and squeezed Song Chuyi’s hand: “Even I can live well, how much more so you? Besides, I see that His Highness is not the kind of person who breaks his word. Since you trusted him, to now start doubting and suspecting—how hurtful is that?”

Since returning from Qingzhou, the two of them had become extremely close. Song Chumi, seeing them whispering together, wasn’t surprised. Now she too was someone with both sons and daughters. The competitive spirit and confused thoughts of earlier years had long been blown away by the wind along with her youthful willfulness, leaving not a trace. She already knew well how to keep herself calm and composed.

Song Chuyi nodded, and only after seeing off Xiang Mingzi and Song Chumi did she turn to look at Qing Ying: “What is it?”

Qing Ying’s response was slightly delayed—though her mistress still looked the same as usual, in truth things were somewhat different. Since that last meeting with His Highness the Grand Heir, her mistress seemed to have undergone some subtle changes. Before that, she had still shown the shy anticipation of a bride-to-be, but afterward, she seemed to have reverted to her former appearance of unruffled calm, which truly seemed unsettling. She first looked up at Song Chuyi, then pulled out a letter from her sleeve: “This is a letter from Lord Lai. Luo Gui delivered it.”

Song Chuyi was about to marry out and her status was special. Since that meeting with Zhou Weizhao, she had rarely gone out. Fortunately, Lai Chenglong had previously contacted Luo Gui directly, and Luo Gui had always been steady in his affairs, so this letter still reached her hands without any mishaps.

She unfolded the letter and glanced at it, her expression becoming even worse than before—Lai Chenglong wrote in the letter that they had already found Prince Gong’s party in Wu’an, but they had escaped again, and since then there had been no trace of Prince Gong.

Alerting the enemy while beating the grass—the future troubles would be endless.

Song Chuyi took the letter and went to the study in the front courtyard. Song Chengru was playing chess with Master Chang. Seeing her arrive, he waved at her. She stood to one side watching for a long while, unable to make heads or tails of it. Just when she was about to doze off, she heard Master Chang laugh.

She had never had any talent for the art of chess and remained unenlightened no matter how much she studied. She pressed her lips together to regain her composed appearance and handed the letter to Old Master Song: “Following the intelligence Elder Du provided, we tracked down Prince Gong. But he escaped.”

Recently, Master Qingfeng had been indispensable to all discussions. Song Chengru had already sent someone to fetch him. Just as Song Chuyi finished speaking, Master Qingfeng entered with Song Yan. Hearing these words, he raised his eyebrows: “He escaped? Then capturing him again will be difficult.”

No one was a fool. Elder Du knew Prince Gong inside and out, but Prince Gong knew Elder Du just as thoroughly. Upon discovering his whereabouts had been leaked, he would certainly know it was Elder Du’s doing and naturally wouldn’t continue according to the original plan.

Then the intelligence Elder Du provided would become nothing but a pile of waste paper again.

Song Yan couldn’t help but frown: “When did the Imperial Guard become so useless?”

The Imperial Guard’s skill at gathering intelligence was supposedly quite exceptional. Once they locked onto their prey, there was even less reason to let go. If they didn’t bite off a piece of flesh from the other party, it could hardly be considered finished. This time the Imperial Guard had truly seemed too incompetent.

Master Chang glanced at Master Qingfeng: “Since Prince Gong’s people are everywhere, the Imperial Guard might not be free of them either, right? Could someone have turned traitor?”

This wasn’t impossible. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why the Imperial Guard hadn’t even managed to touch the hem of Prince Gong’s robe—especially in a situation where they had already found the person, yet still let him escape so easily.

Upon hearing the words “internal spy,” Song Chuyi’s eyelids twitched involuntarily—thinking of internal spies, she couldn’t help but remember that there was probably still an internal spy hidden among Zhou Weizhao’s people as well.

Song Yan was also full of doubt: “Then where could Prince Gong go now?”

Master Qingfeng tapped his head, then looked at Song Chengru: “Prince Gong really still can’t let go of his sixty thousand or so guard troops—and this is indeed his capital. Let’s hope Zhennan Prince can smoothly take over the guard troops, but looking at things now, I’m afraid it will be difficult.”

Prince Gong was indeed preparing to sneak back to Taiyuan. Though he knew it was dangerous, though he knew the court had already dispatched Zhennan Prince to maintain control there, he still went.

Thinking about it, Prince Gong’s fearless confidence was also understandable—Taiyuan was his territory after all. He had been operating in Jin territory for over ten years. The officials high and low throughout Jin territory, large and small functionaries, were all his people. If he truly hardened his heart to rebel, there would certainly be no lack of people to answer his call.

And at that time, Zhennan Prince in Jin territory would be in danger.

Master Chang couldn’t help but shiver: “With this move by the Imperial Guard, Prince Gong will certainly act more desperately like a cornered dog. It’s not impossible that he might directly execute Zhennan Prince to consecrate his banner.”

So they absolutely couldn’t let Prince Gong reach Taiyuan alive! Song Chengru’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. He examined the map carefully for a while, then asked them: “What do you think—will he continue toward Taiyuan now, or change course?”

Song Chuyi’s gaze calmly swept across the map, then she looked back at Master Qingfeng: “If things are truly as we’ve guessed, and Prince Gong also has an informant in the Imperial Guard, then… could it be that he might lure the tiger away from the mountain, then use his informant to divert the Imperial Guard’s attention while he himself employs the golden cicada shedding its shell stratagem, hiding in a reliable place to await rescue?”

Putting herself in his shoes, if she were a strategist at Prince Gong’s side, she would probably advise Prince Gong to do the same. Staying in place, even with an informant in the Imperial Guard, would sooner or later expose their trail and face danger. Moving forward presented the same logic.