Madam Mei and Ye Ke jumped into Jin Xingming’s carriage. Speaking of which, Jin Xingming did have some capabilities, having bribed even the servants of the Prime Minister’s residence. Despite this, the movements of Madam Mei and Ye Ke were still discovered by the palace guards stationed outside. The carriage raced ahead with the officials and soldiers in hot pursuit.
Ye Ke peered out of the carriage window and saw in the pitch-black night that the urgent sound of hoofbeats behind them was particularly clear, making his heart tighten. He looked toward Madam Mei with some trepidation and said, “Sister, what do we do? If they catch up to us, we’re finished.” He then urged the coachman, “Can’t you go any faster!”
The coachman cracked his whip hard again, and the horse’s speed increased slightly, which somewhat calmed Ye Ke’s heart. Suddenly, he remembered something and said, “Sister, when did you prepare all this? If you hadn’t planned and arranged for this carriage, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have gotten far today before being caught.”
“I naturally had to plan for these things well in advance.” Madam Mei would not tell Ye Ke that Jin Xingming had procured the carriage, nor would she tell him that today they were supposed to escape with Jin Xingming. Or rather, in Madam Mei’s initial plan, there was no such person as Ye Ke at all.
As the carriage was about to reach a street at the corner, Madam Mei looked outside and said, “This won’t work. With both of us in one carriage, it will be easier for them to pursue us, and they might catch up if they go all out. It would be better to split up and then meet again later at Babao Street.”
“Split up?” Ye Ke was at his most nervous moment, and when he heard that he would be separated from Madam Mei, he became flustered immediately. He said, “Let’s stay together; we can look after each other on the road.”
“Going together makes it easier for the officials and soldiers behind us to catch up. Don’t worry, you stay in the carriage. I’ll get off first, and the coachman will take you through hidden places to Bajiao Street. We’ll meet there, and all the arrangements for leaving the city later have been made. There won’t be any problems.”
Hearing that he wouldn’t have to leave the carriage, Ye Ke felt relieved and didn’t stop Madam Mei any further. Madam Mei instructed the coachman to stop at the edge of the street, grabbed her bamboo hat to hide her face, and disappeared into the night.
The coachman continued driving Ye Ke forward.
With Ye Ke’s figure no longer visible on the street, Madam Mei watched the disappearing carriage, slowly curling her lips beneath her veil. Following another path, she made her way to a small house, knocked on the door, and before long, someone came to open it. Madam Mei quickly slipped inside.
In the darkness, the person asked, “Is everything taken care of?”
Madam Mei nodded.
Meanwhile, Ye Ke sat in the carriage. After Madam Mei had gotten off, the coachman drove faster and faster. Gradually, the sound of pursuing officials grew fainter. Ye Ke’s heart was somewhat comforted. When he could no longer hear the pursuers at all, he felt uncomfortable from the bumpy ride and said, “You can slow down now.”
The coachman, however, ignored him and continued driving the carriage at high speed. Ye Ke was a bit dissatisfied and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. What he saw startled him.
This was no longer the city but a mountain path!
It was precisely because the mountain road was rugged that the ride had become so difficult and bumpy. Ye Ke was shocked, only now realizing that even Babao Street couldn’t possibly be this far. Why had the coachman driven the carriage here? He said, “Don’t go any further! Return to Babao Street!”
The coachman paid him no attention and continued forward. Ye Ke was furious but afraid to shout too loudly for fear of attracting the officials. Just as he was about to speak again, the carriage gradually came to a stop. Ye Ke was startled, then understood that the coachman intended to stop the carriage.
The coachman was extremely disobedient, and Ye Ke planned to teach him a good lesson once they reached Babao Street. Just then, the carriage stopped, and he heard rustling sounds from the front as the coachman dismounted.
Ye Ke lifted the curtain and looked out at him, scolding, “What are you getting down for? Hurry up and take me to Babao Street!”
The coachman glanced at him, and Ye Ke now saw clearly that this coachman was built much more robustly than ordinary men. Even though coachmen generally needed to be physically strong, none were as tall and sturdy as this man. He felt an uneasy feeling rising within him, and no longer dared to shout. Although he was also a young man, he was neither as tall nor as strong as this person, and he feared he would be at a disadvantage if they came to blows.
The coachman circled to the back of the horse, took something out from his bosom, examined it for a long time, and suddenly stabbed it into the horse’s rump!
The horse was startled, rearing up on its hind legs before darting forward!
Ye Ke never expected the coachman to suddenly do such a thing. As the horse bolted forward, he was thrown hard against the back of the carriage, nearly dazed. With thousands of fears in his heart, Ye Ke suddenly realized something and quickly lifted the front curtain of the carriage to look ahead.
The last thing Ye Ke saw was a bottomless abyss and densely overlapping tree branches.
The abyss seemed endless; even as the carriage crashed down in pieces, one could barely hear the sound of it hitting the ground.
The night covered everything, leaving only fragments of the carriage at the edge of the cliff.
After a while, there came the rustling sound of shoes treading on dried leaves. Moments later, two pieces of torn clothing appeared beside the carriage.
No one heard Ye Ke’s final, shrill cry of “Sister.”
……
Shen Miao was writing furiously in her study.
Her hands moved quickly, almost instinctively. Since shutting herself in the study, her wrist had not stopped. Although Mo Qing, who stood quietly behind her, didn’t know what she was doing, he remained silent, watching her write rapidly. It seemed to include not only text but also maps. After Shen Miao finished writing a sheet, she had Mo Qing use the residual heat from the lantern to quickly dry the paper so the ink wouldn’t remain wet. She occasionally frowned or pondered, appearing quite grave.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Mo Qing let the person in—it was Cong Yang, who entered panting heavily.
Cong Yang said, “This subordinate, along with Tieyi, followed the Ye siblings. They separated at a corner in the city; Tieyi followed Madam Mei, while I followed Ye Ke. Ye Ke’s coachman drove the carriage deep into the mountains, leading Ye Ke to a cliff, and deliberately frightened the horse, causing the carriage to fall off the cliff. Ye Ke has no chance of survival.”
“A cliff?” Mo Qing was stunned and confused. “Who was that coachman? What grudge did he have against Ye Ke?”
Cong Yang wiped his nose. “This subordinate was in a hurry to return with the news and didn’t pay attention to what happened to the coachman afterward. Since Ye Ke is dead, I came back.”
“No need to investigate. The coachman was Madam Mei’s man,” said Shen Miao.
“Madam Mei?” Cong Yang was dumbfounded. “Madam Mei had the coachman kill Ye Ke? But Ye Ke is her brother. Besides, if she wanted to kill him, why did she bring him along when escaping?”
“During an escape, one naturally needs a target, and who better to serve as a target than Ye Ke, her brother? I think the coachman must have not only killed Ye Ke but also left some of Madam Mei’s and Ye Ke’s clothing near that cliff, to make people believe that both of them fell off the cliff and died.”
Mo Qing and Cong Yang were first stunned upon hearing this, but then suddenly understood.
Madam Mei must have found an escape route from the beginning, but she feared being pursued like a stray dog and eventually caught. It would be better to let people believe she was dead—after all, no matter how diligent the officials might be, they wouldn’t pursue someone they thought was already dead. Ye Ke was her brother, and according to common sense, people would think she would escape with her brother. Seeing Ye Ke’s and Madam Mei’s torn clothing at the cliff, and with the officials personally following her brother, they would naturally assume Madam Mei was also in that carriage and believe that the siblings had both fallen off the cliff to their deaths.
Madam Mei had made Ye Ke her scapegoat, also resolving the trouble of pursuit.
“That was her brother,” Cong Yang sighed. “If it were a man, that would be one thing, but for a woman to be so heartless and ruthless…”
“In her heart, she probably considered Ye Ke expendable long ago,” Shen Miao said indifferently. “So while Ye Ke was alive, she used him to the very end—that’s her skill.” This was Madam Mei’s talent; in her life, she only added luster to what was already splendid. For instance, in her previous life, when Ye Ke’s existence could grant her more extensive power in the palace, she showed deep sibling affection toward Ye Ke. Now, when Ye Ke could no longer bring her any benefits and would even hold her back, Madam Mei eliminated him without hesitation.
A fluttering sound came from the window, and a snow-white pigeon flew in, landing on Cong Yang’s shoulder. Cong Yang quickly removed a note tied to the pigeon’s leg, unfolded it rapidly, and after reading it, said urgently, “Tieyi says Madam Mei and Jin Xingming have reached the dock and seem to be planning to travel by water.” He glanced outside, where strong winds were blowing as if it would rain soon, and said, “If it rains tonight, after they set sail, it will be very difficult to catch up with them. Should this subordinate and Tieyi go now to capture them and bring them back to the Madam?”
“No.” As she said this, Shen Miao had just finished writing the last sheet of paper. She dried the paper over the lantern and placed it in an envelope. Then she said to Cong Yang and Mo Qing, “Cong Yang, since you are from the Moyu Army, find a few agile men from there. Take this letter and follow Madam Mei to Ming Qi.”
“Ming Qi?” Cong Yang frowned. “Why would they go to Ming Qi?”
“Mo Qing has learned that Jin Xingming has a friend doing well in business in Ming Qi, and they’ve been in frequent contact lately, clearly intending to go to Ming Qi. Besides, only by going to Ming Qi can Madam Mei completely escape without being discovered by officials.” She said, “You should follow along, paying attention to anything Madam Mei might be carrying on her person, such as a box or something hidden. Be careful not to be discovered. Once you find that secret item, replace what’s inside with what’s in this letter.” She handed the letter to Mo Qing.
Mo Qing took the letter, and although somewhat confused, he agreed.
“Be quick, and don’t be discovered,” Shen Miao instructed.
“But are we just going to let them go to Ming Qi?” Cong Yang asked. “Hasn’t Madam always been at odds with them?”
“Being at odds is true, but this is not letting them go,” Shen Miao said coldly. “On the contrary, this is sending them to the underworld!”
“Go quickly. If possible, try to make the exchange before they board the ship. It will be more troublesome to make the exchange after they board. Regardless of when the exchange is made, two people should continue to follow them, maintaining correspondence at all times. If I have other instructions, I will tell them.”
Seeing how seriously Shen Miao spoke, Mo Qing and Cong Yang didn’t dare to take the matter lightly. They took the letter and quickly left. Shen Miao braced one hand against the table, pressing her lips tightly together, while her eyes flashed with killing intent.
She had greatly wished for Madam Mei’s death. Before, she had only thought about taking Madam Mei’s life, the sooner the better, to avoid complications. But now she thought differently.
Heroes contending for the world—everyone wanted a share of the empire and throne. Da Liang wanted it, Qin wanted it, and Ming Qi wanted it too.
Fu Xiuyi would certainly find a way to ally with Qin. At that time, if Xie Jingxing were to campaign, it would surely be a tough bone to chew.
An enemy right before one’s eyes must be eliminated, but before that, making full use of them—letting dogs bite dogs—wouldn’t that be good too?
No one understood Madam Mei’s calculating and selfish nature better than Shen Miao. Someone who could casually discard her brother would never make a deal that put her at a disadvantage. Madam Mei wanted something from the Ye family that could compensate her adequately; gold, silver, and jewels were far from enough. What she wanted was eternal power.
Ye Maocai had been in Da Liang for so many years. Apart from the Ye family’s reputation and wealth, the most important thing would be some of the Da Liang court’s sordid secrets. Perhaps those of the royal family, perhaps those of the court officials. Secrets meant weaknesses, and these secrets were probably leverage that Ye Maocai held to control other ministers, or evidence he had carefully collected. But one thing was certain: these things were very important to the Da Liang court. To put it more strongly, they could even cause the downfall of a dynasty.
And this was exactly what Madam Mei needed.
Madam Mei could use this as her stepping stone to open the doors to the high officials and nobles of Ming Qi, but Shen Miao had designed something even more splendid for her—a stepping stone to open the doors to the royal family.
If Fu Xiuyi obtained these, he would certainly be delighted, and Madam Mei, such a stunning beauty, would surely seize this opportunity to gradually devour Fu Xiuyi’s heart, just as she had done in her previous life.
But… what if all these things were fake?
Military defense maps, secrets between court officials, discord within the royal family, exploitable weaknesses—all these things appeared to be the key for Ming Qi to defeat Da Liang. But what if all these things were completely fake?
Ming Qi would make erroneous judgments, deploy troops in the wrong places, incorrectly use separation and alliance tactics, and in the end, when success or failure was determined, the great cause would be ruined.
A thousand-mile dike could be destroyed by an ant hole—that was the principle.
Of course, Madam Mei didn’t know she was carrying fake items.
Of course, Fu Xiuyi could suspect the authenticity of what Madam Mei presented.
But it didn’t matter. Shen Miao firmly believed in Madam Mei’s abilities. She was a formidable woman, so in the end, Fu Xiuyi would believe Madam Mei’s words.
So in the end, the outcome of this battle was already determined.
It wasn’t that Shen Miao didn’t want to kill Madam Mei, or was deliberately letting the tiger return to the mountain.
But she would rather see Fu Xiuyi’s most beloved woman from his previous life approach him step by step in this life, just as in the previous one, fall into his embrace, and finally personally deliver a great gift that would send Fu Xiuyi to his doom.
That would be more satisfying.
Most importantly, this matter was beneficial to Xie Jingxing without any harm. The world’s territory would undergo earth-shattering changes because of this small chess move.
It was truly excellent.
……
That night, just as Cong Yang had anticipated, there was a violent storm in the latter half of the night. It wasn’t until the next morning that the three of them returned, all soaked through. Madam Mei and Jin Xingming had boarded a ship bound for Da Liang. Just as Shen Miao had guessed, Madam Mei had a silver box that she kept close, hidden even from Jin Xingming, though she hadn’t opened it yet.
The men from the Moyu Army had replaced the contents of the box with what was in Shen Miao’s letter. Tieyi took out a stack of papers from his bosom and handed them to Shen Miao. Shen Miao flipped through them, finding they matched her expectations—indeed, they were the leverage that Ye Maocai had collected over the years to threaten and control other court officials. There were even some secrets of the royal family. She thought for a moment that these matters should be handled by Xie Jingxing when he returned.
The Moyu Army men had already followed Madam Mei to Da Liang, closely monitoring her movements, but for now, there were no immediate concerns.
Shen Miao then thought of Ye Hongguang and asked Mo Qing and the others to rest while she went to the next room to check on him.
Gao Yang was still there and told Shen Miao that Ye Hongguang’s life had been saved, although he was still unconscious. What state he would be in when he woke up, and whether there would be any relapses, nobody knew. After all, his injuries were severe, and had Mo Qing and Cong Yang not brought him from the Ye residence in time, who knows if he could have been saved.
Finally, Gao Yang glanced at Ye Hongguang on the bed and asked, “What do you plan to do now? The Emperor intends to deal with the Ye family, yet you’ve brought the Ye family’s young master to your residence. Do you intend to raise him in the future?”
“What are the Emperor’s plans for the Ye family?” Shen Miao asked.
“What else could his plans be?” Gao Yang smiled. “Cut the grass and remove the roots.” He added, “You’re not feeling sympathetic, are you?”
“Of course not. The Emperor is doing the right thing. Only by thoroughly dealing with the Ye and Lu families can the court remain stable. It’s just…” She glanced at Ye Hongguang. “This child had nothing to do with Ye Maocai’s actions. If there’s any fault, it’s simply that he was born with the surname ‘Ye’ in the Prime Minister’s household. Let’s wait and see for now; we don’t even know if he’ll pull through or what he’ll be like when he wakes up. If possible, I’d like to ask the Empress for a favor on his behalf.”
“You are strange,” Gao Yang said, puzzled. “Why are you particularly merciful toward this young master of the Ye family? Back in Ming Qi, I never saw you being so kind-hearted. What’s so special about this Ye family young master that you treat him differently?”
“Because of his face,” Shen Miao smiled.
“His face?” Gao Yang looked at Ye Hongguang’s face, studying it for a long time without seeing anything special. He shook his fan and said, “I don’t understand.”
“If you don’t understand, then so be it,” Shen Miao said. “It’s not a matter of current importance anyway.” She lowered her voice. “Xie Jingxing is going to campaign against Ming Qi, isn’t he?”
Gao Yang suddenly turned around to look at Shen Miao, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak and just stared at her.
“I knew this day would come eventually, but I didn’t expect it to come so quickly. He said he’s been in Ruyang these days, but the affairs in Ruyang are mostly settled. Even if he needed to deal with the remaining forces, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be him. Yet the situation in Longyi is critical, and he’s not there to manage it.” Shen Miao sighed. “Besides, the move against the Ye family came too suddenly. Is the Emperor… unwell?”
“I should lie to you, but I don’t think I could deceive you, and it would probably just upset you,” Gao Yang said. “You’re right; the Emperor is unwell. The Prince has probably already told you about the edict of succession. Now the Emperor is instructing his trusted confidants, planning to assign some people to accompany the Prince to Ming Qi.” He paused before continuing, “Or rather, it shouldn’t be called ‘going to Ming Qi.’ Spies in the capital have already sent back news that Fu Xiuyi has reached an agreement with the Emperor of Qin to actively attack Da Liang. If they conquer Da Liang, they will divide it equally between them.”
“His appetite is large; I hope he doesn’t choke on it,” Shen Miao sneered. This Fu Xiuyi, having gained power, had developed quite an appetite. Before that, wasn’t he respectful and gentle toward the people of Da Liang? Now, allying with Qin, he dared to harbor such ambitions.
“His ambition isn’t entirely unreasonable,” Gao Yang smiled, though if one looked carefully, one would notice that the smile also carried a hint of gravity. He said, “Previously, when the Lu family contended with the royal family, although the Lu family was thoroughly eliminated and it appeared to outsiders that the royal family handled it effortlessly, with plenty of energy to spare, in reality, they suffered considerable losses. Moreover, the Lu family had once been a powerful military force for Da Liang. At this critical juncture, Da Liang’s military strength is not much different from the combined forces of Qin and Ming. It will require a head-on collision.”
“But most importantly, Fu Xiuyi knows about the Emperor’s illness, so he can disperse our morale at any time. I believe in the Prince for this battle, but it will certainly not be simple,” Gao Yang said.
“I never thought this battle would be simple,” Shen Miao said dejectedly. “Wars are always difficult.”
“That’s why the Prince will lead the army. However, Ming Qi has already made the first move, repeatedly causing trouble at the border. Currently, these are just minor skirmishes for probing, but before long, they will formally declare war. The Prince doesn’t have much time, so he’s been busy with preparations recently. He probably didn’t want to tell you for fear of distracting you.”
Shen Miao was silent for a moment, then said, “I understand.”
“So, will you go with him to Ming Qi?” Gao Yang asked.
Shen Miao turned her head, amused. “Can I?”
“Why not?”
Shen Miao looked ahead, saying calmly, “We don’t know when the Emperor’s illness will worsen, nor when this war will end. By then, if the Emperor truly faces the worst, the edict of succession will surely be announced to the world.”
“The Empress cannot leave her territory because she must be responsible for all subjects of the realm. I am not that noble, but I also don’t want him to bear the name of an unwise ruler.”
“In terms of reputation, he has already been wronged enough. So, let me guard this kingdom of Da Liang for him first.”