“Later, when reinforcements arrived, we turned defeat into victory and captured one of their leaders alive. From that leader’s mouth, we obtained some important information, though unfortunately, what that leader knew was limited. Based on his confession, I speculated that Western Bang already has a group of people who have infiltrated Da Zhou, and their numbers are considerable. Their purpose is to steal important information, win over some ministers, and then overthrow Da Zhou.”

“These people often carry deadly poison in their mouths, ready to end their own lives in extreme danger to prevent the enemy from obtaining their secrets. Therefore, when I had a secret discussion with Minister Lü, I said that this person was precisely a spy who had infiltrated Da Zhou. For some unknown reason, when he discovered himself trapped in a crisis with no escape, he ended his own life. Although the aconitum powder on the ground looked somewhat suspicious, Minister Lü, being cautious, did not interrogate too much and instead reported the matter to His Majesty. His Majesty treated this matter very seriously, thus the news was sealed.”

Liang Zhe did not explain why Emperor Delong was so cautious, but this wasn’t hard to guess—Emperor Delong must have already known about the Blue Eagle organization.

Therefore, this matter could be concealed so perfectly, with no further investigation allowed, and Qin Shuying escaped completely unscathed.

It seemed that even if Emperor Delong knew it was Qin Shuying who killed the person, he would still pardon her without guilt. Being able to kill a Blue Eagle member was naturally without fault. Not only was there no fault, there should be merit.

Qin Shuying said, “How could Princess Fu’an get mixed up with such people? No wonder she clearly knew I was the one who killed him, yet later didn’t dare mention this matter at all.”

Liang Zhe said, “Any organization, no matter how strict its discipline, will have individuals who cannot resist temptation and betray it. I speculate that fake palace maid was someone who betrayed the Blue Eagle, and by chance, was used by Princess Fu’an…”

“No!” A thought flashed through Qin Shuying’s mind, and she suddenly interrupted Liang Zhe’s words. Her expression grew grave, her eyes ice-cold, as she said word by word, “It wasn’t by chance!”

Now it was Liang Zhe’s turn to be surprised. “Not by chance?”

Princess Fu’an was a princess of Da Zhou—could she possibly know what kind of person the other party was and still choose to cooperate with them?

Qin Shuying stood up excitedly, “I finally understand! I finally understand!”

Liang Zhe looked at her. She was so excited that her eyes sparkled brilliantly, and her face, already like congealed cream, became even more lustrous and translucent, making it impossible to look away.

“Ziyu, I finally understand Third… Father’s meaning!”

Liang Zhe had long suspected Qin Yongzhou’s death, so he didn’t interrupt her words but focused intently on her, waiting for her to continue.

Liang Zhe was very happy that she would tell him such a secret.

Qin Shuying said, “The Mu family has dealings with this so-called Blue Eagle! They take what they need from each other—Minister Mu provides them with intelligence, while they tell the Mu family about foreign trade channels! The Mu family, Yun family, and Liu family also have a hidden mine in the south that produces extremely rare black original stones, which they then sell overseas via sea routes to make huge profits!”

This time, it was Liang Zhe who stood up. “What?!”

Qin Shuying was very excited, clenching her fists. “The puzzle that has troubled me for half a year is finally solved! I’ve been pondering desperately, never able to understand the meaning within, but now I finally understand! Ziyu, Third… Father left behind notes in foreign script. Although I can understand part of the foreign language, Father didn’t dare write too clearly, so I read while thinking, never grasping some of the key points. Now, when you mentioned that Blue Eagle tattoo, it immediately solved the crux of the matter. Father also drew a Blue Eagle pattern, which I never took seriously, but now…”

She smiled—bright as spring flowers, radiant and full of vitality.

Liang Zhe was even more surprised. “You can understand foreign script?”

“Yes, Father was quite accomplished in this area. He taught me to study it when I was just a few years old, so I can roughly understand it.”

Liang Yanjun rushed in. “Master, this is truly wonderful!”

Liang Zhe didn’t blame him for his impulsiveness—rather, he himself became impulsive and embraced Qin Shuying in one motion. “Excellent!”

In her excitement, Qin Shuying forgot about the distinction between men and women and said, “Da Zhou gives them wealth and honor, yet they’re still not satisfied. They actually want to help Western Bang, causing our people to be displaced and their families destroyed!”

Liang Zhe felt he had found a kindred spirit and patted her shoulder once—something Liang Zhe had done frequently during his military days.

But Qin Shuying was just a weak woman—how could she withstand such a pat? That palm of his could once kill wolves! Although he had reduced the force considerably, it still wasn’t something a woman could bear.

No matter how much Qin Shuying wanted to endure the pain, the feeling that her entire shoulder was about to split was truly unbearable. She couldn’t help but let out a soft “ah” and showed pain on her face.

Liang Zhe was stunned, only then realizing he was not only holding her but had also patted her.

“Cough, cough…”

Like stepping on boiling water, Liang Zhe pushed Qin Shuying away and quickly retreated several steps. His steps were too large, and he knocked over a stand holding orchids. With a “crash,” the orchid pot shattered to pieces, and the flower stand also fell to the ground.

Liang Zhe’s face immediately turned red.

Qin Shuying wasn’t much better off. When Liang Zhe pushed her in his panic, he didn’t control his strength well. Qin Shuying couldn’t maintain her footing from his push and fell to the ground with an “oh no.”

Liang Yanjun: …At this moment, should I help up Master, or pretend I saw nothing and just turn around and leave?

Liang Zhe quickly got up and instantly reached Qin Shuying’s side, helping her to her feet. As soon as she stood steady, he jumped back like he’d been stabbed, standing three steps away from her.

Qin Shuying endured the pain, almost wanting to cry: Can’t we just have a proper conversation?

Liang Zhe apologized, “Cough, cough… Shuying, I was too excited. I’m sorry!”

Qin Shuying: “It’s, it’s alright.”

Liang Zhe reached out wanting to rub her shoulder, but stopped halfway, saying with a red face, “Cough, cough… I’m clumsy. I won’t rub it for you. Go to the medical clinic later to have it looked at.”

Qin Shuying moved her shoulder slightly. Forget it, she wouldn’t argue with him. It hurt, but it was much better now—no need to go to a medical clinic.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Liang Zhe was somewhat at a loss, but in Qin Shuying’s eyes, he was just standing there with a grave expression.

Qin Shuying was very curious about his earlier reaction and brought the topic back: “Ziyu, you were so excited just now. Was it because you thought of something?”

Liang Zhe breathed a sigh of relief. It was still more comfortable and natural to discuss serious matters. He said, “When we were at the border, Western Bang and Northern Bang used foreign script to transmit information. Very few in Da Zhou understood this, so although we intercepted some of their intelligence, we couldn’t understand it for a long time. By the time translators came from the Northern Army to the Southern Army to translate, we had already missed the optimal timing, lost the initiative, and became extremely passive. The military tried to cultivate talent, but it wasn’t easy—it required both natural ability and manpower.”