“The Huben Army is the prince’s years of painstaking effort. I cannot let others take it for nothing.” Qin Yining slightly curved her lips, her almond eyes full of confident light, crystal bright and startling.

Her confident appearance inexplicably reminded Xie Yue of the prince who had already rushed back to the capital on horseback.

Xie Yue’s expression became several degrees more serious.

Qin Yining continued: “Training even a single person is not easy, let alone an army of one hundred thousand. The Huben Army not only has excellent individual combat capabilities but also outstanding formations and strict military discipline. Such a force of wolves and tigers is a protective shield in the prince’s hands, but in others’ hands it could become a weapon for killing. Does that Lord Zuo really have such great ability? I think he’s nothing more than having won His Majesty’s favor. I will make him lose that imperial favor!”

“Miss Qin’s meaning?”

“The prince rushing back to the capital to continue feigning illness, using this method to openly repair plank roads while secretly crossing at Chencang, is truly too risky. Even if he can luckily pass this time, His Majesty already knows about the prince mobilizing troops—he just hasn’t caught him in the act. The knot in his heart has already formed. This way, His Majesty’s wariness and calculations against the prince will likely intensify.”

“But what’s done is done. Could it be that Miss Qin has thought of a countermeasure? Related to what you said earlier about letting Zuo Jinwei’s memorial through?”

“Mm.” Qin Yining smiled slyly and called Xie Yue closer, whispering a few sentences.

The more Xie Yue listened, the wider his eyes became, until finally he was looking at Qin Yining with admiring eyes.

“Miss Qin is truly worthy of being the daughter of the wise Pan An. Such scheming, this old man feels ashamed of his inferiority.”

“What are you saying? This time I must rely on Master Xie’s disguise techniques.”

“This old man’s trivial skills. To be able to help the prince makes learning this craft worthwhile.”

Qin Yining smiled and nodded.

Xie Yue, thinking about Qin Yining’s plan, also smiled, completely abandoning the resentment he had shown when they first met, and his attitude toward Qin Yining became extremely respectful.

Qin Yining and the others didn’t immediately return but had Xie Yue slightly disguise her, transforming her into a young man with ordinary features and changing her into Huben Army uniform.

Lian Xiaozhou watched from the side in amazement, constantly reaching out to touch the hand of the “strange young man” before her.

Qin Yining smiled comfortingly: “Xiaozhou, be good. Now there are bad people who want to scheme against sister, so sister has to disguise herself like this. When we enter the military camp later, you must pretend not to know sister in front of outsiders and can’t call out, understand?”

Lian Xiaozhou nodded repeatedly, covering her small mouth with both hands and deliberately looking away from Qin Yining: “I won’t say anything.”

Qin Yining was amused by her childish yet adorable behavior, stroking her head: “Such a good girl. When we reach the camp and there are no outsiders, you can stay with me. For now, follow this uncle. If anyone asks who you are, you know how to answer, right?”

Lian Xiaozhou nodded emphatically: “I know.”

Qin Yining then mixed into the group of Huben Army soldiers who had been searching the mountains and returned to the camp. This team’s harvest from today’s mountain search was only finding a small girl from a hunter’s family—they hadn’t found the person Prince Zhongshun had been thinking about.

Zuo Jinwei had long seen the fire on the mountain and heard those dozens of signal arrows. He had been standing at the camp entrance with arms crossed, coldly watching this group of Huben Army soldiers who treated him like air.

Prince Zhongshun had such great ability!

His Majesty had stripped him of military authority and handed the Huben Army over to him, yet Pang Zhixi dared to defy imperial orders and privately mobilize troops, interfering in his army!

His memorial to the emperor still hadn’t received a response. The more Zuo Jinwei thought about it, the more something seemed wrong, so he urged his trusted aide: “Send another copy of the memorial about Pang Zhixi privately mobilizing troops, riding hard to the capital!”

“Yes, General!”

The aide immediately went to carry out the order.

Looking at the orderly Huben Army in the camp, Zuo Jinwei surveyed the entire camp and gave a cold laugh.

Pang Zhixi was definitely here somewhere, not knowing which tent he was hiding in. If he caught him, he would definitely have something good coming!

Thinking of this, Zuo Jinwei felt pleased.

In the evening, when Zuo Jinwei had ordered food and wine and was drinking alone, suddenly a deputy general came to the tent entrance to report.

“General! Prince Zhongshun wants to see you!”

Zuo Jinwei shot up with a “whoosh,” not even noticing when his wine pouch fell: “How strange. Wasn’t he hiding very deeply? Why would he think of seeing me?”

“This subordinate doesn’t know either, but just now when I was ordered to come, I saw that Prince Zhongshun seemed seriously ill, his complexion very poor.”

“Seriously ill? Could it be that he’s been worrying about finding his little lover, searching for so many days without finding anyone, and got sick from worry?”

Zuo Jinwei laughed mockingly: “The murderous Pang Zhixi is actually an infatuated fool—who would have thought! Hahaha!”

Zuo Jinwei’s wild laughter could be heard from far away from the tent.

He had truly been suppressing his frustration for too long and finally found an opportunity to vent.

“Good! This general wants to see exactly what tricks he’s playing! Earlier he was hiding from me, but now he actively wants to see me!”

Seeing Zuo Jinwei’s excited expression, the deputy general smiled: “Perhaps that person also has matters beyond his ability and wants to ask for your help.”

“Oh?” Zuo Jinwei thought briefly and connected it to His Majesty.

Pang Xiao probably knew that privately mobilizing troops would definitely anger His Majesty and feared His Majesty’s thunderous wrath, so he wanted to ask him to help put in a good word?

Thinking this, Zuo Jinwei took his deputy general and left the tent, following the deputy general’s lead toward Pang Xiao’s tent.

Lifting the tent flap, he immediately smelled a pungent medicinal odor.

He saw “Pang Xiao” lying on a military cot, his hair disheveled, complexion extremely poor, wrapped in three thick layers of quilts, yet still seeming very cold.

A thin, slightly hunchbacked young deputy general stood beside him attending, placing a handkerchief on “Pang Xiao’s” forehead.

Zuo Jinwei restrained his earlier arrogant expression, cupped his hands and bowed: “This subordinate pays respects to the prince. These days in the army I haven’t seen the prince—I thought the prince was avoiding me!”

Speaking thus, Zuo Jinwei couldn’t help but curve his lips in a mocking smile.

“Pang Xiao” on the cot weakly shook his head: “This prince originally received His Majesty’s edict to bring troops out for training, but who knew that arriving here, I would contract a serious illness. The training cannot be carried out. Now this prince has the will but lacks the strength. From here on, I must trouble General Zuo to lead these troops back to the capital.”

His voice was hoarse beyond human recognition, extremely weak. As soon as he finished speaking, he began coughing, making his complexion appear even paler.

Zuo Jinwei laughed inwardly—it would be best if this person fell seriously ill and died!

But his face still showed concern: “The prince must take care of his health. Just leave the return to the capital to this official.”

“Then, I thank you.” More coughing.

Zuo Jinwei didn’t want to smell the medicine, so he simply left the tent, with his accompanying deputy general also leaving.

All the way back to his own tent, Zuo Jinwei finally relaxed and laughed heartily.

“How ridiculous! At this point, that surname Pang still won’t repent, saying he received an edict to bring troops for training? He’s clearly trying to deceive this general! This is falsely transmitting imperial edicts!”

“Yes, who would have thought Prince Zhongshun would be so bold—defying imperial edicts, privately mobilizing troops, and now falsely transmitting imperial intentions. I think he has rebellious intentions!”

Zuo Jinwei nodded emphatically: “No, since this general has discovered his wolf-like ambitions, I absolutely cannot be lenient. This matter must be reported to His Majesty!”

Zuo Jinwei went to prepare brush and ink, quickly writing another secret report, describing in detail to His Majesty the scene of Pang Xiao “falsely transmitting imperial edicts.” Finally he wrote: “Prince Zhongshun, spoiled by favor, has ulterior motives. Relying on being Huben Army commander, he privately mobilized troops before and falsely transmitted imperial edicts to cover up afterward. This is clearly contempt for His Majesty. I hope His Majesty will take early precautions!”

Setting down his brush and sealing the letter with wax, he ordered it sent to the capital.

“This time, His Majesty won’t tolerate him either!” Zuo Jinwei felt very satisfied, cheerfully drank a cup of wine, and laughed again.

At this time in the tent, “Pang Xiao” had already thrown off the heavy three layers of quilts, got up and looked at his reflection in the water basin for a moment, then turned to Xie Yue: “Master Xie, great talent! Who would have thought your disguise techniques were so miraculous! And after taking medicine, even your voice can change.”

The one who had just met with Zuo Jinwei and spouted nonsense about “training by imperial edict” was naturally Qin Yining disguised as Pang Xiao.

Xie Yue waved his hand modestly: “You’re too kind. This is nothing but sleight of hand. It’s fortunate you kept lying down—if you had sat up, it would have been exposed. Height cannot deceive people.”

Qin Yining smiled: “No matter. When we set out, I’ll claim illness and ride in a carriage back to the capital. Judging from General Zuo’s expression earlier, the secret memorial impeaching the prince for falsely transmitting imperial edicts has probably already been sent.”

“Yes.” Xie Yue smiled: “I specifically ordered not to intercept it. Both secret reports have been sent out one after the other. This way, Zuo Jinwei has essentially stepped into the trap you set.”

Qin Yining said: “His Majesty is a cautious person who won’t act easily without complete certainty. Even if he receives the news, to avoid falling into a trap, he won’t easily search the prince’s mansion. When the second memorial arrives, His Majesty will be even more certain the prince isn’t at his mansion and will definitely wait to catch the prince ‘red-handed.’ The time His Majesty waits confidently is exactly what we can use.”

“Precisely so.” Xie Yue said admiringly: “Miss Qin truly has an excellent strategy. The time His Majesty hesitates will be enough for the prince to return to his mansion and continue feigning illness. Even if His Majesty really searches the mansion, we’re completely safe.

“And if His Majesty doesn’t search the mansion and believes Zuo Jinwei’s second memorial, convinced that the prince is in the military camp, he will definitely wait for when these twenty thousand Huben Army troops return to the capital to seize the prince from the army and catch him in the act of privately mobilizing troops!”

“But how could I let them seize the prince from the army? When we reach the capital, I’ll remove my disguise. Even if they turn the military camp upside down, they won’t find anyone. Then, who is deceiving the emperor will be unclear!”

Qin Yining gave a cold laugh.

The person she had chosen—if she didn’t protect him, should she wait for others to protect him? If someone wanted to scheme against Pang Xiao, they’d have to get past her first!

Zuo Jinwei wanted to take advantage of the Huben Army? He’d need the ability first!

Xie Yue was already prostrating himself in admiration, respectfully bowing deeply to Qin Yining: “The prince was in too much of a rush originally and had no time for deep thought. Now with Miss Qin’s strategy, we’re completely safe!”

He was now completely convinced, knowing that the prince’s eye for choosing people would never be wrong! What enemy’s daughter? Looking at it now, the Qin family daughter was clearly the best candidate for a wise helper. With such scheming, if one wasn’t careful, even the prince might be calculated into it!