Ye Jingchuan still had many doubts. For instance, why had Song Chuyi arranged for him to reserve a private room here so early? Had she already anticipated that Han Zhi would appear today? Or was it that she actually wasn’t guarding against Han Zhi, but rather someone else entirely? This conjecture was quickly confirmed. Before long, Qing Tao, who had just gone downstairs under the pretext of fetching water, knocked and entered, reporting softly to Song Chuyi, “As expected, someone has been following us. They’re still keeping watch downstairs now. Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun have already been instructed to watch them.”

The pair of jade bracelets on Song Chuyi’s wrists chimed crisply. She pushed open the window to look at the red-robed performer singing below, then shifted her gaze to Zhang Run’s room opposite before slowly lowering her eyes. She instructed Qing Tao, “Tell Ma Wangkun to be careful. He doesn’t need to follow Han Zhi’s side—have Ma Changjiang or Sun Ergou go instead. Have everyone else keep close watch on this group following us.”

What she feared most was complete silence. Now that she knew someone was tracking them, Song Chuyi’s heart actually settled somewhat—at least it showed the mastermind behind everything was very guarded against her as well, or rather, very cautious, so cautious they wouldn’t even overlook a young lady in her boudoir.

Song Chuyi felt somewhat fortunate that she had notified Ye Jingchuan to wait here beforehand just to be safe. Now, by fortunate coincidence, she had deceived Han Zhi’s eyes and incidentally cleared Zhang Run of suspicion—Han Zhi had always known her relationship with Ye Jingchuan was good, and going out to watch a performance with Ye Jingchuan wasn’t anything worth making a fuss over.

After waiting a long while without Song Chuyi speaking, Ye Jingchuan couldn’t help but grow anxious. He increasingly felt he couldn’t see through Song Chuyi. “Didn’t you have me help ask Uncle Guo about your maternal uncle just a few days ago? Has something happened? Otherwise, why are you so urgent?”

Song Chuyi’s thoughts stirred. Recalling that Madam Cui had mentioned Ye Jingkuan also wasn’t in the capital recently, she turned to look at Ye Jingchuan and asked, “Do you know where your elder brother went when he left the capital this time?”

Ye Jingchuan vaguely felt he had grasped something important. The question that had been circling in his mind for so long involuntarily burst out, “Is your family involved with that route beyond the passes?!”

That route beyond the passes—after all these years of talk, no one had actually explained what kind of route it was. They only knew it was a route that turned stone to gold, only knew that the Crown Prince and the Li family, the former Marquis Pingyang’s household and Duke Yingguo’s household were all involved.

She lowered her eyes and sat on the round stool, looking at Ye Jingchuan and nodded. “Even if we’re not involved, I’m afraid someone now wants us to be involved. Do you know something? If it can be said, could you share some with me? Right now I’m like a headless fly, completely in the dark.”

Ye Jingchuan sat opposite her with a grave expression, hesitating for a while. After a moment, he lowered his voice. “My father and eldest brother haven’t told me the details of this matter. I only know my brother left the capital under orders. As for his specific destination, whether it’s Datong or Xuanfu, I’m not very clear either. I heard that someone beyond the passes is selling warhorses, causing the army to have no horses available. My elder brother is probably investigating this matter.”

That was it—the crux was here!

Yang Xuan, who managed the warhorses, happened to be Cui Shaoting’s direct subordinate, and was someone Cui Shaoting had memorialized to promote in the first year he served as Three Border Commander-in-Chief.

But even if selling warhorses was related to Yang Xuan, at most Cui Shaoting would only be guilty of poor judgment in character and failure to supervise properly. Could there be some angle to this she couldn’t understand? For instance, what role was that beauty the Yangzhou prefect gave Cui Shaoting supposed to play?

She dared not delay. She immediately set out to return to the Earl’s household and went straight to Song Chengru’s study.

Both Cui Yingshu and Song Jue were actually there. Song Chengru was asking them, “Border trade? Whose idea was this? Has the Cabinet received the memorial?”

Song Chuyi’s heart sank with a thud. The dark cloud that had been hanging over her heart suddenly dispersed. Her mind was like fireworks exploding, thoughts bursting out all at once. After quite a while, she finally found her voice again. “Border trade? Reopening border trade with the Tatars? Who submitted the memorial?”

The Great Zhou had once conducted border trade with the Tatars, but later the horses the Tatars sold were all inferior goods passed off as quality ones. Moreover, the Tatars frequently used robbery and theft, causing complaints along the border, so the court closed the border trade.

Now someone actually wanted to reopen border trade with the Tatars—while both Ye Jingkuan and Imperial Guard Commander Lai Chenglong had already left to investigate the northwest warhorse smuggling matter?!

Cui Yingshu glanced at her and answered in a deep voice, “Yang Xuan submitted the memorial. It’s currently being held by my teacher. The Cabinet hasn’t approved it yet.”

All doubts were instantly resolved.

This was a death trap that had been laid long ago, just waiting for Cui Shaoting to walk into it.

Song Chuyi drew in a sharp breath. She swept her eyes over Song Chengru, Cui Yingshu, and Song Jue who were all looking at her, and hooked the corners of her mouth grimly. “Grandfather, Uncle, tell me—what would happen if my maternal uncle memorialized in support of the border trade?”

The northern situation was currently tense, with the Tatars eyeing them covetously. If they pushed forward with reopening border trade, it could strengthen exchanges between both sides, perhaps even ease the situation and reduce pressure on the northwest. Cui Shaoting might indeed agree.

“Teacher said this is actually not a bad idea. After all, we just fought the Japanese pirates in the south, and the national treasury has been considerably depleted.” Cui Yingshu heard the implication in Song Chuyi’s words and said this sentence hesitatingly, but before he could finish, Song Chuyi interrupted him.

Song Chuyi shook her head, biting her lip as she looked at them. “This isn’t pleasing His Majesty—this is issuing a death warrant for himself, even for the Cui family and Song family together.”

The three of them were startled simultaneously by her ominously heavy tone, then immediately understood.

Song Chuyi’s voice was very low, but hearing it in their ears was still no different from thunder on level ground, shocking them until they could barely stand steady.

“I heard the northwest has already reached the point where the army has no horses to use, and someone is smuggling warhorses to the Tatars.” Song Chuyi paused. Her face turned momentarily as white as a corpse, her flat tone carrying infinite coldness. “His Majesty has already dispatched Lai Chenglong and Ye Jingkuan to leave the capital separately to investigate.”

Both Song Chengru and Cui Yingshu felt their backs break out in cold sweat.

If this was truly the case, then in Emperor Jianzhang’s eyes, Cui Shaoting, who memorialized in support of border trade, would be Yang Xuan’s accomplice, the chief culprit of smuggling warhorses. That beauty of frontier origin by his side would also be dug out by those who had long been prepared. Through this beauty sent by the former Yangzhou prefect, they might even uncover more—for instance, that Cui Shaoting secretly communicated with the Tatars, had extensive dealings with them, and therefore wanted to facilitate the border trade.