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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xiu Wen cleared his throat and respectfully said to Ashide, “Khan, I have a bold plan.”
Ashide nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
Lin Xiu Wen spoke in a low voice, “I suggest we publicly announce the matter of the Marriage Alliance but refrain from revealing specific details for now.”
Ashide pondered for a moment and replied, “What does Lin mean by this…”
“Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole,” Lin Xiu Wen said, a glint of brilliance flashing in his eyes. “Since that ‘black hand’ can collude with Ashina, he will certainly not sit idly by while the two countries form a Marriage Alliance. We just need to spread the word that the Marriage Alliance will establish a permanent alliance between our nations, and he will surely take action.”
Liu Rumei nodded in agreement, “Indeed. Moreover, we can intentionally leak some false information, such as the Marriage Alliance envoy carrying important documents back to the Central Plains…”
Lin Xiu Wu added, “This way, the ‘black hand’ will have no choice but to act personally, giving us a chance to catch him red-handed!”
After pondering for a moment, Ashide suddenly slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, “Good! Let it be as Lin suggests.”
With the plan set, everyone went their separate ways. Lin Xiu Wen was responsible for spreading the news, Liu Rumei arranged personnel in secret, and Lin Xiu Wu ensured Su Wanqing’s safety. Although Su Wanqing had a special status, she was well aware of the dangers of this journey and remained exceptionally calm.
Three days later, the Marriage Alliance envoy set off back to the Central Plains. The procession was grand and imposing, with banners fluttering in the wind. Among them was a luxurious carriage rumored to be Princess Ashide’s dowry. To avoid suspicion, the real Princess Ashide had already disguised herself as an ordinary maid and was accompanied by Su Wanqing on a different secret route back to the Central Plains. The carriage contained a decoy arranged by Lin Xiu Wen.
As they passed through a canyon, suddenly cries of battle erupted. A group of black-clad men charged down from both sides of the cliffs, heading straight for the carriage.
“They're here!” Lin Xiu Wen hissed softly.
The Imperial Guard, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, immediately revealed themselves and engaged in combat with the black-clad men. Lin Xiu Wu led the charge with his sword flashing like lightning, quickly making his way to the front of the carriage.
“Protect the dowry!” he shouted as he lifted the curtain of the carriage.
However, inside was empty except for a bronze mirror.
The Leader of the Black Cloaked Men was taken aback and shouted, “It’s a trap! Retreat!”
But it was too late. Liu Rumei led another group from behind to encircle the black-clad men completely.
In the midst of chaos, Lin Xiu Wen noticed one black-clad man moving strangely as if trying to escape amidst the turmoil. He quietly followed and discovered that this person was using an exclusive hidden weapon from the Eastern Depot!
“Just as I thought!” Lin Xiu Wen shouted loudly, “Eunuch Zhao!”
The black-clad man trembled all over and pulled down his mask to reveal a sinister face—it was Eunuch Zhao, commander of the Eastern Depot!
“Lin Xiu Wen,” Eunuch Zhao sneered, “you’re quite clever. However…” He suddenly threw out a poisoned needle and shouted, “Die!”
At that critical moment, a flash of sword light appeared as all the poisoned needles were knocked down.
“Xiu Wen, be careful!” Lin Xiu Wu arrived just in time.
The two brothers joined forces and quickly subdued Eunuch Zhao. But just as they were about to interrogate him, Eunuch Zhao bit down on the poison pouch hidden in his mouth.
"You... will never know... the truth..." A strange smile appeared on Eunuch Zhao's face as he took his last breath.
Lin Xiu Wen frowned. "It seems that Eunuch Zhao had someone backing him..."
At that moment, Liu Rumei hurried over. "Xiu Wen, we captured a few survivors. They revealed that Eunuch Zhao has been in frequent contact with people from the Ministry of Rites..."
"The Ministry of Rites?" Lin Xiu Wen's heart sank as he suddenly recalled something. "This is bad! Miss Su is in danger!"
In fact, the real Princess Ashide had long disguised herself as an ordinary maid and was accompanied by Su Wanqing, taking a different route back to the Central Plains. Only a few people knew about this plan, including Minister of Rites Su Mingyuan—Su Wanqing's father.
When Lin Xiu Wen and the others arrived, they found Su Mingyuan leading a group of men, surrounding Su Wanqing and Princess Ashide.
"Father!" Su Wanqing looked at Su Mingyuan in disbelief. "You... you are actually..."
Su Mingyuan sighed. "Wanqing, I had no choice. That 'hidden hand' has leverage over me..."
"Lord Su," Lin Xiu Wen stepped forward. "It's not too late to turn back now."
Su Mingyuan forced a smile. "It's too late for that. I already—ah!"
Suddenly, a cold arrow shot forth, striking Su Mingyuan in the back.
"Father!" Su Wanqing rushed forward, only to see that Su Mingyuan was already on the verge of death.
"Wanqing..." Su Mingyuan struggled to speak. "Be careful... the Crown Prince..."
Before he could finish, he breathed his last.
Lin Xiu Wen and the others were left in shock. The Crown Prince? Could it be that he was the mastermind behind all this?
Just then, a group of Imperial Guards arrived, led by none other than the Crown Prince himself.
"Minister Lin," the Crown Prince smiled, "thanks to you, we have uncovered this traitor."
Lin Xiu Wen's heart raced with alarm, but he maintained his composure. "Your Highness is too kind. However..."
"However what?" A cold glint flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes.
As Lin Xiu Wen was about to respond, he suddenly noticed a jade pendant hanging at the Crown Prince's waist—it was identical to the one he had seen that night in the secret passage!
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