According to Zhao Chunsheng's description, Yue'e and her father seemed to have mixed among the refugees and made their way all the way to the outskirts of the capital. However, judging from the conversation she had with Yue'e just now, Yue'e and her father didn't seem to know that Jiang was in the capital.
Moreover, the father - daughter pair made a living by singing on the streets, and Yue'e occasionally embroidered a few handkerchiefs to supplement their income. They were not actually disaster victims.
She remembered that after she learned that Jiang had once remarried and given birth to a daughter, she had sent people to search for them for a long time, but there had been no progress.
Just when she thought that this father - daughter pair had already been killed by Jiang, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand in the dark that had sent them to her side.
It came so easily!
Such smoothness made her rather wary, which was why she had questioned Zhao Chunsheng like this.
Zhao Chunsheng, who had only felt lucky before and hadn't thought much about it, suddenly realized something strange when Yun Xi brought it up. But when he carefully recalled the process of finding Yue'e and her father, he couldn't see anything wrong.
Just then, a flash of inspiration came to Zhao Chunsheng, and he opened his eyes wide.
"Miss, I remember! When we were investigating the refugees and found them, I often saw a man appearing in front of them. He just followed them from a distance as if having no interaction with them."
"At that time, I thought that man might be up to no good to them, so I secretly followed him once. But when we got near a gambling house, he disappeared, and I never saw him again."
He thought he was being overly suspicious and didn't think much about it later. Now that Yun Xi asked, he wondered if there was some connection.
"Disappeared near a gambling house?"
Yun Xi frowned, silently thinking about the possible connection. Suddenly, she remembered the time when Qi Rong had smashed an antique shop with the deed of her mother's shop.
According to Qi Rong's words at that time, Jiang's cousin, Jiang Da, had owed money to the gambling house. The shopkeeper of the antique shop at that time had taken the deed to the gambling house to exchange for silver.
That was how the deed of the shop had ended up in Qi Rong's hands, which also indicated that Qi Rong was the owner of the gambling house.
"Could it be that Qi Rong helped me?"
Yun Xi's eyes suddenly brightened, but she instantly denied the thought in her mind.
More than two months ago, Qi Rong was still far away in Cangzhou, thousands of miles away, busy with disaster relief. How could he have the leisure to care about her business? Moreover, according to Yue'e, she and her father had come to the capital more than a month ago, which didn't match the time.
Not being able to figure it out, Yun Xi simply stopped obsessing over it.
Anyway, she had found them, and she had also reached a consensus with Yue'e. After that, it was time to plan how to expose Jiang's crimes to the public and let her receive due punishment!
Meanwhile, in a secret room of a gambling house in the capital, Qi Rong was sitting lazily on a rosewood carved chair. Holding a letter in his hand, he silently listened to the report of the black - clothed man below.
After a long time, Qi Rong withdrew his gaze from the letter, looked up, and stared coolly at the black - clothed man kneeling on the ground with his dark eyes.
"Are you saying that the third prince Yuan Zhen in the northern border can no longer hold back and has started secretly hoarding troops and grain?"
"Reporting to my lord, the news is accurate! The eldest prince Yuan Qi is extremely anxious. He sent an eight - hundred - li express secret letter this morning, imploring my lord to help come up with a countermeasure. He is afraid that before long, the Khan of the northern grasslands will change hands!"
Kekeqin in the northern border had vast grasslands and a long and narrow territory. It was not only the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu but also bordered the Li Kingdom. It was an essential and crucial barrier within the territory of the Liu Kingdom!
Since Emperor Gaozu entered the pass and established the Liu Kingdom, Kekeqin had been taken over by the Yuan family and became a vassal state attached to the Liu Kingdom.
However, after Kekeqin was controlled by the Yuan family, there were still constant disputes. The princes were all eager to take the throne of the Khan.
Therefore, the forces in Kekeqin were also divided into pieces and controlled by several princes. Among them, the most outstanding one was the third prince Yuan Zhen.
He was not only ambitious but also highly regarded by the Khan. Moreover, his mother's family was extremely powerful, overwhelming many of his brothers. If nothing unexpected happened, Yuan Zhen would undoubtedly take the throne of the Khan.
But the one Qi Rong chose to assist was the eldest prince Yuan Qi, who had a low birth and the weakest power.
Because only such a person would be likely to lower his status and cooperate with him, and be more easily controlled by him!
Hearing the report from his subordinate, Qi Rong slightly curled his lips, raising a casual smile.
"No rush."
"Go back and reply to the eldest prince immediately. Tell him to stay calm and hold his troops. The real show is yet to come."
He had been secretly laying out the plan for so long, just waiting for this day!
When the moon is full, it begins to wane; when things reach an extreme, they will reverse. The way to deal with Yuan Zhen was actually very simple. As long as they forced him to lose his composure, they could easily close the net.
The eldest prince Yuan Qi seemed to be the weakest, but compared with other princes, this was also his unique advantage.
Although the Khan of Kekeqin was already in his twilight years, he would not tolerate his sons making trouble!
The eldest prince Yuan Qi only needed to stay calm and step forward at the critical moment to win the Khan's favor!
"Yes, my lord!"
The black - clothed man didn't doubt him and immediately bowed his head.
Although he thought his lord was mysterious and his ideas were hard to understand, after being by his lord's side for so many years, he also understood that as long as he followed his lord's words, it would surely be right!
After the black - clothed man left, Qi Rong shifted his gaze to another subordinate.
"How's the matter I told you about going? Is there any progress on the Li Kingdom's side?"
"Reporting to my lord, the person has been sent into the palace. The emperor didn't notice and even kept the person by his side. I believe it won't be long before the person can play a role. As for the Li Kingdom, it's still the same as usual, with no special changes."
Qi Rong was not surprised and just nodded slightly. Then his eyes darkened, and he said sharply:
"Be sure to find Gongsun Jie himself!"
Suddenly feeling a powerful pressure, the man shivered, and replied in a deep voice:
"Yes! Your subordinate obeys!"
After everyone else left, a figure slowly walked out from the dark corner of the secret room.
This person was dressed in black, with a slender figure but shorter than the previous people. When she took off her black hood, it turned out to be a woman!
"Your subordinate, Nightingale, pays homage to His Highness the Seventh Prince!"
The woman suddenly knelt down. She didn't call him "my lord" or "King Xian" bestowed by the emperor but Qi Rong's previous identity, the Seventh Prince!
Qi Rong stared steadily at the woman kneeling in the hall. After a long time, he finally said:
"Get up. I have a few things to ask you."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
The woman got up and stood on one side with her head down. On her rather delicate face, a pair of black pupils seemed like a stagnant pool, without a trace of light or ripples.
This woman was named Nightingale. She was a dead - loyal warrior trained by the former Crown Prince Qi Xiao and had accompanied Qi Xiao all year round. She was one of his most capable subordinates.
At that time, Crown Prince Qi Xiao was ordered to deal with the plague. He was intercepted and killed on his way back to the capital, and Nightingale was also among them.
She was also the only survivor!