Liu watched Murong Jin in silence for a long time, then rose. "Since you've decided, then give the order. Same as always."
Murong Jin nodded with a smile. "Alright. I need you to go to the state of Yin. I want to meet their Fourth Prince, Xiao Suyi."
"Gongzi Suyi?" Liu repeated. "He may be a prince of Yin, but I've heard he's blind and holds no real power."
A small smile played on Murong Jin's lips. "But I believe he sees more clearly than anyone. They say Gongzi Suyi is as gentle as jade, humble, and generous. I trust he will grant me an audience with the Marquis of Yin. That's all I need."
"You'd risk this on his reputation alone?" Liu shook his head. "Jin, you know Yuling is the key to Jindu's safety. If this goes wrong, the Emperor can have you executed for treason."
"Of course I know." Her eyes were bright with confidence. "If it comes to that, I'll accept my fate."
"Who's there?" Murong Jin snapped. In the same motion, her fingers closed around a teacup on the table and flicked it. The cup shot toward the window frame like a stone.
Liu threw open the window, but the bustling street below was empty. Not a trace of whoever had been there. To have dodged her attack and vanished in an instant—he was skilled.
"I'll go after him." Just as Liu moved, Murong Jin grabbed his arm, shaking her head with a smile.
"Don't bother. Even if he's not far, he's already lost in the crowd. We didn't see his face or his clothes. How would you find him?"
"But he heard everything…" Liu stopped mid-sentence. He looked at Murong Jin's sly smile and it hit him. "You knew someone was out there."
"I only heard the faintest sound of breathing," she said, reaching for a small strip of black cloth snagged on a nail protruding from the bottom of the window frame. "I didn't think our old battlefield tricks would still be useful here."
Liu looked at the nail and couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't a sophisticated method, but it was brutally effective. Combined with her feigned concentration, it was the perfect way to make an eavesdropper slip up.
Murong Jin examined the cloth. "I imagine he tore his sleeve," she said with a triumphant grin, "and sucked in a breath from the pain."
"So what's your plan now?" Liu asked, returning to the table.
"Wait."
"Wait?" Liu froze. "For what?"
"To see if this person's return brings fortune or disaster," she said, placing the cloth on the table. "He's been following me since I left the residence. I couldn't shake him. Now, finally, he's shown his hand."
"Fortune? Or disaster?"
"If it's fortune, then he's not here to kill me, and our previous conversations won't be leaked. If it's disaster, then he can only belong to one of two factions: the Seventh Prince or Guo Shangzhong."
Liu nodded in agreement. "But if it is a disaster, how will you handle it?"
"Handle it?" Murong Jin raised her eyebrows, wrinkling her nose in a playful smile. "I'll think of something then."
"What?" Liu nearly fell off his stool. "By the time you think of something, the disaster will have already struck! I swear, you'll never lose your nerve for taking risks."
"Surprise is the key to victory," she said, calmly pouring herself another cup of tea. "If it is a disaster, it's just one man's word against mine. Before the Emperor, it would be nothing more than slander."
"But if he learns of Xue Liulan's plans, the path ahead will not be so smooth," Liu countered. The entire Murong clan was now tied to the Fifth Prince. If he fell, they would all fall with him.
Murong Jin propped her head on her fist, silent for a moment. "When Xing returns, tell her to go to Yin. She must arrange a meeting for me with Gongzi Suyi."
"You're still going through with it?"
A faint, unreadable smile touched her lips.
"Now that you've been overheard, why give them the chance to catch you in the act?"
"Didn't I just discover him?" she asked, looking up at Liu. "If you were him, would you still believe the original plan was real?"
Liu opened his mouth, then finally laughed. "As expected of our little general of Wuchuan. A feint within a feint—the very heart of strategy."
Murong Jin looked down, sighing internally. Thank goodness he didn't see the flaw in that. A feint was still just a fifty-fifty chance. If this plan was exposed, she wouldn't just lose her title. The entire Murong clan might not be executed, but she certainly would be, for the crime of colluding with a vassal state.
But if there was a Xue Liulan in this world who would risk his life for her, how could there not be a Murong Jin who would risk her safety to warn him?
Die Man leaned back on the couch, watching Xue Liulan stare into his cup. The wine was long gone, but he just sat there, holding it, his gaze distant, a soft, lazy smile on his lips.
"What happened?" Die Man's slender hand reached out and took the cup from him. She arranged her skirts and sat across from him.
"Nothing," he said, shaking off his reverie with a faint smile.
Nothing, really. Just that while drinking, he had thought of the woman who used to drink from bowls with him. She had never gotten completely drunk, but he had heard her wine-fueled ramblings, like words from a dream.
"I heard Murong Jin stormed out after a fight with you," Die Man said, pouring him another cup from a silver pot.
"I have someone following her." He tossed back the second cup of wine. He Chengjian's report had surprised him. She was angry, yes, but she still knew how to handle herself.
"One He Chengjian isn't enough, so you sent one of your own shadow guards to protect her. Xue Liulan, she's a general, not some fragile woman." Die Man shot him a look and slammed the pot down on the table with a clack.
Xue Liulan rubbed his nose. "The jealousy is so thick in here, I'm afraid this wine is about to turn to vinegar."
Die Man's eyes went wide. She rose, and in a single fluid motion, her hand was on his chest. He caught her wrist, and with a gentle pull, she fell into his arms.
"Scoundrel," she laughed softly.
"That's what you called me when we first met," he laughed aloud. A thought suddenly struck him, and his smile faded. He thought of the woman in the painting. Why is it that in her heart, I am no longer the man I once was?
Seeing his expression change, Die Man frowned. Before she could speak, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" she called out softly.
"Guyu, with a report."
"Enter." Knowing it was one of his guards, Die Man rose and opened the door. She hesitated, then turned back to him. "You talk. I'll go see about your dinner."
"Alright," he nodded, his eyes fixed on the guard who had entered and now stood silently to the side.
Her name was Guyu. She had been in the shadow guard for less than a year, but she had never failed a mission, which was why she was the only woman on his personal team of fifteen. But now, the sleeve of her right arm was torn, revealing a red gash beneath.
"Why are you back?" he asked, his gaze shifting to her face.
Guyu lowered her head. "The princess consort discovered me. My position was exposed."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "With your skills? That's a first."
"I… my arm was scraped on a nail. I drew in a breath, and she heard it," Guyu said, embarrassed. She shouldn't have been so careless, but who would expect a nail to be sticking out of a window frame in a place as opulent as Yumen Jiao? It wasn't the work of the meticulous Huaying Yang family.
Xue Liulan thought for a moment, then nodded in approval. "As expected of a general. Clever."
"What?" Guyu was stunned. Was I caught in her trap?
"That nail. Murong Jin put it there to catch eavesdroppers. If she was being that careful, what they were discussing must have been important?"
Guyu recounted everything she had heard: Murong Jin's words about him taking the sword for her, and the plan to ally with the vassal lords.
"After she thought you were gone, she still decided to send someone to contact Gongzi Suyi?" Xue Liulan asked after a long silence.
"Yes. The princess believed I had left. That is what she said."
"I see. You may go." Xue Liulan tapped his forehead. Murong Jin, which one is the real you? To say such heartless things one moment, and in the next, to be willing to throw away your own safety to create a warning for the man playing the game. Which one was the truth?
"And the princess…?"
"No need to follow her further," he said with a wave. With Liu and Xing at her side, she was safe enough at Yumen Jiao for now.
The room was silent again. The wine in his cup was clear, and for a moment, it looked like her eyes, smiling but unreachable.
"Hanlu," he said softly. An shadow appeared on the window outside.
"My lord."
"Go to Gongzi Suyi. Tell him the matter I entrusted to him can now proceed."