I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Jiang Yin quickly stood up and walked to the window to check the situation. In the night, a figure could be vaguely seen hurriedly climbing over the courtyard wall and disappearing into the darkness. He turned to look at Jiang Caiwei, his brow furrowed. "It seems we have been targeted."

"Is it Kou Fengyi?" Jiang Caiwei asked in a firm tone with a sharp look in her eyes.

Jiang Yin nodded. "It's very likely. We must be extra careful."

There were footsteps outside the door, and a young servant hurried in, breathlessly saying, "Sir, we just spotted someone near the courtyard wall! I've sent people after them, but they're very alert and ran away as soon as they heard the noise."

"Well done." Jiang Caiwei praised, "But don't chase too far, in case it's a trap. Let's all be on high alert."

The servant nodded and left the hall. The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and then Jiang Caiwei sat back in her chair, her eyes sharp. "In this case, we need to act immediately."

Jiang Yin agreed, "Yes. I have arranged for some people to secretly investigate this matter, and we will have further intelligence soon. In the meantime, we need to start strengthening our defenses at home."

At that moment, footsteps were heard again outside the door. This time, it was Lord Ai's right-hand man, Mo Nianran, who walked in. He looked dusty, with beads of sweat on his forehead. "My Lord, my Lady, I have some new information to share with you." His voice was filled with urgency.

"Please speak." Jiang Yin gestured for him to sit down and speak.

Mo Nianran took a moment to catch his breath before speaking, "Our preliminary investigation has revealed that some of the recent unusual activity in the palace is very likely related to Kou Fengyi. She seems to be trying to win over some of the court officials in an attempt to expand her influence."

Hearing this, Jiang Caiwei raised her brows slightly, "So, their intentions behind this are even more blatant?"

Mo Nianran nodded and continued, "Not only that, we also intercepted some correspondence, which mentioned several names that were not very friendly to us."

Before he finished speaking, a maid appeared at the door again. Her face looked pale, and she looked at her masters nervously. "Oh no! There's a large number of soldiers gathering outside, and they seem to be heading this way!"

This sudden news immediately shattered the originally solemn yet relatively stable atmosphere in the room, and everyone stood up. Mo Nianran quickly stepped forward to inquire about the details: "Who led the troops? How many people are there?"

The maid swallowed and replied, "The leader seems to be the commander of the capital's garrison... and there are at least several hundred of them."

"They actually mobilized such a large number of troops. They are indeed well prepared." Jiang Yin said gritting his teeth, staring at the increasingly brighter light of the torches outside the window with a sharp gaze.

Jiang Caiwei pondered for a moment, then chuckled and reassured everyone, "Since the enemy is so eager to reveal their true intentions, it means they don't have a plan in mind. Don't worry, we already have a plan."

After saying this, she turned and gave orders: "Where's Mu Jin? Quickly tell him to gather all available men and prepare for battle. Also, notify the other forces loyal to us to come to our aid immediately."

Before long, the courtyard was filled with guards ready to go. At the same time, the army outside had already arrived at the gate.

"Open the door." Jiang Caiwei ordered coldly.

The gate flew open with a bang, and the neatly lined soldiers opposite looked incredibly impressive in the darkness. However, when the leading general rode closer and saw the woman standing calmly before him to greet him, he was taken aback...

"Is this the Lord of the Jiang Mansion?" the visitor asked loudly, surprise evident in his eyes. "It's me. I wonder what brings you here so late at night?" Jiang Caiwei asked back, her voice calm yet filled with unshakable strength.

The general was silent for a moment, clearly intimidated by the aura. "I was just following orders, I meant no harm..." he stammered, finally revealing the truth.

At this stalemate, a horn suddenly sounded from the nearby woods, and then countless torches were lit, illuminating the surroundings like daylight. With the long-hidden reinforcements appearing, the entire situation immediately underwent a fundamental change.

Looking at the rapidly changing scenes before her eyes, Jiang Caiwei just smiled softly, "Then can you tell me who the real commander is now?"

Upon hearing this, the other party showed an awkward and helpless smile...

Everything seemed to be pushed in an unexpected direction in an instant. How will the future develop?

"You haven't told us who asked you to come?" Jiang Caiwei asked lightly, but her eyes were still fixed on the other person.

The general hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: "It's...it's the Grand Marshal in the palace."

These words shocked everyone present, even the friends who came to help found it incredible.

"General!" someone in the crowd couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. "How could he interfere in such a matter?"

At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the crowd: "Perhaps the answer is not as simple as we think."

As he spoke, an elderly man, plainly dressed but with a distinguished demeanor, slowly entered the circle of lights. His face was kind and wise, giving off a friendly and trustworthy vibe. This man was the legendary wise man, Mr. Yun.

Faced with this sudden situation, everyone looked at each other. Even Jiang Yin couldn't help but step forward and asked respectfully, "Senior Yun, do you know the reason?"

Elder Yun smiled softly and said meaningfully, "The truth is always hidden beneath complex appearances. We'll discuss this later..." Elder Yun's words stirred a thousand waves, sparking curiosity in everyone present. The courtyard grew unusually quiet under the night sky, only the gentle crackling of the bonfire could be heard. Mo Nianran stepped forward and asked respectfully but eagerly, "Senior Yun, do you have any leads?"

"Why don't we find a quiet place to discuss this?" Elder Yun suggested, looking at everyone with a gentle gaze. Jiang Yin nodded and immediately led the group to the study, leaving some guards to maintain a state of alert at the scene.

After passing through a winding corridor, they finally had the chance to sit down in an antique-style room and listen to the opinions of this wise man. "Based on the information I've gathered through my intelligence network in the capital over the years..." Elder Yun began, "Although the Grand Commandant is ostensibly in charge of military affairs, he's actually not interested in politics."

These words immediately aroused Jiang Caiwei's interest: "Then why did he participate in this conspiracy against our family?"

"There's probably a deeper reason behind this." Elder Yun gave her a meaningful look and continued, "Did you know that a secret organization called 'Youlan' has recently appeared in the palace? It's said to have close ties with several important officials and is even affecting the succession to the current throne."

"Could it be that this so-called 'Youlan' is also interfering in this matter?" Jiang Yin frowned and thought about it, and suddenly realized that the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.

There was a light knock on the door, and a maid entered the room and announced, "My Lord, Madam, there's new news!" She handed over a letter that had just arrived. Jiang Yin took it and looked at it, his expression suddenly changing—it turned out that Kou Fengyi had sent someone to deliver a provocative letter!

Faced with such an aggressive attitude, Jiang Caiwei showed no fear but smiled instead: "It seems the enemy can't wait to start a fight. It's just right that we don't need to hide it anymore."