General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

In the afternoon, after finding out about Cui Zhi's trusted subordinates...

Jiang Qiqi then told Shen Luo about her plan.

They now share the same goal, and if they can cooperate, they will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

This time, she made no attempt to hide anything and revealed the entire plan.

Shen Luo listened attentively.

Coincidentally, Qi Qi's plan coincided with his previous ideas, but it was more comprehensive and could be said to be the most effective method at present.

However... there are some points that Shen Luo doesn't quite agree with.

"Those brothels are a mixed bag; it's too unsafe for a weak woman like you to go there."

Jiang Qiqi simply smiled mysteriously and went inside.

A short while later, a strange man came out of the house.

“Isn’t that safe?” the man said, but it was Qi Qi’s voice that came out.

Shen Luo: "???"

I've seen disguise techniques before, but I've never seen one this impressive.

He dared to say that if Qiqi deliberately hid herself one day, no one in the world would be able to find her.

Jiang Qiqi straightened her clothes while explaining today's tasks.

“I will try to get Wu Ming to find me to buy tea. But Wu Ming is a suspicious person by nature, and he will definitely investigate me later.”

Shen Luo understood what she meant and replied, "He will find out your identity—you are an advisor to Wang Liang, the Vice Minister of Revenue."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jiang Qiqi returned to the mansion late at night, and was surprised to find that Shen Luo was still awake.

"Did you succeed?" Shen Luo asked her, closing the book.

"Of course, it doesn't matter who's in charge, hmph."

Jiang Qiqi peeled off her mask, revealing her true appearance. Her smug expression couldn't hide the exhaustion on her face.

Shen Luo's eyes darkened for a moment.

After a quick wash, she climbed onto the bed using both hands and feet and lay down properly.

"Take a rest," Shen Luo said. "Thirteen and Sixteen will arrive tomorrow."

"Well, it's up to you guys now..."

The sound gradually faded, and the breathing became steady.

Shen Luo gently stroked the hair of the person next to her, her gaze calm.

"Qiqi, I'm starting to regret it. If I hadn't pretended to have a leg ailment, would you have had to bear so much?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

For some, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Inside the governor's residence.

Cui Zhi lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Despite everything going smoothly, Shen Luo had been there for two days but hadn't found any news, and there had been no progress in attacking the rebels.

But why did he always feel uneasy?

This feeling is especially strong tonight...

Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he simply put on a coat and went out into the yard.

The early summer night was still a bit cool. He lay alone on the wicker chair, watching the dark clouds blown by the wind gradually obscure the waning moon to the west.

Isn't this life a little too peaceful?

......

"Master, Master." Cui Zhi was drowsy when the servant woke him up.

He looked displeased: "What is it?"

"Master, a man covered in wounds has arrived at the back door. He says Li Yi sent him to deliver a message."

"Let him in quickly!"

Cui Zhi suddenly came to his senses.

The servants soon brought in a person dressed in rags.

"My lord!" Upon seeing Cui Zhi, the newcomer was overcome with grief.

He knelt at Cui Zhi's feet, crying out, "My lord! Liyuan, Liyuan County has been captured by the rebels!"

"What, what did you say?!" Cui Zhi stood up abruptly, his voice cracking with shock.

"Sir, that was four nights ago, at that time..."

The visitor recounted in detail everything he had seen and heard, as well as the things Li Yi had told him.

Cui Zhi frowned as he listened, finally understanding the source of his unease these past few days.

What went wrong? Why is it completely different from what he planned?

"I received the order and rushed to Longcheng, but I was arrested before I even left Liyuan County."

The messenger continued, "These injuries I have are from being beaten by them."

"What?! Who arrested you?" Cui Zhi asked angrily.

The messenger flinched at his appearance: "I don't know either, I just heard them talking about General Zhao and Lord Wu."

General Zhao is Zhao Guang, Cui Zhi knows that, but who is Lord Wu?

"Is there anything else? How did you get out?" Despite his anger, Cui Zhi did not lose his temper.

"Sir, didn't you send someone to rescue me?" the man asked curiously.

“How could that be?” Cui Zhi’s eyes turned cold, and his expression was no longer as agitated as before.

He glanced suspiciously at the man opposite him: "I know nothing about this matter, so why would I go to save you?"

The man was also bewildered: "But they clearly said they knew you, Governor, and that they knew someone named Wang Liang."

Upon hearing the name Wang Liang, Cui Zhi was taken aback once again.

What business is this with the Vice Minister?

He is Lord Wang Liang's man, a fact known to very few, so we can basically rule out the possibility that he is lying.

"Alright." He didn't say anything more. "I understand. You can go and rest now."

......

After the servants left, Cui Zhi couldn't sleep at all.

What is going on here?

Is the lack of news from Li Yi for several days due to the capture of Liyuan County?

Didn't he send a message to Shi Hui saying the operation was canceled? Why did Zhao Guang still lead his troops to attack Liyuan County, and even capture it?

The messenger said that Wang Liang's men had saved him. Why did Wang Liang suddenly send someone?

......

Each and every one of these incidents was enough to throw him into a state of confusion.

At this moment, Cui Zhicai realized that what he saw was nothing more than a facade of calm.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Miss!!!"

Jiang Qiqi thought she might be drunk from drinking tea, and then she inexplicably heard Xiang'er's voice.

She turned her head and saw Lin'er, who also looked puzzled.

......

Could it be...

"Bang!" The door was pushed open forcefully!

A girl dressed in patched linen clothes, with incense ash smeared on her face, carrying a huge bundle on her back and four or five large medicine bags in her hands, stood against the light.

He grinned, revealing eight big white teeth.

"Miss! I'm here!"

Who else could it be but Xiang'er?

"How could you..." Jiang Qiqi started to ask, but then realized what she was doing.

"Did you come with Thirteen and Sixteen?"

"Miss is so clever!" Xiang'er gave her a thumbs up.

“That day I came back from our ‘Floating Life Teahouse’ and just saw two people riding away on horseback at the door. I asked them and found out they were Thirteen and Sixteen. I thought they were looking for the General, so I asked them to bring me along.”

"..."

Socialite and ruthless, Xiang'er.

Jiang Qiqi poked her forehead with her finger, somewhat exasperated: "I've already told you it's dangerous here, and Longcheng is far from the capital. Why do you insist on going through all this trouble?"

Xiang'er watched her young mistress nagging, looking completely indifferent, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

"Oh, Miss," Xiang'er said with a smile, seeing that the other party had said enough, "You must be tired after talking for so long. Look at you, you've lost weight recently. Is it because there's nothing good to eat here?"

Jiang Qiqi looked at her huge bundle and suddenly had a bad feeling.

The next second, under everyone's gaze, Xiang'er pulled out a long, flat package wrapped tightly in oil paper from her bag!

"Come on, miss! Have a roast goose!"