Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

Chapter 1710 Who Does Nangong Xuanyu Trust Most?

If Shen Zhinian acts rashly and trusts the Qin family, the Qin family can either advance or retreat.

She verified the connections in the north, and the Qin family was the first to report it.

If things don't go smoothly, the Qin family can claim that they were simply reporting the facts and that the choice was made by the Imperial Noble Consort and the Shen family.

Shen Zhinian clearly saw through the Qin family's intentions.

Therefore, Shen Zhinian asked Shen Maoxue to verify matters related to the north, rather than acting rashly on her own.

She looked at Xiaomingzi and calmly added, "Send someone to keep an eye on Shuiyuexuan secretly."

"Record everything about Consort Qin's recent words and actions, and who she has been in contact with."

Xiao Mingzi respectfully replied, "Yes."

……

Beijing.

A secluded courtyard hidden at the end of a winding alley.

From the outside, this is the backyard of an unassuming fur merchant's shop, with piles of furs drying in the yard, exuding the smell of livestock.

However, after pushing open a hidden door disguised as a woodshed wall and descending several feet along the narrow stone steps, the view suddenly opened up before you.

This is a simply furnished, yet sufficiently secluded, underground chamber.

Candlelight flickers.

Sitting in the very center was none other than Luan Di Yi Tu, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, who had changed his clothes and disguised himself as a merchant from the north.

He wore an inconspicuous robe, and his sharp eyes were half-closed, concealing most of their brilliance. Only when he occasionally raised his eyes did a few glints of light flash within them.

But he still exuded the air of someone who had long held a high position.

Standing before Luan Di Yi Tu were several trusted men dressed as merchants or their assistants.

One of them was the Grey Falcon.

"Your Majesty."

Grey Falcon said in a deep voice, "Someone started spreading rumors in the marketplace about the Imperial Noble Consort and the Crown Prince of Great Zhou. As you instructed, when the coincidence theory gained momentum, I added fuel to the fire and quietly spread the malicious rumors."

"I originally thought that even if I couldn't hurt the Imperial Noble Consort's core, I could at least damage her reputation and make Nangong Xuanyu resentful."

"Unexpectedly, Nangong Xuanyu was furious at the woman's protection, ordered a thorough investigation within a specified period, and dismissed the Qin family woman to settle the matter."

"Our men, seeing the situation was turning against them, immediately withdrew without leaving a trace. Logically, this matter should have been over long ago, the dust should have settled. But..."

At this point, Grey Falcon cautiously glanced at Luan Di Yi Tu's expression before continuing, "Although our people withdrew completely, the fire still managed to start..."

Luan Di Yi Tu sneered, "The Qin family is not a dough to be kneaded. The daughter of the Governor of Qi and Lu suffered such a huge loss in silence. Do you think that official from the Great Zhou named Qin Mingyuan will let it go so easily?"

"And that Imperial Noble Consort in the palace... to reach that position, she must be no pushover. Rumors are pointing at her, and I'm afraid she's sharper than anyone else."

Another trusted aide hesitated and said, "Your Highness, our undercover agents have reported that there are indeed some inconspicuous unfamiliar faces secretly gathering information. Could they be from the Qin family, or people from Yongshou Palace?"

Luan Di Yi Tu wasn't worried; instead, a glint of malice flashed in his eyes: "Let them investigate."

"It would be best if the people of the Great Zhou, following the clues we left behind, believed that a high-ranking official in the capital region was secretly colluding with us for internal strife and personal gain, passing on information and stirring up trouble..."

The gray falcon instantly understood, a glint of light flashing in its eyes: "Your Highness is brilliant!"

"In this way, the Great Zhou court will inevitably be suspicious of each other, and the people will be filled with anxiety."

"Civil and military officials are already constantly fighting among their various factions. If they are also suspected of colluding with the enemy... we don't even need to take action; they will fight each other to the death, depleting the nation's strength!"

"This is the best strategy: to use one tiger to devour another, and to watch the fire from the sidelines!"

Luan Di Yi Tu said casually, "Not bad."

"Using rumors to fuel the flames is just a casual move; if it succeeds, great; if it fails, no big deal."

"Is there still no concrete news about the truly crucial, mysterious weapon?"

The trusted aide who was seen by him felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me!"

"Your subordinates have been working tirelessly day and night, using our status as merchants to gather information from various sources. But... but the Great Zhou court has hidden this item extremely well..."

"All related artisans, workshops, and material transportation were directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and were heavily guarded, with layers of camouflage and sentries on the perimeter."

"Our people tried to contact a few low-ranking officials and retired veterans. They either genuinely knew nothing about it, or their initial attempts vanished without a trace..."

"We've been investigating both openly and covertly for months, inside and outside the capital, but... we haven't even been able to pinpoint the approximate location of that thing..."

Luan Di Yi Tu's face instantly darkened: "Useless!"

The trusted aide knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, I am incompetent and beg your forgiveness!"

He went to such great lengths, making huge concessions in negotiations and even risking his life to infiltrate the enemy capital, only to have his ultimate goal fail...

Luan Di Yi Tu could not imagine what awaited him upon returning to the royal court: his father's questioning, his brothers' mockery, and the suspicious gazes of the tribal leaders...

More importantly, he would not be able to eat or sleep in peace until he figured out the Great Zhou's mysterious weapon.

Their future ambitions and ambitions may be thwarted as a result.

After a long while, Luan Di Yi Tu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, forcibly suppressing the raging anger in his heart.

He knew that getting angry was useless.

Since the Great Zhou Dynasty regarded this item as top secret, its protection must have been extremely thorough.

Rushing will only expose your true colors.

"stand up."

Luan Di Yi Tu said in a deep voice, "Nangong Xuan Yu is no ordinary ruler. He must have something to rely on to hide this item so well. Conventional investigations will be ineffective. We need to find another way."

"Has there been any opportunistic developments in the Great Zhou imperial palace lately?"

Grey Falcon quickly replied, "According to the information I have gathered, Consort Mei is greatly favored and often stays by the emperor's side. However, she comes from the Zhuang family, so she may not be easy to control. Moreover, the Zhuang family has too deep a foothold in the Great Zhou, making them difficult for us to use."

“Consort Kang has long been out of favor, and the Fifth Prince is weak and of little value. However…”

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "After Consort Qin was demoted to Chuxiu Palace, she lived in the same palace as Consort Kang. The Qin family is secretly investigating the truth behind the rumors, and perhaps... there is a loophole."

Luan Di Yi Tu narrowed his eyes: "The Qin family woman can barely protect herself, and her father is far away in Qi and Lu. No matter how far his reach is, can he still penetrate the core secrets of the Great Zhou?"

"However... since the Qin family is investigating, it will inevitably cause some ripples. Keeping people on the lookout might uncover some unexpected clues."

The trusted men responded in unison, "Yes!"

Luan Di Yi Tu stood up and walked to a simple sketch of the capital city hanging on the wall. Looking at the symbols representing the palace and government offices, he said, "Since the conventional methods are not working... perhaps we should try to find a way through people."

"Who does Nangong Xuanyu trust the most? Who has access to the most critical secrets? Li Changde? Or Zhan Weiran?"