When the celebratory news came from Fujian, Song Chuyi no longer had the energy to pay attention to it. Even the arrival of a prominent envoy from Japan went unnoticed. She felt as though she and the Cui family were caught in a deceptive calm, with turbulent waters lurking beneath, not knowing how to free themselves.

  The Shen family had formally proposed to the Marquis of Wuning's family. They couldn't afford to offend the unruly Marquis of Wuning and were overwhelmed by relentless rumors. It was said that the old Duke Ying had even submitted a memorial to Emperor Jianzhang, stating that Shen Qingrang was now married and intended to pass his title on to Shen Xiaohai. But Qingying had refrained from telling Song Chuyi about any of this, knowing she was too preoccupied to revel in the Shen family's misfortune.

  Ziyun entered quickly, her face troubled. Kneeling beside Song Chuyi, she gently shook her head. "No news at all. The Lady said it has now been three and a half months since she st heard anything from Master Cui. The news from Jinzhong also says that it's been ages since he sent a family letter."

  With Cui Huaying's wedding approaching, it was unlike Cui Shaoting, even if captivated by a beauty, to overlook such a major event as his daughter's marriage—unless... unless someone was preventing him from getting any messages out.

  But who could achieve that? Cui Shaoting was no ordinary figure; he was sharp, resourceful, and had never acted recklessly. It was unheard of for him to accept a concubine gifted by a subordinate. Even Lady Yu found it absurd to imagine him indulging in the company of a beauty. But Lai Chenglong wouldn't raise false arms. It was true: Cui Shaoting had taken in a courtesan from Yangzhou, precisely as Lai Chenglong had written. This woman had been raised by the Yangzhou governor since childhood, her origins obscure, and she had received training. It seemed likely she was the one responsible for cutting Cui Shaoting off from the outside world—or at least from people close to him.

  Who was she, and who was supporting her? Could it be that Cui Shaoting wasn't suspicious of her in the least? That didn't seem like his usual cautious self. Song Chuyi felt her head ache as she closed her eyes, leaning against a cushion.

  "Any news from Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun?" Song Chuyi asked. Having realized someone was intentionally blocking their contact with Cui Shaoting, she let it go for now and turned her attention to Ma Changjiang's situation. "I asked them to send a message to Tongzhou—did anything come back?"

  She suspected this might be reted to Han Zhi. Although Consort Fan of the Eastern Pace and her son Zhou Weiqi had expressed interest in her becoming the prince's consort, Han Zhi's obstinacy made him unlikely to let go. Once he decided to use her to consolidate his power and control her as a pawn, if someone more powerful appeared, he would stop at nothing to protect his interests.

  "If I can't have it, I'll destroy it"—this was the creed of people like Han Zhi and Song Chuning.

  This time, Ziyun nodded. "We received word that Master Zhang wishes to meet you tomorrow at Chongyin Pavilion."

  Zhang Run had been Han Zhi's lover in his youth. Han Zhi's near-obsessive possessiveness over Zhang Run and Zhang Run's willingness to pcate him made it easy to gather information from him.

  With everything in disarray, she couldn't afford to overlook any potential lead.

  After dinner, Song Chuyi visited Song Chengru's study as usual. Today, Cui Yingshu was also present, and he stood up the moment he saw her, looking serious. "You were right—it seems there's indeed trouble brewing. Lai Chenglong left the city today with an escort."

  Lai Chenglong was a favorite of the emperor and the commander of the Jinyiwei. Unless it was a grave matter, he wouldn't have been mobilized, let alone to leave the city. Song Chuyi's intention to meet Lai Chenglong vanished instantly, feeling as though the waters had grown murkier. Perhaps Lai Chenglong had foreseen his absence from the capital and his inability to communicate with her, which was why he'd sent that advance warning.

  Had the situation really reached such a critical stage?

  Steeling herself, Song Chuyi asked, "Do you know where he's headed, Uncle?"

  Cui Yingshu pursed his lips and exchanged a gnce with Song Chengru before nodding. "Reliable sources indicate he's headed for Yangzhou."

  Yangzhou, again with Yangzhou!

  thoughts before saying, "Xiaoyi mentioned that in her dream, Shaoting never held this high position of Commander of the Three Border Regions, nor did this incident ever occur. At that time, it was you who faced trouble. It's likely because Shaoting's prominence in reality is so conspicuous that these people turned their attention to him instead. Even Lai Chenglong avoids confronting it directly, indicating that the forces behind this are extraordinary. Of the few powerful individuals in court with this kind of influence, none have specific grudges against the Cui family..."

  So it's challenging to determine who exactly wants to target Cui Shaoting, or even the entire Cui family, especially when the hidden motives of these forces are so murky.

  Taking down Cui Shaoting could be due to a longstanding vendetta or a conflict with the Cui cn, or it could be driven by interests. Suddenly, Song Chuyi remembered the thread of smuggling outside the border and shivered. "Could it be someone wants control over the line outside the border?"

  Would they first need to remove Cui Shaoting as the obstacle?

  If that's the case, both Prince Gong, who has long operated in the south, and the Eastern Pace, which has recently cleared out the southern line, could be suspects.

  They've already pnted someone close to Cui Shaoting, severing his communications with Lai Chenglong, the Cui family, and the Marquis of Changning. What are they pnning next?

  Song Chengru and Cui Yingshu exchanged gnces, each seeing their own pale face reflected in the other's.

  The sense of not knowing what move the opponent would make next was thoroughly unnerving. It was as if they were blindfolded, unaware of where the abyss y before them—one step forward, and they could plunge into an irrecoverable fall.

  "I'll pay a visit to my mentor," said Cui Yingshu, looking at Song Chengru. "The emperor has always trusted him deeply, and after all, he was the one who promoted both Shaoting and me. If he knows anything, he may give me a hint."

  Prime Minister Chang was a true old fox, honed to perfection. Even if he knew something, he would likely reveal nothing under the current circumstances. Song Chengru didn't hold out much hope, but he nodded; it was better than fumbling around blindly.