"This news is quite shocking, but so what?" Nanny Yu asked calmly. "Dong Fangzhuo isn't in our master's camp. Whether he gets arrested or not won't affect our master."
Caiyu sneered inwardly.
As expected of a cunning old fox. Even though shaken, she still tried her best to maintain the upper hand.
"With Dong Fangzhuo down, almost all the noble families and wealthy merchants in Yanjing who were previously associated with him have defected to Prince Yan," Caiyu said calmly. "Prince Yan completely took over Yan yesterday. With money, grain, oil, cloth, and provisions in hand, his army will soon be well - equipped. Soon, he'll recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."
"Once Prince Yan recovers the long - lost territory of the Great Ye State, his prestige in the court will rise. The Emperor will pardon him and allow him to re - enter the secular world and the court!"
Nanny Yu was startled!
It was well - known that all forces in the Great Ye State were vigilant about Song Yinghuai's possible return to the secular world. But their motives differed.
Some, like Caiyu and Nanny Yu's master, wanted to make Song Yinghuai break his vows before the Emperor allowed him to return, so they could accuse him of breaking his vows and having ill intentions.
Some ambitious vassal kings from other regions wanted to tempt Song Yinghuai into breaking his vows, either to hold him hostage for their own gain or to force him into rebellion so they could divide the Great Ye State.
The Emperor hoped to find an opportunity to let Song Yinghuai return to the secular world to serve the court and the Crown Prince.
Even foreign forces like the Tartars hoped that Song Yinghuai would break his vows so they could stir up trouble in the Great Ye State and profit from the chaos.
Their master belonged to the first group.
She was bent on getting rid of Song Yinghuai. So they had to make Song Yinghuai make a mistake before the Emperor found an excuse, and then get rid of this great threat!
Nanny Yu's expression changed constantly. Her sharp eyes stared deeply at Caiyu.
Caiyu calmly tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. Her stunningly beautiful face showed no emotion. She exuded a calmness beyond her years, making it hard for Nanny Yu to figure out her plans.
After a while, Nanny Yu finally gave in.
"I can pass your message to our master, but if you think you can make our master yield just with the news of Dong Fangzhuo's arrest, you underestimate our master too much!"
Caiyu understood.
When Dong Fangzhuo was arrested, other secret agents in Yan would surely send the news back. Their master would just know about it a bit later. Moreover, Dong Fangzhuo was never their master's man.
Caiyu said, "I surely have other news."
She lowered her voice and whispered in Nanny Yu's ear, "The reason Prince Yan can control these noble families and wealthy merchants in Yan is that he has their dirt in his hands."
"I saw with my own eyes that Prince Yan recorded all this dirt in a secret ledger..."
Nanny Yu's eyes flashed. "If you can get that ledger, the important connections and resources in Yan will be our master's."
"Exactly," Caiyu said with a faint smile. "I wonder if this is enough for our master to give me some more time?"
"Fine," Nanny Yu agreed immediately. "I'll report this to our master. Whether our master agrees or not depends on your luck."
"Thank you, Nanny," Caiyu said, feeling relieved.
She was a hundred percent sure that their master would agree to her conditions. After all, over the years, she had been the spy closest to Song Yinghuai. If they replaced her at this critical moment, it would not only take more time but also risk alerting their target and failing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jinyue wrote a letter and asked Zhuier to send it to the pawnshop of the Jiang family in Jiaodong in Yan.
"Last night's thrilling hunt for Dong Fangzhuo means the Dong family is doomed. It saves me the trouble of finding a way to get rid of Dong Yurong, my strong rival," Jiang Jinyue sighed in relief. Her eyes were hard to read. "Cousin's actions last night show that he will return to the secular world sooner or later. With the situation between Prince Yan and the Crown Prince in the court, Father should think carefully. Maybe Prince Yan is the one we should turn to."
Zhuier's heart was pounding. "Third Miss, if we don't ask for too much and just follow the Prince whole - heartedly, the Jiang family will surely benefit in the future..."
"Nonsense!" Jiang Jinyue scowled. Her beautiful face was full of anger. "So what if the Jiang family benefits? What can I get?"
"If I can't marry Cousin, I'll have to go back to Jiaodong after the first lunar month and then go to the capital for the imperial consort selection!"
"The Emperor is over fifty years old. I've heard that his health is deteriorating day by day, and he's obsessed with the absurd idea of immortality. News from the imperial palace in the capital says that the Emperor hasn't visited any concubines for half a year. He could pass away at any time!"
At this point, Jiang Jinyue felt a lump in her throat. She dug her nails into her palm to calm down.
She grabbed Zhuier's arm and said, "Zhuier, do you know that according to the ancestral rules of the Great Ye State, once the Emperor passes away, concubines and ladies - in - waiting who haven't had any children have to enter the Floating Pagoda and become the so - called Celestial Women!"
"I'm only sixteen. I don't want to be buried alive for that old man!"
Just thinking about her tragic future made Jiang Jinyue's whole body tremble. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Zhuier was scared by her ferocious look and was also terrified by what Jiang Jinyue said.
She had heard of the custom of Celestial Women, but she never thought that this fate might fall on her young mistress one day.
As Jiang Jinyue's personal maid, if Jiang Jinyue entered the palace, she would surely follow. In other words, if her mistress died, even if she survived, she would be assigned to other masters in the palace and die there.
Zhuier's face turned pale.
She didn't want to live such a life either!
"Third Miss!" Zhuier stammered. "How about just begging the Prince to take you as a side concubine?
"Even if we can't be the main wife, being a side concubine is better than becoming a Celestial Woman!"
"Do I have to compromise like this?" Jiang Jinyue reacted strongly. "If I become someone's concubine, how can my two older sisters who are legitimate daughters still look up to me?"
"Moreover, Cousin seems to only have eyes for Caiyu now. If I go to beg him now, Caiyu will just whisper something in his ear. Not only will my plan fail, but I might even be sent back to Jiaodong by Cousin earlier!"
"Then get rid of Caiyu first!" Zhuier blurted out without thinking.
As soon as she said this, the room fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Jinyue slowly sat back in the armchair. A strange and crazy look gradually appeared on her beautiful face. A chill suddenly ran down Zhuier's spine.
Suddenly, Jiang Jinyue hooked her lips and smiled. "You're right. Get rid of Caiyu first. Once she's gone, there'll be no one in Cousin's life to get in my way."
Today was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God Festival in the north of the Great Ye State.
There was a custom that "men don't worship the moon, and women don't sacrifice to the Kitchen God".
Song Yinghuai was invited by Concubine Yao to the ancestral hall to light lamps for the imperial ancestors of past generations and then sacrifice to the Kitchen God.
As for the female relatives in the mansion, they were busy cutting window - decorations, cleaning dust, and serving the mistresses to take baths.
Suddenly, the Prince Yan's Mansion was filled with red. Red window - decorations were pasted all over the windows.
The red against the white of the oil - paper windows, combined with today's heavy snow, made a sharp contrast.
Han Fen returned to the Lotus Sound Pavilion halfway. He walked in a hurry, grabbed Xiangye who was busy cleaning and asked,
"Where's Miss Caiyu?"