Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 173 Infiltrating the Mansion and Eavesdropping
The atmosphere inside the Secret Service was tense and oppressive.

The second prince was dressed in a princely robe, followed by the Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, and a team of elite imperial guards.

The head of the Secret Service, Black Lotus, Night Owl, and several other high-ranking Secret Service officials were in a standoff with them from a distance.

The Second Prince calmly looked at everyone and spoke in a low voice: "Last night, several important officials of the court were murdered. The murderer's methods were exactly the same as those of the Secret Service. Now the court and the public are in uproar. My father has ordered me to thoroughly investigate this case and give the people an explanation. Lord Kong, what does your Secret Service mean by this? Are you going to disobey the imperial decree?"

The head of the Secret Service said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, our Secret Service also suffered heavy losses last night. Four high-ranking spies were killed, and one spy is still missing. This matter is obviously suspicious. The Secret Service has found out that these things are very likely the work of the Yong Kingdom's Jingye Division. Please give the Secret Service some time, Your Highness. We will definitely be able to find out the truth of this case!"

The second prince sighed, his expression one of utter helplessness, and said, "Lord Kong, I am merely acting in accordance with the law. I am not accusing them of being the murderers, but simply requesting their return to assist in the investigation and to clarify the truth, so as to clear the Secret Service's name. If you refuse to cooperate, I will have no choice but to be impolite..."

Night Owl, the head of the Operations Division, roared in fury, "Second Prince, don't think we don't know! This is all your conspiracy! Today, I'll see who can take my people away!"

"Zhou Xiao, step back."

The head of the Secret Service stepped forward, looked at the Second Prince, and said, "Our Secret Service has a clear conscience. The Second Prince is free to investigate. We hope Your Highness can solve this case as soon as possible and clear their name."

The Second Prince was ordered by His Majesty to investigate the case, but the Secret Service refused to cooperate, which was tantamount to disobeying the imperial decree.

The Secret Service can ignore the Second Prince, but it cannot disobey His Majesty's decree.

The second prince nodded and said, "Rest assured, I will handle this matter impartially."

He looked at the head of the Secret Service and said, "All Secret Service agents of Earth rank and above, come with us to the Ministry of Justice. Don't worry, if the Ministry of Justice finds that this case is unrelated to you, you will be released soon..."

As he finished speaking, several figures emerged from the crowd.

These people are all elites of the Secret Service. Last night, the Action Division lost four high-ranking spies, and the Intelligence Division lost another spy. After they were taken away by the Ministry of Justice, apart from a few high-ranking officials, the Secret Service has almost no one who can be of great use.

The Second Prince's gaze finally settled on a figure behind Hei Lian, and he said with a hint of helplessness, "Yanluo, you must come with us too. This case is of great importance, and I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty, for we cannot show you favoritism..."

Mandala stepped out from behind Black Lotus and stood silently with several high-ranking spies.

When the Second Prince's gaze fell upon Black Lotus and Night Owl, the Chief of the Secret Service coldly said, "Your Highness, is that enough?"

The Second Prince smiled slightly and said, "That's enough. I believe that the two chief officials would not do such a thing, so there's no need for us to go to the Ministry of Justice together..."

He nodded slightly to the head of the Secret Service, then led the group away.

As the last person disappeared into the Secret Service compound, Black Lotus spoke in a deep voice, "Everything the Second Prince has done is aimed at the Secret Service. He will definitely sabotage the investigation. Once A'Luo and the others are convicted, we won't be able to escape the consequences..."

The head of the Secret Service, his face grim, slowly said, "We have all been deceived by the Second Prince's usual pretense. His benevolence is all an act. The Second Prince's ruthlessness far surpasses that of the Crown Prince..."

Hei Lian took a deep breath and said, "We can't just sit here and wait to die. We must immediately discuss this with the Crown Prince. We absolutely cannot let the Second Prince take control of everything. At the very least, the Crown Prince must send someone he trusts to the Ministry of Justice to oversee things..."

The head of the Secret Service said in a deep voice, "I'm going to see the Crown Prince..."

at this time.

Ministry of Punishment.

After the members of the Secret Service were brought to the Ministry of Justice, they were not specially detained. Instead, they were placed in ordinary cells. The Ministry of Justice interrogated them one by one, asking where they had been the previous night and if anyone could testify. They were then quickly released back into their cells.

Before long, the Second Prince walked out of the Ministry of Justice and got into a luxurious carriage.

He leaned against the carriage, looked at a young man inside, and slowly said, "It won't be easy to convict them. The Crown Prince will definitely find a way to save them. Send a message to the people of the Yong Kingdom's Night Watch, that there won't be many guards at the Ministry of Justice tonight. Let them sneak into the Ministry of Justice's prison and kill these people on the spot..."

The young man took out a telescope from his robes and respectfully said, "Yes..."

The secret chamber of Baixiang Pavilion.

Jiang Li strode in and said to the group, "My lords, the Second Prince just sent a message via telescope. Several high-ranking spies from the Secret Service, including the Chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Mandala, have been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail under some pretext by the Second Prince. To avoid any unforeseen complications, the Second Prince hopes that we can infiltrate the Ministry of Justice's jail tonight and kill them on the spot..."

Zhou Yuan looked displeased and snorted coldly, "This Second Prince really treats us like his subordinates, assigning us all the dirty and hard work. The Secret Service will hold us accountable for this, and they might retaliate in the southwest at any time..."

Sun Yi's eyebrows twitched, then he said, "If I remember correctly, the Chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Mandala, should be the Second Prince's cousin. He really doesn't show any mercy at all..."

He turned to Lin Xuan and asked, "Lord Chen, what should we do?"

Lin Xuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table for a long time before saying, "The Secret Service might be able to see through the Second Prince's intentions, and they will definitely be on guard tonight. This mission is too dangerous and not worth the risk. Find a reason to politely decline the Second Prince's offer; it's time to let them do their part..."

Since arriving in the capital of Nanzhao, Lin Xuan and his companions have been constantly at the beck and call of the Second Prince.

They had never even seen the Second Prince.

He really didn't like this feeling.

He looked at Jiang Li and said, "Give me a copy of the intelligence about the Second Prince's residence."

Having operated in Nanzhao for so long, the Jingye Division had collected intelligence on many important figures in Nanzhao, and information about the two princes was naturally of paramount importance.

A thick file soon appeared in Lin Xuan's hands.

His fingers slowly glided across the thick dossier, and countless pieces of information—the three-dimensional map of the Second Prince's residence, the personnel composition, the daily routine—were rapidly integrated into his mind.

The Second Prince's residence is located in the east of Taihe City, adjacent to the Grand Tutor's residence. It covers a vast area and is divided into three main parts: the outer courtyard, the central courtyard, and the inner residence.

The outer courtyard mainly housed servants' quarters and storerooms; the central courtyard served as the main reception hall, study, and residences for some staff members; the inner palace was the living area for the second prince, his wife, and core female relatives, and was the most heavily guarded, with the second prince's trusted guards taking turns on duty around the clock.

The second prince, Duan Jingming, resides in the "Mingde Courtyard" within the inner palace, where he usually lives with the princess.

Princess Xu was the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor of Nanzhao and was greatly favored by the second prince.

Xu was frail and sensitive to cold, so she was very particular about her diet. Every vegetable she ate had to be freshly picked, and the meat she needed had to be slaughtered on the spot. The servants of the Prince's Mansion had to go out to buy groceries several times a day.

Lin Xuan's eyes flickered slightly as he continued to peruse the case files.

Jiang Li's intelligence work was excellent; the dossier even contained detailed information about most of the servants in the Second Prince's residence.

His gaze quickly settled on one of the pages.

Hong Si, the purchasing steward of the Imperial Household Department, is responsible for purchasing ingredients for the Princess's three meals a day. Every day at Shenshi (3-5 PM), Hong Si leaves the Prince's residence to personally purchase the freshest fruits, vegetables, poultry, and meat for the Princess.

However, his seemingly dutiful actions were actually a pretext for a secret rendezvous.

Hong Si had a lover, the owner of a tofu shop in the East Market. Hong Si would often take advantage of shopping trips to have sex with her, but he was not very good in that area. The owner was sexually frustrated and, with the money Hong Si gave her, secretly kept a gigolo outside...

Upon seeing this, Lin Xuan stopped flipping through the case files.

……

At Shen Shi (3-5 PM), the sun is beginning to set in the west.

The side gate of the Second Prince's residence opened on time, and a simple carriage slowly drove out.

Two ordinary servants were driving the carriage, while a middle-aged man with a large belly sat inside.

Hong Si leaned back on the cushion, his eyes half-closed, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together, a hint of impatience on his face.

As soon as the carriage arrived at the bustling East Market, he lifted the curtain and instructed the two servants: "The usual procedure. Go and prepare everything on the list, especially the seasonal vegetables from Wang's shop and the live poultry from Li's shop. Make sure they are the freshest, the vegetable leaves are not wilted or yellow, and you have to watch him kill the chicken on the spot... Meet here in half an hour."

The two servants were used to this, and after respectfully agreeing, they stopped the carriage and went their separate ways.

Hong Si watched the two disappear into the crowd, a knowing smile on his face. He jumped off the carriage, straightened his robes, and turned into a relatively quiet alley next to the East Market, heading towards the shop with the sign "Chen's Tofu".

Behind the shop was a small courtyard. Hong Si looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, quietly pushed open the door and slipped inside.

Inside the courtyard, a charming woman had been waiting for a long time. When the two met, they exchanged pleasantries and then embraced and went into the inner room.

Soon, a loud noise came from inside the room.

Half an hour later, everything returned to calm.

The woman lay on top of Hong Si's obese body, lamenting, "Master, why is today even worse than last time..."

Hong Si chuckled sheepishly and made an excuse, saying, "I didn't sleep well last night, I'll make it up next time..."

The woman said softly, "You said the same thing last time..."

Hong Si chuckled and stopped talking. Just as he relaxed and his mind became languid, a very faint and elegant fragrance quietly filled the room.

The fragrance was faint, like ordinary incense in a woman's boudoir. Hong Si felt his eyelids grow unusually heavy, yawned, and hugged the proprietress, saying in a muffled voice, "I'm suddenly feeling sleepy. I'm going to sleep for a while. Remember to wake me up when it's time..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he fell into a deep sleep. The woman in his arms also suddenly felt sleepy and, before she could respond, fell into a deep sleep along with Hong Si.

Just after the two fell asleep, a figure descended lightly from the roof beam like a ghost.

Lin Xuan glanced expressionlessly at the two unconscious people on the bed, and quickly put the clothes that Hong Si had taken off on herself.

The next moment, his facial muscles began to twitch and adjust subtly, and his body swelled up slightly as if inflated, his height instantly decreased, and his abdomen bulged out at a visible speed.

In just a short while, the person standing in front of the bed was another "Hong Si". He imitated her face, posture, and even the arrogance and decadence that came from being pampered for a long time.

Lin Xuan covered the unconscious Hong Si and the landlady with a blanket. They wouldn't wake up until he returned to help them detoxify.

After doing all this, he pushed open the door and went out, imitating Hong Si's walking posture, with his belly slightly protruding, his hands behind his back, and slowly returned to the meeting place he had agreed to meet with the two servants.

About half an hour later, two servants returned carrying large and small bags of groceries. They lifted the carriage curtain and saw Steward Hong already in the carriage. They reported, "Steward Hong, everything has been purchased."

Lin Xuan imitated Hong Si's slightly hoarse and arrogant voice, hummed in agreement, glanced at the ingredients, nodded in satisfaction, and did not speak.

The Dayong dynasty once ruled the Nanzhao kingdom for a period of time. The Nanzhao language today is somewhat similar to the Dayong Mandarin, but also different.

Lin Xuan had not systematically studied the Nanzhao language. He could roughly understand what they were saying, but if he spoke too much, there was still a possibility that he would give himself away. So he simply kept quiet as much as possible.

"Yes."

Two servants respectfully responded, loaded the ingredients onto the carriage, and drove towards the Second Prince's residence.

Before long, the carriage stopped again at the back gate of the Second Prince's residence.

The servants who were waiting there carried the ingredients into the inner courtyard. The three of them had completed their shopping task. They then drove back to the front gate, returned the carriage, and went back to their respective residences in the front courtyard.

Lin Xuan was already very familiar with the layout of the Second Prince's residence, and found Hong Si's place with ease.

The Prince's mansion had many servants, and there were countless low-ranking stewards like Hong Si. He was not qualified to have a single room, but instead shared a room with two other stewards.

The two men were rolling dice at the table when they saw Hong Si and immediately called out, "Manager Hong, come and play with us..."

Lin Xuan waved his hand without saying a word and walked straight to the bedside.

One of the managers chuckled, "Manager Hong must be having an affair with that young widow. I'm telling you, Manager Hong, your health is really too weak. I know an old doctor who specializes in treating this kind of illness. Why don't you go see him..."

Lin Xuan did not respond. He walked to the nearest bed and fell asleep immediately.

Among the intelligence gathered by Jiang Li was Hong Si's residence, but not the specific bed he slept in.

The steward who had just mocked Lin Xuan glanced back, shook his head, and said, "That young widow has asked you so many times, yet she won't even walk this short distance and insists on sleeping in my bed..."

However, he didn't take it to heart, just said something casually, and then turned back to shake the dice.

Soon, regular snoring came from the bed behind me.

After an unknown amount of time, in the central courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.

Inside the Second Prince's study.

A figure slowly entered the room. The Second Prince set up a soundproof barrier, stood up, looked at him, and asked, "What did they say?"

The young man closed the study door before lowering his voice and saying, "Your Highness, the Jingye Division said they were injured last night and need to rest for two days. They cannot move today."

The Second Prince sat back in his chair, leaning back, and said in a low voice, "A few high-ranking spies, it's not like we asked them to kill Black Lotus and Night Owl... Could it be that they've guessed something?"

He quickly shook his head and muttered to himself, "Probably not..."

The young man asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do? Should we send our own people?"

The second prince raised his hand and shook his head, saying, "No, our people are in the open. Once they make a move, the Secret Service will definitely notice, and then we'll be the ones who can't explain ourselves..."

The young man was somewhat anxious: "What should we do then? The Crown Prince has already ordered the Censorate to investigate this case. If they can't find anything, are we supposed to let them go back? This is a rare opportunity. If we get rid of them, the Secret Service will be without anyone to use for a short time..."

The Second Prince pondered for a moment and then said, "Since the Jingye Division is unwilling to take action, we had to send the Western Barbarians. We originally planned to have them ambush those Jingye Division members. If they had died, we could have pinned the blame on the Crown Prince, and then the Yong Kingdom would certainly have provided us with more assistance. It's a pity we missed this opportunity... After tonight, we'll find an opportunity to reveal the location of the Yong Kingdom's Jingye Division's spice shop to the Secret Service. The Crown Prince will help us himself..."

The young man nodded slightly and said, "I'll take care of it right away..."

Watching the young man leave, the Second Prince stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant sky.

Compared to Yongguo and Xifan, Nanzhao was just a small country.

Either of the two countries could easily destroy Nanzhao.

When caught in a difficult situation, one must know how to navigate both sides effectively.

Yong Kingdom needs stability in the southwest. Only by uniting with Nanzhao can Xifan (Western Barbarians) contend with Yong Kingdom. This means that the strength of both countries can be used by him. Whether it is Xifan or Yong Kingdom, they are both stepping stones for him to ascend to the throne...

As for what happens next, that depends on the sincerity of both countries.

This is the way for small countries to develop.

Unfortunately, this is a principle that my elder brother, who only knows how to claim credit for others' achievements, will never understand.

Whether it was the new salt law or the downfall of the Yang family, both were the achievements of the Secret Service, yet they gave him the illusion that it was all his own doing...

Suddenly, the Second Prince's brows furrowed slightly.

Just now, he inexplicably had a feeling that he was being watched...

But he quickly dismissed his doubts.

He himself was a fifth-rank sorcerer. Anyone who could use their mental power to spy on him without being detected by him would have to have at least the mental power of a late fourth-rank sorcerer. There was no sorcerer of that level in the entire Nanzhao Kingdom...

Meanwhile, in the outer courtyard of the Prince's mansion, in the residence of a steward, the snoring on a certain bed gradually ceased.

Hong Si, the purchasing manager of the Prince's mansion, struggled to get out of bed. Inside the room, the two managers were still gambling at the table. As Hong Si got out of bed and passed by them, he rubbed his stomach and whispered, "I'm hungry. Let's go find something to eat..."

He staggered out of the room. A steward at the table shook his head as he rolled dice, saying, "Steward Hong does nothing but eat, sleep, and chase women all day. I'm really envious..."

After leaving the Second Prince's residence, Lin Xuan returned to the tofu shop, changed into his own clothes, and then drifted away.

Fifteen minutes later, Hong Si slowly woke up.

He rubbed his eyes, looked at the sky outside, and asked in surprise, "How long have I been asleep?"

The lady in his arms slowly woke up, and said in a panic, "Oh no, I fell asleep too, sir, will this interfere with your business?"

Hong Si waved his hand and said, "It won't cause any delay. Even if I'm not here, they won't delay their work..."

He fondled the woman's round, firm breasts, and said as he dressed, "I'm going back to the manor now. I'll get a good night's sleep tonight and come find you again tomorrow. Then, I'll show you what a master can do..."

After leaving the tofu shop, he leisurely returned to his residence. Just as he entered his room, he saw his two roommates gambling. Intrigued, he immediately approached and said, "Come on, add me to the group..."

Neither of them noticed anything unusual; their only thought was that Hong Si held a lucrative position in charge of procurement, and they were determined to squeeze as much money as possible out of him today…

Not long after, in the secret chamber of the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion.

Seeing Lin Xuan return, Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in a slight fist salute and casually asked, "Lord Chen, did you find out anything?"

Lin Xuan nodded slightly and said, "I just went to the Second Prince's residence. Besides cooperating with us, the Second Prince also has connections with the Western Barbarians. Tonight's assassination mission by the Ministry of Justice is a trap within a trap he set. After we assassinate those people from the Secret Service, powerful figures from the Western Barbarians will ambush us in the shadows. The Second Prince's goal is to pin our deaths on the Crown Prince in order to gain more support from the court..."

After he finished speaking, the secret room fell silent.

Zhou Yuan, Sun Yi, Jiang Li, and Xue Yue all looked at him with blank expressions.

How long has he been gone, yet he managed to find out such confidential information?
There's no way anyone but the Second Prince's closest confidants could know about this.

How did he find out?

It's impossible that he could have successfully infiltrated the Second Prince's residence and become the Second Prince's confidant in less than two hours.
All of them were experts at intelligence gathering, and they found it hard to believe when they heard about this.

Especially Jiang Li, who knew better than anyone how difficult it was to infiltrate the Second Prince's residence. How could such confidential information reach Lord Chen as easily as eavesdropping on an old lady's conversation on the street corner...

Lin Xuan didn't explain further, only saying, "If Commander Xue doesn't believe me, you can stake out near the Ministry of Justice tonight. We refused the Second Prince's request, and he has already ordered the Western Barbarians to take action. Besides, this stronghold is no longer safe. The Second Prince plans to reveal this location to the Secret Service after tonight. He wants to use the Crown Prince and the Secret Service to eliminate us, further escalating the conflict between the Dayong court and the Crown Prince, and arrange for our people to be transferred as soon as possible..."

(End of this chapter)