No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"Yes, my lord!"

Lu Bing got up and quickly examined the body.

"My lord, please take a look."

A moment later, he took a domino from the leader's pocket and presented it with both hands.

The dominoes were rough, with burrs on the edges, clearly made in a hurry.

But the pattern engraved on it made Su Chuang's pupils shrink sharply:

A wolf's head treads on the moon.

The totem of the Wanyan tribe.

"They really are Huns!"

Su Chuang muttered to himself, and then found some more curved swords on the ground, which were exactly the same style as those used by the Xiongnu.

Therefore, he concluded that these were the Xiongnu people.

He just couldn't understand why the Xiongnu would carry out this assassination during the negotiations with their envoys.

It had no effect other than enraging Emperor Wu!

"Brother Chuang...are these people Huns?"

Lin Ruxue said, her face pale.

"Um…"

"If it weren't for my guards arriving in time, we would both be dead here."

Su Chuang said calmly.

"Let's go back first..."

As soon as they finished speaking, the group of people quickly left.

At the same time, the Xiongnu envoys finally arrived in the capital of Daqian and rested at the Honglu Temple.

"Ru Xue, I will not enter the palace."

"Also, you can come to me first thing tomorrow morning to pick up the storybook. I'm sure it will be a bestseller."

Su Chuang confessed.

With Lin Ruxue helping him buy storybooks, he'll surely become famous in no time!

"Yes, Brother Chuang."

Lin Ruxue waved and walked into the palace.

"Let's go back too."

Su Chuang could sense that a conspiracy was about to unfold in the capital.

And he was inevitably drawn into it.

……

The Duke of Xin's Mansion.

It had changed dramatically. Not only were the guards and maids completely transformed, but they also looked refreshed and energetic.

Moreover, everyone has something to do, so they won't be bored or too tired.

Even salaries have doubled, and the business is thriving.

At this moment, the most important figures under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Xin were gathered in the inner study.

Su Chuang sat in the armchair.

Standing opposite them were Yue Fei, Jia Xu, and Lu Bing.

"The Xiongnu envoy delegation has entered the Court of State Ceremonial."

"I need their every move, both overt and covert, especially who they've been in contact with in the capital."

Su Chuang put away the dominoes and said coldly to Lu Bing.

"Yue Fei, from today onwards, you will lead your personal guards to secretly patrol three miles outside the mansion. Anyone found suspicious should be detained and interrogated first."

He then walked to the window, where the night was as dark as ink, and a chill ran through him.

"Here you go!"

Yue Fei and Lu Bing accepted the order and left; they were merely executors.

"Wenhe...you must already know about the Guangming Temple incident. What's your opinion?"

Su Chuang put down his pen, looked up at Jia Xu, and asked.

"Reporting back to my lord... I believe this is most likely a feint."

"They even wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work!"

After a moment's thought, Jia Xu understood perfectly.

"Oh? Using someone else to do the dirty work?"

Su Chuang's eyes lit up as he pressed for an answer.

"That's right!"

"If this assassination attempt succeeds today, Emperor Wu will likely arrest and behead the entire Xiongnu envoy group without even asking any questions!"

"And the most likely candidates to accomplish this are several powerful generals and ministers in the northern frontier, or perhaps..."

Jia Xu paused for a moment before speaking.

"You mean, there are princes here?"

"And this is not an assassination, but a frame-up. Someone wants to use the Emperor's hand to kill the Xiongnu envoy and disrupt the situation in the northern frontier."

Su Chuang suddenly understood!

Even at this moment, he still felt that his father's death was related to these yellow seeds.

Otherwise, Emperor Wu would not have avoided talking about this matter!

He finally understood why Emperor Wu publicly acknowledged him as his son!

This was Emperor Wu's way of protecting him!

It was also like telling those princes that he was under Emperor Wu's protection.

"My lord is wise."

"This move kills two birds with one stone: it not only incites war between the two countries, but may also... point to the old case in the northern border region."

Jia Xu nodded slightly:

"Hmm... I understand."

Su Chuang waved his hand, signaling Jia Xu to leave.

"I don't want to think about that anymore, I'd rather make money writing stories."

After saying that, he picked up his pen again, ground the ink, and began to write.

The death of his father, the struggle among the princes, and the treacherous machinations of the Xiongnu—this capital city is indeed a deadly trap.

And he, if he wants to survive, must be the one who plays the game.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully unlocked today's check-in location—the Imperial Palace!]

[Beginner: You'll receive a reward package simply for checking in, but it's not very useful.]

[Intermediate: Building upon the above, completing the task of slapping the Xiongnu envoy in the face will reward you with an A-grade storage ring.]

[Advanced: In addition to the above, gaining full authority to negotiate with the Xiongnu envoy will reward you with an S-grade storage ring.]

"It seems that today's events will revolve around the palace."

Listening to the voice in his mind, Su Chuang knew that he had been writing in the study for several hours.

"There has been progress; the handwriting is much better now."

After he finished organizing the written stories, he went to his dormitory and went to sleep to rest.

stay up?

No, tonight, he was just really engrossed in writing his storybook.

In the blink of an eye, the sun chased away the moon, and day replaced night.

Time flies when you're asleep.

The next morning, while Su Chuang was still asleep, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Brother Chuang... I'm here! Where's your storybook?"

"Show it to me quickly—"

Lin Ruxue barged in excitedly, showing no manners whatsoever, only rudeness and insolence.

But when she suddenly saw something she shouldn't have seen, her words came to an abrupt halt.

Then a man and a woman screamed.

"what!"

"what!"

It turned out that Lin Ruxue barged directly into Su Chuang's dormitory and discovered that sleeping was the most natural way for him!

The kind where you're not wearing any clothes at all...

"Ru Xue, why are you here so early? It's only just dawn."

Su Chuang woke up with a start, clutching the thin blanket tightly, his face darkening. He could feel the awkwardness that was unique to men.

This is truly shameful.

"Don't you know? The early bird catches the worm!"

Lin Ruxue's ears turned bright red, but she tried to remain calm, though she kept glancing in a direction filled with curiosity...

"So, are you going to turn your head away now?"

"I need to get up and get dressed..."

Su Chuang said helplessly.

"Oh...how old are you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruxue slowly turned around and said, as if possessed.

"Me? Eighteen!"

Su Chuang looked down and paused for a moment, then answered subconsciously.

"Ah...that long? Bah! I'm asking about your age!"

"Ah... it's about age. You forgot, Father Emperor just crowned me a couple of days ago."

"Oh...I forgot."

"Um... I... I didn't see anything! Hurry up and get dressed, I'll wait for you in the study!"

After Lin Ruxue finished speaking, she finally lost her composure and ran out.

"Ouch..."

As she turned to run away, she almost tripped over the threshold.

"If the princess is truly curious, I can inform her in advance next time."

"Let me show you properly."

Su Chuang raised an eyebrow and deliberately raised his voice.

Although he couldn't see Lin Ruxue's face, he noticed that her ears were red...

A sound of stomping feet in embarrassment and annoyance came from outside the door.

"She practically delivered herself to my door today..."

"Why don't we make it a fait accompli..."

"hey-hey…"