The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

The glow of the oil lamp danced on Yun Jin's pale face, making the mixture of surprise, hope, and desperation in her eyes exceptionally clear. Su Che's calm words still echoed in the small room—"Open a breach in the Northern Di delegation."

"The Northern Barbarian delegation?" Yun Jin subconsciously clenched her sleeves, her knuckles turning white. "They...they are now being treated as honored guests by the eldest prince, housed in the best inn of the Court of State Ceremonial, heavily guarded. How could they..."

"Your Highness," Su Che interrupted her, his voice not loud, but with a convincing composure, "the mission is inanimate, but people are alive. As people, they have desires, weaknesses, oversights, and even... unspeakable secrets."

He leaned slightly forward, the lamplight casting a calm glow in his deep eyes: "As far as I know, the chief envoy from the Northern Barbarians this time is Luandi Modu's cousin, the Left Wise King Luandi Wuwei. He is brave but lacks strategy, hot-tempered, fond of drinking, and ambitious. The deputy envoy is a Han Chinese civil official from the Northern Barbarian court named Zhou Wenqian, cunning and greedy, responsible for the specific negotiations. And most importantly..."

Su Che paused, then looked at Yun Jin, "Besides the official marriage alliance between the Crown Prince and the Northern Di, there is another shady deal between them. Through private merchants on the border, they are selling iron ingots, crossbow parts, and possibly even some border maps to the Northern Di, items that the court has explicitly prohibited from being exported. This matter is being handled by Qian Youde, a protégé of the Crown Prince and the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the contact person on the Northern Di side is none other than this Deputy Envoy Zhou Wenqian."

Yun Jin gasped, her eyes widening in shock: "Iron weapons? Crossbows? Maps?! My eldest brother... how dare he do this!" This is treason! This is aiding the enemy! If it's proven true, even confiscation of their property and extermination of their entire clan wouldn't be too much!

"Why wouldn't he dare?" Su Che asked indifferently. "For that position, to surpass the Third Prince, what do a few laws, border peace, and the lives of the people matter in his eyes? The huge profits from the trade with the Northern Di can not only fill his coffers for the throne but also gain the Northern Di's 'support' for him personally—killing two birds with one stone. As for the future escalation of border troubles... that's something he'll need to consider after he sits on the throne. Perhaps he's confident he can control that hungry wolf, the Northern Di, then."

Yun Jin felt a chill run down her spine, and a surge of anger rushed to her head. She had originally thought that her eldest brother was merely cold-hearted and selfish, willing to do anything for the throne, but she never imagined he had become so utterly depraved!

"How did you know, sir..." she began, then swallowed her question. Since Mr. Su could reveal such a secret, he must have his own sources of information; pressing him now would not be wise.

She steadied herself, forcing herself to think calmly: "Does the master mean to expose this matter? But without any evidence, the eldest prince will surely deny it, which would only alert the enemy, and he might even turn around and bite us!"

“Directly exposing it is the worst approach,” Su Che shook his head. “What we need to do is expose this matter to the light of day in an ‘accidental’ and ‘irrefutable’ way, preferably… in the court, in front of all the officials, and from the mouth of the Northern Di envoy himself.”

"This...how is this possible?" Yun Jin exclaimed in disbelief.

"This will require some planning." Su Che's fingers traced lightly on the rough wooden table, as if sketching a chessboard. "First, Your Highness needs to provide a detailed itinerary of the Northern Di delegation in Lin Yuan recently, especially their public appearances and banquets. Second, we need to know the private activities of that Deputy Envoy Zhou Wenqian in Lin Yuan. He's fond of wine and greedy for money, so he certainly won't stay quietly at the post station. Third, we need to confirm the approximate time and possible location of the next secret exchange of 'goods' or 'accounts' between the First Prince and Zhou Wenqian. Can Your Highness find out these things while you're in the palace?"

Yun Jin frowned in deep thought. She was weak and alone in the palace, but she wasn't entirely without clues.

Qingdai had some connections with the old palace servants in the Imperial Kitchen and the Needlework Bureau, so she might be able to find out the delegation's banquet arrangements. As for Zhou Wenqian's private whereabouts and the Crown Prince's secret deal... she suddenly remembered someone.

"I... my mother had a palace maid named Fangling. Later, when she reached a certain age, she was released from the palace and married a fur merchant in the West Market. That merchant... seemed to have some dealings with the northern merchants. Aunt Fangling has always been grateful to my mother, and before the New Year, she even secretly sent me some money through someone. Perhaps... she knows some of the rumors circulating in the market about the northern merchants?"

Yun Jin said uncertainly that this was the last bit of contact she had with people outside the palace who might have some connection to her.

"That's enough." Su Che nodded. "Your Highness, please find a way to arrange for a trustworthy person to secretly contact Fang Ling and inquire about the places Zhou Wenqian or the Northern Di merchants frequent in Lin Yuan, especially restaurants, gambling dens, and brothels. Don't ask too many questions to avoid arousing suspicion. Also, the mission's public itinerary should be announced as soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll have Qingdai handle it." Yun Jin nodded emphatically, as if she had grasped the key to success. "Making the itinerary public isn't difficult; there should be news in the palace tomorrow. Sir, even if we obtain this information, how can we make them expose their shortcomings in court?"

A cold glint flashed in Su Che's eyes: "This is where we'll need that hot-tempered, alcoholic, and ambitious Left Wise King, Luan Di Wuwei. We need an occasion where he drinks enough to inflate his arrogance to the extreme, and then give him a stage to 'display his bravery' and 'intimidate the Southerners.' At the same time, we need a bit of 'coincidence,' so that something that shouldn't be there, or something that shouldn't be said, will just 'stimulate' him, or... that greedy Deputy Envoy Zhou."

He looked at Yun Jin, his tone turning serious: "Your Highness, the crucial step in this matter lies in the court assembly. You need to secure an opportunity to appear at a formal court assembly, ideally in front of the Northern Di envoys and all the civil and military officials, to politely decline the marriage alliance. It doesn't need to be dramatic; just express your sorrow without being overly dramatic. Explain that the customs of the two countries are vastly different, that you may not be up to the task, that you would fail the Northern Di king's high expectations, and that it might even affect the long-term diplomatic relations between the two countries. Your posture should be humble, your words sincere, and you might even... show weakness."

"Show weakness?" Yun Jin asked, puzzled.

"Yes, feign weakness. Provoke Luan Di Wuwei's arrogance and lower the Crown Prince's guard. Then, I will arrange a 'good show' in court. Once the show begins, Luan Di Wuwei's boasts and Zhou Wenqian's loss of composure will appear as if they have grown legs and run to their rightful places. And the Crown Prince..."

Su Che's lips curled slightly. "He will be unable to defend himself. At least, on the matter of the marriage alliance, he will have to temporarily back down, and may even need to 'avoid suspicion'."

Yun Jin was deeply moved and thrilled. Su Che's plan was intricately linked, directly targeting the weaknesses of people's hearts. Although he didn't specify how the "drama" would unfold, his confident tone and profound gaze made her inexplicably believe that he could really do it.

This was a high-stakes gamble, the stakes being her fate, even her life. But rather than sit and wait to die, she preferred to fight for this sliver of hope!

"I understand." Yun Jin took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with resolute tears, but her expression was unwavering. "I will do as you say, sir. I will strive for the opportunity to petition at the court assembly... I will find a way to do it. I will also make arrangements for Qingdai and Aunt Fangling as soon as possible. Sir... I entrust everything to you!"

She stood up and gave Su Che a solemn bow.