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

"You, relying on your cleverness, have misled His Majesty, interfered in state affairs, and arbitrarily executed ministers. Now you've come to the northern frontier to seize power, causing the deaths of countless soldiers! I am acting on behalf of Heaven to bring justice!"

"Acting on behalf of Heaven?" Yun Jin sneered. "Colluding with foreign enemies, poisoning your comrades, opening the country's doors—is this your way of Heaven? Who is your master? Tell me, and perhaps I can spare your body and spare your family."

Liu Neng trembled, a struggle flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by madness: "There is no master! It was all my doing! Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!"

"Stubborn to the end." Yun Jin stopped looking at him and turned to the sharpshooter Li Si. "And you? What do you mean by the wolf-head waist token of the Northern Barbarians and the secret letter from Di Wen?"

Li Si grinned maliciously: "I was originally from the 'Qie Xue' army of the Great Di, and I was ordered to go into hiding!"

"I only regret that I couldn't personally kill that old dog Yang Jiye back in Shuofeng City! Now that I'm in your hands, kill me if you want, not even flinching is not the act of a hero!"

"They do have some backbone." Yun Jin nodded and said to Night Owl, "Bring up the captured Northern Di assassins and let them confront Li Si. Let's see if they recognize this 'hero'."

Soon, four captured Northern Di assassins were dragged in. All of them were wounded, but their eyes were fierce.

Upon seeing Li Si, one of them paused for a moment, then blurted out a curse in the Di language.

Li Si's expression changed slightly, and he replied in the same Di language.

"What did he say?" Zhou Bo asked.

Night Owl, fluent in the Di language, translated in a deep voice: "The Di man said, 'Lord Bald Wugu's undercover agents are nothing more than this.' Li Si replied, 'To be loyal to my lord is to die without regret.'"

Bald-haired Wugu! Right Wise King!

The people in the hall were shocked! It turned out that this mole was also connected to the internal strife within the Northern Di!

Is he a pawn planted by Bald Wugu in Jiang Qiong? Or... using Bald Wugu's name?

A glint flashed in Yun Jin's eyes; this was an unexpected gain.

She stared at Li Si: "Why did Bald Wu Gu send you infiltrate? Besides sabotaging Iron Wall Pass, what other orders did you receive?"

Li Si remained silent, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Use torture." Yun Jin waved her hand, completely unmoved.

Night Owl and Zhao Jianing stepped forward personally.

The torture chamber was soon filled with chilling screams and the sound of bones breaking.

Even though Zhou Bo and the others were seasoned veterans, they felt a chill run down their spines and looked at Yun Jin with even more awe.

This princess's decisiveness and ruthlessness far exceeded their expectations.

Under torture, Li Si finally broke down and confessed intermittently that he was indeed a spy planted by Tufa Wugu in his early years, ordered to lie in wait for an opportunity to sabotage.

During Luan Di Modu's invasion of the south, Tuoba Wugu secretly ordered them to create chaos at crucial moments to cooperate with Luan Di Modu in attacking the city. However, after the city fell, they were to preserve as much important material and craftsmen as possible, and to find an opportunity to assassinate several of Luan Di Modu's loyal generals, thus creating obstacles for Tuoba Wugu to seize power in the future.

Liu Neng and Wang Lu were bribed by a certain "nobleman" in the court and had no direct connection with the line of Tuoba Wugu. They were simply used by Tuoba Wugu's contact in Jiangqiong by chance and acted together.

As for the specific identity of that "noble person" in the court, Li Si was not of high enough rank to know. He only knew that Liu Neng referred to him as "a big shot above," and that each instruction and reward was delivered by a mysterious middle-aged scholar.

Under torture and interrogation, Liu Neng and Wang Lu finally broke down and confessed one after another.

They were indeed bribed with a large sum of money by Mr. Jia, the chief advisor of the First Prince's residence, who promised them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, and ordered them to create trouble in the northern border, preferably so that Yun Jin would die "accidentally" in the war or at the hands of the Di people.

This operation was also carried out under Mr. Jia's secret orders to destroy Tiebi Pass at all costs before the arrival of Marquis Weiyuan's army, and to frame Yun Jin for "command errors" or "misjudgment in personnel".

The testimonies and physical evidence matched one by one, forming a clear and chilling chain: the eldest prince colluded with the infighting forces in the Northern Di, bribed the border generals, and intended to sabotage the border defenses and kill the imperial envoy princess!

"Your Highness, this matter..." Zhou Bo's voice was dry, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Involving princes and even internal strife within the Northern Di royal court, this goes far beyond the scope of border wars!

"This matter ends here."

Yun Jin interrupted him, her voice eerily calm, "Confessions and physical evidence are all sealed and recorded separately. Liu Neng, Wang Lu, Li Si, and the captured Northern Di assassins will be publicly executed by slow slicing at noon tomorrow outside the East Gate, as a warning to others and to comfort the spirits of the heroes who died in the battles of Shuofeng City and Tiebi Pass!"

Before the execution, make them repeat their crimes of colluding with the Di people and plotting to assassinate the imperial envoy, but without mentioning any names.

"Your Highness!" Zhou Bo exclaimed urgently, "Such a momentous matter, why not report it to the court, and investigate further..."

"How should we report this? Who should we investigate?" Yun Jin's gaze was sharp as she looked at Zhou Bo. "Say that the First Prince is colluding with the enemy?"

Did they say that the Right Wise King of the Northern Barbarians was secretly helping me?

What about the evidence?

The confessions of Liu Neng, Wang Lu, and Li Si can be easily overturned in the imperial court, accused of being tortured into confessions, or even falsely accused of framing the prince!

As for Bald Wugu... he's a prince of an enemy state; can his words be used as evidence?

She stood up, walked into the hall, and looked out at the still dark night: "The most important thing right now is to defend the Iron Wall Pass, welcome Marquis Weiyuan, and defeat the Luandi Maodun!"

With the traitor eliminated, the region can be kept safe for the time being. As for the turmoil in the court... these confessions and physical evidence should be presented to His Majesty for review through a top-secret channel.

"Your Majesty is wise and will make your own decisions. Our primary duty as subjects is to protect our borders and ensure the safety of our people, and to live up to Your Majesty's grace."

Zhou Bo remained silent for a long time, then nodded emphatically: "This subordinate... understands."

He understood that the princess was prioritizing the overall situation and had temporarily suppressed this potential bombshell that could have ignited the court.

But once this confession is presented to His Majesty, the Crown Prince will have no chance of winning back His Majesty's favor.

"Work through the night to clean up any remaining poison and ensure the safety of water sources and granaries. Strengthen vigilance, especially before dawn, to prevent the Di people from resorting to desperate measures."

Yun Jin instructed, "Slightly embellish the news of the traitor's execution and spread it appropriately within the pass to stabilize morale. The news of the arrival of Marquis Weiyuan's vanguard can also be released."

"yes!"

The others obeyed and left. Only Yun Jin and Qing Dai remained in the hall.

"Your Highness, are you really going to let them go like this..." Qingdai was unwilling.

"Let her go?" Yun Jin walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and began to write a secret memorial. Her voice was so low that it could hardly be heard. "Qingdai, some knives can take lives without drawing blood."

This confession, when presented to the Emperor, is more useful than a thousand troops.

The eldest prince... his time as crown prince is up.

What we need to do now is survive, win this battle, and then... return to Beijing in glory.

She kept writing, briefly mentioning the events of the night with the phrase "several traitors were captured and executed," while focusing on the stability of the defenses within the pass, the rise in morale, the imminent arrival of the Marquis of Weiyuan's army, and requesting the court to quickly provide follow-up supplies and provisions.

After finishing writing, he sealed it with sealing wax and summoned Night Owl: "Use the fastest hawk to send it to the capital, directly to the Emperor. As usual, give another copy to Mr. Su."

"yes!"

As dawn approached, a sliver of pale light appeared on the eastern horizon.

After a harrowing night, the internal troubles at Tiebi Pass were temporarily averted, but the Di camp outside the pass remained like a lurking beast.

Meanwhile, in the imperial court, a storm far more intense than the snowstorms of the northern frontier, about to be triggered by this secret report and confession, was quietly brewing.

Yun Jin walked to the window, pushed it open, and let the cool morning breeze rush in, dispelling the blood and oppression in the room.

"Mr. Su," she gazed south, silently reciting, "I have prepared the 'knife' and 'evidence' you requested. From now on, the chess game in the northern frontier and the political intrigue in the imperial court are in your hands."

She will grip her sword tightly and guard this pass until the true dawn breaks over this land stained with blood and fire.