Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Chapter 1287 Sending a Letter

"What a Black Khanate... What a combination of internal and external forces..." He said in a low voice, with a hint of cold murderous intent, "Before my sword reaches the Western Regions, their hands have already reached into my arsenal!"

"Shadow Seven."

"The minister is here."

"Tell Tingfengwei to immediately and secretly apprehend that Gongbu Yuwailang and all his followers and interrogate them strictly! I want to know what is hidden in that batch of charcoal!"

"Dispatch three more teams of 'Hidden Scales' to infiltrate the Divine Machine Workshop and keep a close eye on every craftsman, clerk, and even guard! Anyone exhibiting unusual behavior, communicating covertly, or attempting to spy on artillery diagrams or steal samples... will be apprehended!"

"Order the Privy Council to mobilize a battalion of Black Armored Soldiers under the pretext of rehearsing a new battle formation, and secretly station them ten miles outside the Divine Machine Workshop! Not even a fly is allowed to escape without my order!"

"Issue the Imperial Clan Bureau: Thoroughly investigate all members of the Imperial Clan who have had contact with the Black Khan's envoys since last year! Anyone who has privately offered gifts, feasted, or held secret talks will be arrested and questioned!"

Four consecutive commands, like four unsheathed swords, slashed at the potential threat with precision and ferocity! Control the source, monitor the core, seal off the perimeter, and investigate the insider!

"Yes!" Ying Qi accepted the order, his figure flashed, and he was about to blend into the shadows.

"Wait." Qin Ming suddenly stopped him, a deeper cold light flashing in his eyes. "Tell Yin Lin not to rush to arrest them. I... want to see what they want to steal and how much they can steal. I also want to see... how many traitors are hiding in this ironclad empire of Shen Ji Fang!"

Playing the long game, catching the big fish, even... using one's own core technology as bait! What a risky plan! Ying Qi's heart trembled, but he didn't hesitate: "I understand!"

Okay, let's continue.

Ying Qi's figure blended silently into the candlelight, disappearing into the depths of the warm room. Qin Ming's command was like an invisible net, silently spreading to the core of the empire's most confidential place - the Shenji Workshop.

Over the next few days, the reports of success received by the Western Warm Pavilion regarding the grain transport relief and the northern border farming projects seemed to cast a shadow. Qin Ming reviewed the memorials at the same pace, but every once in a while, his fingertips tapping on the table would pause slightly, his eyes scanning the dark night outside the hall, as if waiting for an echo from the darkness.

The third day, midnight.

The candlelight in the warm room was still bright. Qin Ming was reading a memorial about adding post stations in the Hexi Corridor. His red pen was hovering, as if he was considering it.

Suddenly, the candlelight flickered slightly.

Ying Qi's figure reappeared like a ghost three steps in front of the imperial desk, kneeling on one knee, with a chill of the late night and a very faint, almost imperceptible smell of rust and fireworks on his body.

"Your Majesty." His voice was extremely low, but every word was clear. "Hidden Scale reports that the fish... has taken the bait."

Qin Ming slowly put down his red brush, his gaze fixed on Ying Qi as if it were real: "Speak."

"Zhou Jin, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works, has confessed to the crime after receiving a secret interrogation from the Fengwei. The charcoal he was transporting was mixed with ten specially crafted hollow charcoal sticks, containing... powdered 'rosemary' from the Western Regions. This substance is colorless and odorless when burned, but inhaling it can cause a high in the spirit, loosen the tongue, and easily leak secrets. His target appears to be the hardening craftsmen and drawing clerks in the core area of ​​the Shenji Workshop." Ying Qi spoke steadily, yet with a chilling tone. "He was heavily bribed by a retired former Guanglu Temple official. He was unaware of the mastermind behind this, and was only responsible for mixing the charcoal sticks and placing them at the designated furnace entrances under the guise of an inspection."

"Guanglu Temple Junior Secretary..." Qin Ming's eyes flashed coldly. Guanglu Temple was in charge of the palace's food and sacrifices, and had nothing to do with military affairs. This person was undoubtedly a pawn pushed out.

"Yinlin, following this lead, closely monitored those furnace openings. Last night, an assistant forge, responsible for quenching the cannon barrels, secretly inhaled powder from the furnace before his shift. Disoriented, he sneaked into the archive room late at night and attempted to steal the forging diagrams for the new 'Thunderbolt Cannon,'" Ying Qi continued. "He was apprehended on the spot by Yinlin. After a sudden interrogation overnight, he confessed... that the person who ordered him to do so was a clerk in the workshop. And that clerk..."

Ying Qi paused slightly, his voice deepening. "He's the distant nephew of a steward of the late Huaiyang Palace. He was recommended to the Shenji Workshop three years ago. Yin Lin immediately apprehended the clerk and found unused rosemary powder and... several pages of copied cannon barrel schematics in his residence, as well as... a gold wolf-head buckle commonly worn by Black Khanate nobles."

The clues are now completely connected! The remnants of the Huaiyang King's forces, along with the Black Khanate of the Western Regions, are colluding with each other through a long-laid secret stake, reaching out to the core secrets of the empire!

Qin Ming leaned back slowly, the back of his chair creaking slightly. Under the candlelight, his face showed no emotion, only the icy coldness in his deep eyes that threatened to overflow.

"Where are the people?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.

"Zhou Jin, the deputy head craftsman, and the clerk have all been secretly detained in the Tingfengwei Imperial Prison. The Shenji Workshop has been completely sealed off by the Xuanjia Army, and no information has been leaked." Ying Qi replied, "Yinlin is still secretly investigating whether there are other accomplices."

"Very good." Qin Ming's fingers tapped lightly on the imperial desk. "That gold buckle...is it the mark of which noble of the Black Khanate?"

"Your Majesty, after comparison, it is the emblem of the court of the Left Wise King of the Black Khanate. The deputy envoy who came to the capital to pay tribute last year was a close confidant of the Left Wise King."

"Zuo Xian Wang..." Qin Ming repeated in a low voice, a fierce murderous intent flashing in his eyes, "It seems that I am still too polite to the Western Regions."

He was silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice regaining its absolute calmness and determination:

"Practice."

"First, Zhou Jin, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works, has been found guilty of dereliction of duty, corruption, and collusion with foreign enemies. The evidence is irrefutable and he must be executed immediately, along with his entire clan. Lin Hao, the person who recommended him, will be fined one year's salary and ordered to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of all officials under his command."

"Secondly, all personnel involved in the case at Shenjifang will be rigorously interrogated by the Tingfeng Guards. Any remaining culprits will be thoroughly investigated. No matter who is implicated, we will investigate thoroughly! All positions involved will be immediately replaced by graduates of the Di Du Military Academy. Their backgrounds must be clean for three generations and will be directly reviewed by the Privy Council."

"Third, make a copy of the evidence of the Left Wise King of the Karakhanid Khanate colluding with traitors and stealing military secrets, and send it swiftly, eight hundred miles, to Meng Zhi of the Beiting Protectorate. Instruct him to 'disclose' the contents of the copy to the Karakhanid Khan and other members of the royal family who have grudges against the Left Wise King, as appropriate."

"Fourth, have the Ministry of Rites write a letter in my name to the Great Khan of the Black Khanate. Be polite... inquiring about his well-being and asking about the Left Wise Prince's recent situation with 'concern.' I'll mention that I've come across a gold buckle from the Left Wise Prince's court, and wonder if it's a treasured possession he accidentally lost."

Four decrees, each one fatal! Internally, there will be no leniency in the purge; externally, without deploying a single soldier, a single piece of evidence and a letter of "greetings" will be enough to sow the seeds of suspicion and division within the Black Khanate's court, leaving the Left Wise King preoccupied!

"I obey your order!" Ying Qi bowed deeply and left.

Silence returned to the warm room. Qin Ming sat alone at his desk, his gaze once again fixed on the vast map of the empire. His finger slowly traced across the vast expanse of the Western Regions, finally stopping at the location of the Black Khanate and tapping lightly.