Years turn into wind

Chapter 161 The Truth of the Anonymous Letter

The next day, Ling Xiaotian received a message from a trusted confidant. The source of the letter had been traced back to a servant within the palace, who had long since vanished, evidently a planted spy. Frowning, he relayed the information to his military advisor, Chen Yunfan.

"The enemy's provocation at this time is nothing more than an attempt to create a rift within us," Chen Yunfan analyzed calmly. "And the letter directly targets the young lady. Shouldn't the Marshal reveal a little about the situation to her so she has an idea?"

"Not for now." Ling Xiaotian shook his head, his eyes thoughtful. "She's just getting used to life in the mansion, and I don't want her to get too involved."

Chen Yunfan nodded, but said nothing. He knew that the Marshal didn't distrust Cheng Yuwei, but was more afraid that she would be hurt.

An unexpected conflict in the garden

That afternoon, Cheng Yuwei was tidying up a sick rose in the garden when she happened to run into a strange maid arguing with a security guard.

"What happened?" Cheng Yuwei walked over curiously.

The guard clasped his fists and saluted: "Young Madam, this person is a new maid, but we found something suspicious in her room."

Cheng Yuwei was slightly stunned, and her eyes fell on the maid: "What is it?"

The guard pulled out a small cloth bag from his bosom, which contained some strange powder and several pieces of letter paper. Cheng Yuwei took it and took a closer look, and her heart immediately went on the alert. The powder turned out to be highly poisonous arsenic, and the letter paper contained information written in code.

"Take her away for interrogation!" Cheng Yuwei ordered coldly.

The maid was shocked when she heard this and struggled to shout, "Young Madam, I'm innocent! I was simply framed!"

Cheng Yuwei ignored her, calmly asked the guards to take the maid away, and then quickly rushed to the study to find Ling Xiaotian with the evidence.

Intelligence begins to emerge

After listening to her story, Ling Xiaotian picked up the letter and examined it repeatedly, his expression growing increasingly gloomy. He had someone fetch the code book seized from the mansion and quickly deciphered the contents of the letter.

"Their target isn't just me, they're targeting you as well." Ling Xiaotian looked at the decrypted text with a cold expression. "It's clear these people are trying to use you to shake the morale of our army."

Cheng Yuwei couldn't help but frown: "So, everything that happened in the mansion during this period was caused by this force behind the scenes?"

"That's right. They know very well how important you are to me." Ling Xiaotian put down the letter and reached out to hold her wrist. "From today on, don't act alone. I will send someone to protect you."

Cheng Yuwei looked at his serious expression and sighed softly: "I'm not a vase, nor am I completely incapable of self-protection. Don't worry, I will be careful."

Ling Xiaotian said without question, "This is an order."

Marital dispute

That night, the atmosphere between Cheng Yuwei and Ling Xiaotian was a little awkward.

"It's not that I don't want to listen to your arrangements." Cheng Yuwei leaned against the window, with a bit of helplessness in her tone, "But you can't treat me as a weak person who needs protection. I can also help you."

Ling Xiaotian was sorting through military documents. He stopped and looked up at her. "Do you think I'm looking down on you?"

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth?" Cheng Yuwei turned and looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "If I hadn't discovered that maid's things today, how long would you have kept it from me?"

"Weiwei..." Ling Xiaotian put down the pen in his hand and walked over to her. "It's not that I don't trust you, but because I care about you too much. The enemy can see clearly that you are my weak spot, and I don't want to put you at risk."

Cheng Yuwei lowered her head and softened her tone: "I know your intentions, but you have to trust me. We are husband and wife, and we should face these dangers together."

Ling Xiaotian reached out and held her in his arms, whispering, "Okay, I won't hide anything from you from now on, but you also have to promise me that you will do everything within your ability. Safety is the most important thing."

Feeling his care and protection, Cheng Yuwei's heart softened. She leaned against his chest and nodded gently.

Expose the conspiracy

The next day, Ling Xiaotian secretly arranged a plan. He ordered the guards to deliberately "let go" the captured maid, marked her body, and secretly sent someone to follow her.

Cheng Yuwei also participated in this operation. She used her knowledge of chemistry to sprinkle a trace of fluorescent powder where the maid passed by. This powder can only be seen under a specific light source, which can accurately track her whereabouts.

The maid thought she had escaped successfully and ran all the way to a remote courtyard on the outskirts of the city. Ling Xiaotian's men quickly surrounded the place and captured several people in the courtyard.

Evidence found in the courtyard revealed that it was an enemy intelligence station, specifically targeting Ling Xiaotian and Cheng Yuwei for sabotage. Among the captured individuals, one was actually a steward in Ling Xiaotian's mansion!

"So it's you." Ling Xiaotian looked at the butler kneeling on the ground, anger surging in his eyes, "Followed me for five years, and you turned out to be a venomous snake!"

The housekeeper sneered and said nothing, but Cheng Yuwei noticed a strange mark on his cuff. She walked over and wiped the mark with a handkerchief, and found that it was a special poison powder.

"This powder is highly poisonous and even the slightest contact can be fatal. He originally planned to assassinate you!" Cheng Yuwei reminded coldly.

Ling Xiaotian's expression grew even darker. "Take them back and interrogate them rigorously! I want to know how many hidden moves the enemy still has!"

This sudden attack made Ling Xiaotian completely aware that the enemy had infiltrated his inner circle. But he also understood that having a partner like Cheng Yuwei by his side was not only his support, but also his weapon to defeat the enemy.

At night, Cheng Yuwei leaned quietly against the window, gazing at the bright moonlight. Ling Xiaotian came over and draped a cloak over her shoulders.

"Don't worry, it will all pass," he said softly.

Cheng Yuwei looked back at him with a firm gaze: "As long as we are together, there is no hurdle that we cannot overcome."