There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 443 Fooling Fools

Princess Changning slammed her hand on the table in anger.

"That idiot! Does he even know what he's doing? Helping the people of Boyu kill the princess our own people wanted to support? Is his brain filled with sand?!"

Gu Ziying calmly analyzed

"It's probably not just stupidity. To be bribed, there must be some profit involved. Perhaps the other party offered a huge reward, perhaps he was already dissatisfied with the mission, or... he has other connections in the capital. This matter must be thoroughly investigated, but it's not wise to alert him now."

Ye Bingli said softly, "Now that Shu Chen has seen through him, and he escaped last night, he must know his identity has been exposed. Could it be that... he's desperate and might even report to his master?"

“Very likely,” Liang Yuying said in a deep voice. “Zhen Congming is just a pawn. There must be someone behind him. To be able to command a commander of the Imperial Guard and collude with the Boyu Kingdom, this person has considerable power and is very likely within the delegation, or even… nearby.”

Everyone's heart sank.

This means that they not only face the king and the golden camel from the outside, but also venomous snakes from within.

Li Shuchen said, "The most urgent task is to absolutely ensure Princess Zoya's safety. After last night, her hiding place has changed again, and the fewer people who know about it, the better. We need to secretly monitor Zhen Congming, find out his contacts and his network of contacts. Our subsequent actions must be even more secretive, and he must not know anything about our core plan."

She looked at Liang Yuying: "Yuying, is it alright to arrange for a few Mulan soldiers to protect Princess Zuoya?"

Liang Yuying replied, "Rest assured, the twenty people who came with me are all people I personally trained and have a life-or-death bond with. There will be absolutely no problem. From now on, the rest of the delegation, including the Imperial Guards, cannot be trusted at all."

“Alright,” Li Shuchen nodded. “From now on, the task of protecting Princess Zoya will mainly be handled by me, Umur, and the Mulan Army sisters whom General Liang absolutely trusts. As for external matters, we can release some smokescreens, and even take advantage of this idiot.”

Princess Changning's eyes lit up: "You mean..."

"Isn't he stupid? Wouldn't it be possible for him to go and report it?"

Li Shuchen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Then we'll give him some information, some true, some false, and let him spread it. For example, we can deliberately leak a fake princess's next location, or a wrong direction for our subsequent plans... And let's see who takes the bait."

Gu Ziying approvingly said, "Luring the snake out of its hole is a clever tactic, but we must be careful. Although Zhen Congming is foolish, the person behind him is not."

"Understood," Li Shuchen's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "This time we were careless and almost caused a disaster. In the future... it will never happen again. Princess Zoya has a long road ahead of her, and we must be even more vigilant in our 'protecting' duties."

Abandoned Post Station Secret Room

The lights flickered

Li Shuchen spread a simple sheepskin map on the broken wooden table and pointed to a marker in the southwest corner of Tear Valley.

"This place is about three miles from the sand pit where the princess last discovered the dampness. The terrain is more secluded, with several wind-eroded rock pillars nearby, making it easy to hide people and also easy to... set up an ambush."

Zoya stared intently at the map, her emerald eyes showing weariness, but even more so, determination.

"Does Miss Li mean to deliberately leak that I will be 'investigating' this fake location, in order to lure Zhen Congming and the people behind him into a trap?"

"That's right"

Li Shuchen nodded. "That idiot Zhen Congming, after his failure and exposure last time, must be frantic. The people behind him, whether from the delegation or from Boyu Kingdom, must also want to get rid of the princess as soon as possible, or at least figure out our next move. Let's give them a chance."

Beside her, Zizhu, the Mulan Army commander assigned by Liang Yuying, a tall, stern-faced woman, asked in a deep voice...

"How was the information leaked? How was it ensured that only Zhen Congming knew about it?"

Li Shuchen chuckled.

"Simple, Zizhu, aren't your sisters keeping an eye on him? Find an opportunity for him to overhear two Mulan soldiers complaining."

"'The princess insists on going to that newly discovered sand pit in the southwest first thing tomorrow morning, saying there might be even more humidity. General Liang couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to send more men. It's such a hassle.' Remember, make it sound like a private complaint. If he overhears it, someone as clever as Zhen Congming will definitely react like a cat smelling fish."

Zizhu nodded: "This method is feasible. I will make arrangements immediately. Where are the ambush personnel?"

"Not much is needed"

Li Shuchen said, "You, me, and two more absolutely reliable sisters will lie in ambush behind the rock pillar beforehand. Brother Umur will lead men to keep watch further out on the perimeter to prevent the enemy from having a large force to meet us. The key is to capture Zhen Congming alive, and it would be best to catch the Bo Yu people who contacted him. Remember, once you succeed, you will take him away immediately and hand him over to Yu Ying for secret detention and interrogation. We must not allow him to have another chance to pass on messages or be silenced."

Zoya was a little worried: "Won't it be too dangerous? What if there are a lot of people coming..."

That's why we chose that terrain.

Li Shuchen explained, "The rock pillar area is narrow, making it difficult for a large group to maneuver. It's suitable for our small, elite force to ambush. Moreover, our goal is to capture people, not to fight head-on. As soon as Zhen Congming shows up and meets with the Bohai Manchus who are our contact, we'll make our move and finish the job quickly."

She looked at Zoya, "Princess, your mission is more important. Tomorrow morning, as usual, you will take a few people and make a big show of going to the sandpit you really want to explore—the one on the map."

She pointed to another marker, "That's far from our ambush point, safe. You need to make sure everyone sees you're seriously 'searching for water.' If we can find even a little bit of moisture, it will be extremely beneficial for us."

Zoya nodded emphatically: "I understand, I will do well."

next morning

Southwest corner of Tear Valley, wind-eroded rock pillar area

As dawn broke, the wind whipped up sand that lashed against the rock pillars, making a whistling sound.

Several massive, riddled with holes, yellowish-brown rock pillars stood at the edge of the arid valley, casting eerie shadows.

Li Shuchen and Zizhu, along with two other agile Mulan Army soldiers

He had long since hidden himself in a narrow crevice behind the two thickest rock pillars, covered with a coarse linen cloth the same color as the sand, his breathing extremely low.

Their position overlooked a small, relatively flat patch of sand below, the only way to reach the hypothetical "new sandpit."

Time passes little by little

Apart from the sound of the wind and the occasional sand lizard darting by, the surroundings were eerily silent.

"Will they come?" a Mulan soldier asked in a very low voice.

“Unless Zhen Congming is even more stupid than I think, or the person behind him has given up,” Li Shuchen said, narrowing his eyes and remaining motionless, “be patient.”

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

Finally, two furtive figures crept in from the other side of the rock pillar area.