chsdbacks Chapter 300: Liu Hongyan betrayed all the spies within the Liyang Dynasty!
Chapter 300: Liu Hongyan betrayed all the spies within the Liyang Dynasty!
Liyang Imperial Palace, Qingxin Pavilion.
This is Zhao Qingxue's private bedroom in the palace, located behind the Tianqi Hall, accessible by passing through a secluded corridor.
The palace was not large, but it was decorated with great elegance.
The rosewood furniture gleamed with a warm luster, and several pieces of porcelain from the previous dynasty were displayed on the antique shelf. A painting of winter plum blossoms hung on the wall, its brushstrokes cool and aloof, perfectly matching Zhao Qingxue's temperament.
At this moment, the afternoon sun shines through the carved window, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor.
Qin Mu leaned against the rosewood couch by the window, lying on his side in a languid posture.
The moon-white robe shimmered softly in the sunlight, its hem trailing beside the couch, swaying gently with his toes as he swayed lightly.
He closed his eyes, as if taking a nap, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his mood.
He was waiting, waiting for a good show to begin.
Zhao Qingxue stood in the center of the hall, her back to him, taking out a dress from the wardrobe.
Those were her own clothes.
The moon-white casual dress was similar in style to the one she was wearing, but it was more plain. There were no embroidered patterns on the cuffs and collar, only a small orchid was embroidered in silver thread on the front.
She unfolded her clothes, examined them for a moment in the morning light, then turned around and walked to Liu Hongyan.
Liu Hongyan remained kneeling on the ground. She had followed them all the way from the Tianqi Palace to here without ever standing up.
Her knees were already numb and she couldn't feel anything. The coldness of the gold bricks seeped into her bones through her skirt, making her feel as if she were frozen.
But she dared not move, not even the courage to raise her head. She just kept her head down, staring at the pair of moon-white boots in front of her.
Those were Qin Mu's boots; she recognized them.
"stand up."
Zhao Qingxue's voice came from above, calm and devoid of any emotion.
Liu Hongyan's body trembled slightly.
She looked up and saw Zhao Qingxue standing in front of her, holding a set of moon-white dresses in her hands.
The dress was folded neatly, and the orchid embroidered in silver thread on the lapel gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
"Put it on."
Zhao Qingxue said.
Liu Hongyan was stunned for a moment.
She looked down at herself.
The lake-blue brocade dress was wrinkled beyond recognition, the hem was covered in dust, and there were several tears from something, revealing a white petticoat underneath.
The jade belt around her waist was askew, having long since come loose and hanging to one side.
The jade pendant he always carried was nowhere to be found, having rolled away to some corner of the prison.
She was in such a disheveled state that she was truly unworthy to stand in this elegant and picturesque palace.
Liu Hongyan reached out and took the dress.
She paused slightly the moment her fingers touched the fabric.
It's Yun brocade, top-quality Yun brocade, soft and smooth, like water flowing through your fingers.
This garment is even better than the finest brocade from the North that she is wearing.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Her voice was hoarse and low, almost inaudible.
She struggled to her feet, a sharp, throbbing pain shooting through her knees, nearly causing her to fall again.
She gritted her teeth, gripped the back of the chair beside her, and barely managed to steady herself.
Then, carrying the dress, she staggered to the side of the hall behind the screen.
The screen is carved from rosewood, and it features a painting of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, with elegant and ancient brushstrokes and exquisite carving techniques.
Her figure could be vaguely seen through the gap in the screen.
She stood there, motionless, as if frozen in place.
for a long time.
A rustling sound came from behind the screen, very soft and slow, with a cautious probing as if afraid of disturbing something.
The sound lasted for a long time, so long that Qin Mu slightly opened his eyes.
Finally, Liu Hongyan emerged from behind the screen.
The pale white casual clothes she wore were slightly oversized, but they made her swollen face look even more shocking.
The dress originally belonged to Zhao Qingxue, but when she wore it, the sleeves were an inch too long, and the hem trailed on the ground, making a soft rustling sound with her steps.
The silver-embroidered orchid on her lapel rested against her chest, rising and falling gently with her slightly rapid breathing.
She walked to the center of the hall and stopped.
He stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes lowered, staring at his toes.
Beneath the moon-white skirt, a pair of dusty embroidered shoes peeked out, clashing in stark contrast to her simple attire.
She stood there, like a flower transplanted into unfamiliar soil, its roots not yet firmly established, and most of its leaves already withered.
Zhao Qingxue looked at her without saying anything.
He simply walked up to her, reached out, folded up the excess fabric from her sleeves twice, and gently lifted the hem of her skirt that was trailing on the ground, tucking it into the belt at her waist.
The movements were light and quick, with a habitual ease.
Liu Hongyan's body stiffened slightly.
The moment Zhao Qingxue's fingers touched her wrist, she instinctively wanted to pull back, but the touch was too light, too gentle, so gentle that she almost thought it was just an illusion.
She stood there, motionless, letting Zhao Qingxue straighten her clothes.
After finishing tidying up, Zhao Qingxue took a step back, looked her up and down, and then nodded.
She didn't say anything, but turned around and walked back to Qin Mu's side, sitting down on the embroidered stool next to him.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Sunlight streamed in through the carved windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
The light and shadow moved slowly between the three people, like a silent timekeeping device.
Qin Mu opened his eyes.
He remained leaning against the soft couch, one hand supporting his chin, his gaze lazily fixed on Liu Hongyan.
Those deep eyes gleamed with an amber luster in the sunlight, and the corners of his mouth held a half-smile that revealed no emotion.
When Liu Hongyan met that gaze, her heart suddenly raced.
Her fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve, her nails digging into her palms, sending a sharp pain through her.
The pain kept her conscious until the very end.
She stood there, hands at her sides, her posture impeccably respectful.
But her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her true state of mind at that moment.
She was afraid, so afraid that she could barely stand.
Qin Mu looked at her for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
"Who are the spies from the northern border within the Liyang Imperial City?"
His voice was soft, with a nonchalant languor.
The moment the words left her lips, Liu Hongyan's body stiffened abruptly.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
Those names, those addresses, those secret codes, those nodes of the Northern intelligence network that she knew by heart.
Of course she knew.
She was one of the Crown Prince's most trusted advisors, and she was the one who built the intelligence network of the Northern Border in Liyang Imperial City.
Among those people were teahouse owners, silk shop assistants, post station managers, and some who had even secured official positions in the Liyang court.
They have been lying in wait here for some for ten years, and some have only been here for a short time.
They all have their own lives, their own families, and their own concerns.
But at this moment, Qin Mu asked her if she wanted to tell him.
Liu Hongyan's heart felt as if it were being gripped and squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.
She remembered those people's faces.
Old Zhang, the old man who runs a teahouse in the east of the city, would always brew her a pot of the best Longjing tea with a smile every time she went to meet him, saying, "Girl, drink it while it's hot."
Xiao Li, the young man who worked as a shop assistant in a silk shop, would get so nervous every time he delivered a message that his palms would sweat, but he would always grit his teeth and complete the task.
And then there's Wang Yicheng, that honest man who's been in charge of the horses at the post station for twenty years. Nobody knows that he's the deepest pawn that the Northern Border has planted here.
If she says it, all these people will die.
None of them will survive.
Liu Hongyan's lips trembled slightly.
Her eyes reddened again.
But she knew she had to speak.
Because she wanted to live.
Because she had already chosen to live.
This thought filled her with a deep sense of shame.
The shame, like a venomous snake, tore at her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
But she gritted her teeth and forcefully suppressed the shame.
She took a deep breath and spoke.
The voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear:
"In the east of the city, at Yuelai Teahouse, the owner, Zhang Degui, is fifty-three years old and has been infiltrating the northern border for twelve years. The secret code is 'How is today's Longjing tea?'—'This year's new tea is even more fragrant.'"
Qin Mu nodded without saying anything.
Liu Hongyan continued, her voice becoming increasingly steady and rapid, as if she were reciting a pre-prepared list:
"In the south of the city, at the Brocade Silk Shop, there's a clerk named Li Erniu, 23 years old, who has been infiltrating the northern border for five years. His secret code is 'How much is this bolt of silk?'—'Ten taels of silver, no bargaining.'"
"West of the city, at the official post station, the postmaster is Wang Defa, forty-seven years old, who has been lurking in the northern border for twenty years. He is the deepest pawn of the northern border in the imperial city of Liyang, directly under the command of His Highness the Crown Prince. The secret code is 'Do you have a letter to deliver?' — 'Urgent, must arrive before dark.'"
"North of the city, at the blacksmith's shop, the blacksmith Zhao Laosi, thirty-eight years old, has been lying low in the northern border for eight years. His main responsibility is to transmit military intelligence, especially information about the troop movements of Liyang."
"besides--"
She rattled off more than a dozen names in one breath, each one clearly described, including address, age, infiltration time, and rendezvous code, without missing a single one.
Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.
Zhao Qingxue sat on the embroidered stool, listening to those names, a complex emotion flashing in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
Of course she knew that the Northern Border had spies in the capital of Liyang. Every dynasty would plant spies in neighboring countries; it was an open secret.
But she never imagined there would be so many, buried so deep.
Twenty years.
The postmaster named Wang Defa had been lying low in the northern border for twenty years.
Twenty years is enough for a person to go from youth to middle age, enough for a person to take root and grow up in this foreign land, to get married and have children.
For twenty years, every morning when he woke up, the first thing he did was tell himself – I am a man of the North.
For twenty years, every piece of intelligence he sent out was likely obtained at the cost of his life.
And at that moment, Liu Hongyan so easily betrayed them all.
Zhao Qingxue looked at Liu Hongyan, at her swollen, numb face, and at her empty, unfocused eyes.
The complex emotions churned within me even more violently.
There was sympathy, there was pity, and there was an indescribable sense of desolation.
But she didn't say anything; she just sat there quietly and listened.
Qin Mu leaned back on the soft couch, listening to Liu Hongyan call out the names one by one, his expression unchanged.
He still had that lazy and composed demeanor, with a half-smile playing on his lips.
But the light in those deep eyes grew brighter and brighter.
That's the light that only appears when a hunter sees its prey fall into a trap.
After saying the last name, Liu Hongyan shut her mouth.
Her body trembled slightly, the trembling starting from her legs, spreading to her waist and abdomen, to her shoulders, and to her hands.
She was like a leaf in the wind, swaying precariously.
She stood there, head down, not daring to look at Qin Mu, not daring to look at Zhao Qingxue, not even daring to look at her own shadow.
She just betrayed everyone.
Those people she had known for many years, with whom she had drunk, chatted, and supported each other in foreign lands.
She betrayed them all.
Not a single one was left.
Her eyes reddened again, but she gritted her teeth and refused to let the tears fall.
Because she knew she had no right to cry.
Traitors have no right to shed tears.
Qin Mu looked at her and remained silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"very good."
He said.
The voice was very soft, yet it sounded like a verdict.
He straightened up, sat up from the soft couch, crossed his hands on his knees, and looked at Liu Hongyan's face.
That gaze was calm, so calm that it was completely still, yet it sent a chill down Liu Hongyan's spine once again.
"Then I'll leave this matter to you."
He spoke slowly and deliberately.
Liu Hongyan suddenly raised her head.
Those phoenix eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.
Give it to her?
Send her to kill those people?
To make her personally kill the people she just betrayed?
Countless images flashed through her mind in an instant.
She stood in front of Old Zhang, holding a knife.
What kind of look would the old man who always smiled and made her tea, calling her "girl," give her?
Is it anger?
Is it fear?
Or—despair?
And then there's Li Erniu, that young man whose palms always sweat with nervousness.
She recruited him herself, trained him herself, and personally sent him to Liyang.
She remembered that on his first day in Liyang, he was so nervous that he could barely speak. It was she who patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid, your sister is here."
My older sister is here.
Now, his sister is going to kill him with her own hands...