The disappearance of the princess’s body threw the Su family into disarray. While they maintained a calm exterior, internal unrest became apparent. Following the competition, Su Xi and Su Hui grew closer to An Jin, occasionally probing for information about the Ministry of Personnel. Su Quan also took action, frequently contacting officials from the Ministry of Criminal Justice and the Ministry of War.
“They are about to lose control,” An Jin whispered in the darkness, his eyes glowing eerily, emanating a murderous aura. “They will soon reveal their flaws.”
The secret department’s covert agents were divided into six levels, with the sixth level comprising section leaders who reported directly to An Jin. After an incident, I was promoted from scout to scout guard and received a small gold-inlaid badge, which I proudly tied around my neck with a red string.
An Jin observed my attachment to the badge with a complex expression, contrasting it with how I had never cherished the jade pendant he gave me. After enduring my admiration for some time, he exploded during a “heart-to-heart” talk, snatching the badge and throwing it out the window, startling Yuan Xiang.
Heartbroken, I remained silent at An Jin’s threat to remove me from the secret department if I continued to care about the badge.
Having a superior husband was troublesome; one misstep could jeopardize both family and career. Fortunately, I had Yuan Xiang. The next day, as usual, he led me to the mulberry tree in the courtyard and unearthed my badge. With it restored, I suddenly had an inspiration on how to deal with the Su family: framing, planting evidence, and shifting blame.
Chapter Forty-Four: Plotting Against Yan Huo
The secret department’s agents had identity badges, and Southern Rui used fish symbols, indicating that Western Liang agents also had their own distinctive mark. With the Su family in disarray, if they were “coincidentally” discovered to be hiding Western Liang’s tokens and correspondence, they could easily be charged with treason.
Though the secret department had not previously found Western Liang’s items, forging them would be straightforward. We could place these tokens and letters in the Su residence for someone to “discover.” Once the Su family was convicted, we could also expose their crime of murdering the Southern Rui Fifth Princess and present them to Southern Rui, showcasing Great Qi’s sincerity.
