When the Qi Emperor proposed that An Jin pretend to defect to Xi Liang to investigate Xia Zhichun’s whereabouts, An Jin had already prepared two contingency plans. If the Qi Emperor kept his word, he would verify the Third Prince’s location, return, hand over the Secret Department peacefully, and then escape with his family. However, the Qi Emperor chose to plot against the An family. Fortunately, An Jin had a backup plan, having arranged for the Secret Department in advance and staging an act to convince the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince that he had been killed by Tang Wei.
The Qi Emperor thought An Jin was dead and that imprisoning his mother-in-law would give him control of the entire Secret Department, unaware this was arranged by An Jin. His goal was to confirm the Qi Emperor’s private forces and any dissent within the Secret Department. An Jin planned to send his family out of Yan Feng and reunite later. However, the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince imprisoned my family, and my father-in-law passed away, forcing me to marry the Crown Prince. It was evident that, even if An Jin died and the Secret Department returned to the royal family, they had no intention of sparing me and my family.
An Jin ultimately decided to send me and his family to Nan Rui for protection from the Nan Rui royal family while he set out for Xi Liang to make a final break with the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince, vowing to hold them accountable.
I stood dazed, surrounded by silence. “He – went to Xi Liang?” I murmured. “What else does he want to do?” His mother closed her eyes and gently massaged her forehead, as if relieving past excitement.
“I can no longer control what Jin’er wants to do,” she said wearily. “I knew the Secret Department and the royal family would eventually come to this, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
Could An Jin be planning to ally with Xi Liang against the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince? Would the Da Qi kingdom’s centuries of imperial foundation be destroyed by internal strife? Would An Jin truly bear the charge of treason?
His mother seemed to sense my shock and comforted me: “Don’t worry. The Da Qi kingdom’s throne will ultimately belong to the Xia family.”
