There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 479 I'm in Love with You

Cheng Zhi'an shook her head helplessly, while Liang Yuying gave her a doting look, but the tense atmosphere did ease a bit because of her witty remarks.

The three then whispered amongst themselves for a long time, agreeing to split up and continue their covert investigations, exchanging information periodically at this meeting.

After seeing the two off, Li Shuchen sat alone in the Sanbao Hall, muttering to himself, "Prime Minister... Meng Tianzi... Your Majesty... this matter is getting more and more exciting."

Her eyes shone with a light that wasn't fear, but rather an excitement mixed with worry and immense curiosity.

The next day at dusk

Lao Ba suddenly slipped into the Sanbao Hall, his voice extremely low.

"Miss, Jia Wuqiu went to Songtao Villa, but there were too many guards there. We were afraid of alerting them, so we didn't dare to go any further."

Li Shuchen was facing a pile of account books when he heard this. He suddenly looked up, his sleepiness instantly vanishing, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

"Songtao Villa? The Prime Minister's villa... Ha, he was busy counting money and planting flowers during his mission, and almost forgot about this 'honest man.' Interesting."

She immediately changed into dark clothes that were easier to move in, and under the cover of night, she silently crept to the path that was the only way back to Baogui Pavilion from Songtao Villa. She chose a large, leafy tree, squatted among the branches, and held her breath.

In the middle of the night, a figure carrying a food box and walking briskly with his head down appeared at the street corner; it was Jia Wuqiu.

He was still dressed in the coarse cloth clothes of a servant who swept and cleaned the Precious Pavilion, walking briskly with his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Li Shuchen narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the seemingly ordinary double-layered food box in his hand.

It definitely doesn't contain leftovers.

They followed him all the way to the simple courtyard where Jia Wuqiu was staying.

Watching him enter the room, light the oil lamp, casually place the food box on the table, and then lie down fully clothed on the hard bed, he quickly began to breathe evenly, seemingly asleep.

Li Shuchen waited outside the window for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, making sure there was no further movement inside, before prying open the flimsy window latch like a cat and nimbly climbing inside.

She first approached the food box on the table, carefully opened it, and found it completely empty, without even a speck of oil left inside.

"There really is a ghost."

She sneered inwardly, her fingers carefully tracing the inside and outside of the food box, trying to find a hidden compartment or secret opening, but to no avail.

Just as I was wondering, a very faint sound of fabric rubbing came from the bed.

Li Shuchen was startled, realizing he had underestimated the guy's vigilance.

Jia Wuqiu had quietly sat up at some point. Under the dim oil lamp, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, showing no sign of sleepiness.

"Miss Li?"

His voice was hoarse, carrying a cold skepticism.

"In the dead of night, what is your purpose in sneaking into my humble abode?"

In a flash, Li Shuchen's face quickly contorted into an exaggerated, infatuated smile, and he awkwardly took half a step forward.

"Young Master Jia...you...you mustn't misunderstand! I...I actually..."

She took a deep breath, as if summoning all the courage she had in her life.

"I fell in love with you at first sight! I just want to know... what you like to eat, so... so I can cook you something delicious!"

Jia Wuqiu's lips twitched visibly, his eyes filled with...

Do I look like an idiot to you?

"Miss Li, you flatter me. I'm just a rough cleaner; I don't have anything I like to eat, and I wouldn't dare trouble you with your efforts."

Yes, yes! There definitely is!

While continuing her saccharine nonsense in a sickeningly sweet voice, Li Shuchen casually moved closer to the table, her fingers quickly tracing the edge and bottom of the food box once more.

"For example... for example, the pastries from Songtao Villa? I saw you come back carrying a food box..."

"Miss Li!"

Jia Wuqiu's voice deepened, carrying a warning.

He suddenly stood up, grabbed Li Shuchen's wrist—who was still fumbling for the food box—with tremendous force.

Please have some self-respect.

Li Shuchen's wrist ached from being gripped so tightly, but this only strengthened her conviction that the food box was the key.

She pretended to stumble when she was grabbed, cried out in surprise, and accidentally fell backward, landing squarely on Jia Wuqiu's hard bed.

"oops!"

She lay on the hard bed, blinked, and looked at Jia Wuqiu, who was standing close by with a livid face. Suddenly, she grinned and said something out of the blue.

"Young Master Jia, your pillow... smells quite nice!"

Having said that, before Jia Wuqiu could react, she nimbly flipped off the bed and darted out the window without looking back, leaving Jia Wuqiu bewildered, his eyes then turning extremely gloomy.

Back in the Three Treasures Hall, Li Shuchen's heart was still pounding, but his face was full of excitement.

She opened her tightly clenched right hand, and in her palm lay a small, inconspicuous piece of paper she had taken from Jia Wuqiu's pillow.

When she fell, she caught a glimpse of the note peeking out from the corner of her eye, and her intuition told her that it was more important than the food box.

The note is blank.

Li Shuchen frowned, pondered for a moment, and then carefully brought it closer to the candlelight to warm it.

Gradually, pale brown handwriting emerged like a ghost:

"At the Thanksgiving Palace Banquet, the Emperor and Empress will surely attend. During the banquet, you may set fire to the palace, seize the opportunity to get close, and assassinate the Emperor with a broken blade. This is a death warrant; spare no expense. If successful, the entire army will be mobilized, and that will be the time for us to change the world. After reading, burn this document. —Your Majesty"

Li Shuchen stared at those few lines of text, a cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back.

Thanksgiving banquet at the palace!

King murder!

Meng Tianzi is desperate and is about to seize power!

The next morning, Li Shuchen immediately contacted Liang Yuying.

Less than an hour later, Liang Yuying appeared in the Sanbao Hall dressed in casual clothes with a solemn expression.

"Where's the note?" Liang Yuying asked bluntly.

Li Shuchen handed over the note, which had been restored to blankness but still bore traces of burning.

After reading it, Liang Yuying's pupils contracted sharply: "The Thanksgiving Palace Banquet... in seven days. This is absolutely true. The palace has already begun preparations. His Majesty and the Empress will indeed attend, along with members of the imperial family, high-ranking officials, nobles, and their families."

"We must tell Ziying, Changning, and Bingli immediately!" Li Shuchen said urgently.

Soon, Gu Ziying, Princess Changning, and Ye Bingli all gathered at the Sanbao Hall, where Li Shuchen explained the whole story.

"Meng Tianzi is getting impatient and wants to flip the table!" Princess Changning sneered after hearing this.

"He definitely has people in the Imperial Guards, and the military camps have probably been infiltrated quite a bit. Once the Emperor is assassinated, even if he is only injured, the capital will definitely be in chaos. He can then take the opportunity to mobilize troops to control the palace, or even... directly put on the imperial robe!"

Gu Ziying's face turned pale, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Since Shu Chen took the note, Jia Wuqiu will definitely be alert and will notify Meng Tianzi. Will the plan be changed or canceled?"

Ye Bingli's cool voice rang out: "The arrow is on the string, and it must be released. He has been preparing for this for many years, and the gratitude banquet is the perfect opportunity. The plan may be adjusted, but the possibility of taking action is extremely high. Our knowledge of this is our advantage."

Liang Yuying nodded: "For now, we need someone to enter the palace banquet. Shu Chen can go as Changning's personal maid as usual. Bing Li, you..."