This courtyard even had a small ke, and Song Chuyi was seated in a pavilion with rolled-up curtains on all sides. When she saw him, she greeted him cheerfully, calling out, "Uncle Lai!" Occasionally, the sound of frogs could be heard around them. Lai Chenglong sat across from her, the stern aura he usually carried unconsciously softened as he asked, "Why are you here so te instead of going home? What do you need from me?"

  While the Great Zhou didn't impose a curfew, ordinary men rarely ventured out te at night, let alone a noble young dy like Song Chuyi.

  Qingying and Qingtao came in to set the table, and soon it was filled with various snacks and dishes. Lai Chenglong gnced at the spread and was momentarily stunned: almond tofu, spicy tripe slices, stir-fried frog, and mushroom duck feet... all his favorite foods.

  He had been in the Jinyiwei long enough to know the ins and outs of any official's affairs, yet this was the first time he had felt so well understood. A breeze passed, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run through him, his skin prickling with goosebumps.

  Cui Shaoting was right—his niece was no ordinary girl. No, calling her "unusual" was an understatement; she was almost like a ghost. He had access to a wealth of others' secrets thanks to the Jinyiwei under his command. But how did this young girl, Song Chuyi, know people's preferences so well, down to the specific desserts and te-night snacks they liked? He couldn't help but recall Luo Gui mentioning "Yingchun" downstairs at the Shizi Tower. Thinking it over, there indeed was such a person. When he went to drag Jiang Hong out of that pce, Jiang Hong's companion had been named that.

  Song Chuyi smiled at Lai Chenglong as his expression shifted. She took a thin booklet from Qingying and handed it to him.

  "What is this?" Lai Chenglong didn't reach for it. He stared at her intently, as if the booklet were some sort of dangerous beast—he had unconsciously forgotten that this young girl before him was his good friend's niece. He couldn't bring himself to see her as any ordinary girl. No family's daughter could be this formidable, calcuting every step so precisely, as if there were nothing she couldn't accomplish.

  Song Chuyi was unperturbed, tilting her head slightly with a faint smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Lai. You've helped me so much and are a friend of my uncle's; I wouldn't harm you. In fact, I'm here to help you."

  Help him? He, a distinguished Jinyiwei commander and a trusted aide to Emperor Jianzhang, needed help from a little girl? He found this amusing and naturally ughed, asking his question aloud.

  However, Song Chuyi didn't ugh. She pced the booklet on the table and gently pushed it toward him, her demeanor solemn as she asked, "Uncle Lai, did you only just realize how few people you can truly rely on when you went to Yangzhou?"

  Lai Chenglong's back stiffened. Indeed, it was only after arriving in Yangzhou that he noticed none of his usual people, like Jiang Hong, had accompanied him—each of them conveniently assigned elsewhere by Xu Liang and Jia Yingxin. Although those two didn't know what he was going to do, they clearly didn't want him to have anyone reliable by his side or to succeed in pleasing Emperor Jianzhang.

  "If it weren't for the ck of confidants around you, you wouldn't have been left in such an awkward position in Yangzhou, catching only a few small fry," Song Chuyi said, her gaze lingering on the bowl of soft almond tofu on the table as she spoke quickly and precisely. "And you wouldn't have had to send me that vague letter before you left, right?"

  Her words were like arrows. "This can only mean one thing—Uncle Lai, you don't fully control the Jinyiwei. Chen Xiang spent six years building connections in the Jinyiwei. Even though some were implicated in the hunting field incident, there are still those deeply embedded who are both capable and loyal to him... Xu Liang and Jia Yingxin, I imagine, have caused you considerable trouble, haven't they?"

  Lai Chenglong suddenly recalled Luo Gui waiting at Shizi Pavillion. Now it seemed that wasn't a coincidence and certainly wasn't because Luo had somehow tracked him—no one dared investigate the whereabouts of a Jinyiwei commander, risking their life if discovered. Clearly, Song Chuyi had long had her eyes on Xu Liang and Jia Yingxin.

  When had it begun? When Jia Yingxin and Xu Liang started interfering in Wang Ying's matters and took control of Shizi Pavillion, or even earlier?

  Finally, Lai Chenglong sighed, discreetly removing his hand from his sword hilt. He picked up a piece of duck's webbing, and only then did he realize how hungry he was, having eaten nothing at Shizi Pavillion.

  After he'd eaten, he opened the booklet and gnced at it. A single look was all it took before he closed it and tucked it into his robe. "What's this?"

  "I know you don't like Xu Liang and Jia Yingxin blocking your path," Song Chuyi said, her smile unchanged but her words sharp. "I don't like them either. Since they want to meddle in everything... let's make sure they're removed from the picture."

  The cold wind blew, lifting the pavilion's curtains. Lai Chenglong scanned the surroundings warily before turning back to her. "You gave me this booklet because you want to take them down?"

  "I'm merely offering you a suggestion, Uncle Lai. How you handle it is up to you." Song Chuyi's gaze was clear as she looked at him without a hint of deceit. "You can continue being obstructed by those two fools, or you can become a powerful Jinyiwei commander like Lord Lu from the previous dynasty. It's all in your hands."

  Lai Chenglong suddenly felt some fondness for this young girl. Although she was a little frightening, having such a sharp-minded ally was appealing when their interests aligned.

  "Are these names all people they've pnted in the Yulin Guard, Jinyiwei, and Jinwu Guard?" Lai Chenglong asked directly, without further ado. "Is the list reliable?"

  If it was, then Xu Liang and Jia Yingxin would be thoroughly finished.

  "Rest assured, Lord Lai," Ma Wangkun, who had been waiting on the side, interjected hastily, fearing Lai Chenglong might have doubts. "My brothers and I spent over a year investigating this; it's absolutely accurate. We can even tell you when and where they received their payments!"

  A year! Could this young girl really be that calcuting? Was she overly confident, or did she truly have this level of assurance, to dare investigate two Jinyiwei commanders? But then he remembered—the previous commander, Chen Xiang, had died by her hand. What was stopping her from toppling two more?