This young master seems to know nothing, yet he appears to know everything. When asked, his words are ambiguous and difficult to respond to.

  Are all those people from the Zhou family so unbearable?

  Before waiting for Song Chuyi's response, Zhou Weizhao lowered his eyes to look at the bamboo tube on his desk and said after a while: "Still, I'd say that this woman really has some unmentionable secret. That's why Sixth Miss is so tense."

  They had only met twice, and one of those times she hadn't even shown her face. Yet he seemed to understand her thoroughly, and the feeling of being controlled by someone was really not pleasant. Song Chuyi furrowed her brow at him, stood up and asked: "Prince Taishun, it's indeed a rare thing that you're so forceful and intimidating. If Your Highness suspects me of having ulterior motives, why did you help me out this morning by covering for me? A clever person like Your Highness should know the principle of 'presuming innocence until proven guilty', shouldn't you?"

  "What if I want to meet that kitchen maid?" Zhou Wei Zhao didn't get angry, looking as calm as a cat with its claws out: "I suppose the young master won't refuse, will he?"

  This person's ability to observe and listen is so formidable that he had already sensed her unspoken secret in the morning, but didn't want it to be discovered by other members of the Song family. So this afternoon he pretended to maintain a low profile, but now he's using it as a threat against himself.

  But it has to be said that this threat is indeed very effective. Song Chuyi let out a light sigh, glanced at Hongyu who was scared pale beside her, and turned to look at Zhou Weizhao: "Your Highness, what do you want to do?"

  Zhou Weizhao's bamboo tube was twisted open, and a finger-sized ink monkey crawled out along his fingers, blinking its round eyes curiously as it looked around.

  He placed it on the desk and it swiftly ran towards the inkstone, grinding out the ink with agility.

  "Jingchuan has always been a person who doesn't get up early without profit, it's absolutely impossible to call him to eat losses." Zhou Weizhao answered irrelevantly, stretched out his hand and tapped the ink monkey's head, turned his head to look at Song Chuyi: "Sixth Miss must have some special skills to make him surrender, he would be willing to go find this person for you overnight. I don't know what kind of transaction you two made?"

  Just now, this lady clearly pointed out that she didn't want the Song family to know about the existence of ripples. It should also be possible to guess that her transaction with Ye Jingchuan was a purely private transaction, not involving the Changning Bo Fu and Zhen Nan Wang Fu. I don't know why she still has a grudge and must know clearly.

  Is it cautious by nature or suspicious to this extent?

  "Want me to guess how? " Zhou Weizhao took a pen from the pen holder and wrote something on the paper, while still having the mood to take care of Song Chuyi: "This person is fearless, always thinking that he is the second in the world, and only this time he made a big mistake. If I'm not wrong, are you teaching him how to get away with it?"

  It's pointless to hide it any further now that things have come this far. The key is that Ye Jingchuan's side is really unreliable, and Lingyu almost got caught because of his carelessness. Rather than being exposed as a liar later on, it's better to just admit it openly.

  Song Chuyi weighed her options carefully and finally nodded in agreement.

  "He ignored the advice and broke out of the pass, which is a fact. The Tartar soldiers brought harm to the people of Tongzhou, which is also a fact. Is Miss Song too kind-hearted or too cold-blooded to help him escape punishment?" Zhou Weizhao's gaze was calm as he looked at her, as if discussing the weather: "And I want to know, what makes you, a weak girl from a boudoir, able to let him get away scot-free from such a great disaster?"

  He spoke in a calm tone, but Hong Yu and Qing Tao exchanged a glance, both seeing their own pale faces reflected in each other's eyes.

  If one really wants to pursue the matter, Zhou Weizhao had already identified himself with Ye Jingchuan at the scene and wouldn't wait until now. Song Chuyi understood this point very well, so when facing Zhou Weizhao's somewhat intimidating grandiose words, she remained calm.

  "He's indeed out of the pass, and it's also true that he brought in the Tartar troops. However, since Prince Taizong is willing to meet with the envoy, I suppose he must also be aware of the hidden circumstances behind this?" Song Chuyi stared at his slender fingers, lowering her head to say slowly: "As for what I rely on, since I dare to make a guarantee, naturally I have my own methods."

  Zhou Weizhao's hands paused for a moment, then suddenly withdrew his previous questioning, looked up and revealed a smile that made people feel like spring breeze: "I don't know if Miss Song Liu would mind making a deal with me? I can help you more than Jingchuan."

  Song Chuyi's eyes widened, and for a moment she couldn't react.

  Then she quickly thought of the feasibility of this transaction. If she wasn't mistaken, Prince Taeson also wanted to deal with the mastermind behind the scenes, and had been wanting to for a very long time.

  "Your Highness Ta Sun's identity is not ordinary, I don't know if I can help with anything." Song Chuyi quickly added the second half of the sentence: "But I'll do my best to help."

  Indeed she is an extremely intelligent little girl, and I didn't misjudge her.

  "Then tell me your idea." He glanced at Song Chuyi: "I also want to hear, what method do you have to make Ye Jingchuan innocent while implicating that person?"

  That person refers to Xing Fu, the current head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department. He has a complicated background and used to be a senior servant in the household of Prince Duan. In recent years, he has not stopped taking money to do things for Prince Duan.

  Anyone who can speak on equal terms with the emperor and still holds great power is a natural enemy if he cannot be made use of.

  Moreover, this Xing Fu has a big appetite and is extremely ambitious.

  Such a person is not enough to make people plot with the tiger for its skin, so we can only snatch food from the tiger's mouth.

  Song Chuyi had already carefully considered the issue and clearly thought it through. At this moment, seeing Zhou Weizhao ask, he clearly expressed his own opinion: "The Zijing Pass is not only guarded by generals, but also has supervising censors."

  Zhou Weizhao raised an eyebrow, indicating for her to continue speaking.

  "This censor, as it happens, is a fellow townsman and friend of Xingfu's nephew, and has always been very filial to Xingfu. When Xingfu had his birthday, this official even knelt down with Xingfu's nephew and called him 'dry father'. Song Chuyi said up to here, then paused before adding a hint of ridicule in her smile: "This official is quite well-versed in literature, and likes to make friends with Tartars. He specially drew an album with notes on the defense lines of Tongzhou City and marked the locations of wealthy families' homes, which was printed and distributed at the border."

  Zhou Wei Zhao didn't move, but a deeper smile spread across his lips.

  "So this calamity, pouring on Xingfu's head is also a reasonable thing. Ye Jingchuan was just an innocent victim of the temptation of that imperial historian, so he fell into the trap and brought in the Tartars to break through the pass."