Zhao Yi was caught off guard, his expression darkening slightly.
The original owner of this body had actually been colluding with Beiyi in secret. If his suspicious father, the Emperor, ever found out, they would both undoubtedly be doomed. Zhao Yi, who had felt quite confident about catching the spies, now felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. What a mess this was!
After a moment of reflection, Zhao Yi chose to face reality. He looked at Consort Hui, took a deep breath, and asked, "Mother, tell me the truth: how deep does your involvement with the people of Beiyi go?"
Consort Hui frowned, her expression cautious. "I have always maintained contact with them. After all, I am a princess of Beiyi, and I have little foundation here in Dayong. Some matters require the assistance of Beiyi's strength."
Zhao Yi closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. As a former secret agent, he knew full well what clandestine dealings with a hostile nation meant. Once discovered, it would be total ruin. Having transmigrated into such a perilous situation, he felt an urge to curse out loud. The situation was dire, but fortunately, his background as a skilled operative gave him some confidence.
Zhao Yi steadied himself and asked again, "Mother, what is your trusted confidante's status?"
"She is my personal maid," Consort Hui replied in a low voice.
Zhao Yi’s brows tightened. "Mother, the situation is critical. If she falls into the hands of the Xuanying Bureau, we are both finished. If she has escaped, we must find her before the Xuanying Bureau and the Pei family do."
Consort Hui nodded in a panic, then suddenly recalled something. She said urgently, "We have a secret hideout outside the palace. If she escaped, she is likely hiding there."
"Good. Give me the address; I will find a way to check it."
Consort Hui quickly drew a map for Zhao Yi. After tucking it away, he stood up immediately. "Mother, the matter is urgent. I must take my leave."
"Yi'er, you must be careful," Consort Hui cautioned before he departed.
Zhao Yi nodded. He walked a few steps, then paused and turned back. "By the way, what is your maid's name?"
"Cuiyao."
Zhao Yi hurried out of Xinyue Palace. On the way, he constantly simulated various possibilities and strategies in his mind. When he reached the palace gate, several guards from Prince Qing's Estate approached him. Zhao Yi paused for a moment before realizing that as a Prince, he was accompanied by an escort. He felt a headache coming on. If these guards followed him everywhere, how was he supposed to get anything done?
*Forget it, I’ll figure something out later.*
"To the Xuanying Bureau!" Zhao Yi climbed into the carriage and ordered loudly.
Many of the imperial administrative offices were located around the Imperial Palace, so the distance was not far. Before long, the carriage pulled up in front of the Xuanying Bureau. Zhao Yi got out and looked up at the main gate. The Xuanying Bureau was the intelligence agency of the Dayong Dynasty, reporting directly to the Emperor, with sweeping powers. There was almost nothing they couldn't interfere with. Even high-ranking officials in the court had to be courteous when they encountered people from the Xuanying Bureau, not to mention ordinary folk. At the mere mention of the Bureau's name, people would tremble in fear.
Zhao Yi smoothed his sleeves and walked toward the entrance. The gate guards instinctively wanted to shout a challenge, but upon seeing the dark red dragon-embroidered robe and the few Imperial Guards following behind, their expressions shifted instantly.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" The guards immediately knelt in salute.
Zhao Yi looked straight ahead, acting as if he hadn't even noticed them, and walked straight into the Xuanying Bureau. The previous owner of this body was a good-for-nothing, arrogant fop; he couldn't afford to break character now. Zhao Yi proceeded without obstruction until he reached the council hall, where he sat down confidently in the head seat.
Soon, a duty councillor named Liu heard the news and hurried over.
"This lowly one pays respects to His Highness Prince Qing."
Councillor Liu was in his forties, with a sleazy look—especially that upturned mustache, which made him look like a bad character. His obsequious smile only made him more repulsive.
Zhao Yi looked around and frowned. "Where are the others?"
"The other superiors are out handling business; they are not in the office," Councillor Liu replied cautiously.
Zhao Yi sneered inwardly. Knowing he was coming, all the superiors had disappeared, leaving only an eighth-rank councillor to attend to him. It was a clear sign of disrespect—or rather, disrespect toward his predecessor.
Zhao Yi put on an arrogant front and said lazily, "Do you know why I am here?"
"Yes, yes! I know," Councillor Liu nodded hurriedly. "The palace has already sent word."
"Then tell me the sequence of events," Zhao Yi ordered nonchalantly.
Councillor Liu presented a document. "Your Highness, this is the copied dossier. Please take a look."
Zhao Yi waved his hand impatiently. "Just tell me directly."
Councillor Liu did not dare to stall and respectfully recounted the story. The Xuanying Bureau had recently tracked down a hideout for Beiyi spies and laid an ambush last night to capture them. However, after a cloaked woman appeared and discovered them, the spies scattered and fled. The Bureau had pursued them, resulting in one spy committing suicide to avoid capture, one being killed while resisting, and two being taken alive. Only the woman had been wounded and escaped.
Hearing this, Zhao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Cuiyao had not been captured—that was good news.
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Have the two captured spies revealed any information?"
Councillor Liu shook his head and sneered, "We subjected them to brutal interrogation, but we still couldn't get the woman's identity out of them."
This was more good news for Zhao Yi. Cuiyao's identity had not been exposed, and she hadn't been caught. As long as he found her, he could weather this crisis.
"By the way," Zhao Yi frowned slightly, "how badly was the woman injured?"
Councillor Liu let out an "oh" and replied, "When the female spy was fleeing, she was struck in the upper left shoulder by our sleeve-darts. It shouldn't be fatal. However,"—he paused briefly—"those sleeve-darts were poisoned. If she has no antidote, the toxin will act soon, causing unbearable, intense itching all over her body."
"Unbearable itching?" Zhao Yi narrowed his eyes.
Councillor Liu nodded, explaining, "It is a toxin carefully refined by our Bureau. The victim will suffer from intense, maddening itching. To seek relief, she will definitely have to go to a clinic or apothecary for help."
Councillor Liu smiled fawningly at Zhao Yi as if begging for praise. "Your Highness, I heard you were ordered to capture that female spy. If you don't have any leads, you might as well have your men watch the clinics and apothecaries. She might just walk right into the trap!"
Zhao Yi nodded in satisfaction. He turned to the steward accompanying him and commanded, "Reward him!"
The steward immediately produced a gold ingot and handed it to Councillor Liu. The councillor was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"
Zhao Yi would never be stingy with those who could be bought with money.
"Oh, right," Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "I didn't realize your Xuanying Bureau had such amusing things as poison darts. Take me to see them."