That evening, the secret guards intercepted a letter from Lin Zhilan at the posthouse, sent to Huo Guanzhong at the Imperial Academy.
Lin Qinghe took the envelope, opened it, and read the letter. The contents were as expected.
With no other options, Lin Zhilan decided to use You Rong to lure her out of the palace.
In the letter, Lin Zhilan asked Huo Guanzhong for a transcript or written samples of You Rong's handwriting. She claimed someone by her side could imitate others' handwriting and could forge a letter from You Rong, inviting her out for a stroll. Lin Zhilan stated that she would eagerly accept the invitation, and the secret guards could ambush the meeting place, leaving her no escape.
Lin Qinghe curved her lips into a satisfied smile.
The past two days of acting had not been in vain, achieving two goals with one stone: guiding Lin Zhilan's actions according to her plan, while also increasing You Rong's favorability and advancing the progress bar. She was very pleased.
Seeing Lin Qinghe smile, the secret guard tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, what did Princess Chang'an conspire with Huo Guanzhong in this letter? May we cast our net and capture them all?"
Lin Qinghe raised her eyebrows with a smile, "Indeed! The time is almost ripe. We will soon be able to capture them all!"
The secret guard's face was filled with excitement, "Your subordinate will prepare immediately! I guarantee none of them will escape!"
Lin Qinghe restored the envelope and handed it to the secret guard, nodding, "Yes, deliver the letter to Huo Guanzhong at the Imperial Academy, and then begin your preparations. Remember to be careful not to alert them."
The secret guard replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty! Your subordinate will be careful!"
"Yes, you may withdraw."
"Yes, Your subordinate takes his leave."
The secret guard withdrew, and the palace doors closed. Lin Qinghe sat by her desk with a cheerful mood, propping her chin with one hand and tapping her fingers on the desk.
She had planned so much in advance and was finally about to see the results, so how could she not be happy?
Two days later, the secret guard stationed at the You mansion reported early in the morning that Huo Guanzhong had sent an invitation for You Rong to meet at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for a small gathering. You Rong had already departed from his residence for the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Lin Qinghe instinctively felt that Lin Zhilan and her group were about to make their move. As expected, the moment this thought arose, Wang Jiang's voice, laced with a smile, came from outside the palace doors, "Your Majesty, a servant from the Prime Minister's mansion just arrived with a post, saying Prime Minister You invites you to go boating outside the palace. Shall I prepare for your departure from the palace for this engagement?"
Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes slightly.
See? It was coming.
Lin Qinghe said, "First, bring the post in for me to see."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Jiang pushed the door open and presented the so-called post from the Prime Minister's mansion to Lin Qinghe. Lin Qinghe opened it and saw that the handwriting was indeed identical to You Rong's. However, she knew that this could not possibly be a post written by You Rong himself.
Wang Jiang said sweetly, "Your Majesty truly sees the light after the clouds part... You must be going to the appointment, right? I will call in the palace maids to help you dress and adorn yourself."
Lin Qinghe smiled, a smile with deep meaning, "Indeed, I should properly dress and adorn myself, after all, I am going to meet someone I am fond of... However, before calling in the palace maids to dress and adorn me, first send for the secret guard and Tutor Xu to see me."
Wang Jiang was somewhat confused as to why Lin Qinghe suddenly wanted to see the secret guard and Tutor Xu, but he dared not ask further. He quickly agreed and, following Lin Qinghe's instructions, went to summon Tutor Xu to the palace.
Half an hour later, Tutor Xu and the secret guard left the Changning Palace. Lin Qinghe had also dressed and adorned herself, changed into a light green casual outfit, and boarded a carriage to leave the palace.
Unbeknownst to anyone, after the carriage left the palace, it traveled into a crowded marketplace. A figure secretly slipped out of the carriage and onto another carriage nearby.
The two carriages traveled one after another towards the direction of Matchmaking Lake.
One carriage stopped by the shore of Matchmaking Lake, while another, more discreet and luxurious carriage, stopped five li away from Matchmaking Lake.
Lin Qinghe sat in the carriage, propping her chin in boredom, and tapped the carriage. She asked outside, "How is it? Have the people they ambushed in hiding made their move?"
The secret guard outside the carriage replied, "Excuse me, they have not yet acted."
Lin Qinghe raised her eyebrows, "Oh, they are so patient? Or are they worried that Your Majesty is not in the carriage, and they will strike at an empty target?"
The secret guard said, "Then... does Your Majesty wish us to strike first?"
Lin Qinghe replied nonchalantly, "It's fine. I have plenty of time today, I'll humor them and see who can't hold out any longer... Besides, the troops have already been ambushed nearby, so I'm not afraid they can escape!"
They continued to wait. After a quarter of an hour, Lin Zhilan's people finally could not hold back any longer. A group of black-clad figures flew from the boats on the lake to the shore, drawing their swords and engaging the coachman. The rest directly thrust their swords towards the carriage.
With this thrust, the black-clad figures' pupils contracted. In disbelief, they slashed away the carriage's curtains, revealing an empty interior.
The black-clad figures reacted quickly, turning around and shouting, "It's a trap! There's no one in the carriage! Retreat!"
However, it was too late. As they turned, they were shocked to find that the entire Matchmaking Lake was surrounded, with royal secret guards aiming their crossbows at them.
The leading secret guard sternly declared, "Listen! Lay down your weapons and surrender. His Majesty will spare your lives, otherwise... you will be killed without mercy!"
The surrounded black-clad figures looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and decided to fight. Just as they were about to charge forward with their swords, a volley of arrows unhesitatingly shot down the approaching figures. The remaining black-clad figures, seeing this, quickly surrendered their weapons.
Lin Qinghe drank a pot of tea inside the carriage. Outside, hurried footsteps were heard, and then the secret guard reported from outside, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all assassins have been captured. Ten were taken alive, and the rest have all been shot dead!"
Lin Qinghe nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, well done. Has Tutor Xu at the posthouse sent any news?"
As soon as the words fell, a soldier ran up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, Tutor Xu has sent word from the posthouse that Princess Chang'an and the others have all been captured and are now on their way to the imperial prison!"
Everything was as expected, and Lin Qinghe was very pleased. She glanced outside and said to the secret guard, "Alright, I am returning to the palace. You take your men to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to capture the traitor Huo Guanzhong. Remember to spread the news that I was ambushed and seriously injured at Matchmaking Lake, do you understand?"
In the eyes of the secret guard, Lin Qinghe was now a shrewd and unfathomable ruler, and all her decisions were stratagems. Therefore, he harbored no doubt as to why she wanted to spread the news of her near-fatal ambush. He respectfully replied, "Yes, your subordinate accepts the order! I will attend to it immediately!"
Watching the secret guard mount his horse and ride away, Lin Qinghe lowered the carriage curtains and said to the coachman in front, "Return to the palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Inside the carriage.
Lin Qinghe began to move her neck and arms, rubbing her hands together, her eyes flashing with excitement.
It was time for the main event, and it was her turn to shine!