Seeing Li Xuan agree, Zhao Feng cast a grateful look, and Chief Steward Shang, who was beside him, also smiled.
If Li Xuan had said no, Zhao Bugao's life would have been over after this incident.
This was Chief Steward Shang's intention.
He would not allow a traitor to become a barrier between them and Li Xuan, even if this person was Zhao Feng's adopted son.
Do not think that because the Two Chief Eunuchs were always amiable with Li Xuan, they did not have a ruthless side.
Anyone who could climb to the position of Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau in this palace would not harbor a trace of weakness in their heart.
When it came to what needed to be done, the Two Chief Eunuchs would absolutely not be soft-hearted.
Zhao Bugao still did not know that he had walked a tightrope before the gates of hell, and he was still honestly staring at his toes.
He was also very clear about his own situation.
If it weren't for Zhao Feng's desperate protection, how could his adopted grandfather have allowed him to live until now?
Ever since his scheme was exposed, Zhao Bugao's heart had, on the contrary, felt much lighter.
He had originally taken the opportunity to confront Zhao Feng to speak out many of the things hidden in his heart.
He had spoken those words with the intention of dying, but Zhao Feng had not killed him, keeping him alive until now, which instead made Zhao Bugao feel increasingly guilty towards Zhao Feng.
As an adopted father, Zhao Feng was absolutely beyond reproach.
But Zhao Bugao truly could not see any hope.
After Zhao Feng's passing in a hundred years, who would Zhao Bugao be able to rely on to continue surviving in this Great Imperial Palace?
"Forget it..."
The victor is king, the loser is bandit; the outcome was already decided.
It was useless for Zhao Bugao to think about these things anymore.
Now he was a fish on a chopping block, to be butchered at will.
However, when Zhao Bugao thought of Deng Weixian standing beside him, he felt a pang of guilt.
He had a good adopted father, but he had failed to be a good adopted father to Deng Weixian, instead harming him.
"This is a good child; I hope my adopted father and them can spare him."
Just as Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian, this father and son pair, were lost in complex thoughts, Zhao Feng's voice suddenly rang out:
"Zhao Bugao, Deng Weixian."
"Raise your heads."
The two first bowed respectfully, then slowly raised their heads.
But when they raised their heads, they both involuntarily froze.
The Two Chief Eunuchs by the stone table naturally did not surprise them.
The problem was that on that stone table, a black cat had suddenly appeared.
And this black cat was staring intently at the two of them, its dark and profound gaze making them feel a sense of unease.
But since the Two Chief Eunuchs did not speak, Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian dared not ask questions proactively, only silently waiting for what came next.
However, Zhao Feng's next words instantly made the father and son feel a strong sense of discomfort.
"This is Li Xuan."
"In this operation targeting the Great Desert Envoy Delegation, he will be your supervisor."
Deng Weixian was the first to be unable to hold back, lowering his head to hide his trembling pupils.
"Isn't this Li Xuan from sister's place?"
When he went to Jingyang Palace a few days ago, Yu'er had just introduced him.
Deng Weixian had only thought the black cat was cute at the time and hadn't given it much thought.
But who would have thought that this black cat would transform into "Li Xuan" and be formally introduced by the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau as his supervisor for this mission?
Deng Weixian had come with the resolve to risk his life, yet the Internal Affairs Bureau had sent a cat to supervise him?
Deng Weixian was certain that he was the most insignificant character present; the important figures surely had their own considerations.
But no matter how much he tried to find an explanation, he could not find a reason for Zhao Feng to do such a thing.
"What exactly is going on?"
Unlike the inwardly flustered Deng Weixian, Zhao Bugao was a bit better, merely twitching the corner of his mouth slightly and not commenting much on it.
Zhao Bugao knew very well that although the Two Chief Eunuchs were old, they were definitely not senile.
Otherwise, the Internal Affairs Bureau, which was crucial in the Great Imperial Palace, would not be under their control, and it had always been managed in an orderly fashion.
Zhao Bugao had served as the second-in-command in the Internal Affairs Bureau and knew how difficult it was.
This was also why he was certain that with his insufficient strength, even with Zhao Feng's support, he would not be able to do a good job as Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
The difficulty lay in the fact that too many people were coveting this position.
Zhao Feng gave them some time to react, and after a moment of silence, he continued:
"The Great Desert wants you to frame Wang Jieyu, thereby implicating the Zhongwu General Residence."
Not long after Wang Suyue gained favor, she moved out of Yan Qu Hall and was given a courtyard in Caiyun Palace, and was also conferred the title of Jieyu, one of the twenty-seven concubines, ranking only below the Four Consorts and Nine Concubines.
It just goes to show that having a background makes it easy to get promoted.
The same principle applied to the imperial harem.
One night of imperial favor could elevate one to Jieyu; it was unknown how many young palace maids yearning for love in the palace envied her.
Zhao Feng continued, "According to the secret letter, the method is to poison the Emperor on the day Wang Jieyu serves him."
Everyone present had calm expressions; they had all read the contents of the secret letter before.
Li Xuan, in particular, was filled with silent condemnation for such a malicious method.
"Poisoning Emperor Yongyuan is easier said than done, but for the Great Desert, whether they succeed or not, their goal can be achieved."
"If they succeed, Great Xing will be in turmoil, and perhaps it could give the Great Desert an excellent opportunity. At that time, the Great Desert wouldn't even care about a Zhongwu General Residence anymore."
"If they fail, Wang Suyue and the Zhongwu General Residence will face a great disaster, with confiscation of property and extermination of the clan being the most likely outcome. After all, the poison was administered by Wang Suyue's confidant, Deng Weixian, so she wouldn't be able to clear herself of suspicion no matter what."
"Even if Emperor Yongyuan has some doubts and does not severely punish the Zhongwu General Residence, his trust in the Zhongwu General Residence will inevitably decrease."
"From the moment Deng Weixian approached Wang Suyue and gained her trust, this scheme was already a success."
"These people from the Great Desert are quite good at playing schemes and tricks."
Li Xuan always had a preconceived stereotype of these foreign tribes as "barbaric" and "lacking in intelligence."
But now it seemed he was wrong.
The Great Desert's scheme, though simple, was effective enough.
The main reason was that they had managed to recruit Zhao Bugao, a professional.
And it was by no means easy to persuade Zhao Bugao at first, but the Great Desert managed to do it, and they almost succeeded.
If Zhao Bugao's scheme had not been exposed prematurely, this conspiracy might have truly been successfully implemented.
"Wang Jieyu's imperial service is in four days, and the Great Desert Envoy Delegation has not yet delivered the poison."
Zhao Feng lightly tapped the stone table, pondered for a moment, and continued:
"Based on this, it can be inferred that there are still Great Desert spies in the palace, and they hold high positions, capable of influencing the arrangements for imperial service."
"As for the poison not being delivered immediately, it's likely they are observing whether Zhao Bugao's resolve is firm."
"After all, this letter is enough to ensure that everyone in the Great Desert Envoy Delegation will have no way back."
Zhao Feng said, waving the secret letter in his hand.
"But they certainly have a way to circumvent the risks of the secret letter, and we will not make a big fuss based solely on one letter at this time."
"Zhao Bugao, Deng Weixian."
"You two continue as usual, without any changes, and wait for the next contact from the Great Desert Envoy Delegation."
"Yes!"
Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian answered in unison.
Deng Weixian's voice was a bit strained, clearly indicating he was already nervous.
"Alright, for the subsequent matters, just await further orders."
Zhao Feng waved his hand, allowing Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian to withdraw first.
The father and son bowed respectfully, not forgetting Li Xuan, before daring to exit the courtyard.
Chief Steward Shang had merely watched silently from beginning to end, not interfering with Zhao Feng's arrangements.
In front of outsiders, Chief Steward Shang always gave his adopted son enough face, after all, Zhao Feng was now nominally the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Seeing Zhao Feng simply dismiss Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian, Li Xuan couldn't help but ask:
"Is that all?"
"Don't you need to instruct them on anything else?"
Zhao Feng's arrangements were much simpler than Li Xuan had anticipated.
Zhao Feng smiled slightly, then replied, "The more complex the arrangement, the easier it is to make mistakes. This is good enough as it is."
"Li Xuan, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry."
"My unworthy adopted son has already confessed everything clearly; I have control over his contact methods with the Great Desert, so there's no need to worry about his side."
"It's the other hidden rats that we need to be careful of."
Zhao Feng looked at the secret letter in his hand, his eyes chilling.
The arrival time of the Great Desert Envoy Delegation and the date of Wang Suyue's upcoming imperial service were very close.
However, the concubines' imperial service arrangements had been set a month in advance.
Unless there were unexpected circumstances, the imperial service arrangements would not be changed.
From the secret letter written by the Great Desert Envoy Delegation to Zhao Bugao, it was clear that Wang Suyue's imperial service date was already known to them.
This unhurried arrangement now further demonstrated their confidence.
Given this, among the Grand Eunuchs who could influence the imperial service arrangements, there must be someone connected with the Great Desert.
Zhao Feng also hadn't expected that besides his own adopted son, there were other people in the palace acting foolishly.
A Grand Eunuch betraying the imperial family was an unforgivable mistake, let alone someone who sold out their country.
Every Grand Eunuch had been deeply favored by the Emperor, which was how they achieved their current prestige.
But now, not only did they not think of repaying this kindness, they even tried to betray their master for glory.
The Two Chief Eunuchs naturally could not tolerate such a Grand Eunuch.
Seeing that Zhao Feng had made all the arrangements, Li Xuan stopped worrying unnecessarily.
"I also have some experience catching rats; do you need my help?"
Li Xuan was quite interested in such matters.
He had been constantly busy lately and hadn't eavesdropped on others in the palace for a long time.
"Haha, Li Xuan is a cat after all, so it seems he has quite an interest in catching rats."
Chief Steward Shang joked, and Zhao Feng also laughed along.
"Li Xuan, there's no rush with this matter; let me make proper arrangements."
"If you are in the mood tonight, why don't you go and check on the Great Desert Envoy Delegation for me?"
Li Xuan thought about it, feeling that he had nothing to do at night anyway, and readily agreed to Zhao Feng's request.
...
The moon hung in the cold sky, its clear light casting round shadows.
The autumn night was already very cool.
Following the map Zhao Feng had drawn for him, Li Xuan found the Sifang Pavilion, not far from West Market.
The Sifang Pavilion was an exclusive Posthouse designated for foreign envoys, occupying a considerable area.
Within the Sifang Pavilion, sections were differentiated by country names, for example, the current Great Desert Envoy Delegation was staying in the Great Desert Inn within the Sifang Pavilion.
Li Xuan searched around and quickly found the place.
The other pavilions were quiet and deserted, only this one was the most lively.
Li Xuan came closer and confirmed it was indeed the Great Desert Inn.
At the entrance of the Great Desert Inn, there was a team of distinctly styled grassland warriors on guard.
Inside, rhythmic singing and dancing could be heard, clearly indicating a banquet was being held.
"Their spirits are quite high."
Li Xuan smiled slightly, directly scaling the wall to enter; none of the grassland warriors outside noticed a small cat had snuck in.
Upon entering the Great Desert Inn, Li Xuan found that there were indeed many people.
Besides the Great Desert Envoy Delegation dressed in exotic attire, he noticed many Great Xing people who had been invited.
Although these invited guests were dressed in casual clothes, they were all adorned with gold and jade, exuding an elegant demeanor, clearly not ordinary people.
"Are these Great Xing officials?"
"Didn't they say the two countries had a bad relationship?"
"How dare these people so openly carouse with the people from the Great Desert?"
Li Xuan's small brows furrowed deeply.
He thought about it and concluded that they might just be officials specifically for entertaining the Great Desert Envoy Delegation, so he didn't think much further.
Li Xuan moved along the eaves and through the bushes, hiding in the dark shadows, observing the people attending the banquet.
Before coming, Zhao Feng had only given Li Xuan a map to the Sifang Pavilion; he hadn't mentioned anything else, nor had he told him to gather any specific intelligence or pay attention to anyone in particular.
In this situation, Li Xuan could only exercise his own initiative and gather whatever intelligence he found interesting.
Currently, Li Xuan was most curious about who the true leader of this Great Desert Envoy Delegation was.
Since they were here to play schemes and tricks, there had to be someone who was most privy to the information.
After all, this person knew about the existence of Zhao Bugao and other palace spies, making him the most valuable source of intelligence.
Li Xuan circled the banquet a few times and found a group of people worth noting.
Compared to the lively banquet outside in the courtyard with singing and dancing, there was another private banquet in an inconspicuous small room inside the Great Desert Inn.
There were only four people in the room; besides one, the others were all dressed in exotic attire, clearly members of the Great Desert Envoy Delegation.
After Li Xuan found this suspicious group, he skillfully climbed onto the roof, made a hole, and then looked down into the room.
Now that he had Yin Yang True Qi, doing these things was truly silent and imperceptible, much more covert than before.
"I must say, I'm really suited for this line of work."
Li Xuan also felt proud of himself.
And peeking and eavesdropping were really exciting.
"Lord Wang, your presence today truly gives us hope for peace between our two nations."
"Come, I toast to Lord Wang."
"May our two countries live in peace soon."
At the head of the table, a refined-looking middle-aged man with a wool robe and several braids in his beard, whose appearance and attire distinctly showed the exotic characteristics of the Great Desert, yet whose every move was as elegant and graceful as a Great Xing noble, raised his glass.
The Great Xing man, referred to as Lord Wang, laughed heartily at the flattery and also raised his wine cup, saying:
"With the Great Desert showing such sincerity this time, and with a wise man like Belgrade leading the delegation, His Majesty will certainly not mind the minor conflicts on the border between our two countries."
"This peace negotiation will surely achieve a good result."