The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Yun Xi suddenly understood, her eyes brightened, then she frowned and said,

"Even if I go back, I definitely won't be trusted immediately, right? Old Dog Zhuang won't fail to guess that I might have been turned."

Zhao Douan snapped his fingers and smiled,

"He definitely can think of that, which is why the person I plan to exchange is not just a few, but a group. A large group."

A peculiar expression appeared on his face as he stood up and paced around the interrogation room,

"In the past three years, the court has arrested quite a few rebels across various regions. Some have died, but many are still detained.

As long as we exchange a large enough number of prisoners, even if Zhuang Xiaocheng harbors suspicions, he won't be able to hide away such a large group or keep them imprisoned indefinitely.

Well, at most he could temporarily keep them under surveillance, but then what? He has to release them eventually, at most prevented from rejoining the workforce for safety."

He paused slightly, turning back to give the three people time to digest the information.

Zhao Douan, bathed in beams of light, stood with his back to it, his expression obscured as he smiled and said,

"This is the most interesting part. Zhuang Xiaocheng wouldn't dare use these prisoners, so even if the court releases them, there's no worry that they would join forces with the court again, because Zhuang Xiaocheng doesn't trust them...

But these people still share unbreakable ties with the other members of the Kuangfu Society.

Zhuang Xiaocheng can't kill these people, nor can he imprison them long-term. Once released, the spies we've planted among them can start to work, perhaps... reveal the truth, draw more people to side with the court?

All possible.

If he dares to employ these people, that might indeed cause some trouble for the court, but compared to the benefits of planting spies, it's an acceptable loss, especially since we can also recover many operatives. It's definitely worth it."

Trading a group of either staunchly silent or already spent prisoners for the elite of the court seemed like a profitable business.

Moreover, there was one thing he hadn't mentioned, just that the news had to be released.

That way, in the future, when the Kuangfu Society captures anyone from the court, they're likely to not kill them.

Because alive, they can be used for exchanges.

But once dead, they're gone.

As for the possibility of captives from the court defecting to the Kuangfu Society?

Sure, it was possible.

But the court was large and powerful; rescued captives could simply be scattered and kept in military camps or isolated and observed in separate barracks.

"Even, we might not need to go through so much trouble. With such a large exchange of prisoners, the Kuangfu Society would certainly send someone for the rendezvous. Just use some measures to track them, and we might even figure out Zhuang Xiaocheng's location and capture him in one fell swoop."

Well, Zhao Douan hadn't shared this idea with the three, it was something he mentioned in a previous meeting with Ma Yan.

When Ma Yan heard it, he also fell into deep thought and then asked,

"Will Your Majesty agree? Exchanging prisoners is common during wartime, but involving rebels... it's different after all."

Implicit meaning:

On the court, it's not that no one had thought of this strategy, but no one dared speak of it.

Because the most sensitive part of this plan was that whoever brought it up would become suspicious.

Thus, the more intelligent people, the less they dared to propose this plan.

Zhao Douan also didn't want to mention it, so when he left the sleeping quarters in the morning, he didn't fully disclose the matter.

He just acquired an oral decree from the Empress granting him "full authority to handle the situation."

With the Dragon Essence inside him and the merits he had earned in the past half year, he was qualified to push this plan forward.

...

Inside the interrogation room.

A quiet fell.

The three prisoners were stunned by the plan!

Yun Xi's eyes grew brighter, she felt this strategy could indeed extremely upset Old Dog Zhuang.

It was like a baited fish hook—you knew there was a hook inside, yet you had to swallow it anyhow.

Her expression grew peculiar as she looked at Zhao Douan, thinking to herself that this man really had a ruthless heart, to concoct such a spiteful plan.

"So, the three of us, are we the spies you plan to mix in with the prisoners?" Yun Xi asked curiously.

Zhao Douan shook his head, finally turning around, his gaze landing on Wu Ling, and he smiled,

"Wu Ling is different from you. He will establish contact with the Kuangfu Society as soon as possible in the survivor's role from last night."

Only a very few people had witnessed Ma Yan arresting Wu Ling last night.

Therefore, after discussing with Ma Yan, Zhao Douan decided to keep this information under wraps.

Convenient for Wu Ling's return.

Yun Xi was stunned, she swiftly twisted her head, staring incredulously at Wu Ling, blurting,

"You betrayed me too?!"

She was stunned, knowing that not long ago she had mocked Wu Ling as a "traitor."

Only then did she realize that he too had kneeled.

Wu Ling smiled with difficulty, saying,

"Last night, Lord Ma talked to me, and I decided to turn from darkness to light."

"..." Yun Xi said with some disdain, "Just like that?"

She felt the actor kneeled too quickly, which was contemptible.

Wu Ling blandly said, "Last night, the reason I fought with the people from the Imperial Court was also because I was misled by the State Preceptor, otherwise I would have fled long ago."

The Demon Path's indiscriminate killing, along with their manipulation of him, was the last straw.

Zhuang Xiaocheng had so easily sold "Dragon Essence," the sub-branch's number two, to the State Preceptor, treating him like a puppet…

This action completely shattered Wu Ling's faith in the Kuangfu Society.

Seizing the opportunity, Ma Yan extended an olive branch and, through some means, made Wu Ling leave behind a pledge. He decisively changed allegiances.

"After all, even Grandmaster Zhuang's disciple has turned from darkness to light, why should I persist?" Wu Ling asked, smiling at Yun Xi.

"..." The girl felt she was being mocked.

Wu Ling turned back, looking at Zhao Douan with a complex expression, and said,

"Mr. Zhao, I am puzzled, why did you reveal to me your prisoner exchange plan? Soon I will leave the Imperial Prison. Aren't you afraid that I might disclose your plan to Zhuang Xiaocheng in advance?"

Zhao Douan's smile remained gentle as a spring breeze, "Worried about the plan leaking?"

Is there anything to worry about in a straightforward plot?

Could it be that without someone leaking it, Zhuang Xiaocheng wouldn't think of this?

Besides, the spies would obviously not only be Yun Xi; there would be others.

Zhao Douan, from his superior position, scrutinized this actor and suddenly said somberly,

"The reason I called you here isn't without purpose."

He stepped closer, pointed at the two women, and softly said,

"At the very least, today you know they are spies. So, when we exchange prisoners in the future, if Zhuang Xiaocheng pulls them out and discovers their identities, that means you would have betrayed the court."

Wu Ling felt a sudden chill, his head tingling with coldness!

Zhao Douan laughed, waving his hand,

"Well, there's nothing more, just a meeting to explain things. As for the prisoner exchange, it's still far off. We need a few months to plan and then implement; it won't be happening soon."

Wu Ling took a deep breath, stood up, bowed to him, and then turned and opened the door to leave.

Yun Xi also stood up, thinking about the chance to implement her revenge plan, eager to act immediately.

"Wait... just a moment..."

Suddenly, Qing Niao, who had been the least noticeable in the room, raised her hand timidly and said,

"Mr. Zhao... I haven't yet betrayed..."

She had wanted to say that, no one had discussed betrayal with her.

How could it be that she was dragged here as if she was automatically assumed to join Yun Xi as a spy?

"Have you not betrayed yet?" Zhao Douan was momentarily taken aback as if he had just remembered this matter, looked at her, and said,

"I've been too busy and forgot. No matter, you can still betray now, especially since you were involved last night."

He smiled and put his saber on the table,

"Either turn from darkness to light or die, it's your choice, girl."

...

...

Shortly after,

Zhao Douan, having successfully secured three spies, left the Imperial Prison refreshed and cheerful amidst the flattering farewells from the prison guards.

He glanced at the brilliant sun, called his personal chauffeur, Little Wang, to drive him home.

With this matter no longer needing his attention, Zhao Douan was eager to return home to examine the "jade leaf" obtained from Master Gu Huo.

"Being so highly valued by the Great Yu Kingdom's State Preceptor, and confident that it can withstand the desires of the Martial God Temple, what exactly is the origin of this treasure?"

—

PS: That's all for today, but I will continue writing tonight and update before noon tomorrow.