Chapter 460: Chapter 424: All Is Ready
The small courtyard was located at the back of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, surrounded by gardens, rockeries, corridors, and pavilions, making it exceptionally tranquil.
He Buning carried a lantern and walked ahead. On the way, the servants and maids of the Prime Minister’s Mansion all stopped their tasks, kneeled, and paid their respects to He Buning. Seeing his somber expression and knowing he was heading to that courtyard, no one disturbed him.
The servants of the Prime Minister’s Mansion all knew that was the courtyard where the Prime Minister’s Wife once lived. The Prime Minister and the eldest son frequently went there and disliked intrusions from others.
Thus, He Buning successfully brought Sang Que into the courtyard.
The courtyard wasn’t large, resembling the small quadrangles where ordinary citizens lived. It had a grape trellis, water tanks at the foot of the walls, and some chili peppers and garlic hanging on the outer kitchen wall, filled with a sense of life.
When He Buning closed the courtyard door, Sang Que’s concealment time had just ended.
Whether it was due to the memory of her maternal bloodline or something else, Sang Que vaguely had some hallucinations, as if she could see the phantom of He Buning’s family of three appearing throughout the courtyard.
"May I take a look around?" Sang Que asked politely.
He Buning casually took over Sang Que’s cloak, "This was originally your home."
Sang Que curled her lips slightly, her smile not reaching her heart, and she didn’t refute He Buning’s words. She entered each room, examining everything inside.
He Buning didn’t interfere, and after putting down the cloak, he headed to the kitchen.
After a while, Sang Que heard the sounds of chopping vegetables and pouring water.
He Buning’s trust made Sang Que feel somewhat guilty, but she could distinguish priorities, and she silently apologized in her heart.
Entering the main house, Sang Que took out a film camera hidden in her bag and photographed various places in the main house.
She couldn’t bring Hua Qianmian here, so taking photos for Hua Qianmian was the best option. Hua Qianmian needed to observe traces of Zuo Jinye’s life to build an image of everything that was Zuo Jinye.
Listening to the busy sounds from the kitchen, Sang Que took photos meticulously: the positioning of teacups, the wear marks on chairs from years of use, the arrangement of various things on the desk, and writings by Zuo Jinye.
Finally, Sang Que entered the inner room and quietly took an old set of Zuo Jinye’s clothes from the bottom layer of the wardrobe, as well as a piece of paper with Zuo Jinye’s handwriting. With these things and those photos, it was more than enough.
Having finally completed her mission, Sang Que felt relieved all over.
He Buning made a bowl of clear soup noodles for Sang Que in the kitchen, watching her slowly finish it without saying anything. Before Sang Que could mention leaving, He Buning stood up and offered to see her out.
He Buning escorted Sang Que all the way to the back gate of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
"Although I currently have no real power in Shengjing City, I can freely enter and exit the Evil Suppression Bureau. Later, when you need to leave the city, I can find a way."
Sang Que asked, "Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out?"
"You don’t need to worry about me. Once you decide to act, do it quickly. During the lunar month, Shengjing City is locked down every year, and security will be tighter than it is now. Zhang’s Ironsmith Shop in the southern part of the city is my secret line. If anything happens, leave a message for me there."
Sang Que nodded, bowed to take her leave, and quickly disappeared into the night.
Sang Que used the concealment effect of the Xun Trigram all the way back to the Meng Mansion. It was only when He Buning told her about the Inspection Bureau that she understood why they had been located so swiftly that day.
Fortunately, the Prime Minister’s Mansion was not within the Inspection Bureau’s surveillance range. She had stayed there in her original form for so long without alerting anyone.
Additionally, from her conversations with He Buning, Sang Que learned that the Inspection Bureau had temporarily lost their trail that day, leading to the extensive search in the western part of the city.
This was undoubtedly because she had applied the effect of the Xun Trigram to everyone, allowing her to avoid detection by the Inspection Bureau.
Exerting all her efforts, Sang Que barely made it back to the Meng Mansion before the trigram’s effect wore off. Hua Qianmian helped her put on Nanny Li’s skin again.
One trigram effect remained, which Sang Que intentionally left for her return to the present time to develop the photos and recharge the Black Tai Sui until dawn before returning to the Meng Mansion.
In the Elder Lady’s bedroom at the Meng Mansion, Hua Qianmian was astonished at the almost lifelike clarity of the photos and kept asking where Sang Que had obtained them, while Yao Zhen observed from the side, unfazed.
"These are Zuo Jinye’s personal clothes and his copied calligraphy. Combined with these photos, how confident are you in impersonating him?"
Hua Qianmian examined the photos carefully. After a while, she replied, "This challenge is somewhat great for me. If it’s merely impersonating the Prime Minister without entering the Evil Suppression Bureau, I’m 80% confident I won’t be exposed. But if I enter the Evil Suppression Bureau, I’m only 50% confident."
Sang Que sat opposite Hua Qianmian, reviewing the entire plan together.
"Firstly, Zuo Jinye always publicly claims to be secluded in meditation. His trusted subordinates, like the old General Qiu Wanjun, know he’s under a Blood Curse. So, even if you enter the Evil Suppression Bureau, even if unexpected situations occur, you need not act unless absolutely necessary."
Hua Qianmian nodded. She could transform herself into Zuo Jinye, letting the Painted Skin Ghost become one of the Black and White Impermanence under Zuo Jinye’s command. As long as she didn’t have to act, she was confident she wouldn’t be exposed.
The Blood Curse in Yunzhou could be simulated by Cheng Ge using Snake Gu. The Soul Hook and Mourning Stick carried by Black and White Impermanence could also be crafted into fakes by the Ghost Vendor.
Sang Que continued, "I’ll help you with the incense matters. Focus on achieving the two advancement conditions: gaining the recognition of ten thousand people and maintaining the disguise for twelve hours. Neither task is particularly challenging. Shengjing City is large, with a population over five hundred thousand. You only need to walk through a few main streets in the identity of Zuo Jinye to fulfill the first condition."
On this point, Sang Que had asked He Buning before. He confirmed that Zuo Jinye was very accessible to the people and would often walk around the city when not attending court meetings, chatting with citizens and buying groceries himself.
Now Hua Qianmian could take over this task, and achieving recognition by ten thousand people wouldn’t be difficult.
Listening attentively, Hua Qianmian kept nodding, "Go on."
"For the second point, maintaining the disguise for over twelve hours—essentially an entire day—my plan is for you to finish touring the streets and then head to the Evil Suppression Bureau with me in custody."
"Huh?"
Hua Qianmian looked incredulous, and nearby, Yao Zhen, who was silently painting talismans, also raised her head to look over.
Sang Que explained, "The Evil Suppression Bureau’s current strength is formidable, with General Qiu Wanjun being the most cautious opponent. I don’t know how much General Qiu knows, but when you’re impersonating Zuo Jinye, you need a plausible excuse to be alone. If you take me into custody to the Evil Suppression Bureau, it provides you with a reason for solitude, and I can stay by your side to protect you."
"The most dangerous place is often the safest. I’ll stay with you in the Evil Suppression Bureau for the remaining time. Once you complete the advancement ceremony and truly step into the fifth layer, combined, the two of us may even stand up to General Qiu Wanjun in case of an unexpected situation."
Sang Que didn’t mention that her accompanying was to ensure that she could quickly remove Hua Qianmian in case of an emergency.
Hua Qianmian continuously nodded, contemplating all potential mishaps during the process.
Sang Que looked at Yao Zhen.
Yao Zhen continued painting talismans, "No need for instructions; the three of us will appropriately create some disturbances in various parts of the city to divert the Evil Suppression Bureau’s attention."
"Yes, be very careful not to get caught. If there are no issues, let’s act quickly!"
