I traveled back to the Southern Song Dynasty and was actually outmaneuvered by Yue Fei.

Chapter 007: The Ambition for the Northern Expedition rests in your hands.

By bringing the candlelight closer, Zhao Bocong discovered that there was a line of small characters carved on the inside of the wooden bird's wing.

One side reads "The sun shines brightly under heaven".

On the other side is the inscription: "Bo Cong, my friend, awaiting your arrival for the Northern Expedition."

The handwriting is exactly the same as the strokes of the twelve characters in the wax pellet.

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding the wooden bird, his fingers pressing on the words. Nine years ago, Yue Fei personally carved these words into the wooden bird.

At that time, Yue Fei was still alive and waiting for a seven-year-old child to grow up.

He didn't wait.

His name was the first on the list. The next twenty-two names were crossed out with light ink.

The inscription, written by Yue Fei himself, reads: "My ambition to launch the Northern Expedition rests on your shoulders."

He didn't know who the person who crossed out the name was, but he knew that person didn't want him to know who was on the list right now.

It wasn't to hide it from him, but to protect him. The less they knew, the greater their chances of surviving in front of Qin Hui.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from outside the window; it was past midnight, less than two hours before dawn. He had to hurry back to the Dali Temple.

Zhao Bozong stood up, stuffed the wooden bird into his sleeve, blew out the candle, and left the bedroom.

The snow on the Imperial Street had been trampled down, the gray-clad figure at the side gate was gone, and a person stood in the shadows at the end of the corridor.

Zhou Sanwei.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was only wearing a dark-colored casual robe with the collar open, revealing a gray-white undergarment underneath.

He stood there, as if he had been waiting for a long time, until Zhao Bocong arrived.

"Did you get the item?"

Zhao Bozong didn't answer; he stared at Zhou Sanwei's face. "Who has been in my room?"

Zhou Sanwei paused for a moment. "Jiang Shixiong. I sent him."

Zhao Bozong's fingers clenched tightly at his sleeve. "Did he cross out the names on the list?"

"I told him to paint it," Zhou Sanwei said in a low voice. "Duke Jian Guo. Some of those people on the list are in court, some are out of office, and some are close to Qin Hui. Knowing their names now won't do you any good."

"You've witnessed Qin Hui's methods. Kui Shun was tortured for three days without uttering a single word, yet Qin Hui still managed to extract the location of the Dali Temple's secret location from him."

He stared at Zhao Bozong and continued, "He doesn't know the list, so he can't say it. If you did, you would be exposed too."

Zhao Bozong looked at him, his face displaying a calmness beyond his years: "You know everyone on the list?"

Zhou Sanwei did not answer the question. He stretched out his hand, palm up, and said, "Give it to me."

Zhao Bocong did not move.

"Before dawn, I must pack the evidence and put it at the bottom of the coffin." Zhou Sanwei's voice remained calm, but Zhao Bocong noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

"At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Miss Yue went out with a coffin. Qin Xi stopped her and found the secret box. You stood in the crowd and were the first to shout out. This was her plan, and every step had to be perfect."

Zhao Bocong took out a wooden bird from his sleeve, and watched as Zhou Sanwei took out a flat wooden box from his bosom, put the combined paper roll into the box, and closed the lid.

"Duke Jian Guo, you may return to your residence now." After doing all this, Zhou Sanwei looked at Zhao Bocong.

"I'm not leaving."

"You must leave. After dawn, you cannot appear at the Dali Temple. Qin Hui will make you leave—if you insist on staying, he will become suspicious."

Zhao Bocong remained silent. Zhou Sanwei looked at him and remained silent for a while.

"Miss Yue asked me to tell you something." He lowered his voice even further as he said, "If she dies at Dali Temple, the eight characters on the wooden bird's wing will be her last words to you."

Zhao Bozong clenched his fists, stood still, the torchlight illuminating his face, and then he turned and walked towards the side door.

"Duke Jian Guo," Zhou Sanwei called out to him from behind.

Zhao Bocong stopped but did not turn around.

"After dawn, stand in the crowd. Be the first to shout out." Zhou Sanwei's voice came from deep within the corridor.

"Then—watch her walk out. No matter what happens, don't go near her. If you do, her plan will be ruined."

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

The black lacquered gate of Dali Temple was pulled open from the inside.

Yue Yinping came out. The bloodstains on her mourning clothes had dried, and the shackles on her wrists had been removed. Behind her, four jailers carried the cedar coffin.

A crowd began to gather, surging towards the entrance of Dali Temple from all directions; those who enjoy watching a spectacle never mind a lot of trouble.

Zhao Bozong walked out of the alley and blended into the crowd.

When the coffin was carried to the center of the Imperial Street, it stopped because people stopped it.

Qin Xi led the soldiers of Lin'an Prefecture from the other end of the Imperial Street, walking at the forefront. He wore a scarlet official robe, a gold belt around his waist, and a turban with his feet spread out on his head.

Historically, Qin Xi attempted to succeed Qin Hui as prime minister after Qin Hui's death, but was refused by Zhao Gou.

But that was in the twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing. Now it is the first month of the twelfth year of Shaoxing. Qin Hui is at the height of his power, and Qin Xi's power is naturally rising as well.

He stood in front of the coffin, blocking Yue Yinping's way.

"By order of Prime Minister Qin, inspect the coffin for any contraband."

The crowd stirred, and someone in front muttered a curse under their breath before someone next to them covered their mouth.

Yue Yinping didn't speak; she stepped back, making way for the coffin.

Qin Xi waved his hand, and two soldiers stepped forward. They inserted a crowbar into the gap between the coffin lid and the coffin body. He peered inside and saw three corpses in the coffin, with an ebony box next to them.

"What is this?" Qin Xi's eyes lit up. He reached inside and took out the secret box.

He was asking about Yue Yinping.

Yue Yinping did not answer, but instead looked past Qin Xi's shoulder and landed on the crowd.

Zhao Bocong knew Yue Yinping was looking at him. The woodcutter's bundle of firewood blocked half of his face, but her gaze still quickly found him and lingered on his face for a moment.

Zhao Bocong took a deep breath.

"What's in the secret box? Open it and let everyone see!"

His voice came from behind the woodcutter's bundle of firewood, sounding particularly clear in the morning air. The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then—

"Open!"

"Open it and take a look!"

"Wouldn't Qin Hui's son dare to drive it?"

Shouts rose from all directions.

A woman selling tea, a man carrying water, a vegetable vendor. One person's voice is drowned out by ten; ten people's voices are drowned out by a hundred.

Waves of sound surged toward Qin Xi, his face turning from white to blue. He held the sealed box, his fingers digging into the edge of the sealing wax, but he didn't move.

"Open!"

"Open!"

The shouts grew louder and louder. The soldiers looked at each other, their hands on the hilts of their swords, but none of them dared to draw their blades.

There were too many people, and Qin Xi was caught in a dilemma. In the end, he was forced to grit his teeth and dig his thumb into the sealing wax.

Inside the sealed box was a roll of very thin paper.

Qin Xi pulled out the first sheet, his gaze fell on the paper, his lips moved silently, then his expression changed drastically, and his hands began to tremble.

The crowd fell silent. Everyone was looking at the paper in his hand.

Qin Xi's lips trembled as he uttered the first line. His voice was very soft, but the quiet crowd caught every word.

"In March of the eighth year of the Shaoxing reign... Qin Hui... sent a letter to Wanyan Zongbi. The Southern Dynasty has no capable ministers; peace negotiations are possible. Enclosed is a map of the military deployment in Jingzhou and Xiangyang..."

His voice grew softer and softer until those behind him couldn't hear it, but those in front could, and it was passed down from person to person.

"Qin Hui is in league with Jin!"

I don't know who shouted those four words.

Then the whole crowd erupted.

Zhao Bocong didn't know who shouted those four words, and then the whole crowd erupted.

In an instant, it seemed as if the voices of dozens or even hundreds of people were mixed together in a chaotic cacophony, with different people shouting out the four words "Qin Hui colludes with the Jin" in different voices.

Qin Xi stood in the center of the commotion, his lips still moving, but the first piece of paper in his hand was no longer there. After he read the first line, a soldier standing next to him snatched the paper from his hand.

Before he could react, his fingers still gripping the paper, he watched as the soldier raised the paper above his head and loudly read out the second line.

"In July of the ninth year of Shaoxing, Qin Hui wrote to Wanyan Zongbi. Yue Fei has been transferred from Ezhou, and Xiangyang is now vulnerable. We can plan our move slowly."

His voice was much louder than Qin Xi's. He was young, had a strong voice, and possessed a reckless and ruthless spirit.

After he finished reading, he handed the paper to the person next to him, who took it and read it again.

The paper began to circulate among the crowd.

But Zhao Bozong discovered that the gray-clad man who had been watching him was gone.