The Sowing of Discord

So, her father went inside together with Evan Xiao.

Grace stared curiously at their backs.

Looks like they've really made up, huh?

What on earth is going on here?

She knew the General's Manor like the back of her hand. Seeing that no one was around, she quietly followed after them.

She wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation.

But before she could even step into the Frostmoon Quarters, she was stopped by the guards.

"Hey? What's with you guys?" Grace asked. "Don't recognize me anymore?"

"Of course we do," the guard replied respectfully. "But the General ordered that you're not allowed in."

Grace: "..."

Just then, Grace saw Lucian Lin walking over.

She quickly grabbed his sleeve, not letting him leave. "Lucian! Lucian!"

"Miss Grace, do you need something?" Lucian Lin asked, bowing slightly.

Grace cleared her throat. "So, what's up with the General and my dad? Weren't they fighting like cats and dogs before? How come they're suddenly best buddies?"

"Miss Grace, you haven't heard?" Lucian replied. "The Windspire prisoners confessed. Turns out, they set up a scheme to drive a wedge between the General and Prime Minister Zhu, hoping to weaken Blue Moon Kingdom's strength."

"A scheme to sow discord? What kind of scheme was it?"

"Remember that survivor from the Battle of Soulbreaker Valley who came back claiming the General killed the Old General?"

"Yeah, yeah! Wait, so that guy... he was actually sent by Windspire Kingdom?"

"Exactly! He was burned beyond recognition, so nobody could tell who he was. Turns out, he was a Windspire assassin!"

"Oh, that makes sense now!" Grace exclaimed, finally getting it.

"That's right!" Lucian said, already eager to leave. "I have other things to do, so I'll take my leave now!"

"Wait a minute!" Grace called, grabbing him back again.

"What's wrong?" Lucian asked, puzzled.

"My dad and the General made up before catching those Windspire prisoners, right?" Grace eyed him suspiciously.

Yesterday in the palace, Evan Xiao presented the heads of the Windspire Crown Prince and Grand General to the Empress Dowager as a gift, saying my dad and General Shang had taken them together.

General Shang is Evan Xiao’s Left General, basically one of his own men.

So, my dad left Danyang City this time to plot something, and he was scheming with Evan Xiao all along...

"Heh, well, that... I really don’t know!" Lucian Lin chuckled nervously. "I honestly have things to do, Miss Grace, goodbye!"

With that, he ran off in a flash.

Grace watched him go, certain he was hiding something.

She waited for a while, but her dad still hadn’t appeared. Suddenly, she remembered that Tenner and the others were waiting for her in a nearby alley.

She didn’t want them to panic and blow their cover if they ran into her dad, so she decided to go find them now and warn them in advance.

So, Grace headed straight out of the manor to look for them.

But just as she stepped out of the General’s Manor, a group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking her way.

Cindy Zhu, Steward Jia, and a few household servants.

Even Aunt Autumn, the Dowager Lady’s trusted confidante, was there!

Aunt Autumn was the Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu’s most trusted aide.

If Aunt Autumn was here, it basically meant the Dowager Lady herself had come.

"Grace Lawrence!" Cindy Zhu called out smugly. "Finally caught you in the act! Let’s see how you talk your way out of this one!"

Grace frowned. "Why are you here? Are you following me?"

"So what if I am?" Cindy Zhu shot back, full of attitude. "Otherwise, how would I know you’re capable of such shameless things? You actually became someone’s bedroom maid, didn’t you?" (Note: 'bedroom maid' refers to a servant with close personal duties, sometimes implying intimacy. In historical context, this could mean a maid who serves in private quarters, occasionally with a footnote for clarity.)