Two Red-crested Golden Eagles, one ahead and one behind, soared toward Yan Capital in the Vermilion Kingdom.
Normally, even the fastest horse would take a whole day to reach the city, but they arrived in just half an hour.
The three of them landed in a deserted corner of the city, and the two eagles flew off.
......
The three quickly disguised themselves, dressing up as ordinary locals.
Early the next morning, Grace led Minister Zhuo and Evan Xiao to a general store in the city.
This general store was actually a secret contact point directly linked to Henry Tuoba.
Only a handful of his closest confidants knew about this place.
After they entered, a young shop assistant glanced at them but didn’t bother to greet them.
Grace walked straight up to him and said, "I want to see your boss."
"What do you want?" the assistant asked flatly, not even looking up.
"Just buying a few hoes for farming," Grace replied.
"Huh?" The assistant finally looked at her properly, stared for a while, then stood up and said, "Follow me."
The three of them followed him inside.
They passed through a courtyard and then through a side room, until the assistant led them to the backyard.
There was a lounge chair in the backyard.
On the lounge chair lay an old man in his fifties, wearing a long robe, swaying and humming a tune.
"Boss, someone’s here to buy hoes," the assistant said.
The old man sized up Grace and her companions, his gaze unfamiliar. "Who are you?"
Grace didn’t say a word. She simply held up the Vermilion Order in front of him.
"Oh!" The old man jumped up as if stung. "You... What instructions do you have?"
"Arrange for us to meet the emperor," Grace said.
"Uh... I'm afraid I don't have that kind of authority."
"Just give him my name—Zhuo Qingluan. He’ll make the arrangements. We'll be staying at the Jubilee Inn across the street," Grace said.
"Yes, ma'am!" the old man replied quickly.
So the three of them left the general store and, sure enough, checked into the Jubilee Inn across the street.
Around noon, someone knocked on their door.
Grace went to open it. Outside stood a man in a cloak, his face completely hidden.
Seeing Grace, he pushed back his hood a little, and she finally saw his face.
It was Henry Tuoba, in disguise.
"You... You came in person?" Grace asked in surprise.
Henry Tuoba glanced at the two people behind her and smiled. "Aren’t you going to invite me in?"
Grace hurriedly welcomed him inside.
After closing the door, she said to Henry Tuoba, "Your Majesty, this is my father, the Prime Minister of Blue Moon Kingdom—"
"I know them both," Henry Tuoba said, his gaze landing on Evan Xiao. "And you must be General Evan Xiao from the Blue Moon Kingdom, right?"
"Your servant greets Your Majesty!" Evan Xiao saluted.
Minister Zhuo also saluted, "Your servant greets Your Majesty! Sorry for disturbing you—please forgive us!"
"No need for so much ceremony!" Henry Tuoba said. "There are too many prying eyes in the palace, so I came out to meet you. Didn’t you have something urgent to discuss?"
"I’m here not for anything else, but to pledge my loyalty to Your Majesty," Minister Zhuo said solemnly.
"No need for that, Prime Minister," Henry Tuoba smiled. "With Grace here, just tell me what you need."
"I wouldn’t dare!" Minister Zhuo replied. "It’s just that I came to tell Your Majesty that Colin Gu... has treacherous intentions. He’s secretly colluding with Tobias Tuoba and planning a rebellion."
King Tianpeng is Henry Tuoba’s elder brother, Tobias Tuoba.
He’s also the most powerful prince in the Vermilion Kingdom.