"To tell you the truth, lately... Emperor Father has been in poor health, and his lingering illness has grown worse by the day."
"As Crown Prince, I must manage state affairs in his stead. These past few days, worry has burned through me like fire, keeping me awake night and day. It has truly worn me down."
He paused and picked up his teacup, his gaze passing over its rim to settle on Lin Ye's face.
"But... with all my thoughts fixed on Emperor Father's illness, I failed to notice..."
"That a nest of rats with no regard for their own lives had found an opening to slip through the palace walls."
"According to reliable information I have obtained, these brazen outlaws intend to infiltrate Emperor Father's bedchamber tonight and assassinate him!"
The hand holding Lin Ye's teacup did not waver in the slightest, but just the right amount of surprise appeared on his face. "Is that so? Who are these outlaws?"
Xue Qinghe keenly caught the fleeting glint in Lin Ye's eyes, and alarm bells immediately began ringing in his mind.
Ha, just as I thought!
That look of surprise... what a convincing performance!
Xue Qinghe was almost certain that Lin Ye not only knew what would happen tonight, but even knew exactly who the assassins were!
The depths of Lin Ye's schemes, the brilliance of his methods, and the sharpness of his insight far exceeded his expectations.
A still more frightening thought suddenly occurred to him.
Could he... could he have already seen through the fact that I... am a woman... and even discovered my true identity?
The thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
His face flushed slightly, but he quickly concealed it.
Lin Ye took in every instant of Xue Qinghe's reaction and could not