I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

The crown prince, Chen Jue and Chen Jia led the victorious army back to the capital in a majestic manner. Along the way, the people cheered one after another, and flowers and praises poured in like a tide. The streets and alleys of the capital were decorated with lights and colors, immersed in the joyful atmosphere of celebrating victory.

The army stopped at the square in front of the palace. The crown prince, Chen Jue, and Chen Jia straightened their clothes and strode into the palace. In the hall, the emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking very pleased. Looking at the people returning in triumph, his eyes were full of satisfaction and admiration.

"My son, Duke Chen, Madam Chen, you have made great contributions this time, and it is a blessing for our country!" The emperor's voice was loud and echoed in the hall.

The prince stepped forward and knelt down to salute: "Father, I have worked together with all the soldiers and have accomplished our mission. It is all thanks to your great fortune and blessing our Qing Kingdom. I dare not take credit for it."

Chen Jue and Chen Jia also knelt respectfully and said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. We are only trying our best to help the country of Qing. We are willing to go through fire and water for the country."

The emperor nodded slightly, asked everyone to stand up, and praised their bravery on the battlefield. Then his expression suddenly became stern and his tone became serious: "I summoned you here today to discuss something. Recently, I heard that there was something strange in the palace, and I am afraid that spies have sneaked in during the chaos."

The prince was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly, "Father, do you have any specific clues? If this spy is lurking in the imperial city, there will be endless troubles."

The emperor frowned and said slowly, "Recently, I have discovered that the behavior of several gift-giving teams is quite suspicious. These gifts seem ordinary, but the gift-givers' eyes flicker and their words are vague. I suspect that they are using the name of gift-giving to secretly collude with others and want to stir up trouble in the imperial city. I order you to thoroughly investigate this matter and make sure to catch all the spies in one fell swoop to prevent future troubles."

The prince clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Your son obeys your order and will do his best to catch these spies and keep the imperial city safe."

Chen Jue stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. I am willing to assist Your Highness in investigating it. I have been doing business in the capital for many years and have some understanding of various forces and people from all walks of life. I may be able to lend a hand to Your Highness."

The prince showed gratitude on his face: "Duke Chen is righteous, with your help, this matter will be twice as effective with half the effort."

Chen Jia also bowed and said softly: "Although I am a woman, I am willing to help if you need me."

The emperor looked at the three people's united appearance and nodded slightly: "Very good, I believe in your ability. However, this matter must be carried out in secret, so as not to alert the enemy, lest the spies jump over the wall in desperation."

"Yes, sir!" the three responded in unison.

After leaving the palace, the prince discussed with Chen Jue and Chen Jia.

"Duke Chen, in your opinion, where should we start?" asked the prince.

Chen Jue pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I think we can start with the suspicious gift-giving teams. Find out their origins and backgrounds, and whether there is anything fishy about the gifts they sent. I have some spies in the market, so let them investigate first."

The prince nodded in agreement: "That's great, let's do as Duke Chen says. Madam Chen, do you have any ideas?"

Chen Jia thought for a moment and said, "I think we need to keep an eye on the movements of the palace guards, eunuchs, and maids. If spies want to act in the imperial city, they will have to bribe these people. I can arrange some trustworthy people to observe secretly and report any abnormalities."

The prince's eyes lit up: "Mrs. Chen is thoughtful and this plan is brilliant. Then we will do as you say and split up."

Therefore, Chen Jue quickly contacted his spies and asked them to disperse to various places in the capital to track down the gift-giving team. These spies usually roamed in the market and were well-informed. After a few days, they reported back with clues.

One day, Chen Jue was discussing a case with the prince in the study when a spy came hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have found out. One of the groups that sent gifts came from a silk shop outside the capital. The owner of that silk shop has been in frequent contact with some mysterious people recently, and his behavior is very suspicious." The spy knelt down and reported.

Chen Jue and the prince looked at each other, and a hint of excitement flashed in their eyes.

"Well done!" Chen Jue praised, "Have you found out the identities of those mysterious people?"

The spy shook his head and said, "I am incompetent and have not yet found out the truth. I just heard that their accents are not like those of the locals. They seem to have some Qin accents."

The prince frowned and said, "It seems that there is a conspiracy of the Qin State behind this. Keep investigating and report immediately if you have any news."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The spy took the order and left.

Meanwhile, Chen Jia was also busy. She arranged for her trusted maids to pretend to be ordinary servants and keep an eye on the movements of people in every corner of the palace. One afternoon, a maid hurriedly found Chen Jia.

"Madam, I found that a young eunuch in the imperial kitchen was behaving strangely. These past few days, he always went to a remote courtyard when no one was paying attention, and he looked panicked every time he came back." The maid whispered.

Chen Jia's heart moved, and she asked, "Where is that yard? Can you see it clearly?"

The palace maid described the location of the courtyard in detail. Chen Jia thanked the maid and immediately went to find the prince and Chen Jue.

After the three of them met, Chen Jia told them about this.

The prince pondered and said, "It seems that there must be something strange about that yard. Let's go and find out tonight."

As night fell, the palace was completely silent, with only the footsteps of patrolling guards occasionally breaking the silence. The Crown Prince, Chen Jue, and Chen Jia, dressed in night clothes, accompanied by several nimble guards, quietly moved towards the courtyard.

As they approached the courtyard, they heard faint voices coming from inside. The prince gestured for silence, and everyone approached the window cautiously and peered inside through the gap.

There was a dim light in the room, and several people were sitting together, including the young eunuch from the imperial kitchen. There were some drawings on the table, which seemed to be the layout of the imperial city.

"Hmph, this time thanks to the help of all you brothers. As long as we follow the plan and destroy the key points on this blueprint, the Qing Kingdom's imperial city will be in chaos." A man in a black robe with a Qin accent said in a low voice.

"Don't worry, sir. We have accepted the benefits from Qin and will definitely serve them. But we must not be exposed during the action." Another person responded.

The prince and the others heard this and were furious. Just as the prince was about to explode, Chen Jue quickly stopped him and whispered, "Your Highness, don't be impulsive. Let's first hear what other plans they have."

The spies in the house were still planning, completely unaware that they were being watched outside the window.

"The action will be carried out in three days. There will be a celebration banquet in the palace and most of the guards will be transferred to the banquet hall for duty. We can take advantage of the opportunity to act." The man in black robe smiled sinisterly.

The prince and his companions were shocked and were glad that they had discovered it in time. After the spies finished their discussion and dispersed, the prince and his companions quickly returned to their residence and began to discuss countermeasures.

"The celebration banquet in three days cannot be cancelled, otherwise it will definitely arouse the suspicion of spies. We should set up an ambush at the banquet and catch them all in one fell swoop." The prince said decisively.

Chen Jue nodded: "Your Highness is right. I suggest that we arrange more elite guards around the banquet hall to lurk in secret and capture the spies immediately if they make any move."

Chen Jia added: "I think we can also deliberately arrange some seemingly careless omissions at the banquet to lure the spies into the trap and make them mistakenly think that there is an opportunity to take advantage of."

The prince accepted their suggestions and began to make arrangements in full swing.

Three days later, the palace was decorated with lanterns and was bustling with activity. The celebration banquet was held as scheduled. Officials and generals from all sides gathered together, laughing and talking. But behind the excitement, there was an undercurrent.

The prince, Chen Jue and Chen Jia sat at the banquet calmly, but their eyes kept scanning the surroundings, keeping an eye out for suspicious people. Elite guards hid in the dark around the banquet hall, ready to fight.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the spies finally couldn't hold back and started to take action. The eunuch from the imperial kitchen quietly stood up and walked towards the back of the banquet hall, as if he was going to carry out a sabotage mission.

But as soon as he reached the door, he was grabbed by the lurking guards. The young eunuch turned pale with fear, and just as he was about to call for help, his mouth was blocked.

At the same time, other spies also revealed their true colors and were subdued by the guards one by one. For a moment, there was chaos in the banquet hall, and the officials were panicked, not knowing what had happened.

The prince stood up and said loudly, "Don't panic, everyone. Today, Duke Chen, Madam Chen and I have found the spies who sneaked into the imperial city. We have captured them all now. The imperial city is safe!"

When everyone heard this, they felt relieved and praised the prince for his wisdom and Chen Jue and Chen Jia for their intelligence and courage.

When the emperor learned about this, he was very pleased and once again rewarded the prince, Chen Jue and Chen Jia in the court.

"My kingdom is protected by loyal and brave men like you. It is a blessing for all the people. I hope you will continue to serve my Qing Kingdom and ensure the eternal stability of our country!" The emperor's voice was solemn and majestic.

The Crown Prince, Chen Jue, and Chen Jia knelt down to express their gratitude: "We will not disappoint your Majesty, even if it means sacrificing our lives!"