The emperor set out for the manor in the southern suburb to take a break from enduring the summer heat, and the issue of anointing a new crown prince was put on ice. What with this, the King Yu and his followers were on pins and needles but couldn’t do anything to make a difference. Considering the current circumstances, an attempt to push things might end up having the opposite effect.
The imperial manor in the southern suburb was not really far away from the capital city. It was about a two-hour carriage ride from the palace to the manor.
This time around the emperor brought only some courtiers on his trip to the manor, as though planning to make a final decision. Almost everybody in the city had a wait-and-see attitude towards this matter.
…
“We’ve got this far already, but now it turns out the Right Prime Minister is on the King Duan’s side. He’s such a consummate master of disguise,” observed Ling Zhang.
After all, all courtiers and city officials had believed that he was a firm neutralist. Who could’ve thought that he had secretly sided with the King Duan and been in cahoots with him all along?
“I wonder what the King Duan will do next. Will he directly lay siege to the imperial manor in the southern suburb or…”
Yuwen Tong said, “If he is to ascend the throne, the emperor must die. There will undoubtedly be an upheaval in that imperial manor. Things in the capital city are going to get rough as well.”
…
Two days later, as though there was something dangerous lurking in the city, many citizens felt rather uneasy but had no idea what was causing it.
There was a meeting in the King Yu’s residential compound, people of the Gu family present. “Prime Minister Gu, I keep feeling disturbed, as if something big is about to happen.”
After a moment’s silence, Prime Minister Gu remarked, “You’re not the only one feeling this way, Your Highness. I’m afraid the situation may take an unfavorable turn during His Majesty’s stay in that suburban manor.”
“Then we must stop it,” said the King Yu immediately.
Prime Minister Gu agreed, “This time His Majesty brought neither me nor any of the King Duan’s men on his trip. Clearly he didn’t want us to know anything about his consultation with his henchmen. Your Highness, it’s indeed high time we stopped waiting and did something.”
“What do you have in mind, Prime Minister Gu?”
“We kill the King Duan.”
The King Yu widened his eyes. After a while, with a cold look in his eyes, he said, “You’ve had it all planned out, I suppose?”
Prime Minister Gu confided his plan. The King Yu inclined his head repeatedly while listening. Eventually, he rose to his feet and said, “Okay. We’ll follow your plan, Prime Minister Gu. Zhou Mingyuan will never get out of my way unless he’s dead. Do you think I should tell Marshal Yuwen about this, Prime Minister Gu?”
After a few moments’ silence, Prime Minister Gu shook his head. “The fewer people aware of this matter, the better. Besides, there’s a reason why His Majesty is wary of Yuwen Tong at all times, Your Highness. In the future, after you’re enthroned, Yuwen Tong will remain the gravest threat to you, and you’ll still have to eliminate him some day, so there’s no need for you to tell him everything.”
The King Yu walked once up the living room, back again, and then said, “Let’s do it your way, Prime Minister Gu.”
…
One day later. In the Ling Mansion.
“We have a bit of a situation, Marshal.” Yao Yi entered the room in haste.
Yuwen Tong looked at him. “What is it?”
“The King Yu has decided to make an attempt on the King Duan. They’re going to do it tonight,” answered Yao Yi.
Yuwen Tong knitted his brows and kept silent for a while.
This night was the time when the King Duan would take action in the imperial manor in the southern suburb. The King Yu’s making his move at this point would cause disruptions and, without doubt, upset Yuwen Tong’s plans.
Ling Zhang’s eyes suddenly lit up. He said, “I have an idea.”
Yuwen Tong looked at him. Ling Zhang craned over and whispered something in his ear. Eyes gradually brightening, Yuwen Tong bobbed his head and said, “This idea is pretty good, but if we do that, my men in the north-west would have to work faster.”
Yao Yi was somewhat befuddled. “Marshal, Childe Ling?”
“There are two things I need you to do. Remember, tell them they must not blow their cover,” said Yuwen Tong.
Yao Yi immediately threw his chest out. “At your service, Marshal!”
After he heard Yuwen Tong’s plan, Yao Yi’s eyes also started glistening. “I’ll do it right away!”
The moment Yao Yi left, Ling Zhang shifted his gaze to Yuwen Tong. “Just now you mentioned there was something going on in the north-west. What’s the plan?”
“Um. That’s just a precaution. We might not actually need it,” said Yuwen Tong.
He leaned over and breathed something in his ear. Ling Zhang’s mouth fell open in amazement.
“Now that I’ve decided to take it, I’ll do it in a way that will make all of them sincerely convinced and have no reason to judge me,” said Yuwen Tong, a flinty expression in his eyes.
After a long moment, Ling Zhang commented, “That’s very impressive.”
Yuwen Tong immediately beamed, “I supposed I deserve a kiss for that.”
Ling Zhang, “…”
…
On that very night. In the King Yu’s residential compound.
“Your Highness, everything’s in readiness.” A man walked into the King Yu’s study late at night.
The King Yu replied, “Do it.”
“Yes, Marshal.”
At the same time. In the barracks of the Northern City Garrison Battalion.
Unseen by any outsiders, countless soldiers hiding in the shadows quietly left the barracks, heading south.
In the imperial manor located in the southern suburb.
“Your Majesty, at the risk of showing my lack of discernment, have you made a decision about the issue they argued over at today’s court meeting?”
It was very late, but there were lamps still ablaze in the imperial study in the manor. Apart from the emperor, two old courtiers were also inside it, both of whom were very much in the emperor’s confidence. One of them was the Right Prime Minister.
“I’m keeping watch on how the situation in the capital city develops. I know what you two are worried about. There’s still time. Don’t worry,” said the emperor.
The two old courtiers exchanged looks in dismay. Eventually, feeling rather resigned, the two of them rose from their seats and took their leave.
The emperor’s brows were furrowed. Innately prone to suspicion, he couldn’t entirely trust anybody, not even his henchmen, which was why he hadn’t confided his decision to any of them.
His personal eunuch walked in and said, “It’s late, Your Majesty. You should turn in. Staying up is bad for your health.”
The emperor opened the window of the imperial study to look outside. “I feel rather disturbed. Take some men and check the perimeter again. Increase the security in this manor.”
The personal eunuch was astounded. After a fleeting eye contact with the emperor, he immediately left to carry out the orders.
The emperor vexedly tossed the book aside. Somewhat fidgety, he kept getting this inkling that something big was going to happen.
…
The assassin that had infiltrated into the King Duan’s residential compound was very inconspicuous. Posed as a eunuch working for the King Duan, he’d been let into the compound through a side door by a mole. Along a winding path, the two of them made it to a spot near the King Duan’s courtyard house. Hanging from the assassin’s belt was an ID plate of the King Duan’s personal eunuch. Of course, the true owner of it had been killed already.
They were just about to approach the courtyard house when the assassin’s countenance suddenly changed, and with that he drew the mole into a dark corner and breathed, “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?” The mole was taken aback.
“There are quite some kung fu experts on guard duty in the King Duan’s courtyard house…” The assassin told the mole about the several groups of guards that he was sensing, and then asked, “Is the security always like this?”
The mole shook his head in horror. “This can’t be happening. Ordinarily, even if they have to tighten the security for some reason, they would never post so many guards in there.”
“Then there must be something going on here tonight. If I enter this courtyard house right now, I would no doubt be spotted. You weren’t given any particular orders tonight?” queried the assassin angrily.
That man thought for a while and then answered, “Chief told us that we didn’t have to be on night duty tonight, that he’d do it personally. He’s never been on night duty before.”
“Then why did you still bring me in? You want to get us both killed?!” hissed the assassin.
The mole raised the meal box in his hand. “Here are some snacks I took from the kitchen. The King Duan has been having trouble sleeping these days. Sometimes he needs to eat some food before he could get to sleep, and I’m always the one delivering it to him. Chief didn’t forbid me to send snacks here anyway, and our master’s commands were so urgent, which was why I had no alternative but to risk bringing you in!”
The assassin gave it some thought. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do – you take this meal box there and see if they’ll let you in.”
“Of course they’ll let me in. I’m very much in the King Duan’s confidence,” observed the man.
“Cut the nonsense and just do what you’re told to do. If they let you in, you deliver the snacks to the King Duan; if they don’t, you come back here,” instructed the assassin.
“You’re not going with me?”
The assassin whipped out a dagger to press the edge of it against the man’s neck and hissed coldly, “Are you going or not?”
Feeling the iciness of the blade, the man hastily said, “I’ll go!”
The assassin released him and the mole walked away with the meal box.
…
“Identify yourself!”
He had just approached the front gates of the courtyard house when someone stopped him.
The eunuch holding the meal box gave a start. “What are you doing? I’m here to deliver snacks to His Highness.”
“Today that won’t be necessary. Walk away right now. You don’t want to disturb His Highness’ rest,” reprimanded a guard at the front gates.
“What are you talking about? His Highness is suffering from insomnia these days and wouldn’t be able to sleep without having some snacks first. If I leave and His Highness gets angry later, will you accept responsibility for it?!”
“Shut up. You’re not allowed to speak aloud here. If you don’t leave straight away, I’ll kill you.” A guard drew his saber.
“You–!”
“Stop.”
The chief eunuch walked out, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the young eunuch holding a meal box. “Didn’t I tell you that you were exempted from night duty?”
“Ah? But you didn’t say that I didn’t have to bring snacks here either, Master Shifu,” replied the young eunuch in an aggrieved tone of voice.
“Take it away right now. His Highness is sleeping already. He gave orders nobody enter the house to disturb him.”
“Yes, Marshal.”
Carrying the meal box containing snacks, the young eunuch hurried off. Watching his receding back, the chief eunuch knitted his brows.
…
“How did it go?”
“I couldn’t get in. Those people have suddenly become so scary. We are well acquainted with each other, but tonight they seem to be totally different people and are guarding the front gates with malice written all over their faces. They wouldn’t let me take a single step inside.”
“There’s indeed something going on. There’s an eighty-percent chance that the King Duan has left this place. I need to return and report this to His Highness immediately.”
…
In the King Yu’s residential compound.
The King Yu was shocked to learn what had happened in the King Duan’s residential compound. “The King Duan is not in there?”
“The security there was insanely tight, as though they were very afraid of anybody finding out about it. When our contact distracted the guards attention at the front gates, I crept up to the outer wall and listened only to find that there was nobody else’s breathing inside the main chamber of that courtyard house!”
Where could Zhou Mingyuan have gone to in these circumstances? Having an intuition that there was a huge conspiracy involved in this matter, the King Yu quickly had all his aides woken up and gathered and at the same time sent someone to inform the Gu family.
…
At Chou Hour (1:00 a.m.), soldiers quietly congregated at all entrances and exits of the imperial manor in the southern suburb.
All troops of the Northern City Garrison Battalion had been dispatched to this place and ringed the manor.
First there was a volley of arrows with flaming arrowheads, which whizzed across the night sky into the manor, sending all guards inside running for shelter in alarm.
“Assassins!” A scream of panic was abruptly heard.
Very soon, all guards on duty at the entrances and exits were killed, and groups of soldiers took over.
The emperor, who was still in the imperial study, vaguely heard some unusual noises. His insides did a horrible somersault and with that he immediately bawled, “Guards! What’s going on?!”
Soon someone rushed inside, looking flustered and panic-stricken. “An army surrounded this manor, Your Majesty!”
After a fleeting blackout, the emperor demanded through clenched teeth, “Under whose command?!”
“The–The King Duan!”
The emperor puffed for a few moments. “How dare this unfilial creature!!”
“Please leave this place with me straight away, Your Majesty. They used flame arrows and a lot of houses are on fire. It won’t be long before they break in!”
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