Chapter 122 The story begins in Shattered Stone City…

Chapter 122 The story begins in Shattered Stone City…

The story begins after the fall of Shattered Stone City, when a fast horse from the Marquis of Dingbei's residence galloped day and night into the capital and silently entered the Prince Huai's residence.

Deep within the Prince Huai's residence, in a secluded chamber isolated from the outside world, the air was incredibly still. Li Fang, who had been so smug just days before, now looked at the person kneeling below him with a blank expression, as if struck by a devastating blow.

But this blank didn't last long. Gradually, as if possessed by a demon, his eyes turned bloodshot, and the muscles on his face trembled and shook strangely, gradually twisting his handsome face into a terrifying and ferocious expression.

"Guo Chengye, what did you say?" He stared intently at the kneeling man, who was Guo Wei's son and his most trusted subordinate. According to kinship, Li Fang could also call him uncle if he wanted.

In fact, Li Fang had always called him uncle before, but when the three words "Guo Chengye" came out of his mouth at this moment, each word seemed to be being torn apart by teeth.

Guo Chengye, who was usually brave and arrogant, and who sometimes even acted like an elder when facing the Second Prince, was now as pathetic as a stray dog.

He was wearing an inconspicuous, dusty gray fur coat, still covered in dust from the raid. His eyes were bloodshot; the bloody memories of the disastrous defeat at the border and the impending reckoning made him feel like a trapped beast.

"Your Highness, you heard me right. Seven cities in the North have fallen... four of them. The news has been suppressed for now, but this kind of news can't be suppressed for long." Guo Chengye's voice was hoarse and strained.

“Once this happens, His Majesty will be furious, and the downfall of the Guo family may be imminent. And once the Guo family falls, Your Highness…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Without the support of the Guo family, who control the military in the northern border and possess a large number of followers and wealth, the Second Prince would be like a man with a severed arm in the struggle for the throne. Moreover, the Second Prince was not entirely uninvolved in this major defeat, and it would be difficult for him to escape unscathed.

Li Fang, his face ashen, took several deep breaths and paced restlessly around the room before staring at Guo Chengye and saying, "You didn't come here just to tell me we're over, did you?"

"Your Highness, my father sent me to ask you a question: Is now the time to resort to extreme measures?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fang's neck veins throbbed.

Several years ago, he jokingly told Guo Wei that if the right path was blocked, it was not impossible to "use extraordinary means." But at that time, he was mainly testing each other's bottom line. He did not expect that one day he would actually be in such a predicament.

He had taken the initiative to probe at the time, but now that Guo Chengye had asked him the same question, he hesitated.

Treason is not something to be taken lightly; it requires real action...

A series of concerns flashed through Li Fang's mind.

Although his father is old, he still wields considerable influence. The capital's most important defensive force is not in his hands, and there's also the Fifth Prince's influence over the court officials... And if he considers the details further, there's the reaction of the other princes, public opinion, and his own future reputation...

And of course, there's the most important point: what if we fail...?

"Your Highness, what we need now is speed. While the news is still blocked in the north, and while our Guo family still holds power over the Dingbei Army, as long as things go well in the capital, our Dingbei Army can suppress all other voices for Your Highness," Guo Chengye urged earnestly.

"Do you think I don't want to?" Li Fang abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with a mixture of ruthlessness and struggle, his voice trembling with a hint of madness: "But that's a mutiny, a rebellion, and if it fails..."

Guo Chengye wanted to say that sitting and waiting for death would also lead to certain death, but then he suddenly realized that while it would be a dead end for the Guo family, Li Fang was the second prince, the emperor's own son, and the emperor's favorite son for many years.

The worst consequence he might face is simply losing the Guo family's support, failing in his bid for the throne, and becoming just an ordinary Prince Anle. If the Second Prince is lucky enough, and the Emperor can hold on for a few more years, he might be able to build up new power bases.

Guo Chengye suddenly understood why his father, Guo Wei, was so eager for him to come to the capital.

Accepting bribes, receiving salaries without working, and even secretly sending people to assassinate court officials—these crimes are not considered serious offenses for a great general, as long as the emperor still needs him and can tolerate him.

The crimes that could truly bring about the death of the Northern Marquis were treason, collusion with the enemy and betrayal of the country, and a crushing defeat.

Now that the Northern barbarians have thoroughly outmaneuvered Guo Wei, the charges of treason and betrayal are firmly pinned on him. He has no choice but to gamble everything and seek survival through treason.

As long as the Second Prince is placed on the throne, the Guo family can turn the tables. So even if it has to be forced, the Second Prince must be pushed to that point, and the Guo family must not be allowed to become the last piece of the Second Prince's tail to cut off for survival.

As his mind raced, Guo Chengye, who had been somewhat bewildered by this major change, felt that this was the clearest he had been in days.

He seamlessly changed his expression, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears, his face brimming with sorrow and sincerity. He kowtowed deeply to the Second Prince before speaking:

"Before I came to the capital, my father repeatedly told me that Your Highness is the master, and whether to advance or retreat is entirely up to Your Highness. If Your Highness has no other intentions, we can do nothing else, but the defeat in the Northern Frontier will never implicate Your Highness."

We only hope that Your Highness, considering the Guo family's long-standing loyalty to you, will show some favor to the Guo family's grandchildren in the future. We... are ready to die on the battlefield.

This is Guo Chengye's strategy of retreating to advance, but if the Second Prince really has no intention of taking that step, this is indeed the best path that the Guo family can take at present. They can sacrifice the lives of these defeated generals to the four northern cities that have been looted and massacred, in order to leave a way out for the family's collateral branches and women and children.

Li Fang naturally saw through Guo Chengye's strategy of retreating to advance, but these words of entrusting his son to Guo Chengye were indeed a wake-up call for Li Fang, making him clearly realize that although he seemed to be able to retreat, he actually had no other choice.

Because Li Fang knew very well that his father would not live to see the day he could rebuild his power, and his brothers would not give him that opportunity.

As a prince who was pampered since childhood, he looked down on the rightful crown prince back then. After the crown prince's death, he felt that the throne belonged to him. How could he tolerate being just a prince whose life and fortune were controlled by others?

Once he made up his mind, Li Fang's entire demeanor changed. He helped up Guo Chengye, who was still kneeling and offering his hand, and firmly grasped his hand: "Uncle, why do you say such sad words? Since the situation has forced us to this point, then let's gamble on this. If we win, your Guo family will soar to the heavens with me."

"I will be Your Highness's sword, I will die ten thousand times for Your Highness!" Guo Chengye knelt down again excitedly, clenching his fist and pounding his chest.

"Uncle, there's no need for that. Time is of the essence. We need to discuss important matters. Did the General give you any further instructions when you came?"

"Yes, there are two thousand elite assassins following me. They have broken up into smaller groups and are heading south. They are currently hiding in the mountains around the capital, and are entirely at Your Highness's command."

He then took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Li Fang: "These people might be useful to Your Highness."

Upon looking at the list, Li Fang was immediately struck by the name of the deputy commander of the Eastern Camp of the Imperial Guards, which was at the very top. Further down the list were names from the city garrisons and even the palace guards. Adding to this the manpower he had cultivated over the years, Li Fang realized that if he acted skillfully, taking advantage of the unsuspecting, his chances of victory were actually quite good.

Moreover, he now has an excellent opportunity—the Chen family's daughter is about to enter the family.

The lights in the secret room stayed on all night, and even the second prince didn't leave the secret room the next day. He and Guo Chengye discussed and deduced repeatedly, and finally settled on the final plan.

They could infiltrate the Chen family's wedding procession with the men Guo Yeye brought, and their equipment could be conveniently included in the dowry. The night of the concubine's arrival would be the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Although it was a concubine appointment, there weren't many people in the capital who dared to disrespect him. Even his troublesome brothers would be present. What a perfect opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!

Li Fang's plan was to split his forces into two groups: one to control the palace, and the other to control the court officials attending the wedding and his troublesome brothers.

If he can successfully take control of the palace and get his father to write the edict of succession, then everyone can save face. If the coup fails, with so many hostages in his hands, his father probably won't dare to act rashly.

In the worst-case scenario, if the father is truly so cold-hearted as to disregard the bond between father and son, then at least he could take those important court officials and his good brothers with him to the afterlife.

It's not a complete loss.

"The Chen family is also a very important part of this matter, Your Highness. Can they be trusted?" Before leaving the secret room, Guo Chengye reviewed the entire plan one last time. After repeatedly considering the personnel arrangements in various places, he still had concerns about the Chen family.

"Uncle, don't worry. The Chen family are smart people and know what to do. Whether they like it or not, their only choice is to cooperate." Li Fang rubbed his temples, which were throbbing from overworking his brain and being too tired, and his tone was completely indifferent.

The Chen family's daughter is about to become his concubine, and their plan is scheduled for the day of the concubine's arrival. Does the Chen family have another way to go?

What a joke! Do you think they would go and tell the Emperor on them?

......

The Chen family indeed couldn't inform the emperor, but the Second Prince probably never dreamed that the Chen family would choose to inform the Sixth Prince. Their meticulously planned scheme was exposed, its most crucial elements revealed, through the Chen family's betrayal and the investigation by the Prince Cheng's secret guards.

Inside the bedroom of Prince Cheng's residence, Xiao Yanhui's gaze darted back and forth between two letters: "The Second Prince specially arranged for a group of people to infiltrate the Chen family's wedding procession. What is he planning? To force the emperor to abdicate and stage a rebellion? These people probably aren't enough!"

Both letters mentioned that Prince Huai had placed his men in the wedding procession. The letter handed over by Xiao Fuyan, written by Chen Jia Dalang himself, contained even more detailed information than what the secret guards of Prince Cheng's mansion had discovered.

It even explicitly mentioned which dowry chests were used to conceal weapons and crossbows, and how many people had infiltrated the wedding procession. It was these details that immediately made Xiao Yan think of Li Fang's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate.

But tens of thousands of imperial guards were clearly stationed outside the city. A coup! How dare Li Fang do that!

"A coup requires speed, information, and the deployment of personnel in key positions; it's not a war of attrition between two armies."

With these several hundred elite troops, plus the manpower that Prince Huai and the Guo family already had hidden in the capital, and if the Imperial City Guard and the people in the harem cooperated effectively from within and without, it wouldn't be impossible to quickly take control of the Emperor.

As Qin Ji spoke, he picked up the letter that the Chen family had sent in and read it carefully once more.

"Even if the Emperor is forced to write the edict of succession, do you and Prince Ning really think you can just give up so easily? You are now in charge of the Imperial Guards, and the officials in Prince Ning's faction in the court are not to be underestimated either."

"Furthermore, why would the Chen family choose to betray the Second Prince and side with you at this time?" Even though the letter was delivered through her father's connections, Xiao Yan still had doubts about the Chen family's choice.

"Don't forget, all of us brothers are attending Li Fang's wedding banquet. Once he's dead, there won't be any further trouble. As for the Chen family..." Qin Ji flicked the letter with his fingers.

"She just wants to spend money to buy the position of a prince's concubine so she can rely on him. If the second prince can rise to the throne, she will make a fortune. Even if he can't, she will still have the position of the prince's concubine. In the worst-case scenario, if the prince is purged by the new emperor, the Chen family will only lose some money and a daughter."

The deal isn't even fully finalized yet, and my good second brother is already dragging people down the path of treason. Chen Haiping naturally wouldn't dare risk the lives of his entire clan of thousands to play this game with his second brother. With this letter, if his second brother fails, the Chen family can still beg me for a favor; otherwise, they'll face the annihilation of their entire clan.

"Maybe winning would be considered a meritorious service in helping the emperor rise to power?" Xiao Yan couldn't help but retort.

Qin Ji laughed heartily: "Look at what you're saying. Yan Hui'er, how angry you were when you found out my identity, have you forgotten? Back then, I was just a dutiful prince, and you still looked down on me. The second son is practically jumping into a fire pit. How stupid must Chen Haiping be to still think about helping the emperor rise to power?"

"Sigh!" Qin Ji sighed after laughing.

"What's wrong? Now that we've received this information in advance, we should prepare accordingly." Seeing Qin Ji's tightly furrowed brows, Xiao Yan reached out to smooth them.

"Although there is still no news from the North, the fact that the Second Prince and the Guo family are acting this way suggests that things are extremely bad there. They may have suffered a crushing defeat that could bring the Guo family to the brink of extermination."

At this point, both of them fell silent.

"From now on, we'll work harder. We can bring them stability." Xiao Yan cupped Qin Ji's face and kissed his forehead deeply. "Don't be discouraged. We still have plenty of plans for development, making money, and growth. The road may be winding, but the future is definitely bright. We'll develop explosives, landmines, trade, and the wool economy... using both soft and hard tactics..."

As Xiao Yanhui tried to comfort him by listing feasible and infeasible development strategies one after another, Qin Ji couldn't help but tighten his grip on her arm.

As long as this person is still in my arms, then indeed... the future will be bright no matter what.

The eighth day of the eleventh month was an auspicious day, suitable for all activities. This day was also the day when King Huai took a concubine.