Chapter 374: Chapter 372 He Wants to Seize Power
These past days, all communications and arrangements with the Huo Family have been managed by Xue Ling.
The Huo Family, carrying three hundred thousand troops from outside the border, managed to quietly advance south into the Capital’s outskirts without alerting anyone. How many connections in the North they leveraged for this feat remains known only to Lu Ying and Xue Ling.
The candlelight danced across Lu Ying’s sharp and aristocratic profile.
His long, delicate eyelashes hung low as he leisurely trimmed the overly long wick.
Xue Ling questioned, "Your Highness?"
Lu Ying gazed at the candlestick.
The candle had burned down to a mere stub, and would be extinguished in less than half a quarter-hour.
That vixen had locked him in this chamber, forbidding any maids or servants from visiting him in her absence. Each night, he lit the candles with his own hands, waiting to greet her upon her nocturnal return.
Tonight, the hour was still early. She was out indulging in drink and attending banquets, not yet back at the residence.
She had always been a lover of revelry, and who knew how late she intended to play tonight.
Lu Ying took several new candles from the box, arranged them neatly on a golden tray, lighting them one by one. He also placed some hangover remedies and a freshly brewed pot of tea on the small, intricately carved round table.
Xue Ling’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper as he watched. "Your Highness, the rumors of your suffering in Shen Garden these past days have spread across the Capital like wildfire. Shen Yinning treats you so abominably, why bother with all this for her? Don’t forget, Your Highness, she is now Lu Zhengliu’s ally! She betrayed you and framed you with her accusations—it’s utterly reprehensible!"
Lu Ying remained expressionless. "I have my own sense of discretion."
Xue Ling rolled his eyes.
Discretion?
What discretion?
His master was practically indulging Shen Yinning without limits!
Lu Ying took down a wooden sword hanging on the wall.
The vixen had learned her lesson, and now used chains twice as heavy as those at Jiangnan Liang Garden’s Buddhist Tower to shackle him.
But he still paid them no mind.
Surging, thunderous inner strength coursed through the wooden sword. As he raised his hand, the once blunt wooden blade transformed into a razor-sharp arc of cold steel. Amidst the erupting sparks, he brute-forced his way through the chains, splitting them apart!
Lu Ying discarded the chains. "Let’s go."
Xue Ling’s fox-like eyes gleamed with excitement, knowing tonight was the night to act.
Following closely behind Lu Ying, he tied up his flowing crimson sleeves with silk cords while speaking, "I’ll release the Cloud-piercing Arrow now, to signal General Huo’s forces to attack. That indulgent one in the palace won’t have foreseen that our troops are stationed just twenty miles north of the city—"
"No need."
"Why not?"
Like a ghostly specter, Bai Ling quietly emerged at the end of the corridor, respectfully offering Lu Ying a finely woven armor.
Lu Ying fastened the Heart Protector and donned the armor, tying the straps as he spoke, "The Great General guarding the North City Gate, Zhong Wanjun, is one of Lu Zhengliu’s men. However, his two deputy generals are loyal to me. Capture the leader to eliminate the threat. As long as Zhong Wanjun is neutralized, I can sway the Imperial Guards at the North City Gate to our side. Opening the gates to welcome my uncle’s army into the Capital directly will be far less harmful than forcibly storming the city."
Xue Ling frowned. "I’ve heard Zhong Wanjun possesses Herculean strength and bravery unmatched by thousands. It’s precisely because he’s so capable in battle that the one in the palace assigned him to the North City Gate, surrounded by a legion of loyal elites. How could those two deputy generals possibly be a match for him?"
"I’ll handle it personally."
Before his voice had even finished, Lu Ying had already leapt onto the flying eaves with his boots, disappearing into the night.
Meanwhile.
Tonight, the Marquis of Wenchang and his wife hosted a banquet, inviting the most jovial and lively youth of the Capital. It was a decadent night filled with pleasure and cheer, stretching past midnight before the festivities finally concluded.
Shen Yinning returned to Shen Garden by carriage. From afar, she noticed the pavilion lights were still lit, though there was no sign of that man by the window.
On nights when she was late returning, Lu Ying would always be standing at the window, watching her.
Having drunk quite a bit tonight, Shen Yinning stumbled her way up the high tower, leaning heavily on Haitang’s hand for support. She intended to give Lu Ying a hug, but to her surprise, the room was empty.
The candle was nearly burned out, and on the small round table were some hangover remedies and a pot of tea that had gone cold.
She furrowed her brows. When her gaze landed on the broken chains, her intoxication instantly dissipated.
Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "Lu Ying..."
Haitang gasped in shock. "His Highness escaped?"
Shen Yinning, seething with anger, swept the hangover remedies and tea pot off the table in one fell swoop. Just as she was about to storm out to search for him, Lu Jiazhe barged in.
He too attended the Marquis of Wenchang’s soirée tonight, but on the way back by horseback, the steward of Prince Su’s mansion intercepted him with news that Northwestern General Huo Yuling had led three hundred thousand troops into the Capital to aid the monarch.
Sharing this news with Shen Yinning, Lu Jiazhe glanced at the broken chains and suddenly smacked his forehead. "So my cousin didn’t escape—he must have gone to rendezvous with General Huo instead?!"
Shen Yinning thought even further than he had.
Lu Ying’s killing of Yan Crown Prince Yan Zheming seemed, at first glance, to oppose Great Zhou’s relinquishment of territory and submission to Yan Country, ending their allegiance. But the deeper purpose lay in inciting a war between the two nations, forcing the Emperor to face off against Yan Country, thereby redirecting all national forces northward to fend off the Yan cavalry.
In doing so, the Capital would be left vulnerable, allowing Huo Yuling to lead his three hundred thousand troops southward and seize the city with ease.
What a masterstroke of leading the serpent along the ashes and diverting the tiger from the mountain...
Lu Ying, even while sitting as Crown Prince, clearly never intended to inherit the throne through peaceful means.
He aimed to seize power!
It seemed his demotion from Crown Prince and relegation to the Cold Palace was all part of his plan, meant to lower the Emperor’s and Lu Zhengliu’s guard against him.
Thus, whether or not she had betrayed him by reporting his adultery, he would’ve found other pretexts to bring about his own downfall.
Shen Yinning felt an icy dread seep through her body.
She had known Lu Ying was calculating, but even she hadn’t imagined his plans ran this deep!
"Sister Shen," Lu Jiazhe said anxiously, "I think my royal uncle is no match for my cousin. If my cousin takes control tonight, the first person he’ll punish will be you, given that you were the first to make him suffer! You’d better take advantage of the chaos and escape while the Capital is in turmoil!"
Shen Yinning’s face turned cold as snow, her grip tightening on the round table.
Lu Jiazhe was as agitated as a fly on a burning stove. "Sister Shen!"
Shen Yinning glanced at the broken chains, unwillingly muttering, "There’s no other way..."
The guards from Prince Su’s mansion personally drove the cart, carrying Shen Yinning and Lu Jiazhe toward the South City Gate.
Although it was deep into the night, lanterns illuminated every alleyway and major street as though it were daytime. The residents, awakened by the commotion of the marching troops, dressed hastily and poured out into the streets, seeking to uncover the truth behind the events.
On a high platform, a loud-voiced scholar fervently narrated, "The demotion of the previous Crown Prince was a staged act orchestrated by Prince Duan! Prince Duan is wildly ambitious, having already seized control of the Imperial Palace and the Emperor, secretly compelling him to depose the former Crown Prince in order to claim the position for himself! Luckily for us, the former Crown Prince, wise and valiant, saw through his schemes long ago and sent a message via carrier pigeon to General Huo, asking him to march his troops to aid the monarch!"
From the crowd, someone shouted, "That’s what I’ve been saying! The previous Crown Prince was always such a radiant and honorable figure—how could he possibly commit the disgraceful act of stealing a Minister’s wife?! Even if it happened, it was probably the woman seducing him! How could they so easily strip him of his rightful title?!"
"Exactly! For years, through floods and droughts near the Capital, who was it that led us through every hardship? The former Crown Prince! Where was Prince Duan in these times? Never once did he show his face for such matters! Look—General Huo is truly a worthy uncle of the former Crown Prince. Even with three hundred thousand troops advancing into the city, not an ounce of harm came to the ordinary people. What brilliant leaders we’re blessed with, both the Crown Prince and General!"
"Exactly, yes!"
"Precisely!"
"..."
The crowd erupted into agreement.
The carriage navigated through the tightly packed streets.
Inside the dim carriage, Shen Yinning clenched her hands tightly in silence.