Chapter 776 Conspiracy

In the deep underground palace, all around was pitch black, except for a candlestick lit at the far end, which elongated a slender figure in the candlelight.

A man in a blue robe stood beside him and said, "Your Highness, now is a good opportunity to make your move. The emperor is not in the palace, and the palace is in chaos. Your Highness has cast your net for so long, it's time to close it."

On the wall hung a portrait of an emperor in a dragon robe. The surrounding light was dim, with faint candlelight casting shadows on the portrait, which showed the emperor's deep gaze.

Xie Kang stared at the portrait, lost in thought. Xie Shang took all the members of the Xie family to the Hengyang Imperial Mausoleum, making them repent before Emperor Huijing.

If anyone should repent, it should be Xie Jing repenting to the ancestors of the Xie family. He murdered the emperor to seize the throne, killing his father in an attempt to quickly take the throne. This was not only told to him by his mother, but there are also people who can prove that Xie Jing is a hypocrite. The important officials in the court are all his henchmen. He eliminated dissidents, harmed his brothers, and forced him to flee to the northwest.

"The Empress Dowager is in his hands, so we can't make a move yet," Xie Kang added.

The confidant looked anxious. "The Empress Dowager said not to consider her. If necessary, she will lend you a hand. Your Highness, we cannot miss this opportunity! You have endured for more than 30 years. Now, as long as you give the order, the brothers will be ready to storm the palace at any time. The emperor is far away in Hengyang and cannot come back in time."

The Empress Dowager's meaning was crystal clear: she would never become a pawn in the Emperor's hands. If necessary, she would risk her life to help Prince Kang. If the Empress Dowager suddenly died while Xie Shang was imprisoned, he would be unable to explain himself. If he were accused of murdering his grandmother, people would question his attempt to clear his name in front of the public.

"Wait a little longer," Xie Kang said.

"Empress Jiang has arrested Cheng Zhong. If he reveals the people we planted in the palace, and Empress Jiang finds out who they are, this move will be for nothing. Your Highness can't wait any longer."

Xie Kang said coldly, "Even if Xie Shang were in the capital, he would have to obediently abdicate if I wanted the throne."

Over the past few decades, he has already established an empire, and now he even has the ability to declare himself emperor, but he has not done so, because he does not know if such an outcome is what his father would want to see.

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it has stagnated since the reign of Emperor Huijing. Xie Jing raised hawks and hounds for his own use, but those hawks and hounds were like rotten apples draining the Great Zhou.

When Xie Shang took over the throne, he was the first person to turn against Xie Jing. He not only eliminated the Yang family, Qin family, and other major families who had served Xie Jing and acted as his accomplices, but even the Su family was wiped out.

He couldn't understand whether the world should be united or divided. If he directly attacked the capital, the war would inevitably result in widespread bloodshed.

And then there's Jiang Fenghua. Why is she targeting the Su family? The Jiang family is also eliminating ministers whom Emperor Huijing once tried so hard to win over.

Su Qingqing and Cheng Langjin were actually pawns of Xie Jing, a cruel emperor devoid of emotion.

He went to the Cheng family to test Cheng Yong's attitude. His attitude confused him. Both the Duke of Cheng and the Old Madam Cheng had passed away, so the Cheng family would not support him now, and of course, the Cheng family did not have the ability to support him.

When he arrived in Shengjing City and saw the changes there, he was even more puzzled, as if things were gradually getting better.

"Your Highness," the subordinate called out again, "The Empress Dowager left an imperial edict, saying that when the time is right, Your Highness should take action. Your Highness must not disappoint the Empress Dowager's wishes! Changing the emperor will change the world, and the future of the Great Zhou Dynasty can only be hoped for if it is handed over to Your Highness."

After a moment, Xie Kang said, "Let's do it!"

The confidant replied happily, "Yes, sir. I'll make preparations immediately. What should we do with that guard?"

Xie Kang said in a deep voice, "They're too tight-lipped, there's no point in keeping them around, get rid of them!" He didn't expect Xie Shang's men to be so loyal, he was quite different from his father.

The trusted aide respectfully replied, "Yes."

Your Highness should have made a decision long ago; hesitation only leads to further chaos.

In the corner, a man covered in blood was curled up. When he saw the newcomer, he said coldly, "If you're going to kill or torture me, just do it quickly. Are you even a man, dragging your feet like this?"

The word "man" seemed to sting the newcomer's heart. He picked up the spiked club from the ground and struck Night Shadow again. "The harder your bones are, the less I'll let you die. I'm going to torture you slowly so you can't even die if you want to."

Over the past few days, Ye Ying had figured out his temper. He deliberately provoked him, saying, "Is it inconvenient for a man not to have that thing?"

Enraged, the man suddenly revealed his true colors, raising his pinky finger and saying, "You're asking for it."

"You won't kill me. If you kill me, no one will know your secret that you're not actually a man. You've been pretending to be a man all this time, you must be very lonely!" Nightshade continued, "You want to get married but can't, and you're so old, are you Prince Kang's lover?"

The next moment, the man's spiked club slammed down on Nightshade's lower abdomen.

Nightshade trembled all over in pain. They should kill him so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore and wouldn't become a burden to Aoxue and the others.

The man saw through it too. "You want to die, don't you? I'll just let you taste what it's like to not be a man."

Night Shadow's head and face were covered in blood. Now he was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, his teeth were chattering, and he couldn't utter a single word. His mouth was full of blood, but he still grinned coldly. "You don't not want to kill me, but you can't. Because even if one of my guards dies, there are thousands of other guards protecting the Emperor. Prince Kang is just a coward. He couldn't fight the late Emperor, and now he can't fight the Emperor. Go and find Prince Kang. I want to tell him personally where the Emperor's guards are hiding."

The reason he was fooled in the first place was because of Steward Cheng. He treated Steward Cheng as one of his own, but he never expected that Steward Cheng would betray the Emperor.

Steward Cheng actually helped Prince Kang send spies into the palace. The spies disguised themselves as him and set fire to Kunning Palace. At the time, he was too anxious to chase the murderer, so he fell into their trap.

Just then, a man who looked exactly like him appeared in front of him. "From now on, he will return to the palace in your place."

Nightshade said coldly, "What do you want to do?"

“Naturally, it’s to complete the task he didn’t finish,” the man said again.

Nightshade panicked instantly. Did he want to set fire again? How could there be someone in this world who looked exactly like him? Did he also have the ability of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, able to change his face a thousand times?

He observed the man closely; his face did not appear to be a mask.

The man handed Nightshade's token to the man, saying, "From this moment on, you are Nightshade, and Nightshade is you. Go!"

The man cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Yes, sir."

Nightshade cried out, "Come back, come back!"

The man sneered, "Weren't you supposed to be tough? Now you're scared. But why are you so afraid?"

"You male-female, dead eunuch, you're childless and still so wicked. Even if Prince Kang becomes emperor, you can't be empress. How many more years do you have left to live? Do you still expect Prince Kang to appoint you as the chief eunuch?" Ye Ying never thought he would curse. He was only worried about what the fake Ye Ying would do in the palace and whether Ao Xue could recognize him as an imposter.