Chapter 90: Planning and strategizing
The full moon in the night sky had lost its blood-red color, now shining like a mirror. The terrifying crimson just now seemed like an illusion.
Yun Yuan changed into a nightgown and stood quietly in front of the window.
She wanted to track him down herself, but the jingling of her dancing costume and the strong scent of cosmetics would have revealed her whereabouts. Even Gu Yue, swayed by the lingering scent of blood, was forced to maintain a distance of several feet from the "historian"—after all, the venomous snake's sense of smell was quite acute.
The situation was critical, and You Xiao's exceptional Qinggong skills and familiarity with Luoyang's terrain made him a more suitable choice than her. Furthermore, after all this delay, catching up would be difficult, so being able to discover his hiding place was a blessing.
Yun Yuan suppressed the waves in her heart: If we can stop him tonight, we can't delay any longer.
Jinse saw the girl's slender back was straight like a black sword, so she walked closer and looked at her tense profile.
"I'm curious, who is your lord?"
Yun Yuan seemed not to hear.
"Those men are exceptionally skilled. While their martial arts techniques are unclear, their breath-holding, concealment, and lightness skills put them among the best in the martial arts world. And they all obey your orders." Jinse leaned against the window, gazing at Yun Yuan's indifferent profile. "They're not Feng Guards, and they're certainly not Feng spies. Since the Third Young Master Feng has already left Luo, what you did must have nothing to do with him. What caught my attention most was—from your actions just now, besides wanting to kill Feng Xiaoming, you seemed more concerned about... the King of Huainan."
Yun Yuan said calmly, "After this incident, you and I will be strangers. Since it has nothing to do with us, why bother asking?"
Jinse was startled and frowned, "Why are we strangers? Are you really not going to give me the antidote?"
Yun Yuan chuckled suddenly, "I forgot about that." She turned around and said, "Don't worry, I've already left the antidote recipe in Xuanhe Hall. From now on, you don't have to be controlled by me anymore."
Jinse was slightly stunned.
Yun Yuan pondered for a moment, then added, "Actually, there's no need for that now. The clues you've provided are sufficient, and what follows is nothing more than a killing spree. To avoid arousing Feng Xiaoming's suspicion, it's best for you to stay away from us."
"Not arousing his suspicion... is easier said than done." Jinse sneered, "It's better to just kill him." She paused, then continued in a low voice, "Whether it's to avenge Wuchang or to avoid being manipulated by him in the future."
"I'm curious too. Qin Se Shuangjiao has always been very alert, so how did they fall into that person's hands?"
Jinse sighed softly and leaned back against the cold wall.
"At that time, Qi'er was trapped in the Ten Thousand Demons Cave by Yama Luo. I rushed to rescue her, but I fell into a trap. That evil ghost loves to play tricks on people. He only gave us a cup of poisoned wine and a door, forcing us to make a choice. I thought drinking the wine would surely kill me, so I pushed Qi'er into the door of life with a palm and drank the poisoned wine myself. Who knew..."
"That's not just any poisoned wine, it's Impermanence..." Yun Yuan continued in a low voice, "This cup of wine has bound far more than just one or two people."
Jinse's throat choked slightly, her voice trembling. "Qi'er has always been intelligent and clever. That evil spirit must have realized it couldn't control her, so it deliberately lured me in, using this drama of sisterly love... to force her into submission." She closed her eyes. "I originally only wanted to atone for my sins with death, perhaps gaining some forgiveness from her. But I didn't expect that in the end... I would end up dragging her down."
"forgive?"
"We once promised to stay together forever..." Memories rippled across her face, a hint of tenderness spreading across her face before quickly turning into a bitter smile. "But I betrayed her. Not only did I fall in love with someone else, I even planned to marry him."
Tears silently slid down the woman's cheeks.
"That day, I simply wanted to discuss things with her, but she... don't be fooled by her gentle words; she has an extremely strong temper. Before I could even finish my words, she swung her sword and severed the strings of the precious Luqi harp, severing all ties with me. Then... she left without even looking back."
"So that's how it is..." Yun Yuan's heart was filled with mixed emotions, and suddenly the corners of her lips curled up slightly, "But she begged Master Yuan to repair the strings of the zither."
Jinse was slightly startled, "Is it fixed?"
Yun Yuan nodded. "When she sneaked into the Huainan Palace and secretly assisted Wei Qianji..." As she spoke, a faint smile flashed across her eyes. "She also asked you to repair her zither strings."
Jinse chuckled, "That's her style."
Yun Yuan asked, "Did you send her a message the other night?"
Jinse nodded. "I just didn't expect that she was sent to the stone prison to interrogate prisoners during those few days. It was really baffling..." She chuckled. "Now that I think about it, it might have been the Black Judge's handiwork. He kept you here to save me."
Yun Yuan paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Is Luqi currently at the Prince Zhao's residence?"
"Yes." Jinse paused slightly: "Ask her, but she has another plan..."
The words were interrupted by the creaking of the door hinges. Gu Yue walked in lightly.
"What's going on?" Yun Yuan took a quick step forward.
Gu Yue sat down on the bamboo couch, crossed his arms and sighed, "We have to wait another night."
"Still a step too late?"
"Hmm." He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all. "When we tracked down that fake Shi, he had already entered the Prime Minister's residence." Gu Yue looked at Yun Yuan's pale face. "The guards in front of Prince Zhao's residence are so thick that not even a bird can get in." Gu Yue's eyes darkened. "And if we want him to perform peacefully tomorrow, we must not alert him tonight."
Yun Yuan seemed to be lost in thought. She sat down across the coffee table and asked, "Can a message be sent to the Huainan Palace?"
Gu Yue shook her head and frowned. "The Prince of Huainan's palace is completely surrounded by the Prince of Zhao's imperial guards. No one can get in or out. The rumors of the Prince of Huainan rebelling have been growing stronger these past few days. All they need is solid evidence."
"We'll just have to wait until tomorrow's imperial decree to make the final decision..." Yun Yuan sighed softly.
Jinse asked, "How can you be sure that the envoy is Feng Xiaoming?"
Yun Yuan nodded: "It must be him. Impermanence was created by him, and no one else can control the poisoned person. And the most important thing is..." A hint of coldness suddenly flashed across her eyes, "He can't resist this temptation..."
"lure?"
"He personally dragged a figure as resplendent and admired as the King of Huainan down from the altar and completely controlled him in his grasp." The girl raised her lips in a mocking arc. "Tonight, he's probably too excited to sleep."
Jinse nodded slightly and sneered, "Body doubles, disguises, assassins... He must have thought everything was foolproof. And since the show will become a reality tomorrow, he'll probably only have the Imperial Guards around him. Those Xiaos will probably just follow from a distance. This is the perfect opportunity."
Yun Yuan turned to Gu Yue and asked, "Have you figured out the necessary route for delivering the message from the Prime Minister's Mansion to the Huainan Prince's Mansion?"
Gu Yue gathered her sleeves and pulled out a scroll of silk from her bosom. Unfolding it, she saw a map of Luoyang City. "There are three routes from the Prime Minister's Residence of Prince Zhao to the Prince of Huainan's Palace."
His fingertips slid across the map. "First, take Tianmen Street. The official road is wide and is often used by officials. It's the closest and most prominent. Second, go through Xishi, which is a bustling place with dense population and extraordinary noise."
"The third one," he said, his fingertip shifting to a barely discernible zigzag line. "This path is a bit circuitous. It winds out of the Prime Minister's Courtyard, bypasses the checkpoints, and leads directly to the rear courtyard of the Prince's Palace. It's the most secretive." He raised his gaze to Yun Yuan, who was listening intently. "You Xiao and Hua Di can cover all three routes simultaneously, but..."
"It's too far away." Yun Yuan frowned. "The distance between the East Market and the West Quarter is more than just a few miles. Not to mention the Prime Minister's Mansion, which is as deep as the sea and so far away from the front yard. Even if you run fast, it will take half an hour to reach it."
"That's right." Gu Yue nodded. "Delivering the message isn't difficult, the challenge lies in how to rush the troops to support us in that split second." He lowered his gaze, once again fixated on the three forking roads on the map. "We must anticipate the enemy and gamble on the path with the best chance of success."
He took out three dice from the wooden chessboard on the table.
First, place a dice with the white side facing up on the main road. "Orders and imperial decrees are usually carried out along this road. The Imperial Guards have the strictest defenses, the roads are sparsely populated, and the transportation is fastest."
Then he placed a dice with the black side facing up on the side road: "In the market place, we can walk in a grand manner and put pressure on the King of Huainan invisibly."
Finally, he picked up the coin with the dark patterns on it and placed it on the path in the backyard. "This path is most suitable for Feng Xiaoming's hidden nature. The alleys are winding, and his 'Xiao' will be able to set an ambush nearby."
Gu Yue stood up and looked at the girl in deep thought.
"Which way are you going to bet on?"
Yun Yuan reached out and took the engraved coin. "Feng Xiaoming might have dodged it in the past, but not tomorrow. Besides, while this road is secluded, it's long and winding, making it easy for Xiao to set an ambush and for others to attack." She suddenly sneered, "Besides, King Zhao's advisor wouldn't want him to choose this path."
"Not ostentatious enough." Gu Yue agreed.
"Hmm." Yun Yuan weighed the two remaining routes repeatedly and couldn't make a decision for a while.
Jinse approached and said, "From what the counselor said, it seems to be this." She pointed at the black dice. "He mentioned that there's no need to disperse the people. Instead, we should create a large crowd, ideally leading them to where the Prince of Huainan is watching the ceremony."
Yun Yuan and Gu Yue exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
"The city also makes it easier for Xiao's guards to secretly track down the guards." Gu Yue stared at the black dot. "After all, Tianmen Street will be heavily guarded by then. It will be difficult for a secret assassin like Xiao to get close."
"Okay." Yun Yuan moved the white stone aside and fixed her eyes on the black stone. "Let's bet on this street."
"Most of these guards came from Shouchun, and they're not as familiar with Luoyang as You Xiao, which is an advantage. You Xiao can ambush them in the dark and find their location. But..."
"And the Imperial Guards." Yun Yuan continued.
"That's right. If the Imperial Guards clear the way for him, it will be troublesome. They are elite soldiers."
"You just said that the Huainan Prince's palace is surrounded like an iron barrel?" Yun Yuan's eyes flickered. "The Huainan Prince has the support of martial arts masters. If he breaks through and starts a rebellion, I'm afraid the King of Zhao may not be able to withstand it."
Gu Yue said, "Are you planning to use the Prince of Huainan to start a rebellion and lure the tiger away from the mountain?"
Yun Yuan shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure whether the King of Huainan will start a rebellion, but I'm asking King Zhao to doubt this venomous snake. After all, between the controllable King of Huainan and the uncontrollable King of Zhao, which one will this venomous snake choose..." The corner of the girl's mouth curled up in sarcasm. "Has King Zhao never had any doubts in his heart?"
"A plan to sow discord..." Gu Yue was slightly stunned: "How do you want to do it?"
"Do the same." Yun Yuan turned to Jin Se. "You just asked me if I had any plans... I do have something else I'd like to trouble you with." The girl raised her lips slightly. "When the venomous snake leaves the house tomorrow, have Lu Qi 'accidentally intercept' a secret letter."
Gu Yue frowned: "Secret letter? But the Prime Minister's Mansion is packed..."
Jinse suddenly realized, "You want me to send a message?"
Yun Yuan nodded.
"What should I write in the letter?"
The girl opened her red lips and said, "Everything is ready. I am waiting for the east wind."
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