Gu Yifeng originally did not want to launch a counterattack against the Second Prince so soon; he only planned to gather intelligence little by little and strike a final blow.
But now that the second brother has become restless so early, he naturally doesn't need to hold back anymore.
Fang Xuan understood Gu Yifeng's meaning and immediately stopped talking. He took Li Zheng and left the prison, but Chi Liancheng did not leave.
"Young Master, what about the Crown Princess's family..."
During his day in the Imperial Guard, Chi Liancheng had already found out about Gu Yifeng and naturally knew that the Li family was the Crown Princess's maternal family.
"In the end, it was an accident caused by a sudden attack. My father-in-law is the Minister of Rites, so it's impossible to punish him easily. We just need to deal with the witness and the evidence, and he'll be released in a few days."
"The Kaifeng Prefecture, the Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Justice won't be able to cause trouble for long. Once the sun is high in the sky, everything will be settled."
Gu Yifeng sneered and glanced at Qin Shan again, knowing that he would wake up tomorrow without any surprises.
Seeing this, Chi Liancheng had no choice but to take his leave, leaving the two imperial guards behind for the crown prince to reassign.
Gu Yifeng did not go to sleep that night, but continued to study the art of talismans. By the time dawn broke, the desk he had moved in was already covered with talisman papers.
"rise!"
"Disperse!"
Gu Yifeng gave two low shouts, and the talismans on the table immediately floated up into the air, turning into tiny figures that scattered and disappeared from the prison.
These paper figures are also a type of talisman recorded in the Myriad Stories of Talismans. They are fourth-grade talismans called "Hearing and Reporting," which can travel around according to the talisman master's wishes, collect information, and transmit what they see and hear back to the talisman master.
The reason it is ranked fourth is because the talisman master can transfer his mind and consciousness into one of the paper figures at any time, allowing it to move freely as if it were a clone.
Just then, Qin Shan regained consciousness.
"Qin Shan, you should be almost fully recovered. Perfect timing. Help me protect you. Today, there's going to be a good show."
Gu Yifeng chuckled, then sat down cross-legged. With a thought, he entered the body of a paper doll, controlling the tiny body to fly towards the Second Prince's residence.
...
At this moment, inside the Second Prince's residence.
"Report! Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Urgent report from the Yangtze River! The Liu family of Yan Hua Liu has been captured by Fang Xuan's personal guards and is currently being escorted to the capital!"
"Report! Your Highness, the suburban garden purchased by the Prefect of Kaifeng has been investigated. More than a dozen skeletons have been unearthed from the garden's dry well. The Prefect of Kaifeng has been dismissed and is under investigation!"
"Report! Your Highness, ten thousand taels of gold have been discovered in the home of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. It has been confiscated by the Imperial Guards, and Chief Steward Changfu personally led the operation!"
"Report! Your Highness, the tenant in Li Family Village has withdrawn the petition. A fellow villager reported that the tenant had already received money from the Li family, and the signature and fingerprint are still there. This report was completely done on purpose."
...
The successive urgent reports were like a barrage of punches, slamming hard into the face of the Second Prince, Gu Ran.
In just one night, the situation changed drastically. In fact, rumors were circulating in the court that the six ministers had gone directly to the imperial prison with their memorials.
As for the two prime ministers, they were naturally sent to the imperial prison together at the request of many ministers.
Upon hearing this news, Gu Ran could only slump helplessly in her chair, dismissing the spies with a blank stare, seemingly lost in thought.
"I'm afraid we've all been deceived by Fang Xuan. From the moment we started monitoring him, we fell into his trap. This was mostly investigated by the Crown Prince's personal guards and Fang Xuan's men. Oh no, also by the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet."
"Fortunately, they haven't touched the Ningyuan Marquis's residence yet. Your Highness, otherwise, let's just use the military's power."
The dark figure slowly emerged and spoke to Gu Ran.
"Do you think my good brother would overlook the Marquis's mansion? I'm afraid Chi Liancheng and Fang Xuan are waiting for me there. Once I get there, I'll be held accountable for framing Qin Shan as well."
Gu Ran was exhausted, but fortunately she still had some sense. She spoke in a hoarse voice, with a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.
"Since that's the case, why should Your Highness admit defeat? It's good that those ministers have all pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince. Then we can settle accounts one by one, and His Majesty will naturally know who is beneficial to the country."
The shadowy figure continued speaking, the malice in its words surpassing that of ordinary people.
“What you say makes sense, but these ministers are not the Crown Prince’s right-hand men. If you want revenge, you still have to get rid of Fang Xuan.”
Gu Ran's eyes flickered repeatedly before she identified her target.
“Your Highness is right. Then, shall we let him be smug for a while longer? If we make a move now, I’m afraid everyone’s eyes will be on Your Highness.”
The shadowy figure continued to speak.
"That's the way to go. The forces within Daqian are probably not enough; we still need to find people from Dachu. I wonder how Song Wuyai is doing; go and check on him."
Gu Ran frowned in thought, then spoke with a slight hesitation.
Upon hearing Gu Ran's order, the dark figure stopped lingering and immediately disappeared from the spot.
...
On the roof of the Second Prince's residence, a paper figure was pressed tightly against a tile, listening to the many voices below.
"As expected, he really knows how to keep his composure. Even after such a huge shock, he remains so calm. No wonder he has been meticulously planning this for so many years. However, the old emperor's decree is probably coming soon."
"Once the matter in the palace is investigated, neither of you, you or the Empress, will escape."
Gu Yifeng sneered, then withdrew his spiritual power and left the Second Prince's residence with the breeze. He drifted along the road until he spontaneously combusted in a deserted place and disappeared.
Other places, hearing reports, also spontaneously combusted under his influence, and then vanished without a trace.
His mind flashed back to reality, and Qin Shan was standing nervously to his side, protecting him.
"Your Highness, you're awake? Your Majesty, I have disobeyed your orders and caused you trouble."
Qin Shan saw that Gu Yifeng had regained consciousness and immediately said something.
"It's nothing, just a small matter. You've done me a great favor. Now go to the Imperial Guard camp and find General Chi Liancheng. His Majesty has granted him a pardon. Invite the old general over; I have important matters to discuss with him."
Gu Yifeng spoke slowly, then fell into deep thought. He remembered that in Chi Liancheng's previous account, he had indeed missed someone, not someone who disappeared during the fireworks and poison case, but someone who disappeared during the dynastic change.
Soon, Qin Shan invited Chi Liancheng over.
"Old General, do you remember what you said about one of the Sword Immortal's two great bodyguards? Is the other one Shadow?"
Gu Yifeng asked cautiously, even with the soundproof barrier activated, he was still unsure.
"Indeed, Your Highness, do you have any news about my brother?"
Chi Liancheng was somewhat surprised to hear this, but then said with some delight.
Gu Yifeng remained silent upon hearing this, only glancing at Chi Liancheng with a calm, even indifferent, expression.
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