Chapter 222 Let’s put on a big show!
At midnight, the moon is dark and the wind is strong.
Thirty top-notch Black Armor Guards gathered silently at the back door of the Regent's Palace.
However, what they waited for was news that caught them all off guard.
Action, cancel.
The lights in the study were bright.
Xuan Er, the Xuanjia Guard who was in charge of exploring the way, knelt on one knee on the ground with his head bowed very low.
"Your Highness, Master Imperial Master, it is my incompetence."
"The cold palace...can't enter."
"What do you mean you can't get in?"
"I sent three of our most stealthy scouts through three different secret passages. In the end... none of them returned."
"Within the outer walls of the cold palace, there's a sentry every three steps and a guard every five steps. They're all the Yun family's loyal warriors. Furthermore, there are at least ten or more hidden sentries in every conceivable blind spot and on every rooftop, each capable of fighting ten at a time. It's more like an impenetrable prison built specifically to imprison the emperor than a cold palace!"
"I can conclude that as soon as our men approach within thirty feet of the palace wall, they will be discovered immediately. By then, let alone rescuing the Emperor, I'm afraid none of our thirty brothers will be able to return."
These traitors from the Yun family have really blocked all the roads!
Another spy who was responsible for tracking down clues also brought back despairing news.
All those involved in the autumn hunting incident and the fake emperor's substitute have "disappeared from the face of the earth."
Their families either moved away and disappeared, or... they met with various "accidents" and died tragically at home.
The old fox, Prime Minister Yun, used the bloodiest and cruelest means to completely wipe out all the clues.
"A strong attack is impossible, and there is no way to investigate."
"Since they won't leave us a way, we'll build one ourselves."
"Xuan Yi, what do you mean?"
Chu Xuanyi stood up and walked to the huge map of the imperial city.
"Our biggest problem right now is that we can't determine the exact location where the emperor is imprisoned, nor can we get close to him. But we have a huge advantage: the Yun family, and even the entire world, don't know about it."
"That's Ah Jiu."
"Ajiu?" Xiao Jing was stunned for a moment. "You mean to let Ajiu sense it again? But she can only sense a rough direction, which is the cold palace."
"No," Chu Xuanyi shook his head, with an unfathomable smile on his lips.
"What I mean is that we should send Ah Jiu to the Yun family openly and honestly."
"What?!" Xiao Jing exploded on the spot, "Chu Xuanyi, you are crazy! Isn't that pushing Ah Jiu into the fire pit? I don't agree!"
Xiao Yu's brows furrowed instantly, and a cold warning flashed in his eyes.
Any plan that involves Jiu's safety will touch his bottom line.
"Your Majesty, please listen to what I have to say."
Chu Xuanyi seemed confident. He stretched out his iconic folding fan and lightly tapped the map.
"What's the Yun family most concerned about right now? The identity of the fake emperor and the whereabouts of the real emperor. What they fear most is someone getting close to the truth."
“So, we’re going to do the opposite.”
"I'll do it."
"I, the Grand Master of the Great Zhou Dynasty, am in charge of divination and sacrifices throughout the world, communicating with the gods and spirits of heaven and earth. This was bestowed upon me by the Emperor himself, and everyone in the world knows it."
"I will submit a memorial at court tomorrow morning. I'll say that I observed the celestial phenomena at night and found that the Purple Star was dim, the Emperor Star was vacillating, and the entire Imperial City was shrouded in a sinister aura of unknown origin. This is... an ominous sign for the nation's destiny!"
He spoke in such a rhythmic and mysterious manner that even Xiao Jing was stunned.
"Then what?"
"Then, I will 'diagnose' the source of this evil spirit. It comes from near the Emperor's bedroom where he has been recuperating for a long time. Because of this evil spirit invading his body, the dragon body has been unable to recover."
"Will the Yun family believe it?" Xiao Yu still felt it was unreliable.
"It doesn't matter whether he believes it or not. What matters is that all the civil and military officials in the court and the people of the world will believe it!" Chu Xuanyi opened his fan with a "swish".
"I'm the Imperial Preceptor. To some extent, what I say represents 'Heaven's will.' Even with Prime Minister Yun's immense power, would he dare to openly contradict Heaven's will? Would he dare to claim that the Emperor is in good health and doesn't need prayers? He wouldn't dare! If he were to refute it, he would be guilty!"
Xiao Yu's eyes gradually lit up.
He understood Chu Xuanyi's intention.
This is an open conspiracy!
"The next step is the most crucial one." Chu Xuanyi's eyes became extremely serious.
"I need to ask the 'Emperor' for permission to enter the palace and hold a grand ceremony to pray for blessings and exorcise evil spirits. However, I alone cannot preside over this ceremony."
"I need a…assistant."
He looked at Xiao Yu and said slowly, "A 'spiritual girl' whose destiny is pure and clean, whose eight characters are extremely precious, who can communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and who serves as a bridge between the 'gods' and the 'mortal world'."
"This 'spiritual girl' needs to hold a magical instrument and, under my guidance, travel to every corner of the palace where evil spirits may gather. Using her own pure spiritual energy, she must find and mark the core source of the evil spirits. Only then can I set up an altar to eradicate it once and for all!"
Having said that, the answer is obvious.
"The spirit girl you're talking about... is Ah Jiu!"
"That's right," Chu Xuanyi nodded seriously. "There's no one in the world more suitable than Miss Ajiu. She was personally appointed by the Emperor as the 'Little Lucky Girl Protecting the Nation', and her precious destiny is known to the world. It's perfectly legitimate for her to be the 'Spirit Girl', and no one can find fault with her!"
This plan is not only bold, it is simply crazy!
This is equivalent to performing a carefully choreographed drama in front of a group of the most ferocious hungry wolves!
The actors are only him and Ajiu.
If the performance goes wrong, the consequences will be unimaginable!
“The risk is too high.”
Xiao Yu pondered for a long time and finally spoke.
"How can you guarantee that the Yun family won't figure it out? And how can you guarantee Ah Jiu's safety?"
"Your Highness, precisely because the risk is so high, they are less likely to suspect."
"They could never have imagined that we would use this method to place the key to victory on a young girl who had just come of age. Ah Jiu's innocence is her best disguise. I will be by her side throughout the entire process, using the name of ritual to isolate her from all dangers."
"As long as we can successfully enter the palace, Jiu can use her abilities to openly and honestly find the exact room where the emperor is imprisoned, under everyone's 'surveillance'!"
"Then we'll strike with lightning speed and catch the perpetrators red-handed! The Yun family will never be able to recover!"
The study fell into silence again.
Xiao Yu's breathing became heavier, and he was torn between his conscience and his conscience. His rationality told him that this was the only viable solution at the moment.
But emotionally, he really didn't want Jiu to take this risk.
He slowly walked to the window, looked at the dark night outside without saying a word.
He is weighing the pros and cons.
On one side is the life of the emperor's brother, and on the other side is the kingdom of the Great Zhou.
On the other side is the girl whom he holds at the top of his heart and wants to protect for the rest of his life.
This choice is too difficult and too heavy.
"good."
"Just do as you say."
"Xuan Yi, I hand Ah Jiu over to you. Her safety is your life. If she is harmed in the slightest, I will bury the entire Yun family along with you."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Chu Xuanyi bowed deeply and solemnly, "Xuanyi, I guarantee it with my life."
"It's not enough to just do it." Xiao Yu's mind was already racing. "If we want to trick this old fox of the Yun family into falling into our trap, we have to make a big enough noise."
He gave the order immediately.
"Xuan Yi, from today on, you will mobilize all your connections to spread the news among the nobles and their children in the capital. Say that we observed the celestial phenomena at night and discovered that there is a dangerous aura in the capital, and there is a fear of a great disaster. The more outrageous the story, the better!"
"Yes!" Xuan Yi immediately accepted the order.
"Also, contact all the old ministers in the court who are still loyal to the royal family. Tomorrow morning, you must work together to create public pressure and petition the 'Emperor' to allow you to enter the palace to pray!"
"clear!"
"As for this king..."
"I will personally visit several princes and generals who command large armies and are still watching from the sidelines. I will let them know which side this ship should be on."
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