A strange change
As time went by, the solemn atmosphere in the capital became more and more intense.
Liu Buqi, who was guarding the Marquis' Mansion, finally received the news that 2,000 cavalrymen from Youzhou had completely controlled a secluded river crossing pier, collected several boats, and dispatched 500 people to guard the nearby manor. Another 1,500 cavalrymen could rush to Beijing within half a day.
Regardless of the success or failure of the dynasty, Yue Lingxi must not stay in the capital. This cavalry is the capital for retreating back to Youzhou.
The five hundred royal guards hidden in various places in the capital, led by Wang Sheng, have also begun to move to the Hou Mansion one after another. Thanks to the advantage of temporarily presiding over the Tiance Mansion, it is not difficult for Yue Lingxi to avoid the patrolling soldiers in the capital.
The Hou Mansion is very close to the Imperial Guards’ horse breeding area, making it convenient for movement before the imperial court.
The mansion was under complete martial law. No one was allowed to leave except for trusted personal soldiers who went out to buy food, clothing and daily necessities. The backyard was completely closed to prevent any unpredictable factors from happening.
Yue Lingxi has been wandering around officials' residences these days. Although this has hardly any effect in winning over officials, this attitude is necessary, even if it can only paralyze potential parties.
Crown Prince Yue Chengqiu completed the deployment of the troops in the capital behind the scenes, so Yue Lingxi naturally had no say in the matter.
However, relying on his experience in deploying troops, he could still see from clues that this time the prince wanted to solve the problem of the constraints on imperial power once and for all!
Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. Finally, the day of the grand court session was approaching! Yue Lingxi went out early in the morning to finalize the details of tomorrow's grand court session with the Crown Prince.
Not long after he left the house, Bai Jinjing came in mysteriously to report that King Ning had come to visit Liu Buqi in person!
When Liu Buqi saw Yue Wuzhi disguised as a businessman and entering the mansion through the back door, he became even more confused!
King Ning's behavior of visiting the "enemy's" home through the back door at such an unexpected time was really unbelievable, especially since he chose a time when Yue Lingxi was not at home. It was really unreasonable.
He came with only a slender woman. Although her face could not be seen due to the veil covering her face, judging from the tense and focused expression of Gongsun Wuhui who was accompanying her, it should be Princess Anran Yue Caiwei.
The meeting of two top-ranked female masters on the Taiyue Beauty Ranking should have been a fierce battle. But unfortunately, neither of them was the protagonist today!
"Though there are many masters in the world, the only one who can be seen only by the sword and not the person is probably Gongsun Wuhui, the Sword Master of No Regrets! As the saying goes, a great reputation is never false. To be able to take Yue Beiqiu's life amidst the heavily guarded and expert entourage of the Crown Prince, the title of the world's fastest swordsman is undoubtedly yours!"
The first words Yue Wuji said caught Liu Buqi off guard, and Gongsun Wuhui had already put his hand on the sword.
"Uncle Eighth, what are you talking about? I'm stupid and I really don't understand!" Liu Buqi could only argue to the end at this time!
"Haha, there's no way the Youzhou Spirit Fox wouldn't understand this! What's more, the news that Wuhui Jianji was the assassin of Yue Beiqiu was revealed to me by the current emperor. Therefore, I'm definitely not the only one who knows this news. Crown Prince Yue Chengqiu is likely aware of it as well!"
There is a lot of information revealed in Prince Ning’s words!
If what he said was true, then the current emperor knew who killed his son! Gongsun Wuhui's entry into the Marquis' Mansion had completely exposed Yue Lingxi!
Moreover, the implication between the lines clearly revealed that Yue Chengqiu was very likely to have already known the news that the emperor knew! This meant that the relationship between the emperor and the crown prince might not be as tense as it seemed!
Liu Buqi sat up straight and listened quietly to King Ning's next words!
"Madam Liu, both our families have been fooled by His Majesty and the Crown Prince!"
"I originally thought that the emperor wanted to borrow troops from me. But in reality, they wanted to keep me in the capital so that the Han family of Jiangdong could wait for an opportunity to seize Jingzhou!"
"Yue Fan, the second son of the late Marquis of Anguo, should be Lingxi's biological father, right? I've met Yue Fan and Yue Chen several times before, and Yue Lingxi and Yue Fan look so much alike!"
"But do you know? Yue Fan was 70% similar to the late emperor! My father once suspected that there was something wrong with Yue Fan's background!"
At this moment, King Ning was concentrating on observing Liu Buqi's reaction. Unfortunately, Liu Buqi was not a Wu Xia A'mon, and it was impossible for him to make any inappropriate expressions or movements just by a few words!
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have brought our families together in the capital, creating the illusion of opposition. Their goal is to make us kill each other. They want to focus all the conflicts on Yue Lingxi and me, and pin the blame of disrupting the central government on both families!"
"That way they can step forward, win over the people, and continue to control the situation! Now the Emperor doesn't even show up, pushing me forward! The fact that Yue Lingxi was pushed by the Crown Prince to the position of head of the Tiance Mansion is clear proof!"
Liu Buqi nodded noncommittally, "Uncle Eight, how did you know all these secrets? Why didn't you talk to Lingxi face to face about such an important matter?"
Prince Ning smiled bitterly and said, "Yue Lingxi and I are constantly under surveillance by the secret guards assigned by the Emperor and the Crown Prince! I deliberately went to the Zhennan Gate for an inspection, changing my uniform among my personal guards and sneaking out. Qu Shanhe is still in the barracks, confusing everyone for me."
"How could I dare to come to Yue Lingxi's house so easily if he didn't leave and take away the surveillance guards? If I didn't have to come in person to gain Madam's trust, I wouldn't act like this!"
"As for these secret messages, some of them are actually messages left by my father, the old King Ning. Some of them are what I have learned through careful observation these days!"
"Yue Beiqiu's lineage is accustomed to using others as pawns. My father suffered a great loss back then. He was the first to stand out, and was thus framed in the capital!"
"My dear niece, I have learned from past experiences, so I never fully believed the emperor's promise, which is why I was able to discover some clues! You were deliberately plotting against me, and you didn't even think about it!"
"You and Lingxi can carefully recall the details of our arrival in Beijing and verify whether what I said is credible! I came here this time because I don't want you to repeat my father's mistakes and be deceived by their lineage again!"
"After the court session ends tomorrow, that should be the time they attack us!"
After King Ning finished speaking, he was anxious to say goodbye and leave, as if he was really worried that his whereabouts would be discovered!
Liu Buqi quickly stood up and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Uncle Eighth, for your guidance. What do you need us to do tomorrow?"
No matter how true King Ning’s words are, we must first figure out what King Ning wants to do!
"I'm telling you these things so that you can be on guard. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Uncle Ba doesn't need you to do anything! Our two families will react accordingly. Just don't panic!"
It seems that the old fox Prince Ning will not reveal his intentions easily!
After seeing off Prince Ning and Princess Anran, Liu Buqi fell into a long period of contemplation. It was not until Yue Lingxi returned home after noon that she summoned Lu Ren, Wang Sheng, Bai Qiangwei and others to discuss matters in the study.
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