The eldest prince and the fifth prince planned to assassinate the emperor outside the palace if possible, and to send Emperor Qingyuan and the third prince away together if possible.
The best place to take action was the middle section of Yongxing Street.
Yongxing Street is the only way back to the palace. Moreover, the middle section is full of wealthy and powerful families. The walls of the mansions on both sides of the street are very long. As long as they lay in ambush in advance, when Emperor Qingyuan and the Third Prince reach the middle, they can use the Chu family army to cut off the rescue route of the guards in front and behind.
At that time, Emperor Qingyuan and the Third Prince will be trapped like turtles in a jar, and we can capture them both.
If this fails, the second plan will be implemented, with Consort Chu and Consort Hui from the palace joining forces to poison the palace and force the emperor to abdicate.
Consort Hui was old and faded, and had not enjoyed the emperor's favor for many years, so it was naturally Consort Chu who was responsible for the poisoning.
Consort Hui led her men to guard the gates of Emperor Qingyuan's palace.
Consort Hui's family controlled the capital's criminal justice system, essentially making them the top officials in the palace. Taking advantage of this, Consort Hui and the eldest prince had cultivated a powerful faction within the palace over the years.
There are at least a hundred people, though that may not seem like much. But they're enough to guard the main gate of a palace and keep someone in check.
Of course, the above is only part of their plan. While this part is being carried out, they will also send a group of people to eliminate dissidents, including important officials in the court who have a great influence but cannot be used by them. All of them will be killed.
If we're going to oppose it, let's oppose it thoroughly!
The agreement reached between the two was that, once the deed was done, they would support the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne.
Logically speaking, in terms of military strength, the First Prince has fewer troops than the Fifth Prince, so they shouldn't believe the nonsense told by Consort Chu and her son.
However, when Consort Chu and the Fifth Prince approached him to discuss cooperation, they sincerely said that although the Fifth Prince seemed to have more troops than him, this number of troops was far from enough to stand out in the capital. Moreover, the Chu family had declined, and there was only the ignorant Chu Jinyu, which meant that the Fifth Prince had no one behind him. Even if he obtained the throne, he would not be able to hold it firmly.
It would be better to let the eldest prince take the position. After the matter is accomplished, he can be awarded the title of a first-rank prince and given the three most prosperous prefectures in Jiangnan as his fiefdom.
It seemed like an exorbitant demand, but in reality, it was to dispel his doubts.
The eldest prince did indeed believe it. Compared to the fifth prince, his maternal family still held considerable influence in the capital and the imperial court.
The Fifth Prince and Consort Chu's own plan was also "when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked."
Not only that, in order to smoothly ascend to the position, Consort Chu and her son even wanted to wipe out the whole family, except for her own twins, of course.
If you're not ruthless, you can't stand firm. Since you've chosen this path, you shouldn't leave any future troubles.
Sure enough, those who keep quiet are the ones who are destined for great things.
Xie Yushu's intuition was indeed correct.
However, like the mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, they thought their scheme was flawless, but in reality, they were completely under someone else's control.
The lantern festival began at 7 PM and ended at 9 PM. Emperor Qingyuan, accompanied by his empress, ministers, and envoys from various countries, entered the venue 15 minutes in advance.
Xie Yushu followed the crowd into the venue listlessly and sat down in her seat.
Her seat was very close to the Emperor and Empress, and even in front of all the princesses.
To the left is the Rainbow Feather Robe Clothing Pavilion; turn your head slightly and you can see the gentle breeze hidden on the rooftop.
A quick glance around revealed several snipers. Her orders to them were to keep a two-meter distance from Emperor Qingyuan and the Third Prince in the event of a riot, and to kill anyone exhibiting unusual behavior.
Moreover, for safety's sake, Nanxing and she also carried pistols and hidden arrows with them, ready to use whatever they could in case of a life-threatening situation, prioritizing survival.
As the Right Chancellor, Han Zhongyu led the officials of Honglu Temple to accompany the envoy. This was an internal struggle within the Great Qi royal family, which generally did not affect the envoys of other countries. Relatively speaking, Han Zhongyu's side was safer than Xie Yushu's side.
After the Ministry of Rites finished its opening remarks concisely and solemnly, people began to come up on stage one after another to display their lanterns.
Hmm, this ancient lantern festival was quite something.
Xie Yushu hadn't paid attention to what the lantern festival was like in previous years, but this year's lanterns were truly amazing!
The golden dragon lantern is lifelike, and the bright red koi lantern is dazzling.
There are also colorful lanterns depicting mandarin ducks playing in the water, jade rabbits bringing wealth, golden roosters crowing at dawn, phoenixes spreading their wings, and revolving lanterns symbolizing fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness.
Some lanterns are majestic, some are adorable, and some are colorful. Each lantern's appearance elicits a burst of admiration.
Xie Yushu, quite pathetic, took a liking to the large red koi lantern. It had a gradient lotus base with a large red koi suspended on top, its fins and tail faintly glowing with a golden light. The whole thing was fixed in place by a glass frame, making it very fresh and unique.
Unfortunately, the riddles were too difficult.
Title
"Three mountains, three mountains, each one seemingly hanging upside down. Month after month, each month connected. Left and right, two wings arrayed; horizontal and vertical, two rivers flowed. The whole family has six members, yet two are not reunited."
Upon hearing the riddle, Xie Yushu instantly realized that she didn't really like it anymore.
Lanterns and such are not very useful; they're just lights, aren't they?
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