The map was laid out before them, showing a main road that branched off from the capital city into other sections.
Yun Xun pointed to a section of road above and said, "The Crown Prince's entourage left via the main road. If he wanted to secretly bring his men back, he probably wouldn't have taken this route."
Yun Xun's finger traced another route, a winding path that circled almost halfway around, branching off into many different routes leading to different places.
“Since he won’t take the original route, the Crown Prince will have no choice but to lead his men around this road to return to the capital,” Yun Xun said. “Therefore, Lord Cui, just take your five hundred men and head this way! As long as your men block this road, even if the Crown Prince has ulterior motives, he won’t be able to come back!”
Cui Shao had no objections. Xuan Wang's current arrangements were quite reasonable, so he nodded emphatically and immediately set off with his men.
After walking about two miles on the main road, he saw a fork in the road. As he had agreed with Xuan Wang, he divided the five hundred men into three groups and they went one after another down the winding road!
He planned to stop at the next fork in the road and lay in ambush. If Yun Zhuo's men did indeed return from this road, he could surround and intercept them, preventing them from returning to the capital.
Regardless of the final outcome, at this moment, Cui Shao was already mentally prepared for the possibility that "the crown prince harbors ulterior motives and intends to murder his father and usurp the throne."
The night grew deeper, and the wind was still strong.
A procession of over a hundred people walked along the road, their footsteps echoing in unison. The ground seemed to tremble slightly, mingling with the rustling of the trees on both sides of the road.
Cui Shao has already arranged for three teams to scout ahead: two teams to explore the mountains and forests on both sides, and the remaining team to explore the main road.
After an unknown amount of time, a scout rode up in the wind and quickly knelt before Cui Shao: "Lord Cui, we have spotted a group three miles ahead, and it is very likely that they are His Highness the Crown Prince's men!"
Cui Shao took a deep breath, which was obscured by the strong wind. His gaze instantly darkened; he was finally about to face the Crown Prince's troops.
He was the commander of the Palace Guard, and he had always been the emperor's man. Loyalty to the emperor was his only option!
Calloused hands gripped the hilt of the sword on horseback, and the crescent moon peeked out from the dark clouds, casting a cold light across the ground.
Within three miles, both sides were speeding up, and it seemed like only a blink of an eye before the two sides clashed.
Hundreds of longswords were drawn instantly, their clanging sounds echoing in the night, and the two sides clashed.
In the midst of the fighting, Cui Shao overheard one of the enemy's men say, "The one who's come is none other than Cui Shao, the emperor's most trusted and loyal dog! If we kill this vicious dog who can't distinguish right from wrong, we can march back to the capital and take the dog emperor's head!"
Arrogant! Presumptuous! Outrageous! A red glint slowly appeared in Cui Shao's eyes as he charged towards the person who had uttered those words!
That man was also a master; Cui Shao couldn't defeat him for a while. Both were injured and bleeding profusely, but none of them were fatal at the moment.
The other party kept provoking him!
"You've served this dog emperor for so many years. Can't you see how he treats human life like dirt and how he sacrifices the people? You still remain loyal to him, which is simply aiding and abetting evil. Aren't you ashamed? If your ancestors in the Cui family knew this in the afterlife, they would be furious!"
Cui Shao's veins bulged: "You are the ones who deserve to die! The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and all the people of the world are his subjects, who should be loyal to him! You helped His Highness the Crown Prince murder his father and usurp the throne. How are you any different from traitors? Surrender at once! Otherwise, you will surely be punished by Heaven in the future!"
"Ha! That dog emperor is heartless, murdering his own son and sacrificing thousands of innocent people and soldiers for his own selfish gain! Your Highness, killing him is doing justice on behalf of Heaven! If you have the guts, come and kill me! Come and kill me!"
The man's tone was full of provocation. After a brief fight, he rode away with a few men, seemingly betting that Cui Shao couldn't kill him at all!
Cui Shao gritted his teeth so hard they almost broke, his eyes blazing with fury, and led a small team to chase after that man!
...
Yun Xun's team also set off in batches, with torches all around illuminating the main road.
As they walked, someone rode up ahead. It was Yun Xun's scout. He leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Your Highness Prince Xuan, Cui Shao has fallen into the trap and been lured away!"
A cold smile slowly crept onto Yun Xun's lips.
Before tonight, he and Ji Mingwei had discussed things for a long time, constantly rehearsing every single thing, including Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue's next actions, and the emperor's next actions.
So the couple came to a conclusion, which was then spoken by Ji Mingwei: "Since Father Emperor only used us to kill the Crown Prince and did not intend for us to enter the Eastern Palace afterward, and even planned to kill us in order to cultivate the Tenth Prince as the Crown Prince, then in order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, after you, my husband, leave the city, Father Emperor will definitely arrange for people to come to the Prince's Mansion to take me and the two children away as hostages!"
After discussing it, the couple decided to send their two children to the palace as hostages for the emperor.
This could undermine the emperor's vigilance towards them and increase his trust in them. The emperor didn't even take the initiative to ask about Ji Mingwei, probably because he thought that she was a woman without a husband and children by her side and was not a threat.
He could then take the opportunity to ask the emperor to let him take Cui Shao out of the city with him—after all, both of my sons are in your hands, so you certainly won't suspect me of having ulterior motives.
The emperor actually agreed.
Little did they know, this was merely a ploy by the couple to lure the emperor away. Cui Shao was the emperor's most trusted confidant; by diverting Cui Shao away, even if the emperor was in danger, Cui Shao would be unable to return to his aid, greatly increasing the couple's chances of success!
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