Beneath the moonlit night, there were two others in the city who had not yet slept.
“Hey, Little Feng, do you think that agent prefers the company of men?”
“Uh, I am not sure either.”
Jiang Moran drank the wine he had swiped that morning with a thoughtful look, feeling as though he had already guessed most of the truth.
Fengqingzi: ...
But compared to this, he was still more interested in the so-called Number One Detective in the World of the Tianwu Kingdom.
Unfortunately, from beginning to end, he had only seen the Golden Crow Token.
The two of them sat on wooden chairs drinking wine and analyzing this and that, already fully immersed in a deep-reasoning roleplay.
Jiang Moran had gotten carried away, slamming the table suddenly. “Hehe, I think that Di Renjie might not be as sharp as me!”
Fengqingzi quickly nodded in agreement from the side.
Suddenly, it grew noisy outside the window, and the sound of chaotic footsteps kept echoing.
The two exchanged a look and hurriedly opened the window to peek out.
They saw that the Imperial Guards on curfew duty had vanished for some reason, replaced by a well-trained squad of elite troops. They moved rapidly through the streets, heading in the direction of the imperial palace.
Fengqingzi frowned slightly as an ominous feeling suddenly rose in his heart. Linking this to the news of the past few days, a look of shock appeared on his face.
“This is bad! Someone is staging a mutiny!”
Jiang Moran was also taken aback upon hearing this. To think he would run into something like this—his luck was truly one of a kind.
Fengqingzi said in a grave voice, “This must be the Third Prince's doing. He has already won over many court officials, and now that he has private soldiers in hand, I fear he is about to rebel...”
Currently, the Emperor's health is failing, and the court's sentiment is leaning toward the Third Prince. When the time comes, the court officials will gather to force the Emperor to abdicate.
And with the Third Prince mobilizing his private troops into the palace tonight, the combination of both means the dragon throne is about to change hands!
Thinking of this, Fengqingzi's brow furrowed even deeper. The situation was getting quite tricky. The Second Prince was still in the shadows, and after their previous encounter, he did not think the Second Prince would just sit back and watch.
“Senior, what should we do now?” Fengqingzi turned to ask.
Only to see that Jiang Moran was already standing by the windowsill, a playful, spectating smile on his face.
“Go see if there's any food left, then come find me at the palace.”
With that, he tapped his foot and leaped onto the eaves. His figure vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Fengqingzi standing bewildered in the wind...
The elite troops rushed into the palace without any hindrance. The palace guards had long been secretly bribed by the Third Prince, and from the moment the Emperor fell critically ill, the palace had been gripped by panic.
However, what the elite troops did not expect was that when they burst into the palace hall, the Emperor was already waiting on his throne.
Inside the hall, several of the Third Prince's confidants looked at one another, standing dazed in place alongside the hundreds of invading elite troops.
The candlelight flickered, casting the Emperor's face into shadow, only occasionally revealing those dragon eyes, deep as an abyss, when the firelight caught them.
He sat high upon the dais, looking as though he were not the one surrounded. A silent, overwhelming majesty rolled toward them.
This suffocating atmosphere did not last long. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, coming from behind the crowd.
The elite troops parted to make a path, and the Third Prince walked forward with slow steps.
He stared straight at his imperial father high on the dais, his eyes filled with undisguised ambition. The scene he had fantasized about countless times had finally arrived.
As his steps drew closer, the Third Prince stopped beneath the dais.
The eyes from above slowly fixed upon him, bringing with them a heavy oppression born of long-held supreme authority.
This was true imperial pressure—the dragon's majesty!
“You want to rebel?”
His voice was not loud, yet it was crystal clear within the hall, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
“This son would not dare! Tonight, an assassin made an attempt on your life. I have only come to protect you,” the Third Prince said, raising his hand to make a gesture.
Behind him, two elite soldiers dragged a person forward. The figure was covered in blood, with only a single breath keeping them alive.
This was indeed the “assassin.”
He had brought his troops into the palace merely to protect the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at the Third Prince, slowly stood up from his throne, and stepped down the stairs, finally stopping on the first step right before him.
“Since you have performed such a meritorious service by protecting me, how should I reward you?”
The Emperor stared at him, a biting chill reflecting in his deep dragon eyes.
“How about I bestow death upon you?”
The Third Prince's face stiffened, and he snapped his head up to look at the Emperor.
At the same time, a sudden change occurred all around!
Eight figures suddenly appeared, surrounding the Emperor and the Third Prince. Their clothing was intricately embroidered with gold-threaded dragon scales.
The Third Prince's pupils constricted. These were the legendary Emperor-Protecting Shadow Guards!
They were death warriors who answered only to the Emperor. Each of them was capable of matching a hundred foes on their own. But they had always been a myth; before today, no one had ever seen them with their own eyes.
Outside the hall, the clashing of weapons suddenly erupted, accompanied by continuous screams of agony.
A thick, metallic stench of blood drifted in from outside, lingering in the hall. It made the horrific slaughter outside painfully clear.
After the time it took to burn a few incense sticks, the commotion outside gradually died down. The Imperial Guards burst into the hall, their spears aimed directly at the elite troops, each of them radiating a fierce, murderous aura.
Finally, an old man nearly seventy years old approached with measured steps. His gaze was sharp, exuding a commanding authority even without a hint of anger.
Blood dyed his armor crimson, adding to his grim, formidable aura.
“This old subject was late to protect you, causing Your Majesty to suffer a fright,” the old man bowed to ask for punishment.
The Third Prince stared blankly at the old man. How could he not recognize him? He was the undefeated God of War who had risen from the battlefields, the anchoring pillar of the Tianwu Kingdom—the Grand General Protecting the State!
He had been retired for many years, yet here he was, personally leading the Imperial Guards to the rescue. In this instant, the Third Prince knew that his game was up and that the situation was beyond salvage.
The Emperor looked at the old man. Though surprise flickered in his eyes, there was also a trace of relief.
He and the old man were old friends. Having fought side by side in their youth and later sharing drinks and deep conversations as monarch and subject, they shared a deep bond that had survived the test of time.
“Old General, there is no need for such ceremony,” the Emperor said gently. He then turned his gaze back to the Third Prince, the gentleness instantly vanishing from his face. “Men, throw this rebel into the Imperial Prison!”
The Imperial Guards stepped forward to restrain the Third Prince. He did not struggle, only staring fixedly at the dragon throne with deep, burning resentment in his eyes.
The elite troops in the hall threw down their weapons one after another, submissively surrendering. This meticulously planned rebellion had completely failed...
High up on a wooden pillar near the hall's dome, Jiang Moran watched everything play out in silence, a smirk playing on his lips.
He had been hiding up here since the very beginning. Back then, the Emperor had already been seated upon the dragon throne, looking as though not a single movement in Fengcheng could escape his eyes.
“How interesting. He refuses to appoint an heir, yet allows the princes to fight among themselves like this.”
Jiang Moran shook his head. He now understood the mind of this Son of Heaven—the throne was not meant to follow the traditional line of succession through the eldest legitimate son. Instead, it was a prize for whoever possessed the capability to seize it.
Even if it meant turning Fengcheng completely upside down, the sovereign did not care in the slightest.
Rate on N.U.
