The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 463 - 377, Assassinate Zhao Duan

"Lord Zhao, please."

Accompanied by the prince's farewell, Xu Junling finally awoke from a trance, stood up, and looked at Zhao Douan with extremely complicated eyes.

In tonight's conversation, Zhao Douan's adaptability undoubtedly made her look at this gigolo of the imperial sister with new eyes.

"…Alright." Zhao Douan stood up, hands on the edge of the table, and looked regretfully at the "Eight Methods of River Delicacies" on the table, suddenly saying,

"Can I pack this?"

Xu Junling was taken aback, confused by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Haha, just a joke to lighten the mood." Zhao Douan burst into a bright smile and said earnestly to the prince sitting opposite,

"Thank you for the hospitality tonight, I shall take my leave now."

Negotiation was negotiation, threats were threats.

There was no need to strain the surface relationship too much.

Zhao Douan turned around and, accompanied by Xu Junling, walked downstairs.

Just as he was about to step down the stairs, he suddenly heard Prince Huaian's voice behind him,

"For the sake of my little girl, let me remind you, the court is in the light, but Prince Jing is in the dark. It's not you who should be anxious, but Prince Jing."

Zhao Douan paused, smiled, and, without responding, directly stepped downstairs.

When they reached the fourth floor, Haitang and others also heard the movement and got up to walk over.

The two sides exchanged glances and, in silent agreement, followed Zhao Douan out of the Da Feng Tower.

Declining the princess's escort, Zhao Douan turned around at the bottom of the building, looking at the six-story, highly conspicuous tower-shaped structure behind him, the lights on the fifth floor shining brightly in the night.

"Let's go." Zhao Douan said softly.

Haitang held back her questions.

It wasn't until they returned to Zhuozheng Garden that Zhao Douan gathered a few trusted confidants behind closed doors and held a small meeting.

Skipping the details, he briefly described Prince Huaian's attitude.

"What exactly does he mean?" Haitang frowned, "So, he didn't make a statement and just sent you out?"

Eunuch Hai, Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and others all looked at each other.

They were more pure martial artists and didn't know much, if anything, about such court schemes.

Zhao Douan sat in the main seat, wiped his face with a steaming wet towel, and then calmly said,

"His meaning is obvious. Prince Huaian's position won't be swayed by just a few words from me, which isn't surprising. As for my intimidating threats, they are merely ideas, and no one can predict the future. But…"

"But what?" Haitang asked curiously, the female detective extremely excited to be involved in such a significant matter.

Zhao Douan smiled, his eyes flashing,

"I can sense that Prince Huaian is wavering, so his final stance at the market may very well depend on the outcome of my struggle with Prince Jing. Haha, before we parted, he was afraid I didn't understand, so he specifically reminded me…

Now with three factions in Hu Ting, Prince Huaian is neutral. Next, we'll have to fight against the group led by Prince Jing. Whoever wins, Prince Huaian might lean toward them. A true merchant's nature."

Haitang spoke with concern,

"Then we're in trouble. This isn't the Capital. Can we win? And how to win? By winning over the neutral faction?"

Tsk… for someone good at solving cases, you're mixing up in power struggles. You're not grasping this… Zhao Douan smiled and corrected,

"Not winning over the neutral faction, but gaining Prince Huaian. Once the news of my meeting with him spreads, who do you think will be the most anxious?"

Haitang's eyes lit up: "Are you saying, Prince Jing?"

Zhao Douan nodded and said seriously,

"Prince Huaian's meeting with me means he is signaling to Prince Jing that because their father and son were overshadowed by me during the day, Prince Huaian has a tendency to lean toward me.

Therefore, Prince Jing will be anxious. He must demonstrate his ability and courage to suppress me in the upcoming period."

"So complicated…" Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan's minds were already a bit muddled.

Sincerely lamenting, power scheming isn't a game for martial men…

Well, although their own master was a martial man too.

As for the old Tributor, he ignored it completely, always feigning sleep.

"In short, until the Hu Ting meeting begins, I must maintain a high profile,"

Zhao Douan glanced helplessly at them,

"As for you, you must also be vigilant to guard against Prince Jing looking to cause trouble for me at any time."

In the corner.

The socially anxious Ji Yue and the drunkard Lang Shiba regained their spirits and prepared for action.

...

...

Just as Zhao Douan returned to Zhuozheng Garden.

Around the Da Feng Tower, in a bustling shop, a Jianghu traveler put down a few large coins, picked up a longsword, and walked out of the shop.

Then, weaving through the crowd, he made his way through streets and alleys, gradually leaving the bustling area, and slipped into a certain alley under the moonlight.

Stopping outside a certain courtyard.

The Jianghu traveler lightly pulled the door ring and knocked in a specific rhythm. After a moment, the yard door opened.

The one who opened the door was a boy of about sixteen or seventeen. In the moonlight, his features couldn't be seen clearly, but he seemed full of energy.

"No tail." The Jianghu traveler said.

"Good." The boy nodded vigorously and cautiously shut the door.

Then the two of them entered the pitch-black house together, which appeared dark from the outside, but was actually lit inside, only with black cloth covering the windows.

As soon as they stepped into the room, they saw a round table with an orange lamp burning, surrounded by several people, either sitting or standing.

There were men and women, ranging in age from teenagers to thirty, evidently a group of passionate young people.

The leader was a woman dressed as a scholar, clearly disguised as a man, as her pegged head was taken off, revealing thick long hair cascading down.

Her palm-sized face had round, beautiful eyes, yet her demeanor was dignified and cool.

She had a cloth bag hanging from her waist, bulging as if it contained a round object.

"Wu Ling, how did it go?" The young woman named Lin Yuebai asked somewhat impatiently.

The other hot-blooded youths also looked on eagerly.

The Jianghu traveler took off his bamboo hat, revealing the handsome face of actor Wu Ling, who had once been famous in the theater building in the Capital.

Wu Ling's black eyes reflected the flickering candlelight on the table. He shook his head and said,

"No chance. The Zhao thief is extremely cautious, always traveling with expert guards, never leaving their side. He went to meet with people from Prince Huaian's mansion at the Da Feng Tower. I couldn't get in, and I don't know what they discussed."

"Hmph! What could they possibly discuss? Just two dogs doing despicable things that harm the common people!"

Next to him, the boy who had just opened the door said angrily.

The boy had thick eyebrows, giving him an extremely heroic look like a little tiger, now clenching his fists tightly:

"That Zhao thief, a willing gigolo of the Fake Emperor, destroyed so many of our brothers and sisters! I, Kou Qichi, wish I could devour his flesh alive to honor the martyrs who were tragically killed in the Imperial Prison!"

As soon as he said this, aside from the female sorcerer named Lin Yuebai at the table, the other youths all shared their hatred, cursing Zhao Gou.

Wu Ling remained expressionless, though internally feeling very complicated.

Since he had, under Zhao Douan's orders, pretended to "escape" and left the Imperial Prison, it had been some time.

Once out of the Capital, he immediately utilized Kuangfu Society's secret contact method to connect with the rebel leader Zhuang Xiaocheng.

He reported the death of the Gu Huo National Master, implicating the destruction of an entire sub-branch of the Kuangfu Society.

The news caused a stir within the society.

Zhuang Xiaocheng was shocked and immediately demanded to see Wu Ling.

After inquiring about the situation, he let Wu Ling rest for a few days to recover from his injuries. Later, upon learning that Zhao Douan was going south to Hu Ting,

Zhuang Xiaocheng ordered that Wu Ling, familiar with Zhao Douan, meet with sub-branch members at Huai River to monitor Zhao Douan's situation and find an opportunity to assassinate him.

Thus, as a spy, Wu Ling found himself naturally in Hu Ting, meeting this group of people who were kept in the dark, fired up with passion to eradicate traitors and slaughter the evil Zhao Gou, whose crimes filled volumes.

What can you say? It was quite a mixed feeling.

"Qi Chi!"

Lin Yuebai, the leader of this group, sternly reprimanded and said seriously,

"The Zhao thief is cunning. If we are to slay him, we must act cool-headedly, cautiously, and remember not to be reckless. You must change this temperament of yours."

The young boy Kou Qichi made an "oh" sound, wilting instantly,

"Sis, I got it."

"Ahem," Wu Ling coughed lightly and spoke seriously,

"Yuebai is right. I tried to assassinate this thief back in the Capital and nearly lost my life without even glimpsing him, which showed his remarkable methods. With our strength, I fear we are unable to accomplish it."

The female sorcerer in disguise nodded, but then she smiled and said,

"I'm aware, but the Grand Tutor has already considered this, so the main force for this assassination isn't us. We're just gathering intelligence and tracking his movements. Within the next couple of days, experts from within the society will arrive to deal with the thief."

Wu Ling was momentarily taken aback, his eyelids twitching, "Experts within the society? Who?"

Lin Yuebai, not suspecting anything, smiled, "The former Commander of the imperial guard, Qi Yuchun!"