After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 318 Conspiracy
In the capital of Dali, the area in front of the Tianjin Guard headquarters was bustling with activity.

The entire street in front of the gate was filled with all kinds of luxurious carriages and sedan chairs, and many richly dressed dignitaries gathered on the street, making it extremely congested.

Li Musheng's figure seemed to vanish into thin air as he glanced at the group of people below, his brows furrowing slightly.

However, he didn't pay much attention to it and then entered the mansion to return to his own residence.

However, before he even stepped into the courtyard, he suddenly stopped, his gaze drawn to the large pile of all sorts of gifts in front of him.

Among these gifts, the big black cat strolled around, constantly inspecting these valuable items, its bright green eyes almost narrowed into crescent slits.

Just then, the big black cat came to a wooden box, rubbed its paws together, and opened the box.

Then, a golden light shone on the big black cat's face. It stretched out its paw and stroked the box full of gold, and the whole cat was a little dazed.

After touching the gold for a while, the big black cat reluctantly closed the wooden box and then prepared to go check out the next treasure.

However, it was suddenly startled when it turned around.

Li Musheng was squatting in front of a golden cage, inside which was a beautiful snow cat with pure white fur and bright blue eyes.

Seeing this, the big black cat shrank its neck, its pair of bright green eyes darting around, as if it was thinking about how to explain to Li Musheng.

At this moment, Li Musheng stood up, turned around and waved to the big black cat.

The big black cat immediately dropped its arrogant demeanor, meowed softly, and came to Li Musheng's side, rubbing against his robes affectionately.

"I think you're really lonely, you're even taking in female cats without hesitation."

Li Musheng glanced at the big black cat, then turned his gaze to a large glass vat next to the cage containing the snow cat.

Several large, golden arowanas swim freely in the tank. Their bodies are slender and plump, making them highly ornamental.

"Not bad, this fish looks delicious. Have the kitchen stew it tonight."

Li Musheng gave the big black cat an instruction, then ignored it and went straight into the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, the big black cat was slightly taken aback, and then a look of joy appeared in its eyes.

It received so many gifts, yet Li Musheng only said one thing to it, indicating that he did not mean to blame it.

Immediately, the big black cat meowed happily, then looked at the snow cat in the cage, intending to have it thrown away right away.

……

Meanwhile, news of Li Musheng's battle with the Hidden Killer Pavilion's Killing Saint outside Shangyang City was also spreading rapidly among various forces in the capital.

In the residence of the Third Prince Li Zhu, Right Chancellor Ji Song sat at his desk, writing furiously. He never stopped trying every possible means to bring down Li Musheng.

Upon hearing the news that Li Musheng had defeated the Killing Saint outside the city, he became even more anxious.

He naturally knew that Li Musheng was powerful in martial arts, but the other party's strength had once again refreshed his understanding of him.

In Ji Song's view, if he does not take revenge now, his hope of revenge in this life will be extremely slim when Li Musheng becomes the God of War in the future.

Just then, a servant rushed in to report:
"Your Excellency, the Right Chancellor, Lord Zhang of the Censorate, and several officials from the Ministry of Personnel have come to request an audience."

Upon hearing this, Ji Song immediately stopped writing, his expression shifting, and said:
"Bring them here to see me immediately; I have something to discuss with them."

These people who came were all his former students and subordinates, and they always obeyed his words. Previously, they had been asked to write a memorial to impeach the Eighth Prince.

Now that Li Musheng is gaining more and more popularity, he has to work with a few others to come up with more ways to attack Li Musheng.

Before long, several officials, led by their servants, arrived at the study.

"You've come at the right time. I have a few new ideas for impeaching that Eighth Prince, and I'd like to discuss them with you."

Right Chancellor Ji Song warmly stood up from behind his desk to greet the arriving officials.

Upon hearing this, Lord Zhang from the Censorate and several officials from the Ministry of Personnel exchanged glances, then looked at the aged-looking Right Chancellor before them, and hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Ji Song frowned, seemingly noticing something amiss with the group, and said:

"Please feel free to speak your mind. You are all people I value, and there's no need for us to be so distant."

Upon hearing this, Lord Zhang of the Censorate hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said:

"Your Excellency, to be honest, the reason we've come here is to discuss something with you..."

However, when Lord Zhang glanced at Ji Song's white hair, he suddenly found himself unable to continue.

At this moment, an official from the Ministry of Personnel glanced at Lord Zhang, gritted his teeth, and said:

“Your Excellency, I’m afraid we can no longer agree to your request to impeach the Eighth Prince.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Song was visibly taken aback, then looked at the crowd with a slight tremor:
"you……"

Upon hearing this, Lord Zhang of the Censorate seemed to have no choice but to speak up immediately:
“We have just heard news from outside the city that the Eighth Prince not only thwarted the assassination attempt by the Hidden Killing Pavilion, but also defeated that Killing Saint.”

"The Eighth Prince is now undoubtedly the next leader of the Hidden Assassins Pavilion. He controls such a terrifying assassin organization, we really dare not impeach him or oppose him."

"Otherwise, with just a word from the other party, without him having to lift a finger, the assassins of the Hidden Kill Pavilion would clear away all obstacles for him."

With that, Lord Zhang sighed heavily and said:
"And how can we officials withstand the assassination attempts of the Hidden Killing Pavilion? Even if we don't consider our own lives, we have to consider our families and children. We really don't want to drag them into this deadly vortex."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding officials nodded and spoke up, indicating to Ji Song that they would no longer participate in his struggle with Li Musheng.

Listening to the voices of the people who had betrayed him, Ji Song was slightly dazed and remained silent for a long time.

His aged face showed a complex mix of emotions, from anger to utter helplessness.

“Your Excellency, we are truly powerless to help you with this matter. We can only feel ashamed of your kindness to us.”

Seeing that Ji Song remained silent, the officials exchanged glances, left a final remark, and then took their leave.

Watching the departing figures of the group in his study, Ji Song, his aged body swaying slightly, stumbled a few steps before collapsing into his armchair. In the following short time, less than half an hour later, several more groups of officials arrived, as if they had all agreed beforehand to withdraw from the campaign against Li Musheng.

Looking at the pile of official documents and memorials he had written on his desk, Ji Song realized that he had truly become a lonely man.

Everyone was afraid of Li Musheng, the eighth prince, and everyone was trying to distance themselves from him. Everything he had done before had been in vain.

Meanwhile, throughout the capital, all the various forces that had previously stood against Li Musheng for various reasons...

After the final result of the duel between Li Musheng and the Hidden Kill Pavilion was announced, almost everyone began to back down and gave up all their previous ideas of attacking Li Musheng in the court.

This naturally includes the four princes of Dali who formed the new alliance, including Li Xuan and Li An.

Although the four princes are still staying in the Dali Palace and have not left, they have already devised a plan to target Li Musheng during this time.

However, this plan has already died in the womb before it can be implemented, because none of them dare to openly stand against Li Musheng at this moment.

Doing so would only attract Li Musheng's hatred, and would be almost tantamount to courting death.

"Alright, let's wait and see how things develop. We'll discuss everything after Father comes out of seclusion. I believe Father will not tolerate that person's brutal act of murdering his own brother."

The fourth prince, Li Zi, shook his head with a grim expression. He felt nothing but fear towards his eighth brother.

Facing someone whose martial arts prowess and the ruthless power he wields are unmatched by almost anyone in the entire world.

He felt a deep sense of powerlessness. At this moment, he felt that it was no different for these people to try to deal with Li Musheng than for an ant to shake a tree.

The eldest prince Li Xuan, the fifth prince Li Qing, and the sixth prince Li An all remained silent, clearly acknowledging Li Zi's words.

"Temporarily retreating is indeed an extremely wise choice, but it does not mean that we will have no further opportunities."

The eldest prince, Li Xuan, spoke with a thoughtful expression, while the fifth prince, Li Qing, nodded slightly and said:
"Now that the Eighth Prince is at the height of his power, we should temporarily avoid his sharp edge, accumulate strength, and wait for the right opportunity."

Upon hearing this, the Sixth Prince Li An glanced at the group, his expression unreadable.

However, he outwardly nodded in agreement, then immediately asked:

"Do my brothers have any news about when Father will emerge from seclusion?"

The eldest prince, Li Xuan, looked at Li An, then shook his head and sighed softly:
"I asked the Directorate of Ceremonial and my mother about this matter, and they both told me that my father probably wouldn't be out of seclusion for a while, and it seems that it would be at least another month before he could come out."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince Li Zi slowly nodded and said:
"The matter of the alliance between the three major sects of the martial arts world still needs Father Emperor's decision, but a month is a perfectly acceptable time to wait."

At this moment, the eldest prince Li Xuan and the fifth prince Li Qing exchanged a glance and waved their hands, saying:
“You need not worry about this matter. As far as I know, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has already begun to handle it. It seems that the Emperor had anticipated the current situation and had already prepared a countermeasure.”

"The only thing we need to worry about now is the movements of the other four countries, which is the real issue concerning the survival of Dali."

Upon hearing this, Li Zi and Li An exchanged a glance, but neither of them said anything more.

This matter is of great importance and involves a wide range of issues, so it is certainly not something they can discuss or talk about in a vacuum.

……

Meanwhile, in the basement of a residence in Shangyang City, Marquis Huo Xian, the Champion, secretly met with Princess Li Ru'an of Dali.

"It seems I really underestimated my younger brother."

Li Ruan held a jade pendant in his hand and spoke to himself.

The jade pendant in his hand didn't look particularly valuable, but Li Ruan seemed to cherish it very much.

Immediately, Li Ru'an took one last look at the jade pendant, then put it away, and suddenly said:

"I think it's time to take action."

Upon hearing this, Marquis Huo Xian frowned, remained silent for a moment, then looked at Li Ru'an and said:
"Does Your Highness truly intend to kill Li Zhi now?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ru'an nodded calmly and said:
"That's right, and I will kill him with my own hands."

Huo Xian's expression changed slightly, and he said:

"I know that Your Highness is lying in wait by Li Zhi's side in order to find out the truth about the case of the real and fake princes and to avenge your mother."

"But the truth of the case of the real and fake princes is still unclear, and Li Zhi is in the heavily guarded imperial prison, so it is not the best time to make a move."

Li Ruan glanced at Huo Xian with a cold gaze and said indifferently:
“Previously, I stayed by Li Zhi’s side because I knew that Emperor Yuanwu would not kill him, and he was the most likely person to become the crown prince. So I could only endure humiliation and wait for the right opportunity.”

"But now, my younger brother has returned, and he doesn't need my protection anymore. In fact, I doubt anyone in the entire capital can harm him."

"Of course, I no longer need to feign compliance with Li Zhi and attach myself to that deposed prince who is destined to have no chance of the throne."

Upon hearing this, Huo Xian gave Li Ru'an in front of him a deep look.

To be honest, he had fought on the battlefield for decades, and he was good at recognizing and using people and was a master strategist. However, he had never been able to see through his niece all these years.

Before the case of the real and fake princes was exposed, it was understandable that the other party was with Li Zhi, after all, the two were nominally siblings and should support each other.

Even after the case was exposed, Li Ru'an still stood firmly on the side of her "fake brother" without hesitation, and even knelt in front of Tianqian Palace for a long time to plead for Li Zhi.

It's hard to say whether Li Ru'an felt sorry for the other person because of their long-standing sibling-like relationship.

Or perhaps she truly endured humiliation and hardship to uncover the truth and avenge Consort Jing, or perhaps she couldn't abandon the power she had cultivated over many years, and harbored some unknown ambition within her heart.
Thinking it over, Huo Xian withdrew his gaze. He didn't want to investigate Li Ru'an's purpose, but simply said:

"Your Highness has always said that my sister's death was related to Li Zhi, but before the case of the real and fake princes was exposed, Li Zhi did not know that his identity was fake. Why would he attack your mother?"

Upon hearing this, a chilling glint flashed in Li Ru'an's clear, cold eyes, and he said:
"Because my mother knew long ago that Li Zhi was not her biological son. Although she never said it, she always treated Li Zhi as her own son."

"But Li Zhi was an extremely intelligent man. He noticed the clues in many details of daily life. Therefore, he knew long ago that he was not his mother's son."

At this point, Li Ru'an revealed an extremely sharp killing intent, and said:
"It's a waste that his mother has taken such good care of him, raising him to adulthood, and never revealing his true identity."

"But he repaid kindness with enmity, murdering his mother and relatives. If I don't kill him with my own hands, how can I face my mother's spirit in heaven?"

(End of this chapter)