Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 172 Layers of Schemes
Inside the secret room.

Xue Yue glanced at Lin Xuan and asked, "Lord Chen, are you confident? If anything happens to you, I won't be able to explain to the Commander when I return."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly and said, "Commander Xue, rest assured. I am indeed incapable of handling those chief officials, but I am quite confident in my ability to handle a mere assistant chief official..."

Upon hearing this, Xue Yue said nothing more.

Although he held a higher position than Chen Yu, this operation was commanded by Chen Yu, and even he had to obey orders.

Zhou Yuan looked at the note and said, "Then I'll take care of this 'Night Bat'."

Sun Yi glanced around and said, "I'll choose 'Fire Scorpion'."

Xue Yue said calmly, "In that case, leave the rest to me..."

The situation in the Nanzhao court has been tense recently. The high-ranking officials of the Secret Service are very cautious and rarely leave the heavily guarded Secret Service. Only some senior spies will act at night. While they threaten some Nanzhao officials, their whereabouts have also been tracked by the Second Prince's men.

If it were simply a matter of removing the poison from controlled officials, Lin Xuan could do it all by himself without even needing the elders and priests of the Jiuli tribe to intervene.

However, without eliminating the Secret Service, simply removing the curse and poison from them is meaningless.

Even if the poison is cured, the Secret Service can still use it again.

Their mission this time was to eliminate the Secret Service.

As for how to vie for the throne, that's a matter for the second prince and those court officials.

Lin Xuan looked at the three of them and said, "Everyone, be careful. If you encounter a crisis, be prepared to abandon your objective at any time and prioritize your own safety..."

……

As night fell, Taihe City quieted down after the daytime hustle and bustle.

However, beneath this tranquility lurks an undercurrent even more turbulent than during the day.

Outside the residence of Zheng Hao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a dark figure, as if blending into the night, silently swept over the high wall and landed in the shadows of a corner of the courtyard. Several Gu worms flew out from the sleeves of her wide black robe.

A moment later, the Gu worm, sensing no threat, quickly flew back and once again entered her sleeve.

The main gate of the inner courtyard opened silently.

Zheng Hao sat quietly at the table, seemingly having waited for a long time.

A cold voice came from beneath the black robe: "Lord Zheng, do you really intend to stand on the side of that traitor?"

Zheng Hao turned to look at the woman in black robes, his face showing no fear, and said in a deep voice, "The Crown Prince is colluding with the Western Barbarians. If we're talking about traitors, your Secret Service is the real traitor!"

The woman in black robes sighed softly and said, "Lord Zheng, the princess is reluctant to harm you because of your upright character. If you continue to be obstinate, I will show no mercy..."

Zheng Hao closed his eyes, raised his head slightly, and said, "Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!"

Beneath the wide black robe, a slender hand extended. With a flick of her finger, a Gu worm flew straight toward Zheng Hao's face.

However, just as the Gu worm was about to burrow into Zheng Hao's nostril, it suddenly stopped in mid-air inexplicably, and then flew in another direction.

The woman in black robes seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head, only to find that there was another figure in black robes standing in the corner of the room.

The Gu worm that he had fed with his own blood and essence was hovering above that person's palm.

She was shocked.

How could there be a high-level Gu Master in Zheng Hao's family!
Lin Xuan looked at the woman in black robes and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Not her.

He felt a sense of relief mixed with a strange sense of loss.

Realizing it was a trap, the nettle turned to flee.

Just then, a buzzing sound suddenly appeared in her mind, and then she lost consciousness.

Lin Xuan walked over, picked her up, glanced back at Zheng Hao, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Zheng Hao walked to the door, closed it, and finally felt relieved.

His Highness has already begun to take action against the Secret Service. Eradicating the Secret Service is like cutting off the Crown Prince's arm, which greatly increases the Second Prince's chances of successfully seizing the throne.

He walked to the bedside, just as he was about to rest, when there was a knock on the door.

Zheng Hao walked back towards the door. Had that powerful figure returned?

……

Bai Xiang Ge (Hundred Fragrances Pavilion)

Lin Xuan entered the secret room in the backyard, where Jiang Li, who was waiting there, clasped his hands in greeting and asked, "Lord Chen, did the mission go smoothly?"

Lin Xuan sat in his chair and said calmly, "Mandala did not go to the Zheng residence tonight."

Not long after he sat down, Zhou Yuan and Sun Yi also returned one after another.

"The Night Bat is dead."

"The Fire Scorpion has also been killed."

These high-ranking spies from the Nanzhao Action Division were roughly equivalent to the weakest members of the Heavenly Guards. As members of the Sixteen Guards, Zhou Yuan and Sun Yi could easily capture them.

With their combined strength, the entire Nanzhao Secret Service, as long as they don't encounter Black Lotus, Night Owl, or the head of the Secret Service, no one else can pose a significant threat to them.

Before long, Xue Yue returned to the secret room and threw the two heads wrapped in black cloth on the ground.

Jiang Li lifted the black cloth and confirmed, "It's the Rock Python and Wolverine from the Action Division, plus the Night Bat and Fire Scorpion. Half of the Action Division's elite spies have been lost. After tonight, they shouldn't dare to make any more rash moves..."

Lin Xuan and his team only had one chance to make a move.

The loss of four high-ranking spies overnight will inevitably raise the vigilance of the Secret Service, making it much more difficult to take action against them again.

Zhou Yuan looked at Lin Xuan and asked, "Lord Chen, what should we do next?"

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Let's wait and see how things develop."

We've only just arrived in Nanzhao today, and we've only learned about the current situation from Jiang Li. We haven't even met the Second Prince's men yet, so we're already making a hasty move. It's actually a bit too hasty.

There are some things he needs to confirm in person before proceeding with the next step of the plan.

The following day, before the morning mist had even dissipated, Taihe City was completely awakened by a series of horrifying news.

Several officials, including Zheng Hao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, were assassinated in their own residences.

There were almost no signs of a struggle at the scene. The murderer's methods were clean and efficient, and all the victims were killed by a sharp blade to the throat, revealing a strong secret service style.

Without exception, these officials were all very close to the Second Prince.

Zheng Hao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was the second prince's staunchest supporter. He strongly opposed the alliance between Nanzhao and Xifan and refuted the crown prince in court several times. Last night, Zheng Hao and his wife, along with their infant twins, all perished at home.

The government, the public, and the people were all shocked.

Panic and anger spread rapidly among the officials who supported the second prince.

There was no need for evidence; all the evidence pointed directly at the Crown Prince and the Secret Service.

"It must have been the Secret Service!"

"The Secret Service, unable to coerce these officials, dared to resort to such a vicious act!"

"Is there no law left in Nanzhao? Just because he is the crown prince, does he think he can do whatever he wants?"

"What right does he have to be the crown prince? He colludes with enemy countries and persecutes loyal officials. The position of crown prince should be given to the second prince!"

Immediately, various condemnations of the crown prince arose.

However, the atmosphere inside the Secret Service's office was equally heavy, even a little eerie.

Deep inside the main hall, four corpses covered with white cloth were neatly arranged on the ground. They were the "Night Bat," "Fire Scorpion," "Rock Python," and "Wolverine" who had died the previous night.

The four men went on a mission last night but did not return. Their bodies were not discovered until the early hours of the morning.

Nearly half of his elite troops were lost overnight. Night Owl, the head of the Operations Division, was ashen-faced with veins bulging on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "Investigate! Find out who did this! I'll skin them alive!"

Black Lotus bent down, carefully examining the wounds on the corpses. After a long while, she stood up and said in a deep voice, "Night Bat's heart meridian was shattered by the fierce true energy, and Fire Scorpion's neck bone was broken; Rock Python and Wolverine were beheaded instantly. The opponent's strength was far above theirs, at least a top-tier fifth-rank expert, and possibly even a fourth-rank expert..."

Night Owl's face darkened: "Fourth rank? The fourth and fifth rank experts around the Second Prince are all under our close surveillance, it couldn't be them..."

Black Lotus's expression was solemn as she slowly spoke: "It seems my guess was correct; the people from the Yong Kingdom's Night Watch have indeed come to Nanzhao..."

These spies were all below the fifth rank in terms of cultivation, but their strength could not be measured by their martial arts cultivation level.

The fact that they were completely unaware and had almost no power to resist before their deaths suggests that the identity of the perpetrator was not difficult to guess.

As soon as she finished speaking, a figure strode in from outside the hall, went straight to Heilian's side, and said in a low voice with deep anxiety, "Sister Heilian, Qianma, Qianma went to Zheng Hao's residence last night to persuade him to surrender, but she hasn't returned yet..."

Black Lotus glanced at the four corpses on the ground, and her heart sank.

All four of them died in last night's mission, and nettle is probably in grave danger as well.

A'Luo and Nettle grew up together, and she knew the bond between them. She gently patted Nettle's hand, her voice still calm, and comforted her, "I'll send someone to investigate, don't worry too much..."

Mandala looked at the four corpses covered with white sheets. Before she could ask any questions, a secret agent rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said urgently, "Master, sirs, something terrible has happened! The Grand Tutor, along with dozens of civil and military officials, are kneeling outside the palace gates, demanding an audience with His Majesty to impeach the Crown Prince for persecuting loyal officials. They beg... they beg His Majesty to depose the Crown Prince!"

The hall suddenly became dead silent.

Black Lotus slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

This is a game.

A scheme targeting the Crown Prince and the Secret Service was hatched. The people of the Yong Kingdom's Jingye Division not only killed these elite members of the Action Division, but also silenced the ministers who had tried to persuade them to surrender.

As a result, all the blood debts were attributed to the Crown Prince and the Secret Service. Not only did the Secret Service suffer heavy losses, but the Crown Prince was also accused of persecuting loyal officials.

The Second Prince's methods were far more ruthless than they had imagined.

At this moment, the head of the Secret Service, who had been keeping his eyes closed, finally opened them, his voice carrying a chilling coldness: "The territory of the Secret Service cannot tolerate the Yong Kingdom's Night Watchmen running rampant. Investigate! Investigate thoroughly and find their hiding place. Now that you're here, don't go back..."

At this moment, outside the Nanzhao royal palace.

Led by the Grand Tutor, dozens of officials knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

"The Crown Prince has lost his morals, colluding with the Western Barbarians and condoning the Secret Service's massacre of pillars of the court. Your Majesty, please be wise!"

"We humbly request Your Majesty to depose the Crown Prince and appoint a virtuous and capable successor, so as to secure the nation and comfort the loyal souls!"

"If the Crown Prince is not deposed, we will kneel here forever!"

……

The cries of lamentation pierced through the heavy palace walls and reached a grand hall deep within the imperial palace.

The crown prince knelt before the dragon bed, his face full of anger, and said, "Father, this is a frame-up! I swear to Heaven, I did not do such a thing!"

The Emperor of Nanzhao lay on his sickbed, his voice extremely weak: "Even if I believe you, will the ministers outside believe you?"

The Crown Prince turned around abruptly, pointed at a figure behind him, and gritted his teeth, saying, "It's Duan Jingming! He must have killed those people and framed me. He and the Grand Tutor had already conspired together. These treacherous officials did this to force Father Emperor to depose the Crown Prince!"

Behind the Crown Prince, a refined young man sighed and said, "Brother, my most skilled men are all under the surveillance of the Secret Service. How can we assassinate those officials..."

The Crown Prince angrily said, "Duan Jingming, don't think I don't know that you colluded with the Yong Kingdom. These things were all done by the Yong Kingdom's Jingye Division!"

The refined young man shook his head and said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Your Majesty knows better than I how many spies are in my household. If Your Majesty has evidence of my collusion with Yong, I will leave it to Your Majesty to deal with. But Your Majesty, when you held a grand banquet for the Western envoys at the Eastern Palace, did you consider the feelings of the people of Nanzhao, or the feelings of the soldiers on the frontier..."

The Crown Prince said sternly, "Duan Jingming, if you and the Grand Tutor hadn't pushed me too far, I wouldn't be in this situation. Don't forget, I was the one who advocated for the extermination of the Yang family of Bozhou. You have no right to say such things in front of me!"

"Ahem, everyone, stop arguing..."

Several heavy coughs came from the dragon bed, and the Nanzhao Emperor's voice weakened further. After a long while, he slowly said, "Jingming, you personally investigate the case of the murder of Zheng Hao and other officials. You must find out the truth. As for the Grand Tutor, go and appease him properly and let him go back. As a subject, forcing the Crown Prince to depose him is improper..."

Upon hearing this, the second prince bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Yes..."

He glanced at the crown prince, who was still kneeling on the ground, and slowly walked out.

Not long after, outside the palace.

An elderly man with white hair and beard saw the Second Prince come out, and with the help of those around him, he stood up and asked, "What did His Majesty say?"

The second prince, supporting the old man's arm, said softly, "My father has ordered me to thoroughly investigate the murders of last night and has sent me to persuade the Grand Tutor and the other officials to return..."

The old man looked at him, frowned and said, "This matter must have been done by the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is so inhumane, yet His Majesty still protects him. I will not leave until His Majesty deposes the Crown Prince!"

The second prince grasped his hand and said, "Let's go back to the manor first. Father Emperor instructed me to persuade the Grand Tutor and all the officials that if you don't leave, it means I've failed in my duties. Grand Tutor and all the officials, rest assured, I will investigate this case thoroughly and give you all an explanation..."

The old man looked into the second prince's eyes, and after a long while, nodded slightly: "I await your explanation..."

Then, he slowly turned around and, with the help of those on either side, boarded a carriage.

The other officials kneeling at the palace gate also gradually left.

A young man slowly walked to the Second Prince's side and whispered, "Your Highness, why did you persuade the Grand Tutor to leave? This was a golden opportunity to force His Majesty to depose the Crown Prince..."

The second prince shook his head slightly and said, "Deposed Crown Prince, it's not that simple. The Secret Service and the Imperial Guards are still under your control. As long as Father Emperor is alive, he will still rule Nanzhao. Pushing Father Emperor too far will not do us any good. Let's take it one step at a time..."

The young man asked, "Your Highness, what do we do next?"

The Second Prince said calmly, "With so many ministers murdered, the Secret Service is naturally the prime suspect. Summon the people from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to the Secret Service..."

Bai Xiang Ge (Hundred Fragrances Pavilion)

Chamber of Secrets.

Jiang Li reported everything that happened outside the palace gates that morning, as well as the rumors that began to circulate in the city, to Lin Xuan and the others.

Overnight, several officials were assassinated.

The Grand Tutor and others believed that the Crown Prince had ordered the secret service to silence him, and that they had staged a coup at the palace gates, demanding that the Crown Prince be deposed.

The Secret Service then spread the word that it was the work of the Yong Kingdom's Night Watch Division, and that they were conducting a large-scale search within the city.

Sun Yi frowned and said in a deep voice, "How is that possible? Could it be that after I killed that spy, the Secret Service sent someone to that official's house to silence him?"

Last night, based on intelligence provided by the Second Prince, the four men ambushed several officials at their homes, killing several spies before leaving. They just learned from Jiang Li that all those officials were assassinated last night without exception.

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, tapping his index finger lightly on the table before saying, "It might not be the Secret Service; they don't know about our operation... This second prince of Nanzhao is quite a ruthless character."

The officials were killed, and it seemed that the loss was to the second prince.

However, the court of Nanzhao was firmly controlled by the Grand Tutor and the henchmen of the Second Prince, and they could find replacements for the officials who died at any time.

But once the accusation of harming loyal officials is pinned on the crown prince, it will be very difficult to remove it.

If these officials hadn't died, the Grand Tutor wouldn't be leading those people to force the emperor to depose the Crown Prince today...

He snorted coldly and said, "He used us to eliminate the secret agents, then framed someone for murder, inciting dissatisfaction among the court and the public against the Crown Prince. The secret agents also blamed us for this. This man is incredibly cunning..."

Xue Yue said calmly, "The imperial court sent us to Nanzhao precisely to be pawns for the second prince of Nanzhao. This man is cunning and capable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for us..."

Lin Xuan did not speak.

He was unaware of what happened after he left the Zheng residence last night.

The entire family of that Vice Minister of Personnel, including his two newborn children, was brutally murdered after he left.

It is unlikely that the Crown Prince and the Secret Service were behind this.

On the surface, assassinating officials loyal to the Second Prince seemed to be in the Crown Prince's interest, but in reality, it was the Second Prince who benefited.

Lin Xuan understood the secret intelligence agency; with Hei Lian's shrewdness, she couldn't possibly do something so foolish.

If it was indeed the second prince of Nanzhao who did it, this man is far too ruthless. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and if he is so cruel to his own people, then his promises to the court should not be trusted either...

(End of this chapter)