The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

"Does the master already know?" She forced herself to calm down.

"Yes. The sir has made arrangements. Your Highness must keep the appointment as scheduled. The return route has been determined, and there will be a plan for when it is time. Commander Zhao will personally oversee the security of the manor. Your Highness only needs to remember that no matter what happens, remain calm, stay in the carriage, and do not get out." The voice outside the window finished speaking quickly and then disappeared again.

Yun Jin gently closed the window, walked back to the table, her palms slightly sweaty.

The assassination attempt... has finally come, and it's the most dangerous kind yet.

But she felt little fear; instead, she felt a sense of relief. What was meant to happen would happen eventually.

She looked at the last sentence of Su Che's letter, "A storm is brewing, wait and see," and suddenly understood its meaning. Waiting and seeing is not passive waiting, but rather using stillness to control movement, and taking advantage of one's own strength to wait for the opportune moment.

"Qingdai," she instructed softly, "find the set of gold-threaded soft armor that His Majesty recently bestowed upon me. I will wear it close to my body the day after tomorrow. Also, instruct the kitchen that, starting tomorrow, you will personally prepare all my meals and personally inspect the ingredients. Carefully examine all the new items in the mansion, especially the bedding and tea sets."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Qingdai replied solemnly, a resolute glint in her eyes.

Yun Jin walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and looked out at the dark, starless night sky.

A cold wind rushed in, carrying a biting chill.

"You want my life?" she muttered to herself, a cold smile curving her lips. "Then let's see if you have the ability to take it."

Meanwhile, at the secluded cottage in the south of the city.

A detailed map of Lin Yuan City was spread out in front of Su Che, with the Jingguo Princess's residence, the Third Prince's residence, and several possible routes marked on it in vermilion ink.

Grey falcons and night owls stood solemnly to one side.

"Blood Shadow Tower..." Su Che tapped his fingertips lightly on a relatively secluded street on the map. "They are indeed troublesome, skilled in infiltration, assassination, and poison. However, now that we know the time, place, and target, even the most skilled assassin is nothing more than a target."

He looked up at Night Owl: "Have you figured out the movements of those 'Night Owls'?"

Night Owl nodded: "We've figured it out. They're scattered across three strongholds in the city, a total of forty-seven people, all of them skilled fighters. The three leaders are particularly troublesome. As for the Blood Shadow Tower, the rendezvous point is at the 'Hundred Entertainments Troupe' in the east of the city. We currently know that five of them have infiltrated the city, and we're still tracking their movements, but we can confirm that at least one of them is a master of poisons and another is a sharpshooter."

"Forty-seven plus five, fifty-two people." Su Che's gaze was calm. "The Crown Prince has really gone all out this time. He wants to kill the princess and lure me out to wipe us all out in one fell swoop. He has quite the appetite."

"Sir, should we clear these outposts in advance?" Grey Falcon asked.

"No." Su Che shook his head. "Temporarily alerting them will only make them change their plans and become even more difficult to defend against. What we want is not to defeat them, but to annihilate them completely, to make the Crown Prince suffer a deep pain so that he will never dare to use his forces lightly again."

He drew a line on the map with his finger: "The princess's return journey the day after tomorrow will inevitably pass through the section from 'Willow Shade Lane' to 'Golden Water Bridge.' The lanes here are relatively narrow, with high walls on both sides, making it easy to ambush and trap dogs. Zhao Jianing."

"Your subordinate is here," Zhao Jianing, who had been standing silently in the shadows, replied.

"Take our men and ambush them in advance on the walls of the courtyards on both sides of the alley and behind the rooftops. When the princess's carriage passes by, ignore the first wave of attacks and let them get close to the carriage."

"Owl's main force will appear and engage the princess's guards in battle. When the Blood Shadow Tower assassins attempt to attack from a distance or use poison..." A cold glint flashed in Su Che's eyes, "then you can make your move. Crossbow bolts, lime, fishing nets, grappling hooks—use whatever is effective, aim for a fatal blow, leaving no survivors. If they are from the Blood Shadow Tower, capture them alive if possible and extract their confessions."

"Yes!" A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Zhao Jianing's eyes.

"Grey Falcon," Su Che turned to him, "You take the best 'Listening' experts and blend in with the onlookers or shops along the way. Your job is to eliminate any possible sentries or spies on the periphery, cutting off their escape and communication routes. At the same time, keep a close eye on the Third Prince's residence and see if our Third Prince will make any 'unexpected' moves."

"clear."

"Night Owl, you will personally be in charge of the princess's close-quarters protection. I've had Pang Xiaopan modify the interior, lining it with iron plates and using specially made glass windows to protect it from ordinary arrows. Your task is to ensure that no one can truly threaten the princess inside the carriage before Zhao Jianing and his men make their move. At the same time, protect that 'bait'."

"A decoy?" Night Owl was slightly taken aback.

Su Che's lips curled into a cold smile: "The Crown Prince wants to lure me out, doesn't he? Then give him a 'me.' Find a brother of similar build to me, have him wear my clothes and a bamboo hat, and ride in a similar carriage, following a hundred paces behind the princess's carriage. When attacked, make him appear 'panicked,' then 'scramble' to the pre-arranged trap area. There, I've prepared a 'generous gift' for the Crown Prince."

The Grey Falcon and the Night Owl exchanged a glance, both seeing the chill in each other's eyes.

This gentleman is luring you into a trap, intending to turn the tables and kill you.

"Remember," Su Che concluded, his voice low but carrying an undeniable resolve, "In this battle, apart from the Blood Shadow Tower, take no prisoners, leave no survivors. I want the First Prince's 'Night Owl' to become history. I want the Blood Shadow Tower to know that some people and some places are taboo subjects they should not touch. I also want those eyes secretly watching in Lin Yuan City to see clearly what price they will have to pay for harming those I, Su Che, want to protect."

"Yes!" the three answered in unison, their killing intent palpable.

Su Che walked to the window and gazed in the direction of Princess Jingguo's residence in the distance. The night was deep and all was quiet.

"Yun Jin," he murmured to himself, as if his voice pierced through the layers of buildings to see the woman in armor, focused and serious under the lamplight, "You must overcome this hurdle on your own. But I will clear away all the demons and monsters in your path."

The day after tomorrow, Willow Shade Lane, Golden Water Bridge.

There, a meticulously planned counterattack will take place, and it will be Princess Yun Jin of Jing Kingdom's first battle to truly establish her authority amidst blood and fire.

A storm is brewing, and the hunters have already laid their nets in wait.