Chapter 41 Caught in the Crossfire

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Unfortunately, the Empress said nothing, and the people in Phoenix Ritual Palace were all as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to discuss the matter at all.

Little Red flew around the palace once, but heard nothing useful.

After all, this was a matter of great importance to the imperial family. No one dared casually wag their tongue.

That left Yang Zhan feeling utterly helpless.

Even with Beast Taming, it was difficult to uncover any useful intelligence.

Still, having discovered that the Emperor was unharmed, Yang Zhan knew that the Crown Prince would not be in any immediate danger either.

Unless the Emperor had truly become senile, he would never believe that the Crown Prince had sent someone to assassinate the Empress.

Yang Zhan then had Little Red fly directly to Xining Palace.

All princes who had not yet undergone their capping ceremonies lived there.

Yang Wu had only two sons—the eldest and the third. As for the second, few people ever mentioned him, and Yang Zhan did not know what had happened. He guessed that the boy had probably died young.

Thus, only the Third Prince currently resided in Xining Palace. With the Crown Prince living in the east and the Third Prince in the west, it was likely that the latter felt the imperial throne was not entirely beyond his reach.

When Little Red arrived at Xining Palace, it saw that the entire palace was still brightly lit.

Voices could be heard coming from the main hall.

Little Red flew closer and heard someone say, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince sent men to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress. This time, his position as Crown Prince will certainly be revoked.”

“Your Highness need not worry. Although Her Majesty was wounded, I hear that her injuries are not serious. Now that the Crown Prince has made such a foolish move, Your Highness will surely regain His Majesty’s trust!”

The Third Prince looked at the two men who had spoken, his face darkening. “Do you truly think so?”

“Your Highness, it has already been confirmed that this was the Crown Prince’s doing. Could it be that—”

“It absolutely was not done by my elder brother!” the Third Prince declared with certainty.

“Your Highness, regardless of whether the Crown Prince truly did it, all suspicion now points toward him. That is ultimately beneficial to Your Highness. Besides, the Crown Prince will likely be unable to clear himself of suspicion!”

The Third Prince’s expression turned icy. He glanced at the two men. “You think this was aimed at the Crown Prince?”

“This…”

“Hmph. It was aimed at me!”

“How could that be? The assassins were people from the Eastern Palace. How could they have been targeting Your Highness?”

At that moment, Zhang Wuxiang, who had remained silent until then, spoke up. “Generals, this matter is indeed aimed at the Third Prince.”

“How could it be aimed at the Third Prince? Could this be some sort of self-inflicted suffering staged by the Crown Prince?”

Yang Jin gave a cold snort. “Do you think my imperial father is truly senile? Even if my elder brother were a complete fool, he would not choose this moment to assassinate my mother. After this incident, do you think my imperial father will believe that my elder brother sent people to kill her?”

“This…”

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“What do you mean, ‘this’? If he does not believe that my elder brother sent people to assassinate her, he will conclude that someone deliberately framed him. Who is most likely to have framed my elder brother?”

The Third Prince’s words caused the other two men’s expressions to change slightly.

Zhang Wuxiang interjected, “He will naturally suspect that Your Highness arranged it. That would make Your Highness seem even more disfavored in His Majesty’s eyes.”

“Exactly. This was absolutely aimed at me. My elder brother is truly ruthless—he was even willing to risk everything to frame me!”

Yang Jin’s face was livid, and he ground his teeth in fury.

Zhang Wuxiang, however, frowned. “Your Highness, I fear this matter may not have been the Crown Prince’s doing either.”

“Hmm? If not him, then who else would oppose me?”

The Third Prince knitted his brows, his gaze sharp.

“Now that the Crown Prince has regained His Majesty’s favor, he is at the height of his power. There is absolutely no need for him to take such a risk. Moreover, this matter may never be fully clarified. The Crown Prince would then carry the stain of treason indefinitely. Even if the Emperor did not believe he was responsible, he would still gain nothing and lose much.”

As Zhang Wuxiang spoke, he frowned deeply. “Ever since this happened, I have been wondering who would want the imperial capital to descend into even greater chaos.”

“Have you thought of anyone, Master Zhang?”

Zhang Wuxiang’s brows remained furrowed. “Anyone capable of arranging something like this would possess tremendous influence. There are quite a few such people in Tiandu City. Among them, Yang Zhan is a very likely candidate.”

“Yang Zhan? You mean he is helping the Crown Prince make this dangerous move in order to defeat me completely?”

“Precisely. Yang Zhan has both the ability and the courage to do so. If he succeeds, Your Highness may never have another chance to inherit the throne.”

Yang Jin frowned. “If it truly was him, then what he has done so far is nowhere near enough. What do you think his next move will be?”

Zhang Wuxiang’s expression grew solemn. “This man’s actions are impossible to fathom and difficult to predict. Your Highness must therefore proceed with the utmost caution. For the time being, do nothing. If you do nothing, you cannot make a mistake.”

Yang Jin suddenly understood. “So that was why Master Zhang urged me to withdraw from the negotiations with Fenglin Kingdom—to avoid being sabotaged?”

“Exactly. Fortunately, Your Highness followed my advice. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. I have just received this news.”

“What news?”

“General Yu Jin of the Heavenly Martial Army and three thousand armored cavalry have been surrounded by Fenglin Kingdom’s Divine Wind Army for three days. Without reinforcements, they could be annihilated at any moment. Fenglin Kingdom came to negotiate precisely because it holds this leverage.”

Yang Jin’s expression shifted. “How could such an important matter have escaped the military reports?”

“That is precisely the problem. If this was Yang Zhan’s handiwork, then everything makes sense. Once the negotiations break down, Fenglin Kingdom and Great Xia will inevitably become enemies. At that point, Yang Zhan’s chances of being reinstated will become extremely high. And Your Highness should have noticed this as well: His Majesty greatly admires Yang Zhan. That is why he gave Yang Zhan three years. Even at the very end, His Majesty did not wish to raise the executioner’s blade himself. This shows that His Majesty still harbors hopes for Yang Zhan. He may not even want Yang Zhan dead at all.”

At this, Zhang Wuxiang’s expression became exceedingly grave. “It is now obvious that His Majesty is unwilling to depose the Crown Prince again. His Majesty hopes that the Crown Prince will be able to take control of the court, and Yang Zhan is the Crown Prince’s strongest support. Therefore, in order to ensure that the Crown Prince assumes power smoothly, His Majesty is even more likely to reinstate Yang Zhan.”

By the time Yang Jin heard this, his face had turned black with anger. “My imperial father has truly made far-reaching plans for my elder brother. How hateful!”

“Your Highness, watch the situation for now and make the necessary preparations.”

With that, Zhang Wuxiang turned to the two generals. “Generals, you must still make your preparations. You may not need to use the blade, but you must have one in hand.”

“Rest assured. We made preparations long ago!”

Yang Zhan, who had been watching everything through Little Red from the shadows, was instantly dumbfounded.

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Damn it. Was this what people meant by sitting safely at home while disaster fell from the sky?

He had been dragged into the line of fire without even knowing how!

But the more carefully he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

The waters surrounding this affair ran far too deep.

Yang Zhan had previously assumed that the Third Prince had arranged for Yu Jin and the three thousand armored cavalry to be trapped.

Now it seemed that the Third Prince had nothing to do with it.

The assassination of the Empress had not been a scheme jointly staged by the Third Prince and the Empress either.

Then Yang Zhan’s earlier guess—that the Third Prince would secretly harm the three women imprisoned in the Celestial Prison—was apparently wrong as well.

As for the assassination itself, Yang Zhan did not believe the Crown Prince was responsible either.

Whoever stood behind all this possessed methods that reached the heavens.

Yang Zhan felt somewhat exhausted, so he had Little Red fly back on its own.

Although Beast Taming was remarkably powerful, it consumed an enormous amount of spiritual energy.

It had only been a short while, yet Yang Zhan already felt he was reaching his limit.

He opened his eyes, his mind filled with even more doubts.

This scheme was becoming increasingly impossible to understand.

Suddenly, Yang Zhan looked toward the door. “Who is it?”

“Second Master, it is me!”

It was Yu Shu’s voice.

Yang Zhan froze. “It is so late. Does the Crown Princess need something?”

Creak!

The door was pushed open.

Holding a lantern, Yu Shu entered alone.

Yang Zhan felt somewhat helpless. Although he had a clear conscience and nothing to fear, the two of them truly ought to avoid suspicion when alone together so late at night.

But then he remembered how deeply worried the Crown Princess was about the Crown Prince. In an emergency, ordinary proprieties had to be set aside.