PS: This is the first update for today, but there's also a chapter from yesterday that wasn't posted. Since there was no update yesterday, I won't label this as the second update in the title. Make sure you don't miss it.
As the distance closed, An Jiu clearly discerned that there were twelve people.
After entering, they split into four groups and began searching various areas, though it was unclear what they were looking for.
Each group consisted of three people—one martial arts master above the sixth rank and two below the sixth rank. An Jiu found this grouping method somewhat familiar, reminiscent of... the Crane Control Army?
An Jiu peeked through a gap and indeed spotted silver cranes embroidered on the hems of their robes.
Now that the Crane Control Army had split, the insignia alone couldn’t determine whether these were Chu Dingjiang’s people. An Jiu considered capturing one to interrogate but quickly dismissed the idea. Secretive organizations like the Crane Control Army were undoubtedly tight-lipped. Rather than risking exposure by wasting time and effort on forced confessions, it was better to follow them.
Having made up her mind, An Jiu chose to trail the group with relatively higher martial arts skills. Generally, the stronger one’s martial arts, the higher their rank—and the more information they possessed. She wasn’t worried about being discovered; after all, no matter how high their mental strength was, it couldn’t surpass hers.
The group silently conducted a thorough search of the study, taking roughly the time it took to drink two cups of tea. By then, nearly the entire study had been turned upside down.
Particular attention was paid to the imperial edicts, which were all unfurled on the table.
After examining them, one person said, “What if we can’t find it?”
The other two remained silent for a few breaths before the tall, thin one replied, “Keep looking.”
“Boss, it’s just one edict. It could’ve been taken away easily. We’re probably wasting our time,” the man grumbled. “Who knows what His Highness is thinking? With the situation so dire, he’s still fixated on some edict. Securing the throne should be the priority!”
An Jiu’s heart sank. Had Chu Dingjiang’s plan failed?
“If the Second Prince isn’t dead and the edict isn’t found, that edict will remain a thorn in our side. The Second Prince—”
Before he could finish, a long, somber bell toll echoed through the silent night, ringing repeatedly and startling the entire capital.
“The Emperor has passed away!” The speaker’s voice was unmistakably filled with joy.
An Jiu sensed things were taking a turn for the worse. They seemed to be the Crown Prince’s men. If they were this elated by the Emperor’s death, it meant the palace was now under the Crown Prince’s control.
“No!” The tall, thin man wasn’t as optimistic. “His Highness hasn’t yet uncovered the full extent of the Second Prince’s strength. Even if the Emperor truly has passed, he wouldn’t announce it so quickly. That way, the Second Prince’s faction wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”
“So, do we keep searching for the edict?” another asked.
The tall, thin man pondered for a long moment. “If the funeral bells weren’t ordered by His Highness, then it must be the Second Prince’s doing... Could the Emperor have actually named the Second Prince as heir? Whatever the case, we’ve been given orders, so we must continue searching.”
They had been tasked only with finding the secret edicts the Emperor had issued to the Second Prince in the past six months and had no idea what they contained. If it truly was an edict naming the heir, the palace would descend into chaos immediately.
The group meticulously combed through every book and document in the study, leaving no sheet of paper unchecked.
An Jiu quietly retreated and headed for the Hua residence.
The Hua family supported the Second Prince, so Mei Jiu and Mei Yanran were likely there as well. Finding them would yield more information.
Only now did An Jiu understand why Chu Dingjiang had delayed telling her how to contact him anytime, anywhere. She couldn’t help but mutter, “So much for fighting side by side. What a load of crap.”
The gates of the Hua residence were tightly shut, heavily guarded—but such defenses couldn’t stop An Jiu.She sneaked into the residence and headed straight for Mei Jiu's quarters. Passing by a small garden, she spotted two familiar figures.
Hua Rongjian sat by a small pond, idly tossing food into the water. Mei Ru Yan sat on a stone stool not far behind him, with two burly men in black standing at her back.
At first glance, an uninformed observer might assume the two men were Mei Ru Yan's subordinates. But An Jiu noticed their tense muscles, hands gripping the hilts of their swords, and their occasional glances toward Mei Ru Yan—clearly, they were watching her.
"Mei Ru Yan," Hua Rongjian said without turning, his tone leisurely as if making small talk, "Where do you think you're going?"
"What, am I not allowed to leave?" Mei Ru Yan replied coldly.
"That depends on my mood." Hua Rongjian set the fish food on a low table beside him, stood up, and walked over to Mei Ru Yan. He bent down, pinched her chin, and forced her to look up. "Did you deliver the imperial memorial to your master?"
Mei Ru Yan pressed her lips together, her phoenix eyes meeting his gaze fearlessly.
From An Jiu's angle, she couldn't see Mei Ru Yan's expression, but she had a clear view of Hua Rongjian's faint smile.
His lazy grin carried a hint of cruelty. The dim lantern light flickered in the breeze, casting shifting shadows that made his face appear sinister. An Jiu froze. She still remembered the first time she met Hua Rongjian—he had been a playful young man with a smile as warm as the morning sun. How had he changed so drastically in such a short time?
"Was it worth it?" Hua Rongjian released her, his expression returning to normal. "That memorial was written by my father to protect Ling Jiangjun. It was never submitted to the emperor. Did you really think a mere scrap of paper could bring down the Hua Clan? Your master is far too naive."
Red marks bloomed on Mei Ru Yan's jaw, but she smiled bewitchingly. "That scrap of paper—do you know why I took that one in particular?"
Hua Rongjian lowered his gaze. "I'm all ears."
"Because it contained the most details about Ling Ziyue. Someone could use it to forge Prime Minister Hua's handwriting and create a letter between him and Ling Jiangjun, urging and deceiving Ling Jiangjun into attacking Liaoguo's Xijin Prefecture." Mei Ru Yan said with relish. "Similarly, they could also mimic Prime Minister Hua's words about plotting to overthrow the dynasty. Just imagine—if this evidence were placed in the hands of the Song emperor, what do you think would happen?"
No matter which emperor it was, the Hua Clan would face annihilation.
If the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he wouldn’t even need this evidence—the Hua Clan’s support for the Second Prince would brand them as rebels, giving him legitimate grounds to act. If the Second Prince succeeded instead, what would he do with such evidence? Against a family whose achievements overshadowed the throne, this leverage would give him a perpetual excuse to destroy the Hua Clan. Whether the evidence had flaws wouldn’t even matter.
This was an inescapable trap. Even knowing about it now, there was no way to prevent it.
"The Hua Clan is already teetering on the edge. All it takes is a little push." Mei Ru Yan lightly poked Hua Rongjian's waist with her slender finger, smiling like a flower in bloom. "And it will come crashing down. Instead of wasting time on me, you'd be better off thinking about your own future."
"No need for your concern." Hua Rongjian smirked and ordered the two men, "Kill her."An Jiu was astonished by Hua Rongjian's drastic transformation and hesitated over whether to save Mei Ru Yan. Although An Jiu didn’t like Mei Ru Yan, upon careful consideration, Mei Ru Yan had never truly harmed her. However, Hua Rongjian was somewhat a friend, and Mei Ru Yan’s actions had caused immense damage to the Hua Clan. Moreover, Uncle Chu seemed to care deeply about the Hua Clan...
After weighing the options, An Jiu decided to disregard their personal grudges.
Hua Rongjian sat back down by the pond where he had been feeding the fish earlier, staring blankly at the water.
An Jiu watched him for a while, but he remained motionless in the same position.
Could the revelation that his birth mother had been murdered, with his father as an accomplice, have affected him so deeply? Just days ago, he had seemed to have come to terms with it.
Men’s thoughts were hard to decipher. An Jiu avoided him and went to Mei Jiu’s residence.
The lights were on inside. Mei Jiu sat under the lamp reading, while Mei Yanran sewed clothes across from her. The mother and daughter were getting along harmoniously.
An Jiu stood outside for a moment before silently slipping into the room.
Mei Yanran instinctively glanced toward the window but saw no one, chiding herself for being overly cautious.
An Jiu landed like a ghost, pondering how to start the conversation.
"Hi, I’m here." Or perhaps, "Long time no see!"
Neither seemed quite appropriate. After some thought, she simply cleared her throat softly.
Mei Yanran turned, her sword almost drawn, but relaxed when she saw it was An Jiu.
Mei Jiu was delighted to see her. "A Jiu, you’ve left the island? Does that mean Plum Blossom Village is no longer in danger?"
"Mm." An Jiu studied her for a moment. "Weren’t you poisoned? Why do you look even plumper?"
Mei Jiu’s cheeks flushed, and she stammered for a while.
Mei Yanran answered for her, "Jiu’er is pregnant."
An Jiu’s mouth fell open. Her gaze dropped to Mei Jiu’s abdomen, but her loose clothing concealed any signs of a bump. "How many months?"
"Almost four," Mei Jiu replied meekly.
Just a few months ago, Hua Rongtian had still been sleeping in the study, and now the child was already four months along. An Jiu almost asked if it was Hua Rongtian’s, but then remembered Mei Jiu’s strict moral principles—if something untoward had happened, she would have likely thrown herself into a river by now. With that in mind, An Jiu refrained from asking such an offensive question in front of her mother—though what she said next was just as tactless. "If you ever break up with Hua Rongtian, make sure to take the child with you. A child can live without a father but not without a mother."
Mei Jiu’s expression darkened. Her relationship with Hua Rongtian had been an accident after drinking, not born of love. As for the future, she had no certainty.
Mei Yanran, however, remained unfazed and calmly changed the subject. "Did you come out for a reason?"
"Yes. What’s the situation in Bianjing now?" An Jiu asked.
Mei Yanran replied, "The Crown Prince is in the palace, seemingly holding the upper hand, but that’s not the reality. The Second Prince’s forces have almost surrounded the palace, trapping the Crown Prince inside and cutting off his communication. If not for that senior eunuch in the palace, he wouldn’t have lasted this long."
"Senior eunuch?" An Jiu vaguely recalled hearing about such a person. "The Transformation Realm Master by the emperor’s side?"
Mei Yanran nodded. "If the Crown Prince ascends the throne this time, that eunuch will have served three generations of emperors. Since he stays within the palace and rarely engages in combat, no one knows his true strength. It’s only known that he entered the Transformation Realm as early as fifteen years ago."Transformation Realm Masters are few and far between. Aside from Chu Dingjiang, the Second Prince likely has no one else on his side. In other words, if the Second Prince wants to ascend the throne, he must first deal with this powerful eunuch. But who can handle him? There's no one else but Chu Dingjiang!
An Jiu grew restless. "Where is the Second Prince now?"
"I don't know, but listen." Mei Yanran paused as the mournful tolling of funeral bells outside became as clear as if ringing right beside their ears. "Once the bells sound, the confrontation between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will happen within a day or two. The Second Prince must rush back to mourn and observe filial duties, while the Crown Prince will surely seize this opportunity to strike. It all depends on how the Second Prince plans to enter the palace." (To be continued...)
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