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墨書 Inktalez
In the end, both Liu Chancellor and Liu Consort agreed that it was not the right time to reveal the truth.
"We have reached a critical juncture; there can be no mistakes," Liu Chancellor pondered. "The Emperor is keen on nurturing Sixth Prince, which is a significant advantage for us. However, if he cannot ascend to the throne, I fear for Sixth Prince's life."
This concern was also shared by Liu Consort. For the safety of Murong Xi, they decided to secretly support Sixth Prince.
With the strong backing of Liu Family, Sixth Prince was one step closer to the throne.
Yet, Murong Xi remained completely unaware of all this.
The Emperor's health had completely deteriorated.
He no longer had the strength to even force himself to attend court, and had spent half of his time in a state of unconsciousness.
News of the Emperor's sudden illness spread, and the commotion in the court could no longer be concealed.
This feigned illness strategy would not last long; it was merely a delaying tactic to buy some final moments.
The princes vying for the throne began to take action, with the most prominent and aggressive being Crown Prince Murong Cheng and Third Prince Murong Jing.
Crown Prince had an almost obsessive fixation on the throne; nearly every meaning in his life revolved around his aspiration for it. For him, losing this goal was more unbearable than death.
His greatest leverage was his title as Crown Prince. After the Emperor's death, this country would rightfully belong to him.
Although Third Prince lacked the title of Crown Prince, he was born of Queen, which granted him more prestige than other princes. Moreover, with Queen unifying the harem and embodying maternal authority, Murong Jing gained considerable odds in his favor.
Everyone speculated that the ultimate victor would undoubtedly emerge from among these two.
Although the other princes each had their advantages, they still fell short in comparison to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.
Only those cunning old foxes sensed a different atmosphere. They diverted a bit of their attention to observe the actions of the Sixth Prince, Murong Xi.
When Murong Jing made his move, he completely overturned everyone’s previous perceptions of him. All notions of recklessness, brutality, and simplicity were like discarded paper, torn away and thrown aside by Murong Jing.
Now, the arrogance that once marked his demeanor transformed into an air of authority. He assessed the situation with poise, exuding an imperial aura that was on par with Crown Prince Murong Cheng, creating a standoff between them.
Thus, Gu Bei's military power once again became the target of contention between the two.
Half of Dongchuan's military power was all that mattered; acquiring this would render everything else almost insignificant.
To become emperor, merely having military power was insufficient. Many other elements were necessary as well. However, without military power in hand, it was akin to a castle in the air. Lacking military strength meant that even if one obtained other resources, they could not establish a stable foundation.
Murong Cheng endured his disdain for Gu Bei and made several visits to cultivate a relationship with him, hoping to sway him to his side.
Since gold and silver could not move him, the only option left was to appeal to emotions.
However, Gu Bei had no interest in Murong Cheng's emotional overtures. He had already pledged loyalty to the emperor and maintained a close friendship with the Sixth Prince. Even without these ties, given that Murong Cheng had caused the deaths of so many soldiers in the past, Gu Bei would never let bygones be bygones.
Murong Jing knew that Murong Cheng had been rebuffed by Gu Bei yet again. Leaving the general's residence in anger, he couldn't help but smirk derisively.
"The Crown Prince is being too earnest," Murong Jing remarked with a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. "He doesn't consider that if Gu Bei were truly sentimental, he wouldn't let him off so easily. The feelings for countless soldiers can't possibly compare to those of a single enemy."
Yet, despite his mockery, Murong Jing found himself unable to crack this tough nut named Gu Bei.
Gu Bei had no interest in power, nor was he obsessed with money. As for women, that was even less likely to work. Such a person, who was impervious to all temptations, was the hardest to deal with.
He had previously approached the residence intentionally to build a good relationship with Gu Bei, hoping to use emotional ties to sway him to his side.
Unfortunately, this idea was the most likely to succeed among all possibilities.
If it weren't for the unexpected changes along the way, Murong Jing might have developed feelings for Ye Xiaohan during their interactions, and Gu Bei had also received an imperial commission. Perhaps Gu Bei would have truly agreed by now.
But now it was too late; Gu Bei would never betray his word. After promising the emperor, he would not turn against the Sixth Prince and side with someone else.
Murong Jing had visited several times in person, only to receive treatment that was slightly more polite than what Murong Cheng got.
A weapon that cannot be held in one's own hands is one that might be seized by others and turned into a deadly threat against oneself.
Since Gu Bei could not be counted on anymore, the only option left was to destroy him.
To prevent him from becoming someone else's right-hand man and opposing him in the future.
On this point, Murong Cheng and Murong Jing finally reached an unspoken understanding as brothers for the first time in their lives. They both decided to take action against Gu Bei.
A direct confrontation was out of the question; Gu Bei was a national general standing by the emperor's side. If they harmed him, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the emperor, providing others with a reason to criticize them and leaving them without justification.
Such a sordid affair must be conducted secretly. Gu Bei had faced three assassination attempts within ten days but had successfully evaded them all.
"Your Highness, Gu Bei is cunning by nature, skilled in martial arts, and surrounded by experts. It seems unlikely that we will succeed easily."
This was no longer a hypothesis; it was a stark reality laid out before them.
Murong Cheng glared at his subordinates, a group of useless fools who only knew how to bolster others' spirits while diminishing their own authority.
"If you fail, then find another opportunity and come up with another plan!" Murong Cheng shouted angrily. "I’m not feeding you for nothing. If you can’t accomplish this or that, what exactly can you do?"
The subordinates fell silent, knowing that once Murong Cheng was angry, he would not listen to anyone's opinions. They had long learned to be wise and keep their mouths shut.
Only Gu Rong still harbored a malicious intent; compared to other matters, even the prince's power and authority did not intimidate him.
As long as he could do something detrimental to Gu Bei, he was ready to jump in at any moment.
"Your Highness, I have an idea worth trying," Gu Rong stepped forward, presenting his scheme to harm Gu Bei.
Murong Cheng did not have much faith in Gu Rong. This Gu Rong was more likely to cause trouble than to achieve anything. If it weren't for his deep-seated hatred for Gu Bei and his fervent desire to harm him, Murong Cheng sometimes wouldn’t even bother with him.
"Let’s hear it." After all, something was better than nothing; it was better to have a discussion than none at all.
Gu Rong quickly said, "The previous assassination attempts were carried out at the General's residence, and none succeeded. It seems the defenses there are stricter than we imagined. To succeed, we can only approach from the outside!"
He had already investigated thoroughly; both the military camp and the General's residence were heavily guarded. The only weakly defended area was the stretch of road Gu Bei took after visiting the palace each day on his way to the military camp.
"Alright, let’s go with that." Murong Cheng considered it for a moment and found the suggestion somewhat feasible.
Next came the discussion of specific details and personnel arrangements, moving forward with meticulous implementation.
After setting everything up overnight, the assassins lay in ambush at the predetermined location, waiting for Gu Bei to walk into their trap early the next morning.
Gu Bei was almost at the palace. The emperor's health was failing, and he had gone for his routine morning greeting. Additionally, the emperor intended to hand over the situation he had orchestrated to Gu Bei.
Time was running out for the emperor, and they had to act quickly.
At dawn, before it was fully light, Gu Bei made his way to the palace as usual.
However, this time, what awaited him after he stepped out was not his attendant but a group of menacing masked figures.
"Who dares to be so audacious!" Gu Bei reacted swiftly; his attendant was likely already harmed.
A sharp pain pierced Gu Bei's heart as memories of the battlefield, littered with corpses, resurfaced. His killing intent surged, and he struck mercilessly, each blow drawing blood.
Yet, his opponents were well-prepared; there was no way they would let him escape.
The bodies on the ground began to pile up, and the stench of blood thickened in the air.
Gu Bei bore several wounds, two of which were deep enough to expose bone. Fortunately, none were life-threatening, allowing him to hold on for a while longer.
But if he couldn't stop the bleeding in time, death would only be a matter of time.
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