RPAGF Chapter 443 Late-Night Conspiracy (2)
Chapter 443 Late-Night Conspiracy (2)
Lu Jiangnian turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, with a deep and certain expression: "Your Highness, you have been the Crown Prince for so many years. Your foundation, ability, and prestige are all things that the Fifth Prince can't compare to."
"Even if His Majesty is truly confused for a moment and gives him the position of Crown Prince for a few days, so what?"
"As long as Your Highness still holds the power you should, your trusted confidants remain, and your foundation is intact, then..."
Lu Jiangnian paused slightly, his gaze turning deep: "There will always be a day when you can turn the tide!"
He didn't spell it out, but the three of them knew perfectly well what the "chance to turn the tide" meant.
A brief silence fell over the secret room. The three people's gazes met and collided silently in mid-air. They saw understanding, solemnity, and a hint of secret expectation in each other's eyes.
That unspoken opportunity came when the one on the dragon throne was about to take his last breath.
Before that, all they had to do was, like hibernating snakes, desperately guard their vitality and wait for the thunder of the Awakening of Insects.
After hearing Lu Jiangnian's words, the Crown Prince's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and he let out a long, slow sigh.
In fact, deep down, didn't he also harbor the same thought?
However, this idea was too dangerous and too passive. He thought about it alone, feeling like he was walking on the edge of a cliff, his heart pounding with anxiety. He couldn't make up his mind and dared not say it out loud.
Now, hearing Lu Jiangnian clearly and forcefully analyze this "self-preservation and waiting for change" strategy, and that his ideas were in line with his own, the heavy sense of bewilderment that had been weighing on his heart dissipated by most of it. It was as if he had found his backbone, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
"Not bad!"
A glimmer of composure rekindled in the prince's eyes, and his voice became much firmer.
"Jiang Nian is absolutely right! Before the final result comes to light, what I need to do is to exert all my strength and hold onto all the power I can! To ensure that no matter what happens, I will have the ability to cope and will not be left without any chance to fight back!"
Sun Huanzhi, who was standing to the side, visibly relaxed his tense body and leaned back in his chair.
Since the Crown Prince and Lu Jiangnian, the two most key figures, have both decided on this path, it means that although this plan seems passive, it is the safest and most promising option under the current circumstances.
The tension that had been building up inside him could finally be eased a little.
Lu Jiangnian stretched out his finger, dipped it into the already cooled tea in his cup, and quickly began to draw on the simple wooden table in front of him.
Under the dim light, watermarks quickly outlined the simple contours of palace walls, roads, and key points.
His voice followed, clear and calm, like a general deploying city defenses, each word carrying undeniable power: "Your Highness, the most urgent task is to grip your sword tightly, open your eyes wide, and prick up your ears!"
He pointed heavily at the "Eastern Palace" and several palace gates: "First, we must ensure that all the forces you can absolutely trust, those who can be summoned at a moment's notice, whether they are guards in the open or assassins in the shadows, are mobilized immediately and put on high alert!"
"Especially the palace guards, those who guard the East Palace and several key palace gates, must be ensured to be staunch confidants!"
"If we discover even the slightest sign of wavering or betrayal, we will immediately use the pretexts of 'duty shift,' 'shift change,' or 'rest day' to quietly move the person away and replace them with someone we absolutely trust!"
"Be quick, and even more importantly, be discreet!"
"Everyone is to maintain secret, one-way communication, and be on high alert! Without His Highness's explicit orders, no one is allowed to act rashly, but they must be able to be deployed and take charge immediately upon receiving the order!"
The Crown Prince nodded repeatedly, his gaze fixed on the watermarks Lu Jiangnian had drawn on the table, as if he could see an invisible defense being built: "I understand! As for the personnel transfer, I will immediately assign my most trusted confidants to handle it, ensuring that nothing goes wrong!"
Lu Jiangnian stopped pointing and looked intently at the Crown Prince, his tone becoming more serious: "Your Highness, the most crucial thing right now is information!"
"Every move His Majesty makes, whether inside or outside the palace, the Fifth Prince's slightest activity, or even any unusual developments in the court, must be reported to you immediately!"
"If we can get the news even half an hour in advance, we will have more room to deal with it and won't be caught off guard and have no choice but to wait for death!"
The crown prince wholeheartedly agreed, clenching his fist tightly: "That's right! Information is a matter of life and death!"
His gaze shifted to Sun Huanzhi, carrying a clear entrustment, "Then, I entrust all those forces outside the palace to you!"
Sun Huanzhi's expression turned solemn, and he nodded without hesitation, his tone steady and resolute: "Your Highness, rest assured! There are absolutely no problems with the Northern Camp on the outskirts of the capital!"
A glint of light flashed in his eyes.
Back when Lu Song was in charge of the Northern Camp, he had already quietly reorganized and reassigned the personnel, and now it was time to put them to use.
Seeing that the division of labor had been decided, Lu Jiangnian leaned back slightly.
His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight: "We must guard our own territory like an iron barrel, so that the Fifth Prince's side won't even find a crack to attack us!"
"As long as Your Highness remains steadfast, making the other side feel helpless and even afraid to act rashly, then the Crown Prince's Palace can gain a moment of respite in this storm and win precious time to maneuver."
He paused, his gaze falling on the flickering lamplight, his voice taking on a deep tone: "As for the final outcome... human effort has its limits, and the rest can only be left to fate, to each person's destiny."
After hearing this, Sun Huanzhi finally showed a relieved smile and looked at Lu Jiangnian: "It's still you, kid!"
"The same words sound especially reassuring coming from your mouth to His Highness, and he feels more at ease. He should be able to get a good night's sleep tonight."
He genuinely admired Lu Jiangnian's ability to stabilize people's hearts and point out the direction in dire straits.
The crown prince smiled and shook his head, a calculating glint in his eyes: "Sleep soundly? It's too early for that."
"Didn't you realize? Jiang Nian only told half of what he was saying."
"He only mentioned 'defense' just now, but what about 'attack'? Where is the counterattack weapon hidden? Jiang Nian, stop hiding your thoughts and tell me what you're thinking?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiangnian's lips curled into a lazy smile, and he leaned back in his chair, giving off a "don't even think about slacking off" look.
"Your Highness, you're wronging me. A plan for retaliation? You've probably already planned it out in your mind, haven't you? Why don't you give us a sneak peek?"
Looking at Lu Jiangnian's knowing expression, the Crown Prince couldn't help but smile knowingly. Pointing at Lu Jiangnian, he said to Sun Huanzhi, "See? Nothing can escape his eyes!"
He suppressed his smile, leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said with a hidden excitement and coldness: "In a couple of days, Father will host a banquet to entertain the Mohe envoys."
“I have already prepared a ‘good show’ for my fifth brother who is so smug.”
Sun Huanzhi was taken aback, his eyes filled with inquiry: "A good show? What good show?"
The crown prince smiled mysteriously, a smile that was icy and carried a sense of anticipation as the net was about to be cast: "You'll find out then."
"I want to take this opportunity to let all the civil and military officials, as well as those foreign envoys, see just how utterly useless my father's 'good son,' whom he has carefully selected and on whom he has placed such high hopes, really is!"