Qiluo's face turned deathly pale. Frightened out of her wits, she scurried behind Qin Ziqi, on the verge of tears.
Qin Ziqi, with the tip of a sword pointed at his nose, was extremely scared. But he didn't want to admit that he was intimidated by a woman, especially not in front of Qiluo. Pretending to be calm, he stammered out a rebuke, "How dare you! This is the residence of the Duke of Rongxiang, my territory. How can you order people around as you please?"
Lü Yi glared angrily at Qiluo behind him over his shoulder.
"Putting knockout drugs in my tea? With your amateurish tricks, do you think I'd fall for it? Today, I'll kill you and clean up the mess for the Crown Princess!"
She raised her sword to strike.
"Prince, save me!" Qiluo shrieked.
Qin Ziqi never suspected Qiluo.
She loved and relied on him, and could always provide him with the latest information in a timely manner. Such a useful and beautiful woman, he was determined to save her no matter what. By becoming her savior, she would be even more devoted to him.
Summoning up a bit of bravado, he pushed the sword out of Lü Yi's hand.
"The Crown Prince is on the decline. How much longer can you lackeys keep up your arrogance?"
Lü Yi seemed to have had a raw nerve struck. A murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
"Nonsense! The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. He will surely ascend the throne! If you dare to slander the Crown Prince again, I'll cut out your tongue!"
The sword in her hand glinted brightly, like the fangs of a wild beast, dangerously hovering around his neck.
This reaction exactly confirmed what Qiluo had said.
The Crown Prince was about to lose his power.
Qin Ziqi was truly terrified. He shrieked, "Guards! Guards! Seize her and kill her!"
Qiluo was so scared that she burst into tears.
The commotion the three of them made was quite loud.
"What's all the noise about in the middle of the night? Can't you people sleep?"
Qin Feng was roused from his sleep.
A large group of armed servants rushed into Qin Ziqi's bedroom.
They saw Lü Yi pointing her sword at Qiluo, seething with anger.
Qiluo was cowering behind Qin Ziqi, sobbing softly.
Qin Ziqi was disheveled and completely at a loss.
This scene looked exactly like a catfight between two concubines.
Qin Feng was extremely annoyed.
"You good-for-nothing! You can't even manage your own concubines!"
"Father, quickly arrest her. She's sent by the Crown Prince to spy on us!"
"Shut up!"
Qin Feng was utterly exasperated by Qin Ziqi's stupidity.
Didn't he know that both Lü Yi and Qiluo were sent by the Crown Prince?
The Emperor's tacit approval of the Crown Prince's replacement meant that he allowed the Crown Prince to spy on the Duke of Rongxiang's residence!
But Qin Feng didn't take the two concubines seriously.
Their activities were restricted to the inner courtyard. Even if they could maintain contact with the Eastern Palace, the information they could obtain was very limited.
He never discussed important matters in the inner courtyard.
Even if they wanted to spy, they couldn't find any evidence.
Qin Feng's expectations for Qin Ziqi were now very low. As long as he stayed obediently in the inner courtyard, didn't talk too much, and didn't make random acquaintances, it would be fine.
Even if he spent his days in a drunken stupor and became a good-for-nothing, it would be better than doing something stupid and causing trouble.
"Keep your women in check. If such a disgraceful incident happens again, I'll send you to the estate!"
Qin Feng scolded and threatened Qin Ziqi.
When he saw Lü Yi and Qiluo, his anger flared up even more.
"You two, too. There's a limit to your jealousy. Do you have to threaten each other with death? I wonder how disappointed the Crown Prince will be when he sees how ungracious you two are!"
He even looked down on Cheng Simian.
Everyone in the capital praised her for her beauty, wisdom, and excellent management skills. They said she was a rare candidate for the future queen.
How could the maids she trained be so lacking in virtue?
The Queen's judgment wasn't that good either.
Maybe she was just lucky. She was chosen by the Crown Prince because of her beauty, and then used the Crown Prince's power to defeat his daughter.
Yang and Qin Xuanyan didn't lose to her as a person but to the power behind her.
Cheng Simian was now the Crown Princess, a very noble person. He couldn't openly criticize her in front of so many people. But in his heart, he despised her even more.
Qin Feng left with the servants.
Qin Ziqi's heart turned completely cold.
His father was old and muddle-headed, always so self - willed.
Whatever he said was just nonsense in his father's eyes.
From then on, there would be no more trust between father and son!
Lü Yi calmly sheathed her sword and looked at Qin Ziqi triumphantly.
"See? Your father doesn't dare to kill me. He still fears the Crown Prince and is wavering."
This was exactly what Qiluo had said.
Qin Ziqi's face turned even uglier.
"Little girl, come with me."
Lü Yi grabbed Qiluo's arm and pulled her out from behind Qin Ziqi.
Qiluo looked at Qin Ziqi tearfully, extremely aggrieved. "Prince..."
Qin Ziqi could tell that Qiluo really wanted to stay by his side. But he was afraid of the sword in Lü Yi's hand, so he could only clench his back teeth in anger.
"Stop crying. If you dare to spend the night with him, I'll report it to the Crown Prince immediately. Do you know Teacher Wen? He's the Crown Prince's teacher, and he's very good at impeaching officials with improper conduct. Even the powerful Princess back then was a bit afraid of him. Guess what will happen if Teacher Wen impeaches Prince Qin for being unfilial. Will he still be able to keep his title?"
Lü Yi threatened Qiluo viciously.
Qiluo was so scared that she didn't even dare to make a sound. She hung her head, and tears streamed down her face.
Qin Ziqi felt so heart - broken.
Qiluo really cared about him!
In the end, Qiluo was roughly dragged away by Lü Yi.
Qin Ziqi was seething with anger but didn't dare to say a word.
He hated the Crown Prince to the core and wished that the Second Prince could take his place immediately!
As soon as the door closed, Qiluo stopped crying instantly. Her eyes were filled with a cold glint.
Lü Yi quickly pulled her arm under the lamp and examined it carefully.
Qiluo had fair skin. To make the act more convincing, Lü Yi had used a bit of force when pulling her. There was a red mark on her snow - white wrist.
"Does it hurt?" Lü Yi felt quite sorry.
Qiluo didn't seem to care.
"Sister, I think this play has been acted out long enough. It's time to take action."
Lü Yi's expression turned serious. "Okay, I'll send a message to the Eastern Palace right away."
Late at night, Cheng Simian received a secret letter.
The content was brief: The Qin father and son distrust each other. Qin Ziqi is eager to establish his own power and defect to the Second Prince. The time is ripe. We can take action tomorrow night.
Cheng Simian handed the letter to the Crown Prince. After reading it, the Crown Prince threw the secret letter into the charcoal brazier.
Outside the window, the north wind howled.
The bedroom was not lit. Only the burning charcoal brazier illuminated a small area beside the bed.
The firelight created a warm and cozy atmosphere, but the Crown Prince's expression was cold and fierce.
Cheng Simian remained silent, waiting for him to make a decision.
"Tell Lü Yi to proceed as planned."
"If we do this, it will surely force Lu Siming to rebel."
Cheng Simian frowned slightly, her eyes filled with deep concern. "We don't have any troops. The legitimacy of your succession will be easily crushed in the face of 50,000 iron cavalry."
"Then there are only two options left. One is to dissolve the Gao family's military power while the Emperor is still lucid. The other is to find an army more powerful than the Gao family's to overpower them."
But neither of these two paths was easy to take.