Following Liang Yuzhou's train of thought, the crown prince quickly thought of the person.
"Liang Wentao."
He was indeed a suitable candidate.
He was the nephew of the senior lord. He married Jiang Xiyu, and the match was arranged by the old lady. Paying a visit to the elders would not arouse suspicion.
Moreover, his promotion was due to the crown prince's affirmation of his ability and virtue in front of the emperor. Since he had married someone from the Eastern Palace, he was naturally regarded as a member of the crown prince's faction.
The Gao family had tried to win over Liang Wentao but failed. Lu Siming had long harbored hatred for him.
His promotion had taken away some of Qin Feng's power, so Qin Feng was quite wary of him.
Like the crown prince, he was constantly in danger.
It remained to be seen whether this new court noble had the courage to break the deadlock.
That night, Liang Wentao received a secret letter from the Eastern Palace.
He agreed without a moment's hesitation.
The crown prince told him to act according to the situation.
Apparently, the opportunity was approaching.
Jiang Xiyu helped him burn the secret letter.
"Xier, you inform the inner courtyard. I'll inform the outside. Tonight, all the main and side gates of the Liang family will be tightly closed. No one is allowed to go out for any reason. No matter what happens outside, we'll ignore it!"
"Is something going to happen?"
"Something big will surely happen tonight, but we can't get involved, not even a little bit. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain."
The cold wind howled outside the window. Jiang Xiyu seemed to smell the scent of danger.
Jiang Xiyu hugged Liang Wentao tightly.
"Sanlang..."
Liang Wentao hugged her back, placing his warm palm on her back to convey strength and soothe her flustered heart.
"Following the crown prince is the right choice. You've already been through it, so you don't need to worry about me."
"I was just a maid beside Lu Ningzhen, but you have to face the struggle head - on and charge into battle for the crown prince."
Liang Wentao gently stroked her eyebrows. His loving eyes were also filled with admiration.
"Charging into battle only requires courage, but being a good spy requires constant vigilance and the ability to adapt. Every word, every look, and every action could be exposed. Your achievement is much greater than mine."
He always spared no effort to affirm her.
"Xier, I won't allow you to belittle yourself. You're my foundation for charging into battle."
Every nerve of Jiang Xiyu was tense, but Liang Wentao's comfort relieved her nervousness a lot.
"Sanlang, I'll go with you and charge into battle."
Sure enough, not long after nightfall, the bustling night market in the capital was suddenly sealed off.
Rumors spread from the palace that the emperor was dying.
The Prince Rui rushed back to the palace from the camp on the outskirts of the city.
The guards in the palace tripled compared to normal.
Qin Feng and other first - rank officials were summoned into the palace by an imperial edict.
Strangely enough, the emperor didn't summon the queen, the imperial noble consort, the crown prince, or any of the other princes.
...
At midnight.
Lü Yi flew out of the window in black clothes.
Qiluo dressed in the dark and waited silently.
Half an hour later.
Lü Yi flew back into the room lightly.
"Sister, did you get it?"
Qiluo jumped up quickly, her eyes shining.
"I got it. It was very smooth. Qin Feng probably never thought that anyone would know his secret. He didn't even set up any defenses in his study."
Lü Yi took out a scroll of imperial edict from her sleeve, and Qiluo quickly took it and stuffed it into her bosom.
The two girls looked at each other.
The darkness swallowed their figures, but their eyes were shining.
"Sister, you must protect yourself."
Qiluo lifted her leg to go outside.
Lü Yi grabbed her wrist.
"After it's done, come back immediately. I'll take you away."
"Okay."
Qin Ziqi was sleeping drowsily when he was suddenly shaken awake.
The candle on the desk was still burning. He opened his bleary eyes and saw Qiluo. He said in surprise, "My sweetheart, you finally got rid of that annoying Lü Yi?"
He couldn't wait to pull her into the quilt.
"My lord, there's a big thing you must do tonight!"
Qiluo looked serious. Qin Ziqi was confused. "What big thing?"
"I'll make it short. Please stay calm and don't make a sound!"
Her mysterious look piqued Qin Ziqi's curiosity.
"Before I came to the Duke Rongxiang's Mansion, I overheard the conversation between the crown princess and Lü Yi. Lü Yi had an important task, which was to steal the imperial edict of succession hidden in the Duke Rongxiang's Mansion!"
"What did you say? What imperial edict?"
"The imperial edict of succession written by the emperor himself!"
"Why would the imperial edict of succession be hidden in my mansion? Are you mistaken?"
Qin Ziqi was incredulous.
His understanding of the court affairs was far less than his father's, but he also knew that for the sake of the successor and the smooth transition of the throne, the imperial edict of succession would be hidden in a secret place in the palace. How could it be hidden in the Duke Rongxiang's Mansion?
Qiluo's eyes were firm. "I'm definitely not mistaken. The emperor has long lost trust in the crown prince. He's afraid that deposing the crown prince will cause a great uproar and be bad for the court situation. He's even more afraid that the crown prince will kill the emperor to seize the throne. So he secretly passed the throne to the second prince and gave the imperial edict of succession to the chief scribe he trusted most. Your father, who shoulders a heavy responsibility, hid the edict. He's just waiting for the emperor to pass away, then he'll take out the edict and join hands with the Gao family to fully support the second prince to ascend the throne."
Ecstasy flashed in Qin Ziqi's eyes. "So, the glory and wealth of our Duke Rongxiang's Mansion can be smoothly preserved?"
A flash of contempt quickly passed through Qiluo's eyes.
"My lord, don't you understand why your father scolded you and wouldn't let you break off the engagement with Princess Lingyang? Your father doesn't want to support the second prince anymore! He won't break off the engagement because he wants to side with the crown prince. The crown prince doesn't fully trust him either, so he sent Lü Yi to steal and destroy the edict! In this way, the second prince won't be able to ascend the throne legally!"
"Father is just an old fool! The situation is so clear. Why is he still hesitating? The century - old glory of our Duke Rongxiang's Mansion can't be destroyed by him!"
Qin Ziqi gritted his teeth in anger and was very worried about the safety of the edict. "No, I have to send someone to watch Lü Yi. I mustn't let her succeed!"
"Lü Yi has already succeeded!"
"What? She got the edict. Then the crown prince..."
"My lord, look what this is?"
Qiluo took out a bright yellow imperial edict and waved it in front of him.
Qin Ziqi regarded it as a precious treasure. He held it in his palm and covered it on his chest as if he had obtained a rare treasure.
"Lü Yi succeeded tonight, but she was too careless. She thought I was too weak to compete with her. I took advantage of her moment of pride, knocked her out, and snatched the edict. I brought it to you as soon as possible."
Qin Ziqi looked at Qiluo, his eyes shining brightly.
"My beautiful lady, you're my real rare treasure! When I become the duke, I'll make you my most beloved concubine!"
There was a cold light of contempt in Qiluo's eyes, but her expression was terrified and grateful.
Qin Ziqi didn't think twice and opened the edict.
"From the Emperor Longtai of the Great Zhou: The second prince, Siming, is of noble virtue and has the demeanor of a benevolent king. With the ancestors watching, I pass the throne to the second prince. So be it."
He was so excited that his whole body trembled. "Yes, it's the emperor's own handwriting. Even the jade seal is stamped. It can't be fake!"
Qiluo's tone became urgent. "My lord, this edict is a hot potato. Lü Yi may wake up at any time, and your father may also find that the edict is missing. If it falls into either of their hands, it will hinder the second prince from ascending the throne. Protecting the edict is your mission. You must immediately hand the edict over to the second prince. Then you'll be the number - one hero in supporting the new emperor!"
"Now... Should I go now?"
"The emperor may be on his deathbed! The change of the throne may happen tonight! The emperor only summoned your father and other first - rank officials into the palace. He didn't even summon the crown prince. Isn't this just waiting for your father to read the edict? But your father didn't even bring the edict! There's also the Prince Rui beside the emperor. The Prince Rui is extremely powerful and highly prestigious. He supports the crown prince! Without the support of the edict, it'll be very difficult for the second prince to compete with the crown prince!"
Qin Ziqi looked at Qiluo. She seemed to be emitting a sacred light.
"My lord, don't hesitate!"