one day,
Two days,
Three days!
Three days have passed, and Zhao Sheng has been secretly waiting for something big to happen. However, Zhoucheng is peaceful and there is no unusual activity at all!
But that evening, Zhou Zhongyu suddenly found him and said that the patriarch had summoned him. After saying that, he pulled him to the patriarch's mansion.
Zhao Sheng didn't ask what it was about.
Seeing his friend's serious and nervous expression, he knew that even if he asked, the other person probably wouldn't tell him.
A moment later, two streaks of light landed side by side in a magnificent mansion in the center of Zhou City.
The two quickly entered the main hall of the Zhou residence.
Upon entering, Zhao Sheng was startled to see that all eight Foundation Establishment members of the Zhou family who had not gone out were present.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the lobby was very somber.
Zhao Sheng remained silent, following Zhou Zhongyu to the lower seat, and waited quietly.
A short while later, Zhou Yingze emerged from the back room with a blank expression, followed by a handsome man with an effeminate demeanor.
Zhou Yingze sat down in the main seat, but ignored the effeminate man.
The man wasn't angry. He smiled, walked to Zhou Yingze's side, and stood at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. His posture and expression were very natural, as if he had been used to serving people for a long time.
"Everyone, take a look!"
After speaking, Zhou Yingze took out a folded bundle of bright gold brocade and handed it to the clan elder beside him.
He spoke with great seriousness, and his face showed a hint of sternness.
The man took it, unfolded it, and his expression changed drastically.
Zhao Sheng glanced sideways and saw that the thing looked like a robe, embroidered with large patches of three-colored clouds. A lifelike black dragon with distinct scales was weaving and swimming through the clouds, as if it were alive.
Zhao Sheng was first startled, then overjoyed. If he wasn't mistaken, "This robe is clearly the Crown Prince's dragon robe, but now it's in the Zhou family's hands. What does this mean?"
Zhao Sheng's initial guess was only three points, but now it has risen to seven.
After the clan elder finished reading it, he passed it on to the next person with a grim expression.
The man took it and his expression changed drastically, just like the clan elder.
"This...this is impossible!" The man, with his white hair and advanced age, lacked composure and his lips trembled incessantly with fear.
"Second Uncle, let me come and see!"
Another Zhou family Foundation Establishment cultivator snatched the robe, read it once, and silently passed it on to the next person.
This happened repeatedly, and the atmosphere in the lobby became extremely strange, with an invisible storm constantly accumulating, as if it were about to erupt at any moment.
The robe was quickly passed to Zhao Sheng.
He opened it and saw that the robe was covered in crimson, with lines of blood-written words on it.
Zhao Sheng glanced through it and, as expected, it was exactly what he had anticipated.
This is the Crown Prince's own handwritten edict in blood, also known as the Blood-Robed Edict.
The Blood-Robed Edict roughly states that the wicked concubine was promiscuous in the harem, plotted to harm the Holy Mother, had an affair with the Second Prince, secretly held the Emperor hostage, disrupted the court, and plotted to harm ministers.
The Crown Prince suffered greatly from persecution and could no longer tolerate it. He was unwilling to see the events of the previous dynasty repeat themselves, which led him to overthrow the imperial edict!
Therefore, he wrote a secret edict in blood, summoning loyal ministers and righteous men to rescue the emperor and restore order to the court.
The edict concluded by stating that after the great success was achieved, there would be a great reward, and the person with the highest merit would be granted land and fiefdoms.
Zhao Sheng was secretly pleased after reading it, and then noticed that the coup would be launched at midnight the next day.
Judging by the time, it now takes about a day to travel from Hongyangzhou to Yongjing.
"This crown prince is quite interesting; the timing is just right!" Zhao Sheng thought to himself.
Zhao Sheng got up and returned the blood-stained imperial edict. Zhou Yingze clutched the robe as if it were a burning hot coal.
"The Crown Prince's attack is imminent! What is the Zhou family's stance? Let's discuss it now!"
After he finished speaking, an elder immediately asked, "Ancestor, what is your opinion?"
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng secretly praised, "This person has hit the nail on the head."
The opinions of other members of the Zhou family are not important; the key is whether Zhou Xilai supports it or not.
This looks like a high-stakes gamble.
We won! A huge profit!
We lost.
The best outcome would be a severe blow to the Zhou family; as for the worst...?
Zhou Yingze's ability to gather everyone already represented, in a sense, the attitude of Zhou Xilai, the patriarch of the Zhou family.
Actually, we don't need to wait until the very end; Zhao Sheng can confirm it now.
The Zhou family will definitely get involved in the Crown Prince's coup, but they will never offer their full support.
Just like you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.
The best course of action for the Zhou family is to split into two factions: one fully supporting the Crown Prince, and the other remaining "completely unaware."
The two sides made prior arrangements to ensure that even if the attempt failed, it would not implicate the other party.
Zhao Sheng even more maliciously thought that the Zhou family might split into a third party and actively join the Second Prince's forces, and that informing on them would be the best way to surrender.
Of course, the timing of informing is crucial; it should be neither too late nor too early.
Just as expected!
When asked by the clan elders, Zhou Yingze avoided answering and then repeated what he had just said in a heavy tone.
A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer!
Upon seeing the patriarch's expression, everyone present instantly understood.
Subsequently, things unfolded exactly as Zhao Sheng had predicted.
The Zhou family quickly split into two factions: one side strongly supported the Crown Prince, while the other insisted on sitting on the sidelines and watching the situation unfold.
The two sides argued fiercely.
Zhao Sheng was a guest advisor and did not participate; he merely observed from the sidelines.
Soon, he realized that the effeminate man was too cunning. Seeing the Zhou family making a scene, the man's expression remained unchanged, as if he were an outsider.
However, this person was clearly a confidant of the Crown Prince.
Suddenly, Zhao Sheng had a flash of inspiration and realized, "This person is not the Crown Prince's confidant at all, but clearly a 'witness,' a pawn, and a sharp blade to stab the Zhou family's confidants."
From the moment Zhao Sheng saw the blood-stained edict, he realized that it was all a setup, a grand scheme specifically designed to destroy the Zhou family.
Three days ago, He Ying said that the wolf-slaying operation would officially begin in seven days.
At this critical juncture, the Crown Prince's impending coup occurred in an extremely "coincidental" manner.
So this is not a coincidence at all, but a conspiracy.
The Crown Prince's coup will ultimately fail and will inevitably implicate the Zhou family.
In this way, the Zhou family naturally became "treasonous" officials.
If it were an ordinary family, the crime of treason would be enough to implicate nine generations of their clan.
But for the Zhou family, this charge was not enough to warrant the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their clan.
Zhao Sheng guessed that even bigger "crimes" would be pinned on the Zhou family at that time.
The Zhou family meeting, which concerned the fate of the clan, did not last long.
Clan head Zhou Yingze quickly made a decision, ordering the three clan elders who supported the Crown Prince to lead one hundred Qi Refining clan members to Yongjing immediately.
In addition, Zhao Sheng will also be going to Yongjing.
He was not surprised by this.
As a guest advisor, you must step up when there's danger! Especially when it's a matter of life and death, you must be the first to step up!
Unfortunately, these people will probably never reach Yongjing!
Zhao Sheng glanced at the effeminate man, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Time was of the essence, and we also needed to prevent leaks.
Zhao Sheng was left at the head of the household to await departure.
Just a quarter of an hour later, the three Foundation Establishment elders each returned to the patriarch's mansion with a group of close clansmen.
A short while later, a gray cloud boat, twenty feet long, suddenly soared into the sky from the center of Zhou City, passed through the defensive light shield, and sped towards Yongjing.
A quarter of an hour later, the cloud boat flew away from Hongyangzhou and entered the desolate Gobi Desert.
Night had fallen, the stars were few and far between, and visibility was poor.
An hour later, the cloud boat was already seven or eight hundred miles away from Hongyangzhou.
Just as the cloud boat flew over a rocky, craggy beach, Zhao Sheng suddenly sensed a fluctuation in his divine sense, followed by a large amount of information entering his mind.
A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Sheng's eyes as he looked up at the effeminate man at the bow of the ship.
Just then, the man turned around with a smile on his lips and nodded slightly at him.
"We've reached the rocky beach, let's move!"