"One more thing," Chen Junting added.
"What is it?" Xu Jiujiu, Wei Na, and Zhang Lexuan turned to him instantly.
"The timing of your plan is slightly off."
"Off?" The three frowned. According to Xu Jiujiu's earlier reasoning, the night after the tournament ended was indeed the optimal moment.
How could it be wrong?
Chen Junting clarified: "I've received intelligence—Xu Tianran plans to act tomorrow night. So that's the real opportunity."
Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na's pupils shrank in shock. "Tomorrow night? Is Xu Tianran moving against us?"
Zhang Lexuan, however, grew thoughtful, sensing a flaw. "No. If he truly attacks us tonight, the entire city would be thrown into chaos. Would he really risk public outrage by endangering Mingdu's citizens?"
Her eyes snapped up. "Who is Xu Tianran targeting?"
Exactly!
The others realized their mistake—they'd assumed "us" without confirmation.
"But if not us… who else?"
"He's planning a night raid on the imperial palace."
"Huh?!" ×2
Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na were stunned. As imperial princesses, they couldn't fathom it. Xu Tianran was already Regent Prince—once the terminally ill emperor passed, he'd inherit the throne smoothly. Why rush?
Unless…
"Could he not even wait half a month?" Wei Na mused, then brightened. "If our attack coincides with his palace raid—and both Xu Tianran and the old emperor die—Sun Moon's succession will ignite a bloody civil war! Years of instability! A decade before they can even consider war!"
"We could even back ambitious princes to fuel infighting…" Xu Jiujiu added, the two nearly fantasizing about Xing Luo or Tianhun's resurgence—until Chen Junting doused their excitement with icy calm.
"Sorry, but your scheme's futile." He sighed. "Xu Tianran's ruthless. Since the quarterfinals, he's eliminated his brothers. Finding a legitimate heir now? Nearly impossible."
He glanced at their stunned faces. "Didn't your spies uncover this?"
Three blank stares answered him. Clearly, Xu Tianran hid it well.
"So you see—he'll murder father and brothers to seize the throne, then blame us for the chaos."
Parricide?! (T/N: The killing of one's parent and/or other near relative)
How dare he?!
"Brother Chen, are you certain?" Wei Na gasped, doubting the intel. Fratricide was common in imperial history (even Xing Luo's Dai family had its bloody successions), but parricide? Only once in ten thousand years—the false prince Xue Qinghe's betrayal of Emperor Xue Ye.
The trio sat frozen, silently agreeing: Xu Tianran is a true wolf—ruthless enough to be emperor.
Then their expressions hardened. Someone spoke: "If he's framing us, let's make it real. Give him a 'gift'—let the empire pay the price!"
—
Mingyue Hotel, Fifth Floor
Next morning, Chen Junting gathered Huo Yuhao and others, revealing the factions' coordinated plan.
"Tonight, we act. Once Yuhao wins the underground tournament's championship, Old Gu and I will meet him outside and empty the armory first. Then we'll take Dugu Xin to the granary. By then, it'll be time to break out."
He turned to Ning Tian and Wu Feng. "Xiao Tian, you and Xiao Feng handle our team's coordination. By then, Second Grandfather and Aunt Yang won't have time to assist you."
"No worries," Ning Tian nodded. Wu Feng pounded her chest: "We've got this!"
But Ning Tian's eyes betrayed concern. "Are you sure Yuhao will have time post-tournament? What if the palace raid distracts city elites? If they suspect Xu Tianran's involved, entering the armory might alert them."
"Xu Tianran won't move that fast," Chen Junting reassured. "But fine—we'll swap the order." He wasn't rigid about the sequence of events.
"Also, we've prepared for that. When Du Busi's Body Sect raided Mingde Hall, they stole Grade-9 fixed-load artillery shells. One blast will draw all Grade-9 soul engineers away."
Ning Tian relaxed. "That settles it."
Chen Junting scanned the room. "Anything else?"
"Yes."
Dugu Xin's voice cut through, drawing all eyes. Expecting confusion, they were baffled when he said:
"If that's all… isn't it too merciful?"
Chen Junting's brow twitched. Merciful?
"Xin, what's your suggestion?"
Dugu Xin's cold tone dropped like ice: "It's crude… but I have a plan."
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