novel-bin 208 can't afford to make another mistake.
208 can't afford to make another mistake.
Inside the palace, after the morning court session, in the Buddhist hall.
The Eighth Princess inserted the three incense sticks in her hand into the incense burner, while muttering, "Fifth Brother, this is the path you chose yourself, you can't blame us... I hope Fifth Brother can rest in peace in the afterlife and close his eyes in the Heavenly Palace."
"Fortunately, His Majesty is merciful and finally sent the Fifth Prince's coffin to the imperial mausoleum. If the Fifth Prince knows that his identity has been preserved, he should be able to rest in peace." Long Kui accompanied the Eighth Princess to the Buddhist hall to offer incense. After speaking, she also put her hands together and bowed three times.
To avoid attracting attention, the two women waited until today to come to the Buddhist hall to offer incense. On the surface, they were burning incense to pray for the Eighth Princess's child to be born safely, but in reality, they were using the Buddhist hall to pay tribute to Ji Qili, who had passed away many days ago.
This practice was simply to put their own minds at ease.
The Eighth Princess stroked her prominent belly and asked Long Kui, "It should be in the next few days. Is everything ready?"
“Everything is basically settled,” Longkui said. “The medical officer has been arranged, but…”
"But what? At this point, are there still difficulties that haven't been resolved?" The Eighth Princess seemed somewhat anxious.
"As Your Highness knows, the Imperial Hospital is entirely managed by Guangrentang. Although I have already made arrangements for the physicians to deliver Your Highness's baby, I am still a little worried about Chu Qingluo, fearing that she might cause some trouble."
"Hmm..." The Eighth Princess thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "Fifth Brother is dead, do you think Chu Qingluo will still hold a grudge against us?"
"This... is hard to say." Long Kui was also uncertain. Although Ji Qili had died and taken the blame for the assassination, and the Sixth Princess had not obtained conclusive evidence to prove that they were involved, Chu Qingluo was not someone who played by the rules, and she was also deeply loved by the Empress. It was hard to say what surprising thing she might do next.
This answer greatly displeased the Eighth Princess. "Then why don't you quickly find a solution?"
Longkui said, "Chu Qingluo has always favored the Sixth Princess. After going through life and death with the Yuezhi Kingdom, the two of them are even more united against the enemy. As far as we are concerned, Chu Qingluo is now only a disadvantage and not an advantage."
A hint of regret and resentment flashed across the Eighth Princess's face as she gritted her teeth and said, "If Fifth Brother's operation had prevented them from all returning, that would have been wonderful! What a pity!"
"Alas! It was supposed to be a foolproof operation, but we never expected that Gongsun Yu would suddenly appear and cause trouble, saving their lives again!" Long Kui's meticulous plan could have wiped out the Sixth Princess and her gang in one fell swoop, but it seemed that something was helping the Sixth Princess, allowing her to escape danger time and time again.
The Eighth Princess said coldly, "Then this time, you can't afford to fail again." They only have one chance left to turn things around, and they absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake.
Long Kui gave a sinister smile and said, "It's said that Gongsun Yu's matter has greatly affected Chu Qingluo. We can use this as bait, and Chu Qingluo will definitely take the bait. At that time, we'll lure her to the outskirts of the city, and then have someone..." Long Kui gestured with her hand as if cutting her throat, indicating that she planned to deal with Chu Qingluo in private.
“Sigh—” The Eighth Princess understood immediately, and with a smile, she said, “In the end, she chose the wrong side herself, so she can’t blame anyone else.”
"Who goes there?!"
Just as the two were plotting something important, Li Yan's sharp scream suddenly came from outside the Buddhist hall.
Princess Ba and Long Kui were shocked by the noise, realizing that their conversation might have been overheard, and quickly ran out the door to see what was going on.
A man in a light blue robe quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor, while Li Yan and her entourage were chasing after them from another direction.
"Who is it?!" the Eighth Princess asked in a panic.
Li Yan replied, "This humble official didn't see clearly..." She only saw the person's back, who seemed to have been eavesdropping by the door.
"What are you waiting for?!" The Eighth Princess was already frantic: "Hurry up and chase after them! If you don't catch them, you'll pay with your head!" Who knows how much that person heard? If he heard everything from beginning to end, wouldn't that be dangerous?!
"Yes!" Li Yan was also sweating with anxiety, and quickly led her entourage to chase after them.
"What if that person overheard our conversation?!" The Eighth Princess felt unsteady on her feet at the thought of potential complications. She reached out and grabbed the door frame to support her heavy body.
"Princess, don't worry. You should go back to the Flying Immortal Palace first. I will go and handle it right away." Long Kui was Long Kui; she remained calm even in this critical situation. After reassuring the Eighth Princess, she quickly followed.
At this moment, the man in the light blue robe took off running up the stone steps, the conversation he had just overheard at the entrance of the Buddhist hall still echoing in his ears... They actually intended to harm Chu Qingluo?! His heart was in his throat!
Knowing he had just been exposed, he turned and hid in a narrow gap between the walls to shake off his pursuers.
Holding his breath, he waited in the narrow crevice for a long time until everything around him was completely quiet before slowly peeking out...
Empty!
He had to find Chu Qingluo immediately and warn her to be careful!
The man in the light blue robe had only taken a few steps when he suddenly felt something strike the back of his head with great force. Before he could react, he had already lost consciousness...
After Li Yan and her entourage arrived at this spot, the man in the light blue robe disappeared without a trace. Realizing he might have simply hidden, she deliberately left two men to lie in ambush. Sure enough, he hadn't gone far.
Li Yan looked at the unconscious man on the ground, strode forward, pinched his face and looked at it... she couldn't help but murmur in surprise, "Lord Mu Yuzi Yan?!"
This man was the Empress's most favored male servant, and Li Yan couldn't help but gasp. This problem had become far too thorny; she dared not casually kill Lord Ziyan and dispose of his body. This matter should be left to Lord Longkui to handle.
After making up her mind, Li Yan signaled to her two attendants to quietly move Zi Yan into a room where incense was stored, and then invited Lord Long Kui over.
……
Ziyan woke up in a daze and subconsciously touched the back of his head, where there was still a trace of blood that hadn't dried.
He remembered that earlier, he had come to the Buddhist hall to offer incense and pray for the Empress, and then he overheard the conversation between the Eighth Princess and Lady Longkui, learning of their enormous secret...
He then ran for his life, as if struck by a weapon, and immediately lost consciousness. But when he awoke, he was still in the same spot where he had just lost consciousness, with no one around.
What exactly is going on? Ziyan had no idea what was going on.