Chapter 458 Turning the Plot to One’s Advantage

Chapter 458: Turning the Scheme Against Them

"This is the capital, after all. You haven't done anything to offend him, so he wouldn't really wipe you out, would he?"

Ji Yuntang froze for a moment, her face turning serious in an instant. "Are you serious?"

Hua Feixue said, "Of course I'm serious. I risked my life to eavesdrop on this myself. Would I lie to you?"

Ji Yuntang caught on right away. "So you're staying at the Eastern Palace now?"

"Did you catch anything else?"

Hua Feixue shook her head. "No, that's it. I tried to keep listening, but I got caught. It took everything I had to sneak out of the Eastern Palace to warn you."

"I don't know the ins and outs of your beef, but judging by the Dog Crown Prince's attitude, he's definitely not kidding. You'd better get ready."

Ji Yuntang nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, Sect Master Hua. I'll be careful."

Hua Feixue waved her hand dismissively. "Don't thank me yet. I'm still waiting for you to come back with me to kill the Old Witch!"

"If you kick the bucket, I'll never get my revenge!"

"I've delivered the message. I need to get back. If the Dog Crown Prince's men notice I'm gone, it'll be a pain to explain!"

With that, Hua Feixue used her lightness skill and slipped out of Prince Ye's mansion.

Ji Yuntang passed this info on to Luo Junhe, and they discussed why Luo Jingshen might want them dead.

"A He, do you think it's about business? The barbecue place I opened with my brother took all the Crown Prince's customers and shut down all five of his shops. Could he be holding a grudge and coming after us?"

A cold glint flashed in Luo Junhe's eyes, but his deep voice stayed calm and steady.

"I don't think so. You and Heir Xie opened that place together, and he's the one running it. You've barely had a hand in it. If the Crown Prince was mad about losing business, why would he go after the whole Prince Ye mansion instead of Heir Xie?"

Ji Yuntang thought this was fishy too.

She'd thought it might be because she'd swiped Luo Jingshen's hundred chests of betrothal gifts, which could have set him off.

But she was dead sure no one had found out she'd cleaned out those chests.

Besides, if he really wanted payback for that, he wouldn't need to wipe out the whole mansion.

Ji Yuntang suddenly thought about how weird Luo Jingshen had been acting lately. It felt like he was playing a bigger game.

She said, "No matter what he's planning, we need to get our defenses ready. If the Dog Crown Prince really sends people to kill us tomorrow night, we won't be caught off guard."

Ji Yuntang wasn't worried about herself, but there were a lot of servants in the mansion who couldn't fight.

If those assassins came for them, they'd be dead meat!

Luo Junhe's eyes flickered with thought. He tapped the table twice and parted his lips.

"Or maybe we can use the Dog Crown Prince's men to our advantage. You never know."

Ji Yuntang blinked, confused. "A He, what are you getting at?"

Luo Junhe said, "Eighth Brother is a prince, but he's not exactly a standout among the imperial princes. He's never had a chance to win Father's approval. If he caught the intruders breaking into Prince Ye's mansion, do you think Father would give him credit?"

Ji Yuntang mulled it over and quickly caught on to what Luo Junhe was doing.

He wanted to give Luo Sinian a shot at making a name for himself.

Xie Liuzheng and Luo Sinian were tight. Xie Liuzheng had already made bank in business, married Princess Jiu, and hit the high point of his life!

And Luo Sinian?

He was still just a nobody prince.

Funny enough, Luo Sinian had just been put in charge of the capital's patrol unit, and he was still short on accomplishments to get promoted.

Luo Junhe clearly wanted to help Luo Sinian pad his record.

"Alright, I'll send word to Eighth Brother right away, telling him to bring extra men tomorrow night and keep an eye on the street outside the mansion."

Just as Ji Yuntang turned to leave, Luo Junhe called after her.

"A Tang, aren't you going to ask why I don't just turn the Crown Prince in?"

Ji Yuntang turned back with a faint smile. "What's to ask? If the Crown Prince is bold enough to send people to wipe out the mansion, he's not going to leave any evidence behind."

"Besides, all we've got right now is Hua Feixue's word. We don't even know if the Dog Crown Prince's men will show up tomorrow night."

"Even if they do come, Hua Feixue's identity is too sensitive to reveal. She can't testify for us. Who's going to believe us anyway?"

"So instead of calling out the Dog Crown Prince and butting heads, which would just make him suspicious, it's better to take the safer route and get some perks for Eighth Brother."

"That way, we help Eighth Brother and keep Hua Feixue safe in the Eastern Palace. Right?"

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Luo Junhe's mouth, and his eyes softened with affection.

"You read my mind, A Tang."

Ji Yuntang quickly had someone deliver a message to Luo Sinian. After reading it, he was shocked.

Southern Kingdom spies hanging around Prince Ye's mansion? How had he missed that?

Ji Yuntang told him to bring his men tomorrow night and stake out the area near the mansion—there might be some unexpected rewards.

Even though Luo Sinian felt something was fishy, he trusted that Ji Yuntang had her reasons.

After burning the letter, he went back to patrolling the streets with his men.

Meanwhile, Hua Feixue slipped back into the Eastern Palace during the guard shift change.

When she got back to the room, Luo Jingshen was still out cold. Hua Feixue quickly tore off her black night gear, destroyed it, and changed back into her regular clothes.

Since there was still time, she gave Luo Jingshen another beating—the kind adults enjoy dishing out.

But she steered clear of his vital spots and left no marks on him.

By the time it was fully light outside, Hua Feixue finally gave Luo Jingshen an antidote pill to counter the knockout drug.

When Luo Jingshen woke up, his whole body ached like he'd been run over by a wagon.

He rubbed his temples, totally confused.

What the hell happened to him? Why was he so sore? What went down last night?

Luo Jingshen racked his brain but couldn't figure it out, as if his memory from last night had simply gone blank!

He only remembered that he'd had it in mind to bed Hua Feixue, and everything after that was all a blank.

Just then, Hua Feixue walked in from outside, a sandalwood comb in her hand, gently running it through the ends of her hair.

She sat down by the bedside, her lips curving in a faint, alluring smile.

"Your Highness, you're finally awake."

Luo Jingshen struggled to sit up, turning his head to look at her.

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