Chapter 511
Mount Pan is not a monolith. Gan Sheng certainly doesn't know Consort Liang's true identity. He still thinks the Crown Prince can replicate his own path to power. Little does he know, the one truly replicating his rise is Consort Liang's son, the Third Prince, Gan Mingyu. Both their paths were orchestrated by certain figures in Mount Pan!
As for the "grand occasion" the master mentioned, if Gan Sheng knew, he might not want it. This Consort Liang is Mount Pan's third-in-command stationed in Nanyue.
"What about first and second-in-command? Is there a fourth? Are they all in the imperial palace?" If so, Gan Sheng's harem isn't much better than Dayan's. He's desperately planting spies in Dayan, unaware that his own home has been stolen right from under him.
Master, look at the elderly maid who's always sticking close to Consort Liang. She's the true top boss of Mount Pan's Nanyue operation. She only arrived at the palace recently—and she's here to seize the throne. As for second-in-command, isn't he right by Prince Cheng's side? That kick he gave his own man—not a shred of loyalty in it.
"So, what about Xiao Qi, who made the move? Is he also from Mount Pan?"
He's not. He was just bought off by Mount Pan. At best, he's a half-member.
"Half? What does that mean?"
Xiao Qi fell for a honey trap. That's the work of the eunuch Zhao Quan'an by Gan Sheng's side. He's also Mount Pan's man—he's been with Gan Sheng since before the late emperor, the late empress, and the late Crown Prince died. He and the person behind Consort Liang originally came from the same faction, but then someone developed selfish ambitions, and that's how Consort Liang and her son came to be.
"A honey trap? Low cost, high reward. Brilliant strategy!"
Xiao Qi wants to marry the man's adopted daughter, so of course he has to earn his keep for the emperor. Prince Cheng's life is the bride price for that marriage.
"Judging by this man, he seems quite favored by Prince Cheng. He should be a trusted confidant, no? How did he let Prince Cheng barge into the imperial palace? If he truly cared for the emperor, he should have struck halfway or tipped him off in advance. Look at the emperor now—he seems completely unprepared."
That's where you have to hand it to the strategist by Prince Cheng's side. He knows how to keep secrets. Out of the entire army, only he and Prince Cheng knew the attack would happen today. Everyone else's orders were to stand by.
"Your Majesty, since you've made a move against me, don't blame me for breaking our agreement!" Prince Cheng said through gritted teeth at the emperor.
He was not only angry, but also in pain. The wound on his waist wasn't deep, and although the gash on his arm was wide, he could still bear it. But add poison to the mix, and it became hard to endure.
"Uncle, look at me. I'm in this state—where would I find the strength to arrange assassins to harm you?" Gan Sheng acted perfectly calm, even distancing himself from any involvement. "You know the one I trust most is Dai Ping'an. He's not here right now. What men do I have at my disposal?"
"Uncle, is Dai Ping'an... dead, or did he defect?"
"He told me that he owed you a debt of gratitude for recognizing his talent. He said he'd go down first to wait for you—so you wouldn't be a stranger in the underworld."
What a phrase—"a stranger in the underworld." As if anyone could claim experience there!
The System: I do!
Gan Sheng closed his eyes. He knew, at this point, that Dai Ping'an's failure to appear could only mean he was gone.
"Don't worry. Though he wouldn't serve me, I admire loyal men. I gave him an honorable end."
His gaze shifted to Xiao Qi, still locked in combat. "But the disloyal—everyone has the right to strike them down!"
Fei Dashan was gradually losing ground, but when he heard Prince Cheng's words, it was like he'd been injected with new spirit. "Brothers, charge together! Traitors deserve no courtesy!"
"Nephew, Xiao Qi and this young eunuch—if they're not your men, whose are they? Tell me, who else could command them?"
His eyes settled on Gan Mingyu. When he'd first entered, he'd seen this eunuch trailing the boy.
"You—come here!" He pointed straight at Gan Mingyu. "If I recall correctly, you should be the third prince, right? Come, tell me—what's the meaning of this eunuch? Are you trying to kill me?"
"It wasn't me! It wasn't me!" Gan Mingyu retreated a few steps. His siblings instinctively distanced themselves, afraid of being implicated.
"Uncle, the Third Prince is only eight years old. He knows nothing. How could he possibly harbor any intention to harm you?"
Consort Liang put on an air of frailty, gracefully supported by the old maid as she drifted toward Prince Cheng. She wasn't weeping, but her off-puttingly elegant, hesitant demeanor created an entirely different spectacle.
"Shameless!" The Grand Empress Dowager, irritated by the display, swiftly rolled her prayer beads between her fingers, wishing she could strike herself blind.
The ministers in the background had been doing their best to stay invisible from the start. Except for Fei Yongxing, whose barely-contained excitement was written all over his face, everyone else kept their heads down in silence.
Prince Cheng, on the other hand, was staring openly at Consort Liang the moment she appeared—his gaze stuck like a fool.
Yue Fuguang saw this look and decided this worthless man's life absolutely had to be saved. If Nanyue fell into his hands, conquering it would cost Dayan far fewer soldiers.
"Little Zhu, this lecher—has he forgotten he's still poisoned?"
Master, people from Mount Pan know their poisons. Just now I saw the strategist give Prince Cheng a pill. It should be an antidote.
"An antidote? Then why is black blood still oozing from his arm?"
Feng Tang and the others looked—sure enough. If you paid close attention, you could also see that Prince Cheng's face and lips had a faint blue tinge.
If Prince Cheng's poison couldn't be resolved, the question was whether their deputy commander would eventually step in to save him.
Master, do you think mortals' antidote pills can compare to ours? They need time to work.
"Little Zhu, is Consort Liang's group about to make their move? Prince Cheng can't croak here! You..."
Before Yue Fuguang could even finish giving the order to the System, the System took the initiative on its own. The moment Consort Liang raised her sleeve to strike, it launched the lovesick Prince Cheng flying back with a blast.
To any outside observer, it looked like Consort Liang herself had sent him flying—even she nearly believed she'd somehow mastered extraordinary martial arts on the spot.
"Consort Liang! You too! You want me dead!" Once safely on the ground, Prince Cheng naturally spotted the delicate dagger hidden in Consort Liang's sleeve.
Consort Liang glanced at Gan Sheng. "For His Majesty, your servant would die willingly!"
And there it was—even at this moment, Consort Liang refused to reveal her true allegiances.
"Seize her!" Prince Cheng barked the order. A squad of soldiers, who had finally arrived to investigate the commotion, finally had something useful to do.
"And the old maid beside her! Also all the eunuchs and palace maids in Consort Liang's quarters, and everyone in the Third Prince's residence! Arrest them all—not one left behind! Throw them all in the dungeon!"
After being assassinated back-to-back, Prince Cheng finally grew a brain and took action before Mount Pan's #1 could, cuffing them all first.
With the imperial edict now in hand, Prince Cheng remembered that staying there any longer was unwise. Turning on his heel, he strode toward the palace gates.
"A few of you, come help our dear emperor... relocate." He planned to occupy this place. He couldn't let Gan Sheng die here—that would be too inauspicious.
Halting at the doorway, he spoke without turning back: "When you reach Yong'an Palace, His Majesty may rest easy recovering. All provisions for Yong'an Palace will be arranged by me."
A pause, and his voice drifted back from beyond the hall, muted by the evening wind: "As for today's events, I will investigate until I find the truth!"