Chapter 66: So the Duke of Wei Was the Prince of Ding's Man All Along

Seeing Aunt Liu’s blank expression, she explained, "Old Man Wang and the others haven’t been in contact with those people for some time. I need to give them a little provocation so that they will reach out to those individuals."

"Only when those people make a move will they leave behind evidence that can be used against them."

The current situation in Mingdu was a riptide of hidden currents, and the Emperor was simply waiting for an opportunity to deal with those aristocratic families.

If certain people took this opportunity to do something to her family, they would be caught by the Emperor.

She would then be able to kill with a borrowed knife.

Aunt Liu understood a fraction of it. "Eldest Miss, will they really contact those people?"

"Those people aren't fools either. At a critical juncture like this, they might not necessarily make a move."

Song Shiwei said, "The masterminds might not act, but the subordinates, eager to make achievements or for other reasons, won't necessarily be obedient."

The Emperor wouldn't care who committed the acts; he only cared about whether he could eliminate his greatest threats.

At this, Aunt Liu understood completely. There were simply far too many instances of subordinates acting on their own authority.

Even before her family was raided and stripped of their assets, there had been no shortage of such occurrences.

There were always some servants or underlings who thought themselves clever, believing such actions would win the favor of their masters.

Just as Song Shiwei had predicted, the moment Old Man Wang and his men returned to their room, they eagerly transmitted a signal.

The group sat there sighing dejectedly.

"Do you think the people higher up will be willing to spend silver to get us the antidote?"

"What kind of pipe dreams are you having? We haven't even completed our mission; it'll be a miracle if we manage to keep our heads, and you're still expecting the people above to shell out silver for us?"

"Should we take a gamble?"

Old Man Wang looked at the bailiff who had spoken and asked, "How do we gamble?"

The bailiff made a slicing motion across his own neck, his face dark and sinister. "First, get rid of the Song family, and then ask the people above to help us get the antidote."

"Dozens or hundreds of silver taels are a lot to us, but to those people, that's less than what slips through the cracks of their fingernails."

Old Man Wang and the others were tempted.

If they completed the mission, they would not only gain sufficient benefits, but they would also secure the antidote.

"Shall we take the gamble, then?"

"Let's gamble! In our current situation, if we don't take a gamble, we'll forever be controlled by the Song family."

Old Man Wang and his companions finally reached a decision: they would first find a way to kill the Song family, and then report the success and plead for help from the people above.

"Let's kill the Song family's donkey first," said a painfully thin bailiff. "Without the donkey cart, the Song family will definitely have to stay here for a few days."

"Before reaching the post station, I noticed some men in the town casting greedy eyes at the Song family's female relatives."

"By then, we can use the old trick of killing with a borrowed knife."

Old Man Wang and the others heartily agreed with this idea.

"There are people protecting the Song family in the shadows. Tonight, we'll devise a plan to lure them away, leaving just two people to handle the aftermath."

"We must succeed tonight so that we can get the antidote as soon as possible."

Ling Ze, hiding in the shadows, thought, "..."

Had these bailiffs' brains been scrambled by the poison?

Knowing full well that they were guarding the Song family, these bailiffs still dared to so blatantly plot against the Song family.

Their stupidity was almost enough to suffocate him.

***

Mingdu, Princess Ning'ning's Estate.

Princess Ning'ning, whose injuries had healed somewhat, leaned on Ruyi's arm and stood before Cui Jing.

"Cui Jing, the Cui family has already abandoned you now. Are you still unwilling to submit to me?"

Her slightly pale face held a look of anger and resentment. To think she had spent so much effort on Cui Jing, yet to this day, he was still unwilling to yield to her.

It was all the fault of that bitch Song Shiwei!

An impudent, shameless wretch, daring to cling to her man and refuse to let go!

Kneeling on the floor, Cui Jing ignored her, his hollow gaze fixed on the outside.

He didn't care whether he was abandoned by his clan; the only thing he cared about was Shiwei.

Originally, he thought Shiwei would understand his bitter dedication and continue to communicate with him in secret.

Yet the reality was that not only did she fail to understand him, but she had even broken off their engagement.

Why couldn't she consider things from his perspective a little more?

Back then, if he hadn't done that, not only would the Song family have been unable to survive, but both he and the Cui family would have met a disastrous end.

His appearance infuriated Princess Ning'ning further. Before she actually won this man over, she couldn't simply kill him outright.

"Cui Jing!"

Ever since she had been whipped and placed under house arrest by her Imperial Father, nothing had gone her way.

Not only had all her male concubines been driven away, but those flatterers and sycophantic families had all hidden themselves far away, and quite a few had even drawn a clear line between themselves and her.

It was all her Imperial Father's fault!

One day, when she ascended the throne, she would make sure her Imperial Father died a wretched death.

"Your Highness!" The estate steward rushed in hurriedly.

Without even glancing at Cui Jing, he bowed and reported, "Your Highness, two of the princes have been demoted to commoners by the Emperor for unfilial conduct."

"The officials of those two princes' factions are having their estates raided and heads chopped off; not many of them are secure."

Princess Ning'ning was already in a foul mood, and upon hearing this, she scolded, "This is a good thing! Why are you putting on such a face?"

Only when those princes were out of the way could she more smoothly ascend the throne as Empress.

She wanted to be like Wu Zetian, the one and only female monarch through the ages, becoming an object of reverence and envy for countless people.

The steward leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice. "Your Highness, even Duke Wei's side has suffered reprimands from the Emperor, ordering Duke Wei to properly manage the military commanders and camps under his command."

"I'm afraid the Emperor is speaking in veiled terms, targeting Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Princess Ning'ning felt no worry—only hatred. "My Imperial Father is truly something, daring to treat me like this!"

"Send word to Duke Wei to make proper preparations these next few days. I could make my move at any moment."

She wore an expression of absolute certainty. Did her Imperial Father think he could control her just by arbitrarily punishing a few court ministers?

What a complete joke!

Over the years, she had long since seized control of the entire court and government.

It was merely out of consideration for her Imperial Father's face that she had allowed him to continue sitting on the throne.

The steward wanted to advise caution, but did not dare.

Without a trace, he exchanged a glance with Ruyi, and both silently decided to leave within the day.

If they stayed any longer in the Princess's Estate, they would sooner or later be implicated and lose their petty lives.

Meanwhile.

Prince Ding's Estate, Study.

Bai Bohan, who outwardly appeared to be living a life of debauchery, was currently sitting with Duke Wei.

"Prince Ding, I hear you've been showing a great deal of care toward the Song family?"

Duke Wei, who looked like a scholarly literatus, smiled teasingly. "Especially toward that eldest Miss Song."

Upon hearing this, Bai Bohan immediately knew it was Yang Hu and the others who had told him. The veins on his forehead throbbed violently.

"Stop listening to Yang Hu and that bunch talking nonsense."

Duke Wei drew out his tone deliberately. "Nonsense, is it~~"

Bai Bohan twitched the corner of his mouth and said helplessly, "Has everything I entrusted you with been handled properly?"

Duke Wei restrained his smile, his tone turning serious. "Some parts are not yet finished, but they will be soon."

"Besides, Princess Ning'ning's side is preparing to rebel once more."

At this, his face filled with disdain and disgust. "I truly don't understand where she gets the confidence that she can easily succeed in a rebellion."

Bai Bohan's gaze grew sharp. "Let her rebel."

"Only when she rebels can I thoroughly investigate her foundation."

Duke Wei added, "As for that, I've managed to uncover something useful."