Junior sister took first place again

The Fourth Prince’s Mansion, study.

All the retainers and staff that Ning Yuan kept gathered here at this time.

After Xue Wuying left the palace, he gathered everyone together and just finished telling them what happened in the palace.

After listening to this, the group of people looked at each other with flickering eyes, talked among themselves in a low voice, and then looked thoughtful. No one spoke for a while.

Xue Wuying sat quietly in the upper seat and observed them. The middle-aged man he saw when he woke up that day was sitting in the first seat at the lower seat.

This man's name is Zhang Ye. He is the chief strategist under the Fourth Prince and is deeply trusted by Ning Yuan.

The room was silent for a long time. Suddenly, Zhang Ye looked up and bowed to Xue Wuying from his seat. He said:

"My Lord, although this move today has a good start, in my opinion, the subsequent disadvantages will outweigh the advantages."

Xue Wuying stretched out his hand and said, "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Zhang Ye said, "My lord has been keeping a low profile for many years, yet he confronted the general directly when his power was at its peak. Even with the support of His Majesty, he still suffered heavy casualties during the confrontation. This is one reason."

Xue Wuying nodded and motioned him to continue.

Zhang Ye continued, "Secondly, the lord has not won the favor of His Majesty. If you expose yourself to His Majesty like this, His Majesty is in the prime of his life. Once the generals have achieved peace, there will surely be many twists and turns in the future."

After Zhang Ye finished speaking, someone stood up and stepped forward, saying, "Yes, my lord. Why did you suddenly speak out at the banquet yesterday? If the general insists on forcing Princess Zhaohua to marry, this is our opportunity."

Most people nodded in agreement, expressing their agreement with the two people's remarks.

Xue Wuying waved his hand and said loudly: "Everyone, in my opinion, the time is ripe."

"Ji Yuan is nothing to fear. To ensure the success of our plan, His Majesty has granted me full authority to mobilize one-fifth of the Royal Shadow Guards. With this gain, even if we lose a few of our own men, it won't be a big deal."

"As for the subsequent issues within the palace, if Princess Zhaohua succeeds, her position in His Majesty's heart will be as solid as Mount Tai. With her working for me within the palace, everything will be easily resolved."

"After so many years, it's time for us to step out into the public eye, lest those old ministers forget that there is a Fourth Prince."

"Tonight at 11:00 PM, quite a few people are already waiting in Tianming Pavilion. This is also tacitly approved by His Majesty."

Zhang Ye looked at everyone else, all of them showing joy on their faces. This harvest was really beyond their expectations.

It seems that Ji Yuan has indeed touched His Majesty's bottom line.

Everyone stood up and saluted Xue Wuying, saying, "Congratulations, lord! Your great cause has taken another step forward!"

Xue Wuying sat at the top and gladly accepted the congratulations.

He now has some of the royal family's cards in his hands, and the emperor has tacitly allowed him to contact loyal royalists. This is undoubtedly a generous gift!

How could he follow the rules and wait for the emperor's death before fighting for the supreme throne?

As night fell, in Tianming Pavilion, Xue Wuying and several officials with half-white beards sat around an exquisite tea table.

The table was filled with the aroma of tea, but everyone's attention was not on the tea at all.

Xue Wuying glanced at everyone present and said in a low voice:

"My Lords, I believe you all understand His Majesty's will. I will not elaborate further. If you have any ingenious plans, please share them."

Lord Zhao from the Imperial Censorate said solemnly, "Fourth Prince, Ji Yuan is heavily guarded, and he himself is one of our dynasty's foremost military commanders. Assassinating him would be no easy task."

Xue Wuying nodded in agreement. "Lord Zhao is quite right. However, Your Majesty and I have already drawn up a preliminary plan. Ji Yuan will be killed at Princess Zhaohua's wedding banquet."

Several court officials looked at each other in surprise. Your Majesty, is... going to abandon Princess Zhaohua?

Everyone immediately calmed down, and the Left General Ning Hui said with a worried tone:

"Your Highness, Ji Yuan commands a large force and enjoys a high reputation within the military. Even at this grand wedding, there are many brave and courageous guests. If we don't have a strong chance of victory, the consequences will be disastrous."

Xue Wuying spoke calmly, as if everything was under control: "General Ning, this is beyond doubt. Isn't this the reason we gathered you all today to discuss this?"

"Please consider this carefully. Furthermore, if you have any loyal, reliable, and skilled warriors, please feel free to recommend them to help us achieve this goal."

Everyone fell silent again.

At this moment, the door of Tianming Pavilion was gently pushed open, and Ning Jiasheng, dressed in casual clothes, appeared at the door like a ghost.

Her appearance surprised everyone present.

Xue Wuying did the same, but he still stood up quickly, walked around the screen in a few steps, and wanted to pull her into the room.

Ning Jiasheng turned around nimbly and went around from the other side.

Xue Wuying stood there, looking at his empty hands, smiled nonchalantly, then turned around and returned to his seat.

Ning Jiasheng stepped into the room. Her tone was calm as water, yet firm as a rock. "Fourth brother, my lords, Zhaohua is willing to do her bit for the Ning Kingdom."

Xue Wuying patted her shoulder gently, his tone as gentle as a spring breeze: "Zhaohua, I sincerely admire you for coming. Come, sit next to me, and we will discuss the details."

Lord Zhao and General Ning looked at each other. Everyone present was smart and naturally understood what Ning Jiasheng's joining meant.

Ning Jiasheng bowed and rejected Xue Wuying's proposal, "Fourth brother, that's not necessary. Zhaohua is pressed for time. He will leave after a few words."

"Although I am a woman, I do not want to see Ningguo fall into crisis. I am willing to use myself as bait and work together to plan for the future of Ningguo."

Lord Zhao immediately stood up and bowed, saying solemnly, "Your Highness is so kind. It is a great honor for Ningguo to have your help this time."

General Ning and the others also stood up, clasped their fists and saluted, saying firmly, "Your Highness, we will do our utmost to ensure we will not let the princess down."

Ning Jiasheng quickly gestured for everyone to stand up. "My Lords, your words are very kind. Zhaohua is deeply grateful. My time out of the palace is limited, so I must return now."

"These are Zhaohua's humble opinions. Fourth Brother and the other lords, please review them and see if they are feasible. I will leave a guard here. If you need Zhaohua for anything, please let him know. Zhaohua will not refuse."

After Ning Jiasheng finished speaking, the guard who followed him like a shadow stepped forward and respectfully handed the cloth to Xue Wuying.

Then, she nodded to everyone and said, "Fourth brother, everyone, Zhaohua will say goodbye."

After saying that, she turned around gracefully and left with firm steps.

Xue Wuying said no more. He stared at Ning Jiasheng's departing back with a fiery look in his eyes, revealing a determination to win.

He had just taken a quick glance and had seen the key words, and his heart was filled with obsession and admiration for her.

At the same time, inside the General's Mansion, the candlelight in Ji Yuan's study flickered, as bright as day.

Ji Yuan sat behind his desk, his brows furrowed as he examined a secret report in his hand.

His daughter, Ji Tang, stood aside with her arms folded, her eyes sharp, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

Ji Yuan said in a serious tone, slightly dissatisfied, "Tang'er, look at this. The old emperor and the young Ning Yuan have been making frequent moves recently. They must be secretly plotting to kill my father."

Ji Tang glanced at him nonchalantly and said nonchalantly, "Ning Yuan is nothing but a clown. If father finds him annoying, I will find a chance to get rid of him."

Ji Yuan laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said with relief, "My son, don't bother yourself with this kind of person. I was just lamenting my mistake. Since he dares to jump out at this time, I have plenty of ways to make him regret his decision."

Ji Tang shrugged and replied, "Okay."

Ji Yuan suddenly lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Tang'er, we should speed up our pace."

Ji Tang finally pulled himself together and said with a hint of coldness in his tone: "Father, I have a plan. I will use Ning Yuan's ambition to set a trap and catch those stubborn old men in one fell swoop."

A gleam of light flashed in Ji Yuan's eyes. He was full of confidence in his little daughter. In addition to her fighting ability, his daughter's brain has always made him proud.

Ji Yuan did not hide his admiration and said loudly: "Good!"

As he spoke, he walked over to a sand table showing the topography of Kyoto and beckoned, "Tang'er, come here. Let your father see how much you've grown recently."

Ji Tang walked to the sand table with confidence, pointing her fingers at it and elaborating on her plan in detail.

"... We can then set up an ambush here, wait for Ning Yuan to take action, and then capture him in one fell swoop."

Ji Yuan listened attentively, nodded from time to time, and discussed with her repeatedly how to arrange and implement it.

After a long while, Ji Yuan said, "Go and ask General Sun and the others to come over for a discussion."

"Yes! General."

The strong and well-equipped guard responded loudly and strode out.

In a remote corner of the General's Mansion, a man in black was lurking in the shadows like a ghost.

He was the most unknown low-ranking servant in the General's Mansion, and was also Ning Yuan's spy planted in the Ji family.