Sludge suction system

Hua Yu had already guessed the Crown Prince's plan. His purpose was definitely not just to target the Fourth Prince. There was an even bigger conspiracy behind him. She had to go to General Ning's mansion.

In the quiet study of the General's Mansion, Hua Yu's expression was solemn, her eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and determination. Looking at the tall, resolute General Ning opposite her, she spoke softly yet clearly: "General, Crown Prince Lan Yan is now plotting to cause trouble during the Fourth Prince's wedding. He has already obtained the Fourth Prince's secret guard token and intends to order the Fourth Prince Lan Feng's secret guards to storm the palace. His intentions are malicious; he actually plans to assassinate the Emperor and then frame the Fourth Prince for this treasonous crime."

Upon hearing this, General Ning frowned deeply, his fists clenched involuntarily, and he said angrily, "The Crown Prince has such wolfish ambitions, daring to plot such a shocking conspiracy. This is extremely disrespectful and his crime deserves to be punished!"

Hua Yu nodded slightly and continued, "General, you are absolutely right. The situation is critical. On the day of the Fourth Prince's wedding, although the palace is heavily guarded, if the secret guards break in, it will surely cause a bloodbath. Moreover, the Crown Prince must have a backup plan, intending to shift all the blame onto the unsuspecting Fourth Prince in the chaos. At that time, the Fourth Prince will be unable to defend himself, and the royal family may be plunged into a huge conflict."

General Ning paced back and forth, pondering for a moment before looking up at Hua Yu: "Miss Hua, we cannot stand idly by in this matter. We must find a way to inform the Fourth Prince as soon as possible, and at the same time strengthen the security of the palace. We must not let the Crown Prince's conspiracy succeed." Thus, the two began their meticulous planning.

General Ning dispatched Ning Yuan to secretly search for evidence of the Crown Prince's rebellion. Ning Yuan, a handsome young man, disguised himself as a wandering painter and began his underground surveillance.

Ning Yuan was like a hawk lurking in the darkness, silently lurking in every corner of the capital city where clues might be hidden. He wore tattered clothes that reeked of sourness, his face was covered in layers of grime, and his messy hair was mixed with bits of grass, completely transforming him into a down-and-out, inconspicuous wandering painter.

Around the taverns and teahouses where the prince's cronies often gathered, he found an inconspicuous corner, spread out a patched cloth, and set out his simple painting tools. He seemed focused on drawing rough portraits of passersby, and occasionally he would be scolded and ridiculed by passersby for not being realistic enough. However, his ears were always like those of a keen night hawk, capturing every subtle sound around him.

He would discreetly observe everyone who passed by, whether they were richly dressed young masters, minor officials in their robes, or ordinary citizens, analyzing their identities and potential connections. He silently memorized even the most casual whispered conversations, never missing a single word, like a gold prospector searching for gold nuggets in the sand.

As night fell and the capital fell silent, Ning Yuan moved through the streets and alleys like a ghost. He evaded patrolling soldiers, skillfully using the shadows to conceal himself, and stealthily approached suspicious locations. He had once, on a night of torrential rain, lain prone against the back wall of a mansion belonging to a prince's henchman, enduring the scorching rain and biting cold, waiting for a possible clue. He had also, on a sweltering afternoon, disguised himself as a beggar suffering from heatstroke, collapsing on the road leading to the eastern suburbs estate, observing the passersby, trying to determine if they were connected to the prince's conspiracy.

Finally, his persistence paid off. During a follow-up mission, he discovered that the man, suspected to be a messenger of the Crown Prince, had entered an abandoned warehouse. After the messenger left, Ning Yuan cautiously sneaked inside and found a jade pendant with a special mark in a dark corner. This jade pendant was vaguely related to the Crown Prince's emblem, making it a crucial piece of evidence.

Later, he heard that the Crown Prince had discussed matters in a secret room with a high-ranking official, so he spent a large sum of money to bribe a servant in the official's household. The servant stole a tattered page, on which the writing was blurred, but the words "forced abdication" and "usurpation" could be vaguely discerned, and it also mentioned the plan to modify the palace defense map.

Ning Yuan also disguised himself as a water deliveryman and entered a villa near the Crown Prince's residence. He rummaged through an empty wastepaper basket and found some crumpled pieces of letter paper. After carefully piecing them together, he discovered that they were correspondence between the Crown Prince and a general in charge of a large army on the frontier. The letter hinted that he would give the general a large reward and a large fiefdom after the success of the matter in the capital, in exchange for the general's military support.

Most importantly, he found a secret treaty between the Crown Prince and a neighboring country in a hidden room in the home of an advisor who had been silenced by the Crown Prince. The treaty stipulated that the neighboring country would send troops to assist the Crown Prince in his rebellion, and in return, the Crown Prince would cede three wealthy border cities as a reward, along with numerous preferential trade policies. This secret treaty was undoubtedly irrefutable evidence of the Crown Prince's rebellion, completely exposing his wolfish ambitions.

Like a shadow in the night, Ning Yuan quietly sneaked back to the General's Mansion. He walked through the many corridors and went straight to the study. Upon seeing General Ning, he immediately knelt on one knee with a solemn expression: "General, Ning Yuan has lived up to expectations and has obtained a lot of crucial intelligence."

General Ning looked anxious and gestured for him to stand up and explain in detail. Ning Yuan stood up and slowly said, "I have discovered that the Crown Prince is secretly colluding with border generals. There are correspondence as evidence. The letters promise a large reward of land in exchange for their troops to support the capital. Furthermore, we found a jade pendant in an abandoned warehouse that is related to the Crown Prince's emblem. This is an important clue."

He paused briefly, then continued, "We also bribed a servant in the residence of a high-ranking official to obtain a fragment of a document that mentions a plan to force the emperor to abdicate and a modification of the palace's defense map. Even more deadly, we found a secret treaty between the crown prince and a neighboring country in a secret room in the home of a strategist who was silenced. The neighboring country would send troops to help him rebel, and if the rebellion succeeded, the crown prince would cede cities and grant trade preferences."

Upon hearing this, General Ning clenched his fists and paced back and forth in his study, his face ashen: "The Crown Prince is so audacious and reckless; such a heinous crime of treason must not be tolerated. But since he has made such a plan, he must have many precautions. We must not act rashly."

Ning Yuan nodded in agreement: "General, you are absolutely right. I think we should first secretly present the evidence to a few trusted ministers of the Emperor, so that they know the seriousness of this matter and form a force in the court to check the Crown Prince. Then we should send people to keep a close eye on the Crown Prince and his cronies to prevent them from launching their conspiracy in advance."

General Ning pondered for a moment and nodded slightly: "This plan is feasible. However, the person who presents the evidence must be absolutely reliable, and the process must be kept secret so that the Crown Prince cannot find out. In addition, we need to strengthen the guard patrols on the day of the Fourth Prince's wedding to prevent the Crown Prince from taking advantage of the chaos of the wedding to do something improper."

The two men discussed the matter in hushed tones in the study, the flickering candlelight illuminating their cold and resolute faces. A contest against the Crown Prince's conspiracy had quietly begun.

"Xiao Zha, what do you think of our tactic of 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'?" Hua Yu asked Xiao Zha excitedly.

“Host, you’re getting more and more cunning. They never imagined that all of this was our revenge, and that everyone was just a pawn in our game, hahaha!” Little Scum also let out a mechanical laugh.

"I wonder how our show will unfold? I'm really curious!" Ruan Quan's eyes revealed a burning desire for revenge. She wanted to eliminate Hua Xiang's enemies one by one.

"Crown Prince, Hua Xiang, Lan Feng..." Hua Yu murmured, "It's getting more and more fun, little rascal, don't you think! Ha, haha..."