The prince is fierce: Who dares to steal my woman?

Yang Rong's eyes sparkled with curiosity and surprise. She gently put down her teacup and slowly asked, "Liancheng?"

Li Yuerui's voice was deep and magnetic: "Liancheng was originally a fierce general under Jiang Zhan. On the surface, he surrendered to the Crown Prince with sincere words and a respectful attitude, but in reality, he had already been bought off by the Prince of Guangling with a large sum of money."

Yang Rong frowned slightly, her clear eyes flashing with disbelief: "Liancheng? Can this person really stir up a monstrous wave in this treacherous power struggle within the imperial court?"

Li Yuerui said decisively, "Princess, you may not know this, but Xuanwu Gate is the only way for the Crown Prince to enter the palace and inherit the throne. If Liancheng can take advantage of this location to secretly mobilize manpower to seal off Xuanwu Gate and Suzhang Gate, cut off the Crown Prince's retreat, and then kill him in the chaos, this plan may seem dangerous, but it actually has a considerable chance of success."

Upon hearing this, Yang Rong's teacup trembled slightly, spilling tea onto the table and turning into a few glistening drops: "Yinrui, what did you say? Liancheng wants to kill the Crown Prince? This... this is going to unleash a bloodbath!"

Li Yuerui nodded, her expression grave: "Princess, as far as I know, the Prince of Guangling has already secretly laid a trap, planning to set up an inescapable net at Xuanwu Gate, waiting for the Crown Prince to step into the trap before striking him dead. And Liancheng is the key figure in this plan, capable of deciding the outcome."

Yang Rong's lips curled into a playful smile, her eyes filled with both anticipation and unease: "Then this is going to be interesting."

Li Yuerui's gaze was far-reaching: "In this struggle for the throne between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Guangling, the princess, as an observer, is actually an important figure who influences the course of the situation."

Upon hearing this, Yang Rong asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Yuerui slowly said, "Princess, I am currently serving as a captain in the Imperial Guard under Liancheng. If you wish for the Crown Prince to win, then I will lead my soldiers to protect him at all costs, break through Xuanwu Gate, and then lead the troops of Tan Lin and Tan Hui to fight against the Prince of Guangling. At the same time, I will send someone to Han Xiu's army to urgently request reinforcements. In this way, the Prince of Guangling will undoubtedly be defeated!"

Yang Rong lowered her head and pondered for a while before saying, "In that case, although the Prince of Guangling is dead, the Crown Prince can still secure the throne, which is not what I want to see."

Li Yuerui continued, "If the princess wants the Prince of Guangling to win, then I will assist Liancheng in killing the Crown Prince, and then lead the troops to guard Xuanwu Gate and Suzhang Gate. Once the news of the Crown Prince's death is made public, the troops supporting the Crown Prince will gradually collapse, and the Prince of Guangling will be able to secure his throne."

"No!" Yang Rong said, each word distinct, her eyes flashing with unwavering resolve. "If the Crown Prince encounters any misfortune, you must immediately open the Xuanwu Gate and the Suzhang Gate, and let those soldiers loyal to the Crown Prince turn against the Prince of Guangling and avenge the Crown Prince!"

Moonlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting dappled patterns on Yang Rong's face, adding a touch of tragic grandeur to her appearance.

Yang Rong continued, her tone filled with indescribable complex emotions: "If the Crown Prince and the Prince of Guangling both perish in this palace coup, the Song Kingdom will surely descend into chaos and endless turmoil and strife."

Immediately, Yang Rong burst into a hysterical, cold laugh, a laugh that was eerie and chilling, like that of a female ghost: "Liu Yilong, you old thief! You destroyed my Qiuchi, our homeland, and now only ruins remain. The nobles and princes have been slaughtered, and the former prosperity has vanished. I, Yang Rong, wish I could personally cut you down with my sword to vent my hatred, but unfortunately you are going first and cannot die by my hand. But heaven has eyes, and retribution is swift. I swear I will make your two sons follow you to the underworld, so that you can feel the pain and despair of losing your loved ones even in the netherworld!"

As she spoke, Yang Rong's eyes turned bloodshot, a flame of hatred and sorrow burning fiercely in the darkness.

Seeing this, Li Yuerui gently patted Yang Rong's trembling shoulders and said, "Princess, why do you always dwell on the sadness and hatred of the past? Don't you really think about your future?"

A resolute glint flashed in Yang Rong's eyes. Though her voice was as soft as a whisper, every word was firm and resounding: "If I do not avenge this, I, Yang Rong, swear I am not human! That blood feud is etched into my heart like a brand, burning within me day and night. How can I ever let it go?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuerui sighed softly, as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke: "Princess, there is something I don't know if I should say."

Yang Rong said sternly, "Speak!"

Li Yuerui slowly said, "Princess, as far as I know, the Crown Prince is at least a benevolent and filial person. In comparison, the Prince of Guangling is sinister and ruthless, which is terrifying. What's even more terrifying is that Wei Wuji by his side is no ordinary person. His wisdom and methods are first-rate. Once the Prince of Guangling ascends the throne, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Yang Rong's brows were furrowed, and her trembling body made her seem somewhat helpless.

Li Yuerui took a deep breath and continued, "Wei Wuji's son, Wei Kui, is also eyeing you, Princess. His wolfish ambitions are obvious. If the Prince of Guangling really sits on the dragon throne, the power of his Wei family will surely be at its zenith. At that time, Wei Kui's threat to you will no longer be a covert spying, but an open coercion and bullying. Princess, have you thought about how you will deal with this in the future?"

A complex emotion flashed in Yang Rong's eyes, a mixture of fear of the unknown and a desire for challenge: "Could it be that the Prince of Guangling won't die with the Crown Prince?"

Li Yuerui shook her head and said helplessly, "Princess, according to your plan, I will assist Liancheng in killing the Crown Prince inside the Xuanwu Gate. There will be no problem; the Crown Prince will surely die. But after the Crown Prince dies, even if the Xuanwu Gate and Suzhang Gate are opened and Tan Lin and Tan Hui's troops are allowed to enter, those soldiers will inevitably collapse in morale and become incapable of fighting once they learn of the Crown Prince's death. At that time, if they cannot kill the Prince of Guangling in a short period of time, and the Prince of Guangling pardons them as the new emperor and promises them great benefits, it is hard to guarantee that some of them will not defect and surrender to the Prince of Guangling. In that case, wouldn't it be easy for the Prince of Guangling to secure the throne?"

Yang Rong paused, then said, "Aren't there still tens of thousands of imperial guards under Han Xiu outside Jiankang? Are these people just sitting around doing nothing and not going to avenge the Crown Prince?"

Li Yuerui shook her head again, saying helplessly, "Although Han Xiu has tens of thousands of imperial guards outside Jiankang, there are also tens of thousands of troops under the command of the Prince of Guangling, led by Xue Wenyi and Zhan Ying, hidden outside Jiankang. They are almost a tug-of-war with Han Xiu's imperial guards. Once the two armies are entangled, Han Xiu's imperial guards may not be able to storm the palace and avenge the Crown Prince. Furthermore, as I said before, once the Crown Prince dies, it's hard to guarantee that some of these tens of thousands of imperial guards won't change their allegiance and surrender to the Prince of Guangling. The remaining ones will most likely lose their will to fight and gradually scatter like birds and beasts. How can we expect this rabble to avenge the Crown Prince?"

Yang Rong paused, then said with great difficulty, "No matter what, I have to take a gamble. I absolutely cannot let the Crown Prince sit firmly on the throne. If that happens, I, Qiu Chi, will truly have no hope of revenge."