Chapter 744: Breakthrough

In fact, Tang Zhao was not entirely certain whether the State Preceptor was human.

Based on the rules the State Preceptor established and enforced, as well as various signs, Tang Zhao had always leaned toward the State Preceptor not being human, but rather a Sword Deity; he had even guessed the State Preceptor's name. As one of the few people in the Human World most familiar with Sword Deities, Tang Zhao had some confidence in his conjecture. He had even seen the State Preceptor in a form that was nothing but a robe, entirely lacking a human shape; that appearance looked like anything but a human.

Yet even so, Tang Zhao still dared not be entirely certain. As long as there was no conclusive evidence, such as the State Preceptor admitting it himself, he did not have one hundred percent certainty, because he had seen how the State Preceptor acted—though very strange, his speech and conduct still possessed humanity. Even if he were a Sword Deity, he was a Sword Deity with thoughts and human emotions like Golden Crow or Xiangyangzi, absolutely not a manifestation of rules devoid of human flavor like the Sword of Authority. Only when the State Preceptor coldly forced the Empress Dowager to install a new monarch at the end was he truly ruthless, but that did not exceed the self-control range of a cold-blooded human politician.

Moreover, he saw the attitude the Empress Dowager and the Emperor held toward the State Preceptor; it was also an interaction between people. The Empress Dowager had even once asked the State Preceptor to mediate the conflict between her and her son, and the Emperor also listened to the State Preceptor; no matter how one looked at it, it was like treating a trusted and relied-upon pillar of support, not merely a useful tool. Even when the State Preceptor revealed a ruthless side, the Empress Dowager was very shocked and incredulous, which showed that the State Preceptor was not usually so indifferent in his actions.

From this, it could be seen that even the Empress Dowager, who had spent the longest time with the State Preceptor, had not discerned the State Preceptor's true nature, so how could Prince Shun, who had left Jingcheng in his youth as the grandson of the former-former Emperor, and his advisors be so full of confidence in their confirmation?

Hearsay?

I am afraid not.

They were planning to rebel, and the State Preceptor's principles were a crucial link in their plan; entrusting such a major matter to hearsay was absolutely irresponsible to their own nine generations of kin.

Tang Zhao became increasingly clear about a conjecture in his heart and asked, "Who told you that the State Preceptor is merely a manifestation of rules? By what right do you trust what he said?"

An Xiansheng pursed his lips and remained silent.

It was not that he did not care about Prince Shun's health, but this answer concerned the lives of countless people; it was easy to open his mouth and say a name, but the heads of countless people and countless clans would then fall to the ground. If forced to choose between countless people and Prince Shun alone, Prince Shun would certainly choose himself, but when it came to An Xiansheng choosing, he was unexpectedly hesitant for a moment.

The person behind him did not directly use Prince Shun to coerce him, but instead leaned into his ear and whispered a name.

An Xiansheng's pupils contracted instantly; although he controlled himself so as not to let his expression change drastically, the hand in his sleeve trembled slightly.

"That is correct," the person behind him said slowly. "An Xiansheng, I already know the person. Since it has reached this point, there is no need to hide all the schemes, right? We are not here to sabotage your grand plans; whoever among you Emperors and Princes wins or loses, whoever sits on the dragon chair, is meaningless to us. Tell the truth, and we are even. Prince Shun is also being interrogated; if he leaked the secret himself, he can only blame himself, he cannot blame you. Spit it out quickly, it is better for everyone."

An Xiansheng gave a bitter smile and said, "Fine."

——

Tang Zhao came out of An Xiansheng's room and sat for a while in the flower hall next door. After a while, Xing Ji jumped back and said, "Finished asking? Was he cooperative?"

Tang Zhao said, "Cooperative, he is a very smart man. He even guessed that we came from Yunzhou. After I finished asking questions, he even earnestly urged Yunzhou to join their grand cause, saying it would be beneficial to our actions, and even said he was willing to cede Lingzhou and Liangzhou to the Yunzhou Dudu Mansion afterward, and that it would not be difficult to even confer the title of Different-Surname King."

Xing Ji sneered, "He certainly dares to make promises with a straight face, not thinking that we are here to save someone, and our goals are naturally at odds with their grand cause? How could we possibly help them succeed and save the Lord at the same time?"

Tang Zhao said, "They probably do not know about the Lord. Although he spoke as if everything were under control, in my view, they might not be anything more than pawns in this plan. They are not qualified to be the leaders; the State Preceptor made a slight move and Prince Shun's foundation was severed—how could such meager ability be enough? Even if they succeed in the end, it is unknown for whom they will be making wedding clothes. How is Prince Shun? Was he also very cooperative?"

Xing Ji said, "Of course, with his current temperament, he was very cooperative without needing any methods, even telling me that these were all abandoned plans and that it was useless for me to know them. I even considered whether I should really restore him a bit?"

"Restoring him once... might be good?" Tang Zhao pondered, "If we could directly rescue the Lord, then naturally we would have no need for them, but you also know that even if I were to break into that place, it would be difficult. If we do not stir up a pool of muddy water, we will not be able to catch any fish. I originally intended to take advantage of when they are about to launch to break in and rescue the Lord, but the chances are not high. Why not add some variables?"

He thought for a moment and said, "You have a method to erase memories, right? Erase their memories first, and when the time comes, ask Prince Shun to go into battle lightly, so as not to ruin the grand plan."

……

Boom!

At night, a ball of fire exploded in the sky.

The fire burned larger and larger, almost burning through the sky.

"Who is it? Who could this be?"

In a large mansion, a fat, middle-aged man asked hurriedly.

"It is the Prince Yi's Wangfu."

The middle-aged man sat on the ground with a thud, his face drained of color: "Has it reached Prince Yi already? Are even first-rank Princes no longer safe? Could it be that I, too, will..."

"Your Highness, you do not need to overthink it. You have always been content with the world, the most carefree of all, so how could anyone have a grudge against you?"

"I do not want to overthink it, but this is what is happening right before my eyes. In these days in Jingcheng, one after another... that Prince Yi, that Prince Hengchang, that Tang Guojiu, that Hu Xianggong... these people have all finished one after another... and it is total extermination! Do you know what total extermination is? What kind of deep hatred requires exterminating an entire household? This must be a madman; although I have not offended anyone, there is nothing I can do if I run into a madman!"

Just as he was speaking, he heard a commotion at the door.

The commotion grew louder and louder, gradually approaching the back courtyard.

"It is over! They must be here to exterminate the household! It is finally my turn!"

The fat Prince wailed while shrinking his body, hiding under the table, seemingly unable to think that he himself was actually a Sword Guest, and that he still had the option of drawing his sword to fight back in a Death Struggle.

Just as he crawled under the table, he heard someone shout: "Prince Ying, you are inside, right? Come out and see me quickly!"

I am not in, I am not here!

Prince Ying was just about to try to muddle through, but he felt this voice was very familiar.

"Uncle Shou Wang?"

He saw someone break into the courtyard; it was an old man with a white beard, dressed in extremely luxurious clothing, covered in accessories that only the Imperial family could use; it was precisely the eldest of the current Princes in Jingcheng, the current Imperial Uncle, Shou Wang.

Just a few years ago, Shou Wang could be considered one of the three most powerful people in the world, even capable of overriding that mother and son in the Imperial Palace. As the Emperor gradually grew older, Shou Wang, either voluntarily or by going with the flow, shifted his attention to prolonging his life; now he no longer spoke much on state affairs and did not have such great influence. But he still held the concurrent post of Clan Elder and still held a pivotal position among the Imperial clansmen in Jingcheng.

Seeing Shou Wang, Prince Ying also breathed a sigh of relief; he was considered Shou Wang's nephew and a clansman of the current Emperor, and he had always held Shou Wang in awe.

"Uncle, did you come to save me?"

"Hmm... hmm?" Shou Wang glared at him, "You want me to save you? Have you provoked an enemy? Could it be that you are the next one to be killed?"

"Ah? No, I just thought you had some news and knew that I was the next to be killed, so you came to save me!"

The two stared at each other with wide eyes, and Shou Wang finally said, "I am not here to save you, I am here to find you to go see the State Preceptor together!"

"See the State Preceptor?"

Prince Ying shivered: Why go see the State Preceptor? The State Preceptor is very terrifying!

Although it was said that the State Preceptor protected the Imperial family and took care of the various scions of the royal house, he truly only protected the Emperor; he could take action against others. In the previous round of power transition, it was not just one or two clansmen and relatives of the Emperor who died at the hands of the State Preceptor. Seeing that Jingcheng was under martial law and that another major event was clearly happening, it was too late to hide from the State Preceptor at this time; taking the initiative to seek him out, was that not looking for death?

"If Uncle wants to see the State Preceptor, you can just go to Zijin Mountain; why look for me? I do not want to go out yet."

"Do not want to go out? Wait at home to die?" Shou Wang raised his voice and shouted: "You must understand clearly, it is not that I want to see the State Preceptor, it is that everyone has no choice but to ask the State Preceptor to take action! Look at the current situation, how chaotic it has become? The gates of mansions in Jingcheng are being exterminated one after another; at first, people died, now they are even setting fires! After one fire, several surrounding families are dragged into it. If this continues, will we not all die out at home?"

"In extraordinary times, the State Preceptor told us to stay quietly in our mansions; fine, we all listen to him and do not move. But what about safety? Safety should at least be guaranteed, right? We trusted that the State Preceptor could protect us, which is why we listened to him; now that disaster is imminent, rather than waiting for death, it is better to fight to the death!"

"Fight... fight to the death?" Prince Ying's face turned a few shades paler. He did not want to fight to the death; he did not want to be associated with the word "death" in any way.

Shou Wang sighed and said, "It is not really fighting to the death, just putting on a show. We people have some weight; if we unite to ask the State Preceptor to come forward and protect us, the State Preceptor cannot ignore it. Now the Imperial clan has jointly recommended a few of us to go to Zijin Mountain to petition the State Preceptor; either he increases the intensity of our protection, or he lets us all gather together to protect ourselves. Or we might as well all go stay on Zijin Mountain. Surely no one would dare to commit an offense on Zijin Mountain, right?"

Prince Ying only then realized, and immediately became nervous again: "This... why did they jointly recommend me? Shou Wang is virtuous and prestigious, what ability do I have to represent the Imperial family? Why not choose someone more capable?"

Shou Wang sneered, "The crowd recommended me, but how can I alone represent the will of the crowd? There must be two or three people to go with me, otherwise, would it not look like I am acting arbitrarily? I originally picked Prince Hui..." Prince Ying hurriedly nodded repeatedly, indicating that he should have found Prince Hui, "but I only saw that his Wangfu had been burned to the ground when I passed by his mansion. You are the closest, come with me! Otherwise, who knows when it will be your turn. Do not think that by shrinking your head and not coming out, you can stay out of it; look at the fire outside and see if it recognizes you? Prince of Pure Wang is outside; the three of us will go to Zijin Mountain together. Even if it is the gates of hell, we will step through them hand in hand!"