Chapter 398: Knock, Knock, Knock!

Xu Que, leading the Three Thousand Snow City Army and accompanied by Er Gouzi, rushed toward the Third Prince's Manor with great momentum and imposing dignity!

Pedestrians on the road saw them and hastily made way, daring not to provoke them in the least!

Meanwhile, the thousand guards who had exited the Prince's Mansion still hesitated in place, unsure whether they should notify the Prince or rescue the Little Prince!

For both choices seemed extremely dangerous to them, posing a threat to their very lives.

Thus, the group remained standing where they were, no one daring to speak up and suggest what to do next.

……

At this moment, inside a main bedroom within the Third Prince's Manor!

The room door was tightly shut; inside, a noblewoman adorned in pearls and jewels held a blue dragon robe embroidered with golden threads, helping a middle-aged man undress!

The man donned the dragon robe, his gaze blazing with intensity, filled with malice and madness, as he coldly smiled: "This is the dragon robe that truly belongs to me!"

The noblewoman pressed her lips together in a smile: "Now that you've put on the dragon robe, why haven't you changed your title yet?"

"Hahaha! Indeed, I am the one worthy of wearing this dragon robe!" The man immediately burst into loud laughter; this chamber had already been secured with a formation, so they had no fear of anyone outside hearing their voices.

This middle-aged man was clearly the father of the Twelve Young Masters of the Imperial City, the Third Prince!

The noblewoman was the Third Prince's primary wife, the Princess Consort!

One dressed as the Emperor of the Water Yuan Kingdom, the other like the Empress; such an act of Great Way of Rebellion could only be carried out hidden within this room.

"Soon, very soon, I shall be able to appear before them with full legitimacy!" The Third Prince beamed with joy, standing before a bronze mirror to admire his heroic figure clad in the dragon robe!

The noblewoman snorted in dissatisfaction: "When your elder brother died, if you hadn't been so cowardly, failing to seize the opportunity to raise troops and rebel, the throne would never have been freely handed over to an outsider, and a woman at that—it was utterly absurd!"

Upon hearing this, the smile gradually faded from the Third Prince's face as he spoke in a heavy voice: "The situation was so chaotic back then; what could I have done? Suddenly, my elder brother produced a daughter, claiming she was born decades ago from a woman he met outside; we all believed it. Moreover, before his death, he issued an Imperial Edict, declaring before all the ministers that the throne would pass to that woman. How could I dare to rebel so rashly?"

"Then blame your terrible memory, for only after that woman ascended the throne and seized military power did you suddenly remember events from a hundred years ago!"

"So what? She merely occupied the throne for a dozen extra years; soon enough, I will snatch the throne back!" The Third Prince coldly smiled, brimming with confidence.

Only then did the noblewoman's expression soften slightly: "What exactly was your elder brother thinking? A hundred years ago, you and he spent decades in the Trial Grounds; after achieving success in cultivation, you returned to the Imperial City. There was absolutely no chance for him to meet another woman outside, so why would he suddenly pass the throne to an outsider?"

"I still cannot comprehend this layer of the matter, but the suspicions are indeed significant. I once saw my elder brother show deference toward that woman; at the time, I thought I had mistaken it, but later, recalling the matter of the Trial Grounds, I realized I had not been mistaken!" The Third Prince said, frowning.

The noblewoman waved her hand: "Forget it, whatever her origins may be. In any case, we now possess sufficient military forces, and since the Water Yuan Kingdom has just undergone two consecutive wars while that woman has yet to return, this is precisely the perfect opportunity for us to raise our troops!"

"Hehe, we truly owe much to that General Zhuge; had he not conquered the Ten Great Cities, forcing Empress Bingning to retreat, then with our meager forces, we would never have had the chance to capture the Ten Great Cities! Truly, this is Heavenly Will!" The Third Prince coldly smiled once more.

He possessed the crucial secret that the Empress was not the biological daughter of the Late Emperor; back then, he and the Late Emperor of the Water Yuan Kingdom had entered the Trial Grounds, and upon their return, the Late Emperor ascended the throne, leaving absolutely no opportunity to meet other women, let alone father an illegitimate daughter outside.

Only he and the Late Emperor knew of this matter; the other princes had never suspected anything.

Therefore, holding this leverage, he had been secretly amassing troops, awaiting the right moment to openly launch his rebellion.

After all, no one would willingly hand over imperial power to an outsider with no blood relation; thus, he was confident that when the time came, everyone else would stand on his side!

"By the way, speaking of that General Zhuge, who exactly is this Saint? How does he possess such strength, conquering ten cities in merely two days? Could he truly be a Military God? I fear he may pose a threat to our grand undertaking." At this point, the noblewoman suddenly spoke again, her brows knitting slightly.

The Third Prince curled the corner of his mouth upward, smiling: "You can rest assured on this layer; although I have not yet found an opportunity to contact him alone, I have sent people to investigate those ten cities. It is said that General Zhuge is very young, and every time he captures a city, he leads his troops to plunder the City Lord's Mansion; he must be a person greedy for wealth and profit. Such individuals are easily bribed! Tomorrow, I will send someone with an invitation to request his visit; then we can probe his intentions!"

"So that's how it is, you old rascal! I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to try on the dragon robe today; it turns out everything was already prepared!" The noblewoman playfully tapped the Third Prince's chest in annoyance, leaning against his embrace.

The Third Prince smiled: "Hehe, for some reason, my eyelids have been twitching all day, giving me a sense of unease; but now that I've put on the dragon robe, I feel somewhat settled. I am now only one step away from that position! Once we deal with that General Zhuge, the Water Yuan Kingdom will be ours!"

"I believe in you, but after we reclaim the throne, you must imprison that woman in the great prison, tormenting her in a hundred ways daily, employing every form of torture! Do not forget, our son has been punished by her countless times over these years!" As the noblewoman said this, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.

"Naturally!"

The Third Prince replied, yet his gaze flickered somewhat; in his mind, the image of the Empress's lofty and supreme figure seemed to float up, making his heart wander and his mind stray, while a hint of greed appeared in his eyes.

The noblewoman did not notice this, still leaning against the Third Prince's embrace.

She immediately rolled her eyes at the Third Prince, speaking with affected anger: "You old rascal, in broad daylight, how can you be so spirited?"

Seeing the noblewoman in this state, every image in the Third Prince's mind instantly vanished; all fantasies disappeared, and he nearly retched.

He hastily shook off the thought and changed the subject: "By the way, let me tell you something amusing; I heard from several spies that every time Young Hero Zhuge plunders a City Lord's Mansion, he first knocks on the door, claiming it is a routine inspection to ensure he takes not even a needle or thread! But guess what? As soon as the door opens, he rushes in with his men, shouting, 'Move everything else out!' Hahaha…"

Upon hearing this, the noblewoman also laughed "giggle-giggle": "How can there be such a shameless person…"

……

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Just then, a hurried knocking sound came from outside the room.

The laughter of the two ceased abruptly; listening carefully, they realized the knocking sound originated from the main gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Immediately following, a voice accompanied it!

"Fellow Villager, open the door quickly! We are here to check the water meter, and also to conduct a routine inspection, guaranteeing…"