TRBDM -Chapter 226 Everything is Ready

General of Nanyang’s face lit up with joy. “What evidence?”

“When the Imperial Concubine gave the palace maid the poison back then, she wrapped it in a handkerchief. The maid has kept that handkerchief ever since.”

The General of Nanyang looked puzzled. “A single handkerchief—how can that prove it’s from the Imperial Concubine?”

“The handkerchief is embroidered with the Gao family’s emblem.”

The General’s eyes widened in realization. “Ah, I see!”

The Imperial Concubine had always been proud of her Gao lineage. Many of the clothes she wore were made from expensive fabrics sent by her brothers at home. And any garments or handkerchiefs made from these family-sent fabrics would be embroidered with the Gao family emblem.

This habit was well known among all the concubines in the harem—and even Zhao Kuang knew about it.

The evidence was thus indisputable.

“That’s excellent!” the General of Nanyang exclaimed, pumping his fist.

They had prepared thoroughly to bring down the Third Prince. The more eyewitnesses and physical evidence they could gather, the stronger their leverage would be.

“General of Nanyang, have the assassins in your residence been dealt with?”

“Yes, they’ve been captured.”

After receiving Wei Zhaorong’s letter, Lin Juehui had carefully arranged the plan with the General of Nanyang.

The General pretended to be bedridden with illness, while Lin Juehui left the residence under the pretense of meeting a friend.

With fewer people in the residence, the guards became lax, and patrols left gaps.

At that moment, the assassin, disguised as a laborer, took the opportunity to slip into the General’s bedroom.

The bedroom was unguarded, the bed curtains hanging down, and someone faintly visible beneath them.

The assassin felt a twinge of unease, but there was no turning back now. He had to strike quickly and kill Nanyang.

Raising his dagger, he violently flung open the bed curtains and stabbed toward the pillow without hesitation.

When the dagger easily sank in, the assassin immediately sensed something was wrong.

He lifted the blanket—and found it was just cotton wrapped in clothes.

He’d been tricked!

As he tried to retreat, a strong kick from behind sent him flying onto the bed.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked back.

The General of Nanyang, who had seemed too ill to even get out of bed, now appeared heroic and vigorous, his complexion rosy, showing no signs of sickness at all.

The assassin had been lying in wait in the General’s residence for quite some time. With his assassin’s instincts, he should have noticed the flaw—but he hadn’t.

It was clear that from the moment he entered the residence, his cover had already been blown, and the entire household had been putting on a performance.

No wonder he was careless—the General’s household was simply more skillful.

The assassin knew this mission could only succeed; failure was not an option, and he couldn’t leave any loose ends.

The dagger in his hand suddenly turned direction, aimed at his own neck.

The General had already realized he was attempting suicide. Just as the dagger was mere millimeters from his throat, the General kicked it away.

Soon, the guards hidden in the room swarmed in and captured the assassin.

Now, the assassin was tightly controlled within the General of Nanyang’s residence. On several occasions, he had tried to take his own life, but was stopped every time.

The General interrogated him daily, but the assassin remained tight-lipped, exhausting every tactic without uttering a single word.

“In two days, give him the truth serum,” Jiang Yuelin said.

The General of Nanyang agreed. “I was thinking the same.”

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

The treatment of Zhao Jingtian continued until midnight.

The doctor wiped the sweat from his brow. “Sirs, after treatment, Ninth Prince’s life is no longer in danger. However, his feet were in the ice cellar too long. They’ve been saved, but he will likely need a cane to walk from now on.”

Jiang Yuelin didn’t care whether Zhao Jingtian’s feet would recover. As long as he lived—lived to identify Zhao Jingyan’s cruelty to his siblings.

In two days, they would completely bring Zhao Jingyan down in the Council Hall.

Meanwhile, evidence against Gao Yong—factionalism, eliminating rivals, deceiving the Emperor—had also been fully collected.

Everything was set. All that remained was the two-day wait.

Mingde Marquis Residence.

Wei Zhaorong flipped through the secret letter, then burned it immediately after reading.

She walked to the courtyard and quietly sat on a stone bench.

Only two days remained before the Dachong Dynasty would change hands.

The battle in the Council Hall would not be easy.

Luckily, there was Zhao Lingchen, Jiang Yuelin, and the General of Nanyang.

Recalling the previous life, Zhao Jingheng had had no support. By relying solely on his own ability, he had carved a path through a sea of blood and chaos—a testament to his hardships.

“Old Madam, why are you in the courtyard? Can’t sleep?”

Nanny Qi followed her out.

“Yes, I can’t sleep.” Wei Zhaorong looked up at the moon. “The new Emperor is about to ascend. The Dachong Dynasty will welcome a wise ruler.”

Two days later.

Council Hall.

The Imperial Guards still surrounded the hall. Zhao Jingyan and Gao Yong arrived first.

About the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Zhao Lingchen arrived punctually.

The elite bodyguards accompanying her were three times the number of the Imperial Guards.

Zhao Lingchen never fought a battle she wasn’t fully prepared for.

Against enemies as feral as wolves, a strike must land perfectly. Give them even the slightest chance, and one would be completely annihilated.

“Your Highness, Princess.”

Everyone bowed to Zhao Lingchen—except Zhao Jingyan.

Before Zhao Lingchen even entered, Zhao Jingyan had been staring at her.

If a glance could kill, Zhao Lingchen would already be in pieces.