April 22, 2018

By the time they left the chess room, the sky was nearing dusk.

"So, we’re supposed to go see Zhao Hongwen next?" Shen Qingming asked wearily, "I just feel like it won’t be of any use. Even her own father has this attitude; expecting that fence-sitter uncle to shout in support for her is too unrealistic."

Li Chaolu also complained, "Exactly, and making such a fuss over first and second choices, speaking with such confidence, yet everyone she picks is a disaster. Even her own father doesn’t support her; will this Zhao Hongwen call the guards to have us arrested right away?"

Shen Qingming said, "I think it’s very possible. This Zhao Chenlu is really a deep and unfathomable pit. How about we withdraw early?"

After speaking, the girls looked at Wang Jiu with hopeful eyes, wishing he would agree for once and lead the team back to Cyan Cloud, leaving Zhao Chenlu behind.

Wang Jiu only pondered in silence, naturally not taking their suggestion seriously.

The situation was indeed worse than expected, but the Celestial Divine Sword wouldn’t simply abandon teammates just because things were grim.

When push comes to shove, even if he has to single-handedly storm Zhao Chenlu’s self-made ironclad fortress in Golden Jade City, Wang Jiu wouldn’t hesitate, especially now as it seems there might still be a turning point.

——

Before parting, Zhao Hongxue briefly updated Wang Jiu on the current state of the coup members.

In short, they were actually just a ragtag bunch, at most a slightly historical ragtag bunch.

The coup group was initially formed twenty years ago when Zhao Chenlu boldly rose to power. Led by the brothers Zhao Hongwu and Zhao Hongwen, the older generation of ruling class formed this underground organization, wholeheartedly planning to overthrow Zhao Chenlu’s evil rule.

To quickly expand influence and recruit more members, the leader Zhao Hongwu chose an all-inclusive recruitment strategy. Over twenty years, the group grew from the original eight members to five, among whom only the Wen Wu brothers were the somewhat determined backbone of the coup, while others, including Zhao Hongxue, wavered in their commitment. The biggest reason for joining was the weekly organizational gatherings—held weekly by Zhao Hongwu for brainstorming, these gatherings often took place in restaurants under the guise of a meal. Zhao Hongwu was a connoisseur of fine cuisine with years of extraordinary culinary experience, and each meal, or rather organizational gathering, received widespread praise from the members.

If this kind of organization developed according to normal historical trends, it would likely dissolve naturally in a few years as funds ran out, with absolutely no chance of success.

Until the addition of a key figure changed everything.

Zhao Lingbo.

Heaven knows why this personal maid of Zhao Chenlu would choose to betray, but when she proactively reached out to Zhao Hongwu’s Golden Jade City gourmet scouting team, Zhao Hongwu felt like a fish in water.

What followed was a very classic ambush. Zhao Lingbo, who was personally trained by Zhao Chenlu, chose a flawless moment, using the Golden Jade Seventeen-Link Lock set up by Zhao Chenlu herself, to subdue this master whose name shook the world.

But subduing Zhao Chenlu was just the beginning of the coup. As a group with a 20-year history, Zhao Hongwu and others didn’t even have a complete action plan when launching the coup. Zhao Hongwen even originally planned to order seafood takeout to comfort the team after the plan’s failure.

Upon learning of the coup’s preliminary success, with Zhao Chenlu subdued in the Chain Lock, the team’s first reaction was to quickly cancel the takeout and find a big restaurant for a celebratory banquet...

This is also why the first few days after the coup, the entire Golden Jade City was calm and quiet, because even the coup members themselves hadn’t expected to succeed!

Everything that followed was done in haste, including the rapid recruitment of people, forming a new leadership team, reassuring miscellaneous individuals to maintain normal operations at the City Lord’s Mansion, and planning how to divvy up this huge piece of meat... as well as deciding what to do with Zhao Chenlu, who was subdued.

According to Zhao Hongxue, the group spent an entire night discussing but couldn’t come up with a good way to deal with Zhao Chenlu. Usually, after a successful coup, the family of the former ruler should be swiftly executed to prevent future troubles, but facing Zhao Chenlu, this standard solution had two problems. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The first is her great reputation throughout Xiangzhou, making the cost of killing her astronomically high. Her relationship with the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect alone would give many pause.

The second, and most important point is, although Zhao Chenlu is suppressed in the Seventeen Linked Rings and cannot escape, outsiders can’t get in either—to get in is to face a furious Zhao Chenlu—let alone kill her, at least with the resources of the coup members, they are utterly helpless.

If they don’t kill her, should they just leave her in the Seventeen Linked Rings? That would make it hard for everyone to sleep well, fearing she might one day break out and seek revenge.

In desperation, the idea of a public trial emerged, delaying it by 10 days. Using this time to gather evidence of her crimes, strive for more allies, and then find a way to deal with this scourge together.

And this is where Wang Jiu saw a turning point.

Shen Qingming listened but was indifferent: "...What kind of turnaround is this? Although there are still 7 days left, Zhao Chenlu’s base is so weak. Can you really turn things around in these 7 days?"

Wang Jiu said: "Yes, after hearing Zhao Hongxue’s situation report, I think turning the tables is very achievable. First of all, the opponent’s base is equally unstable, currently still at the rabble stage, just relying on a few core leaders to maintain cohesion, so as long as these few cores are removed, the enemy camp will naturally collapse..."

"You’re planning an assassination in Golden Jade City!?"

Wang Jiu said: "Assassination is the worst option. Unless there’s an unavoidable reason, I won’t harm humans easily."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming almost burst into laughter, won’t harm humans easily? Living together for nearly a year, using the Immovable Tyrant Body to harm her physically and using understanding to harm her emotionally, making a 15-year-old girl covered in bruises, yet he has the nerve to say he won’t harm humans easily? Are less intelligent girls supposed to be expelled from humanity?!

"Of course, considering that the Celestial Divine Sword is essentially a weapon, conversely, as long as there is an unavoidable reason, I won’t mind harming humans either."

"Then you must be very good at finding reasons for yourself."

"Of course, my Intelligence Index is 9."

"..."

"However, when it comes to this situation, dismantling the coup team doesn’t require using assassination tactics. Their internal cohesion is lacking, their goals are unclear, they’re still a rabble. Any disturbance might cause them to dissolve naturally." Wang Jiu continued, "Secondly, no matter how disliked Zhao Chenlu is at the top levels, her base among the middle and lower classes is still stable."

"Even though public opinion polls show mixed reviews for her among the middle and lower classes... but fine, even if her base is stable, what good does it do? Golden Jade City was crafted by her own hand into a city of dictatorship. The opinions of the middle and lower classes can’t affect the upper levels at all. She has cut off her own path to survival, reaping what she sowed."

Wang Jiu said: "Indeed, during Zhao Chenlu’s rule, the middle and lower classes in Golden Jade City had no influence on the regime. But now her reign is over. The new government is weak and needs to hold public trials to appease the populace, making the power of the middle and lower classes valuable."

Shen Qingming asked: "So you plan to sway the middle and lower classes of Golden Jade City, fully utilize this democratic opportunity, and lead Golden Jade City back to the era of dictatorship?"

"Yes."

"...The thought process of the Celestial Divine Sword is indeed extraordinary."

Wang Jiu nodded in agreement: "During the Jiuzhou era, only two people on the Jiuzhou Continent could match my intelligence, so it’s no surprise you’d express such amazement."

"I’m being sarcastic!"

"I’m not." Wang Jiu finished speaking, ignored Shen Qingming’s anger, and continued, "Based on these points, I believe the next plan should be in two parts: first, dismantle the coup team to weaken the enemy’s strength, and second, mobilize the power of the middle and lower classes to consolidate Zhao Chenlu’s base."

"Your analysis is logical, but how do you plan to implement it specifically?"

Wang Jiu said: "First, you must know the enemy and yourself to win a hundred battles. Currently, our intelligence is still lacking. Our understanding of the opponent is superficial, with a serious lack of first-hand intelligence. So the first step is to fill this intelligence gap."

Shen Qingming listened and gradually felt something was off: "How do you plan to fill in the gaps?"

"Infiltrate the enemy ranks, disguise myself as one of the coup plotters, and leverage my talents to quickly rise to the top to gather valuable first-hand information."

"..." Shen Qingming wordlessly covered her face, feeling as though she had completely expected this.

Wang Jiu said: "Regarding disguising as a coup plotter, I have several advantages. First is the intelligence advantage. Compared to the current Xiangzhou Continent’s average intelligence level of 3 to 4, my Intelligence Index is far ahead, ensuring that I take the initiative in the disguise process. Secondly is the intelligence advantage, being an old acquaintance of Zhao Chenlu, I know her weaknesses very well. Lastly is the technical advantage. My Illusion Sword Technique, after enhancement, currently has no detectable flaws, ensuring I can freely disguise as any face without being discovered."

"Alright, alright, we already know how impressive you are. Just go, and I wish you a smooth journey."

——

The Celestial Divine Sword has always been very efficient. After receiving his comrade’s approval, he disguised himself using the Illusion Sword Technique to appear as a middle-aged Sword Cultivator and went straight to the City Lord’s Mansion in Golden Jade City. He spoke to the guards at the gate.

"I am Zhao Xinyu, an Independent Cultivator from Golden Jade City, holding a deep-seated grudge against former City Lord Zhao Chenlu. I heard there’s to be a public trial soon in the city, so I’ve come to offer my advice."