Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 585: One Hundred Percent Certainty

He felt it was inappropriate, urged her to let go of the idea, but somehow he just couldn’t dissuade her and, out of a tender heart...alas.

She was his only daughter, whom he held so carefully for fear of her being hurt, and cherished so dearly for fear she would melt away, that in the end, he had gone through great lengths to grant her wish to enter the Eastern Palace.

Only afterwards did he realize that Lingyi might have harbored some feelings for the Crown Prince, but more than that, she couldn’t bear to see the daughter of the Xue Family doing well, unwilling to be inferior to Xue Wanjun for the rest of her life. She wanted to gain some leverage.

Over the years, he had countless times regretted not noticing her intentions earlier, having pushed her into a lair of dragons and a den of tigers.

Starting from ruining the marriage prospects of the Xue Family’s daughter, it seemed that Lingyi and that wretched woman were headed towards an inescapable death struggle...

Lian Bao stared at Liu Xianzhang, assessing something, yet remained silent.

Liu Xianzhang knew that the probing words he had just uttered must have angered the person. This was a normal reaction; if Mr. Wu did not take offense, he himself would not dare to trust.

He sighed deeply with exhaustion, and once again, he gave a respectful bow, sincerely saying, "I wish that Mr. Wu would bestow some advice, to show me and my daughter a clear path."

Lian Bao remained silent, his expression unreadable, and only after a moment did he sigh, "Elder Liu has a father’s tender heart, so be it. What we do is all for the downfall of the Xue Family. Once the Xue Family collapses, that Consort in the Imperial Palace will become driftwood without roots, easily manipulated by your daughter, will she not?"

His gaze drifted distantly towards the direction of the Imperial Palace, "Elder Liu has many disciples and former officials, but he is also aware that the Xue Family is now in a position of strength, and without any leverage against them, one can only avoid their sharp edges. In a chaotic situation, only those who keep their composure can laugh last. Elder Liu is not an impatient man; it is just that he does not trust someone, that’s all."

Liu Xianzhang opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

Lian Bao raised his hand to interrupt, "Since I have chosen Elder Liu as an ally, today I have a piece of advice for you. I hereby assert that the Xue Family is like a grasshopper after autumn, the higher they jump, the faster they will fall. When the time comes, Elder Liu can call upon his disciples and former officials to kick the Xue Family while they are down; there is no need to hurry too much. The same goes for the Noble Ladies in the palace. My words end here, Elder Liu can choose to listen or not, I will take my leave now."

Having said this, Lian Bao turned and strode out of the courtyard, his white robe and broad sleeves floating gracefully as if ascending beyond the dust of the world.

Not far away, Qian Chen, who was sitting with his eyes closed and holding a sword, suddenly opened his eyes, leapt from the rooftop, and flew to Lian Bao’s side, accompanying him as they left together.

The old servant supported Liu Xianzhang, "Master, are you just going to let him go like that?"

Liu Xianzhang’s thoughts were complex, and his face showed his illness and exhaustion. He wearily replied, "What else can be done?"

The old servant said, "Master, what kind of person are you? Why lower yourself before a junior? In the opinion of this old servant, if that person cannot be used by the master, it would be better to..."

Liu Xianzhang sighed lightly and shook his head, "This person has deep schemes, and I cannot see through him either. You think he only brought one person, assuming he is easy to bully; but I can tell that all the people in my residence combined are not a match for that one person by his side. Taking your life and mine would be no more than the flick of a wrist for him."

For a moment, he even felt the murderous intent that transpired from that person, but it eventually retracted, like his last words, the Xue Family is their common enemy, with no hatred or grievances between them, there was no need to be enemies.

If he dared to make a move, there would be no life left for him.

The old servant was shocked, that swordsman with a sword and an unfazed expression did all this?

"Let everyone disperse," Liu Xianzhang said, not wanting to discuss the matter further, and he continued, "That Thousand-Year Ganoderma is needed by Lingyi. The Longevity Festival is soon; arrange to present it to the Emperor as soon as possible."

The old servant was taken aback and could not immediately respond, "Master, this..."

Liu Xianzhang patted his hand, "I know what you are thinking, but rest assured, the current Son of Heaven won’t covet just a Thousand-Year Ganoderma."

When he initially resigned from the position of Libationer, the current Son of Heaven still remembered fondly his services. Over the years, the precious medicinal materials he provided for his daughter to cling to life were countless, never once being stingy.

The Ganoderma, offered under his name, would be awarded to his daughter in due time.

The old servant respectfully answered, "Yes, master, be at ease. Please wait a moment."

He walked to the center of the garden and called out to every corner, "Disperse on your own."

Rustling sounds came from around, and it was a while before everything went quiet.

After leaving Liu Xianzhang’s residence, Lian Bao’s face was ice-cold.

As the carriage traveled a distance, Lian Bao asked, "Qian Chen, how many people were lurking in the house?"

Qian Chen answered expressionlessly, "Over thirty."

Lian Bao asked another question, "If we killed that old man, how confident are you?"

Qian Chen replied succinctly, "One hundred percent. The pursuers, troubling."

Lian Bao was somewhat surprised but then thought, Sister Li had traveled far and wide over the years; if Qian Chen’s martial arts were not good, it probably wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

He had his answer.

During their conversation, he had already harbored the intent to kill; this old man and his daughter were the people he most wanted to kill after Guo Neng.

However, considering that this old man had many former officials and disciples, he was the best candidate to kick the Xue Family while they were down. Most importantly, he still needed this old man to stabilize his daughter, who was like a mad dog, so he held back.

He also didn’t want to implicate Qian Chen and Sister Li. The jianghu and the court were two different worlds, each with its own rules. The old man’s true face had not yet been revealed; he couldn’t let them be subject to the government’s wanted lists and face endless pursuit in the future.

The night’s conversation with that old man was not without gains.

At the very least, it gave him the intuition that the current situation in the Capital’s court was man-made, deliberately conjured up to create a fiery and tense environment. Behind the scenes, there must be a big hand playing this grand game, using the former court’s harem as the board and the court officials as pawns, with Xue Ping also being nothing more than a pawn.

Such a big game, yet it only affected those within; the Capital’s commoners felt nothing, continuing to live peacefully and harmoniously.

Such grand moves, such stable public sentiment, the person playing this game must be the current Son of Heaven, if not him, then who else?

But what role did his little sister play in the hands of that chess player? Was she also a pawn?

Thinking of this, Lian Bao’s face turned a few shades paler, and his heart ached unbearably, his worries deep.

Imperial power, the court, the Imperial Heir, the Favored Concubine, were his sister’s favor and misfortune also part of the calculation?

If possible, he only wished for his little sister to live in peace and safety, for the family to be together, to find her a decent and honest husband, and to lead a content and humble life without being embroiled in this dirty maelstrom.

He suddenly felt a little lost. That mad dog was still in the Harem, ready to harm his little sister at any moment. He couldn’t pin his hopes on that old man, but what could he do?

The Internal Guard Bureau was a shortcut, but he had no confidence in the face of the court and imperial power; what was the life of a Favored Concubine worth?

Could the Internal Guard Bureau be trusted?

Even if the current Son of Heaven was aware of this matter, would he punish the daughter of someone with a wide network of former officials and disciples and a reputation for integrity, just for his powerless, unimportant, and rootless little sister?

Lian Bao suppressed the complex thoughts swirling in his head and sighed inwardly; he had to quickly compose his facial expression, for he still had to hide the truth from his mother and the others when he returned.

He lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked toward the bright moon, silently thinking, by now Uncle Ma must have been successful, right?

He couldn’t leave the city now; he had to wait for dawn.

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