The night sky grew darker as more clouds gathered. In the streets, the rhythmic sound of marching feet echoed. Torchlight flickered as a military commander led thousands of men to surround the Second Prince’s mansion.

The commander dismounted and signaled his subordinate to knock on the door. The mansion’s gates remained tightly shut, with the courtyard eerily silent despite being filled with people. Only the faint crackling of torches could be heard.

A soldier stepped forward, striking the vermilion door with the brass knocker. The dull thuds resonated, but no one answered. The commander gestured for the soldier to continue knocking. After a long while, with still no response and the courtyard deathly quiet, the commander called out, “Second Prince! This subordinate has been ordered to escort you to the palace for questioning!”

He paused briefly before repeating, “This subordinate has been ordered to escort you to the palace for questioning!”

Just as the commander was about to order his men to break down the door, a faint light appeared inside. Soon after, a side door opened, and a man poked his head out, looking bleary-eyed. Seeing the soldiers, he startled awake instantly. “Sir, His Highness went to the outskirts of the city tonight. He’s not in the mansion.”

The commander, seemingly ignoring his words, replied, “I’ve been ordered to search the Second Prince’s mansion and escort him to the palace for questioning. Will you open the door, or shall I force it open?”

Realizing the visitors’ ill intentions, the doorkeeper’s expression soured. Standing on the stone steps, he looked down at the commander haughtily, “I don’t care what your rank is. Trespassing is a serious crime, especially in the Second Prince’s residence! Without an imperial edict, I won’t open the door.”

“I’ll explain myself to the Second Prince when I see him!” The commander waved his hand. “Break it down!”

Seeing they were serious, the doorkeeper darted back inside, unable to close the side door before the soldiers pushed through.

The doorkeeper scampered towards the main courtyard like a rabbit. As the main gates opened, the commander led his men inside.

Suddenly, several black-clad figures appeared in the courtyard, blocking their path. These silent, ghostlike men exuded a murderous aura that terrified the soldiers, who dared not advance an inch.

“Cheng Jiang, you dare intrude on a prince’s mansion!” a low voice growled from the shadows as one of the black-clad men slowly emerged.

In the torchlight, Cheng Jiang noticed the silver crane embroidered on the man’s collar. His eyes widened in surprise. “The Crane Control Army?”

The man confirmed, “Indeed. We are the Crane Control Army, tasked by His Majesty to protect the Second Prince. Without an imperial decree, if you wish to search the mansion and take the Second Prince away today, you’ll have to step over our corpses!”

Knowing that each Crane Control Army expert could fight a hundred men, Cheng Jiang patiently explained, “Without His Majesty’s verbal order, I wouldn’t dare trespass on a prince’s mansion, no matter how bold I am. I hope you understand.”

“The Crane Control secret token,” the man demanded, extending his hand.

The secret token could mobilize the Crane Control Army. Only those possessing it could command them; even an imperial edict would be useless without it.

“In that case, don’t blame me!” Cheng Jiang said coldly. “If anyone dies in the Second Prince’s mansion today, even if the prince isn’t guilty of treason, he’ll face condemnation from the entire kingdom tomorrow. Since you’re protecting the Second Prince, consider my words carefully.”

The Crane Control squad leader replied emotionlessly, “That’s not our concern. We solely must protect the Second Prince’s safety.”

In the study at the back of the mansion, a young man in luxurious attire sat on a round-backed chair, his brow furrowed as he fidgeted with a jade pendant. Six advisors sat in order on his left and right.

After a long silence, one advisor suggested, “Your Highness, we don’t know if the Northern Camp will arrive in time. Perhaps we should leave the mansion quickly!”

The young man raised his eyes slightly, his voice hoarse, “I won’t leave.”

Seeing the advisor about to protest, he continued, “It’s not about being stubborn, but about refusing to become a fugitive. You understand the Crown Prince’s methods. If I abandon my current power base, we’ll be hunted down and killed. The outcome will be decided tonight.”

“Your Highness!” a man at the door called softly.

“What is it?” the young man asked.

The man reported urgently, “The Crane Control Army is holding off Cheng Jiang in the front courtyard.”

The young man was slightly surprised, clearly not expecting the Crane Control Army to come to his aid. He thought carefully, remembering a mysterious figure who had been secretly guiding him. A few nights ago, this person had told him that the Emperor was near death and advised him to prepare, offering some strategic suggestions.

Of course, he didn’t fully trust this information and had sent people to investigate discreetly. He also discussed the mysterious person’s strategies with his advisors, realizing that if the Emperor truly was on his deathbed, the suggested plans were indeed the most secure. Unfortunately, even his spies in the palace couldn’t gather information about the Emperor’s condition, so he could only make subtle adjustments, just in case.

The Second Prince knew that the Crown Prince must also be unable to obtain information; otherwise, he would have made obvious moves by now.

It wasn’t until today when he heard that the Crane Control Army had besieged Plum Blossom Village to seize medicine from Mo Sigui, that things changed. Even as the Emperor’s sons, they were unaware that the Crane Control Army was no longer the last line of defense loyal only to the Emperor and the Great Song Dynasty. It had long since been corrupted, its foundations shaken multiple times, infiltrated by external forces, and undergone more than one internal power struggle. So when a large contingent of the Crane Control Army went to seize the medicine, both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were almost certain that the Emperor’s condition was critical.

Although each time the mysterious person’s strategies had impressed the Second Prince, he could never fully trust someone whose face he’d never seen. Therefore, he wouldn’t adopt all of their suggestions, including this time. The mysterious person seemed to have anticipated this and had made preparations to remedy the situation.

Only now did the Second Prince believe that this person was truly loyal to him.

Excitement welled up in his heart at the thought of gaining such a talented advisor, whose influence, strategy, and martial arts were all extraordinary.

With this in mind, the Second Prince’s eyes shone brightly, strengthening his resolve. “We wait until the Northern Camp arrives!”

In the night, Chu Dingjiang sat on the study’s roof, listening to the commotion below and gazing towards the front courtyard.

To confirm the Emperor’s condition, Chu Dingjiang had engaged in combat with a highly skilled eunuch. Their abilities were evenly matched, and after half an hour of intense fighting, both sustained minor internal injuries. But Chu Dingjiang managed to confirm that the Emperor was indeed gravely ill.

However, having finally gained the Second Prince’s trust after countless efforts, Chu Dingjiang now faced a difficult choice just as he was about to help the Second Prince overcome this crisis and become the most outstanding “chess player” in the realm.

Although a schemer shouldn’t have misgivings, being forced into this decision angered Chu Dingjiang. It wasn’t just a simple choice; it blatantly showed him that his plans weren’t thorough enough.

This time, Wei Yuzhi had revealed his trump card, completely dismantling and dividing the Crane Control Army.

Chu Dingjiang had long anticipated this day, which was why he had Zhu Pianpian start a business beforehand. He had also absorbed many forces, and once they separated, they would need finances to sustain themselves.

Most of these people following Chu Dingjiang weren’t pursuing wealth and glory, but hoping to retire and live ordinary lives after completing this final task. Naturally, Chu Dingjiang had to prepare an exit strategy for them. This group only accounted for one-fifth of the total Crane Control Army.

On one side were the highly skilled Crane Control Army members, and on the other, a large military force. Dealing with either side alone would be challenging, and it was impossible to split his strength to handle both.

Chu Dingjiang gazed at the flickering torchlight, deep in thought. He had to make arrangements while there was still time.

In the night-shrouded Plum Blossom Village, the scent of plum blossoms wafted through the air.

The mist over the lake was even thicker than during the day, completely obscuring the island. A hundred Crane Control Army members waited on the shore for orders.

Over twenty Crane Control Army members rowed boats, slowly advancing towards the island using nets made from a special herb.

The Crane Control Army’s assassins, with their vast experience and dedicated intelligence department, quickly identified the flowers surrounding the island as Dream Flowers. Although dealing with these hallucinogenic poisonous flowers was tricky, they weren’t without methods and had prepared countermeasures.

Initially, the herbal nets blocked most of the poisonous gas, but the twenty-odd Crane Control Army members remained cautious, carefully maneuvering their boats to avoid the Dream Flower blossoms.

As they ventured deeper, everyone began to feel increasingly relaxed. An unprecedented sense of comfort enveloped their bodies. Some even started yawning, and many faces bore contented smiles as drowsiness set in.

The toxicity of the Dream Flowers was peculiar. Those affected first felt relaxed and comfortable, then fell asleep as the poison began to paralyze their central nervous system. The victims experienced hallucinations and, even if they didn’t kill each other, would eventually die from paralysis.

Sheng Changying, observing from a high vantage point, sighed slightly in relief. It seemed these were specially cultivated Dream Flowers, with toxicity that ordinary herbs couldn’t counteract.

The people on the island took turns resting. Ling Ziyue and Sheng Changying kept watch first, while the others rested on the first floor.

The night passed.

No one breached the first line of defense to reach the island, and the Crane Control Army remained inactive throughout the following day.

An Jiu sat on the roof, gazing at the sky and fiddling with a feathered arrow.

Sui Yunzhu prepared dinner and called from the space below, “Fourteen, come down for dinner.”

An Jiu pressed against the roof ridge and nimbly leaped down the pillar.

“Look quickly!” Lou Xiaowu exclaimed, pointing at the sky with her chopsticks while holding a rice bowl.

Everyone looked up to see several large “birds” circling overhead. Upon closer inspection, they realized each “bird” had a person hanging beneath it!

“This is an ancient mechanical technique passed down through generations,” Lou Xiaowu said, tossing aside her rice bowl. She rushed inside, grabbed a gun, and thrust it into An Jiu’s hands, urging, “A’Jiu, shoot them down.”

An Jiu gripped the gun, glancing at Ling Ziyue before loading the bullets.

Lou Xiaowu stood with her hands on her hips, rice grains stuck to her chubby cheeks, and said proudly, “Fortunately, we’re clever. Whether they fly in the sky, run on the ground, or swim in the water, we’re not afraid of any of them.”

An Jiu held the gun, not pulling the trigger for a long time. She was waiting for the targets to come within range.

As the “birds” circled closer and closer, everyone held their breath, not rushing her.

Just as the “birds” were about to land, two loud bangs rang out.

The “large birds” wobbled in the sky, then fell like kites with cut strings, swaying as they plummeted. Blood rained down like a crimson shower.