Demon Lord Gets Married

Chapter 185 - Plotting

It seemed that he was already prepared in his heart, so he wasn't too surprised to see the two of them there. However, Teng Yu's expression was rather grim as he confirmed that the mastermind behind the murder in Shenlu Mountain was indeed the Duke of Qin.

“Let's find another place to talk,” the Duke of Qin said, covering his nose and leading the way out of the room. There had been a crazed woman living here for a long time, and the old woman had been in so much pain that she couldn't control herself.

“Alright, let's go next door,” Lai Jiquan said, glancing at the old lady on the ground before turning to leave.

Teng Yu and the Mistress of Luo Hua City moved along as well, but they were extremely careful while moving on the rooftop. The two people below them were no trifling characters; any noise could expose them.

Even so, when they found a place to climb down and lifted a tile, a voice came from below: “Who's up there?”

When the light suddenly shone in, the highly sensitive Lai Jiquan immediately noticed it.

Teng Yu and Yin Xu exchanged glances and turned slightly sideways, but they did not leave.

Actually, the strand of light was extremely weak. Anyone else might not have detected it, but Lai Jiquan was ready to break through the roof when he heard the sound of a cat meowing from above.

“Haha, Manager Lai, no need to be nervous. Who would come here after eating their fill? Moreover, you have come to the Cold Palace; no one will think of looking here,” the Duke of Qin reassured.

Lai Jiquan thought about it and agreed. This was precisely why he chose this place to meet the Duke of Qin. All his years of hard work were not in vain; now everyone knew that he visited his benefactor here every month.

Naturally, no one would suspect anything.

“This servant is indeed too nervous, but you can't blame me. Anyone who does such a wicked thing would have a guilty conscience.”

“Haha, Manager Lai is joking. How can this be a matter that harms the heavens and the earth? In terms of wickedness, that person did quite a bit back then.” The Duke of Qin seemed lost in thought, recalling how his weakness back then allowed him to survive and become a threat to Emperor Dechang.

Lai Jiquan did not continue. The principle of the victor being king and the loser a bandit had never changed since ancient times.

Logically, he should be satisfied with his current status. He was the Emperor's most trusted confidant and the general director of the palace, commanding respect even from first-rank officials.

Emperor Dechang was a rational man. He knew the consequences of allowing a eunuch to gain too much power. Despite his trust in Lai Jiquan over the years, he never granted him the highest authority.

Moreover, the medicine given by the Duke of Qin was confirmed to be non-lethal. It would only affect the emperor's health, alter his temperament, and gradually impair his judgment.

“Do you have any other instructions for coming here today, Your Highness? We only promised you one condition; if you want us to do something else, we won't do it.”

The Duke of Qin sat on one side, looking at the dilapidated house. Seeing the thick layer of dust on the table, he shifted his gaze and said, “Manager Lai is overthinking things. How could I be so black-hearted? This is not the best time yet. The First Prince has the support of the Yun Family and is well-established. Although the Second Prince has been implicated by the Concubine Yang affair, his prestige in the Military Department is high. Even the seemingly insignificant Third Prince has transformed, becoming both civil and martial.”

At the mention of the Third Prince, Lai Jiquan's face turned grim. Others gaining power wouldn't threaten his position, but if the Third Prince rose to power, he would not only lose his status but also his life.

This was one of the reasons he had been persuaded by the Duke of Qin.

Ever since realizing Teng Yu's profound strength and influence, Lai Jiquan was even more determined to suppress him. Besides sowing discord in front of the emperor, he was also actively building his own forces.

The appearance of the Duke of Qin was an unexpected turn. When he came seeking him, he was in the Cold Palace, his home for over ten years, unaware of the hidden secret passages.

Initially, he didn't agree, but his biggest backer was the emperor. If the emperor fell, he would become powerless. Only a madman would agree to betray the emperor and join the Duke of Qin.

Even if the Duke of Qin ascended to the throne, how many years could he live? In the future, wouldn't he still face the fate of being hunted by his son?

However, many of the Duke of Qin's words resonated with him. Although he was the emperor's trusted aide, he didn't have the highest authority.

Lai Jiquan was ambitious too; otherwise, he wouldn't have held his position for so many years. Even if he couldn't emulate the era of the great eunuch, he should at least gain some face for himself.

Although he didn't have a son, the emperor gave him respect, bestowing him a wife and a foster son. His wife was docile, and his son was filial, so Lai Jiquan had to consider their future.

Recently, the emperor's trust in him had increased, and because the traitor's identity was unknown, the number of people the emperor trusted decreased. Many tasks were left to Lai Jiquan.

Lai Jiquan tasted the benefits and firmly believed his decision was correct.

“Don't worry, I'm not here to ask you to do something bad. I just want to know about the emperor's condition. This is part of our deal, and surely Manager Lai wouldn't disagree, right?”

“How could I dare?” Lai Jiquan disclosed the Emperor's current state, telling him half the truth. He was in a cooperative relationship with Qin Wang, not merely a pawn or spy.

The two didn't meet for long, as Lai Jiquan always stayed inside for two hours each time, so no one noticed anything amiss after he left. He even considerately asked a young eunuch to go to the Imperial Hospital and invite the old lady for an imperial physician.

Consequently, the young eunuch only brought back some medicine. Lai Jiquan wasn't angry, as if he had anticipated this outcome, and he carefully prepared the medicine and sent it to the cold palace.

When Teng Yu and Yin Xu returned to the residence, it was already late. After entering the room, they called Han Qing and Han Sen over and shared what they had heard.

Han Sen and Lai Jiquan were from the same generation and were quite familiar with each other.

If not for the protection of the Third Prince, he would have perished at the hands of that eunuch.

“I didn't expect him to be so ambitious and dissatisfied after reaching such heights. His Majesty truly misjudged him.”

“If he wasn't ambitious, he wouldn't have helped Imperial Consort Yun plot against my mother back then. If he wasn't ambitious, he wouldn't have driven a wedge between me and the Royal Father. Who knows what he's said to the Royal Father all these years.”

“This person must be eliminated!” Yin Xu said coldly.

With Lai Jiquan's current abilities and position, he was a significant threat. No matter how deep the palace's powers were, they couldn't compare to him. He had access to everything happening within the palace.

He might even know seventy to eighty percent of the informants and spies planted by various powers in the palace.

This was why Teng Yu didn't dare to use palace personnel lightly.

“If I want to get rid of him, I can only use the Emperor's hands. Otherwise, the Emperor will surely investigate the matter once he's dead. In the Emperor's eyes, even my son might not be as trustworthy as that old man! How sad.”

“Then find a way to expose him drugging the Emperor. With the Emperor's suspicious nature, it's impossible for him not to suspect someone close.”

“Alright, I will carefully plan this out. It would be best if I can make my move after we leave.”

Teng Yu let Yin Xu rest first, then went to the study to discuss things with his trusted aides. With a specific target in mind, everything would become much easier.

“I didn't expect the Duke of Qin to be so well-hidden. Perhaps even His Majesty wouldn't have thought of this, right?” An adviser sighed upon hearing this.

Teng Yu had suspected the Duke of Qin before, but he hadn't shared his suspicions with everyone.

Everyone listed out the powers within the Duke of Qin's household in detail. Of course, from tomorrow onwards, they would continue investigating. It was impossible for an old fox who had hidden so deeply not to have a hidden motive.

“Your Highness wants to borrow someone else's hand. Then we should carefully think of the most suitable person to lend it to.”

“Indeed, this is something we should not participate in directly. Even if we succeed in bringing down Lai Jiquan and the Duke of Qin, the Emperor might not be grateful.”

The fact that they revealed the truth that the Emperor himself couldn't discover showed how powerful they were. The Emperor would definitely not be pleased with this result.

“Other than that, only the two princes are more suitable. However, I think the Second Prince is more suitable than the First Prince.”

Teng Yu looked at the speaker, “Why do you say that?”

“Your Highness, you have forgotten, the First Prince is one of those who plotted against His Majesty. If he found out about this, he might not reveal it and might secretly deal with the Duke of Qin. On the other hand, the Second Prince, who lacks power and support, is eager to prove himself.”

Teng Yu nodded, “Moreover, it's much simpler to move Teng Ji than mother and son.”

With a general direction in mind, the discussion became even smoother. This group of people were accustomed to treachery, and it wasn't the first time they used someone's life for such purposes. Since they had connections, they formulated a plan in the latter half of the night.

“The Hall of Japan has already set off, and the matters of the palace will still be handed over to Han Sen. Han Sen will continue to stay in the palace and always be on the lookout for any changes.”

Although Han Sen wanted to go with Teng Yu, he knew that this matter was very important and someone had to be in charge of the mansion, so he could only agree.

However, after returning, he called Han Qing over and reminded him of many things.