My heart grew cold. “So, we need to keep this a secret, but how long can we hide it?”
“Until you become empress,” An Jin tightened his arm, his eyes slightly bright. “Or until we find Xia Zhi Yong.”
“Xia Zhi Yong?!” I suddenly understood. Xia Zhi Yong, having been the crown prince, knew many of the Qi Emperor’s secrets and might know something about the sterility potion’s antidote. However—”He has already disappeared without a trace. How can we find him?”
An Jin gave me a meaningful look. “We don’t need to look for him. He will come to us on his own.”
Chapter 67: A Smart Person Acting Foolishly
In the arrangement of Yan Or, Xia Zhichun, and An Jin, forcing the Crown Prince Xia Zhiyuan to stage a coup was their most crucial step. Only by making Xia Zhiyuan commit the unfilial act of rebelling against his father could Xia Zhichun righteously leverage the power of Xiliang to counterattack under the banner of justice.
This design was assigned to An Jin in their collaboration.
Although the Secret Department had been purged by the Qi Emperor, many of their hidden agents in Yanfeng had not been exposed. Some of these agents were even positioned around Xia Zhiyuan, including the graceful dancing girl, Feiwu.
An Jin secretly issued orders for them to work together to provoke Xia Zhiyuan into staging a coup. However, Xia Zhiyuan was naturally suspicious and cunning. While he had harbored thoughts of seizing the throne, he had been quietly restraining himself, waiting for the right moment. No matter how the Secret Department’s agents acted, he remained inactive and grew suspicious of those trying to incite him.
An Jin had no choice but to have these agents adopt more covert methods. At the same time, he worked to sow discord between the Crown Prince and the Qi Emperor. The three of them thought it would take more time for their plan to succeed. However, with the birth of the Xiliang Crown Prince and Xia Zhiyuan’s trip to Xiliang, he suddenly changed his usually cautious approach upon returning and began preparing for the coup, catching them by surprise and prompting them to prepare for the real counterattack.
I listened, my teeth clenched tightly.
