I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 230

Chapter 230

When the first piece of news was heard, the emperor’s sinister gaze had already turned towards the outside, where Ning Ziheng stood. Ning Ziheng, being outside, couldn’t hear what was happening inside and thus had no reaction.

And upon hearing the second piece of news, the commander of the imperial guards who had been inside the hall already knelt down, angrily retorting, “Your Majesty, this is impossible. The complete version of the palace defense map exists only in two copies, one in Your Majesty’s possession and the other in my hands. These thieves couldn’t possibly have it.”

With a wave of the emperor’s hand, the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Court of Justice Review immediately demanded the defense map for comparison. Upon comparison, there was hardly any difference.

The defense map, to be drawn accurately, requires an understanding of the entire operation of the Imperial Guards within the palace. It was deemed impossible for outsiders to obtain this knowledge, and even members of the Imperial Guards wouldn’t know the complete defense map. If it hadn’t leaked from the emperor’s side, it must have leaked from the side of the commander of the Imperial Guards.

Suddenly realizing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards immediately kowtowed and protested, claiming it definitely didn’t leak from his side. However, it was even more improbable for someone to acquire it from the emperor’s side. It could only be a mistake on the side of the commander of the Imperial Guards. His face turned pale, unable to argue, only able to protest.

Despite any lingering doubts on his side, the fact that assassins managed to infiltrate the palace and attempt an assassination under the noses of the Imperial Guards was the greatest negligence, an offense punishable by death, without question.

“Remove from office, throw into the dungeon, and hand over to the Imperial Court of Justice Review for thorough investigation,” the emperor almost gritted his teeth as he looked at the person he had once trusted, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng’s expression changed at this moment, not because of the defense map, but because the commander of the Imperial Guards was his confidant. He used to be Zhao Cheng’s deputy commander and was promoted to the commander of the Imperial Guards together with him four years ago after they both distinguished themselves.

If the commander had a problem, then he would inevitably be suspected by the emperor as well.

Zhao Cheng felt as if everything that happened tonight was like a calamity about to befall him. His legs went weak, and he almost wished to kneel down.

The emperor’s gaze swept coldly, finally landing on Huo Luo’s head. “From today onwards, Huo Luo will lead the Imperial Guards.”

Zhao Cheng’s pupils contracted. The emperor indeed didn’t trust them anymore. He handed over the crucial position of guarding the Imperial City to an outsider rather than their own people. Did he really suspect them, or… was he finally going to discard them when they were no longer useful? Now, even Zhao Cheng began to doubt the emperor’s intentions.

The crowd was shocked to hear this news; it was a promotion of several levels at once!

Huo Luo stepped forward calmly to receive the decree.

Yue Chen watched everything unfold, feeling relieved in his heart. Once again, he marveled at how everything seemed to be orchestrated by His Highness. Even Huo Luo, after observing for a long time, couldn’t draw the defense map on his own. However, His Highness managed to grasp the defense patterns by circling the city several times, using the Fourth Prince as a cover, visiting the guard posts. Such talent was truly admirable, to the point of being beyond envy. Yet, there was also the credit due to the painting prodigy Lin Qingyang. It was unexpected that when these two collaborated, what they produced was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

Before long, the commander of the Imperial Guards was stripped of his official attire and brought down in a sorry state. Before Ning Ziheng could react, he was separately brought before the emperor for interrogation. Naturally, Ning Ziheng refused to admit to something he hadn’t done. Any matters related to the royal family received scrutiny from the Blood Abyss Pavilion’s master; otherwise, they wouldn’t even accept the task. Therefore, Ning Ziheng was certain that those people were not affiliated with the Blood Abyss Pavilion.

However, the Blood Abyss Pavilion was already under the emperor’s influence. With the command from the pavilion’s master, a direct investigation would reveal that a large number of assassins had been hired and dismissed around the same time, with a number close to those involved in today’s assassination attempt. This inevitably led the emperor to suspect that Ning Ziheng had orchestrated everything.

Indeed, Ning Ziheng was like a venomous snake. For the sake of his protege, he was willing to do anything crazy. The emperor already felt guilty about the death of Qi Ci; naturally, he began to suspect whether Ning Ziheng had known something in advance and intentionally placed himself nearby, waiting for the enemies to gather so he could retaliate.

The more the emperor thought about it, the more he felt this possibility. Still, he asked, “Do you think someone is framing you? Who? And why?”

Ning Ziheng suddenly froze, clearly contemplating something, but…

Seeing Ning Ziheng unable to speak, the emperor snorted coldly and immediately had him privately detained, revoking his authority over the Blood Abyss Pavilion.

However, the Blood Abyss Pavilion required a pavilion master, and the emperor couldn’t oversee it himself anymore. Whom could he temporarily appoint to fill the position? Whom could he trust? Suddenly, the emperor realized that his trusted circle was shrinking.

Nevertheless, the emperor did think of one person.

Before long, Chief Steward Hai, carrying the pavilion master’s command, exited the hall with a tense demeanor.

Walking out almost with an empty mind, suddenly his shoulder was tapped.

“Chief Steward Hai, what’s the matter??” Yue Chen smiled and asked.

Chief Steward Hai composed himself, unable to suppress a smirk. “It’s just admiration in my heart, with a touch of sentiment,” he said, patting his own chest. “Lord Yue, rest assured.”

Yue Chen’s eyes brightened, understanding immediately. He smiled and swayed away.

That night, all the goals set by His Highness were achieved.

The Fourth Prince’s reputation increased; a rift formed between the emperor and General Zhao; the emperor no longer trusted Ning Ziheng to lead the Blood Abyss Pavilion and even suspected him of plotting to assassinate him; compared to the close Chief Steward Sheng, the emperor now trusted Chief Steward Hai, who had sacrificed himself to save him; the responsibility of guarding the palace was now entrusted to Huo Luo.

With this, the emperor’s circle of influence became even smaller.

At the same time, Lin Qingyang’s mind was repeatedly filled with system notification sounds.

【Main Mission 2, Mission 20: Successfully help the male lead take over the responsibility of palace guards.】

【Ding, Side Quest: Successfully assist the male lead in gaining influence over the Blood Abyss Pavilion.】

With a deep breath, Lin Qingyang almost felt like crying as he looked at the progress and points. Now that he had activated a backup plan, he could practically resolve any difficulties with his accumulated points. His heart was finally at ease.

Seeing Chu Lishu still waiting for news, he wanted to inform him of everything going smoothly as soon as possible.

However, Yue Chen arrived soon after, informing Chu Lishu of the latest developments. Huo Luo was temporarily dealing with the arrangement of the Imperial Guards’ duties and was unavailable at the moment.

Yue Chen’s expression turned troubled, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, “Will Ning Ziheng die?” He didn’t particularly care about Ning Ziheng’s fate, but rather about Qi Ci’s side…

Chu Lishu shook his head. He didn’t know. From the moment they devised this plan, he hadn’t thought about what might happen to Ning Ziheng. Even if he died, it would be the fate he deserved.

Lin Qingyang’s heart stirred. In fact, he knew. According to this plan, while Ning Ziheng would suffer a severe setback, he wouldn’t die.

Following the progression of the original plot, at this point, the emperor only temporarily imprisoned Ning Ziheng. However, feeling resentful and unwilling to accept his fate, Ning Ziheng harbored hatred towards the male lead. They had engaged in several life-and-death struggles, so Ning Ziheng was convinced that the male lead was Yuan Ran. Aware that his fate was designed by the male lead, Ning Ziheng saw that his cause was lost and decided to take a risk and escape. He was determined that even if he died, he would take Yuan Ran down with him to meet Qi Ci.

Thus, he attempted to assassinate the male lead directly. This led to Chu Lishu encountering danger and being coincidentally saved by the Saintess. Ning Ziheng was captured once again, angering the emperor who intended to execute him. However, Ning Ziheng did not take the opportunity to expose Yuan Ran. Just before his death, he revealed to the male lead the identity of the previous pavilion master of the Blood Abyss Pavilion. Coincidentally, at that time, in order to help Chief Steward Hai gain the emperor’s trust, Yuan Ran arranged for Chief Steward Hai to rescue the emperor. He cleverly used this to his advantage, deceiving the emperor and gaining control of the Blood Abyss Pavilion’s influence.

Although the sequence of events may have varied slightly, the overall outcome remained the same.

Lin Qingyang believed that Ning Ziheng probably wouldn’t attempt to kill Chu Lishu anymore, especially now that Qi Ci had returned. If the emperor didn’t take action, there was a chance Ning Ziheng might not die.

However, Chu Lishu was still concerned about Ning Ziheng.

Due to Qi Ci’s sudden return, Chu Lishu had been exposed to many vulnerabilities. He wasn’t sure if Ning Ziheng would make any connections, so he had already instructed Chief Steward Hai to keep an eye on Ning Ziheng once the emperor began to trust him. If Ning Ziheng showed any signs of wanting to betray him, Chu Lishu would do everything in his power to silence him.

So whether Ning Ziheng will die or not depends on whether he harbors any more intentions to retaliate against them.

At night, the envoys finally returned to their own quarters amidst noisy chatter. The Saintess, concerned about Qi Ci’s wounds, discovered that he had more than one injury on his body. She quickly urged Qi Ci to seek treatment from the palace physician.

Qi Ci ventured out alone, but instead of seeking the palace physician, he intended to search for the eunuch who had caught his attention.

As he passed by a corner, he suddenly felt a cold wind, prompting him to react immediately, striking out. However, his assailant wasn’t trying to attack him; instead, they aimed to remove his hat and veil.

The newcomer was skilled and launched a sudden attack. Qi Ci, caught off guard, had all his disguises removed, revealing a face marred by scars almost split apart by a knife. Despite this, his handsome features were still discernible, showcasing his former charm as a young man.

“Big Brother Qi! It’s really you!”

Qi Ci’s body stiffened. The tone seemed to be calling him, indicating that if one eunuch recognized him, others might too.

Sensing that the other person had no intention of attacking again, Qi Ci also relaxed his stance, although his body remained tense, like a black panther ready to pounce at any moment. He appeared calm, but every inch of his being exuded explosive energy.

Before him stood four individuals.

He had seen them all at the banquet before, and one of them had even taken away the distraught eunuch.

“Black Feather Guard, Ah Wu, are you all here to find me?” Qi Ci didn’t believe in coincidences. These individuals were obviously lying in wait for him.

Huo Luo, facing Qi Ci directly, felt quite shocked. “It’s really Big Brother Qi, Big Brother Qi! You don’t remember anything about us? You don’t even remember the name Qi Ci? Have you really lost your memory?”

Qi Ci’s gaze flickered as he carefully scrutinized the expressions on the faces of these individuals. He didn’t recognize them, but their expressions seemed genuine, devoid of hostility.

Seeing Qi Ci’s lack of reaction, Huo Luo grew anxious, but Yue Chen stopped him and spoke directly, “You are Qi Ci, formerly a general under Crown Prince Yuan Ran of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Four years ago, you went missing during the battle of Tongjia Pass with the Crown Prince and were presumed dead. We are all your trusted friends, Big Brother Qi. Have you lost your memory? Perhaps you only remember the past four years. If what I’m saying is correct, you should consider our words. There are many people who want to kill you now, including the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You can’t expose yourself recklessly in front of others. And I believe the people of Tianheng Kingdom probably don’t know who you are or where you come from, otherwise they wouldn’t have let you go. After all, you were a general who led troops against them.”

Yue Chen didn’t care whether Qi Ci believed him or not; he decided to tell him all the truths to avoid any misunderstandings.

However, Qi Ci couldn’t simply trust someone because they put on a heartfelt performance. His cautious nature had been instilled in him since childhood by Ning Ziheng and Yuan Ran. Even if he had amnesia, caution was ingrained in his bones. Moreover, his experiences over the past few years had taught him never to trust anyone completely. Apart from the Saintess, he trusted almost no one. So, he decided to probe further and asked, “Is that so? Do I still have any family? Who are the people closest to me?”

“You are a palace slave with no family left. As for the closest people to you, there are two. One is Crown Prince Yuan Ran, your loyal master. The other is… your foster father, Ning Ziheng, the eunuch you just encountered in the hall. Didn’t he recognize you at that time?”

As Yue Chen finished speaking, Qi Ci suddenly made a move, catching everyone off guard. With a feigned strike, he attempted to escape, but as he turned, he found Chu Lishu blocking his path. It turned out that Chu Lishu had anticipated his actions.

However, Qi Ci could tell that Chu Lishu had no internal energy. Without any concerns, he attacked Chu Lishu. But what he didn’t expect was that even without internal energy, Chu Lishu managed to evade two consecutive strikes from him. In that brief moment, it was enough for Huo Luo to catch up.

However, Huo Luo wasn’t really a match for Qi Ci either; he could only barely hold him back.

“Big Brother Qi, what’s wrong with you? Did we say something wrong just now? If you have any doubts, feel free to ask, and we can answer them.” Yue Chen was bewildered, unsure why Qi Ci suddenly reacted like this, as if he had decided they were lying.

In the midst of the chaos, there was suddenly a loud crash as a flowerpot shattered against the back of Qi Ci’s head, knocking him unconscious.

The others looked at Lin Qingyang in surprise, who was holding the shards of the flowerpot.

Lin Qingyang wore an embarrassed expression. “I hope I didn’t cause any problems. I controlled the force. I just felt that if we continued to delay, it would attract attention from others. Besides… why waste time talking with someone who has amnesia? Let’s seize the opportunity to have Mu Huichun treat him. Maybe he’ll recover. Although it’s a bit troublesome…”

Yue Chen and Huo Luo were left dumbfounded by Lin Qingyang’s actions, momentarily unable to react.

Chu Lishu nodded in agreement. “That’s a good suggestion. Anyway, after tonight, Huo Luo will have the final say on who enters and exits the imperial city.”

Yue Chen immediately tapped Huo Luo’s head. “Why didn’t you think of that?”

Huo Luo retorted, “You’re so clever, didn’t you think of it either?”

So the two of them quickly discussed arrangements. Just to be safe, Chu Lishu decided to give Qi Ci some medicine to prevent him from suddenly waking up. He also took the opportunity to check on Qi Ci’s head, which had been struck by Lin Qingyang.

As they turned Qi Ci over, unintentionally, a mark on the back of Qi Ci’s neck was revealed.

In an instant, Chu Lishu froze, his expression changing drastically. A surge of bloodlust flickered in his eyes, and his hands trembled. Due to the force, he bit his lips until they bled, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth. However, when Lin Qingyang squatted down beside him and asked what was wrong, Chu Lishu quickly regained his composure, suppressing his emotions. He reached out and pulled up Qi Ci’s collar to cover the mark, his expression appearing unchanged as if nothing had happened. He replied slowly, “It’s nothing.”

But his voice was hoarse.

Lin Qingyang naturally noticed and expressed concern, “Why does your voice sound hoarse? Did you catch a cold?”

Sitting down, Chu Lishu leaned towards Lin Qingyang as if he were completely exhausted. “I feel a bit tired. Let me lean on you for a moment.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll give you my cloak. I can’t let you catch a cold,” Lin Qingyang said, about to take off his cloak. However, Chu Lishu stopped him and couldn’t help but nestle into Lin Qingyang’s arms. “This will do.”

Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but smile, feeling as if Chu Lishu was being a bit spoiled. He then opened up his arms to make Chu Lishu more comfortable.

“Is he alright?”

“He’s fine now,” Chu Lishu replied, despite his hoarse voice.

Once Yue Chen and Huo Luo had made their arrangements, they consulted with Chu Lishu and prepared to arrange for Mu Huichun to infiltrate the palace under the guise of a young eunuch. This required assistance from Chief Steward Hai.

Acting swiftly, once Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang had brought Qi Ci back to the Wenbo Pavilion, Yue Chen immediately left the palace to contact Lu Yi and his men who were stationed outside. He instructed them to swiftly bring the necessary personnel and to disguise them before entering the palace.

Meanwhile, the Emperor summoned Zhao Cheng, holding in his hand a portrait of Concubine Mei recently obtained from a Western artist. Upon entering, Zhao Cheng was so overwhelmed that he nearly kneeled straight away.

The Emperor, however, did not mention Concubine Mei’s matter but instead inquired about how the leader of the Imperial Guard should be dealt with. Naturally, Zhao Cheng replied that it was up to the Emperor to decide. The Emperor seemed satisfied with this response, but Zhao Cheng felt uneasy. After much consideration, he suddenly thought of a way to shift the Emperor’s attention by offering a means of redeeming oneself through meritorious deeds.

“Your Majesty, there is a matter I wish to report. During today’s martial arts competition, I observed the Black Feather Guard from the Tianheng Kingdom…”

Meanwhile, Baya also made a nocturnal visit to Yu Suoxi’s chambers.

As Baya entered, he found Yu Suoxi completely absorbed in something. His bed was filled with details of recent events in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Baya naturally had no interest in these documents and quickly said, “Prince Regent, there’s trouble. Do you know who the Black Feather Guard you sent to participate in today’s competition is?”

Yu Suoxi then slowly raised his head, his expression showing signs of agitation.

“Oh? Who is it?” Yu Suoxi’s tone was serious in a way Baya had not witnessed before.

Faced with this imposing aura, Baya couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated. “It’s… it’s General Qi, who once served under Crown Prince Yuan Ran. He’s the one I personally defeated.”

Yu Suoxi was initially taken aback, then her dark eyes gradually lit up, as if he had suddenly realized something. Despite a last trace of doubt, the expression of ecstatic joy on his face was almost uncontrollable.

“It’s him… If it’s him, then he’s… If that’s the case, then it’s perfect! It’s perfect!” he muttered excitedly, his voice tinged with madness.

Baya stared at Yu Suoxi in astonishment as he rambled on. Then, he burst into wild laughter, his expression almost grotesque, like someone who had been dozing off nonchalantly but suddenly woke up, realizing there was prey ahead, and immediately shifted into a state of hunting frenzy.

Such a scene inevitably filled people with fear and trepidation. “Your… Your Highness, I didn’t know how that guy, Qi Ci, managed to survive, or how he infiltrated the Black Feather Guard. But this man cannot be left alive. He… he’s an enemy and must die. Your Highness, if he’s discovered by the Emperor of the Great Zhou, who knows what trouble it could cause. After all, Qi Ci had no charges against him back then, so… we need to act swiftly…”

Baya made a gesture to silence, but he was suddenly met with Yu Suoxi’s cold gaze.

“Qi Ci… must live.”

“What?! Your Highness, this…”

“I said, don’t touch him. The show isn’t over yet, and nobody is allowed to interrupt,” Yu Suoxi showed a slightly manic smile, then turned menacing, “Get out of here, don’t disturb my mood.”

Baya’s face turned extremely ugly, cursing the madman inwardly, but he had to swallow his pride and leave.

But Qi Ci knew that he had killed his brother. If news of him killing his own brother spread to the Western Moon Kingdom, he would be finished.

In the Western Moon Kingdom, there was no way to punish someone for harming others in secret, but once exposed for fratricide, it was an irreversible death sentence, even more severe than in other countries. So he absolutely couldn’t allow anyone to reveal this. If Yu Suoxi wouldn’t kill Qi Ci, then he would have to do it himself!

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