CHAPTER 716: CHAPTER 440: THE CROWN PRINCE SWAP!

Shen Wuxiang’s words were one part jest, three parts threat, and six parts earnest.

He truly wanted to kill Lu Yu.

He had even calculated in his mind the losses and gains of doing so.

He was a core figure of the Tang Family remnants, the linchpin of the entire team.

If Lu Yu died, would his side crumble?

With only Tang Fei alone, being rootless and adrift, what waves could he possibly stir up?

Thinking this way, his gaze towards Lu Yu grew colder.

Yet, Lu Yu was not flustered at all, drinking hot tea and eating dried fruits, his face always maintaining that uniquely slight mocking smile.

Glug glug...

He drank all the tea in his cup in one go, then finally looked at Shen Wuxiang with immense satisfaction and said, "Nineteen years ago, I had already killed myself..."

"Now, you can’t kill me."

Shen Wuxiang was puzzled in his heart, nineteen years ago...

Was he talking about the Annihilation of Tang case?

Killing himself... what did that mean?

"Besides, you want a complete and powerful Empire, to smoothly and peacefully take over power... large-scale warfare does not align with your interests."

"Otherwise, why bother negotiating with us? Why not just mobilize a large army and wipe us all out?"

The old man was very aware that Shen Wuxiang was willing to negotiate because he did not want to destroy the strength and ’stability’ of the country’s government.

It had to at least appear stable.

He wanted to gain control of the country quietly, without a sound.

Ideally, the outside world wouldn’t even know the country had changed hands.

The reason he did this was because...

Subconsciously, he already considered himself the master of the country.

Zhong Tianque?

Merely a puppet.

"Perhaps, seeing you I might change my mind," Shen Wuxiang said calmly, still weighing the pros and cons in his mind, "I underestimated your significance and overlooked the fear you instill in me..."

"What could an old man like me have that Lord Military Minister should fear?"

Shen Wuxiang shook his head and said, "Having lived away from home for decades, you still manage military strategies and lay out plans, stirring up the political situation in the capital."

"Subtle yet profound, your influence stretches far. Hidden in the shadows, yet still capable of usurping the throne."

"Most importantly, you actually succeeded...."

Shen Wuxiang’s eyes measured Lu Yu thoughtfully, his mind marveling.

"Phoenix encountered danger in the Old Land, it was your Lu Family who schemed to win people’s hearts, right? The escape pod carrying Phoenix just happened to land right under your noses, and only your Lu Family’s technical level could achieve that."

"If I’m not mistaken, the escape pod was manufactured in your Lu Family’s factory as military supplies."

"At that time, Phoenix City was in panic, wild speculations rampant, various rumors flying about, the Shen Family being the prime suspect..."

"Yet your Lu Family quietly conducted significant business from behind Lu Ban Mountain... seizing this opportunity, you managed to send Tang Fei to the Zhong Royal Family..."

"Entering the game with the authority of the Monitoring Bureau as your blade, pruning branches or appealing to people’s hearts, you indeed took full advantage."

Lu Yu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Minor tricks, hardly worth mentioning. While we were scheming against the Zhong Royal Family, weren’t they also plotting against us?"

"Why did they install Tang Fei into the Monitoring Bureau? Why did Yan Wenli, that old fox, turn a blind eye? Wasn’t it just to draw us old men out all the once and catch us all at once..."

"If it weren’t for their abrupt action, we wouldn’t have been forced into rushed combat... this operation was too crude and left countless problems."

As per Tang Fei and the old man’s plan, it would have been better to delay a little longer.

Waiting until they had larger bargaining chips and more autonomy, then let Zhong Tianyi confront the throne.

Perhaps Zhong Daolong felt the time was right, or maybe he had sensed danger, causing Yan Wenli and the Shen Family to wrap things up prematurely...

Thus, to protect themselves, Tang Fei and the old man had no choice but to reveal all their hidden strengths.

Chen Fenglei, Yan Jinnian, the Carefree Palace...

Including the Qin Family.

Back then, when Tang Fei took Qin Jianyi from the Luoxia Lake in front of countless people, everyone thought they had become sworn enemies.

Little did they know that the two had talked openly in the Monitoring Bureau once, reaching a preliminary agreement for cooperation.

Later, Lu Yu personally visited the Qin Family, finalizing the details of their collaboration.

Why would the Qin Family want to cooperate with the significantly weaker Lu Clan?

Because they were very clear that if the Shen Family took power, the Qin Family would be the first to suffer.

The Qin Family, like the Shen Family, rose to power through the military, and their influence within the military ranks second only to the Shen Family and the Zhong Royal Family.

The Shen Family knew exactly how they ascended to their position and would never allow the Qin Family to become another "unexpected" threat.

Therefore, the Qin Family was bound to face a brutal and bloody purge.

They had already been preparing for this in the early stages. The leader of the Flame-Bathed Legion, Tang Shengyan, was stepping down due to age, and Qin Jianyi’s father, Qin Youru, sought to move forward half a step to obtain the position of the leader of the Flame-Bathed Legion.

Unfortunately, the Military Committee rejected him, citing the need for younger leadership.

Not only was Qin Youru rejected, but even Shen Fangweng, who was more popular from the main branch of the Shen Family, was also rejected.

Shen Fangweng didn’t even contest it; what point was there in arguing?

Thus, the Qin Family had no choice but to swallow this loss silently.

Shen Wuxiang then manipulated the Military Committee, passing the appointment of the young general, Shi Wushuang, who was aligned with them.

This move brought the Shi Family, also one of the nine major families, into their camp.

Shen Wuxiang, masterful in his dealings, whether pulling or striking, continuously solidified the Shen Family’s influence within the military.

Furthermore, another critical reason for the Qin Family to collaborate with the Lu Clan was:

The Lu Clan possessed the equipment and weapons they desperately needed.

Descendants of the Mechanical Ancestor; who knew how many treasures were hidden inside Lu Ban Mountain.

The Qin Family provided manpower, and the Lu Clan supplied weapons. Could there be a more perfect collaboration?

Moreover, even if the Lu Clan seized power, they didn’t have the capability to purge the Qin Family...

Not to mention they might not secure absolute power.

Lu Yu glanced at Shen Wuxiang and said, "All this fighting between us, and it’s you who ends up profiting."

It wasn’t hard to imagine that Zhong Daolong and Yan Wenli, using Tang Fei as bait, had planned a trap to eliminate all remnants of the Tang Family in one fell swoop, and must have communicated or made some agreements with the Shen Family.

Unexpectedly, they dispatched Grandmaster Ye Shenyi to assassinate the old man, only for him to be killed by Little Fatty.

They sent Shen Xinglan to intercept Tang Fei, only to be defeated by Tang Fei revealing his strength.

They even deployed Grandmaster Zhong Daoling from within the royal family, but Xuanyuan Mingjing intervened, and without hesitation, sided with Tang Fei.

Yan Wenli took people to control Shang Xiulin, aiming to influence the academy faction...

Only to be controlled by his own foster daughter.

What was most fatal was the betrayal of Chen Fenglei, the chief steward of the Phoenix Palace, which resulted in exposing Zhong Daolong directly to the enemy and handing over control of the entire Phoenix Palace...

If not for Chen Fenglei’s backstabbing, even if Tang Fei had won, the old man would have escaped, and Yan Wenli would have been captured.

As long as Zhong Daolong remained unharmed, he would still be the king of this vast empire.

He would still have the power to command armies and rally forces from all sides to protect and save the nation...

He held countless bargaining chips and had myriad ways to turn the tables.

Chen Fenglei was the man who truly struck the fatal blow.

One mistake led to many.

One error after another, and the whole board is lost.

"The truly great are those who grasp the situation," Shen Wuxiang said haughtily. "Unfortunately, you never understood this."

"Indeed," the old man said somberly, "if we had realized this back then, what role would you have had?"

"..."

"Moreover, it’s not that we didn’t understand... I advised him, unfortunately, he refused."

"A true man knows what to do and what not to do... I despised him, but I also admired him."

"Do you regret it now?"

"My attitude doesn’t matter," the old man shook his head and sighed. "I’m not an ambitious man; my desires have always been simple... a warm bed and my family by my side."

"Later I lost my wife, and then my children... eventually, even the warm bed was gone, so I had no choice but to step up."

"What about your children?" Shen Wuxiang asked.

"They died of illness," the old man said expressionlessly.

"Tang Li’s son is alive... so whose children were burned to death in that fire?"

"Just random children brought in."

"That’s impossible," Shen Wuxiang shook his head and said. "At that time, Tang Li’s family was confined inside the Phoenix Palace’s Beehive; ordinary people couldn’t possibly have seen them..."

"Your wife and the Empress Yu Sineng were friends... so, did you play a switch-the-prince game?"

"Did Yu Sineng know? She must have known... without the Empress’s cooperation, you couldn’t have made the switch..."

"So..." with a stunned expression and eyes ablaze, Shen Wuxiang said, "Yu Sineng didn’t die of illness?"

"..."