I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Chen Yuan suddenly opened his eyes: "The assassination attempt at the Confucius Temple tomorrow might not be a staged event."

"What?!"

Uncle Zhao and Master Zhou's expressions changed drastically at the same time.

"The Duke of Wei said he wanted to put on a show, while the Duke of Cheng said he wanted to break the deadlock."

"But perhaps what they said is true, and perhaps it isn't. The real assassins might be a third group—Empress Sun's men. They don't want me injured, they want me dead. If I die, Nanjing will be thrown into chaos, and the Grand Princess will be distracted..."

Master Zhou's face turned pale: "Then...what should we do? Should we still go to the Confucius memorial ceremony tomorrow?"

"Go," Chen Yuan said, "but go wisely."

He unfolded the map again: "Uncle Zhao, go find Han Cheng, the commander of the Nanjing Navy. Tell him I need to borrow a hundred sailors in plainclothes to ambush around the Confucius Temple tomorrow. Master Zhou, have the Green Dragon Society men keep an eye on all the entrances and exits to the Confucius Temple. I need to know exactly how many groups of people and how many knives they have tomorrow."

"yes!"

The two accepted the order and left.

Chen Yuan sat alone under the lamp, reorganizing his plans.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting swaying shadows on the wall, like countless ghosts dancing.

He knew he might be wrong.

Perhaps Empress Sun wasn't so calculating, perhaps Cao Jixiang was just making hasty decisions before his death, perhaps the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Cheng were simply locked in a feud...

But he couldn't afford to gamble.

If you gamble wrong, you're doomed.

He wasn't the only one who died; Uncle Zhao died, as did those who trusted him, and... the Grand Princess, Chen Jin, and Qin Xiang, who were far away in the capital...

He suddenly remembered something Zhang Meng had said when they were at the border: "In war, seven parts depend on preparation, two parts on luck, and one part... on fate."

Now, he is almost ready.

Luck is up to fate.

Fate... depends on yourself.

The sky outside the window is gradually brightening.

Chen Yuan blew out the oil lamp and walked to the window.

The morning mist hangs over the Qinhuai River, and the painted boats are still quietly moored on the shore, like sleeping beauties.

Nanjing has awakened.

Smoke rises from the breakfast stalls, porters begin their work, and vegetable vendors push their carts to the market... everything is as usual.

But Chen Yuan knew that beneath this seemingly normal surface, the undercurrents were already surging to their extreme.

Today is the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the last day before the Confucius Memorial Ceremony.

He has twelve hours left.

Twelve hours later, at the Confucius Temple.

That will be a grand feast.

A feast of blood and intrigue.

And he was no longer a pawn.

He wanted to be the one hosting the banquet.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), at the residence of the Duke of Wei.

Xu Huizu is practicing swordsmanship.

The man, in his sixties, wielded a long sword with great skill, the sword's light shimmering like water in the morning light.

He practiced a sword technique evolved from Taizu Changquan, which was fierce, sharp, and deadly.

After finishing a set of sword techniques, he sheathed his sword and stood there, his face neither flushed nor out of breath.

The butler handed him a towel, which he used to wipe his sweat. He asked, "Any movement from Chen Yuan's side?"

"Master Zhou visited his inn this morning and stayed for about fifteen minutes," the steward said. "Afterwards, Commander Zhao went to see Naval Commander Han Cheng, and Master Zhou returned to the Azure Dragon Society. It seems... he's mobilizing manpower."

Xu Huizu laughed: "Smart. He knows he can't rely on me, so he finds help himself. Good, it saves me the trouble of protecting him."

"My lord, tomorrow..."

"We'll proceed as planned tomorrow," Xu Huizu said. "However... the plan needs to be changed."

"How will it change?"

Xu Huizu walked to the stone table, where a Go game was set up.

He picked up a white chess piece and placed it in the corner of the board: "Originally, I wanted to use Chen Yuan's life to lure Duke Cheng into a trap. But now it seems... Chen Yuan's life might have an even greater use."

The butler was puzzled.

Xu Huizu looked at him and slowly said, "I received a secret report from the capital that Empress Sun is pregnant. If it's a boy... then the position of Crown Prince is in jeopardy. The Grand Princess is currently facing difficulties both internally and externally and urgently needs assistance. If I can achieve a great feat in Nanjing, such as... quelling a rebellion, rescuing the imperial envoy, and uncovering evidence of Empress Sun's collusion with Cao Jixiang..."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes: "Then I will be a national hero, a pillar of the Crown Prince's faction. At that time, the Grand Princess will surely rely on me, and my son's scandalous affairs... will be forgotten."

The steward suddenly realized: "So, the Duke wants to protect Chen Yuan?"

Xu Huizu nodded and said, "Not only must we protect him, but we must also make him indebted to me. So tomorrow's assassination... must be real, but it cannot actually harm him. The assassin must appear to be Cheng Guogong's man, but in reality... it's a ruse arranged by me."

"What about the Duke of Cheng..."

"The Duke of Cheng must die," Xu Huizu said coldly, "but not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just a prelude. We'll wait until we find evidence of his treason and the imperial court issues an edict... then we can take action, and it will be perfectly justified."

He picked up a black piece, then put it down again: "I've been playing this game for thirty years. I can't lose, and I won't lose."

At the same time, at the Duke of Cheng's villa.

Zhu Yong was drinking tea, but his hands were shaking.

He didn't even notice when the tea splashed out and burned his hand.

Sitting opposite him, Zhang sighed as she looked at him, "Sir, it's not too late to regret it now."

Zhu Yong smiled bitterly, "The arrow is on the string, and I have no choice but to release it. The Prince of Han and his men are watching outside. If I dare to back out, they will be the first to kill me."

"Then let's fight them. At worst, we'll both perish."

Zhu Yong shook his head. "Madam, can we afford to die? Our son is still in the capital, and our daughter just got married... What will happen to them if I die?"

Zhang remained silent.

"Tomorrow at the Confucius Temple will be our last chance." Zhu Yong put down his teacup. "The Duke of Wei wants to use Chen Yuan to get back at me, so I'll strike first—kill Chen Yuan at the Confucius Temple and frame the Duke of Wei. Then, with the imperial envoy dead in Nanjing, the Duke of Wei will have no way to defend himself, and the court will definitely investigate him. Once they investigate, all his dirty deeds will be exposed..."

"But what if Chen Yuan had been prepared?"

"Then let's do it head-on." A ruthless glint flashed in Zhu Yong's eyes. "I've contacted the commanders of eight garrisons; they have three thousand elite soldiers. Tomorrow, they'll all be in plainclothes, lying in ambush around the Confucius Temple. Once we make our move, we'll kill Chen Yuan first, then 'protect' the Duke of Wei... After it's all done, we'll say there was an assassin, that Commander Chen unfortunately died for his country, and that the Duke of Wei fell ill from shock..."

"That imperial court..."

"Does the imperial court have time to deal with this now?" Zhu Yong sneered. "The Tatars are almost at the gates of Beijing. The Grand Princess is overwhelmed with problems. How can she have the energy to deal with things in Nanjing? Once things are settled here, and the die is cast, she'll have no choice but to accept it."

Zhang looked at him and suddenly felt that this man was a stranger.

Greed, cowardice, and now... madness.

"My lord," she said softly, "do you know what I admire most about you?"

"What?"

"When you married me, everyone said you were after the Zhang family's power. But I knew you truly loved me. You were so wonderful back then—upright, brave, responsible... How could you be like this now..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Zhu Yong understood.

He held his wife's hand: "My dear wife, once this is done, once we've gained power, I'll change back to the way you like me. I promise."

Zhang looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

She knew that this was a lie. Once someone embarks on this path, there's no turning back.

But she still nodded: "Okay, I believe you."