My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 48 Will the upheaval at Heyin be repeated?

Seeing the doubt on the faces of the three men, Gao Cheng said nothing, only smiled and said "wait a moment" before getting up and going into the inner hall.

Upon seeing this, the three looked at it again, their hearts filled with even greater surprise and uncertainty.

Fortunately, Gao Cheng did not let them move around too much. After a short while, they changed into a tattered linen robe and left with Zheng Da Che.

Upon seeing this, the three exchanged bewildered glances. Gao Cheng, however, offered no explanation, only ordering Zheng Dache to disguise him.

Zheng Dache didn't say much, but just smiled and stepped forward, using her skillful hands to apply makeup and cosmetics to Gao Cheng's face.

In a short while, Gao Cheng's beautiful face was transformed into that of a poor scholar with a sallow complexion, rough features, and mediocre appearance.

With such a change, not to mention strangers, even those close to him would find it difficult to recognize at first glance.

The three of them stared in astonishment at Gao Cheng, who was completely different from before.

Huli Guang was the first to lose his composure and asked, "Your Highness, what does this mean?"

Gao Cheng smiled calmly and said to the crowd, "Do you all think that I, in this undignified state, could secretly enter the palace walls and meet the Supreme Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them were momentarily stunned.

However, in an instant, he suddenly realized that Gao Cheng's move was a scheme to openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass!

They would publicly claim that the crown prince was frightened and had closed the door, but in reality, they would secretly enter the palace to carry out their mission.

In this way, they can both deceive the four nobles and not delay important matters.

Duan Shao was the first to recover his senses. He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and sincerely said with a smile, "Your Highness is brilliant; we admire you!"

Gao Yang grinned broadly, "Brother, with such a distinguished appearance, even I, if I met you face to face, would likely overlook you without careful observation, let alone those old foxes!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "In that case, let's proceed according to the plan!"

"only!"

The three had no further doubts and immediately accepted the order.

...

Before long, the four of them split up and acted quietly.

Gao Cheng, disguised as a poor scholar, secretly led Liu Taozhi out of the side gate of the governor's mansion and headed straight for the palace.

His mission was to infiltrate the forbidden area under a false identity and secretly seize power.

Hulü Guang then led a dozen or so personal guards and secretly left the south of the city, heading towards the dense forest in the suburbs.

A month ago, when he and Duan Shao were ordered by the king to enter Ye ahead of others, they led eight hundred elite cavalry as personal guards. However, in order to facilitate their actions in Ye and to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, they did not bring them into the city, but instead broke them up and hid them in the mountains and forests.

His duty was to lead these eight hundred elite cavalry directly to Xingyang to quell the unrest in Henan.

Gao Yang and Duan Shao split their forces into two groups: Gao Yang went to the Li family's residence in Zhao County, while Duan Shao went to the Cui family in Boling.

Both men carried Gao Cheng's secret orders, which were used to lure powerful families with benefits.

...

As the four went about their own business, the news that Gao Cheng had ordered to be spread spread like a gentle breeze throughout Ye City in an instant.

"The assassination attempt on the Crown Prince was carried out by the Yuan clan!"

"The Crown Prince is furious and has petitioned the King of Bohai to depose the Emperor!"

In the streets and alleys, people whispered among themselves, officials were filled with anxiety, and members of the Yuan clan who learned of the news stayed indoors.

Everyone therefore believed that the Heyin Incident was about to be repeated, and they were filled with anxiety.

When the news reached Sun Teng, Gao Yue, Gao Longzhi, and Sima Ziru, the four of them were gathered in a secret room in Sima Ziru's mansion.

The reason was that none of the twenty-eight assassins they had sent out the previous night had survived, and they were still somewhat uneasy.

The four men finally breathed a sigh of relief when the scouts brought the news.

Immediately, he was overjoyed.

Sun Teng clapped his hands and laughed heartily, full of pride: "Hahahaha, what do I mean? That young brat is still young and impetuous, easily provoked. He thinks he can contend with the Yuan family with a mere trick? He's utterly foolish!"

Gao Longzhi, his face flushed, scoffed, "You young upstart, so impetuous and reckless, how can you shoulder great responsibilities? We've only laid a few traps, yet we've already walked right into them. Compared to King Gao's composure and skill, we are far inferior!"

Gao Yue stroked his beard and laughed, "It seems we overestimated him before. Now we see he's nothing more than a spoiled brat relying on his father's power, not worth mentioning at all!"

The three men chatted amongst themselves, brimming with self-satisfaction and arrogance, clearly regarding Gao Cheng as a sitting duck.

Only Sima Ziru had a deep frown, a solemn expression, and remained silent in deep thought.

After a long silence, he slowly began to advise, "Gentlemen, please be cautious. Before Gao Cheng even arrived in Ye City, he secretly deployed three chess pieces: Gao Yang, Duan Shao, and Hulü Guang. His thoughts are deep and his plans are far-reaching, making him no ordinary person."

"Although our plan last night succeeded, there is no guarantee that it was not a trap. Therefore, I believe we must carefully consider whether this matter is true or false."

As soon as Sima Zi uttered these words, the laughter of the three men abruptly ceased.

However, a moment later, Sun Teng waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Brother Ziru, you are overthinking it. Although that child may have some wisdom, this is Ye City, the place we have occupied for years, not Jinyang."

"Most of the civil and military officials in the court are under my command, and the military power in the capital region is entirely in my hands. Even if they try to cheat, relying on the few mediocre soldiers they brought from Jinyang, how can they possibly cause any trouble?"

Gao Longzhi chimed in, "Indeed! It's only natural for the young to be easily provoked. If we were in their shoes and attacked upon entering the city, we would all be furious too. What's so cunning about that?"

Gao Yue also laughed and said, "Brother Ziru, since they are now locked in a power struggle with the Yuan family, we can take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate them and retrieve the evidence. This is a divinely ordained opportunity, so why hesitate!"

The three spoke earnestly and were also very pleased with themselves.

Although Sima Ziru still had doubts, seeing that the three of them were already overwhelmed by joy and their momentum was unstoppable, she did not want to continue to pour cold water on them.

He could only sigh inwardly and nod: "I hope I'm overthinking it."

"That's certainly true!"

Sun Teng laughed heartily, raised his cup, and said, "Gentlemen, please drink this cup to the brim, and wish us a resounding victory in our campaign to reclaim our power!"

"Cheers!"

The four cups clinked together, and they drank it all in one gulp.

After the drinking session, Sun Tengfang composed himself and said seriously, "Let's get back to the main point. Now that Gao Cheng and the Yuan family have fallen out, this is the perfect opportunity for us to retrieve the evidence of their crimes and clear our names of past wrongdoings. We must not leave the evidence of their corruption and abuse of power in the hands of this young man!"

Gao Longzhi nodded in agreement, "Indeed, if we miss this opportunity, things will become very difficult once they realize what's happening."

Gao Yue pondered for a moment and asked, "In your opinion, where should the evidence of his crimes be hidden?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Ziru also suppressed his emotions and carefully said, "In my opinion, the Governor's Office, Duan Shao's office, and Huli Guang's office are the most suspicious."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Sun Teng frowned and said, "But these three places are not easy to attack. The governor's mansion has just been attacked, so the defenses must be tight; Duan and Huli are also not easy to deal with."

Sima Ziru remained expressionless and slowly said, "Therefore, we should split up and carry out our respective tasks."

The three were surprised: "Split up?"

Sima Ziru nodded: "Indeed."

The three asked again, "How do we divide them?"

Sima Ziru hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about this: We should first seize the opportunity to bribe their close confidants and ascertain their true intentions. Then, we should choose a day to hold a banquet, ostensibly to inquire about their situation and offer reassurance, and invite Gao Cheng and the other two to attend. At that time, we will send skilled infiltration agents to search the three locations. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged bewildered glances.

However, having no better solution at the moment, they could only agree in unison.

At this moment, Sun Teng added, "Furthermore, Gao Cheng's attempt to depose the emperor is a betrayal of you. We might as well use this as an excuse to contact our colleagues in court and submit a memorial to Jinyang, impeaching him for his arrogance and overstepping of authority, thus feigning restraint. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the three men's eyes lit up instantly, and they immediately exclaimed in unison, "Excellent!"

After saying this, the four looked at each other and laughed, all feeling smug and confident that they had the whole situation under control. They only needed to wait for Gao Cheng and the Yuan family to fight fiercely before they could reap the benefits.