The Great Li imperial capital, outside the Tianjin Guards headquarters, was at that moment extraordinarily lively.
The entire street in front of the gate was packed with ornate carriages and sedan chairs, and a dense crowd of finely dressed officials and nobles had gathered along the road, creating a considerable bottleneck.
Li Musheng moved silently through the air, swept a look over the crowd below, and furrowed his brow slightly.
Even so, he did not particularly concern himself with it, and simply entered the compound, heading back toward his personal courtyard.
But before he could step inside, he suddenly stopped, his attention caught by the enormous collection of gifts of every kind piled before the courtyard entrance.
Among those gifts, the big black cat was padding about slowly, conducting a thorough inspection of the items, every one of which was of considerable value. Its green eyes had narrowed to crescent slits.
As this was happening, the big black cat came to a wooden box, rubbed its paws together, and opened it.
A flood of golden light immediately washed over the cat's face, and it reached a paw inside to stroke the box full of gold, the whole cat going somewhat glazed.
After feeling the gold for a while, the big black cat reluctantly closed the box, then prepared to go and see the next treasure.
Li Musheng was crouched in front of a gilded cage, inside which sat a beautiful snow cat with a pure white coat and brilliant blue eyes.
At the sight, the big black cat shrank its neck, its green eyes rolling about rapidly, clearly trying to think of how to explain this to Li Musheng.
At that moment, Li Musheng stood, turned back, and beckoned to the big black cat.
The big black cat immediately dropped its imperious manner and padded over with a small, ingratiating meow, nuzzling itself against the hem of Li Musheng's robe.
"I can see you have truly been lonely, accepting even a female cat without a second thought."
Li Musheng gave the big black cat a sidelong look, then shifted his gaze to a large glass jar sitting beside the snow cat's cage.
Inside the jar, several sizeable golden dragon fish swam freely, their bodies graceful and plump, truly beautiful to look at.
"Not bad. Those fish look delicious. Tell the kitchen to make a stew with them tonight."
Li Musheng gave the big black cat the instruction and then paid it no further mind, heading directly into the courtyard.
At those words, the big black cat went briefly still, and then a look of delight rose in its eyes.
It had received so many gifts, and Li Musheng had only said one thing to it, which meant he was not actually blaming it.
The big black cat let out a happy meow, then turned its gaze to the snow cat in the cage, immediately planning to have someone throw it out at the earliest opportunity.
...
At the same time, word of Li Musheng's clash with the Hidden Kill Pavilion's Kill-Saint outside Shangyang City was spreading rapidly through every faction in the capital.
Inside the Third Prince Li Zhu's residence, Right Minister Ji Song sat at his desk writing furiously. He had never stopped trying by every means available to bring Li Musheng down.
And upon hearing that Li Musheng had defeated the Kill-Saint outside the city, his urgency only grew.
He understood well enough that Li Musheng's martial cultivation was formidable, but the man's power had now overturned his understanding of him yet again.
As Ji Song saw it, if he did not seek his revenge quickly, by the time Li Musheng one day achieved the status of a Martial God, any hope of revenge in his lifetime would be impossibly remote.
And at that very moment, a household attendant came rushing in to report, "Right Minister, the Censor Advisor Master Zhang from the Censorate and several officials from the Ministry of Personnel have come together requesting to see you."
At those words, Ji Song immediately set down his brush, and a gleam of interest crossed his eyes, "Bring them here at once. I have things I need to discuss with them."
These visitors were all his former disciples and subordinates, men who had always followed his word without question. He had previously had them write memorials impeaching the Eighth Prince.
Now that Li Musheng's influence was growing stronger, he needed to confer with them on additional ways to attack him.
Before long, several officials were led by a servant into the study.
"You have come at just the right time. I have several new lines of attack on that Eighth Prince I want to discuss with you."
Right Minister Ji Song rose warmly from behind his desk to greet the arriving officials.
At those words, Master Zhang from the Censorate and the officials from the Ministry of Personnel exchanged glances, then looked at the haggard-faced, aged Right Minister before them, clearly wanting to say something but hesitating.
Seeing this, Ji Song furrowed his brow, evidently sensing something off about them, "Say whatever is on your minds. I hold every one of you in high regard. There is no need to stand on ceremony with me."
At those words, Master Zhang hesitated for a moment, then finally clasped his hands and said, "Right Minister, to speak plainly, we have come today to make one thing clear to you..."
But at that point, his gaze swept over Ji Song's head of white hair, and the words seemed to catch in his throat again.
At that, an official from the Ministry of Personnel beside him shot a glance at Master Zhang, then steeled himself and said, "Right Minister, I am afraid we can no longer agree to your request to impeach the Eighth Prince."
At those words, Ji Song's entire body went noticeably still, and he looked at the assembled men with a faint tremble, "You..."
At those words, Master Zhang from the Censorate seemed to make up his mind, and spoke up immediately, "We have just received word of what happened outside the city. The Eighth Prince not only survived the Hidden Kill Pavilion's assassination attempt, but surpassed even their Kill-Saint."
"The Eighth Prince is now without question the Hidden Kill Pavilion's next Pavilion Master. With him controlling an assassination organization of that terrifying nature, we genuinely do not dare continue to impeach him or stand in opposition to him."
"Otherwise, with a single word from him, without even needing to act himself, the Hidden Kill Pavilion's assassins would clear away every obstacle in his path."
As he said this, Master Zhang let out a heavy sigh, "And how could officials like us possibly withstand the Hidden Kill Pavilion's assassination methods? Even setting aside our own lives, we still have families and children to think of. We truly have no wish to drag them into a spiral that leads to certain death."
As those words settled, the other officials all gave nods and spoke one by one, making clear to Ji Song that they would no longer take part in his conflict with Li Musheng.
As he listened to these men turning away from him, Ji Song's expression went vague, and he sat unspeaking for a long moment.
His aged face went through a series of expressions, caught between fury and helplessness.
"Right Minister, there is truly nothing we can do. We can only ask your forgiveness for failing you after all the kindness you have shown us."
Seeing that Ji Song was not speaking, the officials exchanged looks, left those final words, and took their leave.
Ji Song sat in the study and watched them go, his aging frame swaying slightly on his feet before he sank heavily into the armchair.
And in the short time that followed, barely half an hour had passed before wave after wave of officials arrived together, as though they had all agreed in advance, and without exception every single one of them withdrew from the ranks of those attacking Li Musheng.
Ji Song stared at the pile of documents and memorials he had written previously, now scattered across his desk, and realized he had truly become a man utterly alone.
Everyone was afraid of the Eighth Prince. Everyone was distancing themselves from him. Everything he had done before had come to nothing.
And at the same time, throughout the entire capital, every faction that had previously, for one reason or another, stood in opposition to Li Musheng, saw the final outcome of Li Musheng's clash with the Hidden Kill Pavilion and almost universally began pulling back, abandoning every thought they had harbored of attacking Li Musheng in the court.
This of course included the four Great Li princes who had formed their new alliance, Li Xuan and Li An among them.
Though the four princes still remained in the imperial palace and had not left, they had used the interval to discuss and work out a plan against Li Musheng.
But now, before that plan could be set in motion, it had already collapsed before it began, because at this moment none of them dared stand openly against Li Musheng.
Doing so would only draw Li Musheng's hostility toward them, which was barely different from seeking their own deaths.
"Forget it. We will simply watch and wait for now, and see how things develop after Father emerges from seclusion. Surely Father will not tolerate the brutal conduct of a son who killed his own blood and elder brother."
Fourth Prince Li Zi said with an unpleasant expression and a shake of his head. All he felt toward that Eighth younger brother of his at this moment, besides fear, was more fear.
Facing a person who, whether in his own martial cultivation or in the killing power at his command, had almost no equal anywhere under heaven, all Li Zi could feel was a profound helplessness. As he saw it right now, any of them trying to move against Li Musheng was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
First Prince Li Xuan, Fifth Prince Li Qing, and Sixth Prince Li An all fell silent, clearly all accepting Li Zi's words without objection.
"Temporarily stepping back is indeed the most prudent choice, but it does not mean we will have no opportunity in the future."
First Prince Li Xuan spoke with a thoughtful expression, and Fifth Prince Li Qing gave a gentle nod, "The Eighth's momentum is at its peak right now, and we should all lie low and build our strength while waiting for the right moment."
At those words, Sixth Prince Li An looked over the group, his expression unreadable.
On the surface, however, he nodded in agreement, then asked, "Does any of my elder brothers have word of roughly when Father might emerge from seclusion?"
First Prince Li Xuan looked at Li An, then shook his head and let out a quiet sigh, "I asked the Ceremonial Directorate and the Empress about this. Both told me Father is unlikely to emerge in the short term, and it may be at least another month or more."
At those words, Fourth Prince Li Zi gave a slow nod, "The matter of the Three-Sect Alliance in the martial world still requires Father to make decisions. A month's wait is something we can certainly manage."
At that, First Prince Li Xuan and Fifth Prince Li Qing exchanged a glance and waved a hand, "You need not worry about that. As far as I know, the Ceremonial Directorate has already begun handling the matter. It seems Father anticipated the current situation well in advance and has already prepared a response."
"The only thing that truly requires our concern right now is the movements of the other four nations. That is the matter upon which Great Li's very survival depends."
At those words, Li Zi and Li An exchanged glances but said nothing further.
The matter was of enormous gravity and wide-reaching implications, and was naturally not something that could be addressed through idle conversation between them.
...
At the same time, in an underground chamber beneath a certain residence in Shangyang City, Champion Marquis Huo Xian and the Grand Princess Li Ruan'an met in secret.
"It seems I have been genuinely underestimating my own younger brother."
Li Ruan'an held a jade pendant in her hand and spoke to herself quietly.
The pendant did not look particularly precious, but Li Ruan'an seemed to treasure it greatly.
Then Li Ruan'an gave the pendant one last look, put it away, and said suddenly, "I believe the time has come to act."
At those words, Champion Marquis Huo Xian furrowed his brow, fell silent for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Li Ruan'an, "Your Highness has truly decided to kill Li Zhi now?"
At those words, Li Ruan'an gave an entirely calm nod, "Yes. And I will kill him with my own hands."
Huo Xian's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "I understand that Your Highness stayed close to Li Zhi in order to uncover the truth behind the true and false prince case and avenge your mother."
"But the truth of the case has yet to come to light, and Li Zhi is currently held deep within the imperial prison under heavy guard. This is not the best moment to act."
Li Ruan'an's cool eyes swept briefly to Huo Xian, and she said in an even tone, "Before now, I stayed close to Li Zhi because I knew Emperor Yuanwu would not kill him, and he was the person most likely to one day take the crown prince's position. Naturally I had no choice but to endure and wait for the right moment."
"But now, my own younger brother has returned. He does not need my protection. In fact, there is likely no one in the entire capital capable of harming him."
"I have no reason to continue my pretense with Li Zhi, or to remain attached to a prince who is destined never to sit on the throne."
At those words, Huo Xian looked long and deeply at Li Ruan'an before him.
To speak honestly, he had campaigned on the battlefield for decades, knowing how to judge people and deploy forces like no other in war, and yet throughout these years he had never been able to see through this niece of his.
Before the true and false prince affair came to light, her closeness with Li Zhi was understandable enough. After all, they were nominally elder sister and younger brother, and it was natural for siblings to support each other.
But after the case was revealed, Li Ruan'an had still stood firmly at the side of her so-called "false younger brother," even going so far as to kneel for a prolonged time before the Heavenly Ascent Palace to plead for Li Zhi's sake.
It was difficult to say whether Li Ruan'an could not bear to see him suffer after years of growing up together as siblings, or whether she was genuinely enduring humiliation to uncover the truth and avenge Consort Jing, or perhaps she could not bring herself to abandon the influence she had built over many years, driven by some ambition she kept private.
With that thought, Huo Xian withdrew his gaze. He did not want to probe deeper into Li Ruan'an's purpose, and only said, "Your Highness has always said my sister's death was connected to Li Zhi, but before the true and false prince affair was revealed, Li Zhi did not even know his own identity was false. Why would he move against your mother?"
At those words, a flash of cold menace crossed Li Ruan'an's cool eyes, "Because my mother knew for a long time that Li Zhi was not her biological son. Though she never revealed it, and always treated Li Zhi as her own, Li Zhi is a man of extraordinary perceptiveness. In countless small details over the years, he sensed something was wrong, and so in truth, he knew very early on that he was not my mother's son."
As she said this, a sharp and lethal killing intent radiated from Li Ruan'an's entire being, "Yet my mother raised him with such care and devotion, and never once exposed his identity from beginning to end."
"And he repaid her with treachery, killing the very person who raised him. If I do not kill him with my own hands, how could I ever face my mother's spirit in death?"