“What should we do now?” Ao Mingyu asked, going straight to the point, and looked at Xia Yuhang. He didn’t have time to waste.

Xia Yuhang thought about it before asking, “Do you want to save Honored Consort Ya or deal with Prince Yi first?”

“Deal with Prince Yi!” Ao Mingyu replied coldly without hesitation. His mother was imprisoned but not charged with any crime. She wouldn’t have the freedom to move and her living environment would be poor, but that was all. Saving her wasn’t as important as dealing with Ao Chenyi.

“Now that Prince Yi is the Crown Prince, he’s staying in the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace is undoubtedly heavily guarded right now. It won’t be easy for you to deal with him,” Xia Yuhang replied, frowning. Ao Chenyi had outstanding guards. No assassin had ever succeeded in hurting him. Now that he had become the Crown Prince, his protection would only increase. Prince Xiang wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.

Ao Mingyu lowered his head and said nothing. He knew how capable Ao Chenyi’s guards were. Nearly all of his assassins were killed. This was also important evidence that led him to believe that the assassination outside the palace gates was a show that Ao Chenyi orchestrated.

Seeing Ao Mingyu frown without saying anything, Xia Yuhang suggested, “Your Highness, if we can’t attack Prince Yi, we can target Princess Yi.”

“Target Ning Xueyan?” Ao Mingyu raised his head in surprise.

“Yes, her. I’m sure most of the guards at Prince Yi’s Manor have been dispatched to the Eastern Palace, leaving only some women and servants in the manor. Attacking Princess Yi will be much easier than attacking Prince Yi,” Xia Yuhang said.

“What’s the point of attacking her? Do you think that my uncle will give up the throne for a woman?” Ao Mingyu couldn’t help but mock Xia Yuhang. Even if he thought that the rumor that Ao Chenyi disdained Ning Xueyan was false, he knew that Ao Chenyi would never let go of the throne for a woman. Ao Chenyi’s ruthlessness was evident. He had killed many of the beautiful women sent to him just because he found them unpleasant.

“That’s not what I mean, Your Highness. Ning Xueyan is Princess Yi and she represents his honor. If something happens to her, Prince Yi wouldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He’ll send men everywhere to look for her. Whether or not he likes her, he’ll be humiliated if she gets shamed and violated. Knowing his temper, he’ll send a portion of his forces to find her.”

Xia Yuhang helped Ao Mingyu analyze the matter one by one. “When Prince Yi sends large batches of men to find her, we’ll spread the rumor that she has eloped with another man because she wants to escape his tyranny. We’ll take advantage of the chaos to rile up the court officials. We’ll say that Prince Yi is vicious and doesn’t deserve the throne. As for the Emperor, we’ll sneak in and…”

Instead of finishing his sentence, Xia Yuhang made a slashing gesture at his neck.

His meaning was evident!

Understanding the gesture, Ao Mingyu couldn’t help but tighten his fists on the quilt. When he let go, his face was warped into a malevolent expression. A sharp look crossed his eyes after a while. He gritted his teeth and said, “All right! We’ll do as you say!”

His father was getting old and no one knew he was dead or alive, anyway. Judging by the news from the palace lately, he seemed to be on the verge of death. Even if the Emperor didn’t die now, he would be dying soon. He might as well help his son. When Ao Mingyu ascended to the throne, he promised he would pray for his father well.

He would frame Ao Chenyi for his father’s death and fake Princess Yi’s elopement because of her tyranny. He was sure that these events would cause a commotion in the court, and at that time, the ministers who favored him would take his side. What did it matter that Ao Chenyi was the Crown Prince?

One could say that Ao Mingyu and Xia Yuhang’s plan was similar to the Empress’ plan. However, the former would be targeting Ning Xueyan while the latter was trying to use Commandery Princess Xianyun. They were using different methods to get the same outcome.

“But I’m afraid we can’t use our subordinates right now.” Ao Mingyu frowned. He knew that he and Ao Chenyi were the strongest contenders for the throne. Now that Ao Chenyi had become the Crown Prince, his every action might lead to speculation by others.

There were a lot of people watching him right now, wanting to give him trouble to win Ao Chenyi’s favor.

“You have your mother’s family, don’t you? Grand Tutor Ya might be older now but he’s still a force to be reckoned with,” Xia Yuhang said with a dark expression.

Grand Tutor Ya seemed determined to stay out of politics, but that was all an illusion. He had been plotting Ao Mingyu’s success all along. One could say that without his scheming, Honored Consort Ya and Ao Mingyu wouldn’t be so influential all these years.

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This sort of invisible force was rarer than actual troops. Moreover, he had been patient for many years for Ao Mingyu’s sake. It could be said that he had spared no effort for Ao Mingyu.

“All right. It’s inconvenient for me to send someone. When you go home, send someone to tell Grandfather about my plan. I believe that he’ll find a solution.”

Ao Mingyu had always respected his maternal grandfather, so he nodded after thinking about it. Under such circumstances, his grandfather was the only one that he could rely on. He could at least trust that his grandfather was wholeheartedly on his side, but he couldn’t say the same for the ministers who used to support him.

This was also why he was forced to get Xia Yuhang’s help. He had to pretend that he didn’t care about Ning Qingshan’s incident to get Xia Yuhang to work for him again. It was only because he didn’t have other subordinates that he could use.

Xia Yuhang wasn’t a good man. Ao Mingyu looked down on him, but he knew that Xia Yuhang was in the same boat as him. Under such immense pressure, Xia Yuhang was forced to take his side and his loyalty wasn’t a problem. Therefore, he felt assured to use Xia Yuhang again.

“Your Highness, since people are keeping an eye on you, I’m sure they’ll have people watching Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor as well. They’ll likely find out if I send someone to meet Grand Tutor Ya,” Xia Yuhang said gloomily. No longer the elegant young nobleman from before, he gave off a sinister feeling instead.

His words made sense. Ao Mingyu paced back and forth in the room and thought for a long time before stopping in front of Xia Yuhang again. “Don’t send your messenger straight to my grandfather. Send him to meet Ya Moqin’s second aunt, Wu Yao, instead. She bought a small courtyard beside Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor after her husband died. The side door of her courtyard leads directly to Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor.”

Not many knew this, only a few trusted aides in Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor and Wu Yao’s courtyard.

Many years ago, Wu Yao became a widow shortly after getting married. She soon left home with her dowry, saying that her husband’s family didn’t want her around, and came to Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor. She bought a small courtyard nearby and settled down there.

Everyone thought that she was staying there because her older sister had married Grand Tutor Ya. It was natural for a widow to want to find someone to rely on, especially her older sister and sister-in-law. There was, however, another reason for this.

This didn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion at all. Even though Wu Yao would leave the capital and go on excursions with her maids now and then, she would live in seclusion after returning. For many years, she only stayed in contact with a handful of familiar faces.

She would only visit Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor during the festivities. Most of the time, she stayed behind closed doors. It seemed that she had remained faithful to the memory of her husband.

The truth was that she had sought shelter with Grand Tutor Ya immediately after her husband died. How could a widow leave her husband’s home with her dowry unscathed otherwise? It went without saying that she had Grand Tutor Ya’s help.

Grand Tutor Ya had chosen her for two reasons. One, she was a low-profile person. Second, she was a noblewoman of the previous dynasty. She was famous even among the noblewomen of the previous dynasty and had been part of the small network of friends that the former Empress kept at that time. She could be considered a first-class noblewoman.

Of course, she was also aware of some of the former Empress’ secrets.

She was the best candidate to investigate the former Empress’ affairs. That was why the side door of her courtyard would lead to Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor. They seemed like two families who weren’t close, but in reality, they were in the same camp.

Ning Qingshan’s identity was also a secret. Ning Qingshan had been greatly favored as well. Without mishap, she would become the next Empress. Wu Yao’s contribution had been one of the deciding factors. One could see how much Grand Tutor Ya approved and valued her.

Ao Mingyu didn’t plan on telling Xia Yuhang about this, but Xia Yuhang was the only person who could do this for him. There was no better help that he could find.

Xia Yuhang was surprised to hear about Wu Yao. He had heard about Madam Wu before. Madam Wu was said to live a secluded life and honored women’s etiquette. Even though her older sister lived right next door, she didn’t visit her every day. She could be considered a well-known madam.

She had a good reputation in the capital. Everyone who mentioned her would praise her.

Even though she didn’t attend banquets, it didn’t stop other madams in the capital from recognizing her as a role model.

Recovering from his surprise, Xia Yuhang nodded and said, “All right. I’ll ask to see Madam Wu Yao in my mother’s name.” This was the best that they could do in this situation. Of course, it wasn’t proper for a young man like him to send a messenger to Madam Wu Yao, but he could do it under his mother’s name.

He had even come up with an excuse. Madam Wu Yao had a good reputation. Considering their family’s condition, it made sense for his mother to express goodwill toward her.

After the two of them reached an agreement, Xia Yuhang sneaked out of Prince Xiang’s Manor through the backdoor. He was currently a public enemy, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to enter and leave Prince Xiang’s Manor. Similarly, he also sneaked back home through the backdoor. He didn’t go very far before a maid dressed in black ran toward him. “Eldest Young Master,” she said in a panic, “You’re finally back! Hurry up and return! Madam is looking for you!”