Ning Fengzhi closed his eyes in pain, slightly relieving his mental fatigue. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had long since been replaced. He had been unknowingly working for the Spirit Hall for years.
After a while, he saw Bone Douluo walking out of the black hole along with Xu Mingxi and Dugu Bo. He barely showed any energy. The conversation to follow would relate to the fate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and even the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
When Xu Mingxi saw Ning Fengzhi's appearance, the corners of his mouth under the mask slightly lifted. His expression was quite ugly; he should have made sure that Xue Qinghe was indeed a fake sent by the Spirit Hall.
"Xingchen Douluo, I only have one request: this fake Xue Qinghe must not be allowed to rise to power."
"Of course. Spirit Hall is our common enemy, and the way to expose him is very simple.
We just need to stop the Thorn Dolphin and Serpent Spear, then send an assassin. He will naturally reveal his true power."
"Very well, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will send that assassin."
The two of them had already discussed this thoroughly and even arranged the time to act, but a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect suddenly rushed in.
This person had been specially arranged by Ning Fengzhi to monitor Xue Qinghe's movements. As soon as he entered, he brought terrible news.
Prince Xue Qinghe had just announced in today's high court meeting that he would dine and sleep alongside nearly half of the ministers and work together in the court until Emperor Xue Ye's illness improved.
Ning Fengzhi's face darkened, and he suddenly realized that the assassins he had previously sent might have already tipped off the enemy. Now, if they wanted to assassinate Xue Qinghe, those ministers and generals would certainly go all out to stop them.
Even though their power wasn't on par with Bone or Sword Douluo, they were essential to supporting the Heaven Dou Empire. Killing them would be like cutting off their own arm.
Xu Mingxi was also shocked by this. How could something like this happen? When he saw Ning Fengzhi's expression, he seemed to understand something.
"Lord Ning, don't worry too much. Xue Qinghe used this method to gain protection from the ministers, but he also lost the protection of the two Douluo — Thorn Dolphin and Serpent Spear. We will find another way."
"It's not that I'm anxious, but I had Yang Wudi investigate beforehand. Emperor Xue Ye likely has less than three days left to live."
It seemed that what Ning Fengzhi had done earlier had greatly provoked Qian Renxue. Xu Mingxi leaned back in his chair, thinking: If I had known earlier, I would have asked Brother Mingguang to come with me. With him, perhaps I could've mesmerized those ministers and stopped them from participating in this struggle.
Wait, perhaps Brother Mingguang can still do it even without being here. This is something only he can do. The court is not just about battle and assassination, it's about human relations too.
"Lord Ning, do you know the supreme commander of the three armies of the Heaven Dou Empire, Ge Long?"
"Marshal Ge Long? You want him to expose Xue Qinghe? That's impossible.
Although he's a bit ambitious, he prioritizes the interests of the Heaven Dou Empire. He wouldn't act against Xue Qinghe without solid evidence."
"Then what if we let him become the regent? Xue Beng is still young and unable to govern. Now is when he needs the ministers' help the most."
"You mean… no, that's impossible. Even if Xue Beng ascends the throne, the person he trusts the most will still be Prince Xue Xing."
"Then why don't we just make him disappear?"
Ning Fengzhi froze for a moment and looked at Xu Mingxi in shock. He knew what he was trying to do — turn Xue Beng into a complete puppet.
But on second thought, it wasn't impossible. After all, Xue Qinghe could definitely not ascend the throne, and Xue Beng was the only one left.
Xue Beng was young, and if it wasn't Ge Long who held power, then it would be Xue Xing. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there was no real difference between the two.
Previously, the sect had sided with Xue Qinghe, and there had been many minor frictions with Prince Xue Xing.
Moreover, Marshal Ge Long was the leader of the pro-war faction in the Heaven Dou Empire, and his attitude toward Spirit Hall would be harsher, which aligned better with the interests of their powerful sect.
"Very well, I will go test Marshal Ge Long's stance later."
"Then I'll leave it to Sect Master Ning. I will handle the man who was served fine food and drink — and I guarantee he will no longer pose a threat to our regent."
Ning Fengzhi watched Xu Mingxi's disappearing figure but felt a tinge of fear in his heart. His proposal could easily turn an emperor into a puppet. The Star Crown Sect surely had deeper plans.
He had only intended to let Xue Qinghe, who was close to their faction, ascend the throne — never to make him a puppet. Xingchen Douluo's heart was truly ruthless.
Ning Fengzhi felt a bit of caution toward Xu Mingxi. They were not enemies, but they were not family either.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Star Crown Sect were merely false allies protecting their own interests. He had to carefully consider future dealings and assistance, lest the Star Crown Sect betray them without warning.
After resting briefly, and accompanied by Bone Douluo, he traveled through the black hole to Marshal Ge Long's residence in Tiandou City without alarming anyone.
Marshal Ge Long's stance was still unclear, and Ning Fengzhi didn't want to take too big a risk. If he failed, it would only attract Xue Qinghe's attention.
Marshal Ge Long was still dealing with official affairs at home when he suddenly saw a black hole appear in the room.
Having dealt with Bone Douluo before, he naturally knew what it was, and stood up to wait for Ning Fengzhi to appear.
What he didn't expect was that Sword Douluo came too. The two "Sea-Calming Gods" of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect appeared at the same time. This was no ordinary visit.
"Lord Ning? Why are you suddenly at my house?"
"Marshal Ge Long, we've come to see you about something extremely important."
Seeing Bone Douluo immediately use his soul power to seal off the entire room, Ge Long's expression grew serious. If they didn't come with ill intent, then they must have something extremely, extremely important to say.
Ning Fengzhi didn't waste words and directly told him that Xue Qinghe was a fake from Spirit Hall, as well as what they had discovered.
"That's impossible. How could His Highness the Crown Prince be impersonated? I can't believe what you're saying, Lord Ning."
"Whether you believe it or not isn't important, Marshal Ge Long. What matters is: do you want to experience what it's like to govern the entire Heaven Dou Empire?"
Ge Long froze in place and stared blankly at Ning Fengzhi. Did he know what he was saying? Governing the entire Heaven Dou Empire was power only the emperor held.
"You don't need to look at me like that. I'm not the only one who believes Xue Qinghe is fake. The Star Crown Sect believes so too. I believe they've already sent Prince Xue Xing to his doom."
Ning Fengzhi uttered the most dreadful words with a smile, squinting as he looked at Marshal Ge Long sitting across from him.