It wasn't long before the day to reclaim the throne arrived. The man stood on the tower, looking at the towering red walls. It seemed as if he could already envision himself sitting back on that throne.
He stared intently at the several ministers behind him.
"How's the arrangement I asked you to make?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Everything is ready. We're just waiting for your order."
"Rest assured, on the day when I reclaim the throne, it will be the day when you are put to good use."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Majesty. We will never forget your cultivation. We will surely do our best today."
The attitudes of these ministers satisfied the King of the Western Regions. He confirmed the time for the guard change at the palace gate and waved to the two men behind him.
"Act."
He was the first to leap down, completely oblivious to the odd behavior of the ministers behind him.
By the time he had led a small contingent of troops and engaged in a fierce battle with the guards and shadow guards at the palace gate, he gradually sensed something was amiss.
He frowned slightly and looked back at the people behind him. Apart from his loyal bodyguards who had always been by his side, none of the ministers had shown up.
The King of the Western Regions was shocked. Suddenly, he realized what these people were up to. He gritted his teeth and tried to lead his men to retreat, but the people who appeared on the palace wall stopped his movement.
"The King has come. Why are you leaving? It's been a long time since the two of us had a good chat. How about choosing a good day and chatting all night long?"
"Damn you, bitch! Have you already controlled those ministers? Did you know what I was planning? Everything today was arranged by you."
His eyes narrowed slightly. Knowing that it was impossible to retreat even if he wanted to, he simply decided to go all out and confronted that dangerous woman directly.
Concubine Rui curled her red lips and lounged leisurely on the imperial concubine's couch that the guards had just brought.
"Isn't it redundant to ask such questions? Your Majesty, sometimes being too smart can be a curse. It's better for you not to be such a person."
The King of the Western Regions clenched his fists. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept observing the surroundings, hoping to find a flaw. But he was still a bit disappointed. This meticulous woman had arranged everything so perfectly that not a single crack was revealed.
"Don't you just want the throne? I'll officially hand it over to you today. Is that okay?"
He was good at grasping people's minds and had accurately guessed Concubine Rui's intention.
However, now that he was already here, Concubine Rui wanted more than just the throne.
"Your Majesty, I've already said that I want to have a long chat with you. Why don't you listen? Come up quickly. I still have many things to ask you. I wonder how you've been at the border these days. I've been so worried that I can hardly sleep."
Looking at the woman's fake smile, the man felt nauseous. She was probably hoping that he would die at the border and never come back. Now, she was pretending to be affectionate just for show. It was really disgusting.
"Why are you being so fake? I'm already in your hands now, aren't I? You can do whatever you want with me."
His fingers twitched slightly. Something was wriggling quietly in his sleeve. That was his only hope.
Yes, he wouldn't have returned rashly without making full preparations. As long as he could throw this thing at Concubine Rui, he could disappear instantly. By then, everything would still be up to him.
With this thought in mind, the King of the Western Regions began to yield.
"My love, since you've said that you won't do anything to me, then open the palace gate and welcome me in. I believe you'll never go back on your word."
His sudden change of attitude immediately made Qiao Meng sense something was wrong.
"Your Ladyship, why not just shoot him dead in public? Anyway, there are all our people around. No one will see it."
Concubine Rui's smile remained unchanged. There was a hint of charm in her eyebrows. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Since we've come this far, we might as well play the whole game and save the trouble of cleaning up the mess later."
Her careful consideration made Qiao Meng breathe a sigh of relief.
The woman waved her hand, and the palace gate slowly opened. She went down personally to welcome the man. Just when there was only one step left between them, Qiao Meng suddenly made a move. Before anyone could see what had happened, a Gu worm fell to the ground.
Although the Gu worm was small in size, it was extremely eye - catching.
When Concubine Rui saw the Gu worm, there was a deep disappointment in her eyes.
"I was already willing to resolve this matter amicably with Your Majesty. Why do you still want to kill me? What have I done wrong to you? I've been in charge of the palace recently."
The King of the Western Regions obviously didn't expect his scheme to be directly exposed. He gritted his teeth in anger.
"Good. When I was away, Concubine Rui actually had such a good expert by her side. I underestimated you. If I had known this would happen, I should have let you die in the Great Liang Dynasty back then."
After confirming that the palace gate was closed, Concubine Rui changed her expression. She rolled her eyes, and immediately the guards stepped forward to tie up the King of the Western Regions.
"What? After acting out a play, do you really think you're still the all - powerful King?"
"You! What do you want to do? Don't forget that the common people in the capital will surely hear the commotion and rush here."
"So what? The King went to the border and was infected with madness by villains. His subordinates failed to watch over him properly, and the King committed suicide. I'm heartbroken. Helplessly, I can only let the young prince take over."
After she pretended to say this, the King of the Western Regions felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that he had never truly seen the true face of this woman.
Thinking of the ministers who hadn't followed him just now, he suddenly understood. "So, those people were already bought off by you. I was blind to trust them again."
"Tsk, Your Majesty, if you say so, you'll make those gentlemen sad, won't you? Well, Your Majesty has been on the road for several days and must be tired. You'd better go to the prison and rest earlier."
She let out a sigh of relief, as if she was happy that this matter was finally over.
Lord Sun ran in from another place. In front of the King of the Western Regions, he was like a sycophant.
"Your Ladyship is mighty. We knew this man would never be able to stop your plan. At first, we pretended to submit just in the hope that one day Your Ladyship would notice and capture him."
Hearing this, Concubine Rui stretched and felt bored.
"I know what you guys are up to. It's okay at other times, but if you can't tell right from wrong in matters of great importance, don't blame me for being ruthless next time."
She turned around and planned to go back to the palace to rest.
Just then, one scream after another came from outside. She felt strange and immediately ordered the guards to defend the palace gate firmly. Then she climbed up the palace wall and looked down at the tragic scene below.
When she saw the person she had dreamed of killing for so long appear in the Western Regions, her pupils constricted slightly.