I am Yuan Niaoniao

Chapter 112 Lead by example

"Lord Duanmu, our people have already infiltrated the imperial palace and Prince Yi's mansion." The attendant came to report to Duanmu Rongzhen.

"Okay!" Duanmu Rongzhen smiled and said, "Go and invite Gu Yunmu over."

"Yes, Lord Duanmu." The follower turned around immediately.

After a while, Gu Yunmu was invited over.

"I wonder what instructions Lord Duanmu has?" Gu Yunmu said respectfully.

"Five days later, Prince Yi will hold a banquet in the palace. Many royal relatives, nobles, and foreign princesses and princes will be there. We should participate in such a grand and solemn occasion!"

"But?" Gu Yunmu was a little troubled for a moment. How could he enter the palace without being invited?

"Hahahaha, who dares to stop me, Duanmu Rongzhen?" Duanmu Rongzhen had already made arrangements. He would bring people in as a diplomatic envoy. "We will make it as grand as we want that day, but we must make him pay a heavy price for it!"

"Master Duanmu is right. I will cooperate with you to the end!" Gu Yunmu was relieved when he saw that Duanmu Rongzhen looked confident. He would just do whatever Duanmu Rongzhen said. As long as he could make some progress, his elder brother would not embarrass Hong Li anymore! "If everything is ok, I will go back and get ready, and wait for your dispatch at any time."

"Yes. Come to the palace in five days, and you will follow me as my follower." Duanmu Rongzhen nodded.

"Yes!" Gu Yunmu couldn't stop showing excitement when he heard that. His elder brother had received the invitation letter a long time ago, but didn't think of bringing him in. Although Duanmu Rongzhen asked him to be an attendant, it was understandable. At least he could go into the palace with him to attend the banquet!

After returning to the base, Gu Yunmu excitedly found Hong Li: "Hong Li, do you know? Our chance has come!"

"Tell me in detail." Hong Li's face was full of anticipation when he saw this.

"Five days later, Lord Duanmu will take me into the palace, and then he will deal with Prince Yi. Once this is successful, you and I will no longer be controlled by my eldest brother, and it will also prove that I can break away from my eldest brother!" Gu Yunmu said excitedly.

"Lord Duanmu is going to deal with Prince Yi? The palace banquet in five days?" Hong Li said with a frown. It is not an easy task to deal with Prince Yi in Prince Yi's territory.

"Don't worry, Lord Duanmu would never dare to take action at the palace banquet five days later if he is not sure! After all, that is the royal palace, heavily guarded, and the consequences of failure will be disastrous. But since Lord Duanmu has chosen this time, he must be absolutely sure. And I will also be there to assist Lord Duanmu at that time. The unique poison possessed by our Yi tribe cannot be resisted by those ordinary soldiers in Dadu. As long as the plan is implemented smoothly, we will be able to achieve our goal successfully!" Gu Yunmu said confidently.

Hong Li felt relieved after hearing what Gu Yunmu said, but still asked with some concern: "What if something unexpected happens? We must be fully prepared."

Gu Yunmu patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, Lord Duanmu has already made a detailed plan, and every link has been considered very carefully. And I will also bring the best antidote of our Yi tribe, just in case."

Hong Li nodded, thinking that what Gu Yunmu said made sense. So she thought for a moment and said, "Take me to see Lord Duanmu. Besides, you and I have the best cooperation, and I believe I can provide greater help to Lord Duanmu."

Gu Yunmu hesitated for a moment. He knew that Hong Li was very strong. If she joined, the success rate of this operation would definitely be higher. However, he didn't know whether Duanmu Rong would blame him. "This..." Gu Yunmu looked at Hong Li with some embarrassment, but then he thought that the two of them had always been working side by side. If Hong Li was added, their strength would only increase, which might not be a bad thing! "Okay, I'll take you to see Lord Duanmu now."

So Gu Yunmu brought Hong Li to find Duanmu Rongzhen again.

He smiled flatteringly and said, "Lord Duanmu! This is my first wife, also from the Yi tribe. I heard that you will take action in five days, so I asked me to come and see you. My wife is also good at using poison. Together, we are willing to help you win a great victory!" After that, Gu Yunmu respectfully pushed Hong Li forward and introduced her to Duanmu Rongzhen, "This is my wife Hong Li."

At this time, Hong Li also looked pleasing to the eye. After bowing to Duanmu Rongzhen, he said softly, "Hello, Lord Duanmu." Duanmu Rongzhen looked up and down at the woman in front of him. She was petite and delicate, with a pretty face. Although she was wearing a gorgeous red dress, she still looked pretty. Duanmu Rongzhen thought to himself, "This woman is quite pretty, and from what Gu Yunmu said, she seems to have some abilities." Thinking of this, Duanmu Rongzhen asked, "Do you also know how to use poison?"

Hong Li nodded slightly and replied, "To answer your Excellency, I am as good as my husband."

Duanmu Rongzhen heard this, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, he continued to ask: "Do you have any unique poison or antidote?" Hong Li replied calmly: "I am good at mixing a poison called 'Bone Erosion Powder'. This poison is colorless and tasteless. The poisoned person will have unbearable pain in the bones all over the body, and eventually die from the separation of flesh and bones. As for the antidote, I know the antidotes for several common poisons."

Duanmu Rongzhen nodded after hearing this, expressing his approval of Hong Li's ability. He turned to look at Gu Yunmu and said, "In that case, you two should come with me. If you can help me succeed in this operation, you will be the biggest contributors."

Gu Yunmu and Hong Li hurriedly thanked him, secretly delighted. They knew that following Duanmu Rongzhen into the palace this time might be a great opportunity for them to change their fate. The days of being controlled by Gu Ruochen were really enough, and if they acted as low-key as Gu Ruochen did, when would they be able to make a name for themselves and strengthen the Yi tribe!

...................

The palace banquet will be held in five days. This is a grand and important banquet, and there must be no mistakes! Han Junyi put his hands behind his back and faced the palace guards standing in a row in front of him with a serious expression.

His voice was cold and dignified: "This palace banquet is of vital importance. You must be extremely alert and keep a close eye on every corner of the palace. There must not be the slightest mistake! Anyone who violates the rules will be severely punished! Even... you may lose your head!"

The guards shouted in unison: "Yes, sir!" Their voices were loud and firm, revealing their absolute obedience to Han Junyi's orders and their confidence in completing the mission.

Han Junyi nodded with satisfaction, but the severity in his eyes did not diminish. This palace banquet was so important that any negligence could lead to unimaginable consequences. Therefore, he had to make sure that every guard understood the heavy responsibility they shouldered.

"I hope you will keep your mission in mind and live up to our trust!" Han Junyi emphasized again.

"We will defend the palace to the death!" the guards shouted in unison.

Han Junyi felt a little relieved when he saw this group of loyal and brave guards. But he knew that this was not enough. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the palace banquet, he needed secret guards, so he returned to his palace and called Feng.

"How many people can we transfer back?" Han Junyi asked Feng.

"There are still one thousand secret guards available." Feng said with his head down.

"A thousand secret guards are enough." The secret guards are comparable to elite soldiers, one against ten. Han Junyi nodded and said, "All of them fall into the palace."

"But..." Feng raised his head with some embarrassment: "Jin Weiwu is in the palace."

"Then they are in the dark, and we are in the light!" Han Junyi suddenly realized, and almost forgot that the palace was full of Jinweiwu: "By then, all the secret guards will dress up as palace servants and guard the guests of the palace banquet."

"Yes." Feng took the order and left.

"That should be enough." Han Junyi thought about it carefully. The defense was enough. The palace banquet would surely be held smoothly.

Jin Jingni heard every word of their conversation. She had wanted to go to the study to find something to hold against Han Junyi, but she didn't expect him to come back suddenly. She was so scared that she quickly turned into the big box on the ground. She happened to hear the conversation between Han Junyi and Feng. She thought to herself: With Han Junyi's people everywhere, it would be difficult for a fly to fly in. I have to find a way to cause trouble for him. I can't expect to marry any princess smoothly.

After making sure Han Junyi had left, Jin Jingni waited for a while before quietly climbing out of the box. After thinking for a while, she hurried back to the palace: "Xueyao, we have to leave the palace."

Seeing Jin Jingni's anxious face, he guessed that she was worried about Han Junyi's plan to marry a princess at the palace banquet, so he packed up without saying much and followed Jin Jingni out of the palace.

"Xueyao, do you know where news spreads the fastest?" Sitting in the carriage, Jin Jingni pulled aside the curtain and looked at the street.

"I only know that teahouses are the fastest. There are the most people chatting and drinking tea there. Even the smallest things can be told through their mouths as fast as an arrow leaving a string." Xue Yao thought for a moment and said.

"Then you will do something for me later." Jin Jingni lowered the curtain and leaned close to Xueyao's ear and said, "After you get off the carriage, go to the teahouse to have some tea, and then tell others that the prince has sent two layers of secret guards to guard the palace. Do you know what to do?"

Xueyao was shocked after hearing this, but then she met Jin Jingni's cold eyes and nodded. "I understand."

"Okay, go ahead. Go to the market after a cup of tea. I'll wait for you there." After saying this, Jin Jingni let Xueyao get off the carriage.

Xueyao looked around and went to the teahouse with her basket.

Jin Jingni let the coachman leave only after she saw Xueyao enter the teahouse, and she herself returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Daddy." As soon as Jin Jingni entered the house, she went straight to Jin Wenbo's study: "Daddy."

"Hmm?" Jin Wenbo was reading a book at the moment. When he heard Jin Jingni's voice, he put down the book and looked at his daughter.

"The prince not only mobilized all the guards, but also sent his own secret guards to guard the palace inside and outside." Jin Jingni said with a frown.

"It's better to take precautions before it happens. Besides, there are so many foreign envoys, princes and princesses. There's nothing wrong with this." Jin Wenbo said after thinking for a while.

"Not right! Daddy, the prince wants to prevent anyone from ruining his plan to marry a princess from another country, so he is on high alert." Jin Jingni said anxiously.

Seeing that Jin Wenbo was unmoved, Jin Jingni was extremely anxious. "Daddy, if the prince succeeds, our family will have no chance of success! If I can still be a concubine, I still have a chance to turn things around. If the prince wants to take this opportunity to get rid of me, what will daddy do?! The queen has long been dissatisfied with her daughter's failure to conceive. If the prince can successfully marry a princess at this time, what use are we to the prince?"

Jin Wenbo was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Then what do you think we should do? It is reasonable for the prince to do so. We can't forcibly stop him from getting married."

Jin Jingni's eyes lit up, "We can find a way to prevent him from marrying her!"

Jin Wenbo frowned and said, "How can this be easy? Besides, marriage is about mutual affection. Moreover, he is His Royal Highness Prince Yi, how can we manipulate him at will?"

Jin Jingni gritted her teeth and said, "No matter what, we can't just sit there and wait for death! Dad, you must help me think of a solution! At this moment, the Prime Minister's Mansion and my daughter will prosper together and suffer together!"

Jin Wenbo looked at Jin Jingni's determined expression, and a trace of helplessness rose in his heart. He was not unaware of the interests involved: "Daddy knows. He will find a way to stop the prince."

"Okay, my daughter has just sent someone to spread the news to the market. If someone hears it, they might help us solve our problems." Jin Jingni added, "It's up to Daddy from now on."

"Well, you go back first. Daddy will think about what to do." Jin Wenbo waved his hand to signal Jin Jingni to leave first.

He then wrote a letter and summoned several colleagues in the court to his house for a gathering.

In the evening, several capable ministers in the court had basically arrived at the Prime Minister's Residence.

"My dear colleagues," Jin Wenbo looked at them and said, "I no longer want to assist His Royal Highness Prince Yi. Do you have this idea? After all, His Royal Highness Prince Yi is too young. In many cases, I would rather follow the Emperor in politics and ideas. Everyone can speak freely. There is no need to be afraid to speak just because Princess Yi is my daughter."

Several people looked at each other, and then said in unison: "We are willing to follow Prime Minister Jin's footsteps."

"Since all my colleagues have the same idea, that's great. In this way, we must meet His Majesty before the palace banquet! I wonder if you have the courage to lead by example? After all, if there is even the slightest mistake in this matter, we will fall into a bottomless abyss!" Prime Minister Jin once again looked at the people in front of him, his eyes revealing a determination.

"We are willing to follow the Prime Minister until death and resolutely implement your plan!" several people said in unison.

"Good! Wenbo will remember your loyal act." Jin Wenbo was deeply moved. He slowly raised his teacup to signal to everyone, and then drank it all. At this moment, they all looked like they were leading by example. However, no one could predict the future development, whether it was glory or destruction that was waiting for them...