When Lei Meng recognized the figure before him, it was as if he had been struck by lightning. His spirit ring vanished in an instant, and the battle saber slipped from his grasp, clattering loudly on the floor. His tiger-like eyes widened with a mix of shock, excitement, and utter disbelief.
"Your... Your Highness? Prince Mubai? Is it really you?" he stammered, his voice thick with emotion as he instinctively moved to kneel in salute.
Dai Mubai quickly stepped forward and caught his arm, preventing him from kneeling. "Uncle Lei Meng, it's me," he said in a low, firm voice. "I'm back. There's no need for that."
Lei Meng gripped Dai Mubai's arm tightly, his gaze sweeping over the young prince he hadn't seen in years. His voice trembled. "Your Highness, you've grown up... and you're thinner. It's good that you're back, it's so good! But the Imperial City is dangerous right now! Dai Weisi, he..."
Dai Mubai's eyes grew sharp. "I know it's dangerous, Uncle Lei Meng. But we wouldn't have returned if we weren't prepared to face it. You must know what Dai Weisi has been like recently."
Lei Meng's expression turned grim, and he nodded. "His Highness has been unusually irritable lately. There are already many complaints about him in the army... Your Highness, is this your doing?"
Dai Mubai didn't deny it. "He brought this on himself. Uncle Lei Meng, I need your help."
A look of conflict crossed Lei Meng's face. But as he looked into Dai Mubai's eyes, which so closely resembled those of his deceased mother, he recalled the kindness the royal family had shown him years ago. He hardened his resolve and gritted his teeth. "Your Highness, just give the order, and this general will follow it to the death! It's just... the Imperial Guard isn't united anymore. Dai Weisi has his spies everywhere."
"You don't need to oppose Dai Weisi openly for now, Uncle Lei Meng," Dai Mubai explained. "All I ask is that you provide us with information when you can. And when the time comes, you just need to make sure the men under your command either stay neutral or... make things a little easier for us."
He handed the general a small communicator.
Lei Meng took it solemnly, his hand closing tightly around the device as if accepting a great and heavy trust. "Rest assured, Your Highness! This general knows what to do! You must be careful!" he said. "If you need to, you can use this to contact some of our old comrades in the Imperial Guard."
Lei Meng then gave Dai Mubai a token in return.
With the general's promise secured, Dai Mubai and Tang San wasted no more time and departed as quietly as they had arrived. Left alone in his study, Lei Meng stared at the communicator in his hand, his heart pounding with a storm of emotions that would not calm for a long time.
That night, the Star Luo Imperial City appeared peaceful, but inside two important mansions, Dai Mubai's return had planted the seeds of a rebellion that was about to quietly grow.
By the time Tang San and Dai Mubai returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's local headquarters, the first light of dawn was breaking across the sky.
Inside their secret meeting room, Ye Yin listened to their report and nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. Mubai, your visit had a better effect than we expected. The Old Prince has made his stance clear, and General Lei Meng's promise is something we can count on."
Dai Mubai's eyes burned with determination. "Yin Ge, should we start preparing now?"
Ye Yin, however, shook his head, a faint, calculating smile on his lips. "No, not yet. We need to let the pressure build a little longer. Right now, Dai Weisi is just unsettled. That's not enough. We need to fan the flames until he's completely overwhelmed—so much so that he loses his composure and makes a mistake, coming right to us."
His gaze shifted to Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, besides managing your business, I'm sure the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is also skilled at... spreading interesting information around the city, aren't you?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she instantly understood his plan. She smiled slyly. "Don't worry, Yin Ge. When it comes to things like this, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School are the experts!"
Ye Yin then turned to Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan. "Xiao Wu, Yan Yan, you two won't be idle either. At night, I want you to go out and target the cruel servants who work for Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun. As for how you do it... have fun, but don't kill anyone."
"Alright! We'll get it done!" Xiao Wu exclaimed, rubbing her hands together in excitement.
Dugu Yan licked her lips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "This is the perfect chance to test some new poisons I've been working on. They'll make people itch so badly they'll feel it in their souls."
Finally, Ye Yin addressed Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. "Mubai, you and Zhuqing continue to use Lei Meng and the Old Prince's connections to secretly contact others who are unhappy with Dai Weisi. Just be careful not to reveal our location."
"Yes!" they both answered.
With their plans set, an invisible net began to spread across Star Luo Imperial City, with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School at its center.
In the days that followed, the teahouses, taverns, and alleyways of the city began to buzz with scandalous rumors that were impossible to confirm but too juicy to ignore.
"Have you heard about the First Prince?" one merchant would ask another over a cup of wine. "They say he was injured in that last tournament... injured down there. It's why his temper has been so foul lately."
"I heard his own fiancée was stolen right from under his nose," another would chime in.
"That's not all! I heard Miss Zhu Zhuyun has been hiding away ever since she returned because she was heartbroken, betrayed by the one person she trusted most!"
Then came the most shocking rumor of all, whispered in hushed, gleeful tones. "I heard the First Prince has fallen in love with... the Second Prince! A 'cut-sleeve'!"
"And what about those new powerful hidden weapons his mansion acquired? I heard they're just for show! They explode when you try to use them and have already injured many of his own men!"
"Tsk, tsk. It seems the First Prince is having a string of bad luck..."
The gossip spread like a plague, growing more outrageous and vicious with each telling. At the same time, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun's most trusted subordinates began to experience terrible misfortunes. Some were ambushed on their way home at night, beaten so badly that their bones ached for days, yet they had no visible injuries to show for it. Others would suddenly be overcome by an unbearable itch that covered their entire bodies, forcing them to strip off their clothes and scratch themselves in public, losing all their dignity.
The entire city's attention was now fixed on the troubles plaguing Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun.
Inside Weisi's mansion, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed through the hall.
Bang!
Dai Weisi hurled another priceless vase against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved as he fought to control his breathing. He trembled with pure rage, staring down at the reports detailing the outrageous rumors that now consumed the city.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" he roared. "You can't even stop a few rumors! Investigate! Find out who is spreading this filth! I will tear them to pieces!"
The advisors and guards in the hall stood in terrified silence, not daring to make a sound.
"Your Highness, please calm down," an advisor finally said, bravely stepping forward. "We're trying to trace the source of the rumors, but it's difficult. It seems like several groups are spreading them. On top of that, our men have been getting into trouble, and morale is dropping fast. The hidden weapons from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School are also faulty; Master Liu at the Imperial Arsenal was nearly killed in an explosion. Even the Imperial Guard is complaining about the new equipment..."
Every piece of bad news felt like another nail in Dai Weisi's coffin. He felt like an invisible hand was manipulating everything from behind the scenes, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Those rumors, the embarrassing incidents with his subordinates—they were all like sharp slaps to his face. The feeling of powerlessness was driving him mad.
"Shrek... Ye Yin! It has to be you!" Dai Weisi let out a furious, animalistic roar, his eyes filled with a murderous light.
[Resentment from Dai Weisi +88!]
"I can't wait any longer!"
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