My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 47: Deposing the Yuan Clan and Establishing a New Ruler?

Wang Hong accepted the order and left, the sound of his boots gradually fading into the distance.

Gao Cheng stood in the courtyard, looking at the scattered corpses of the assassins before him, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

After a short while, he waved to Liu Taozhi, who had returned, and said in a deep voice, "Drag them all out of the city and burn them, leaving no trace."

Liu Taozhi understood, and with a deep shout, he led his personal guards forward to drag the corpse away.

Gao Cheng didn't linger, turned around and slowly walked to Gao Yang's side.

The physician was stitching up the wound on Gao Yang's arm with hemp thread and applying wound medicine, while Gao Yang sat on the stone steps, wincing in pain and sweat beading on his forehead.

Upon seeing this, Gao Cheng asked, "How are you? Are your bones or muscles injured?"

The physician continued working, replying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the wound did not reach any vital organs, but the flesh wound is quite deep and will require ten days of rest to fully heal."

Gao Yang was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat, but upon hearing this, he immediately became defiant.

Forcing himself to raise his head, he feigned nonchalance and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. Back in the day, my father fought in Hanling, and even though he was wounded several times, he still led his troops to victory. Now I... hiss!"

However, before he could finish showing off, he was suddenly jolted by pain and gasped for breath.

Unable to contain his anger, he snapped at the physician, "How dare you be so reckless! Are you trying to kill me?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Too lazy to watch him stubbornly argue, he turned around and went back into the study.

Upon seeing this, Duan Shao and Hulü Guang followed closely behind and entered.

Both men wore solemn expressions, for they knew very well that this was merely the first turbulent wave in the undercurrents of Yedu.

Although the fighting has ended, the killing intent has not dissipated.

Therefore, upon entering, Duan Shao asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, tonight's events are extraordinary. The assassin acted ruthlessly, directly attacking Your Highness, clearly premeditated. I ask you, Your Highness, will you still proceed with the plan to enter the palace tomorrow to meet the Emperor and intimidate the powerful families?"

Hulü Guang frowned and stepped forward, saying with concern, "Your Highness, regarding tonight's events, the noble families of Yedu, the powerful families of Hebei, and the Yuan clan are all suspects. If we act rashly without thoroughly investigating the matter, we may be putting ourselves in a dangerous situation. It would be better to think twice before proceeding."

Gao Cheng did not respond to what the two men said.

He leaned back on the couch, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression thoughtful.

After pondering for a while, he slowly said, "It's alright, the plan can proceed as before. As for the truth, we'll know once Wang Hong reports back. There's no need to panic."

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged bewildered glances.

Hulü Guang opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him further, but Duan Shao stopped him with a look. Duan Shao knew that Gao Cheng's mind was made up, and there was no point in saying anything more, so he immediately bowed and agreed: "Yes."

Gao Cheng said no more, and waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

Although the two still had doubts, seeing that Gao Cheng was unwilling, they finally bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind them.

A short while later, only a single lamp remained in the study, and the person was all alone.

Gao Cheng leaned against the eaves of the couch, gazing at the overhead beam, a cold smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

He had just entered Ye City today and was assassinated before he could even settle in, which shows how anxious and impatient the person behind it was.

As for who was behind it all, he already had his own conclusion.

It's nothing more than people like Sun Teng and Sima Ziru trying to sow discord between him and the Yuan family so they can reap the benefits.

"These old guys really can't keep their tempers up."

After pondering for a long time, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This provocation was a lucky accident, saving me some effort. I was just worried about not having a chance to teach the Yuan family a lesson..."

After saying that, he stopped thinking about it and got up to go straight to the backyard.

......

......

Wang Hong was extremely efficient.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, he rushed back to the governor's mansion with the message.

At that time, Gao Cheng had just finished breakfast and was sitting in the main hall waiting. Gao Yang, Duan Shao, and Huli Guang were also present, but their expressions were slightly anxious.

Wang Hong strode inside. Although he hadn't slept all night and his eyes showed weariness, his back was ramrod straight.

Upon entering, he knelt on one knee and announced in a clear voice, "Your Highness, the three gentlemen, the cloud pattern has been identified. This item is rare on the market and is manufactured by the government. According to our undercover investigation, someone has seen a similar cloud pattern on the boots of the servants in the residences of Prince Fucheng and Grand Commandant Yuan Tan."

"Yuanshi?"

As soon as Wang Hong uttered these words, Gao Yang flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table.

"They are nothing but useless puppets, clinging to the Gao family to survive until now. How dare they send someone to assassinate my brother? I will lead my troops to surround the palace, capture all the members of the Yuan clan, and tear them to pieces to vent my anger!"

Having said that, he immediately stood up, drew his sword, and, filled with rage, rushed out.

"Wait a moment!"

At the critical moment, Gao Cheng immediately shouted in a deep voice, his imposing presence emanating from him without anger.

Gao Yang stopped in his tracks, his eyes bloodshot, and roared furiously, "Brother! He wanted to kill you, and you still tolerated it?"

Gao Cheng slowly shook his head, a cold smile playing on his lips, and said, "If the Yuan family truly had such courage, they would have already restored the state when Erzhu instigated the rebellion. How could they remain caged and wield power for so long?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang was momentarily stunned, while Duan Shao and Huli Guang on the side both changed their expressions instantly.

Duan Shao said urgently, "Does Your Highness mean that someone is deliberately framing you?"

"It's not about framing someone, it's about instigating trouble."

Gao Cheng shook his head slightly, his tone calm yet insightful: "Someone wants to sow suspicion between us and the Yuan family, perhaps even to the point of armed conflict, so that both sides will suffer heavy losses, and they can reap the benefits. It's a pity that although their plan is sophisticated, their methods are extremely foolish. By leaving this obvious trace, they are trying to cover it up, but it only makes it more obvious. It's truly laughable."

Hulü Guang's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He gripped his sword and roared, "It must be those old scoundrels from Ye! They're not giving up on their wicked schemes; when one plan fails, they come up with another. They're truly hateful!"

Gao Yang was stunned, then suddenly realized what had happened. He gritted his teeth and said, "What a bunch of old scoundrels! How dare they use such a vicious scheme to sow discord between my brothers! This is an irreconcilable feud!"

The three were furious and wanted to take immediate action to eliminate the four nobles.

Seeing their furious expressions, Gao Cheng smiled slyly and said, "Gentlemen, please don't be angry. Since they want to play, we'll play along."

"Just for fun?"

The three were taken aback and looked at Gao Cheng in unison: "How do we play?"

Gao Cheng did not answer, but turned to Wang Hong and ordered: "Pass down the order to seal off the Governor's Mansion. Say that the Governor's Mansion was attacked last night, and the Crown Prince was frightened. He will postpone his entry into the palace today. Also, send people to spread the news throughout the city that I have found out that the assassin was from the Yuan clan. I am furious and have written to Jinyang, requesting Your Majesty to depose the Yuan clan and establish a new emperor!"

Upon hearing this, the three men's eyes lit up instantly.

Duan Shao slapped the table in admiration, clapping his hands and laughing, "Your Highness, what a brilliant plan!"

Hulü Guang nodded repeatedly: "Good. Since they want to sow discord, let's pretend to fall into their trap and see how they end up."

Gao Yang rubbed his hands together excitedly: "Let's wait until they get carried away, then wipe them all out in one fell swoop! What a brilliant plan, truly ingenious!"

Gao Cheng nodded with a smile: "That's exactly right."

The three looked at each other, all with smiles on their faces, expressing their sincere admiration.

However, after the initial joy, doubts arose in my heart again.

Hulü Guang hesitated before speaking again: "Your Highness's plan is ingenious, but today's original plan was to intimidate the powerful families and eliminate the Zheng family, the ringleaders..."

"As usual."

Gao Cheng interrupted his doubts with a calm remark: "I already made it clear last night that everything is as it was yesterday, only the method has been changed."

"How about we try a different approach?"

Upon hearing this, the three looked at each other, puzzled.