Chapter 366 Rivals Joining Forces

Chapter 366: Alliance of Rivals

"Easier said than done!" Jiang Tianze let out a cold laugh. "He was injured and poisoned before, and those worthless men you sent couldn't do a thing to him. Now that he's healed, killing him? Harder than reaching the heavens!"

"Poisoning or assassination—neither is the best approach. The best way is to plunge him into eternal damnation."

Xiao Huaijin's face suddenly darkened. His usual gentle, jade-like demeanor was completely gone, replaced by a bone-chilling fierceness that made one's blood run cold.

"Find evidence of his treason and collusion with the enemy. Once we have that, we won't even need to act ourselves—His Majesty and the court will be able to put him to death with just cause!"

"Treason and collusion?" Jiang Tianze's brow stirred slightly, fragments flashing through his mind. "He... did have close dealings with that Chief Minister Zhao of Nanyue..."

"Useless." Xiao Huaijin cut him off. "That Nanyue Chief Grand Secretary is now in the dungeon of Prince Jing's residence, tortured by Xiao Lingchuan until he has only one breath left. The ravings of a prisoner don't count as evidence. Even if he confesses, Xiao Lingchuan can easily dismiss it as a forced confession under torture."

"We need new, irrefutable evidence to strike him down in one blow. I've heard that you are the son of the Nanyue Poison Master... so I assume you have some connections."

He paused, lifting his gaze to meet Jiang Tianze's eyes. "I can give you enough money to bribe a prominent Nanyue person to voluntarily report to Daye and accuse Xiao Lingchuan of treason. With both the witness and the evidence, no matter how capable Xiao Lingchuan is, he'll never turn things around!"

Listening to Xiao Huaijin's plan, a sinister, unnatural smile spread across Jiang Tianze's face.

"Then you've found the right person. I am not only the son of the Nanyue Poison Master... I am also the Nanyue Crown Prince! My very presence by Xiao Lingchuan's side is the best evidence of his treason!"

With that, Jiang Tianze took something out from his chest and shook it in front of Xiao Huaijin.

It was a jade token, crystal clear and translucent, glowing with a warm luster under the dim candlelight.

Xiao Huaijin's pupils contracted sharply.

When he had accompanied his maternal grandfather and uncle on a diplomatic visit abroad, he had seen this totem in the Nanyue imperial palace—it was the unique emblem of the Nanyue royal family!

"If you are the Nanyue Crown Prince," he said, disbelief coloring his voice, "why stay in Daye? Now that the Nanyue Emperor has passed away and the country is without a leader, you could just go back and inherit the throne, becoming the king of Nanyue!"

A crown prince, willingly staying in a foreign land as an obscure "Third Master Jiang"?

It was utterly incomprehensible!

"Why?" Jiang Tianze gave a cold laugh. "Naturally, for A Ning."

He enunciated each word heavily, his eyes filled with a love so obsessive it bordered on madness.

"To be able to spend a lifetime with her. Compared to A Ning, what is a mere throne?"

Of course, he disdained to ally with a hypocrite like Xiao Huaijin.

But Xiao Lingchuan was too powerful. Without external help, trying to topple that mountain alone was nothing short of a fool's dream.

The shock on Xiao Huaijin's face slowly faded, replaced by unprecedented gravity.

He looked at Jiang Tianze as if re-evaluating the young man before him.

"Fine." After a long moment, Xiao Huaijin spoke in a deep voice, finally accepting this astonishing fact. "Since our goals align, let's join forces. After we eliminate Xiao Lingchuan, we'll compete fairly to see who wins Miss Jiang's heart!"

"Excellent!" Jiang Tianze agreed readily, a smile curling at the corners of his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

A sinister glint quietly rose in the depths of his eyes, too fast for anyone to catch.

As if unaware, Xiao Huaijin continued, "Since we are now allies, shouldn't you... remove the gu poison from my body?"

"Don't rush." Jiang Tianze lowered his gaze. "If we remove your gu now, and Xiao Lingchuan senses something, won't our plan fall through?"

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice even further.

"Bear with it for now. Anyway, I'm heading to the capital in a few days. My Heart-Eating Gu can only be controlled at close range. Once we're far apart, it's as inert as a dead thing—you won't feel a thing."

Xiao Huaijin was skeptical.

Jiang Tianze's words were not unreasonable. Xiao Lingchuan was inherently suspicious; the slightest disturbance could alert him.

At this critical juncture, maintaining the status quo seemed the safest choice.

In the end, he could only concede: "Fine. I trust you."

He did not notice the flash of malice that crossed Jiang Tianze's face the moment he said those words.

Who said anything about fair competition?

After Xiao Lingchuan dies, you're next!

He would activate the Heart-Eating Gu and let Xiao Huaijin be slowly devoured in endless agony, tortured to death!

Then, let's see how a dead man can still covet his A Ning!

---

Jiang Tianze knew very well that to make Xiao Lingchuan's crime of treason stick, his identity as the Nanyue Crown Prince alone was not enough—they needed concrete physical evidence.

He walked out of the hidden chamber, adjusted his clothes, and put on a deferential yet slightly anxious expression. He went straight to find Xiao Lingchuan.

"Your Highness." Jiang Tianze bowed slightly, his tone perfectly measured. "I have subjected Prince Ning to severe torture with the Heart-Eating Gu, as you instructed, but he is stubborn and still refuses to admit any involvement in the assassination attempt. In my opinion, it may not be his doing. Now... shouldn't you keep your promise and let me see A Ning?"

Xiao Lingchuan's gaze fell coldly on Jiang Tianze. After a moment, he uttered two words: "Follow me."

They passed through several corridors and arrived at a quiet and elegant bedroom.

Jiang Tianze immediately saw Jiang Shuning lying on the bed.

She was sleeping peacefully, her cheeks pallid with illness, but compared to her near-death state when he had last broken into the government office, there was now a faint trace of life.

Even so, Jiang Tianze's heart was still wrenched.

That sword had pierced straight through the heart—how painful it must have been.

How could her frail body endure such suffering?

He approached the bedside, his throat tight, his voice hoarse: "Did Divine Physician Sun say... when she will wake up?"

"The heart meridian was damaged; sleep is also a form of self-healing." Xiao Lingchuan's voice came from behind him, cold as ice. "She has already passed the most dangerous crisis. With careful nurturing, waking up is only a matter of time."

"How long will that take?" Jiang Tianze pressed, unable to hide the anxiety in his eyes.

"You should be grateful that she hasn't woken up yet." Xiao Lingchuan paced to Jiang Tianze's side, his tone full of warning. "Otherwise, I wouldn't let you set foot in this room. Jiang Tianze, know your place. She belongs only to this Prince."

Hearing this, Jiang Tianze's hands clenched silently inside his sleeves, his knuckles white, and a barely concealed resentment flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Alright, you've seen her, now you can leave!" Xiao Lingchuan issued an order to leave, his voice brimming with impatience.

Jiang Tianze suppressed the murderous intent surging in his heart, slowly turned around, and put on an expression of resigned dejection.

"I recall that Your Highness once promised my elder sister that you would pave the way for my official career."

A faint, barely perceptible glimmer of interest passed through Xiao Lingchuan's eyes, his gaze calmly resting on the young man, as if assessing the significance of his sudden change in addressing Jiang Shuning.

"So, what do you want?"

"Since you forbid me from ever seeing her again," Jiang Tianze raised his head, meeting Xiao Lingchuan's eyes, his own burning with undisguised ambition and greed, "then you must promise me that if one day you gain control of Daye's realm, you will share half of it with me!"