The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 212 (Patreon)

Chapter 212

Although Xiao Hongjing had not appeared much in public before, he was very well-informed, which is why he was able to recognize Ling Chunann at first sight. Therefore, when Xiao Hongjing revealed someone's identity, Ling Chunann was not surprised and immediately grasped the key point, "What about their lineage, then?"

Xiao Hongjing hesitated, seemingly reluctant to answer, but seeing his beloved earnestly looking at him, he still provided the answer, "He is the son of the Queen Consort of Jin and the former General Huwei."

098 interjected with excitement about gossip, marveling at the fact that the Crown Prince was not the Emperor's biological son. Moreover, the Queen Consort later sat securely in the Empress's position, suggesting the Emperor might not have discovered the cuckolding. Such private gossip being known by Xiao Hongjing was deemed incredible.

Ling Chunann mentally told 098 to be quiet, then looked at Xiao Hongjing with astonishment, "You mean he is not the son of Lord Jin? Does Lord Jin know about this?"

"He wouldn't know," Xiao Hongjing said with a meaningful look at the person on the stage, "And he probably never will."

Lord Jin had been imprisoned in the sky prison following a coup more than half a month ago and was likely executed by now, something the prince apparently was unaware of. Xiao Hongjing had not shared these details with Ling Chunann, but he inferred them from their correspondence. The biggest proof was that the current Emperor still securely held his position.

During their conversation, An Chengxuan on the stage had already won easily, earning a round of applause.

After bowing to his opponent on the stage, An Chengxuan said, "Thank you for letting me win."

Following that day, Ling Chunann did not see An Chengxuan again but grew closer to Lu Zhiqin, whose affection for Ling Chunann became evident after the sword-fighting tournament. Xiao Hongjing, feeling jealous, occasionally sent subordinates to spar with Lu Zhiqin under the guise of practice, but couldn't do much because of Ling Chunann.

After Lu Zhiqin left the Tianshan Sect as the champion, he remained unaware of Xiao Hongjing's targeting. He thought of Ling Chunann as a strict elder brother. Before leaving, he warmly invited Ling Chunann to visit the Kunlun Sect, which Ling Chunann agreed to without hesitation.

After sending Lu Zhiqin off, Ling Chunann asked Xiao Hongjing, "Are we going back to the capital now?"

"Not yet," Xiao Hongjing responded, touching Ling Chunann's head, "Didn't my treasure want to travel around? It's a good opportunity now."

Ling Chunann looked suspiciously at Xiao Hongjing, "Are you hiding something from me?"

"Nothing much, just that the capital is a bit unsettled right now," Xiao Hongjing explained, then assured, "But don't worry, your father is safe."

Ling Chunann then suggested, "Let's go to the south first."

"Alright," Xiao Hongjing agreed.

After deciding to head south, several months passed without Ling Chunann encountering any story characters. However, with Xiao Hongjing by his side, the journey was enjoyable. Seeing Ling Chunann not worrying about his mission, 098 became anxious, reminding him of his task. The reversal value had been stuck at 45% for a long time, and an unknown task hadn't been unlocked yet. The female lead was still in the capital, recovering from her injuries.

"Not in a hurry," Ling Chunann responded, sipping tea and turning a page of his book, "We can go back soon."

Shortly after ending this topic, Xiao Hongjing returned from outside and asked Ling Chunann, "Do you want to be the emperor?"

Ling Chunann was taken aback.

Seeing Ling Chunann's look, Xiao Hongjing coughed and said, "The heart of an emperor is unpredictable."

Sitting beside Ling Chunann, Xiao Hongjing slowly said, "You must have heard from Prince Jing that I was the one who supported the current emperor."

Ling Chunann nodded.

"I was in poor health and had retired from the court. He didn't consider me a threat. But now, things are different," Xiao Hongjing said with a smile, lowering his voice, "What do you think, my treasure?"

At that moment, 098 hissed, then quietly announced, "Host, an unknown task has been unlocked. The task is to seize the throne and achieve unification of the realm."

Since the realm was already unified, all Ling Chunann needed to do was take that position, which seemed to be offered to him on a silver platter by Xiao Hongjing. 098 didn't suspect Xiao Hongjing of any ulterior motives; in its view, anything given to its host by a man was devoid of conspiracy.

Ling Chunann thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then you'll be my empress."

Xiao Hongjing laughed, "Agreed."

In fact, Ling Chunann often avoided dealing with men in his missions, but occasionally, having someone lend a hand for free wasn't so bad.

After their agreement, they spent several more days before starting their journey back to the capital. However, the trip was far from peaceful; they frequently encountered ambushes, with the methods of attack being varied and ingenious. Many of their ordinary guards were injured, but fortunately, there were no serious consequences.

Half a month later, their caravan safely entered the capital.

Ling Chunann first returned to Prince Jing's mansion. Prince Jing appeared as usual but visibly relaxed upon seeing Ling Chunann, repeatedly urging him not to leave Xiao Hongjing's side. He even offered to assign several skilled protectors, but Xiao Hongjing declined, and Prince Jing did not insist. He then spoke with Xiao Hongjing for a long while before letting them go.

In the following days, Xiao Hongjing made a visit to the palace. He returned without showing any signs of concern, and the assassins that had been targeting them disappeared, making everything seem calm and tranquil.

The entire capital seemed to be engulfed in an unusual calm, as if everything was the same as before. The bustling areas remained lively, yet there was a subtle difference. Upon closer observation, one would notice that many prodigal sons from official families had recently vanished; their elders, sensing trouble, had confined them to their homes.

In this special period, no one dared to attract trouble.

Xiao Hongjing was incredibly busy, but Ling Chunann continued his usual routines—practicing calligraphy and martial arts with the shadow guards, living leisurely.

Eventually, the person sitting on the throne could no longer sit still. One deep night, he sent thousands of elite troops to surround the old mansion and Prince Jing's mansion.

"Continue sleeping, my treasure," Xiao Hongjing told Ling Chunann as he tucked him in, "Everything will be fine when you wake up." After saying this, he dressed and headed out.

"Host, I don't understand," 098 said, puzzled. "The Emperor had no intention of targeting the throne before and even helped him a lot. How could he turn against us so suddenly?" Even the previous rebellion led by Lord Jin had been quelled with Xiao Hongjing's assistance.

"098, you don't understand," Ling Chunann lazily replied, "This is human nature."

098 still couldn't grasp the concept, but Ling Chunann didn't explain further.

Afterward, Ling Chunann didn't go back to sleep, nor did he get up.

A few minutes later, a figure silently approached his bedside.

"Host, it's Shadow Six," 098 announced, puzzled by his sudden appearance. Shadow Six had been close to Ling Chunann recently, called upon for sparring, but he rarely appeared without Ling Chunann's summoning. What was his purpose now?

"He's not Shadow Six," Ling Chunann said.

"What?" 098 was taken aback.

At that moment, "Shadow Six" reached out his hand towards Ling Chunann's neck.

"Host, he's going to choke you," 098 warned.

"I know," Ling Chunann said calmly, as if he were unable to defend himself.

Seeing Ling Chunann joke at such a moment, 098 decided to leave him be, as the emperor was not as anxious as the eunuch.

"098, you're becoming less cute," Ling Chunann remarked.

"Hmph."

Silence fell.

Then, "Shadow Six" lightly touched Ling Chunann's neck. His hand, rough from martial training, barely applied any pressure before Ling Chunann's delicate skin reddened.

098 watched nervously, fearing that the man might accidentally snap Ling Chunann's neck. It admired Ling Chunann's composure; even in such a situation, his heartbeat remained steady.

"Don't worry, it's okay," Ling Chunann reassured.

Shortly after the reassurance, "Shadow Six" withdrew his hand, looked at Ling Chunann for a while, then suddenly leaned down and kissed him on the corner of his mouth before standing straight and vanishing into the shadows.

"Host, he's gone," 098 finally said after regaining its composure, suspecting Ling Chunann had just been flirted with.

Ling Chunann then sat up, wiping the kissed spot on his mouth, "I guess this counts as sacrificing my charm for the mission, huh?"

After a pause, 098 asked, "Host, if he wasn't Shadow Six, then who was he?"

"I won't tell you," Ling Chunann said with a smile.

098, knowing it wouldn't easily extract information from its host, quickly adjusted its mood, "Host, An Chengxuan and the female lead have met. They've gathered Lord Jin's former subordinates, planning a surprise attack from behind."

"Where are they now?"

"Their army is lying in ambush outside the imperial city, waiting for the Emperor and the lord to clash, intending to storm in and seize the imperial seal."

"That's a good plan," Ling Chunann acknowledged appreciatively.

"Host, could An Chengxuan be the male lead?" 098 inquired.

"He is not," Ling Chunann confirmed.

"How do you know?" 098 was curious.

"Because..." Ling Chunann drew out his response, "I already know who the male lead is."

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