There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 458 The Struggle for Power

Zoya's emerald green eyes were filled with shock and confusion as she tried to recall.

“The third brother, Hassan… I think I saw him a few times when I was a child. He always had a pale face, was supported by his nanny, and kept a distance from the crowd. He rarely spoke, and his eyes… were very quiet, unlike the brother Pasir who was full of hostility, or like his other brothers who were either arrogant or restless.”

"Later, I moved to a remote palace and never saw him again. The palace staff said he wouldn't live long, and nobody took him seriously... I really didn't expect this..."

Gu Ziying pondered for a moment.

"According to Shu Chen's account, this third prince doesn't seem to be entirely malicious. He said, 'Boyu Kingdom can't go on like this,' 'he wants to pull it out of the abyss,' and even thought that you, Princess, 'might be an opportunity.' This shows that he at least has his own ambitions, and perhaps... his goals overlap with yours to some extent."

"But he also said that the prerequisite is that you, Princess, 'cannot stand in his way.' What is this 'way'? Is it the way he ascends the throne himself? Or is it the way arranged by the 'Purple Star King' behind him? If it's the former, there might be room for cooperation; if it's the latter, it may be difficult to have both."

Li Shuchen interjected, "I think this Prince Hassan is very cunning."

"He talks a good game, but he's been doing a lot of dirty work—assassinations, sabotage, colluding with foreign enemies—he's been ordering around plenty of it."

"This shows that he can be very ruthless in order to achieve his goals. He values ​​us now because we have the ability to help him stir up trouble or deal with the market and the king, in case he finds us a hindrance one day..."

She made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zoya took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart.

“Miss Li is right, Third Brother… Prince Hassan, he has been hiding in the shadows for many years, and his ambitions must be enormous. He may really want to change the Kingdom of Boyu, but his methods are probably different from ours. We can temporarily regard him as a ‘variable’ that needs to be guarded against, rather than an ally. The most urgent task is still our own plan.”

Liang Yuying nodded approvingly

“The princess is right. We should be aware of Prince Hassan’s situation and keep an eye on his movements, but we need not take the initiative to contact or clash with him. Our core objective remains unchanged: to secure the power and status that the princess deserves, thereby promoting reform in the Kingdom of Boyu. However, the king is reluctant to grant her real power, and Pasar is pressing us step by step. We can no longer wait passively.”

Princess Changning was eager to get started.

"What should we do? Are we just going to keep wasting our time with that old man and that market idiot? I can't stand this humiliation!"

Ye Bingli analyzed

"The king was able to suppress the princess by relying on two things: his legitimate royal power and his control over the palace's military force, especially the guard system."

“Right now, the deputy commander of the guards, Urk, is a card in our hands. Although he is currently under Hassan's command, he and some of his close associates are in a state of hidden damage.”

"If we can make good use of this information gap, or even... manage to get the king to discover Urk's betrayal and escape, we might be able to greatly shake the king's trust in the palace's military power and create chaos."

Gu Ziying's interface

"At the same time, the princess's popularity among the people has reached its peak, as evidenced by the success of the Star Camp. We need to transform this popularity into more direct political pressure."

"For example, by guiding the common people and some lower- and middle-level officials to publicly appeal to the king to grant the virtuous princess some governing power in order to alleviate the people's urgent needs, the law would not punish the masses. Even if the king was unwilling, he could not completely ignore the overwhelming public opinion."

Princess Changning then said

"Prince Bazaar seems to be extremely agitated lately because he has repeatedly suffered setbacks at Princess Zoya's hands, and the King is also dissatisfied with him. He has been whipping servants and injuring people with his horse in the palace on several occasions. Perhaps... we could try to make him cause even bigger trouble, completely exhausting the King's already dwindling patience and tolerance for him."

Li Shuchen's eyes lit up as he listened.

"Wow! You guys are hitting the nail on the head with every move! Smear his soldiers, incite the people to force him to abdicate, and let his incompetent son bring this upon himself! A three-pronged approach to make that old Deng completely overwhelmed!"

Liang Yuying's summary

"That's the general direction. The specific execution requires careful planning. Shu Chen and I will be in charge of utilizing the Ulke incident. We need to fabricate evidence and choose the right moment to expose it to the King."

"Regarding public opinion, Ziying and Bingli should continue to lead the way. The princess can also increase her public activities under the guise of understanding the people's sentiments. As for the market... Changning, perhaps you need to 'provoke' him a little more and make him lose control."

Princess Changning immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Leave it to me! I guarantee he'll be so angry he'll explode on the spot!"

As Zoya listened to everyone's plans, she felt both excited and burdened with a heavy responsibility.

She knew this would be a battle a thousand times more dangerous than the construction of the camel camp; it would be a real struggle for power.

She looked at Liang Yuying: "General Liang, if it really comes to that... would we need... more direct measures?"

Her question was subtle, but her meaning was clear.

Liang Yuying's gaze was calm as she slowly nodded.

"Princess, in the game of power, such things are sometimes unavoidable. We must be fully prepared. If public pressure and internal disintegration still cannot make the king give in, for the future of the Kingdom of Boyu, and to prevent future suffering like that of the Camel Camp, perhaps... we must consider helping the Kingdom of Boyu replace its leader with a more qualified one. Of course, this is a last resort, and it must be carefully planned, executed decisively, and with minimal bloodshed and internal strife."

The atmosphere inside the sealed room became heavy.

Everyone understands what Liang Yuying meant by "changing the leader".

That would be a true upheaval in the palace.

"Alright, let's proceed according to plan for now."

Liang Yuying broke the silence, saying, "Prepare yourselves, stay in touch, and remember, safety first."

In the days that followed, Suleiman appeared calm on the surface, but the gears of his inner workings were turning at an unprecedented speed.

Gu Ziying and Ye Bingli's "pen" and "embroidery needle" exerted tremendous power.

More positive stories about Camp Star, satirical folk songs contrasting the extravagance of the king and his son with the simplicity of the princess, and even some ancient fables hinting at the need for a wise leader, quietly spread through the streets, alleys, teahouses, and taverns.

When Princess Changning "accidentally" met Prince Bacha, she "casually" mentioned

"Oh dear, Your Highness, I heard you've been in a bad mood lately? Well, Princess Zoya has turned a beggar's den into a thriving place, making some people seem rather...useless, huh?"

"But don't take it to heart. Your forte isn't here. What you're good at is... well, horseback riding and hunting? It's a pity you haven't hunted anything decent lately..."

Every word struck at the market's sore spots, successfully provoking the market owner to lose his temper and punish a talkative servant in public, causing widespread resentment.

Li Shuchen and Liang Yuying then personally orchestrated a scene of evidence discovery.

They managed to get one of Urk's panicked men to escape, only to be unexpectedly captured by the king's patrol. A fragment of a secret letter bearing special markings and a small bag of foreign gold coins of unknown origin were found on his person.

Under severe torture, the subordinate broke down and confessed, implying that Urk had already betrayed the king and might be plotting against him...

King Ardan, already suspicious of Urk's disappearance, was further enraged by the evidence and confessions. He launched a massive purge and reshuffling of the palace guard, causing widespread panic and plunging the guard force into chaos and inefficiency.

It's time.