Chapter 158: The Night of Reckoning
The days leading up to Lin Yuer's planned strike against Zhao and his conspirators are filled with tension. The palace is on high alert, with additional guards stationed throughout the grounds and intelligence reports flooding in. Lin Yuer remains vigilant, trusting her advisors but never letting her guard down. She knows that every decision now carries the weight of the empire on her shoulders.
As the moon reaches its zenith, Lin Yuer receives word from Wei Xing—her network of spies has intercepted a message from Zhao's camp. It's a coded message, but the meaning is clear: tomorrow, they plan to move against her.
Lin Yuer's heart races as she absorbs the news. This is it. The moment she's been preparing for has finally arrived. Tomorrow, the rebellion will either succeed or fail, and the fate of the empire will be decided.
She orders a council of war, bringing together her most trusted generals and advisors. Zhu Liang is the first to speak. "Your Majesty, this is it. Tomorrow, Zhao will come for us. His forces are massing just outside the capital. We must strike first—before they can carry out their plans."
Li Mei nods. "The nobles who support Zhao are already positioned to rally the people against you. If we are to succeed, we must keep them from gaining control over the city. We will need to make sure the people stay loyal to you and that they see us as their protectors."
Lin Yuer takes a deep breath, the weight of the decision bearing down on her. "Then we move at dawn. We will strike first, and we will make it clear that Zhao and his allies are the true enemies of this empire. But we must do so in a way that exposes them to the people—so they cannot escape retribution."
Wei Xing, ever calm, adds, "I will have my agents in place to disrupt their communications and sabotage their movements. We can weaken their forces before they even reach the city."
Zhu Liang raises a hand. "And we must be ready for anything. Zhao may have a few tricks up his sleeve. We cannot afford to be overconfident."
Lin Yuer looks around at her loyal generals and advisors. She feels the weight of the responsibility but also a sense of resolve. "We will win. For the people. For the empire."