First Battle a Success, The Path to Usurpation Begins

The instant the horn call echoed through the alley at the city's western gate, Chen Wuya stuffed the bronze command token into his belt, turned, and pushed open the secret chamber's rear door. The night wind hit him full in the face, carrying the scent of rust and dust. Without pausing, he stepped onto the slick bluestone slabs, his footfalls making faint sounds. Bai Zhi followed close behind, her sword still sheathed but her hand never leaving its hilt. The Second Prince brought six personal guards to cover their rear, and the group swiftly vanished into the shadows around the street corner.

The drumbeats marking the northern camp's changing of the guard had only just ceased, while the western district's patrol riders had yet to take over. This was their only opening.

"The handover is at the third watch; posts are fixed at the fourth." Chen Wuya spoke softly to a captain beside him. "The moment they think the shift is complete is when they'll be most relaxed."

The captain nodded and waved for the party to spread out and advance stealthily. A hundred paces ahead, a sealed courtyard stood at the end of the street. Iron spikes lined its walls, and guards paced back and forth atop the corner towers. This was the Third Prince's grain and weapons transfer depot within the city—and the key hub through which he secretly moved troops.

When they were nearly thirty zhang away, the paving bricks underfoot showed slight unevenness. Chen Wuya suddenly raised a hand to halt the group, crouched down, and reached out to touch a crack between the stones. A faint tremor pulsed against his fingertips—sound-board mechanisms had been buried beneath the ground.

He closed his eyes and focused. Misaligned Force surged in reverse from his dantian to his palm,