The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 26 - Planning for Destruction

It was all part of her plan. Because Feng Yao had tried to escape, it made Long Yi think that it'd cause more trouble trying to get her to cooperate in the ceremony versus just using Concubine Zhao as her substitute. Since he decided to use Concubine Zhao in her place, he could only keep Feng Yao tied up in here during the ceremony. But by doing that, he also unknowingly gave her enough time to sneak into his study while he and Concubine Zhao were both occupied.

Having Concubine Zhao acting as her substitute also helped Feng Yao in dealing with the other countries. None of the other Emperors would notice that she was gone since her substitute was still in the Wei palace.

Feng Yao was quite sure that Long Yi wouldn't kill off Concubine Zhao once she disappeared. Killing off Concubine Zhao also meant that he'd be killing off any chance of her being able to return to his side as his Empress.

Of course, she never wanted to return as his Empress. But his twisted obsession with her made Feng Yao sure that he'd always want to keep the option open.

But that was fine. Even if on the off chance that Long Yi ended up killing Concubine Zhao, he'd never make it public which meant that the other countries would never know that the real Feng Yao had already left the palace.

She glanced around in the darkness. Other than the dirt and debris on the floor, there wasn't much in here that she could use to help her open the locked door.

Suddenly, she remembered something important. Her hand shot to a secret pocket on the inside of her inner robes. Upon feeling the small red pill still safely tucked inside, Feng Yao let out a sigh of relief before turning her attention to the door in front of her.

Very quietly, she pressed her ear against it and listened for the vibrations of any footsteps. If she did her calculations correctly, it was currently in the middle of the morning. At this moment, the Emperor and Concubine Zhao should be starting the ceremony soon. That also meant that it was due for a guard to be checking in on her.

Just as she thought that, she suddenly felt a very faint vibration go through the door. Feng Yao immediately backed away and hid in the corner of the room. Instantly, her thin figure was enshrouded by the shadows and her entire person disappeared.

The next moment, the small click of the door unlocking echoed in the room as the door creaked open. When the guard entered, a look of confusion crossed his face as his eyes narrowed at the pile of torn ropes in the middle of the room. In his hand held a cup of water that was meant for her.

Abruptly, the faint metallic scent of blood wafted into his nose. He spun around in surprise, but it was too late.

Taking advantage of his brief hesitation, Feng Yao used the side of her hand to strike at his acupuncture point on his neck. The man immediately went down in a heap on the floor as he fell unconscious. Feng Yao hurriedly leaned forward and caught the cup in his hand before it too fell onto the floor.

She leaned her nose forward and lightly sniffed at the clear water in her hand. It looked clean, but she wasn't sure what could have been done to it. There also wasn't anything off about the scentless smell.

Feng Yao slightly tipped the water and let a single drop enter her mouth. As it melted on her tongue, her eyes suddenly brightened, and her lips broke into a proud smile.

I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, Concubine Zhao. Thank you for poisoning this cup of water. But unfortunately, I'll be using this for someone else.

Quickly, she switched clothing with the unconscious guard still lying on the floor. Luckily for her, he seemed a bit on the smaller side, so she didn't have to drown in the cloth of his uniform on her. When she finished dressing him in her robes, she took a step back to study her handiwork.