Chapter 530: Now You Go Replace Her

Chapter 530: Now You Go Replace Her

Lin Nuo could guess the intentions of the City Lord’s faction.

Now that the princess was gone, they must be panicking; if this got out, it would be a disaster. They definitely needed to find a replacement to calm the public.

Moreover, that chubby City Lord Zhou Cheng slandering the Liu family had the Dong Wei backing him, which made him bold.

Only Dong Wei would dare to find someone to pretend to be the princess; that little City Lord wouldn’t even dare dream of doing something so reckless.

So, it seemed Dong Wei was looking for a puppet, huh?

But that wouldn’t do! The person they found had to possess a certain aura and knowledge of royal customs; otherwise, the details would surely expose them.

Perhaps he was being too strict; outsiders might not be able to spot the differences.

Actually, it would look alright—if the face was hidden behind a veil, obscuring its beauty. If there were Dong Wei people around supporting her, she could play the mute and just nod, letting them do the talking. Maybe negotiations could really succeed.

Dong Wei was also Lin Nuo’s enemy; to him, Dong Wei and the royal family were pretty much the same. No matter who was in power, they’d eventually go after him too.

With the rebel army pressing in, they had to know by now that there was a royal princess within the city. Coming to capture her would pose a real threat to the royal family; they could demand wind and rain at will.

The incoming rebel army was indeed formidable; this battle would likely be a bloody storm.

But they hadn’t attacked yet, probably out of fear of the royal guards and Liu family soldiers inside the city. They had to act with caution.

If they had set spies in the city beforehand, they would know that both military forces were currently incapacitated.

There might be spies planted, but with the recent lockdown and search, they had likely been caught.

Therefore, the rebels were unaware of the military strength within Huan Tian City, hence their hesitation.

Dong Wei’s plan to find someone to substitute the princess was a way to calm the public and possibly utilize her to intimidate the rebels, or serve as a puppet for negotiations.

From Lin Nuo’s perspective, Dong Wei’s negotiation skills were likely superior to Luo Xiaoxue’s, after all, she hadn’t risen to that invincible female emperor status yet.

He suspected that Dong Wei would find ways to intimidate the rebels, making them fearful, thus stalling their advance while preparing defenses inside the city or awaiting reinforcements.

If they succeeded in scaring the rebels into inaction, trapped between defenses and incoming aids, Huan Tian City would be safe from falling.

They would definitely not allow Huan Tian City to be lost.

Why did Lin Nuo kill the princess, hanging around here? Wasn’t it to aid the rebels? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to save the rebel leader.

Alright, the rebel leader is a bit of a blunder; let’s skip that.

Currently, the rebels stationed around the city were stalled, constantly provoking, but the soldiers inside weren’t engaging, leading to a deadlock for a while.

According to rumors, the rebel leader outside knew the princess was in the city and repeatedly demanded her to come out, threatening to massacre the city if she didn’t.

Lin Nuo replied, “Go ahead and massacre already, stop with the prattle. Cause a chaotic storm and wipe out both the troops inside and those from Dong Wei.”

Then, astonishingly, the princess agreed to go out, scheduling a time to negotiate with the rebel leader outside.

Now, he had to sabotage Dong Wei’s plan; he couldn’t let them bring this fake princess to negotiate. Dong Wei had negotiation skills; what if they really succeeded?

Lin Nuo headed back to his previous residence. Luo Xiaoxue was still hiding there, restless, wanting to turn the situation around, but feeling powerless, she could only wait obediently.

Upon seeing Lin Nuo return, Luo Xiaoxue anxiously asked:

“Lin the Hero, how’s it outside? I heard the Liu father and daughter have been rescued—really? Plus, the rebels are approaching Huan Tian City; what should we do?”

Luo Yi was truly concerned for the common people, but in the end, she was merely a lackey. What good was concern? Your Great威天龙 technique could only save yourself; you weren’t like the true Dharma Master who slays demons and turns the tide.

Lin Nuo asked, “Did you unlock the whole map? You know all this by staying indoors?”

Luo Xiaoxue was puzzled, “What whole map?”

“Forget it; where did you get your info? I don’t recall telling you.”

“Because I didn’t come to Huan Tian City alone; I’m fortunate to have contacted my people.”

“Oh, I saw a woman sneaking around when I came back, so I drew my dagger.”

“Ah? You didn’t kill her, right? She was providing me with intel…”

“No, I only used the dagger to slice an apple.”

“Oh…”

Luo Yi sighed in relief. Based on Lin Nuo’s character, he would indeed strike suspicious figures, but thankfully, he hadn’t.

Their ranks were already thin; if he started killing their people, they’d be utterly alone.

“The rescue of the Liu father and daughter is true,” Lin Nuo continued.

“Oh, who did it?”

“I don’t know.”

Lin Nuo refused; why would he tell her it was him who had rescued them?

“Well… that makes sense; after all, it’s a jailbreak, better keep a low profile. But this hero really is bold, knowing the Liu family is innocent, risking arrest to break them out of jail—truly a model for our kind.”

Lin Nuo: “…”

This was a sore point for Lin Nuo, and this bunch kept rubbing salt in his wound.

Killing people and targeting their hearts, huh?

“*Ahem.*”

Lin Nuo cleared his throat to change the subject and continued:

“I visited the City Lord’s Mansion and saw the princess.”

“That princess is fake; the real one might have already perished!”

Luo Yi became agitated; after all, the last princess she saw wasn’t her confidant Han Xiao, and as for Han Xiao, she might really have met her demise.

Lin Nuo calmly replied, “Yeah, I know.”

Of course, he knew; after all, the real princess was already dead at his hands. The one in front of him was merely a substitute puppet.

“Word is that the princess intends to negotiate with the rebels,” Lin Nuo continued.

“That’s terrible! Zhou Cheng is not a wise lord, and now that the uprising is gathering momentum, he might sell the city for his survival. Furthermore, they could use the princess’s name to commit heinous acts!”

Luo Xiaoxue became even more agitated; the City Lord Zhou Cheng seeking someone to replace her certainly had ulterior motives.

But trying to expose that would bring up a problem—who could prove she was the actual princess?

That was a serious question because most people in the city hadn’t seen her true face. If she jumped out claiming to be the real princess, she would be falling right into a trap and would certainly be bitten back by Zhou Cheng, risking execution for impersonation.

She might be exonerated later, but she could end up captured or even killed, and even if exonerated, it would be meaningless.

Also, with the Liu father and daughter missing, and labeled as rebels, they had no authority to attest to anything, and she couldn’t count on them for proof.

Whoever has power gets to speak—that’s reality.

“So we have to stop their evil actions and the rebels,” Lin Nuo said earnestly, pointing at Luo Xiaoxue, “Now, you need to replace that princess and negotiate with the rebels.”