"Since Bertram has spoken, what should we do now that His Highness has changed the location? All our plans these past few days have been ruined."

An elderly man wearing a square scarf asked.

"Sir Sven is absolutely right. What should we do next? You need to explain." Someone else chimed in.

Bertram sneered. "The messenger from the prince just said the outing will be by the Ford River, near the pond. Every year, many people from Brambleford City go there to enjoy the scenery. There’s also a small grove nearby. Tonight, we’ll hide our men there. When the prince arrives tomorrow..."

"Hearing this, I think our chances are better outside the city. After all, we haven’t managed to sneak many of our private soldiers into the city these past few days." Another person said.

"Exactly. Outside the city, I can mobilise all of our family’s private soldiers. Combined with the men you all send, we’ll have over a thousand men. By then, the prince won’t be able to escape." Bertram said with a cold laugh.

"But what if this is a trap set by Prince Simon?" Someone else worried.

"I’ve already sent people to keep an eye on the military camp. If there’s any unusual activity, we’ll hold our ground. Are you all reassured now?" Bertram said.

The group nodded and dispersed. Outside the city, other powerful families were waiting for their news. With the change in plans, they needed to start over.

After Bertram and the others left, a shadowy figure emerged from behind the house. He glanced in the direction they had gone and then headed straight for the Governor’s Office.

"Bertram!"

In the prince’s castle, Simon frowned deeply upon receiving this news.

"My Lord, Bertram has always been good at biding his time. It seems he didn’t act last time because he knew he wouldn’t succeed. This time, he wants to catch Your Highness off guard." Baldwin said.

Both Baldwin and Gius had arrived at the prince’s residence.

"I thought he was scared. Now it seems old habits die hard." Simon sighed.

Baldwin said. "My Lord, the Redwyck and Goldwynd families have been allied through marriage for generations. This relationship makes the Redwyck family different from the other powerful families. Many of the families involved in this plot are also connected to the Goldwynd family in some way."

"Minister Baldwin, My Lord, let’s put these matters aside for now. We need to discuss how to handle tomorrow’s situation. The secret guards only have about thirty men. If the Redwyck family gets involved, things will get complicated." Gius said worriedly.

Baldwin then looked at Simon. "But mobilising the Brambleford army will definitely alert them. I think these powerful families are keeping a close eye on the army right now."

"Yes, this is indeed a problem," Simon said, feeling a headache coming on.

Without the Brambleford army, attending the banquet would be tantamount to walking into a death trap.

After pondering for a moment, Baldwin suddenly said. "Wait, I have an idea."

"Please speak," Simon said.

Baldwin explained. "My Lord, the Armaments Department is supposed to deliver a batch of newly forged equipment to the military camp today. Why don’t we use this as a diversion? We can have the slaves transporting the equipment enter the camp, and then have the Brambleford soldiers disguise themselves as slaves and leave. This way, we can secretly move the soldiers out."

Simon immediately understood. "You mean to have the equipment transported in by slaves, then have the soldiers disguised as slaves leave, thus covertly transferring the soldiers out?"

"Exactly. This way, we can bring out both the men and the equipment, since the equipment is all packed in crates." Baldwin said.

Gius clapped his hands. "Brilliant! But how many soldiers do we need to handle this?"

"We don’t need too many. Five hundred should be enough." Simon said confidently.

The slaves transporting the equipment would make hundreds of trips back and forth, making this plan feasible.

After the three of them finalised the plan, Gius sent someone to the Armaments Department to make arrangements. That day, five hundred soldiers quietly entered the city from the military camp.

Lancelot also arrived at the prince’s castle that evening.

"These scoundrels! This time, I’ll definitely chop off their heads!" Lancelot cursed loudly upon learning of the powerful families’ plot.

Baldwin said. "Captain Lancelot, the safety of His Highness is in your hands. If anything happens to His Highness, we’ll have to commit suicide to atone for our failure."

Lancelot said solemnly. "I would give my life to protect His Highness. I’ve long despised these powerful families. If it weren’t for their selfishness three years ago, delaying the deployment of troops, the Brambleford army wouldn’t have lost so many soldiers. Now that His Highness wants to cut off their heads, I won’t hesitate."

Baldwin nodded.

The four of them discussed the steps for the next day before preparing to leave. Outside the hall, Gius paused and looked thoughtfully at a servant hurrying away.

However, he still followed Baldwin and the others out of the prince’s castle.

As night fell, the hustle and bustle of the day disappeared, replaced by silence. The vast city was quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog or the call of the night watchman breaking the stillness.

The moon hung on the treetops, casting silvery light that left dappled patterns on the ground. Just as the entire city seemed to be asleep, a shadowy figure sneaked out of the small gate at the back of the prince’s castle.

Keeping close to the walls and hiding in the shadows, the figure quickly made his way toward the Redwyck family residence.

"Turner, where are you going so late?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the night, and five men appeared, surrounding the shadowy figure.

The figure was startled but seemed to relax when he saw it was Gius. "Oh, it’s you, Gius. I was just bored and came out for some fresh air. Where have you been all these days? The servants in the residence are all envious of you."

"Fresh air? Don’t you know there’s a curfew in Brambleford City every night?" Gius said calmly.

"Come on, you’re out too, aren’t you?" Turner’s eyes darted around as the five men cornered him.

Gius sneered. "I came out to find the mole for His Highness. Heh, I didn’t expect to beat Richard to it."

"What mole? Gius, you’ve got the wrong idea." Turner explained.

"Hmph, no need to explain. Three hundred meters ahead is the Redwyck family residence. You’ve come quite a distance for some fresh air. Seize him!" Gius shouted.

The four men immediately pounced on Turner, and Gius struck him with a club.

Turner grunted and fell unconscious.

"Trying to report to Bertram? Not a chance." Gius said. "Take this man to the secret guards’ prison. Luckily, I was alert, or His Highness’s plans for tomorrow would have been ruined."

One of his subordinates said admiringly. "Commander Gius, you’re amazing. How did you know he was the mole? We’ve been investigating for so long and found nothing."

"To be honest, I never suspected him. He and I got along well, and I never considered him a suspect. It wasn’t until I noticed petals stuck to his shoes that I became suspicious."

"Ah, that’s right. The only trees in the castle are planted outside the main hall."