Scheming to Rule the Realm: I Become a Non-Imperial Prince in the Ming Dynasty

[Transmigration + political intrigue + high-IQ battles + brothers turned against each other] “Brother, let’s join forces. I’ll ascend the throne, and you’ll become the only prince of a different surname in all the ages. Wouldn’t that be glorious?” At the summit of the Forbidden City, the dear friend once hailed alongside me as one of the “Twin Gems of the Capital” held the emperor hostage with one hand and extended his final invitation to me with the other. I smiled. From the moment he used me to smuggle the “Eight Tigers” into the palace, to when he “recommended” that I be invested as Prince of Wu and sent far from the capital, to when he “helped” me investigate a case and pinned all the blame on Prince Ning... I had always believed we were brothers who would entrust our lives to each other. Only now did I understand: I was merely a pawn in his plot to restore the old dynasty and overthrow the Ming. Now, the pawn is going to devour the player.