allonlinenovel Chapter 178 Another Assassination
Chapter 178 Another Assassination
The officials in the court left one after another, and the third prince Li Chengyan stood there, still a little dazed. He looked at the empty court in disbelief, his heart full of doubts and dissatisfaction.
Is this the end? As for the matter of smuggling salt, did the emperor decide how to deal with it so easily? This was too lenient for the prince! He thought the emperor would take this opportunity to depose the prince!
After retiring from court, the Crown Prince did not return to the East Palace. Instead, he rushed to the Prime Minister's Residence in a state of anxiety. When he stepped into the gate of the Prime Minister's Residence, Prime Minister Li Mingfu was sitting there woodenly, with no expression on his face.
"Father-in-law..." the prince asked impatiently, but was interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I know what you want to ask!" Li Mingfu snorted coldly, then threw a thick account book in front of the prince.
The prince quickly picked up the account book and began to read it. However, the more he read, the paler his face became. Finally, he asked in a trembling voice, "Why is this account book in the hands of my father-in-law?"
Li Mingfu's eyes were filled with disappointment and anger. He said sternly: "I once warned His Royal Highness the Crown Prince not to get involved in this dangerous business! But not only did you not listen, you also dragged Mingjie into it! Do you know what the consequences of this will be? Losing your head is the least of your worries! This will lead to the confiscation of your family and the extermination of your clan!"
The prince shuddered when he heard this. He knew he had made a big mistake, but it was too late to regret it. He looked down at the account book in his hand, his mind in turmoil. He had thought that the plan could be concealed, but now it was exposed. Facing his father-in-law's questioning, he was speechless and could only bear the guilt silently.
The prince's eyes were like deep black holes, emitting a frightening aura: "I know that my third brother is investigating this matter, but as long as the account book is not in his hands, all the accusations are nothing but empty talk!"
Li Mingfu stared at the prince's eyes and said firmly, "This account book was personally delivered to me by your majesty's chief of secret guards last night! If I fail to give up the position of Yuqing governor today, your majesty will definitely punish the Li family's branch branch severely!"
The prince felt as if he had fallen into an abyss: "How did this account book fall into the hands of the emperor, father?"
Li Mingfu slowly lowered his eyes and responded in a low voice: "According to Mingjie, it was your followers Xuanhu and Xuanbao who personally went to take it away with the token of the Eastern Palace!"
The prince clenched his fists tightly, with an angry look on his face: "This is such a hateful Li Chengyan! He actually ordered others to steal the East Palace token from Caiwei before!"
Li Mingfu sighed deeply and said in a heavy tone: "Now that things have come to this, the only thing we can do now is to let Huang Zhirui act more cautiously and not leave any handle for others! Jiangnan is of vital importance and must not be lost. After all, it is close to Nanyi, and the future of Xiao's army is still unknown."
After thinking for a moment, the prince slowly said, "Father-in-law, Yuewu and Beiliu have both sent envoys here, and with them came the princesses of the two countries. From what I see, they seem to be here for the purpose of marriage!"
Li Mingfu smiled slightly, his mouth corners raised, and said confidently: "Your Highness, don't worry! As long as these princesses are successfully married to our princes, then the princes who marry foreign princesses will automatically lose the qualification to compete for the throne!"
The prince raised his eyebrows and asked in a questioning tone, "Is father worried that the future royal heir's bloodline is not pure enough?"
Li Mingfu smiled slightly and answered in a positive tone: "Of course! There is a deep feud between Yuewu Kingdom and our country Dazhao, and war between the two countries may break out at any time. Chu Chengyan overestimates his own strength and even tries to rely on the Huyan royal family of Yuewu Kingdom to strengthen his own power. He is simply asking for trouble! Let's just sit aside and wait and watch the show!"
The prince quickly agreed: "Father-in-law is really thoughtful!"
Li Mingfu stroked his beard and continued thoughtfully, "Your Highness, after the other princes' wives are chosen, you should also start preparing for the selection of the prince's concubine. This time, you must choose a woman from a military family!"
The prince couldn't help showing a worried look after hearing this, and asked softly: "But Jingshu..."
Li Mingfu's face straightened and he said solemnly: "She will definitely understand and support your great cause, Your Highness!"
After a period of recuperation in Jiangnan, An Junyuan had fully recovered and received an order to return to Beijing.
An Junyuan led a team of personal guards and set out on the journey back to Beijing with Luo Lingfeng and his party.
After leaving Nandu, their troops marched north along the official road. The troops were numerous, but they moved in an orderly manner and had neat formations, showing good military discipline and training level.
When the team was about to leave the mountainous area of Yuqing, suddenly, a sharp arrow pierced the air like lightning and shot into the carriage of the general's mansion with a strong wind. The arrowhead was deeply embedded in the wall of the carriage, making a crisp sound.
This sudden attack took everyone by surprise. The guards immediately became alert, drew their swords, and searched everywhere for the traces of the person who shot the arrow. However, there was silence all around, and there was no other unusual movement except the sound of the wind blowing through the mountains and forests.
An Junyuan calmly ordered the team to stop and sent people to check whether the carriage was damaged and whether there were any injuries. After some inspection, it was found that only the carriage was slightly damaged and no casualties were caused.
Luo Lingyue was quick-witted and pulled Xiao Jinghan into her arms. The next moment, dense arrows rained down like raindrops. Luo Lingyue kicked the car window open without hesitation, and at the same time, she held Xiao Jinghan's waist tightly, flew out, and landed steadily on her horse's back.
Just as they left the carriage, the entire carriage was riddled with holes from countless arrows, like a giant hedgehog.
Luo Lingyue suddenly felt a surge in her chest, and a mouthful of blood spurted uncontrollably onto Xiao Jinghan's back. It turned out that the poison she had contracted in the secret passage in Huang Zhirui's mansion last time had caused her to become chaotic whenever she used her internal energy.
Xiao Jinghan smelled a strong smell of blood and his heart tightened. He asked anxiously: "Luo Lingyue! What's wrong with you? Were you hit by an arrow?" His voice was full of concern and worry.
Luo Lingyue gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, a bitter smile appeared on her face, and she said sarcastically: "Isn't it what you want if I die? In this way, Prince Xiao can live with his sweetheart forever without any worries!" There was an indescribable sadness in her words.
Xiao Jinghan frowned tightly, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes. He flashed and leaped up like a flash of lightning, landing lightly behind Luo Lingyue. He stretched out his arms and held her tightly in his arms, as if he was afraid that she would be hurt in the slightest.
Xiao Jinghan then took out another pill and fed it to Luo Lingyue. He whispered in her ear: "Quickly adjust your internal breath!"