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Published at 10th of July 2023 10:40:39 AM


Chapter 100

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"Your Royal Highness," Pei Jihuai walked up to the Crown Prince and bowed, "After the assassin infiltrated the courtyard, he disappeared. I am currently leading a search party."

"Hmm," the Crown Prince nodded slightly and signaled for a stool to be brought over. He sat down with Hua Liuli and lifted his chin slightly, "Carry on with the search."

Unable to bear it any longer, one of the Jinpo envoys said, "Your Royal Highness, we couldn't have sent this assassin..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the people from the Ministry of Justice hurriedly ran over and reported, "Reporting to Your Royal Highness, the assassin has been captured."

The Jinpo envoys turned their heads to look at the black-clad assassin being escorted out of their courtyard by the Ministry of Justice and were instantly speechless. The person was captured from their courtyard, but they didn't recognize this assassin.

"Your Royal Highness," one of the Jinpo envoys hurriedly said, "This assassin has nothing to do with us."

"Oh?" The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, "If he has nothing to do with your country, then why did he run everywhere and end up here?"

The Jinpo envoys: "..."

They didn't know either. If they knew, they wouldn't have been framed.

"Search him," Pei Jihuai said expressionlessly.

The people from the Ministry of Justice thoroughly searched the assassin's body and found a poisoned dagger, toxic needles, and a blowpipe.

"These are essential tools for a professional assassin," one of the Ministry of Justice personnel found a tattoo on the assassin. It depicted a sacred beast worshipped in Jinpo. Jinpo people liked to embroider this kind of sacred beast on their clothes or tattoo it on their bodies to seek its blessings.

"This is a setup, a blatant setup!" one of the Jinpo envoys exclaimed urgently, "Please, Your Royal Highness, see through this. If our country truly wanted to send an assassin, why would we leave such an obvious totem on him?"

"Perhaps you intentionally left this flaw to lower your suspicion?" Ning Wang said leisurely, "Crying thief is nothing new for you people."

The Jinpo envoys: "..."

They couldn't explain themselves clearly. If this matter escalated, it would provoke another war between Jinpo and the Great Jin Kingdom. With what could they fight against Great Jin now?

"Detain this assassin for now," the Crown Prince looked at the Jinpo envoys, "Please rest well."

"Your Royal Highness!" The Jinpo envoys saw the Crown Prince preparing to leave without saying anything, and their anxiety deepened, "Your Royal Highness, this matter truly has nothing to do with us."

The Crown Prince stood up, reaching out to hold Hua Liuli's wrist, "A sudden appearance of an assassin at night has frightened Gu's beloved. Gu shall escort her back to her family's estate for rest."

After saying that, without paying heed to the cries of the Jinpo envoys, he left with Hua Liuli.

The Jinpo envoys were dumbfounded. What did this mean? Did the Crown Prince believe them or didn't believe them?

Why was the Great Jin Kingdom like this? Why couldn't they just speak straightforwardly? They had to torment people and make their hearts restless, filled with despair.

Ning Wang saw the Crown Prince leave and quickly got up from his chair. He pretended to look profound as he glanced at the Jinpo envoys, then shook his head and walked away. It was like a physician looking at a terminally ill patient, not examining the pulse or prescribing medicine, just sighing a few times and leaving.

That expression seemed to say, "There's no hope, go home and wait for death". It made their hearts pound with fear, filled with utter despair.

"Your Highness..." one of the Jinpo envoys reached out his hand, hoping that Ning Wang would say a few words to provide some certainty. But to their surprise, he simply turned around and left, leaving them with a carefree silhouette.

The people from the Ministry of Justice left in a rush, leaving behind the deeply anxious Jinpo envoys. They couldn't take the Second Prince back, the Eldest Prince was lost, and now they were burdened with the accusation of attempted assassination. When they return to their country, they would surely face execution by the Emperor.

"We need to find out what those assassins did in the Ministry of Justice," the leading envoy calmed down, "Also, the Great Jin Kingdom's Emperor favors the Crown Prince the most, and the Crown Prince seems to value his betrothed greatly. Let's prepare generous gifts immediately and present them to the Junzhu."

"But, Daren, she is the daughter of Hua Yingting and Wei Mingyue," Another envoy's mood was complicated. These two generals defeated them, and now they had to give gifts to their daughter to please them. These were truly difficult times.

"As men, we must learn to bend and stretch. For our honorable Emperor, what is a little discomfort for us?" The leading envoy gritted his teeth, "Let's say it's an early congratulations to the Crown Prince and his impending marriage to Junzhu."

"Daren, there is another problem. We have already given away most of the precious treasures we brought," In order to win some favorable words from the influential figures in the Great Jin Kingdom, they had given away many valuable items. However, when it came time for these people to assist them, none of them were of any use.

"Gather everything we have left, whatever valuable items we still have on us. Bring them all out," the leading envoy sighed, "The peace of Jinpo is at stake, we have no choice."

In the end, in order to assemble a decent congratulatory gift, the envoys scraped off whatever valuable possessions they had on them.

The Crown Prince accompanied Hua Liuli to the entrance of the Hua Family Estate. Hua Liuli got off the carriage and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Royal Highness, please wait."

She knocked on the gate of the Hua Family Estate until it opened. Hua Liuli pointed to a few people and said, "You all will escort His Royal Highness into the palace."

"Yes," the individuals all saluted in unison. Judging by their demeanor, it seemed like they had just come back from the battlefield.

"They are all courageous soldiers who have been on the battlefield. Although they cannot return to the battlefield due to their injuries, they react quickly. Let them escort you into the palace, and I will feel more at ease," Hua Liuli reached out to help the Crown Prince tidy his clothes, "There will be many things to do tomorrow. After you return to the palace, find an opportunity to rest."

"Alright," the Crown Prince didn't refuse Hua Liuli's goodwill. He glanced at these guards from the Hua family, all of them strong and sturdy, but some were missing half a hand, and others were missing an eye.

He nodded slightly at them, "Thank you."

"We dare not, Your Royal Highness!" These guards were originally worried that the Crown Prince would look down on them because of their physical disabilities, so they didn't dare to stand too close. But they didn't expect the Crown Prince to treat them so kindly.

They felt a little excited and realized that the blood and sweat they shed on the battlefield were not in vain. The people respected them, even the Crown Prince treated them so gently.

Hua Liuli pretended not to see the excitement in their eyes. After watching the Crown Prince's carriage leave, she turned around and returned to the residence.

"Master, the assassination attempt failed."

In the dimly lit room, Xie Fuma's expression was indifferent as he looked at the person kneeling on the ground. After a long silence, he asked, "Why did it fail?"

"The Second Miss we approached was a decoy!" The subordinate held his wounded body, "To ensure my safe return to report, the other three helped to divert the pursuit from the Ministry of Justice. But now, the situation looks grim..."

"A decoy?" Xie Fuma sneered, "The Emperor was indeed on guard against us."

"When you escaped, did anyone discover you?"

"No, Master," the subordinate's face turned pale, "I failed in my task and only hope for death."

"Enough," Xie Fuma said, "Go and tend to your wounds first. Don't concern yourself with other matters for now."

"Thank you, Master," The subordinate expressed gratitude and bowed deeply before leaving the room.

The room fell silent. Xie Fuma looked at the night sky outside the window. For the first time, he felt a weariness that calculations, no matter how meticulous, could not overcome.

Years of perfect planning, a hidden and powerful force, had been ruined by one insane daughter. Not only was the force destroyed, but the Xie family was also implicated and suspected by the imperial family, trapped with no room to maneuver.

Now, the capital city was turning increasingly dangerous for him. If he stayed here any longer, he feared that he couldn't even guarantee his own life.

"Master!" A servant hurriedly ran in, panting heavily, "Urgent news! The Crown Prince of Daimao, who had been critically ill, had passed away over ten days ago."

"The Crown Prince of Daimao is dead?!" Xie Fuma's face revealed a faint smile. He took a deep breath and said, "Spread the word that I am ill, my mind is confused, and I need to return home for recuperation."

Even if one became insane, the imperial family would send them back to their hometown.

After the Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace and changed his clothes, he hurriedly went to the Chengyang Palace. Just as he reached the entrance of the hall, he heard the loud and wailing voice of Consort Xian.

He paused his steps and turned to leave.

Emperor Changlong, whose head ached from Consort Xian's wailing, saw the Crown Prince's figure hesitate at the door and quickly called out to him, "Yuansu, why are you here so late? What brings you to see Zhen?"

"Hmm? The Crown Prince is here?" Consort Xian, who still harbored the idea of making the Crown Prince cry and beg her, quickly wiped away the tears on her face, stood up, and positioned herself to the side.

She was a woman who aimed to be the mother of the world, so how could she show any shallowness in front of her juniors?

Seeing that Consort Xian had finally stopped crying, Emperor Changlong felt that the whole world had become beautiful. Even his son, who often slacked off, looked pleasing to his eyes.

"Father Emperor," the Crown Prince saluted Emperor Changlong and bowed to the Virtuous Consort, "Consort Xian."

Consort Xian returned the courtesy.

"Father Emperor," the Crown Prince looked at Emperor Changlong, his tone somewhat hesitant, "Erchen just returned from the Du Family Estate."

"Why did you come back so late? How is Grand Tutor Du?" Emperor Changlong still had feelings for this stubborn teacher of his, despite him often scolding his own child whom he had personally raised.

"Grand Tutor Du... has passed away."

Emperor Changlong stiffened all over. He remained silent for a long time, and slowly spoke, "Did he pass away peacefully?"

"Erchen brought two paintings of the Hundred Nations Banquet to Grand Tutor Du. He looked at them and passed away with a smile on his face," the Crown Prince worried that Emperor Changlong might feel uncomfortable, so he supported him as he sat on the dragon throne, "Please take care, Father Emperor."

"Everyone experiences this in their life," Emperor Changlong patted the Crown Prince's arm, let out a sigh, and said, "Since Grand Tutor Du's illness worsened, Zhen was mentally prepared. However..."

Those who had treated him exceptionally well during his youth were becoming fewer and fewer.

Seeing Emperor Changlong in a sorrowful state, Consort Xian hesitated to speak out her own grievances. She silently gave a greeting and quietly left the Chengyang Palace. Although she had caused a fuss on a few occasions, the Emperor tolerated her. If she were to cause a fuss now, even if the Emperor's temper was good, he would punish her.

Palace intrigue was her specialty. Throwing tantrums was also her specialty.

After Consort Xian left, the Crown Prince informed Emperor Changlong about the assassins who tried to infiltrate the Ministry of Justice.

"For now, we don't need to worry about the situation in Jinpo. Let's see how they are going to cause trouble," Emperor Changlong, in a bad mood, lacked much tolerance, "Send people to monitor the Xie family in the south and don't let them have a chance to slander the imperial family among the scholars."

"Father Emperor, rest assured. Once we uncover any issues with the Xie family, Erchen has ways to make them infamous in the south for eternity," the Crown Prince's expression was cold. When it came to dealing with the Xie family, a clan obsessed with their reputation, he had plenty of methods.

Early the next morning, the envoys, led by the officials of Great Jin, arrived at the training ground on the outskirts of the capital. As they witnessed the shiny armor of the Great Jin soldiers and their sharp weapons, the envoys couldn't help but gulp nervously.

"Why do the esteemed gentlemen from Jinpo have such heavy dark circles?" one of the Qingshi envoys noticed the dark circles under the Jinpo envoy's eyes and said sarcastically, "Could it be because they were scared by the formidable soldiers of Great Jin and couldn't sleep at the thought of coming to the training ground today?"

The Agate Kingdom envoy, who had also been bullied by the Jinpo envoy, chimed in, "Maybe it's because they did something guilty and were afraid of not being able to sleep after being discovered."

One of the Jinpo envoys sneered, "Instead of mocking us, esteemed gentlemen should think more about your own lands that yield so little."

Both sides traded jibes for a while until Emperor Changlong and the Crown Prince arrived, putting an end to the banter.

"Infantry, fall in!"

"Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Upon seeing the female general commanding the soldiers from her horse, the Jinpo envoys' expressions turned grim. It was the woman who made their Jinpo army cry for mercy—Wei Mingyue!

"Shield bearers, archers, form up!"

At the sight of this woman, they remembered the nightmare of their army being trapped in her ambush.

How could she be called a woman? She was clearly a female demon!

"Wow, General Wei is so beautiful!"

"I want to marry her!"

"I think... Fushou Junzhu is also very beautiful."

The Jinpo envoys turned their heads to look at the several elegantly dressed noblewomen from the Great Jin Dynasty, their expressions somewhat complicated.

What kind of peculiar taste did the women of the Great Jin Dynasty have?

Krish728

Author's Note:

Women of the Great Jin Dynasty: Get lost!





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