Several assassins quickly arrived, and the Eastern Palace Guards engaged them in close combat, resulting in a fierce battle.

Ye Jingchen watched calmly.

There are only eight assassins. Even if the Eastern Palace Guards are inadequate, there are still secret guards.

Just as he was thinking of having a bodyguard, Chenxi appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of him to protect him.

A moment later, two more people with a similar aura to Chenxi appeared and protected Ye Jingming and Ye Jingyu respectively.

Only then could Ye Jingchen be completely at ease.

He only needs to protect Ye Jingyu and Ye Jinghe; as for Xie Chang'an, he shouldn't need to worry about him.

However, he soon realized that he had relaxed too soon.

He trusted the secret guards and the Crown Prince's guards, knowing that assassins couldn't possibly gain an advantage over them, but some of the younger ones were different.

With the assassins right in front of them, and one wrong move and they could be killed by their swords, these were all children who had been pampered and protected at home. How many of them had ever experienced such a situation? Before long, some of the little brats started crying and trying to run away.

Someone runs first, and then someone else immediately follows.

The guards quickly went to control those who were running around aimlessly.

"Don't run around, nothing will happen!" Wu Zemin said quickly.

But the little brats' behavior is completely uncontrollable; once one person makes a move, more people will follow suit.

How could those assassins let such a good opportunity pass them by?

The Eastern Palace Guards had to allocate more men to intercept the assassins.

However, some children took advantage of the chaos to escape the guards' interception and ran far away.

"Idiot!" Xie Chang'an said coldly.

Ye Jingchen also had a bad feeling. After all, no one could be sure that only eight assassins had infiltrated the palace. What if there were assassins lying in ambush at the entrance and exit of the training ground—

What you fear most is what happens. The moment Ye Jingchen had that thought, the fastest little brat had a knife to his neck. The smug look on his face hadn't even faded before he was filled with terror.

The remaining cubs were so frightened that they hurriedly ran back, but it was too late. Two of them were grabbed by the neck by the neck, one in each hand.

After going through this ordeal, the little ones dared not run away. They were all huddled together like quails, terrified. But the assassin already had hostages in his hands.

The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Department arrived late.

"Let us go, or we'll kill these three children!" the assassin threatened, using the children's lives as leverage.

The sharp blade had already pressed a line of blood onto the fragile neck.

The kidnapped children wanted to cry but dared not, wanted to tremble but dared not.

Faced with this situation, the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Department dared not give orders easily, neither daring to kill nor daring to release, and the situation became somewhat deadlocked.

The emperor arrived in a hurry, surrounded by people. He first saw the Eastern Palace guards who shouldn't have been there, and then he saw all five of his sons there.

His face immediately turned grim, and he uttered a single, heavy word: "Kill!"

Only by eliminating these assassins as soon as possible can the princes be prevented from being implicated.

As for the three children who were taken hostage by the assassins, he will make it up to their families afterwards.

As soon as the emperor gave the order, the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Household Guards, the Eastern Palace Guards, the archers who had taken advantage of the moment to ambush the assassins, and the assassins who had taken hostages all moved. Amidst the flashing blades, everything quickly became clear.

Several assassins died with their eyes wide open, probably never imagining that the emperor would be so ruthless and without the slightest hesitation.

The archers lying in ambush were all expert archers, and in an instant, all the children were rescued, but all three children were injured to varying degrees.

The imperial physician immediately began treatment.

This will likely become a shadow that they can never shake off for the rest of their lives.

The assassin was killed, the Imperial Guards searched the palace, some of the Feathered Forest Guards escorted the children from the training ground back, and some joined the Eastern Palace Guards to protect Ye Jingchen and his group.

"Father, we have to thank Young Master Xie for this. After noticing something was wrong, he immediately notified the Eastern Palace Guards to rescue us. Otherwise, we don't know if we would be able to stand in front of you unscathed!" After returning to Beichen Palace and meeting the Emperor, Ye Jingchen immediately took credit for Xie Chang'an.

"How dare you say that! Why don't you take the Crown Prince's guards with you when you go out? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you all?"

The emperor felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it. These were his five most outstanding and filial children, and he would be heartbroken if any of them got hurt!

"Who knew that this Western Hill Palace was like a sieve, full of loopholes? A few days ago, assassins were discovered at the foot of the mountain, and today they even managed to sneak into the palace. Father, you must investigate carefully and make the person behind this pay the price!" Ye Jingchen said angrily.

"Were the imperial sisters frightened?" Ye Jingchen asked after saying that.

"The assassins weren't after them, they were after me! Shouldn't you be concerned about me?!" the emperor asked irritably.

"Is there even a need to ask? Just look at Father's strong voice, I know he's definitely alright!"

"Father has faced countless assassination attempts in his life, and is already very experienced and adept at handling them. He certainly wouldn't give the assassins a chance!" Ye Jingchen praised sincerely.

"Shut up!" The emperor was so angry that he threw the memorial at him. What kind of talk was that?!

"Father, I was also frightened and need to rest. Remember to reward Young Master Xie; he was a great hero this time!" Before leaving, Ye Jingchen reminded the emperor.

"roll!"

Ye Jingchen quickly left.

"Zhang Shunde, send Xie Chang'an one hundred taels of silver!" After Ye Jingchen left, the emperor thought for a moment and said to Zhang Shunde.

Does a six-year-old child have such keen insight?

So, just a few days later, Xie Shaoling and his son were rewarded by the emperor again.

Outsiders didn't know what the emperor had actually bestowed upon them, but with two gifts in just a few days, could it be that the emperor's attitude towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had really changed?

Thus, without the emperor's knowledge, the court officials had already tacitly accepted the emperor's change in attitude towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"Royal brother, did you really encounter an assassin yesterday? Were they right in the face?" Ye Jingshu learned of their ordeal the next day during class and felt particularly regretful.

"If only I were here too! I could participate in the horsemanship, archery, and pitch-pot competitions. If you can all win, then I certainly can too!"

"And then there are the legendary assassinations—I, the princess, have never encountered an assassination attempt. The closest one was in Maple Village, but I didn't even see a trace of the assassin!"

"Royal sister, encountering assassins is very dangerous. It would be best if we never encountered one in our lives!" Ye Jingchen said helplessly.

He definitely didn't want to encounter assassins again.

Those three children almost lost their lives yesterday.

The emperor originally intended to compensate their family, but upon learning that they had been captured by assassins because they had disobeyed and run away, he not only refused to compensate them but also summoned their fathers and gave them a severe scolding.