Chapter 323 Your Highness, are you happy now?

These days have been busy, and Jiang Yu hasn't had time to carefully consider how to get along with Prince An in the future. Although she said at the time that she would pretend nothing happened that day, she was actually wary of Prince An.

But just a moment ago, she realized that what she was doing was wrong. Prince An was in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and might even become the emperor in the future. If she had a falling out with Prince An, it would pose a great crisis for her and the Duke of Chu's mansion, both now and in the future.

She put down her pen and looked out the window, lost in thought. Having spent so much time with Prince An, she now realized he wasn't a vengeful or petty person. But given her increasingly different words and actions, could Prince An have other strategies for dealing with her and the Duke of Chu's mansion?

If she were Prince An, she would. No one would trust someone who isn't on their side.

Therefore, regardless of her inner thoughts, she should outwardly treat Prince An as before. Just like she said that day, act as if nothing had happened. In fact, as long as Prince An doesn't do anything outrageous, she should always remain this way.

After thinking it through, she picked up her pen and continued writing the letter. Once finished, she handed it to Xia He and told her, "Give this to Prince An."

...

Prince An's Mansion

The Imperial Guard responsible for liaising with the Duke of Chu's mansion's secret guards immediately brightened up upon seeing them. For days, their prince's face had been gloomy; this information from the Duke of Chu's mansion might just be the antidote.

Upon seeing the obsequious manner of the Imperial Guard, the secret guards of the Duke of Chu's mansion involuntarily took a step back.

"Brother." The Imperial Guard stepped forward and patted the guard on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

The guard frowned and looked him up and down, trying to verify if he was an imposter. Once he confirmed it was genuine, he frowned again and handed him the letter. "My Duke instructed me to deliver this to your Prince. Send it over quickly, don't delay anything."

"Don't worry." The Imperial Guard's words had barely left his lips when he vanished without a trace. The guards of the Duke of Chu's mansion shook their heads, wondering what had gotten into him.

The Imperial Guard arrived at Prince An's residence as quickly as possible, beaming with joy as he approached the door of Prince An's study. After giving his report, he pushed the door open and went inside. Prince An frowned and looked up, only to see the guard's face beaming with smiles, which made his frown deepen.

The Imperial Guard quickly took out the letter and handed it over with a grin, saying, "A letter from the Duke of Chu to you."

Upon hearing this, Prince An immediately took the letter and waved for the Imperial Guard to leave. The guard, however, remained standing there, and Prince An looked at him, puzzled. The guard then asked with a grin, "Your Highness, are you pleased now?"

"roll!"

"yes."

The Imperial Guards left with grins, and Prince An smiled helplessly, then stared at the letter in his hand in silence for a long time. He thought that Jiang Yu would no longer trust him, nor would she treat him as before. Unexpectedly, her letter arrived again.

Her letter finally arrived.

He raised the corners of his lips, tore open the letter, and read it word by word. In the letter, Jiang Yu told him about his meeting with Ding Shaojie and Ding Shaojie's visit to the Marquis of Qiyang's residence. Then she suggested that he send someone to protect the Marquis of Qiyang.

Prince An closed the letter, pondered for a moment, then called someone in and instructed, "Take men to guard outside the Marquis of Qiyang's residence. The purpose is to protect the Marquis of Qiyang's safety."

The Imperial Guard didn't know why Prince An wanted to protect such a reckless person, but he still obeyed and did so. Prince An then picked up the letter and began to read it.

.........

Jiang Yu suggested that Prince An send someone to protect Marquis Qiyang, rather than someone from the Duke of Chu's mansion, for two reasons. First, the Duke of Chu's secret guards were no match for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Second, this wasn't her private matter; if she handled it herself, the Emperor might become suspicious.

In modern law enforcement, it's important not to investigate cases alone. While there's no such rule here, it's still best to be cautious.

Upon receiving the report from the secret guard, Jiang Yu handed the letter to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and then said to Xia He, "Just wait."

"Will there be results tonight?" Xia He asked.

Jiang Yu paused for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say."

Xia He looked puzzled. Jiang Yu asked, "If you couldn't kill Marquis Qiyang, what would you do?"

Xia He thought for a while and shook her head. Jiang Yu then said, "It must be the person who contacted Marquis Qiyang. Unfortunately, we don't know who the person who contacted Marquis Qiyang is. Hopefully, Marquis Qiyang can give us a surprise."

Xia He thought for a while before she understood. Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Just wait and see."

...

The moonlight was dim tonight, and the night was deep. Zhao Jiu, a member of the Imperial Guard, led five other guards to stand watch outside the Marquis of Qiyang's residence. However, after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement. But Zhao Jiu wasn't worried; he had handled similar situations many times before.

"Boss, it looks like we're going to be waiting for nothing tonight," a member of the Imperial Guard said to Zhao Jiu.

"Enough with the nonsense, just keep a close watch," Zhao Jiu said.

The Imperial Guard quickly agreed, then Zhao Jiuyou reminded him, "Be more vigilant."

"Yes..." The Imperial Guard replied halfway, when he saw a figure sneaking out of the back door. He quickly whispered to Zhao Jiu, who also looked over and, after careful identification, said, "It's Marquis Qiyang. You stay here and guard him. I'll take two men and follow him."

The Imperial Guard immediately agreed. Zhao Jiu then summoned two more Imperial Guards to follow behind Marquis Qiyang. A little over fifteen minutes later, Marquis Qiyang arrived at a courtyard, covered his mouth, and barked like a dog a few times. Then the gate opened. Marquis Qiyang looked around, stepped inside, and then a gasp of surprise rang out.

Zhao Jiu immediately led his men inside and saw a man in black wielding a large knife, slashing at Marquis Qiyang. Zhao Jiu rushed over and kicked the man in the waist. The man staggered a few steps, turned around, saw it was the Imperial Guards, and tried to flee. Zhao Jiu wouldn't let him escape; two Imperial Guards who had come with him surrounded the man in black. In a few moves, the man in black was pinned to the ground.

Zhao Jiu walked over, bent down, and pulled down the black-clad man's mask. He saw the man's mouth move slightly, as if he were biting something. Zhao Jiu quickly grabbed his chin, but it was too late; the man had already swallowed something. A moment later, blood flowed from the man's seven orifices, and he stopped breathing.

Zhao Jiu's face was solemn, and the other two Imperial Guards also looked grim; this was a mistake on their part. But what was done was done, and they could only hope to salvage the situation. Zhao Jiu instructed one Imperial Guard to watch over the pale-faced Marquis Qiyang, while he, along with the other Imperial Guard, inspected the courtyard.

When he entered the hall, he saw a man lying in a pool of blood. He rushed over to check on him and found that the man was no longer breathing. He recognized the man; he was Zhang Fengtian, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.