The guards ate in shifts. The first group of guards to finish eating rested for a while before going out to patrol the outer perimeter.

The Crown Prince looked towards the back of several supply wagons, where a dozen or so guards, for some unknown reason, had all run away clutching their stomachs.

The Crown Prince sensed something was wrong and immediately summoned Colonel Pang.

After questioning a few people, Captain Pang didn't take it seriously, only saying that some of his men had eaten something bad and had gone to the woods to relieve themselves.

The crown prince frowned slightly, a bad feeling inexplicably rising in his heart.

He turned to Eunuch Feng and instructed him, "Go and fetch some medicine."

Eunuch Feng immediately understood and led his men to the car to retrieve some antidiarrheal medication.

But after waiting for a long time, the guards still didn't return. Now, not only the Crown Prince, but also Captain Pang felt something was wrong and ordered a group of guards to go and find them.

The guards disappeared into the woods, shouting as they went.

Suddenly, the shouting stopped abruptly.

At the same time, a sharp whistling sound came from the forest.

The next moment, arrows shot out of the air, heading straight for the direction where the prince and his entourage were.

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they hurriedly sought cover.

"Protect His Highness!!!"

Eunuch Feng rushed to the Crown Prince and spread his arms, standing in front of him like a mother hen.

The guards quickly gathered, surrounding the prince and protecting him as he hid behind the nearest earthen mound.

Captain Pang roared and cursed, while Lord Fang and the others huddled behind the carriage, their faces filled with fear.

Before long, the enemy finished firing their first volley of arrows. Captain Pang roared and led his men into the woods to fight the enemy.

The crown prince frowned even more deeply.

This Captain Pang's fighting style is completely chaotic... He lacks vigilance and experience, and it's likely that he deliberately sent such a person to accompany him.

Fortunately, among the imperial guards accompanying them was one of the Crown Prince's men, who was the deputy of the guards on this trip.

He and his trusted men stayed by the Crown Prince's side, not following Commandant Pang into the woods. Instead, they separated the Crown Prince from the others, their wary eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Your Highness is of noble birth; it would be best to leave this place as soon as possible."

The Crown Prince waved his hand: "How can I abandon everyone and flee alone?"

"But Your Highness!" the deputy said anxiously, "The enemy has clearly come prepared, and may have other tricks up their sleeve."

The other officials accompanying the prince also joined in the persuasion, especially Lord Fang, who patted his chest emotionally and agreed to let the prince go first.

Seeing that the crown prince did not respond, the deputy changed the subject and spoke again.

"Zhao County is not far ahead, under the jurisdiction of Shunde Prefecture. We can ask the Shunde Prefecture General to borrow troops to defend and rescue them. The round trip will take no more than two hours, and we will definitely be able to capture these bandits!"

He spoke with such conviction that even Eunuch Feng joined in the persuasion.

The Crown Prince calculated the distance from here to Shunde Prefecture, nodded, and said, "Hurry up and shorten the time as much as possible."

The deputy breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the other guards, "More people will only slow things down. You all stay here to look after the officials. I'll go with His Highness by myself."

The guards naturally didn't question it, and someone immediately brought over two horses.

The crown prince and his deputy mounted their horses and galloped south without delay.

The prince often rode a horse, but he had never traveled so fast before.

The bumpy ride made his stomach churn so badly he almost threw up, but he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

Just then, the deputy's voice came from the side, carried by the wind.

“Your Highness, the official road is wide but easy to leave traces, and we may be overtaken by the enemy. I know a side road that can get us to Shunde Prefecture much faster.”

The crown prince nodded.

So the two horses slightly changed direction, left the main road, and entered a secluded path unknown to anyone.

After traveling for a while, the prince suddenly heard the sound of rushing water.

A slight thought stirred within him.

Sure enough, before long, a turbulent river appeared before them.

The river water carried silt and sand, its color resembling mud, clearly caused by the recent heavy rains.

The prince subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction of the river.

Just then, the black horse beneath him suddenly neighed in fear, bobbing back and forth, nearly throwing the prince off its back.

Startled, the horse disregarded its direction and charged madly towards the river.

They charged straight into the river, horse and all.

The river was swift, and mud rushed into his mouth and nose, making it impossible for him to call for help.

The rushing water drowned out all other sounds.

His body rose and fell in the water, and soon sank.

The deputy watched the scene with a deep gaze. After the prince disappeared, he glanced around, turned his horse around, and sped away from the place.

…………

Huangzhuang, on the outskirts of Beijing.

Song Xibai was looking at the things sent by the Crown Prince.

Wei Hong chattered on, "After hearing that the mistress was pregnant, Du Chenghui sewed a lot of children's clothes, all of which are in this box! The Crown Princess also sent a lot of clothes over, all made of the finest materials, embroidered with four-clawed python patterns, which are extremely luxurious."

Song Xibai looked at the two open boxes, one large and one small, and her lips twitched.

The large box contained children's clothes prepared by the Crown Princess; it was a dazzling expanse of bright gold and yellow, almost blinding.

"It must have been chosen by the Crown Princess herself."

This taste... is so obvious.

Song Xibai was speechless.

However, since the Crown Princess seemed to mean well, it was difficult to refuse.

So, Song Xibai reached out and picked up a garment embroidered with auspicious clouds and touched it.

"The stitches are so fine you can't even see them... Oh dear!"

Song Xibai suddenly cried out, frowned, threw the clothes back into the box, and looked down at her fingers.

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