Chapter 162 The Chase

On his deathbed, Eunuch Zhao still couldn't believe it.

He only asked one more question because he felt sorry for himself.

The emperor concluded that he was disloyal and, without giving him a chance to explain, ended his life.

He was overjoyed when he was promoted by the emperor, and now he is filled with regret.

The original path seemed like a smooth road to success, but it turned out to be a life of constant struggle and bloodshed, ending before even reaching thirty.

The emperor clapped his hands, and an elderly eunuch entered from outside the door, bowing to the emperor.

"Your servant Chu Mu greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at him calmly.

"Eunuch Chu, I have no other capable people around me at the moment. You will serve me first, and I will let you go back once I find a suitable person."

Chu Mu was the emperor's most trusted eunuch, second only to Eunuch Wan.

However, he is old and in poor health, so in recent years he has been doing the relatively easy job of guarding the imperial tombs.

Since the emperor couldn't find anyone he could trust, he recalled Chu Mu.

Eunuch Chu knew, of course, that this was an order, not a discussion with him.

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust."

The Emperor nodded and coldly ordered, "Send men to dispose of Eunuch Zhao's body. The two guards we just captured, don't interrogate them, just beat them to death with clubs. Then find out if Prince Anshun has been escorted back to Dongling Pavilion."

"Yes." Eunuch Chu responded and dragged Eunuch Zhao's body away. Soon, two young eunuchs came in to clean up the bloodstains on the ground.

The emperor turned back and sat down, but he was still uneasy.

For some reason, he had a feeling that something was going to happen tonight. As if to confirm his guess, a young eunuch hurriedly came and said outside the door, "Your Majesty, the guards of Dongling Pavilion request an audience."

The Emperor's brow twitched, and he said coldly, "Let him in quickly."

The sole duty of the guards at Dongling Pavilion was to keep an eye on the people of the Prince of Anshun's residence, and they rarely left their posts.

The fact that they've come before the Emperor means something must have happened at Dongling Pavilion.

When the emperor saw that the person who came was not the chief guard, but just a junior guard, his heart was slightly at ease. However, after hearing what the junior guard said, his unease became even more severe.

"Your Majesty, the head of the guards has not yet seen Prince Anshun and his entourage return, so he ordered me to go and check the situation. However, I searched all the way to Liuli Pavilion, but I could not find Prince Anshun, nor could I find the Imperial Guards who were escorting them. I heard that there was a fire at Xiran Palace, and Commander Ren dispatched a portion of the Imperial Guards to fight the fire. They have not yet returned. I was afraid something might have happened, so I came to report to Your Majesty first."

The young guard looked anxious, clearly realizing that something was amiss.

A hint of surprise flashed in the Emperor's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Have half of the guards remain at Dongling Pavilion, and the rest go search for the whereabouts of Prince Anshun and his men!"

He then instructed the eunuchs at the door, "Summon Commander Ren and the Commander of the Imperial Guards to come see me immediately!"

Realizing that Ren Yang and the commander of the Imperial Guards wouldn't arrive anytime soon, the Emperor tapped the table lightly and said, "Come out." A black-clad, sword-wielding bodyguard then jumped down from the roof beam.

The emperor took out a token from his waist and handed it to him.

"Ye Jian, you are good at light footwork. Quickly take my token to the palace gate. Have the guards at the palace gate carefully check all people and carriages leaving the palace. If they find any trace of Prince Anshun or others, detain them immediately. As for Prince Wen and his carriage, regardless of whether there is a problem, detain them first."

Tonight's situation is too abnormal. If Prince Anshun really escapes, and we can't find this person, we'll capture Prince Wen and take him back as a hostage.

Although Wen Zhiming is just a fool, he is the only remaining son of the Prince of Anshun. With him in hand, there is no need to worry about the Prince of Anshun not returning.

Ye Jian asked, "What if Prince Wen has already left the palace?"

"Bring him back." The Emperor narrowed his cold eyes and said in a sinister voice, "Bring him back at all costs. If his guards try to stop him, kill them. But Prince Wen, I want him alive."

"Understood."

...

Meanwhile, Wen Zhiming's carriage had arrived at the palace gate. The guards had not yet been notified and were conducting a routine check according to the usual procedures for leaving the palace.

When it was Wen Zhiming's turn, they saw that the young master Wen, who was holding a wedding banquet today, looked sad and had a tearful face. Just as they were wondering about this, one of Wen Zhiming's men took the initiative to lift the curtain of the carriage for them.

"The Crown Princess was assassinated today, and the Crown Prince is grieving. Brothers, hurry up and check on her; we need to get back as soon as possible to prepare for her funeral."

Several guards saw a large character for "mourning" pasted on the carriage. Through a corner of the lifted curtain, they saw a woman dressed in red, her neck covered in blood, her face deathly pale.

The more timid guards took several steps back, while the bolder ones waved their hands repeatedly, urging the guards to quickly lower the curtain.

The thought that the bride, who had been so vibrant and beautiful when she entered the palace today, was now just a corpse filled everyone with dread.

Especially at night, Li Yan'er's blood-stained red dress was incredibly eerie; if it weren't for their duty, the guards would have wanted to flee in panic.

After a brief inspection of the gifts by the group of people at the back of the carriage, they waved for them to hurry up and leave.

Wen Zhiming led his men out of the palace without incident. They walked at a normal pace through an alleyway and then quickly headed southeast, where they met Cao Ran, who had come to meet them, at the end of the alley.

"Your Highness, Lord Ren and Deputy Commander Liu have both left the palace, and their families have also left the capital. I have already sent people to take them to join the Tiger Soaring Army. Now we are the only ones left."

Wen Zhiming said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Cao. Please take them away first, I will be there shortly."

He opened the carriage door and, with his men, transferred the people and gifts inside to Cao Ran's carriage, leaving only Li Yan'er and two empty carriages.

Cao Ran was unaware that Wen Zhiming and Li Yan'er had no relationship. Thinking that even a day as husband and wife would be a hundred days of kindness, even if the prince was putting on an act for the emperor, he still had a child with her. Now that she was dead, it was only natural for the prince to handle her funeral arrangements.

But the timing isn't right now.

"Your Highness, the Emperor may have already noticed something amiss and will send people to pursue us as soon as possible. These are minor matters that can be left to the servants. Your Highness, please leave with me."

Wen Zhiming said, "I'm just giving some instructions and taking care of some minor matters. I'll be there right away."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Cao Ran could only tell him to be careful before quickly leaving with his men.

Wen Zhiming glanced at Li Yan'er inside the carriage and said to the man in black behind him, "Lianyan, weren't you following her the whole time? How could you let her die?"

Lian Yan lowered her eyes. "Given the circumstances, it wasn't convenient for me to show myself. By the time she ran into the blade, it was too late for me to intervene..."

Today is the day the Crown Prince will save King Ansun. The Crown Prince has endured humiliation for months for this day. If he had stopped the two guards from the beginning and exposed his identity, it would have greatly affected the Crown Prince's plans for today.

Moreover, he hadn't expected Li Yan'er to be so resolute, willing to die rather than be humiliated.