The assassin, trembling, clutched his crotch, only glancing at Shang Changge with overwhelming grief and indignation after confirming that his manhood, the means to continue the family line, was still intact.

"You, you, you woman, you're simply... you're just..."

"Insolence." Xiao Ji's expression turned cold, and he drew his longsword, its sharp and terrifying blade aimed directly at the assassin's vital point.

"To assassinate the princess is disrespectful to her; he deserves to die."

Although he said that, he didn't actually kill the two assassins.

Shang Changge breathed a sigh of relief; she still had a use for these two assassins.

"Who's there!"

A sharp shout was followed by a series of orderly footsteps as the patrolmen, in teams of twenty, arrived late.

Shang Changge looked in the direction of the sound and saw the patrolmen who had appeared at this exact moment, of all times.

An answer was about to emerge in his mind; he turned his head and looked towards the palace, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs; the old emperor truly deserves our admiration.

"Princess? General?"

The patrol captain, noticing the two men's surprised expressions, looked at the chaotic scene of the assassins' corpses lying scattered on the ground.

The murderous intent flashed as he swept past the two surviving assassins, and the next second, a group of people knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

"Your subordinates have arrived..."

"It's not too late." Having already made up her mind, Shang Changge had no desire to listen to these people's long-winded, hypocritical arguments.

Pretending not to have guessed anything or know anything, and without any intention of blaming, but rather smiling and praising with joy and satisfaction.

"You've come at just the right time. I just captured two assassins and needed to bring them back to the palace for interrogation, but I didn't have a carriage."

"I was just having this problem when you arrived. I'll trouble you to find a carriage and escort me back to my residence."

The team leader, surnamed Guo, looked up slightly at Shang Changge and said cautiously, humbly, and hesitantly:

"Princess, providing the carriage and escorting you back is our duty."

But assassins are all vicious and ruthless people. It wouldn't be good if they hurt the princess again. It's better to leave it to us..."

"bass--!"

The longsword sliced ​​through the evening wind, brushing past Xiao Ji and precisely piercing the body of an assassin who was already dead.

The dead assassin was nothing special; he was just the closest to Captain Guo.

"You think you're innocent just because I'm being magnanimous and not blaming you for being late? Dare to say another word..."

Even if I kill your father right now, I won't say a bad word about me, understand?

The old emperor wanted to get rid of his daughter, but he could only do so covertly through others.

Because she was not only the old emperor's daughter, but also the empress's daughter, the crown prince's sister, and the empress's maternal granddaughter.

Captain Guo understood the principle that when gods fight, mortals suffer, and hurriedly wiped the sweat from his brow, repeatedly agreeing:

"Yes, yes, I'll go prepare the carriage right away!"

Shang Changge was satisfied and waved his hand graciously, telling the person to get up:

"Very well, get out of here. I'll wait here and see. If you keep waiting, I'll get angry."

Captain Guo quickly scrambled to his feet and, leading the group behind him, tumbled and crawled to prepare the carriage.

Shang Changge looked away and was about to say something when Xiao Ji spoke first.

"The road is not safe tonight. I will accompany them later to escort the princess back to her residence."

After saying this, he gave the driver, who had been acting like a human figurehead, a wink. The driver understood.

He walked up to the two assassins, skillfully dislocated their jaws, and then swiftly knocked them both unconscious with a chop to the neck.

It seemed as if he not only wanted to personally escort her back, but also help her bring the two assassins back with him.

Shang Changge: "..."

What could Shang Changge say? Of course, she accepted it gladly.

The cold-faced and aloof general is rarely kind-hearted; it would be impolite for her to refuse.

The moonlight grew even brighter.

Some returned to the princess's residence, some escorted the princess back, and others hurried into the palace to deliver a message.

Some people, however, know that they are in grave danger and their lives are in danger, and they are struggling to save themselves and their families.

In the stillness of the night,

A carriage emerged from the back gate of the Wen family residence, winding its way through numerous turns before finally stopping at a secluded back gate of a large, secluded mansion.

There were people waiting at the back door. After the carriage went in, they looked around and, not seeing anyone suspicious, quickly closed the back door.

After a while,

A figure appeared silently around the corner, took a deep look at the grand mansion, and then quietly left.

This person comes and goes without a trace.

When he reappeared, he was at the General's Mansion. At this time, Xiao Ji had already returned to the mansion, bathed and changed clothes, and was reading memorials in his study.

"Just as the general predicted, not long after Miss Wen returned to her residence, Wen Shi'an went to the Yun residence."

"I'm afraid what happened at the princess's residence today, and the assassin she encountered, are all inextricably linked to the Yun family."

The messenger's words were to be left unsaid; how could the Yun and Wen families alone have the audacity to harm a princess of a nation?

The one who truly desires the life of a princess is probably the one in the palace, but this is not something a subordinate like him should concern himself with.

Xiao Ji threw down the memorial, his expression cold: "In your opinion, who is more suitable to ascend the throne and inherit the throne, the Crown Prince or the Third Prince?"

Besides Xiao Ji, there were two other people in the study, both of whom were Xiao Ji's confidants.

Upon hearing this, they exchanged a glance and then lowered their heads, behaving respectfully yet in a pretentious manner.

"We dare not speak recklessly!"

Xiao Ji glanced at them coldly, and the two immediately stopped pretending and began to open up and talk freely.

"That must be the Crown Prince, General! Is there even a need to say it? Is there even a need to compare?"

Anyone with eyes can see that the Crown Prince is the most suitable person to sit in that position!

Even if someone were blind, just by listening to others talk about the Crown Prince's achievements over the years, they would know that the Crown Prince is the most suitable candidate!

The speaker was none other than the coachman who had accompanied Xiao Ji to the poetry gathering; his name was Duoming.

There's one called "Deadly," another called "Soul Chaser," and yet another called "Soul Chaser."

However, Soul Chaser wasn't as talkative as Death Chaser; he simply reported the intelligence his men had recently gathered.

"The Third Prince's enthusiasm for wandering the martial world remains as strong as ever; he even participated in a martial arts contest to find a husband just two days ago."

Although she didn't win the championship, the girl has taken a liking to the Third Prince, and now the relationship and situation are somewhat complicated.

Duoming frowned, looking puzzled and completely bewildered.

"Didn't the Third Prince already have a girl by his side? Why is there another one now?"

Suddenly realizing something, he winked and gossiped slyly at his master, Xiao Ji, and his brother, Zhui Hun:

"Forgive my rudeness, but this Third Prince is truly passionate about wandering the martial world."

Or is his real intention not to drink the wine, but to find girls in the martial arts world?

Zhuihun didn't care what their third prince was passionate about; he only addressed the most crucial and fatal problem:

"The Emperor wants to suppress the Empress's family's power, and the only people he truly likes are the Consort and the Third Prince."

Therefore, no matter how well the crown prince performed in every aspect, he could not win the emperor's favor.

If the Empress's family, this powerful force, were to fall from grace, the Emperor could easily find any excuse...

All the hard work and achievements the Crown Prince has made over the years have benefited the Third Prince.

Although Deadly is a chatterbox in private, he's not stupid; how could he not understand the unspoken meaning behind Soul Chaser's words?

I wanted to swear and curse, but I didn't dare. I could only mutter and grumble incessantly.

"Our Emperor's heart is so biased, I feel so sorry for His Highness the Crown Prince!"