This was a customary rule within the Imperial Guards, yet it had never been explicitly stated in writing—and it was personally established by the Emperor Emeritus.

As a vital force responsible for guarding the palace and the safety of the capital, the Imperial Guard held a crucial position, attracting countless people to try to curry favor with them through various means.

If they fail to win them over, some people will resort to extreme measures, either committing heinous crimes to take the lives of others and take their place, or secretly planting spies to infiltrate their ranks.

Faced with such a situation, simply maintaining strict defense is clearly not the best strategy.

As the saying goes, "It is easier to stop the people from talking than to stop a river from overflowing." Since it is difficult to completely plug the loopholes, it is better to guide them in the right direction.

Therefore, the Imperial Guards accepted bribes from anyone who offered them, but only on the condition that the commander of the Imperial Guards be informed of the matter.

Furthermore, it is crucial to carefully consider what information can be disclosed and what secrets must be kept confidential, and one must not act recklessly.

On the surface, this approach seems quite reasonable, but it also harbors hidden dangers.

If someone harbors ulterior motives, feigns obedience but betrays in reality, and is truly bought off and used by hostile forces, then what awaits them is the tragic end of having their entire family executed and their nine generations exterminated.

Moreover, to ensure absolute safety, the relatives and family members of all the Imperial Guards were settled in the capital.

In this way, it can effectively prevent villains from using their family members as leverage, while these family members are also hostages in the hands of the royal family, making the members of the Imperial Guards dare not act rashly.

The guards silently retreated to the side.

He grinned at his teammate next to him and gestured with his eyes that he would invite him for drinks after his day off.

Qi Yuan stood up, stretched out his slender fingers, and brought them closer to the brazier to warm himself.

She glanced at the two people on the ground and said coldly, "You're lucky today. My Empress of Qing Kingdom is unharmed. You'll only have to pay with your two lives and the lives of your families."

"If His Majesty suffers even the slightest mishap, your Yue Kingdom can expect to be destroyed."

hehe.

The two people on the ground gave a cold smile.

From the moment they decided to embark on this dark path and become agents, they had given up on the idea of ​​marriage and starting a family, let alone any so-called family.

Using this to threaten them is a completely miscalculated idea.

Qi Yuan saw through their thoughts at a glance.

Qi Yuan's lips curled slightly as he slowly said, "I guess you two aren't married yet, right?"

"It's okay. You weren't born from a rock, so you must have parents or siblings who gave you life, right?"

"At worst, you'll still have neighbors, right? You can make them all die with you then."

Upon hearing these words, the two people who were lying on the ground trembled violently as if they had been electrocuted, and struggled desperately in protest.

Their eyes were filled with endless hatred, as if an angry volcano was about to erupt.

Qi Yuan, however, remained unusually calm. He turned his palm over and gently rubbed it a few times to warm his slightly cold hands, then continued slowly, "What, are you still planning to argue that you are not from Yue?"

"Of course I know, you are people from the Yue Kingdom."

He chuckled softly, leaving behind a meaningful remark, "Heh, think it over carefully."

After the Yun Kingdom chestnut case, he conducted a population screening in the capital. It was during that time that the two strange people from the Huajianling Wine Shop were discovered by his spies.

However, further investigation revealed that the two had come to the capital more than 20 years ago and had lived a secluded life for the past two decades, with nothing particularly noteworthy about them.

They started keeping an eye on it.

Those watching the Flower Wine Shop noticed that the Third Princess of Yue went to the rouge shop next door, and they also saw the people that Lord Murong Anle had arranged to keep watch on her.

The two exchanged a glance from afar.

Later, it was told to Qi Yuan by the person who was watching him, as a trivial joke.

Qi Yuan had not originally associated these two strange people with the Yue Kingdom.

But the moment he saw the assassin, he understood.

These two were clearly from the Yue Kingdom. The Third Princess was ostensibly going to the rouge shop, but in reality, she was going to secretly contact the two.

Once the basic logic is established, the next step is to explore the motivation and details.

For example, why would they risk entering the palace to assassinate someone?

Who was the target of the assassination attempt?

How did they manage to sneak into the palace without anyone noticing?

As for the Third Princess Xiao Yuanshuang... it's no longer something he can decide alone; everything needs to be reported to His Majesty for a final decision.

What he needs to do now is find solid evidence.

The cold, piercing gaze fell upon the assassin once more, as if weighing a ton, causing the two men to tremble involuntarily.

Demon, demon.

This Qi Yuan is a demon.

On the other side, Li Xuanji was wide awake.

Why would those two assassins lie in ambush in the snowdrifts outside their own palace?

“If they intended to assassinate His Majesty, they have come to the wrong place. His Majesty would never have come here in the first place. His Majesty’s presence here today is an accident,” he said, his face as pale as paper.

The young pageboy's lips were tightly pursed; the scene just now was too thrilling.

If His Majesty hadn't been quick-witted and decisive, they would probably have already been among those buried alive with him.

He tried to reassure the Grand Preceptor: "Could it be that their target is you?"

Well……

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young pageboy regretted it deeply, wishing he could slap himself twice.

Li Xuanji narrowed his phoenix eyes and sneered, "Assassinate me?"

"There are plenty of opportunities to kill me, why bother going to such lengths to sneak into the palace?"

"Besides, there are guards all around, yet they choose to hide in the snowdrifts. What is the purpose of all this trouble?"

"Ha, they wouldn't be here to assassinate me, would they?" This afternoon, the pageboy was indeed alone in the Xuanji Hall, helping Li Xuanji organize memorials.

I haven't gone out at all.

He only rushed over after Li Xuanji went to the palace to see His Majesty.

"Oh, sir, it's almost dawn, and you're still sick. You should rest."

"I believe Lord Qi will definitely find out the truth."

The page urged Li Xuanji to rest.

The next day, Qi Yuan did not hide the news of the assassination attempt in the palace. The news quickly spread throughout the capital, causing a huge stir, like a stone thrown into water.

This is completely different from the previous incident of His Majesty being poisoned.

Now that Your Majesty is safe and sound, making this matter public is like drawing a sharp sword, which will put the Yue Kingdom under pressure.

In the imperial court, the officials were filled with righteous indignation and indignation.

When the ministers saw the energetic Murong Yue, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Those officials who were unable to attend the small court assembly submitted memorials to express their respects and loyalty.

As a result, the workload of Prime Minister Shen Zhifeng and Yuan Tianyun increased dramatically, with memorials piling up like mountains.

In the capital, Qi Yuan launched another large-scale search before the new year.

A sudden storm, blatant and undisguised.

The common people cooperated actively, and the powerful and wealthy dared not say a word.

Qi Yuan took this opportunity to thoroughly clean up the capital city, inside and out.