Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Is this really a spy beside him? ...
The inner room was dim, with only a few rays of light coming in from the window. At this moment, the crisp sound of bones creaking suddenly came from within the heavy bed curtains.
Li Cheng was awakened by the sound of swords clashing against each other. He awoke from his immense fear and shock, sweat soaking through his undergarments. He sat up on the bed, gasping for breath.
As the noises outside faded, he guessed the fight was drawing to a close. He didn't bother paying attention anymore. He only wondered: Why did he have such a strange dream? What was its meaning?
The palace door snapped open from the outside, and Xia Chang, a member of the Azure Dragon Guard, hurried over. He walked to the Crown Prince's bed curtain and saluted, "Your Highness, there are assassins outside! They have all been killed!"
The prince was wiping his forehead with his sleeve, and his voice sounded a little tired: "Is there any survivor?" He lifted the curtain and saw the Qinglong Sword on the shelf next to him. He suddenly stood up, took it in his hand, and slowly drew out the scabbard.
Xia Chang didn't dare to look up, gritted his teeth and continued: "Although they have been captured by the secret guards, they were all hired assassins. Before I could interrogate them, they committed suicide by taking poison."
"However, during the fight just now, several people almost rushed into Your Highness's bedroom. I heard them shouting 'Capture and kill the prince'. I think this assassination is aimed at Your Highness."
Li Cheng, dressed in a white tunic and holding a sword, looked even more unfathomable in the darkness. His expression darkened, and he sneered, "It seems someone wants to take my life."
But who is it that wants him dead? Yan Guang, the rebels, or another force hidden in the shadows?
Wei Zhaosheng rushed over upon hearing the noise, and upon seeing that the prince was alright, he breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over, picked up a tinder, and lit the candle. The inner room was bright, illuminating the prince's cold, gloomy face.
The cold sword in his hand gleamed. Wei Zhaosheng had served in the Ministry of Works for many years, often accompanying the Emperor. The Crown Prince had always presented an image of modesty, easygoingness, and a warm welcome. This was the first time he had seen His Highness's face so cold.
"How many assassins have arrived?" The prince asked calmly, unaware of the slightly surprised expressions on the faces of those around him. His voice was no different from any other, but Xia Chang and the others felt a chilling chill in their ears.
The surrounding air pressure suddenly dropped, and Xia Chang answered with a stiff face: "I just had someone count them, and there are a total of fifty death warriors."
"Fifty?" The prince sneered and shook his head nonchalantly: "That's quite a lot. It seems these thieves really want to kill me."
He had just woken up from a nightmare, barely catching his breath when this group of assassins rushed over. Did they think he, the crown prince, was weak and easy to bully? Or did they really not intend to let him leave Jiangnan alive?
Wei Zhaosheng was puzzled: "Your Highness's whereabouts are secretive, and this time he went to Jiangnan under the identity of Cui Liulang. How could the thieves know your identity?" Could it be that this Jiangnan termite really has supernatural powers and can guess that Cui Liu is the prince in disguise?
Li Cheng walked out and saw the Azure Dragon Guards dealing with the scattered corpses. The bloodstains were mottled and the area involved was extensive, which showed how fierce the fight had been.
Although his martial arts skills were not as good as those of Zhao Wen, he was always extremely alert when sleeping at night and would notice the slightest movement. However, he was awakened from his dream only when the fight was nearing its end.
This is so illogical. Everything that happened tonight was strange. The prince felt groggy, rubbing his brows lightly with two fingers. Although he was extremely reluctant to admit it, a guess still emerged in his mind.
There might be spies hiding around him. Wei Zhaosheng clearly shared his thoughts, finding it increasingly incredulous. "Your Highness, this trip to the south of the Yangtze River is a secret, known only to a few in the court. Could it be..."
The prince shook his head. The only few people he knew about in the court were his close ministers. He had been with them for a long time and knew their personalities well.
"It shouldn't be the news leaked by your subordinates." He paced slowly. "Doesn't the Eastern Palace know about my trip to Jiangnan?"
The only thing he didn't understand was that, despite being in the Eastern Palace, he had told Liang Yuan the truth, stating his exact destination was Jiangnan. Others only knew he was recuperating in the Eastern Palace as a cover, and that he wasn't actually there. As for his exact destination, there was no way to know.
However, tonight some assassins found his residence and even made outrageous remarks about "killing the prince", which makes people think deeply.
He believed he had been acting cautiously since arriving in Jiangnan and hadn't revealed his true identity. So where did the others get this information?
The faces of Li Fu, Liang Yuan, and several other people in the court who knew about him flashed through his mind in an instant. He instinctively knew he had overlooked something, but he couldn't figure it out.
Until the faces of several people were finally frozen on one face, Li Cheng kept shaking his head as if he had seen some kind of monstrous beast.
He took a deep breath and sighed again. It seemed that there was indeed something wrong with his body. It was ridiculous for him to suspect her.
She was just a weak woman, and she was pregnant, so she couldn't be a spy at all.
When the Censor and Xia Chang saw the prince's strange behavior, they looked at each other in confusion for a moment.
Putting aside the slight doubt in his mind, the prince thought about the dream he had just had and felt his heart sinking. He felt so suffocated that he could hardly breathe.
Looking up at the night sky, the man's face, chiseled with a knife and an axe, looked even more fierce in the darkness. Through that dream, he felt only suspicion and even a hint of sadness in his heart.
Why had he just had such a dream? What warning did this dream hold? He had never believed in ghosts or retribution, but now, recalling the dark purple blood in his dream, his hands couldn't help but tremble.
Why did she do this? In the darkness, it was as if she were meeting those clear, piercing eyes. Normally, she lowered her brows, too timid to raise her head. But now, she was looking directly at him, a deep meaning in her eyes that he couldn't read, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
So cold, so ruthless. If it weren't for the fact that his appearance and voice remained unchanged, he would have mistakenly thought that the other person had been replaced.
Is she really such a person? For a moment, Li Cheng felt as if he had never understood her. What kind of person was she? Was she really as harmless as she appeared? After sharing a bed with him for so long, were her soft words, her gentle thoughts, truly sincere?
The hand holding the hilt of the Qinglong sword couldn't help but tighten. The prince's face was tense, and his lips were pressed into a line, with a hint of impending storm.
Wei Zhaosheng saw that he was staggering, his lips were pale, and he seemed to be in a state of madness. He was shocked and ran over to support him, then turned around and asked someone to call a doctor.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, you don't look well. Why don't you go back and rest while the doctor takes your pulse?"
Wei Zhaosheng was terrified. The prince looked very bad before going to bed. No matter how he thought about it, he would not be lucky anymore. His Highness must be sick.
This time, the prince didn't refuse. With their support, he slowly walked to his bedroom. He looked up at the candlelight not far away. His expression wasn't as gloomy as before, but it was still very bad.
Fortunately, several doctors treating the plague happened to be staying at the inn that night. Upon hearing the news, they hurried over with their medicine boxes. The prince lay in bed, allowing the doctors to carefully feel his pulse.
After a long moment, the medical officer finally let go of the wrist. Wei Zhaosheng couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, how is Judge Cui?" When the medical officer arrived, he saw with his own eyes the corpses strewn across the floor at the doorway, the blood of those masked men in black clothes all over the floor.
At this moment, facing the questioning of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, he was terrified. He replied tremblingly: "Lord Cui has suffered from the invasion of evil wind into his body, and the anger has also attacked his heart. The main treatment should be to soothe the liver and relieve the anger. I will prescribe a prescription to regulate the liver and relieve the symptoms and strengthen the body."
The medical officer had no appointments at the Imperial Hospital and had rarely seen the Crown Prince. Furthermore, the room was dimly lit, so he didn't recognize Judge Cui's changed appearance on the bed.
After hearing this, Wei Zhaosheng urged: "Then go quickly. Judge Cui's health is precious and we can't afford to delay!" The medical officer was stunned after hearing this, then hurriedly took the medicine box and walked down in small steps.
He thought to himself that Judge Cui was indeed a person favored by the emperor, and even the third-rank provincial judge was respectful to him.
Thinking of the blood just now, he shuddered all over and ran even faster.
The prince lay in bed, a soft pillow propped up behind him. Xia Changzheng carefully fed him medicine. He was trembling with fear, and couldn't help but complain about why Li Zongguan hadn't come along.
Normally, Li Fu was responsible for these servant duties, his sole responsibility being to protect the Crown Prince. Due to his inexperience, he stumbled as he fed the medicine, some even spilling onto the Crown Prince's white robe, instantly staining it.
Xia Chang looked at it and felt like his head was about to explode.
The prince seemed to realize the other's clumsiness. He took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. After a moment's pause, when his expression had lessened its frightening expression, he asked, "Is there anything unusual in the East Palace?"
With the Crown Prince in Jiangnan, all movements within the Eastern Palace were handled by Consort Xia. Consort Xia wasn't sure what His Highness was asking, but suddenly, remembering what His Highness had just said about the Eastern Palace knowing his whereabouts, she assumed the Crown Prince was asking about the Eastern Palace's secret spies. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Your Highness, there's nothing unusual."
"Has she ever sent any letters?"
Xia Chang didn't know who this "she" was referring to. Looking at the prince's slightly absent-minded gaze, he suddenly had an idea.
Yes, Liang Yuan is the only one in the East Palace's backyard, and she's pregnant with the little prince. His Highness must have been extremely worried when he went to Jiangnan this time.
However, the concerned spouse remained silent, not even a single letter. Xia Chang felt truly awkward, caught between the young couple. He wondered how that fat Li Fu usually managed to navigate the situation. He gritted his teeth and replied, "Your Majesty, no letter has been sent."
Noticing the prince's expression suddenly turned cold, he hurriedly added: "I heard that the Queen has been vomiting and her legs are swollen during this period of time while she is pregnant with the little prince. The Queen is almost worried to death. She came out from Changchun Palace specially to accompany her. I think the Queen is not feeling well and has no energy to write a letter in person."
He wasn't specifically asking about these private matters, just in case His Highness suddenly asked. Rather, the Crown Prince had been incredibly busy recently, and all the reports regarding the Eastern Palace were piling up with him. He was afraid His Highness would be distracted, but he couldn't say much. And since His Highness didn't ask, he assumed he genuinely didn't care.
But being asked suddenly now made him feel flustered.
After hearing Xia Chang's words, Li Cheng's remaining discomfort instantly vanished. He straightened up, his face darkening. "Is it really that serious? Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Faced with the Crown Prince's rebuke, Xia Chang wouldn't have dared to tell His Highness he hadn't asked. Feeling derelict in his duty, he knelt on his knees and pleaded guilty: "I am guilty! I hid such an important matter from Your Highness. I deserve death! I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
"Okay," Li Cheng waved his hand impatiently and asked people to stand up, "I'm glad to know. Remember to report all of Liang Yuan's recent situation to me in detail in the future."
Xia Chang nodded, and then told the prince in detail what had happened in the Eastern Palace in the past few months. To be more precise, it was what had happened to the Empress Liangyuan in the Eastern Palace.
Small details like how many days the Empress stayed at the Eastern Palace, how many times Princess Changping visited the Eastern Palace, which time she brought the young prince with her and which time she didn't. On what date did the Empress sew clothes for her unborn child... and so on.
Xia Chang was so exhausted from talking that he thought His Highness would be bored. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince sat on the bed, his posture as straight as a pine tree, listening intently.
He couldn't help laughing when he heard Liang Yuan often talking to her unborn child. When he heard that she was suffering a lot because of her pregnancy and even couldn't sleep at night, his heart seemed to be pulled up and ached.
He felt an immense regret. He had missed so much during his time in Jiangnan. He hadn't witnessed the baby's first movement. Liang Yuan had gone through so much with her pregnancy, and he hadn't been there. He had failed in his duty as a husband.
A thick pain surged in his heart. When Xia Chang stopped talking, he woke up as if from a dream. Recalling the dream just now, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret.
She worked so hard, but he had suspected her because of a dream, and even doubted her for a moment because of the spying. It really made him feel guilty about his actions.
Xia Chang and Wei Zhaosheng watched the Crown Prince alternately frown, chuckle, and heave a sigh of relief. They felt that their usually dignified and steady Prince seemed to have changed.
Whenever something related to Liang Yuan came up, even the most impassive Crown Prince would be deeply concerned, his emotions showing through. Although Liang Yuan was of humble status, she was truly favored by His Highness.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. Don't you think it's time to rest?" Wei Zhaosheng, who had been listening to gossip all night, was a little excited. For the first time, he envied Li Fu, the eunuch.
Li Fu was the Grand Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince's personal eunuch. He must have been fully aware of the Crown Prince's daily actions and words. If he were Li Fu, he would have witnessed His Highness's misbehavior from time to time.
Suddenly coming to his senses, he wanted to slap himself. Why was he envious of a eunuch? He didn't want to be without descendants, even though he already had grandchildren at his age.
The prince nodded. He had been so absorbed in listening that he hadn't noticed anything. Now, as he came to his senses, he felt a splitting headache. He instructed, "First, take good care of the bodies of those who died, and send them to Liu Yi tomorrow."
It's time to pay the governor's house a visit again. Xia Chang nodded, blew out the candles in the hall with the provincial governor, and tiptoed out of the inner room.
Lying on the bed, Li Cheng opened his eyes again, thinking about what Xia Chang had told him about the Eastern Palace, and then thinking about the strange dream, he felt unlucky.
It seems that the blessing for peace he asked for before leaving was still useful. At least when he was not with her, she could feel much more comforted by relying on that thin piece of talisman paper.
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