Shen Hanshan immediately opened his eyes, his pupils contracted, and he gripped the long sword at his waist.
Zhao Zhi also woke up at the same time and immediately took out several silver needles.
The men in black launched a fierce attack with a clear objective.
A man in black swung his knife at the carriage where Zhao Zhi was. In a flash, the knife cleaved a crack in the carriage.
Shen Hanshan suddenly pulled Zhao Zhi to his side, narrowly avoiding an attack.
The horse was startled, and the carriage shook violently. Zhao Zhi protected her abdomen with one hand and struggled to hold onto the side of the carriage with the other to maintain her balance.
"Shen Hanshan, you really do have a jinx!" she said with a wry smile.
"Du Heng, protect His Highness!"
Shen Hanshan glanced at her, quickly drew his long sword from his waist, leaped out, and killed the man in black who was trying to approach the carriage with a single stroke.
"Assassins! Protect His Highness!"
Lanru and the others who followed behind the carriage also joined the fight.
The assassins' target was the eldest princess inside the carriage. One group fought with Shen Hanshan and his men, while the other quietly surrounded the carriage.
With a neigh, the assassin severed the front hooves of the carriage, and Zhao Zhi's head slammed heavily against the carriage wall, causing her to see stars from the pain.
Du Heng shouted, "Your Highness, jump out of the carriage!"
The carriage shook violently under the impact of the men in black; the horses neighed in alarm, and the carriage tilted precariously.
"Shenhan Mountain—Save me—"
In desperation, Zhao Zhi instinctively wanted to rely on Shen Hanshan, and forgot to disguise her voice.
Shen Hanshan looked in the direction of the sound and was shocked. He quickly drew his long sword from his waist and charged towards the man in black who was fighting with him.
His swordsmanship was sharp and swift, each strike carrying the force of thunder.
However, the men in black were numerous and well-trained. They kept attacking, their aim being to trap Shen Hanshan and prevent him from rescuing the princess.
Zhao Zhi gritted her teeth and gripped the edge of the carriage tightly. As the carriage tipped over, she rolled out of the carriage.
The moment she landed, she covered her stomach with her hands and quickly rolled several times to absorb the impact.
"Your Highness!"
Shen Hanshan exclaimed in surprise, gripped his longsword tightly, and swept away several people in an instant.
He rushed to Zhao Zhi's side, carefully helped her up, and asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you injured anywhere?"
Zhao Zhi, clutching her lower back, groaned and teased, "So eager? Wouldn't it be better if I died so you wouldn't have to go and talk to the Emperor about divorce?"
Shen Hanshan said solemnly, "Your Highness, when lives are at stake, please don't joke with me."
"Human—" Zhao Zhi had just uttered one word when she was horrified to see a man in black, sword in hand, leaping towards her from behind Shen Hanshan.
Instinctively, she pushed Shen Hanshan away with all her might.
With a soft "thud," the sword tip pierced her shoulder blade, and blood splattered onto her veil.
"Hiss—" Zhao Zhi cried out in pain.
At the same time, the silver needle in her hand accurately pierced the other person's wrist.
With a clang, the sword that the man in black had just pulled back fell to the ground. Du Heng, who had rushed over, pierced his heart with his sword, ending his life.
Shen Hanshan suddenly realized what had happened, and his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly turned around and saw that blood was gushing out from Zhao Zhi's shoulder blade, and her body was swaying precariously.
His heart tightened, and he strode forward, quickly pressing several acupoints near her shoulder blades.
Zhao Zhi was in so much pain that her face turned pale, her body went limp, and she fainted.
"Your Highness!"
When Shen Han saw the bloodstains on Zhao Zhi's veil, a thought struck him. He wondered why the princess would risk her life to save him.
What's more, she was pregnant!
A strange impulse surged within him, and he recalled the voice that sounded remarkably similar to Zhao Zhi's during the chaos. As if possessed, he reached out, wanting to lift the veil from her face and see her true appearance.
"Prince Consort!" Lanru shouted when she saw Zhao Zhi was injured, and she was already beside Zhao Zhi.
She tossed the blood-dripping sword aside, carefully picked up Zhao Zhi, and said urgently, "My lord, the princess's safety is of utmost importance. Please return to the palace immediately and have the imperial physician treat her."
Startled awake by Lanru's reprimand, Shen Hanshan felt a pang of regret. He thought to himself, "The Princess was in grave danger saving me, and yet I was thinking about other things."
He nodded quickly, tossed his palace pass to Du Heng, and told him to hurry to the palace to fetch the imperial physician.
He ordered his men to quickly clean up the scene, while he followed closely behind Lanru's carriage, escorting Zhao Zhi back to the Prince's Mansion.
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, the imperial physicians were already waiting outside.
Shen Hanshan carefully carried Zhao Zhi into Fenglaiyi Courtyard and placed her on the bed.
Just as he was about to remove the blood-stained veil from the princess's face, Lanru suddenly stepped forward and said, "Prince Consort, please wait outside."
Shen Hanshan nodded slightly and sat anxiously in the outer room.
Inside the room, the imperial physicians carefully treated Zhao Zhi.
Outside, Shen Hanshan sat for a while, then stood up and paced back and forth.
Feng Hong advised, "Your Highness need not worry. He is a lucky man and will be alright."
"Her Highness was injured while saving me; she absolutely cannot be harmed." Shen Hanshan clenched his fists and said fiercely, "I will definitely find out the identity of the assassin and grind the mastermind behind it to dust!"
As the two were talking, the imperial physician came out from the inner room and reported to Shen Hanshan, "Although Her Highness's injuries are serious, fortunately, no vital organs have been damaged. However, she is pregnant and needs to take good care of herself to ensure the safety of both mother and child."
A huge weight was finally lifted off Shen Hanshan's shoulders.
He breathed a sigh of relief, nodded repeatedly, and instructed the imperial physicians to do everything in their power to save the princess, promising a generous reward.
"It is my duty as an old minister," the imperial physician said, turning to write the prescription.
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