It was already the second dog days of summer. There was a faint heat wave outside, and it was even hotter inside the carriage.

Emperor Zhou was holding a memorial in his hand, looking down at it. The eunuch Jiang Yan was serving on the side, adding tea. In the corner was a basin of ice cubes with white steam coming out.

In the drizzle, the convoy moved forward slowly.

"Another disastrous year." Emperor Zhou sighed, "It's been raining in the capital for three or four days now, and in the south it's been raining for more than half a month. The rising water level of the Yangtze River has washed away a weak embankment, and thousands of people have been affected. Dong Tiancheng, the son of the left prime minister Dong Yushu, asked me to go and manage the flood. He is quite courageous. I used to think he was a playboy, but I didn't expect he was so concerned about the country and the people. But he has no experience in flood control. If he goes rashly, he may not be able to control the flood, but will put himself in danger."

Jiang Yan knew that Emperor Zhou was talking to himself and there was no need for him to interrupt, so he quietly ground ink.

Emperor Zhou said, "Let the Minister of Works go with him, so that he can have some experience. Dong Yushu has made it clear that he wants to pave a future for his son. I don't want to disappoint an old minister, so I'll also take the opportunity to see what Dong Tiancheng is capable of." After he finished speaking, he wrote a few words in red ink, put down the memorial, and picked up another one.

"Oh, it's another memorial recommending Chongyuan Hou to be the right prime minister." Emperor Zhou shook his head and smiled, "This Jia Daogong is usually quiet, but I didn't expect that he has good relationships with people."

Now it was his turn to speak. Jiang Yan also laughed and said, "Marquis Chongyuan is a smart man. Everyone wants to associate with smart people and not harm themselves. Speaking of which, the Jia family are all smart people. They are all clean and know how to protect themselves."

Emperor Zhou pointed at the memorial and said, "That Jia Ling looks like a sly guy."

Jiang Yan said, "Mr. Jia Ling is indeed a bit slick and likes to hang out in the land of fireworks, but he is still very cautious in making friends. I haven't heard that he gets too close to any young master, but he doesn't make enemies with anyone either."

"Oh?" Emperor Zhou asked, "Didn't they try to curry favor with the crown prince?"

Jiang Yan shook his head and said, "Probably not. I haven't heard of any close contacts between the two."

He said, and then laughed, "Speaking of which, although the Jia family is only a hereditary marquisate, it has a great influence. The two sons of the Jia family married the two daughters of the Rongguo Duke. The Rongguo Duke was a cowardly and henpecked man, but his daughters all married well. The fourth girl is the crown prince. The concubine of the Emperor Zhou, the fifth lady is..."

Jiang Yan stopped talking here. He realized that he had mentioned someone who should not be mentioned. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead: "I have spoken out

of turn." The Emperor Zhou lowered his eyes and did not speak for a long time. Then he picked up his pen again and asked casually: "How has he been doing recently."

Jiang Yan glanced at the emperor's face. He knew who this "he" was,

and said carefully: "Very good." The Emperor Zhou did not speak for a long time. After reviewing a memorial and putting it aside, he said: "It's good." He

was not angry. Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that the Emperor Zhou had always had special feelings for the fourth prince Pei Yuan. Perhaps because he felt guilty about the mother of the fourth prince, he gave all his love to him. He was spoiled since childhood, which cultivated his unruly and casual personality. Until the treason happened last year.

Jiang Yan guessed that when the incident happened, the emperor must have wanted to kill the fourth prince, but later he couldn't bear to do it, so he just said harshly, saying that he would let him fend for himself. But even though he said that, he was still keeping an eye on him secretly. The Ji family initially made excuses, saying that the fourth girl was sick and wanted the fifth girl to marry in her place, but they agreed only after hearing that the fifth girl was kind-hearted and upright.

Later, they would ask about it from time to time. When they heard that the fourth prince was very close to Qiu Mingshan, they frowned and said nothing more. Later, the fourth prince moved out of Qiu Mingshan's mansion. The emperor was very happy that night and even drank some wine.

Jiang Yan thought that Emperor Zhou would never let go of this son, but the fourth prince did something wrong after all, and he felt disappointed and could not forgive him.

First, he couldn't get over his own hurdle, and second, he couldn't give a bad warning to his ministers.

The carriage fell silent again.

Emperor Zhou said, "It's too stuffy."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan gently lifted a corner of the curtain to let in some fresh air.

Emperor Zhou looked at it and sighed, "I don't know when the sky will clear up."

...

Tao Maobing, wearing armor, holding a sword and riding a horse, walked in the front.

He was in charge of the military forces in the capital and commanded the sixteen guards to defend the capital. This time, he sent out a guard to accompany him, with a total of two thousand people, winding like a long silver dragon, magnificent. The valley was narrow and long, stretching the team very long. He looked back and could only see the vague shadow of Huang Gai in front of the emperor's carriage.

Tao Maobing's eyes searched the bushes on both sides, and he gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, as if waiting for something.

The emperor's outing was extremely luxurious, and the team stretched for several miles. At the front were the guards, in the middle was the emperor's secondary carriage, and Prince Pei Xiao walked in front of the middle, responsible for vigilance.

Emperor Zhou had five sons, and three of them were with him now. The second prince, Pei Shu, was a fool, and he was still like a five-year-old child. He stayed in the palace in the capital with his mother. The mother of the fifth prince, Pei Yang, Concubine Zhao, was weak and had fallen ill again recently, so Pei Yang served by her side. Only the prince was left to accompany him on this trip.

At the end of the team were the concubines, palace maids and eunuchs.

The team walked slowly. The air on rainy days is stuffy and makes people feel inexplicably nervous. There are too many mosquitoes and flies, and the horse's tail swings back and forth to drive them away. The concubines in the back may not be able to bear it anymore, so they light incense to repel mosquitoes. The dampness of the rain mixed with the smell of grass and trees, as well as the pungent mosquito repellent incense, mixed together very strangely.

The trees on both sides of the road suddenly moved violently, making a sound of sorghum rustling.

Pei Xiao had been looking forward. Hearing the sound, he turned his head quickly and saw a black shadow on the tree. His pupils shrank, and he reined in his horse and shouted: "There is movement ahead, be alert!"

Almost the moment he finished speaking, a large number of people wearing black tights and holding knives and axes jumped out, there were dozens of people.

The horses were frightened, raised their hooves and neighed, and the back was in chaos.

Pei Xiao drew out his silver sword, and said with a scorching gaze: "This is the emperor's carriage. Who is so bold and presumptuous as to intercept the emperor's carriage? Get out of here!"

The leading bandit spat: "I am robbing the emperor! If I rob him, I will live a carefree life for ten lifetimes, and I will not be disappointed when I die!"

Pei Xiao shouted: "You are talking nonsense, how dare you!"

The bandit leader waved his hand: "Don't talk nonsense, shoot!"

In a flash, many people holding longbows emerged from the osmanthus tree next to the tree, riding on the branches, and shooting arrows like rain.

Pei Xiao blocked them with his sword and shouted: "Quickly call General Tao to protect the emperor's carriage!"

The arrows of those bandits seemed to be random, but nearly half of them fell on the thirteen carriages. Pei Xiao rode forward to kill the enemy, and was hit by an arrow in the shoulder. He shouted wildly, grabbed the arrow handle and pulled it out, his face showing pain, but there was another excitement in his eyes. Everything was going according to his plan.

Tao Maobing brought so many people and stretched the team for a reason, in order to create the illusion of slow reaction and inability to rescue.

They all pretended to resist, and after the bandits killed Emperor Zhou, they killed all the bandits.

Pei Xiao's palms were bright red, and the pulse on the back of his hand was throbbing. He shouted, chopped off a bandit's head with a chopper, and shouted: "Protect the emperor, charge!"

There were more than a hundred bandits, but those in the middle of the team were all weak eunuchs who could not resist at all.

The bandits went straight to the thirteenth car. Pei Xiao stared at their figures, hoping for good news.

...

In the third car, Emperor Zhou listened to the noise outside and understood what had happened.

He closed his eyes and said slowly, "With such a careful itinerary and such a grand trip, there are actually bandits? Yandang Mountain is only a few hours away from the capital, and under strict surveillance, there are bandits. I have never heard of it."

Jiang Yan asked in horror, "Your Majesty, you mean..."

Emperor Zhou asked, "How is the battle going?"

Jiang Yan lifted the curtain and took a look, and said, "The enemy is strong and we are weak. It's not good. We can only wait for General Tao to come... Hey, why are they all rushing to the Thirteenth Cart?"

Emperor Zhou frowned.

Over there, Tao Maobing had already received the news from the messenger. He was horrified and immediately drew his long sword and said, "Brothers, the emperor is in danger, rush back!"

...

Pei Xiao was shocked to see the bandits split open the door of the thirteenth car, but inside was a little eunuch dressed in a yellow robe, who was so scared that he peed his pants and curled up in a corner crying.

The bandits were also confused. They looked at each other and hurriedly searched for the emperor in each car.

Pei Xiao's heart was pounding and he had a bad premonition. His thoughts were in a mess, thinking about what went wrong. Did Jia Ling give him a false tip? Why? What should he do now? Now that things have come to this, he can only bite the bullet. Even if he has to turn the secondary car upside down, he must find the emperor! Otherwise, he will be the one to die!

Tao Maobing calculated the time well, and Ming Jin fought back.

In his calculations, the bandits should have already chopped off Emperor Zhou's head.

But when both parties got together, they were dumbfounded.

At this moment, they suddenly heard the sound of drums, and then the sound of killing. Pei Xiao and Tao Maobing turned their heads at the same time, and saw that a small group of people had somehow rushed down the hillside on the side, only about ten people. They were well-dressed, all sturdy warriors, but not theirs! Pei Xiao's palms, which were gripping the hilt of the knife, were already full of sweat.

Those warriors held swords in one hand and strange weapons in the other. Their Qinggong was very good, and the weapons were even more amazing. While running, arrows had been shot out with fierce power. But a moment later, when those people had just come close, those bandits had already fallen down. Then he went straight to the three cars.

Tao Maobing asked in surprise: "Your Highness, are these also the people you arranged?"

Pei Xiao's eyes were red with anger.

He recognized Pei Yuan's figure and gnashed his teeth in hatred. He knew that the matter had been exposed and it was impossible to assassinate the king. So far, the best result was that he could clear the suspicion and get away with it.

Tao Maobing sat on the horse and watched his soldiers fighting with the bandits. There were only a hundred or so bandits. They had the upper hand at first, but now they were retreating again and again.

Tao Maobing suddenly glared and said: "Your Highness, they found the emperor and rescued him!"

Pei Xiao turned around and saw that the door of the emperor's car was opened. A man helped him out and carried him on the horse. A closer look showed that the man was Pei Yuan!

Pei Xiao took a few quick breaths. He couldn't figure out how the current situation came about. He suddenly turned his head and looked at Tao Maobing, asking, "Did you communicate with him and leak our plan?"

Tao Maobing asked in disbelief, "Your Highness suspects me?"

His panicked look made Pei Xiao more suspicious. Pei Xiao knew that no matter whether Tao Maobing and Pei Yuan were in league, this person could not be kept. He knew too much and was already shaken. What if he couldn't keep his mouth shut... Pei Xiao said, "No, I was confused and shouldn't blame you."

Tao Maobing breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. He asked nervously: "What should we do now?"

Pei Xiao's cheeks tightened: "We can only take advantage of the situation and kill all the bandits without leaving any alive!"

Tao Maobing took the order and said: "Yes!" As he said that, he rode away. The remaining bandits knew they were no match for him and had already seized their horses and fled. Tao Maobing chased them.

Behind him, Pei Xiao picked up a longbow, drew the bow and shot an arrow. From behind, an arrow pierced Tao Maobing's back!

Tao Maobing's eyes widened, blood flowed from his mouth, and he turned around with difficulty.

Pei Xiao turned to a lone bandit, stared at the man's terrified eyes, and suddenly rushed towards the long knife in his hand and stabbed his own stomach.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and lay on the ground, grabbing the wet soil with his hands, and shouted hoarsely: "Help, help the driver!"

...

Emperor Zhou looked at Pei Yuan in disbelief. He thought the situation was critical and was even ready to get off the carriage to fight. However, when he raised the knife, he saw the carriage door was broken open and Pei Yuan appeared in front of him.

"You..."

"Your Majesty, there is no time to say more." Pei Yuan's face was calm and fearless. He bowed and turned around to leave his back to him. "Please get on my back. After you are out of danger, you will have time to talk slowly."

Emperor Zhou gritted his teeth and fell on Pei Yuan's back. He was surprised that his son had grown so big, and he hadn't hugged him for a long time.

After that incident, he didn't even look at him.

Emperor Zhou couldn't tell what he felt in his heart now. There was doubt, regret, and a little touch.

Pei Yuan suddenly appeared here, it was impossible for him not to have doubts. After a brief touch of emotion, he even wondered if all this was instigated by Pei Yuan?

Pei Yuan put Emperor Zhou on the horse's back, and the rest of the people also got on their horses and formed a formation. With long weapons on the outside and hands on the inside, they rode their horses at full speed, unstoppable all the way! Behind

him, Pei Xiao stood up with difficulty, knelt on the ground with his sword, staring at his back with bloodshot eyes.

...

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the manor.

Bao Ning had been waiting at the door. When she saw them coming from a distance, she looked forward to it more anxiously. Soon, a group of people appeared in front of her.

On the horse in the front, behind Pei Yuan was a middle-aged man wearing bright yellow clothes and with a majestic face. Behind them sat a man who looked like an eunuch, who looked like he was about to vomit due to the long bumpy ride.

Baoning knew that this was the Emperor Zhou and his eunuch Jiang Yan, who was close to him.

She led the servants behind her to kneel and greet them, saying, "Your Majesty, please be at peace."

Pei Yuan got off his horse. He had not spoken a word all the way and remained silent now. He reached out his hand to help Emperor Zhou get off.

Emperor Zhou looked at him coldly, with suspicion in his heart. Just as he was about to speak to test him, he saw Pei Yuan suddenly bend down and spit out a large mouthful of blood.

Bao Ning was frightened and staggered to his feet to help him: "Is it because of the medicine you took? Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"

Emperor Zhou was startled and quickly got off his horse, calling anxiously: "Yuan'er, Yuan'er?"

Bao Ning said: "Let's go into the house first!"