Chapter 368 Assassination Attack
Hearing this, Jiang Hongling's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "I'm not going back! Being a maid is fine, and if I can't go back, I can't go back. Anyway, I don't want to go back. I'll stay in Xi'er and be Min Pan'er's maid; at least I won't be bored!"
Madam Min really wanted to facepalm. She didn't know what was wrong with Jiang Hongling's brain. Why did she have to be such a good young lady and insist on courting death?
Oh well, everyone has their own destiny.
Madam Min shook off the jumbled thoughts in her mind and solemnly reminded her, "Remember, Min Pan'er is now Princess Xihe, and Princess Xihe is the Seventh Princess, Li Sanqi."
Jiang Hongling smiled knowingly, "So, Min Pan'er is no longer Min Pan'er, but Princess Li Sanqi of Xihe!"
“That’s right. For the safety of all of us, you must remember this!” Madam Min reminded her again in a serious tone.
“I understand!” Jiang Hongling replied earnestly.
After speaking of Jiang Hongling, Madam Min Qiao looked at Ajiu and said, "Since you have said that you have a responsibility to protect Jiang Hongling's safety, then I will entrust the safety of Jiang Hongling and Princess Xihe to you."
"From now on, you will go with Jiang Hongling to serve as Princess Xihe's personal lady-in-waiting."
This is not what she expected!
She came along to protect the old lady's safety, not to protect Jiang Hongling and Min Pan'er!
However, she couldn't disobey the old lady's instructions.
Ajiu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Yes, this servant obeys!"
“As for you…” Madam Min Qiao looked at Zhen Huan.
Before Madam Min could speak, she preemptively said, "I only want to stay with the old lady, and I only care about her safety! I don't care about anyone else!"
Goodness, I've never seen anyone so proactive!
It seems she's genuinely afraid that Madam Min Qiao will also arrange for her to be placed next to Min Pan'er!
Madam Min Qiao smiled and shook her head. "Alright, then you'll stay with me from now on and be responsible for protecting my safety. As for the Seventh Princess, I'll have Wen Xiu take care of her."
"Yes. I will stay by your side at all times." She answered earnestly.
Although she remained expressionless, Madam Min could clearly detect a hint of joy in her tone.
After leading the three back to the group, Madam Min explained her arrangements, and no one had any objections, so the matter was settled.
After lunch, the group set off again, heading towards Xichuang.
Nothing happened along the way.
Five days later, the marriage procession arrived at the border.
After resting and replenishing their supplies, the group set off again.
Once you cross the pass, another thirty miles ahead lies the territory of Da'e.
Whether in terms of national strength or land area, Da'e is not much worse than Dayan.
After entering the border of Daxi, it would take nearly a month to reach Xijing.
Therefore, Min Qiao's group did not rush on their journey. After entering Da'e, they traveled at the same speed as within Dayan.
However, one night, two days after crossing the Daxi border, the King of Chu suddenly found a secluded time to meet Min Qiao.
Seeing that the King of Chu looked a little off, Madam Min Qiao couldn't help but ask, "The King of Chu has come to see me; has something happened?"
The King of Chu shook his head in denial, "Nothing has happened. I just feel uneasy."
Min Qiao thought that the King of Chu was uneasy because he was in another country, so she comforted him, saying, "Is this the first time the King of Chu has traveled so far? It's understandable that he is nervous."
The King of Chu hesitated for a moment before saying, "There's something I haven't mentioned yet. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I kept quiet. But ever since we entered the territory of Da'e, the more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel."
Madam Min frowned slightly. "What is the King of Chu referring to?"
The King of Chu paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "When we were resting at the border, the Earl of Annam came to see me. During our conversation, he suggested that I stay at the border and that someone else take my place to escort Princess Xihe to the marriage alliance."
"I refused outright."
"But now that I think about it, I still feel a little uneasy."
Madam Min smiled and said, "Perhaps the Earl of Annan is worried about the safety of the Prince of Chu, which is why he made this suggestion. Your Highness, please rest assured, the marriage alliance is a matter of great importance. Da'e would not dare to act rashly. Even if Da'e were to make things difficult or target us, that would be something to do after the marriage alliance arrives in Xijing."
"The old lady is right. I was worrying too much." King Chu let out a breath, his tense emotions seeming to ease somewhat.
"That's not entirely true. After all, we're currently on foreign soil, so it's always good to be cautious."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min summoned Old Woodcutter and instructed him to spread the word, making sure everyone was on high alert and that people would take turns patrolling the night.
Seeing Min Qiao's meticulous attitude, the King of Chu was truly relieved and smiled, saying, "Madam, I will also personally inform them. Just in case some people are outwardly compliant but inwardly disobeying Steward Qiao's words."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Watching the King of Chu leave, Min Qiaoshi, who had previously felt nothing, suddenly felt a strange unease.
"Really."
He actually answered and entered the tent. "Old Madam?"
"Go and tell Wenxiu and Ajiu to be on alert at night and to protect their respective masters."
"yes."
They really did leave quickly, and returned even faster.
After conveying Min Qiaoshi's words, he quickly ran back and stayed by her side without leaving her side.
Nothing was said that night, and everything was calm and peaceful.
The second day, the third day, and so on, nothing happened for several days in a row.
Just when Min Qiao thought she was being influenced by the King of Chu and was worrying too much, trouble finally came.
That night, the marriage procession camped at the foot of a mountain.
In the middle of the night, just as everyone was sound asleep, several masked men in black quietly approached and secretly slit the throats of the patrolling soldiers one by one.
Then, more than twenty masked men quickly approached. Some of them went straight to several tents, while the rest killed the soldiers sleeping outdoors one by one with a knife...
"An assassin!"
Someone shouted, and the wedding procession was instantly alerted.
Min Qiao was also awakened from her sleep.
The sounds of clashing swords came from outside the tent, followed by screams and cries for help... complete chaos.
"What happened?" Madam Min asked Zhen Huan, who was holding a long sword and protecting her, while quickly putting on her clothes.
"Madam, there's an assassin." Zhen Huan answered while remaining cautiously on guard.
After Madam Min Qiao finished dressing, Zhen Huan escorted her out of the tent. "Madam, I will escort you to the carriage. The carriage can protect you from swords and arrows."
"Alright." At this moment, Madam Min's priority was naturally to save her life, so she obediently followed Zhen Huan towards the carriage.
Although the assassins were highly skilled in martial arts, there were only a few of them, and each one had to face being surrounded and killed by several or even a dozen soldiers.
Whether it was good luck or she was destined to survive, Madam Min Qiao escaped all the way to the carriage without encountering any danger.
Once Min Qiao got into the car, she quickly closed the door and stood guard outside.
Min Qiao calmed her racing heart before cautiously opening the car window to look outside.
The soldiers were either dead or wounded, and soon they lay on the ground in droves.
However, the soldiers outnumbered them and, relying on sheer numbers, quickly riddled the dozen or so assassins with holes.
The shouts of battle gradually subsided.
Seeing this, Madam Min Qiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to ask Zhen Huan to check on Li Sanqi and Min Pan'er's situation, the situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.
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