The leader of the Phoenix Guard solemnly instructed the men beside him, "You must do everything in your power to protect Prince An and ensure he is not harmed in the slightest!"
Upon hearing this, the men responded in unison.
Then, the leader of the Phoenix Guard led the rest of the group and leaped into the forest like arrows released from a bow.
With the Phoenix Guards taking action, Prince An's anger subsided somewhat.
His cold gaze swept over the Imperial Guards.
"Hmph, they're nothing but a bunch of imperial guards. When I ascend to the throne as crown prince and eventually rule the world, I will replace them all! Not a single one will be spared!"
Thinking of this, Prince An's eyes grew even more smug, as if he could already see himself holding great power and in control of everything.
On the other side.
Jiang Jingtian chased after him relentlessly until he reached the foot of the mountain.
They encountered a group of bodyguards who suddenly appeared.
The burly man at the head of the group grinned obsequiously at Jiang Jingtian.
Jiang Jingtian's eyes widened in fury, radiating intense anger as he gritted his teeth and demanded, "Who are you? Are they all your men?"
Jiang Jingtian pointed at the farmers who had just fled into the escort team, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.
Seeing this, Lu Da said with a grin, "Hehe, young master, don't be angry, we're all family!"
Jiang Jingtian looked suspicious and demanded, "What family? I don't know you! Why are you stopping me! Are you deliberately trying to provoke us into chasing you?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Da was taken aback. The young master and the master were not familiar with each other?
The warm, fawning smile that had been on his face faded instantly. "Our boss is the princess! She left a message saying that she has taken Prince Chen to Shu to find medicine, so young master, don't worry."
"It's Jiaojiao! They're alright? That's wonderful!"
Jiang Jingtian was overjoyed; the huge weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.
However, just a moment later, he suddenly froze, his brows furrowing slightly, and he muttered to himself, "Shu? Could it be... she went to see her uncles?"
Thinking of this, Jiang Jingtian's eyes became somewhat worried. The journey to Shu was long and arduous.
What are you going to do with your uncles?
Seeing that Jiang Jingtian's joy and worry were genuine, Lu Da's expression softened a bit, and he smiled, "The master has some more instructions..."
...
One hour later.
Jiang Jingtian returned to the mountain stronghold in a fit of rage, shouting, "Damn it, they managed to escape!"
"You're still alive? Dereliction of duty! What is your punishment?!"
Prince An's face was ashen, one arm hung limply at his side, blood staining his sleeve. He glared fiercely at Jiang Jingtian before him, "Are you perhaps in cahoots with those assassins?"
"What assassin?"
Jiang Jingtian was shocked to find that the air was thick with the smell of blood. Looking around, he saw several heavily wounded Imperial Guards lying haphazardly on the ground.
The deputy leader rushed over, panting, and hurriedly explained to Jiang Jingtian, "My lord, you are unaware of what happened. Someone just shot an arrow at Prince An! Fortunately, His Highness's guards intercepted it!"
"But I never expected that the person who shot the arrow had actually used a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain, drawing away most of Prince An's secret guards. Most of us Imperial Guard brothers were sent to hunt down the bandits and search for you."
"Who would have thought that a group of assassins disguised as imperial guards would suddenly appear and attack Prince An!"
If Prince An hadn't immediately hidden inside and used Prince Fan as a shield, the injury wouldn't have been limited to just one arm.
"What?! What happened to Brahma?"
Jiang Jingtian exclaimed in surprise.
The deputy leader glanced at Prince An and whispered, "He was stabbed, but luckily we brought the imperial physician, who has already stopped the bleeding and bandaged him. The physician said... he shouldn't be moved for half a month."
Jiang Jingtian: "..."
What kind of situation is this?
The person they were supposed to save didn't appear, and the person who tried to save them was seriously injured.
Upon hearing the deputy leader's words, Prince An's facial muscles twitched slightly, and a hint of embarrassment quickly crept onto his face. However, this embarrassment vanished in an instant, replaced by a burning rage.
If it weren't for that idiot Lao Liu sending people out to find the bandits and Jiang Jingtian, how could these damned assassins have infiltrated so easily?
Serves you right!
He's a charlatan; he couldn't even predict his own bloody calamity. He deserves it!
You can't blame him!
He's still furious. If Feng Wei hadn't returned in time, he might have lost his life!
When the assassination attempt failed, he actually bit into poison and committed suicide, a tactic usually reserved for death squad members.
I wonder where these suicide squad members came from?
Now things are really messed up. Seventh Brother and Jiang Jiaojiao are nowhere to be found, and Sixth Brother is injured and cannot move. Not only will they have to stay here for half a month, but they also have to worry about whether more assassins will sneak in.
Isn't that infuriating!
He shouldn't have listened to Prime Minister Cui and come to rescue people. He even told him to find evidence and leverage against Prince Jing, but he couldn't even find a single grain of rice. What evidence could he possibly be looking for?
Jiang Jingtian hurried to see Brahma.
Brahma had already woken up, but due to excessive blood loss, his face was pale and his eyes were blank, as if he were thinking about something.
Upon seeing Jiang Jingtian enter, his expression became complicated. "You...you're still alive?"
"?"
Jiang Jingtian was completely bewildered. Why was someone concerned about whether he was dead or alive? Had he really fallen to the point where everyone hated him?
After Brahma spoke, his expression became even more complicated.
Just now, after he was stabbed, it seemed as if his soul left his body... floating in mid-air, the scene in front of him spinning rapidly.
He saw Jiang Jiaojiao die, the Seventh Prince die, the Jiang Jingtian brothers die, Jiang Xue become the Fifth Prince's wife, the Jin family become the Fifth Prince's money bag, the Third Prince die, the Second Prince, under the scheme of Prime Minister Cui, makes a desperate gamble and launches a rebellion, which is suppressed by the Fifth Prince, and then... the Fifth Prince becomes the Crown Prince and the Emperor.
He had this dream before.
Never before had it been so clear and detailed. He even saw, in a way he had never dreamed of, the Fifth Prince's ascension to the throne, the exile of the Jin family, the massacre of the Third Prince's maternal family, and the confiscation of the Weiyuan General's mansion...
Prince Jing was by nature sensitive and suspicious, and this became even more pronounced after he ascended the throne.
The court officials were replaced wave after wave, and the twelfth and thirteenth princes were placed under house arrest.
The Western Rong and Northern Mongols invaded.
War raged, corpses littered the fields, and the people suffered terribly.
Is this what he's always wanted to do to set things right?
How...how could this happen?
Was he wrong?
However, my master taught me from childhood that destiny is irreversible, and those who defy it will face the collapse of mountains and rivers and the suffering of all living beings.
He did nothing wrong!
They were destined to die; it was fate!
He wanted to save this land and all its people, not them.
He must uphold justice. As for Prime Minister Cui, it was just a childhood remark, and this time he has repaid the debt.
Brahma closed his eyes, then opened them again, reverting to his usual calm and composed demeanor as a high monk.
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