"Your Highness—be careful!"
Dao Qing held his longsword horizontally in front of him, blocking dozens of arrows that rained down upon him. He stood guard tightly behind the Seventh Prince.
Dao Hong led the royal guards forward bravely, wielding sharp blades and engaging in fierce combat with the enemy. Dao Hong's swordsmanship was powerful and sweeping, each strike taking several lives.
To the left, right, and rear of the Seventh Prince, Dao Cheng, Dao Huang, and Dao Zi each led a group of royal guards, forming a tight defensive line.
Half an hour later.
All the attackers were wiped out. Dao Hong, covered in blood, felt extremely relieved. "Your Highness—all the attackers have been killed!"
After investigating, Dao Zi came out and said, "Your Highness, they are fierce bandits from Xishan. Xishan... is under the jurisdiction of the Third Prince."
"Old Zi, are you mistaken? The Third Prince has been thrown to the Northwest by His Majesty, how could it be him? I think the Second Prince is more likely! He even threatened His Highness in front of the court officials this morning!"
Dao Hong wiped the bloodstains off the broadsword, exuding a menacing aura.
Finally, the brothers had a chance to use their skills; he hadn't wielded his knife so freely in a long time.
Dao Qing stood silently behind the Seventh Prince without uttering a sound. These assassins were reckless and brutal, probably bandits. As for who sent them, he trusted Lao Zi's judgment. After all, his title as judge was well-deserved; there was no case he couldn't investigate.
Li Yan looked at Lao Zi, who was holding a golden needle, and asked, "Has the third brother been eyeing the fifth brother's concubine for a long time?"
Old Zi nodded. "My investigation revealed that the Third Prince did indeed meet with Miss Jiang before departing for the Northwest and even gave her a token. These people... are likely the work of the Fifth Prince. If the Second Prince is involved, then it's probably not bandits, but rather hidden guards."
"Whether they're bandits or secret guards, kill them one if they come, kill two if they come!"
The sword was red and its momentum was like a rainbow.
Dao Cheng twirled the spear in his hand, "It's been a long time since I've fought against the royal guards. I wonder if they've improved over the years."
"When have we Dragon Guards ever been afraid of their Hidden Guards? A bunch of cowardly cowards who dare not show their faces!"
Dao Hong's face revealed a hint of disdain and pride as he shouted loudly.
The words had barely left his mouth when he felt Lao Zi's death stare. He immediately shut his mouth, slapped himself, and knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I spoke out of turn."
Li Yan glanced at them coldly, "This is a one-time exception."
"yes--"
Dao Hong let out a long sigh of relief, but before he could stand up, Dao Huang's iron hammer came crashing down. He quickly raised his knife to block, but Dao Hong was no match for the strongman Dao Huang. He was soon hit several times and let out a pig-like scream.
Seeing that Dao Hong was being beaten without any chance to fight back, Dao Zi slowly spoke up: "If there is a next time, I will have Erhuang smash you into a meat patty."
His voice was cold and firm, leaving no room for doubt about his resolve.
Upon hearing this, Dao Huang immediately stopped what he was doing, pulled the huge iron hammer back behind his back, and grinned foolishly, looking like a two-meter-tall idiot.
However, his robust physique and terrifying strength meant that no one dared to underestimate him.
"Pack up, Jiaojiao must be getting impatient."
Li Yan frowned and sniffed the blood on his body. Dao Zi immediately lit an incense stick. "This is a scent-repelling incense made by Dao Lü. It can repel any smell."
The odor-repelling incense instantly dispelled the smell of blood. The royal guards quickly cleaned up the battlefield and followed the carriage in a grand procession towards the royal estate.
Huangzhuangli.
Everyone enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot spring, and then they eagerly awaited the delicious meal from the kitchen.
Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly felt a little uneasy.
After a moment of contemplation, he summoned Qiu Xiang and said, "Go and greet His Highness."
Qiu Xiang obeyed and left.
The Fourth Princess sat beside her and began to worry, “Seventh Prince has been too prominent lately, and I’m afraid some people are getting restless. And the Empress… even though the Consort has taken away her power in the six palaces, she probably won’t let it go.”
"Don't worry, my father is in charge of the security of the capital during this Dragon Boat Festival. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be the first to be stopped by him!"
Luo Twelve said aggressively.
The thought of what the Seventh Princess and Consort Li—oh, the deposed Consort Li and her daughter—did to the Fourth Princess filled her with rage. If her father had been in charge of the safety of the capital, such a thing would never have happened.
It's a shame that the seventh princess's maternal grandfather, an imperial censor, even tried to plead his innocence and drag Jiaojiao and the seventh prince into the mess.
His Majesty was so angry that he dismissed the old censor on the spot and exiled his entire family to their ancestral home. The Seventh Princess caused a ruckus for several days until the Prince of Northern Mongolia arrived in the capital yesterday, at which point she finally calmed down.
The thought of the tyrannical and rude King of Northern Mongolia made Luo Twelve more worried. The reason why His Majesty assigned her father to guard the safety of the imperial city was also related to the King of Northern Mongolia's trip to the capital to participate in the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.
Dragon boat racing is an essential part of the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.
When the emperor and princes gather outside the palace, it will surely be fraught with danger. If anything goes wrong, it will be her father's dereliction of duty. Since receiving the imperial decree, her father has not returned home for several days.
With General Weiyuan in charge, there is naturally no cause for concern.
The Fourth Princess smiled, but the worry between her brows did not dissipate. She was still thinking about... the portrait that the King of Northern Mongolia had sent yesterday.
How could the Prince of Beimeng have her portrait? She had never met the Prince of Beimeng, nor his letter. The Fourth Princess involuntarily looked at Jiang Jingtian. If the Prince of Beimeng insisted on asking her father for her hand in marriage, would her father...?
"Fourth sister is right. There are generals outside the palace and eldest brother inside. What is there to worry about?"
Jiang Jiaojiao sensed the Fourth Princess's sudden panic and quickly comforted her, her mind racing as she recalled what had happened during this Dragon Boat Festival in her previous life.
Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly stood up!
She remembered that in her previous life, the King of Beimeng had also participated in this Dragon Boat Festival celebration and won first place in the dragon boat race, and then asked His Majesty for the hand of the Fourth Princess.
The emperor was reluctant to agree, but the fourth princess, upon hearing the marriage proposal, panicked and fell into the water. She was rescued by the Prince of Beimeng, and they embraced and kissed in public. The emperor had no choice but to agree.
Thinking of this, Jiang Jiaojiao quickly looked at her older brother Jiang Jingtian, "Big brother, are you participating in the dragon boat race this time?"
“Our Imperial Guard does indeed have a unit, but I… I had to protect… protect His Majesty, so I didn’t participate.”
Jiang Jingtian scratched his head, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the Fourth Princess.
"I heard that the Northern Mongol King is going to participate. If he wins the championship, he might ask His Majesty for some excessive reward..."
Jiang Jiaojiao glanced meaningfully at the Fourth Princess.
In an instant, the expressions of the Fourth Princess and Jiang Jingtian changed.
The Fourth Princess was flustered by the letter and portrait sent by the King of Northern Mongolia, while Jiang Jingtian remembered the schemes of Consort Li and the Seventh Princess, who wanted to send the Fourth Princess to Northern Mongolia for a political marriage.
If... if the King of Northern Mongolia takes a fancy to the Fourth Princess.
Jiang Jingtian jumped up, "I'm going to register right now! We absolutely can't let the Northern Mongol King take the championship!"
Jiang Jingtian had just rushed out the door when he bumped into the disheveled Li Yan and her group, exclaiming in surprise, "What happened? How did you all get like this?"
"Jiaojiao..."
When Li Yan saw Jiang Jiaojiao rushing out to greet her, she immediately went up to her with a wronged expression, saying, "I almost didn't get to see you again."
Dao Qing clutched his arm, his face pale. "We encountered two assassination attempts."
Jiang Jiaojiao's expression changed, and she quickly instructed A Yuan, "Take him downstairs to treat his wounds and apply medicine."
A Yuan quickly supported Dao Qing's injured arm.
Dao Hong stood to the side with her head down, like a sinner.
He wanted to slap himself a few times, blaming his bad luck. He never expected to actually run into the Empress's secret guards, and even have their past identities discovered by the guards!
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