"Your Highness, the Crown Prince was assassinated on his way back to Beijing. Our chance has come." Bai Qi had a smile on his face.
"Have you found the body?" Situ Zhao asked.
"The assassins this time are from the renowned assassination organization Xuan Yue. They've never failed before, and they even saw the prince fall off a cliff. The chances of him surviving are slim." Bai Qi couldn't wait for Situ Zhao to ascend to the throne of crown prince. "As long as we spread this news, and given His Majesty's fondness for the prince, he'll soon be crowned crown prince."
Even though the assassin was sent by Situ Zhao, he still couldn't believe that Situ Yao would die so easily, so he asked again, "Have you checked at the bottom of the cliff?"
"Your Highness can rest assured in Xuan Yue's work." Bai Qi was full of confidence, certain that Situ Yao would not come back.
Seeing that Situ Zhao was still hesitant, he suggested, "If Your Majesty is worried, I will send people to guard the city gate. Even if the prince is lucky enough to survive, he will not be able to enter the city."
"Besides, by that time, Your Majesty, you will have become the crown prince, and everything will have been settled. Even if he comes back alive, it will be of no use." Bai Qi is a man who will do anything for his own benefit and is ruthless.
Situ Zhao disagreed with him. "Send someone to guard the place. If anyone suspects he is the Crown Prince, kill him immediately. No matter what, he must not be allowed to return alive."
Situ Zhao handed over the matter of the prince's assassination to his subordinates and asked him to tell the matter in front of the court officials during the morning court session.
The ministers supporting the crown prince angrily shouted, "What nonsense! Anyone who dares to fabricate rumors about your highness's life or death deserves death."
"Your Majesty, this man has ill intentions. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely." He clasped his fists and said to the emperor, "I have heard that Your Highness stayed in Heyang City, helping the governor to eliminate the bandits in Luohe Mountain. That is why he returned to the capital a few days late. There was absolutely no assassination as he said."
"General Feng is absolutely right. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. How can you make such a false claim without any evidence?" The Emperor thought for a moment and then said, "Minister Lin has fabricated rumors about the Crown Prince and caused trouble. He will be fined one year's salary."
"Your Majesty, I have evidence," Minister Lin said, kneeling on the ground. "I discovered the Eastern Palace's personal guards outside the capital. They are all dead. Not a single one survived."
"What?" The emperor was extremely surprised. "When did this happen?"
"Just yesterday." Minister Lin said quickly, "Your Majesty, accept my condolences."
"Find them all, alive or dead." The emperor ordered with a grave expression, "Also, send someone to track down the assassin. I want to see who is so bold as to attempt on the crown prince."
After the court session ended, chaos reigned outside the palace. No one had expected to hear such a thing during the morning court session. Especially the ministers who supported the crown prince, who simply refused to believe it.
The generals exchanged a glance and headed to the restaurant where they often held meetings. It was Situ Yao's business, so there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping.
"General Feng, what should we do about this?" The speaker was a strong man who served as the Central Guard.
"Is His Highness really in trouble?" They were all loyal to Situ Yao. If something really happened to him, Situ Zhao would definitely take over, and they would be the first to be eliminated.
"Has His Highness contacted you recently?" General Feng asked in a deep voice, "I haven't heard from His Highness in half a month."
"Us too." said the others.
"Minister Lin is Prince Rui's man. Since he revealed this matter, there must be a conspiracy. Everyone, please be patient. I have sent people out of the city to investigate the situation and they will be back soon." General Feng said calmly.
The room was silent for a while, and suddenly someone asked, "If something really happens to His Highness, what should we do?"
"The current emperor is incompetent and the Prince of Rui is cruel and incompetent. If he were to take the throne, the country would be in vain." It was the outspoken Central Guard General Qi Xiong who spoke so boldly. "If this is true, I will immediately retire and stay away from the court."
"Brother Qi is right. Since we are not allowed to go to the battlefield anyway, we might as well go back to farming. It is better than being exhausted by the intrigues in the capital." When Situ Yao was not yet the crown prince, they were all people who had followed him to the battlefield and fought bloody battles.
Because of the emperor's fear, they were forced to stay in the capital. If it weren't for Situ Yao, they would have left long ago.
General Feng glanced at them and asked, "By that time, will Prince Rui and His Majesty let us go?" They had long been classified as members of the Eastern Palace faction, and the emperor would not be so kind as to let them go.
This silenced everyone in the room again. Qi Xiong cursed and whispered, "Your Highness has soldiers at his disposal. If he listens to us, we can storm the palace, force the emperor to abdicate, and then kill Prince Rui. Then, nothing will happen."
"If you really do that, the criticism from the scholars will make it difficult for Your Highness to sit firmly on the throne."
"Stop arguing. The most urgent thing is how to find His Highness." General Feng asked doubtfully, "There's been no news from His Highness. I have a feeling this matter isn't that simple. It's very likely that this is a drama staged by Prince Rui and his men, with the goal of seizing the crown prince's position."
"That's right. His Majesty is biased anyway. When the time comes, just say that the prince is dead, and I guess he will be re-appointed as the crown prince soon." There was resentment in his tone when he said this.
The current emperor values civil officials over military officials, and relies heavily on the ambitious Bai family. While the military commanders fight bloody battles at the border, the scholars in the capital ignore foreign affairs and indulge in pleasure.
"Your Highness is blessed by heaven and will definitely not die." These words not only comforted others, but also comforted himself.
"Sir, there's someone outside to meet you," the waiter said outside the door. "He wants me to give this to you."
The waiter came in with the token of the East Palace guards. When General Feng saw it, he was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He hurriedly said, "Where is the man? Bring him in quickly."
Qing Feng hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness is trapped at the bottom of the cliff. Please, General, send troops to help."
"Also, when I entered the city, I found that King Rui's men were guarding it, so the rescue of His Highness must not be made public." Qing Feng spoke a lot as soon as he arrived. After they reacted for a long time, General Feng finally asked, "Is His Highness okay?"
"The specific situation is still unclear, but please send someone over." Qing Feng was afraid that he would not agree, so he dragged his injured leg and knelt on the ground to finish his words.
"Hurry up, get up! Even without you, we still have to go check the situation." General Feng helped him up, then returned to the mansion and gave him dozens of elite soldiers, instructing Qingfeng, "Leave the city at night."
"Since Prince Rui has sent people to guard the city gate, he must not believe that His Highness is dead and wants to prevent him from returning to the capital. Therefore, you must be extra careful when rescuing him."
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