Chapter 414: Chasing the Prince
The blank imperial edict was the emperor's trust in her, and it also carried a heavy responsibility.
She will definitely not let the emperor down!
The emperor smiled with relief and said, "Once this matter is settled, I will hold a ceremony to confer the title of princess on you. Is that okay?"
Hu Xiner pursed her lips, but did not answer anything, then turned and left resolutely.
The emperor breathed with some difficulty, then tilted his head to stare at Hu Xin'er's gradually receding figure. His daughter was far more resilient and outstanding than he had imagined...
Fragments of the past flashed before his eyes like a kaleidoscope. Although he was an emperor and had countless concubines in his life, it was not easy to find a true love.
Those women he had let down seemed to be taking revenge on him in their own resentful way.
"Nanzhu..." His lips moved as he slowly uttered a name. "Even if you die, you won't let me go?"
Hu Xiner's figure had disappeared at the door, and the imperial doctors and eunuchs entered one after another.
The sound of palace bells could be heard in the distance, presumably the Queen's phoenix chariot was on its way.
There was quite a commotion when I entered the palace just now, and the news should have been heard in the harem.
Thinking of the concubines chattering outside the palace, the emperor slowly closed his eyes. He was really too tired.
When Hu Xiner arrived at the North Lane under the escort of several secret guards, she found that the prince had been surrounded by soldiers.
It was already late at night, and the setting sun was struggling against the sky, unwilling to sink, but it could only powerlessly stir up circles of glow and gradually set.
In the alley, the prince had a gloomy expression.
The Duke and Mu Qing rode side by side. He held the tiger talisman in his hand and shouted, "Your Highness, if you surrender now, I can still save your dignity!"
The prince said nothing, but just glared at him fiercely.
The Duke watched the prince grow up, and he was unwilling to kill him here.
He pondered for a moment, then advised, "Your Highness, you've been trapped by the soldiers, and the city's Imperial Guards are on their way. No matter how skilled your guards are, they're still just flesh and blood, and can't fight a hundred alone! It's best to surrender for now, otherwise, the swords will be merciless..."
However, the prince did not listen to him at all. Instead, he resisted even more fiercely and even took action himself, showing his extremely strong martial arts skills.
In order to prevent their resistance from causing greater casualties, the Duke did not hesitate to go into battle himself and try to capture the prince.
The guards were captured during the conflict, and the Duke was about to capture the prince.
But at this moment, a faint light flashed in the prince's hand.
Mu Qing's face changed drastically. Without time to explain, he snatched the longbow from the soldier beside him and shot the arrow, which pierced the prince's chest.
"You?!" The Duke watched helplessly as the Crown Prince died before his eyes, and he couldn't help but fly into a rage. "Mr. Lu, while His Majesty can execute the Crown Prince on the spot, there's still a deep bond between father and son, and there's always room for easing the tension. And you acting so arbitrarily, doesn't it seem like you're seeking revenge for a personal vendetta?"
Mu Qing clasped his fists towards him and said, "Please calm down, Duke. I have my reasons for doing this. Please keep the soldiers away from the Crown Prince."
He dismounted and walked to the prince's side, carefully stopped at a distance, then took out his sword and took a small wooden box from the prince's hand.
The Duke glared at him fiercely.
Mu Qing asked, "I wonder if the Duke has ever heard of a poisonous insect called 'Bone Erosion'?"
The Duke's pupils shrank slightly. "You mean, the wooden box contains that kind of poisonous insect?"
Mu Qing nodded.
The Duke immediately ordered the soldiers to stay away from the prince. The prince was dying at this time, but the Duke no longer dared to show any mercy.
He did know about this extremely vicious poisonous insect. If the box really contained the "Bone Erosion", then he was saved by Mu Qing.
"No matter what, let's ask the imperial physician to come and treat the prince." The Duke said after taking the wooden box.
Then, he looked at Mu Qing with a dark face and said, "Don't act on your own from now on. Report any findings to me truthfully!"
Mu Qing knew that he was too embarrassed to apologize, so he nodded to give him a way out.
The two men looked at the prince who had been shot by an arrow and fell to the ground, and they both felt an indescribable feeling in their hearts.
At this moment, Hu Xin'er uttered a soft "Huh": "The prince seems to be a little bit abnormal!"
The Duke frowned and said, "What do you know, little girl? Go back and take care of your baby!"
Mu Qing knew that Hu Xin'er had amazing observation skills, so he asked gently, "Did you find anything?"
Hu Xin'er pointed at the prince's face and said, "Have you noticed that the sides of his face and neck seem to have some wrinkles?"
She was familiar with the human body. The wrinkles on the prince's face did not look like natural wrinkles on the human body at all. Instead, they looked like... a layer of skin that was forcibly attached!
She was shocked by her own thoughts, but Mu Qing seemed to be thinking about it after hearing it.
He took a step forward, but was stopped by the Duke: "What are you going to do?"
The Duke's expression was extremely defensive, as if he was worried that he would stab the Crown Prince again.
Mu Qing was helpless: "Reporting to the Duke, I just feel that he might not be the real prince."
"How is this possible?" The Duke was about to retort when he suddenly thought of something. His face suddenly darkened and he quickly walked up to the Crown Prince.
Then, he tore the prince's face hard.
The human skin mask was removed, and the person under the mask was not the prince at all!
He angrily approached the captured guard and said, "Tell me! Where is the prince?"
The guard laughed heartily, "Lord Nangong Jin has naturally escaped! You fools think you are so clever, but haven't you been fooled by His Highness?"
The Duke suddenly drew his sword, and the blade reflected a cold and sharp light under the rosy glow, and it was placed across the assassin's neck.
"I don't have time to listen to your nonsense!" the Duke growled. "Tell me the whereabouts of the Crown Prince, and I'll spare your life."
However, no matter how he threatened, the guards' eyes were filled with enthusiasm for the prince: "Whether alive or dead, it's just a shell! The prince will definitely ascend the throne and promise me wealth and glory in my afterlife."
"Ascend the throne? You're probably dreaming," Mu Qing threatened with a cold smile. "Do you know that all four palace gates have been locked shut, and the Crown Prince can't escape?"
The guard laughed wildly, "How can you ordinary people understand His Highness's methods? Just wait for His Highness to throw you into the frying pan one by one!"
After saying this, he suddenly broke free from the soldier who was holding him down, and bit his own wrist.
"Squeak!" There seemed to be a very light scream, and then the guard's mouth was bleeding profusely, and he had apparently bitten his tongue to commit suicide.
His skin was covered with small bulges, as if there was something hidden inside that was about to burst out.
Hu Xin'er's eyes widened: "Oh no! He also has bone erosion in his body!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless poisonous insects crawled out of the guard's body.
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