Upon entering the hunting grounds, Duanmu Shenghua, Duanmu Qingxin, and a group of military officers and imperial relatives all followed Duanmu Junyu.
However, after hunting together for a short while, everyone dispersed.
Even Duanmu Shenghua and Duanmu Qingxin stopped following Duanmu Junyu.
Soon, Duanmu Junyu was left with only Su Yun'an and a few of her trusted ministers.
Duanmu Junyu looked at the unusually quiet hunting ground and tensed up instantly. She said nervously to Su Yun'an, "An'er, stay close to me and don't wander off on your own."
“Okay.” Su Yun’an immediately agreed, spurred his horse to follow Duanmu Junyu, and looked around warily.
Duanmu Junyu's eyelids kept twitching, and she frowned, saying, "I'm a little worried about your sister."
She had arranged for many bodyguards around her, and she knew she wouldn't get into trouble. Now, however, she was worried about Ning'er.
Ning'er doesn't know martial arts. If Duanmu Shenghua sets her sights on Ning'er, that would be terrible.
Upon hearing this, Su Yun'an quickly reassured her, "Mother, don't worry. Master has stayed by my sister's side. Master's martial arts are very high, and those people can't get close to my sister."
Only after Su Yun'an said this did Duanmu Junyu finally feel relieved.
The two of them had clearly lost interest in hunting.
Just as the two were waiting for something, a group of men in black suddenly descended from the sky and rushed straight towards Duanmu Junyu.
Duanmu Junyu disregarded everything else and immediately shielded Su Yun'an.
Su Yun'an also subconsciously wanted to protect Duanmu Junyu.
As the men in black attacked, a group of shadow guards appeared and protected Duanmu Junyu and Su Yun'an.
The ministers who were with Duanmu Junyu were terrified when they saw so many assassins in black suddenly appear. They shouted desperately, "Assassins! Someone, save the Empress!"
No matter how much the ministers shouted, no one came to the emperor's rescue.
Fortunately, the shadow guards were significantly more skilled than the assassins, and despite the large number of assassins, they did not gain any advantage.
In no time at all, the assassins in black were either dead or captured, and all of them were subdued by the Shadow Guards.
At this moment, Duanmu Shenghua and Duanmu Qingxin arrived late with the Imperial Guards and a group of ministers.
"Your Majesty!" Upon seeing the corpses of men in black scattered on the ground, the ministers were stunned and knelt down in unison: "Your Majesty, we are late in coming to your aid, please forgive us!"
When Duanmu Shenghua saw that Duanmu Junyu was unharmed while the assassins she had sent had been wiped out, her expression immediately turned grim.
Damn it, Duanmu Junyu actually sent so many shadow guards to protect her in advance. Did she already know that she was going to make a move against her?
When Duanmu Qingxin saw that Duanmu Junyu was unharmed, she subconsciously looked at Duanmu Shenghua, as if asking her what had happened, how her mother was unharmed, and that her plan had failed!
Especially when she saw so many assassins in black being captured, Duanmu Qingxin's face turned frighteningly pale, and her palms were covered in sweat.
Duanmu Shenghua quickly stepped forward and asked Duanmu Junyu with concern, "Is Your Majesty alright?"
Whether or not Duanmu Junyu knew that she had sent these assassins, she still had to put on a show.
Duanmu Junyu gave Duanmu Shenghua a meaningful look: "It's nothing."
Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly between them.
Duanmu Qingxin had also recovered her senses by this time, and quickly stepped forward to ask with concern, "Is Mother Queen injured anywhere?"
"It's alright," Duanmu Junyu replied, without even glancing at Duanmu Qingxin, and then ordered the Imperial Guards: "Take all these people back to the camp. I want to interrogate them thoroughly."
"Yes." The Imperial Guard responded and immediately escorted the men in black to the camp.
Seeing the assassins in black being taken away, Duanmu Qingxin glanced nervously at Duanmu Shenghua and whispered, "They've all been arrested. Will they be alright?"
Duanmu Shenghua gave Duanmu Qingxin a reassuring look and replied in a low voice, "Don't worry, they are all suicide soldiers, they will be fine."
As she spoke, Duanmu Shenghua glanced at Duanmu Qingxin's tense expression and reminded her, "Don't say that those assassins won't betray me. Even if they do, it has nothing to do with you. You don't need to be nervous. The more nervous you are, the more suspicious you will become. Relax, this whole thing has nothing to do with you."
Duanmu Shenghua reminded Duanmu Qingxin, and Duanmu Qingxin finally realized what was going on and immediately forced herself to calm down.
She's right, she doesn't need to be nervous, this matter has nothing to do with her anyway.
All of this was Duanmu Shenghua's idea, and the people were also sent by Duanmu Shenghua. She knew nothing about it, and even if the Empress Dowager really wanted to investigate, she would never be able to trace it back to her.
After comforting herself like this, Duanmu Qingxin finally felt a little relieved.
When the two returned to the camp with the others, the men in black had already been forced to kneel on the ground by the Imperial Guards.
Even the corpses of those men in black were carried by the Imperial Guards and neatly arranged on the ground.
Su Xuening breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Duanmu Junyu and Su Yun had returned safely and unharmed.
Fortunately, neither the mother nor Yun'an were injured.
The royal relatives and ministers who remained at the camp were all stunned to see so many assassins in black being carried back.
"What's going on? Who are these people?"
"His Majesty was just assassinated at the hunting grounds; these were assassins."
"There are so many assassins. Who is trying to assassinate His Majesty?"
"This person has incredible audacity! How dare he send an assassin to kill His Majesty? That's a capital offense!"
"If we're talking about the entire Western Liang, there are probably very few who would dare to assassinate His Majesty."
Some clever people have already figured out who assassinated Duanmu Junyu, and some have even boldly looked directly at Duanmu Shenghua.
Duanmu Shenghua was not afraid of these people's suspicions at all.
Anyway, Duanmu Junyu must know that she sent the assassins, but unfortunately these were all suicide agents, and she couldn't find any evidence.
Duanmu Junyu swept her cold gaze over the men in black and said sharply, "Who sent you to assassinate me!"
No sooner had Duanmu Junyu asked the question than a man in black collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward to check: "Your Majesty, she has committed suicide by poisoning herself."
Before anyone could react, one after another, the men in black fell to the ground.
The ministers immediately became agitated upon seeing this.
Duanmu Shenghua's smug lips could hardly contain themselves, curving upwards uncontrollably.
She said that Duanmu Junyu couldn't find any fault with her!
Watching one man in black after another commit suicide by poison, Duanmu Qingxin silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Duanmu Shenghua was right after all; these really were suicide soldiers!
In a short while, a number of the men in black died, and soon only two men in black remained.
The two men in black, as if afraid of death, trembled as they looked at their companion's corpse, then said in trembling voices, "Yes, it was the Second Prince who sent us to assassinate him, Your Majesty, spare our lives!"
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