Chapter 70: The throne is unstable, and the country is in turmoil...
Unlike the chaotic and bustling west side of the city, with its countless vendors, the main streets of the city are lined with well-decorated shops arranged in an orderly fashion.
At this moment, even the most expensive shops' private rooms were full, and the shopkeepers couldn't stop smiling. Regardless of how the celestial being treated this Princess Shenxiao, they all regarded her as a god of wealth.
It shouldn't have come to this, but unfortunately, two princes in succession have essentially become useless. Although the emperor is still in his prime, the lack of an imperial heir always makes the ministers think more about the future than an empty treasury.
Especially this one, whose identity is so special.
Hengbo was impatient to be treated like a monkey, but when she thought of the generous gift Ji Heng had given her, she twisted the reins in her hand and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
If she doesn't return the gift, wouldn't it make her, as the niece, seem very unfilial?
As the carriages entered the city, the doors of all the shops along the street were opened, and the conversations at the tea tables paused for a moment before returning with even louder chatter.
"Who is the princess?"
"Is that the one in that sedan chair?"
"What's wrong with you? Don't push! Don't you have any manners?!"
...
The carriages and horses strolling along the road did not stop because of the commotion on both sides. Ji Run, inside the sedan chair, lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air. He looked around and met Heng Bo's casual smile. His heart skipped a beat.
As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." How come their innocent little princess from the Ji family has such an evil smile? It's all because she's been corrupted by that vixen Shen Guitang.
Ji Run lowered the curtain again, shaking her head and sighing to herself.
But at that very moment, an unexpected change occurred.
The guards leading the way suddenly drew their swords, but it was too late. Before the masked assassins who had surrounded them from the side, arrows were shot from upstairs.
Several arrows hurtled toward Hengbo's face, and behind her came Eunuch Chen's shrill roar: "Protect the princess! Quickly!"
Now, everyone knows who "Princess Shenxiao" is. Hengbo stared quietly at the arrow tip, gleaming with a cold light, as it hurtled towards her, lost in thought.
Lost in thought, she slightly tilted her head, and two feathered arrows brushed past her long hair at her temples. As the stray hairs fell, a sword that had been drawn at some point blocked the knife that was attacking from behind.
"Guards! Guards, protect the princess!" Eunuch Chen was terrified when he saw several men suddenly appear and get close to Hengbo. His heart was in his throat.
His Majesty didn't tell him about this!
There were quite a few people who shared the same idea as Eunuch Chen. The big shots in the capital didn't even know what this suddenly appearing Princess Shenxiao looked like. Who would believe that such a precise assassination was not orchestrated by Emperor Zhenyuan?
Therefore, the pampered adults actually watched the show, since the emperor wanting to kill his own niece was a matter for the imperial family. They couldn't interfere in imperial affairs, but they also couldn't be dragged into it.
Hengbo lightly tapped his feet and used the momentum to land on the horse's back. He had to guard against the cold arrows from the shadows and repel the cold blades that were close at hand. Although he was not seriously injured, he looked disheveled as he struggled to defend himself.
After a brief period of commotion, the wealthy idlers who had been drinking tea and joining in the fun in the shops along the street finally calmed down a bit. Some of the bolder ones even dared to poke a hole in the window paper and peek out through the crack.
A slender woman single-handedly blocked several blows, her face bearing unavoidable small wounds, shallow yet still pitiful. Yet, she remained calm, her stubborn resistance inspiring awe and respect. Suddenly, the image of a chivalrous heroine overlapped with her.
Some innocent children, with their bright eyes wide open, peeked through the gaps in their fingers covering their eyes, sniffing the cold air, but couldn't help muttering, "How pitiful, someone come and save her."
However, only the thugs surrounding her knew the truth. His desperate attacks were easily blocked once again, leaving him extremely frustrated.
He finally realized that this was not a meticulously planned assassination, but merely a cat-and-mouse game. The beautiful woman, who should have been waiting to be slaughtered, finally tore off her disguise, revealing her hidden, sharp fangs.
He wanted to back out, but once he got involved, the consequences were no longer up to him.
Hengbo was mischievously toying with the little mice, but he was getting a little bored. Finally, the real protagonist arrived late.
It seemed that the masked thugs had finally realized they were outmatched. Even their leader couldn't handle the evil Princess Shenxiao. If the Golden Guards arrived to reinforce them, wouldn't these lowly henchmen just be throwing their lives away in vain?
However, wouldn't it be too cowardly to just slink away like that?
As they retreated, they shouted: "Shenxiao is the daughter of the sinner Ji Jin! This woman is a scourge! If she is not eliminated today, the throne will be unstable and the country will be in turmoil in the future! I am not acting out of personal selfishness, but for the sake of the country!"
Without lingering after speaking, he leaped away and silently disappeared into the crowd.
The gang leader, who was still locked in a stalemate with Hengbo, was visibly shocked by what he saw. This was not their plan! These people should not be their people either! His heart was in turmoil, but he finally realized that he and his master had been tricked.
He stared intently at Hengbo, "They are you..."
However, before he could finish speaking, the game was finally over.
He lowered his head, looking at the long sword held against his throat, blood flowing uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
Hengbo didn't even glance at him, drawing his sword to wipe out the remaining villains, while he finally fell to the ground, lifeless, dying with his eyes wide open.
The guards stationed in the imperial city finally arrived upon hearing the news. Before long, these villains were disarmed. Some of them took advantage of the guards' inattention to bite open the poison hidden in their mouths and collapsed, while others had their jaws dislocated and looked terrible.
The man from the Governor's Office finally arrived. He must have just received the news and rushed over, with large beads of sweat streaming down his face.
The observant guards had already gone up to him and told him what was going on. As they spoke, their eyes subtly swept over Hengbo, who was slowly wiping his longsword, and they gradually lowered their voices.
It is unknown what they discussed, but when they arrived in front of Hengbo, the man's expression had changed, and he knelt down in fear and trepidation to apologize: "Your subject Du Li, the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, greets Your Highness. The disturbance caused by the villains in the city and their violation of Your Highness's dignity is truly the fault of my lax governance. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Collision? Hengbo sneered inwardly. The blood-stained handkerchief fell beside Du Li, who jumped in fright and secretly glanced up at Hengbo's face, only to find that she was already gone. His face flushed red and then pale.
Seeing Hengbo already mounted, Eunuch Chen wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. There was no point in leaving the horse and rider here; didn't they see the windows all open, ready to watch the imperial family make a fool of themselves?
He had no choice but to step forward and help Du Li up. At that moment, he could only ensure the princess's safe return to the palace before considering anything else.
Leaving behind the guards to clean up the mess, the troops set off again. As the figures receded into the distance, the sounds of conversation quietly returned to each room.
"Mom, so she's the princess! The princess is so amazing! I want to be as amazing as her when I grow up." These are adorable words from a child.
"A golden carp is no ordinary fish; the capital is about to be bustling again!" This was the words of a wealthy idler who loved watching the drama unfold.
"What a grand publicity stunt! Let's see if our princess can handle this storm." This was the old fox who held power and was always looking to grab a share of the spoils.
But no matter how many opinions there were, the words "the throne is unstable" were ultimately etched into everyone's minds. Now that the matter was settled, no one would forget Princess Shenxiao, the daughter of the former crown prince, when considering the political situation.
She entered the game in the most disheveled state.
The yellowish flames made the man's well-defined hands look like jade carvings. The letter turned to ashes inch by inch. The man gazed at the satisfied flames with tenderness and longing. "Ayu, as you wish."
At this moment, in stark contrast to the bustling city, Ji Heng, who had specially brought his concubines to wait in front of the palace for the sake of the benevolent ruler's reputation, finally received the news. His face was so gloomy that it seemed as if ink could drip from it.
Today is supposed to be a day off, but because of this incident, the historians and painters who were summoned to the palace to record the events are trembling with fear. In this situation, the slightest mistake could result in their heads rolling.
If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been so eager when my boss was selecting people. Now look what's happened; not only will I not get the reward, but I might also lose my entire family.
The concubines in the harem all lowered their heads and looked down, secretly complaining. The elaborate outfits they had carefully put on before dawn to compete for beauty had now become targets for the emperor's venting of anger.
"Good, good, good!" Ji Heng's tone was sinister and cold. "I want to see what kind of villain dares to cause trouble in the capital!" His gaze swept over a flock of quails around him, and he felt all the blood rush to his head.
He went to such lengths to confine Shenxiao to the image of a pitiful, wretched, and powerless orphan. He wanted the world to know that even if Shenxiao returned, what good would it do? She would still be dependent on him for food and water. Nothing more than an ant; he only allowed her to live because of his mercy! And he was even willing to grant her the status of a princess—that was his magnanimity!
Now? Now people all feel that Princess Shenxiao is a knife hanging over his neck, and they all feel that Ji Heng's country will be threatened by a lowly child born of a lowly person!
Ji Heng was furious. In all his years as emperor, when had his dignity ever been trampled on like this!
Even if Shenxiao didn't mean it that way, even if she did nothing, as long as she was alive, his reputation would be trampled on by the spittle of countless ordinary people!
Unfortunately, he was already the prime suspect in the assassination attempt, and taking action against Shenxiao afterward would only make him appear as a narrow-minded and intolerant emperor! Therefore, he not only had to find a way to protect her life, but also had to pamper her!
Thinking of this, Ji Heng almost fainted from anger. His stomach was churning, and he just wanted to vomit up all the food he had eaten for lunch. But he still had to hold on and put on a fake act of uncle and nephew recognizing each other.
A cold gaze swept over his head, and the painter almost couldn't help but kneel down. It seemed he would have to start picking out a coffin for himself when he got home tonight.
As they drew closer to the palace gates, Hengbo was in a good mood, assuming that his good uncle had already received the generous gift he had sent.
Didn't he want to see her wretched like a struggling ant? She did just that, and she was even more wretched than he had imagined.
Now, all I hope is that he won't be as disgusting as she was back then... Yokobo thought maliciously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
