Chapter 227 Dog bites dog
"The emperor will make the decision on how to catch the assassin when he wakes up. Why do you have to act on your own?" Liangpin said coldly.
"But... we don't know when the emperor will wake up. What if we miss the best opportunity to catch the assassin and let him escape?" The general retorted with a frown.
The commander of the Imperial Guards nodded immediately, "General, you are right. The emperor is currently in a coma. It is our duty as an official to relieve his worries."
He had not done what the emperor had instructed him to do. If he could catch the assassin, he could make up for it.
The commander of the Imperial Guards was very anxious. After saying a few words to a few people, he led his men hurriedly into the mountains.
Concubine Liang looked very unhappy.
Shen Anan's eyes shuttled back and forth between Concubine Liang, the general, and the commander of the Imperial Guards for a few breaths, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
The general and the commander of the imperial guards obviously knew nothing, and Concubine Liang refused to allow an investigation...
Combining the unfinished words between her and Jianqiu and the disappearance of Lord Li, Shen Anan had a bold guess in her mind.
"When those villains attacked just now, I saw the man's face with my own eyes. I will go with the commander of the Royal Guards, and maybe I can help."
The general admired Shen Anan's courage when he heard this. As a noble prince's wife, it was not easy for her to have such courage.
"Thank you, Fourth Prince's Consort. I will report your loyalty and courage to His Majesty."
Shen Anan nodded slightly.
Liangpin's sharp voice rang out, "No, you are not allowed to go."
Shen Anan looked back at her, from an angle that the general couldn't see, with cold eyes and a gentle voice, "What's wrong? Is Concubine Liang scared?"
"It's okay. The general is here to protect you. There won't be any more assassins."
"Stop being so hypocritical. I told you not to go, and you are not allowed to go." Liangpin looked at her viciously.
What assassin? There wasn't one at all. Shen Anan must have guessed something, so she wanted to go with them. She couldn't let her go.
Shen Anan coldly turned her eyes away and looked at the general, "Madam Liangpin must have been frightened and a little excited. She can't leave home. General, please take good care of her."
"Don't worry, Princess Fourth."
Shen Anan took a few steps and suddenly turned around and said, "When we get back, let the imperial physician take a good look at Lady Liangpin. Don't let her be frightened and talk nonsense. Excessive fright can make her go crazy."
When the general heard this, he looked at Liangpin, who was glaring and gritting her teeth, and felt that she seemed to be really crazy.
"Don't worry, Princess Fourth Prince. When we return to the tent, I will report the truth to the Emperor and find the best imperial physician to treat Concubine Liang."
"Yeah." She walked away.
Ling Chenyi thought that the emperor would have to be held accountable after waking up, so he hesitated and did not continue to follow. With the imperial guards and secret guards around, nothing should go wrong.
“You idiot, stop her quickly.” Liangpin pointed at Shen Anan’s back and yelled.
The general remained unmoved, his eyes slowly filled with compassion.
Once a concubine in the harem goes insane, she will be banished to the cold palace, no matter how favored she was before.
Liangpin was so angry that she went crazy. "When we get back, I will ask the emperor to chop you idiots to pieces!!"
She roared for a while as if to vent her anger, but the general remained unmoved, and her wounds became more painful.
Seeing that nothing she said was of any use, Liangpin could only hold her breath and say nothing more.
But in the general's heart, he had already gone mad.
"Fourth Prince's Consort, why are you here?" The commander of the Imperial Guards saw Shen An'an following him, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.
Although he didn't know anything else, he knew that the Emperor was planning to kill the Fourth Prince's wife.
And I am one of the murderers.
"When the assassins attacked Concubine Liang just now, I saw the assassins' faces with my own eyes, so I thought I'd follow them to see if I could be of any help."
The commander of the Imperial Guard nodded, his black pupils slightly floating, and tightened the long sword in his hand, "Then - I'll have to trouble the Fourth Prince's wife."
Shen Anan walked beside him, "It's okay, we are all doing things for the emperor. My husband has always been kind and filial. When he comes back and learns that his father is injured, he will be very anxious. If we can catch the assassin, he will be relieved."
The commander of the Imperial Guards froze, "Is the Fourth Prince coming back?"
"They should have entered the city by now." Shen Anan's face showed a look of anticipation and joy.
The commander of the Royal Guards loosened his grip on the long sword and walked forward in silence.
"Whose family was that general from?"
"Is the Fourth Prince's Consort referring to the one who was guarding Concubine Liang just now?"
"Exactly."
"Oh, that's from the Zheng family, General Zheng."
Shen Anan nodded when he heard this, "The Zheng family has been military officers for generations. I see that the general just now is not very old, so he should be a rising star."
The commander of the Royal Guards nodded.
Shen Anan then said, "The Zheng family has outstanding achievements and a deep foundation. They are also outstanding among military officers. No wonder they can raise such outstanding children. When I came here just now, General Zheng praised me for my loyalty and courage."
The Zheng family does not take sides with any royal heir and does not participate in party disputes, which is considered a clear stream.
After hearing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards completely gave up the idea of getting rid of Shen Anan in the mountains.
The Zheng family knew that she had followed them to the mountains. If anything happened to her in the mountains, he would be the one to be held accountable.
Besides, the Fourth Prince has returned, and even the Emperor may not be able to protect him.
"What the Fourth Prince's wife said is true. The Zheng family is indeed well-educated."
Shen Anan smiled and said nothing.
The commander of the Royal Guards walked forward with his head down. The next moment, something suddenly flashed through his mind and he broke out in a cold sweat.
He suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Shen Anan, his pupils contracted.
The Fourth Prince’s wife knows? She just said that the Fourth Prince had returned to the capital, and reminded him that General Zheng knew that she had come to the mountains. Was she warning him not to act recklessly?
Cold sweat streamed down his back.
The Fourth Prince’s wife knew it, which meant that the Fourth Prince also knew it, and today’s incident was not an accident, but rather they were more skilled than him! !
Has the fight between the Fourth Prince and the Emperor reached this point?
He did not dare to have the slightest bit of disloyalty in his heart and was extremely respectful.
He was afraid that the Fourth Prince would come back and settle scores with him.
Shen Anan knew the scrutiny behind her, but she never looked back until the commander of the Royal Guards caught up with her and spoke to her warmly.
"Divide the people into three teams and search separately. If you find any clues, you will reward them with fireworks."
He immediately agreed and gave the order.
"Fourth Prince's wife, the mountains are dangerous, you should stay with me."
Shen Anan glanced at him and nodded, "What's your last name?"
"My surname is Zhao."
He was the first commander of the imperial guards to take office after the second prince's mother's family.
"Was he promoted by the Emperor?"
Commander Zhao's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "Yes, but I have elderly and children to take care of at home."
He was telling Shen Anan that he did obey the emperor, but he valued his life and property more and would not do anything to her again.
I just hope that the Fourth Prince will let him go when he comes back.
He is a very smart person, but now that he has chosen a side, he is wavering. It is not good to be unstable.
On the one hand, he is afraid of the emperor, and on the other hand, he does not want to offend Xiao Yuan. He wants to save his life on both sides. It is not easy to be a fence-sitter.
But at this moment, Shen Anan was too lazy to argue with him.
"Commander Zhao." A soldier ran over holding a torn black scarf in his hand.
"Where did you find it?"
"There's a river down there, just downstream."
Commander Zhao's eyes sparkled with surprise. This was his chance to make amends. "Everyone, be alert. Whoever catches the assassin will be rewarded handsomely."
The crowd became excited and rushed downstream.
Shen Anan looked at it coldly, with a slight curl on his lips.
Dogs bite dogs, both of them have mouths full of fur. Today's scene is very interesting.
Concubine Liang and Commander Zhao are truly outstanding people. But it is not their fault. It was the emperor's distrust that caused the lack of information among them and led to such a joke! !
Shen Anan slowly followed the team down the mountain.
Following the river downstream, the group found a lot of clues, all the way to a cave halfway up the mountain.
Commander Zhao narrowed his eyes, "These people are so bold, they dared to assassinate the emperor and even dared to stay in Lingshan. Brothers, follow me."
Those soldiers seemed to have seen high-ranking officials and generous salaries, and they were very brave, and Shen Anan had a hard time following them.
There was a bonfire in the cave, and a group of people in black were sitting on the ground around the fire.
"Sir, when can we go out?" someone asked with a frown.
The middle-aged man sitting in the middle said, "Wait a little longer. Wait until there's movement outside before we go out. We can't cause trouble for the emperor."
The rest of the people didn't say anything, but their stomachs growled with hunger.
Lord Li nudged the person closest to him with his elbow, and the two stood up and walked out.
"What?" The man stared at the master with wide eyes, incredulous. "Those are our brothers in the military department, and they have always been loyal to you."
"I know." Lord Li looked helpless, "But this matter is very serious. This is also the emperor's intention. Even if we don't do it, we will be held accountable by the emperor when we return."
"What the hell is going on?" The man slapped his thigh heavily, squatted on the ground, and his eyes were full of tears.
"The father is not a father, the king is not a king, they are fighting between father and son, but let us innocent people die."
"Stop talking, you're going to die." Lord Li frowned fiercely, "We have no other choice, either we both leave, or we all die if we go back."
"Your daughter is only two years old. You have to think it over carefully."
The man was silent for a few breaths, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "You go in first, I'll be there soon."
Lord Li breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of cruelty flashed across his eyes, and he walked into the cave.
"I don't know what official position the emperor will give us when we return this time."
"It should be at least two levels. After all, this is such a secret matter. We will be the emperor's confidants in the future."
Those people were sitting around the campfire, still imagining their future prosperity, all with smiles on their faces.
Lord Li stood behind them and slowly took out a dagger and a packet of medicine powder that had been prepared long ago from his sleeve.
When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around and looked at the man. The two of them took out handkerchiefs to cover their mouths and noses, and quickly drew their daggers towards those people like harvesting straw.
Some people didn't even have time to react and stared at Lord Li in disbelief with their eyes wide open.
"Don't blame me. This is all the will of the higher-ups. How can we let so many people know about this secret of the royal family?"
The emperor cares the most about his reputation. How could he allow such shameful things as killing his daughter-in-law and scheming about his own child to be known to so many people?
The other man had tears in his eyes as he killed the last man, but he had no choice. If he didn't do it, he would become one of them.
He doesn't want to die yet! !
"What sound?" Lord Li suddenly frowned and turned to look at the cave entrance.
The man also became alert and said, "Let's go out and take a look."
The two men tore off a piece of clothing from the man in black on the ground, tied it on their faces, and walked out.
Commander Zhao has led his men to surround the cave entrance. "Listen, assassins inside. You have been surrounded. Come out and surrender now to reduce unnecessary casualties."
Shen Anan folded his arms and watched leisurely.
At the entrance of the cave, the man looked at Lord Li with a pale face, "Imperial Guards?"
"What do you mean? Could it be that the Emperor also wants the two of us...?"
"Impossible." Lord Li's face was gloomy, "Something must have gone wrong."
He was sure that the emperor would never treat him like this. He was the Minister of War and was still useful to the emperor. He was definitely not comparable to those minions.
"What do we do now?"
Outside, the Royal Guards were slowly approaching, and the man was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Isn't Commander Zhao also the emperor's man? Why don't we call him in and talk to him?"
"No." Lord Li shook his head. "If he takes us back as traitors, we will be convicted of the crime, and the emperor will not be able to help us."
"But there are only two of us. If they attack us, we will be dead too!!"
"My daughter is still waiting for me at home. I don't want to die."
Who wants to die? Lord Li looked grim, not understanding what had gone wrong in this dramatic scene.
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