Chapter 320 Assassin
"Why don't we wait a little longer?"
"I can't wait any longer." Xiao Yuan stood up and stopped in front of the window, quietly looking at the water droplets hanging on the branches in the yard.
Li Huaiyan thought he was worried about the emperor's safety and frowned slightly. "The emperor is the only bargaining chip he can use to contain you. He won't touch the emperor until the critical moment."
Xiao Yuan shook his head.
Li Huaiyan underestimated Xiao Tian's hatred towards the emperor. Shen Yunbai's death had made him lose his mind. He was not fighting for the throne at all, otherwise he would not have taken action immediately after knowing the news released by the Ministry of War. It was obvious that he just wanted revenge.
"That's not what I meant," he said, turning around slowly. "That signal not only reminded us, but also reminded him that tonight is our best opportunity. If we miss tonight, it will be even more difficult for him to enter the palace when he is ready."
Li Huaiyan frowned, "What should we do? Without soldiers, we can't get in at all."
If there were no Imperial Guards, they could still give it a try, but Xiao Tian had the Imperial Guards, and they didn't even have a single soldier, so they couldn't bring the palace soldiers with them.
It is still possible to mobilize troops from the vicinity of the capital, but they will require the emperor's tiger talisman. Xiao Tian will definitely guard the emperor's bedroom very strictly, so it is almost impossible to take the tiger talisman out.
Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "According to the information handed over last time, it won't be long before the troops can enter the capital. I will go to the palace first to stabilize the situation. When the troops arrive, you will take action immediately."
"No." Li Huaiyan stood up and said, "I'll go, but you can't."
It is said that to catch a thief, one must first catch the leader. No one would offer themselves to the door voluntarily. If anything happened to Xiao Yuan, what would be the point of them breaking into the palace?
"There is no other way now. Don't worry, I have a secret passage into the palace. Nothing will happen." Xiao Yuan insisted, and no matter how Li Huaiyan objected, it was useless.
He knew that once Xiao Yuan made a decision, it would be difficult to turn it around.
He frowned anxiously, "Xiao Yuan, you are too radical. The more you need to calm down at this time, the more you have never been like this before."
Xiao Yuan curled his lips when he heard this, "You don't understand, I can't wait that long."
He was afraid that the night would be too long and he would have many dreams. An An was a sensitive person. If her memory was not confused one day, she would definitely notice something. He wanted to end this turmoil as quickly as possible and must not let her be involved.
Li Huaiyan really didn't understand. He didn't understand how a man who was so talented and capable of planning and strategizing could lose his mind and go crazy over a woman.
In the evening, Xiao Yuan packed up and left the Fourth Prince's Mansion.
Li Huaiyan stomped his feet in anger, his heart full of sorrow.
He ordered the servant beside him, "Go out of the city and investigate again. Report back as soon as you get any news."
Knowing that the palace was under extremely strict surveillance, Xiao Yuan shouldn't have gone there, but he couldn't stop it.
He could only speed up and lead his men into the imperial city as soon as possible.
When Li Huaiyan returned to the Duke's Mansion, Zheng Yue'er had already prepared food and was waiting for him.
"I'm busy with work today and definitely not flirting with other women." Li Huaiyan blurted out subconsciously when he saw her, and regretted it right after he said it, frowning tightly.
Zheng Yue'er didn't even raise her head and replied calmly, "I understand. Wash your hands and have dinner."
Her tone was very light and cold, as if she didn't care what Li Huaiyan did. It was this attitude that made Li Huaiyan feel very upset.
She has been like this ever since she came back from Zuiyun Tower that day, cold but gentle. She does everything she is supposed to do exactly as before, caring about him as before, preparing food and clothes for him. But Li Huaiyan just feels that she is different from before, and she is distancing herself from him.
But the two of them really had no conflicts and became the kind of close and distant couple he wanted, but he began to feel uncomfortable and even irritated.
Li Huaiyan walked into the room, sat down in a chair, and said in a deep voice, "I will be even busier in the coming days. You don't have to wait for me to eat."
"good."
"You shouldn't go out either. The capital is in chaos these days."
"good."
"If...if something happens to me, you can adopt a descendant from the clan to take care of you in your old age. With Xiao Yuan here, no one will dare to embarrass you. But if the army is defeated, you must flee the city immediately."
Li Huaiyan had never told her this before.
Zheng Yue'er paused for a moment while picking up the food, then returned to normal, "It's okay, I'll accompany you."
Li Huaiyan widened his eyes and put down his chopsticks, "Why are you accompanying me?"
Zheng Yue'er didn't look at him, she just ate her meal and said softly, "If you're gone, I'll stay with you."
Li Huaiyan stared at her blankly for a long time without saying anything. After a while, he said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zheng Yueer then raised her eyes to look at him, her eyes cold, "Didn't we swear on the wedding day that we would be together forever, so we must keep our promise."
"No, people also say that husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly away separately."
Zheng Yueer stared at Li Huaiyan, which made him feel uncomfortable. "That was you, not me. Don't use your standards to measure my actions."
Li Huaiyan choked.
His face was burning with anger. He was just saying it casually. At the same time, a ridiculous idea suddenly came to his mind. What would he do if anything happened to Zheng Yue'er?
After just a moment, he immediately retracted his thoughts and said, "If so, I will send you out of the city tonight."
Zheng Yue'er pursed her lips, lowered her head to eat and ignored him. Li Huaiyan felt like he had punched cotton, with no place to vent his deep frustration.
"Madam, the soup you ordered is ready." The door was pushed open and an unfamiliar maid walked in carrying a tray.
The maid was very tall and had big bones, so the maid's clothes were too short for her and didn't fit her well.
Li Huaiyan took a quick glance and became immune to it. After all, he was used to the various strange looks of the maids in the mansion. For the past twenty years, he had never known that a person could have two noses and be so strong.
But they were all found by Zheng Yueer.
He looked away nonchalantly.
Zheng Yueer stared at the maid for a while, her expression suddenly changed, "Husband, be careful."
The tables and chairs were suddenly overturned. Li Huaiyan was still in a daze when someone hugged him tightly, turned him around, and then fell heavily to the ground.
Li Huaiyan clearly saw a sharp cold light emerge from the maid's sleeve and stab at the two of them with all her strength. The maid's face was distorted and hideous, obviously a man.
It was too late to dodge now. He used all his strength to push Zheng Yue'er away, but his waist and abdomen were held tightly.
Then, there was the sound of the knife handle piercing into the flesh...
Zheng Yue'er let out a muffled cry of pain and fell softly on him. The stabbing of the knife gave Li Huaiyan a chance to react. He held Zheng Yue'er and turned sideways, then quickly stood up. When the man was about to draw his knife, he kicked him hard in the face.
The two men soon started fighting in the house, and the noise attracted the soldiers and secret guards of the Duke's Mansion. Li Huaiyan led the man to the yard and handed him over to the secret guards to deal with him.
"Yue'er." He rushed into the room in one step. Zheng Yue'er was lying on the ground on her side. The handle of a dagger and a large amount of blood on her back were particularly eye-catching.
His face was pale and he knelt on one leg on the ground. He carefully held the person in his arms and yelled at someone to call a doctor.
Zheng Yue'er looked at Li Huaiyan with her blurry eyes, and she actually smiled, "In your heart, I am different from those women after all, right?"
Li Huaiyan was shaking all over. He picked her up and walked into the house, saying, "You are my wife, brought back by me in a sedan chair with eight bearers and a large door. How can anyone compare to you?"
Zheng Yueer smiled again, "No wonder those girls like you, you sound so nice and beautiful when you say flattering words."
"Stop talking, the doctor will be here soon." Li Huaiyan had never been so panicked in his life. His eyes were sore and an unprecedented fear swept over him.
Zheng Yue'er's face turned pale and her lips slowly began to turn purple. It was obvious that the knife was poisoned.
The secret guard was one step faster than the doctor, "The man bit his tongue and committed suicide, and I found this on him."
He handed a sign to Li Huaiyan, which was actually a pass for the Imperial Guards.
"Xiao Tian." His eyes were bloodshot and he tightly grasped the wooden sign.
He was careless. Ling Chenyi and Shen Changhe were not around, so he was Xiao Yuan's only helper. Xiao Tian would definitely take action against him.
"Duke." Another servant came in breathlessly, with a look of joy on his face, "There is news, there is news, General Shen has led his troops to the suburbs, and they will be able to enter the capital in an hour."
After the servant finished speaking, he saw what was happening in the room, his eyes widened, and he fell silent.
The Duke's wife's blood flowed down through the Duke's fingers, dyeing the brocade quilt and the Duke's brocade robe red.
Li Huaiyan's expression changed slightly, he pursed his lips tightly, and there was struggle between his brows.
"Go ahead." Zheng Yue'er gently pushed him. "There are servants and doctors in the mansion who will take care of me. Life and death are determined by fate. You can't change anything by staying."
"Yue'er," the mist in Li Huaiyan's eyes finally turned into water droplets and dripped down.
"The overall situation is more important. This is not just your business, but the survival of tens of millions of soldiers and even the entire Daliang. You should put the country first and yourself second. Let's go."
Zheng Yueer used all her strength to get out of his arms, and then pushed him away, "Go quickly, I'll wait for your good news."
Li Huaiyan's eyes gradually began to blur and he could not see her clearly.
Zheng Yue'er had cold sweat dripping down her forehead. Just moving took all her strength, but she still held on and reached out her hand to Li Huaiyan.
Li Huaiyan bent down obediently. Zheng Yueer placed her palm on his shoulder and raised her head to kiss him on the forehead. "My husband is a great hero who saved the country from danger. He is the most powerful. I am proud of him. I am waiting for you to return home, to grow old together and spend the rest of our lives together."
Her breathing was unstable and she began to gasp slightly.
Li Huaiyan supported her body and buried his head in her neck. His body trembled violently and he choked with sobs.
The doctor finally came, but Zheng Yue'er refused to let him treat her injuries.
The servant came again to report, urging Li Huaiyan to leave.
"Wait for me to come back, and we'll live a good life." Li Huaiyan's eyes were red, and he held Zheng Yue'er's hand tightly.
After saying this, he stared at the doctor with his sharp eyes, "Heal my lady, or you will lose your life."
"Yes." The doctor nodded timidly.
Li Huaiyan stood up and walked away without looking back.
Zheng Yue'er finally let go of the breath she had been holding, and she fainted with her head tilted.
…
At the same time, the emperor in the palace was also in danger. Without Wen Yin's detoxification, he began to cough up blood in large quantities.
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