Chapter 126 Chapter 126 “I was going to hurt Xiuyuan, but…
Chapter 126
There are caves in the royal hunting grounds, and there are man-made secret passages in the caves. What this represents is self-evident.
Jing Yue sighed softly, "I wonder who is so bold as to come here. It seems like they don't want to live anymore."
Lin Zhiyi: "Is Your Majesty in danger?"
In their case... Emperor Longshun's reign is more beneficial to them than anyone else's.
Therefore, of course, it is best for Emperor Longshun to be safe.
Jing Yue's feelings towards Emperor Longshun are somewhat complicated. It can't be said that she admires him, but it's not to the point of a life-and-death struggle.
Although Jing Yue called him "Father Emperor", it was "Mother Consort" who had been protecting him for so many years.
The Emperor is the father of many people. He is a father who has power and status, but occasionally shows up depending on his mood to show them a little love.
"Your Majesty has the most guards around him, so it shouldn't be a problem." Jing Yue said, "Besides, this secret passage and what the other party is planning may not be about a high position, but something else."
"That's right," Lin Zhiyi said. "After all, it's easier to achieve your goal by framing someone." Rebellion to seize the throne is a suicidal act. If you're not careful, you could end up bringing disaster upon yourself, and the consequences would be more than you gain.
"It must be targeting you and the Lin family." Jing Yue said, "Fifth Brother is a good target."
"Yeah, I think so too—Father just handed over half of his military power, and Fifth Brother is responsible for the safety of the hunting grounds. If anything goes wrong, they'll both be blamed." Lin Zhiyi analyzed from an outsider's perspective, "It was the Crown Prince's doing, right? He just happened to be staying in the capital to supervise the country. What a perfect alibi!"
Jing Yue pondered in silence.
Lin Zhiyi: "Why? Do you have a different opinion?"
Jing Yue: "Not really. I just think it would be unbelievable if it really was him. He clearly got what he wanted, so why would he create more complications?"
Lin Zhiyi: "Perhaps our Lin family didn't give him enough face, so once he gained more power, he wanted revenge. And this move can be said to kill two birds with one stone, or even three birds with one stone."
——The Lin family, the fifth prince... plus a scapegoat prince.
It is very likely to be King Rui.
After all, this person is the prince's biggest rival.
Jing Yue: "Then we must not let him succeed in his plan."
…
The next morning, Zhou Mingyan, Xie Junxing and Ji Wuyou each carried a quiver and bow and arrows to find Lin Zhiyi to go hunting together.
The people who came out of their tent together were the Duke, General Zhou and Yan Chongshan.
Xie Junxing tugged on Zhou Mingyan's sleeve, and the two of them huddled together, whispering, "What happened? Why are General Zhou and Lord Yan here?"
Zhou Mingyan looked confused: "I don't know either. Maybe I just happened to catch up."
General Zhou saw his youngest son here and waved him over.
Zhou Mingyan ran over and asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"
General Zhou: "An assassin has infiltrated the hunting grounds. We are arranging for someone to investigate."
"Assassin?! Where did he come from? How could he have gotten in?"
"They might be spies from the Northern Barbarians. They instigated some soldiers to rebel and sneak in through a secret cave on the other side of the mountain," General Zhou said. "The Duke and I will report this to His Majesty. Don't stray too far. Be careful and alert. Protect the safety of His Highness."
"Don't worry, Daddy! I will!" Zhou Mingyan was shocked and stood at attention.
General Zhou patted him on the shoulder and hurried away.
Zhou Mingyan relayed these words to Xie Junxing and Ji Wuyou, who were also surprised: "This northern barbarian is too bold."
Xie Junxing: "Did Xiuyuan and the princess find out?"
"It should be."
As they were talking, Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue came out of the tent.
Today Jingyue dressed up in men's clothes, looking "heroic and dashing" and very eye-catching.
Lin Zhiyi brought the horse to him, and Jing Yue jumped onto the horse nimbly, with a straight back and graceful shoulders and neck. It was obvious that he was an expert in horse riding and archery.
"Good morning." Lin Zhiyi greeted his three friends with a smile.
Zhou Mingyan and the other two: "Good morning."
When they got together, they couldn't help but ask about the caves, secret passages and the northern barbarians.
"How did you find out?"
"Last night I sent Jifeng out for a walk, and he brought some wild fruits for the princess. Last year's spring hunt came early, and the fruits weren't ripe yet. I wanted to try my luck and see if they were ripe this year. The fruits grow on the southwest mountainside, and they look temptingly red during the day. They're indeed ripe. The horses also like to eat leaves on the south mountain, and as they ate, their hooves cracked the mountain wall. That's how they discovered the cave, and then the secret passage inside..."
——This was what she and Jingyue discussed last night.
If you want to break the deadlock, you have to start over.
It’s better to strike first and put the blame on the northern barbarians.
Only in this way can you break free from the trap set by others.
Moreover, the discovery of this secret passage and the northern barbarians as soon as they arrived at the hunting ground could also make up for the dereliction of duty of Jing Zhuoran and the Lin family army.
Therefore, they invited Duke Lin, General Zhou and Yan Chongshan early in the morning, and then they reported the matter to Emperor Longshun.
In this way, no matter what happens next, Emperor Longshun will be prepared.
Emperor Longshun's face showed no emotion, he only questioned calmly: "Northern Barbarians?"
I just took away Lin Shuo’s military power, and the northern barbarians showed up?
It was hard not to make him think of something.
General Zhou said, "Your Majesty, we cannot be sure at the moment, but there are some marks of the northern barbarians." He presented evidence that the weapons in the cave were indeed engraved with the totems of the northern barbarians.
Emperor Longshun: "How did you find out?"
Yan Chongshan recounted what had happened.
Emperor Longshun: "Xuan Laowu is here, how could he be so bad? He didn't even notice this!"
Yan Chongshan couldn't help but defend Jing Zhuoran, saying, "Your Majesty, if the Prince Consort's horse hadn't stepped on empty air and cracked the mountain wall, his guard wouldn't have noticed... It's truly well-concealed... Besides, if we summon the Fifth Prince now, wouldn't that tell them we've discovered their secret? It's better... to hold off for now and see what they're up to."
As soon as Emperor Longshun raised his hand, Li Shouchang did not go to invite the Fifth Prince.
Emperor Longshun: "Yan Chongshan, the safety of the princes and princesses is in your hands. Do not let me down."
Yan Chongshan: "Don't worry, Your Majesty!" He took the order and left.
Emperor Longshun looked at Lin Shuo and General Zhou again: "You two..."
Lin Shuo and Zhou Heng said in unison: "Your Majesty, I am willing to accompany you and protect your safety!"
"Okay, then you stay with me." Emperor Longshun looked deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Only a few people know about this.
Others, such as King Rui and others, called Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue to participate in the hunting competition together as agreed.
Everyone changed into riding and archery attire, and they all looked heroic and energetic as they rode their horses into the depths of the woods.
At the beginning, everyone was together, but later they gradually separated into groups of three or five, and then into twos and threes.
Of course, Lin Zhiyi has always been with Jingyue.
Zhou Mingyan also followed Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue closely.
Xie Junxing was worried about Lin Zhihua, so he quickly left the forest, returned to the tent, and went to find Lin Zhihua.
That’s right, Lin Zhihua also came to the hunting ground.
When she saw Xie Junxing looking for her, she prepared a chess set for him, and the two of them played chess with great interest in the tent.
Ji Wuyou was worried about his sister, so he followed Jing Zhuorui and Ji Wushuang. While they were hunting, he kept an eye on them and kept watch on the surroundings.
If some northern barbarians really sneak in, the princes will be in great danger.
Although His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu is a martial arts master, it is difficult to guard against hidden arrows, so it is better to be careful.
The prince did not come to the hunting ground this year, and Cheng Lunian should have stayed in the tent, but he looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he changed into green clothes, grabbed his quiver, mounted his horse, and rushed into the woods.
After witnessing all this, Ye Changning gave up playing chess with Xie Junnuo and stood up to follow.
"Brother Ye...where are you going?" Before Xie Junnuo could finish his words, Ye Changning disappeared without a trace.
After a moment of hesitation, Xie Junnuo sighed and went to get the horse to catch up.
The hunting grounds are filled with a large forest with all kinds of animals, so it's easy to get lost once you enter. However, almost everyone who enters the grounds to hunt is accompanied by two or three other people, and if they shout, there will definitely be other people nearby who will respond - if they really encounter danger, it won't go unnoticed.
Xie Junnuo quickly caught up with Ye Changning. Seeing his serious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Ye Changning: "Nothing, I'm just a little worried about your Highnesses."
Xie Junnuo knew that this was just an excuse he made up casually, so he stopped asking questions and just followed him, going wherever he went.
In fact, Xie Junnuo also had a vague guess in his mind - Lin Xiuyuan was injured in an accident last year, and Ye Changning was worried that Lin Xiuyuan would be injured again...
The worried Lin Xiuyuan is setting a trap for Jingyue.
You San was good at flying around in the treetops, and just now he flew over to tell them, "The prey is coming."
The apparent prey was a deer, but the actual prey was Cheng Lunian.
They knew that Cheng Lunian would lose his patience.
Zhou Mingyan originally drew the bow with the arrow tip aimed at the deer, but after the deer ran away, the arrow tip hit a masked man.
Then more masked men jumped out to attack, and arrows were shot through the air. Lin Zhiyi and Jing Yue were fully focused, one dealing with the masked men while the other cut down the arrows.
Zhou Mingyan didn't wear glasses and relied entirely on his instincts. When he saw the masked man in black, he drew his bow and shot an arrow, then shouted, "There's an assassin!"
Ye Changning heard his voice and steered his horse towards them.
Xie Junnuo also turned his horse around and followed.
Cheng Lunian relied on his green clothes to hide in the bushes and no one noticed him.
He secretly took an arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at Lin Zhiyi.
An arrow suddenly flew towards her, and Jing Yue rushed in front of Lin Zhiyi to block the arrow for her.
Jing Yue was shot intentionally, the wound on her back. He stuffed a thick cotton cloth into her back, and Lin Zhiyi took advantage of the chaos to pierce the blood bag he had prepared in advance and smeared it on Jing Yue's back. He then used his hidden arrows to kill the two approaching assassins, then hugged Jing Yue tightly, crying out in a sobbing voice: "A Yue!"
Zhou Mingyan's vision was unclear, but he knew that there was an enemy attack from that direction and the princess was injured. He was extremely anxious and quickly drew his bow and arrows, and whoosh whoosh whoosh shot out three arrows!
He had been practicing hard recently, relying solely on his instincts without his glasses, and surprisingly, he managed to hit the target with all three arrows!!!
Cheng Lunian cried out a few times and fell out from his hiding place.
Zhou Mingyan: "Who is it?!"
He narrowed his eyes and didn't dare to get too close. He just stayed beside Jing Yue and Lin Zhiyi, keeping alert.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard again. It was Ye Changning and Xie Junnuo rushing over.
Zhou Mingyan raised his bow and arrow high and asked again, "Who is coming?"
"Ye Changning."
"Thank you, Junnuo."
Zhou Mingyan could tell from the tone of voice that it was indeed these two people, so he breathed a sigh of relief: "There are assassins... They hurt the princess."
"The arrow was originally intended to injure Xiuyuan, but the princess blocked the fatal arrow for him."
Ye Changning subdued the remaining assassins. Xie Junnuo surveyed the surroundings, and when his gaze landed on Cheng Lunian, his expression suddenly tensed: "Cheng Lunian?!"
Here, Lin Zhiyi hugged Jingyue and continued crying, "Ayue... hold on, don't scare me..."
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The author has something to say: I didn't give General Zhou a name before, did I? I forgot, so I'll just call him Zhou Heng. I'll check it out when I have time.
There's another one in the evening
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