"Your Highness!" The guards and gentlemen who had survived the ordeal surrounded Xue Heng, wanting to help him up.
Xue Heng weakly waved his hand, struggled to his feet, and glanced at the ravaged battlefield. He had brought fifteen guards and six scions of noble families, some of whom also brought one or two bodyguards, making a total of more than twenty people in the group.
But less than half are standing right now.
Xue Heng closed his eyes briefly and said, "First, take stock of the casualties. Once reinforcements arrive, return to the palace immediately."
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten in the east. Xue Heng glanced at it and thought to himself that dawn was approaching.
The reinforcements arrived quickly, led by Yuan Peiran, the son of the Assistant General. He camped and rested upstream on the river, but in the middle of the night, the guard on night watch suddenly reported that he had seen someone firing a distress arrow from the east. Only then did he hurriedly get up and lead his men to the scene.
Halfway there, he was still thinking that there was no danger in the hunting grounds, so who would send out a distress arrow in the middle of the night? Could it be that he was dreaming about it?
When he arrived at the location and saw the heavily wounded prince and the corpses strewn all over the ground, his heart stopped for a moment. He was glad that he had made it in time.
The crown prince was assassinated and seriously wounded.
Of those who accompanied them, seven died and five were injured; the scene was truly tragic.
Yuan Peiran hurriedly ordered someone to make a stretcher on the spot to carry the seriously injured crown prince back.
Xue Heng insisted on not using it. He used a strip of cloth torn from the hem of his clothes to wrap the wound and stop the bleeding. He then mounted his horse and gave the stretcher to a young nobleman who was more seriously injured.
That young man was incredibly brave; he single-handedly held off two assassins, fighting to the very last moment before collapsing from exhaustion. Had the reinforcements arrived even a fraction later, he likely wouldn't have survived.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was going to give him the stretcher, he was extremely grateful and repeatedly shook his head to refuse.
Xue Heng gripped the reins and said, "No need for further words, let's go."
*
Before dawn, Emperor Cheng'an was awakened from his favorite concubine's bed by Qi Zhong.
When he heard that the crown prince had been assassinated and seriously injured, he was still somewhat taken aback: "Who was assassinated? Who was the assassin?"
Qi Zhong said, "It is His Highness the Crown Prince. The assassins' identities are unknown; they all look like assassins."
"How is the Crown Prince?" Emperor Cheng'an quickly put on his clothes and rushed to Xue Heng's palace.
"The Imperial Physician has already left. I rushed here to inform His Majesty, but I don't know the specifics yet." Qi Zhong helped him up and said quickly, "But when I saw him, His Highness the Crown Prince was pale and almost couldn't stand up. He must be seriously injured."
Emperor Cheng'an felt blood rush to his head, and his heart pounded.
His feelings for the Crown Prince were complicated, but no matter what the circumstances, he never considered the possibility of an elderly person outliving their child.
Feeling him stagger, he quickly steadied him and reassured him, "The Imperial Physician has already left, he should be alright."
Emperor Cheng'an did not respond and went to the Crown Prince's Palace with a sullen face.
Inside the palace, the palace servants stood solemnly, not uttering a single word.
Upon seeing Emperor Cheng'an approach, they all bowed and greeted him.
"How is the Crown Prince?" Emperor Cheng'an's gaze swept over a maid who was holding a bronze basin full of blood and could barely stand.
"The imperial physician is treating His Highness's wounds. He said that fortunately, the vital organs of the heart were not damaged. As long as His Highness does not develop a high fever in the next two or three days, his life will not be in danger."
Emperor Cheng'an's wildly twitching eyelids finally calmed down a bit. He let out a long breath and was helped into the hall by Qi Zhong.
The Imperial Physician was treating Xue Heng's wounds, his expression tense. When he saw Emperor Cheng'an approaching, he didn't even bother to bow.
Xue Heng had already lost consciousness, and his naked body was covered with hideous wounds.
The most serious wound was on his chest, where the flesh was torn open, almost exposing the bone.
The imperial physician was treating this very wound with a solemn expression.
If the wound is close to the heart and causes a high fever if not treated properly, even a miracle might not be able to save it.
Emperor Cheng'an dared not disturb him and waited anxiously to the side.
The waiting was agonizingly long. Seeing his eldest son's increasingly pale face, he dared not vent his anger in the palace, and could only...
He went out and summoned the commander of the accompanying guards for questioning.
"How did you protect the Crown Prince? He was injured like this!"
The commander dared not argue and could only bow his head and admit his guilt: "It is our incompetence."
Emperor Cheng'an, having calmed down after a brief outburst of anger, asked again, "Is there any progress on the assassin's identity?"
The commander shook his head again: "The enemy came prepared. All the assassins wore demon masks. Their true faces were not visible. We have also examined the corpses they left behind. Their faces were deliberately disfigured, making them unrecognizable. There were no clues on their bodies that could help identify them."
"However, His Highness the Crown Prince has fought with the leader of the assassins and said he felt very familiar with him."
Cheng Andong couldn't help but smash his teacup and angrily said, "Go and summon Zhou Qing!" After a pause, he changed his mind and said, "Summon Zhang Qian, the deputy commander of the Palace Guard."
Zhang Qian arrived quickly. Emperor Cheng'an, with a stern expression, handed him a token and said, "Now you are in charge of all the imperial guards at the Xishan Palace. Your family and men will seal off the palace and the hunting grounds. Arrange for people to investigate all suspicious persons. Before the assassin is found, don't let even a fly out!"
Zhang Qian immediately accepted the order and summoned Zhou Qing, instructing him to immediately send a message to recall Prince Chen, Prince Shou, and others who were still in the hunting grounds.
Seeing the emperor's gloomy face, Zhou Qing wanted to ask what had happened, but Emperor Cheng'an's face was ashen, so he dared not ask any more questions and could only go and light the beacon fire to send a message.
The hunt was interrupted twice, and when King Chen returned, he was furious.
Especially since he was ambushed by assassins while hunting, and if he hadn't brought loyal guards with him, he probably wouldn't have returned alive. He was filled with rage.
Even if Zhou Qing didn't light the signal fire, he was already on his way back.
However, upon returning to the palace, he found the defenses suddenly much tighter, with the imperial guards on duty brazenly interrogating his men in every way.
As the questioning became increasingly detailed, Prince Chen could no longer contain his anger and shouted, "He was injured by the assassin while protecting me! How can you interrogate me like this? Do you even respect me as a prince?! Where is my father? I demand to see my father!"
Upon hearing the message, Zhang Qian rushed over. He glanced at the wounded guard captain, his expression turning serious. He cupped his hands and said, "Prince Chen, please come with me."
Only then did Prince Chen manage to suppress his anger and go with him to see Emperor Cheng'an.
His face darkened as he thought about how the Imperial Guards had not listened to him but instead obeyed Zhang Qian's orders.
"What exactly happened?"
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