"Get up first!"
As her thoughts shifted, Song Xibai spoke.
Yuan Qian slowly stood up, standing there awkwardly.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Xibai continued, "You know in your heart that this matter is of great importance. If it is not handled properly, it will not only be you who suffers. Therefore, I cannot guarantee you anything. But His Majesty is kind and benevolent. As long as you sincerely repent, he will definitely send people to protect you."
Yuan Qian's eyes were wet.
“I know… In my situation, if it were anyone else, they would probably have been quietly killed long ago. I was young and ignorant when I was young, and His Majesty never held it against me…”
"In that case, you should trust His Majesty."
Song Xibai interrupted him, her tone firm.
Yuan Qian was taken aback.
Song Xibai sighed, beckoned to Wei Hong, and whispered, "Send him out, and have your godfather select a few reliable people to secretly follow him back. If there is any unusual activity, report back to the palace immediately."
Wei Hong understood, nodded, and walked up to Yuan Qian.
Yuan Qian sniffed, performed the proper courtesies, bowed to Song Xibai to take his leave, and then turned and walked out.
After he left, Song Xibai had someone bring him pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, quickly wrote a letter, and handed it to Panchun, asking her to send it back to the palace by carrier pigeon.
After doing all this, Song Xibai was still a little worried. She paced back and forth in the side hall a few times and had the security strengthened.
Meanwhile, Yuan Qian left the manor, got into a carriage, and headed back home.
Before he returned to his residence, Yuan Shen in the palace received a letter from Song Xibai.
The short letter contained only a few words explaining the encounter with Yuan Qian.
After reading it, Yuan Shen sat up straight abruptly, his face solemn.
Who would be watching Yuan Qian?
Song Xibai might not know, but Yuan Shen knew all too well.
The fake emperor was killed by Yuan Qian, but not all of his men were wiped out. A few escaped and are still on the run.
Since last October, Yuan Shen has been secretly searching for those people, but so far he has found nothing.
He even sent people to the fake emperor's hometown in the southwest to investigate.
Yuan Shen had already figured out the fake emperor's background. But he still couldn't understand how someone who was a criminal could have passed the Imperial Guard's selection process and been sent all the way to the late emperor, where he was given preferential treatment because of his resemblance to the emperor.
If he could find out about Prince Li's affairs, how could the Imperial Guards not be able to?
Unless, there is some unknown force manipulating all of this in the shadows.
Yuan Shen tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes gleaming.
"They've finally given themselves away..."
He sat on the dragon throne, lost in thought for a long time, and a plan took shape in his mind.
The next day, Yuan Shen suddenly decided to leave the palace to escape the summer heat.
The date was set for eight months from now.
When this news came out, many people were completely baffled and found it rather inexplicable.
Speculation abounded in the city. Some said the emperor was being filial and was going to visit the Empress Dowager; others said he couldn't bear to leave the crown prince and princess behind.
There were various opinions, but no one in the court objected.
There haven't been any major events in the central government lately, and the weather has been favorable this year.
Meanwhile, at the Zhuangzi, Song Xibai also received a reply from Yuan Shen.
Yuan Shen didn't specify what he wanted to do, only mentioning that he was coming over and reminding Song Xibai to reduce going out recently.
But how much does Song Xibai really know about him?
After a little thought, I could guess what he was going to do.
She wasn't entirely in favor, but Yuan Shen had already made up his mind, so she couldn't persuade him any further.
All Song Xibai could do was try her best to cooperate.
Half a month passed quietly.
On this clear day, the imperial entourage set off from the palace and headed out of the city in a grand procession.
Yuan Shen entrusted all matters of state, large and small, to the cabinet and the affairs of the royal family to the King of Wu, taking only the King of Han with him.
The imperial carriage traveled in the middle of the procession, with gauze curtains hanging down on all sides, completely obscuring the view inside. Only a figure could be vaguely discerned.
The imperial carriage successfully left the city and continued its journey in the northwest.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, a large herd of cattle suddenly rushed out from both sides of the official road.
Before anyone could react, the herd of cattle suddenly charged into the caravan, scattering the vehicles and horses in disarray.
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
Someone shouted.
The guards spurred their horses and gathered near the imperial carriage, while the guard commander directed the other men to slaughter the cattle.
But for some unknown reason, the cattle, even after being slashed several times, continued to rampage through the caravan, bellowing loudly until they bled to death before collapsing with a thud.
The guard breathed a sigh of relief and was about to call his men back when suddenly a strange change occurred.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Countless arrows shot out from the trees on both sides.
Arrows rained down like a storm, whistling through the air.
The crowd's expressions changed drastically, and they moved closer to the imperial carriage while shielding themselves from the arrows.
The guard jumped to the very front of the imperial carriage and asked for instructions from inside.
"Your Majesty, there are too many assassins. Why not abandon the carriage, mount a horse, and I will lead men to escort Your Majesty out!"
A soft "hmm" came from inside.
Immediately afterwards, a person dressed in bright yellow lifted the curtain and came out.
He had his head down and his back bent. Before he could straighten up, a sword suddenly thrust out from the side.
This sword strike was ruthless and cunning, precisely targeting the blind spot in the envoy's field of vision.
The figure in bright yellow instinctively took a step back, but was still stabbed in the chest.
The guard, his eyes blazing with fury, turned and charged at the assassin who had suddenly appeared.
He never expected that there would be a traitor among his subordinates!
The guard was very strong; in just a few exchanges, he severed the opponent's hand and kicked him off the imperial carriage.
Just as he raised his knife to strike the other man's head, he suddenly heard the emperor's voice.
"Keep alive."
The guard was taken aback. He realized that the sound was not coming from the imperial carriage, but from behind it—from a carriage carrying the accompanying eunuchs.
He looked closely and sure enough, he saw a person jump out of the carriage.
Although he was dressed in a gray-blue eunuch's robe, the sharp look between his brows was undoubtedly that of Yuan Shen.
The guard breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Are you alright?"
Yuan Shen shook his head: "I am fine."
At the same time, Jin Xiang jumped off the carriage and, with his trusted eunuchs, guarded Yuan Shen's side. Then, he took out an eagle whistle from his waist, put it to his mouth, and blew it hard.
A sharp yet long whistle rang out through the sky, carrying far and wide.
Upon hearing the whistle, the soldiers of the Beijing garrison who were lying in ambush nearby sprang into action, charging out from all directions.
They were well hidden, and their sudden appearance caught the assassins completely off guard.
The situation reversed in an instant.
The traitors near the imperial carriage were also exposed by the guards and wiped out in an instant, leaving only one or two survivors.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Yuan Shen then stepped onto the imperial carriage.
"Xiao Liu, are you alright?"
The person stabbed by the sword was none other than King Han.
The King of Han was pale, clutching his chest, with blood gushing from between his fingers.
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