The restaurant was still under construction and was practicing its dishes daily, so it had a fairly large selection, though mostly vegetables. Li Shimin and his entire family sat at one table, with only Qin Mu accompanying them. Fortunately, it was a top-tier private room, a large round table seating eleven or twelve people, so it wasn't crowded.
"What is this?" Li Shimin asked curiously, pointing at the plate. He had eaten hot pot many times, but he had never seen anything like this dark-colored thing before. The other thing was clearly chicken feet, making him hesitant to eat it.
Nowadays, braised dishes are available, but they're mostly braised meat. When making hot pot, goose intestines and duck intestines are needed, and if the quantity is limited, chicken intestines will do. Chicken feet and necks are considered defective and nobody likes to eat them, so Qin Mu naturally wouldn't allow that. Therefore, he made braised chicken necks and pickled chicken feet. Even without chili peppers, the taste is quite good.
Qin Mu took the lead and started gnawing on it with relish. Seeing how much Qin Mu enjoyed it, the others couldn't resist either, especially the younger ones, who all followed Qin Mu's example and started gnawing on it.
This led to an unstoppable surge in consumption; two plates of chicken necks and feet were devoured in no time, along with chilled fruit, which was also completely consumed. However, Li Shimin's wives ate the vegetables the most.
Qin Mu didn't touch the cold dishes, which pleased Li Shimin greatly. It wasn't that he was concerned about Qin Mu's hygiene, but rather that he was used to separate meals, and more importantly, his wife was there.
"Very good! It tastes great." Li Shimin ate with great satisfaction, leaning back in his chair and praising the food.
"We don't have enough food, and not all the staff have arrived yet. It will be better in a few days," Qin Mu said.
"If I have time, I will come and try it." Li Shimin nodded slightly, understanding the implication in Qin Mu's words.
"Your Majesty is busy with many affairs, I understand."
"Yes! It's getting late, I should head back now," Li Shimin said, nodding slightly.
Li Shimin set off, and the others hurriedly followed. The nearby guards also dispersed. Fortunately, the water feature in the restaurant had long since stopped, and the crowd had dispersed, so there was no congestion.
It was still a tricycle. Li Shimin and his wife sat on it, and Qin Mu pedaled diligently. He never imagined that one day he would become a professional rickshaw driver.
"Your Majesty! Something's not right." Qin Mu stopped the car and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
There is no curfew in Chang'an today, so there should be lights along the roads, especially on main streets like this. I've walked halfway down this street, and not only are there no lights, but there isn't a single pedestrian either. Apart from the sound of tricycles, it's so quiet that you can hear your heartbeat.
Just as Qin Mu stopped, Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie also rushed up, looking solemnly into the darkness ahead, as if a ferocious beast was lurking there.
"Hmph! I thought these rats were hiding and dared not come out!" Li Shimin said, giving Qin Mu an approving look.
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Cheng Zhijie warned solemnly, his face devoid of any smile.
"Zhai Changsun, Duan Zhixuan, protect the Empress and the Crown Prince," Li Shimin ordered loudly.
"Here!" Two voices rang out. The two men, who had been unarmed just moments before, suddenly produced short knives from somewhere and placed them around them for protection. Meanwhile, some plainclothes guards nearby also drew their weapons.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!!" Before they could form a protective circle, a barrage of arrows came from all sides.
As soon as he heard the sound of something cutting through the air, Qin Mu drew out his folding fan, opened it, and waved it in front of him. Of course, he intentionally or unintentionally blocked Empress Zhangsun's path.
Yuchi Gong's towering figure also came to life, wielding two short whips with impenetrable force.
As more and more arrows appeared, Qin Mu's heart raced. In that instant, he felt a calmness he had never known before. He cleared his mind, sensing the flow of the surrounding air, and waved his folding fan, knocking down the arrows one by one.
"Kill!" Cheng Zhijie roared, suddenly unleashing a huge burst of blood-red energy. He wielded a short sword, which slashed forward like a ripple, the red blade light tearing through the night sky.
"Ah! Ahh!" Several screams rang out, and then the rain of arrows paused slightly.
Seeing this opportunity, Qin Mu flipped his wrist, and the secret scroll "Ascending the Youzhou Terrace Song" appeared. A flash of milky white light appeared, and a platform appeared beneath everyone's feet, with guards also appearing around them.
Riding on a flash of white light, Cheng Zhijie pushed off with his feet and leaped high into the air, like a god descending to earth. He then unleashed several sword beams in the air, slashing down into the distance.
Just then, a massive surge of bloodthirsty energy erupted from the darkness, and a beam of red light hurtled towards Cheng Zhijie. Not only that, countless figures also emerged from the surrounding area and rooftops, charging forward.
From the moment the assassination attempt to the sudden attack, the entire process was breathtaking. Just then, a cold glint shot out from the darkness, and with that imposing aura, Qin Mu knew that Golden Terrace could not be defended.
Fortunately, there was still Yuchi Gong. His dark face glowed red, turning almost purple, like a raging bear. He took a step forward, creating a large crater in the bluestone ground. His steel whip whistled through the air as it met the attack, then burst into a blinding burst of sparks.
Today's assassination attempt was even more intense than Qin Qiong's battle against a monster, because both sides were masters with a bloodthirsty aura, making it feel like watching a blockbuster movie. The sheer force of their auras alone made Qin Mu on the Golden Platform feel a tightness in his chest.
This doesn't mean Qin Qiong lacked spirit; he was primarily targeting the monster, so Qin Mu didn't feel much of a connection. The assassin, however, was targeting Li Shimin, who was beside him, so Qin Mu felt the impact directly.
From Li Shimin's tone just now, Qin Mu could tell that he was prepared, so what he needed to do now was to buy as much time as possible.
Qin Mu took a deep breath, and another scroll appeared. With a surge of righteous energy, another group of people were conjured around the Golden Platform. He did not stop there, because these conjured soldiers could only buy time and were of little use against these experts.
A thick brush appeared, and Qin Mu wrote in mid-air, completing the work in one stroke. A surge of righteous energy flashed continuously, and the Golden Platform grew larger and taller once more, with a significant increase in the number of guards and soldiers around it.
The sudden turn of events startled many of the assassins, but they continued their attack.
After writing two poems bestowed by heaven, Qin Mu felt his righteous spirit was largely drained, leaving him with a sense of emptiness like that of a man who had sex seven times in one night. His body went limp, and he hurriedly grabbed the tricycle for support.
Looking at his wife and children protected on the Golden Platform, Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction. He was not flustered by the continuous defeat of the illusory soldiers. He glanced at them indifferently and shouted loudly, "Form ranks!"
Suddenly, the plainclothes guards around them moved, and several of them took out a disc-like object, held it in their hands, and raised it to the sky.
"Kill!" The guard roared and swung his sword. Qin Mu was surprised to find that not only were their blood-fiend auras connected, but they also formed a protective shield that was impervious to arrows and weapons. It was even more powerful than the defense of the Golden Platform.
Four armored assassins suddenly rushed out, wielding long weapons—two swords and two spears—and unleashing a massive surge of bloodthirsty energy that formed a dragon of malevolent energy that lunged at the protective barrier.
"Kill!" The guard roared again, and dozens of sword lights converged into one, rushing forward.
Qin Mu could see that although these guards could not keep up with the speed of the experts, they were protected by the formation, and for the time being, the outside could not do anything to them. On the contrary, the bursts of sword light would repel the opponents every time, and those ordinary assassins were wiped out in large numbers.
"So they're just a rabble, actually trying to assassinate me. They're really overestimating themselves!" Li Shimin sneered.
"That's Li Shimin's Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation! Break it quickly, or reinforcements will be here!" a voice shouted from the darkness.
"Kill!" The assassin hesitated for a moment, then the four experts moved, stood together, and shouted, unleashing an even greater surge of bloodthirsty energy towards the protective barrier.
Just seeing that bloodthirsty aura, which was like a giant wave, made Qin Mu's scalp tingle. He gripped the folding fan tightly, hoping that the guards could withstand it.
With a loud "bang!", like fireworks, the light burst forth, followed by a collective "whoosh" as the guards coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, although the protective shield was teetering on the brink of collapse, it still managed to block the bloodthirsty aura.
"Kill!" the assassin shouted again, unleashing another burst of bloodthirsty energy.
Zhai Changsun and Duan Zhixuan, who had just been ordered by Li Shimin to protect Empress Zhangsun, dared not wait any longer. They unleashed their bloodthirsty aura and charged forward with their swords.
"Kill!" In the rush, although he blocked the enemy's attack, the shield was still broken. The assassin was overjoyed and shouted as he charged forward.
Duan Zhixuan and Zhai Changsun brandished their swords and charged out, blocking the four masters.
"Here you go!" Qin Mu took out two long spears and threw them to Cheng Huaimo and Yuchi Baolin. It turned out that he had just noticed that the two of them were unarmed. Yuchi Baolin had a folding fan, while Cheng Huaimo was just clenching his fists.
The two men took the weapons, a murderous glint in their eyes, and charged forward. Before, they had no weapons and could only watch, guarding the vicinity of the young princes.
"Baoqing, Huailiang!" Qin Mu threw out several more long spears. Speaking of long weapons, the Heavenly Mystery Tower has quite a few of these. They are similar to horse spears and long lances, making them very suitable for use.
Not only that, Qin Mu also took out his sword and held it protectively beside him.
"Qin Huaidao, do you have any more weapons? Give me one!" Empress Zhangsun's cold voice rang out behind Qin Mu.
"Your Majesty!" Qin Mu turned around warily and handed over the sword behind his back.
"Don't worry, I've also wielded a sword and killed people before," Empress Zhangsun said with a smile, showing no tension about the situation.
The other two beautiful women and the young prince were protected by four eunuchs and ten guards. Qin Mu glanced at them and said, "Push the tricycle over here!"
The guards' eyes lit up, and they hurriedly pushed the tricycles together, backs facing outwards. While this offered little protection, it did block their view. As for the other servants of the Yuchi family, the tricycle drivers, they were trembling in a corner of Golden Terrace, but there was no time to worry about them now.
"Don't worry! Reinforcements will arrive soon," Li Shimin said calmly, fanning himself with a folding fan.
Sure enough! Before the words were even finished, countless figures rushed out from all directions, torches like a long dragon, attacking from all sides!
"Kill all the assassins!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"Hmph! If they weren't trying to lure the enemy out, they wouldn't have thought they could break the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation!" Li Shimin said coldly, watching the carnage below.
Qin Mu secretly admired him. To lure the assassins into action, he had actually brought his wife and children along, and only three skilled fighters, including Yuchi Gong; he hadn't brought anyone else. Qin Mu didn't believe that the imperial court lacked Confucian, Taoist, or Mohist figures.
Qin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He discovered that the two eunuchs were even more composed than Li Shimin, and he guessed that they were also experts.
"Could it be a eunuch who even wrote the Sunflower Manual?" Qin Mu thought wildly as he looked around.
Qin Mu's gaze seemed to be noticed by the eunuchs, one of whom turned to him and gave him a smile.
"Retreat!" Seeing Li Shimin's reinforcements arrive, an assassin shouted loudly, then unleashed a bloodthirsty aura, forcing back his opponent before leaping into the air.
Faced with the fleeing assassins, Duan Zhixuan and the others did not give chase. Together with Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong, they retreated to Li Shimin's vicinity.
Qin Mu thought they were worried about Li Shimin's safety, but who knew that a huge light shield suddenly rose in the distance. Not only that, but another huge light rose in Chang'an City, forming a protective shield that enveloped the entire city.
Qin Mu stared in astonishment at the shimmering protective barrier in the sky. Only then did he realize that there was such a large formation, which was beyond his imagination.
Qin Mu then realized that Li Shimin had no intention of letting the assassin go at all, but had already laid a trap, using him as bait. Such tempting bait, and such a rare opportunity, it was impossible for the fish not to take the bait.
Li Shimin's wives all performed admirably. Empress Zhangsun stood beside Li Shimin with a sword in hand, expressing her determination to share hardships with her husband. The other two women picked up their daughters and held their heads in their arms to protect them from the bloodshed. As for their sons, they were constantly surrounded by guards and eunuchs.
"Your Majesty, we are late in coming to your aid. Please forgive us!" The two generals bowed and clasped their hands in greeting below the Golden Terrace.
"Rise, quickly eliminate the assassins, and pacify the people!" Li Shimin nodded and said.
"Your Majesty, we obey!" the two generals replied, and led their soldiers to disperse, rushing outwards in a carpet-like fashion.
"Your Majesty, we are late in coming to your rescue! Please forgive us!" Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and more than ten other civil officials rode up, dismounted, and bowed.
"Rise! I deliberately did not bring any of you ministers with me, precisely because I feared the assassins would not dare to act. What crime have you committed?" Li Shimin said with a smile.
"The assassin has escaped, Your Majesty should return to the palace first!" Changsun Wuji advised.
"Alright! Let's head back to the palace!" Li Shimin looked up at the distance and nodded in agreement.
"Qin Huaidao, your sword!" Empress Zhangsun handed the sword to Qin Mu, looked him up and down, nodded and smiled slightly, and then followed Li Shimin away.
Although Li Shimin left without speaking to Qin Mu, Qin Mu was not worried about not having made any contributions. After they left, he waved his hand to dispel his righteous aura.
"Haha! That was exhilarating! It's been so long since I've actually killed an enemy!" Cheng Huaimo laughed loudly.
"Awesome!" Yuchi Baolin was also very excited. The long spear in his hand had broken into two pieces, but he still held it tightly and swung it a couple of times.
The two men, judging from the blood on their bodies, had clearly killed enemies; far from being uncomfortable, they seemed quite pleased. Only Yuchi Baoqing and Cheng Huailiang looked displeased, as they hadn't gotten to fight. The younger ones, like Yuchi Huan, knew they weren't qualified to fight and looked at their older brothers with envy.
The blood all around made Qin Mu uncomfortable. He frowned and said, "Let's go back. If any of them escape, we won't be able to handle them."
"Don't worry, brother! A mere assassin is nothing to worry about!" Yuchi Baolin said confidently, brandishing his weapon twice as he spoke. Judging from his expression, he wished an assassin would appear in front of him so he could cut him down.
"Come on! If there were still assassins, you'd be fine with Baoqing and the others!" Cheng Huaimo said irritably.
"You should try to appease them, so as not to affect the opening five days from now!" Qin Mu said to the coachman beside him.
"Alright, let's disperse!" Yuchi Baolin waved his hand reluctantly.
Some soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield nearby. When they saw Qin Mu and his group leaving, they sent some of them to escort them.
It was quite an exciting day. Qin Mu only fully relaxed when he got home.
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