"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, we've discovered the lair of the remnants of the Yan state!"
The night was pitch black. The secret agents of the Black Ice Platform, not even having time to catch their breath, hurriedly came to the evil husband.
The wicked man, who was busy deploying his troops, suddenly perked up: "Tell me in detail."
"It's in a cellar in the northern part of the city."
"It appears to be an ordinary pharmacy, but it hides a secret."
"My subordinates staked out the area for three days and three nights and discovered that a large number of suspicious people were coming and going every day. They brought medicinal herbs from various city gates and gathered in the cellar to mix poisons."
"What's particularly suspicious is that most of these people have murderous expressions, and their movements also carry a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air."
"Go on," the wicked man said, a cold glint in his eyes.
"These people were all old friends of Jing Ke."
"They somehow found out that the princess was about to give birth and planned to take the opportunity to poison her in the city."
"My subordinates overheard their plot to simultaneously poison Xianyang City and create chaos. They've already stored a sufficient quantity of highly poisonous drugs in their cellars, intending to spread them throughout the city."
"And... let's take the Grand Commandant's time on the grasslands as an example!"
"You scoundrel!" The wicked husband slammed his hand on the table. "Go and summon Yang Duanhe for a meeting immediately!"
Before long, Yang Duanhe arrived in haste. After hearing the spy's report, he was equally enraged: "These scoundrels dared to plot against the Princess and the Crown Prince! They must be wiped out immediately!"
"Don't rush."
The wicked man unfolded a map of Xianyang City. "According to intelligence, these remnants of the Yan state are not only entrenched in that cellar. They have also set up multiple contact points throughout the city, waiting for the day of the operation to coordinate from within and without. If we cannot wipe them out in one fell swoop, there's no guarantee there won't be endless trouble later."
"What does the Grand Commandant mean?"
"We'll split up tonight," the wicked man said, pointing to the map. "You lead the elite troops to encircle them from the south, while I'll lead the men to attack from the north. The Black Ice Guard has already been monitoring their contact points in the city; they're just waiting for our command to strike simultaneously, giving them no chance to escape."
"Oh, right." The wicked man took out several secret letters, "There's another important discovery. These remnants of the Yan state have been secretly recruiting members to develop their power, and have gathered many desperados."
"Their choice to act when the princess was about to give birth clearly indicated that it was premeditated."
Yang Duanhe took the secret letter and examined it carefully, his face growing increasingly grim: "Just as I suspected. They planned to create chaos in the city first, then send assassins to infiltrate the palace and carry out the assassination."
"Therefore, this matter cannot afford the slightest mistake," the wicked husband said solemnly. "The imperial physician says the princess is due to give birth soon, and we must eliminate this hidden danger completely before they act!"
Once the agreement was reached, the two immediately split up and took action.
Yang Duanhe led his elite troops to infiltrate the southern city and set up defenses, while the wicked man led his men to surround the pharmacies in the northern city.
A dark and windy night is the perfect time to take action.
"My subordinates have learned something," a spy reported. "They believe the princess is pregnant, making it the perfect time to use poison. They plan to first poison several wells in the city to create panic. Then, they'll take advantage of the chaos to send assassins to infiltrate the palace..."
"These beasts!" The wicked man could no longer contain himself. "Send down the order: a full-scale attack! Leave no one alive!"
With a command given, the men in black who had been lying in ambush surged into the pharmacy like a tidal wave.
Although the remnants of the Yan state were caught off guard, they were all desperate men and immediately organized a counterattack.
The cellar was cramped, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
Knowing full well that their chances of survival were slim, the assassins were determined to fight back to the death.
Several people tried to put poison into the well, but fortunately, they were stopped by the quick-thinking men in black.
Some people even pulled out poisoned hidden weapons and threw them randomly, killing several men in black who couldn't dodge in time.
"Watch out for hidden weapons!" the wicked man commanded while warning, "These people's weapons are coated with deadly poison; getting hit means certain death!"
In the midst of the chaotic battle, several assassins were suddenly seen trying to escape through a secret passage.
Having anticipated this, Yang Duanhe immediately led his men to block their path: "Trying to escape? Today is your death day!"
Seeing that they had nowhere to go, the assassins actually wanted to die together with each other, so they all took out poison to throw into the well.
Yang Duanhe reacted swiftly, delivering a fatal blow to the throat, thus averting the disaster.
Meanwhile, fierce fighting broke out at several other contact points in the city.
The Black Ice Guard split up and launched a thorough search of the remnants of the Yan state. Any suspicious activity was immediately met with a crackdown. A tense atmosphere pervaded the entire city of Xianyang.
After a night of fierce fighting, the situation was finally brought under control.
Most of the assassins fought back desperately, and only a few were captured alive.
The wicked husband immediately ordered a thorough search of the cellar: "Search it! Don't miss an inch!"
A major discovery was made very quickly.
In addition to an astonishing amount of poison, a detailed action plan and a roster of personnel were also found.
It turns out that these remnants not only wanted to create chaos in the city, but also planned to take the opportunity to assassinate important figures.
Their ultimate goal was clearly to get rid of the crown prince in the princess's womb!
"These damned traitors!" Yang Duanhe roared, furious after reading the operation plan. "Luckily, we discovered it in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
Before dawn, a massive manhunt began in Xianyang.
Based on the seized list, the wicked man and Yang Duanhe split up and acted separately. Any suspicious activity was immediately investigated.
Several pharmacies in the West Market were searched and found to be assassins preparing to poison the plants. Many of them attempted to resist arrest but were killed on the spot.
Their contacts were also captured in an inn in the southern part of the city. A large number of secret letters were found on these people, which led to the discovery of more accomplices.
The northern city was also a heavily guarded area, where a large number of poisoned hidden weapons were concealed, clearly indicating that it was premeditated.
No one was destined to sleep that night.
The search only came to an end when the sky began to lighten.
More than fifty assassins were captured, and countless poisons and hidden weapons were seized.
The remaining forces of the Yan state in Xianyang have been completely eradicated.
"Pass on my orders," the wicked man said to his attendants. "From today onward, increase patrols. Thoroughly investigate anyone suspicious. Especially around the Queen's palace, maintain a siege day and night; not even a mosquito is allowed to approach!"
Just as Yang Duanhe was about to speak, a royal physician rushed over: "Grand Commandant, what about the Princess Consort...?"
"What's wrong?" The wicked husband and Yang Duanhe both tensed up at the same time.
"The Princess Consort has shown some signs just now, it seems..." the imperial physician said, wiping the sweat from his brow, "...she might be going into labor prematurely!"
The wicked husband and Yang Duanhe exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Although the remnants of the Yan Kingdom had been wiped out in one night of searching, the Queen Consort was about to give birth, so it was necessary to strengthen vigilance.
"Report to the King immediately!" the wicked man declared decisively. "Yang Duanhe, you personally lead men to guard the palace gates; no one is to approach. I, the Grand Commandant, will go and check right away..."
The sky brightened, signaling the start of a new day.
And this brand new day is very likely the moment when the Crown Prince of Qin was born!
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