Even if they couldn't kill the emperor, killing the people he sent would at least temporarily quell their anger.
Zhou Jing'an's eyes were filled with undisguised ruthlessness, which made the guard tremble, yet he did not move.
Seeing his worried expression, Zhou Jing'an asked with a stern face, "Could it be that the other side has too many people and you can't defeat them?"
The guard quickly shook his head and said, "No, that's not it. There were fewer than twenty of them. It's just that they were too skilled. The brothers couldn't beat them and many of them were killed."
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Zhou Jing'an gritted his teeth and said, "Go and fetch my bow!"
"Yes!" The guard quickly ran away.
Assassin Jian Hongzheng was leading a group of guards in a fierce battle in the courtyard.
They thought the mission would be simple, but they didn't expect Zhou Jing'an to be so cunning. He had ambushed many people in the courtyard beforehand, catching them off guard.
Fortunately, all of them were highly skilled in martial arts and quickly wounded or killed nearly half of their opponents.
Of course, Jian Yang also deserves credit for this.
Her scattering of poison powder, even if it didn't kill a large number of people, slowed down the actions of dozens, buying Jian Hong and his group a chance.
However, this was Zhou Jing'an's territory after all, and soon a steady stream of troops were being added to the force.
Although Jian Hong and his group were brave, they could not withstand the wear and tear of the relentless battle, and gradually they began to show signs of fatigue.
"Brother, you take everyone and go, don't worry about me!" Jian Yang stood under the eaves, her eyes full of anxiety.
At that moment, she felt like she was holding everyone back and felt very guilty.
Seeing Jian Hong's men get injured one by one, she could no longer bear it.
"If you leave me here, the Second Prince won't dare to harm me!"
Jian Hong casually slashed the arm of a prince's guard, and said firmly, "No, I will definitely take you away today."
"No one is leaving today!" Zhou Jing'an walked into the courtyard with his bow, bringing with him a hundred soldiers.
This group quickly joined the battle, making it even more difficult for Jian Hong's side, who were already struggling, to cope.
Jian Yang was anxious as she watched, wishing she had more poison powder on her, otherwise she could have helped her brother instead of just standing there watching.
Seeing that Zhou Jing'an had pointed the arrow at her brother, Jian Yang immediately rushed forward to shield Jian Hong.
Zhou Jing'an raised an eyebrow and, as expected, put away the arrow.
Because Zhou Jing'an had previously given orders not to harm her, the guards of the prince's residence were unsure whether to continue when she suddenly rushed into the battle.
"Go quickly and don't worry about me anymore!" Jian Yang said in a deep voice to Jian Hong behind him.
Jian Hong refused to comply and drew his knife, intending to charge into the crowd again.
Jian Yang grabbed his wrist, her face serious, and said, "Brother, if you stay, none of us will escape today. What if something happens to you? How can I explain to Father? You're his only son!"
Jian Hong wouldn't listen at all: "Ayang, be good, I'll take you away after I kill him."
"Go my ass!" Jian Yang finally couldn't help but swear. "That guy is clearly murderous. If we keep fighting, we'll all die. Even if you don't think about your father, you should at least think about the millions of border people in the North!"
Jian Hong finally hesitated.
He truly couldn't let go of the people in the North whom he had protected for ten years.
Seeing that she had finally persuaded him, Jian Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "You should take them and leave quickly. If Zhou Jing'an wanted to kill me, he would have done so long ago. I won't be in any trouble if I stay here, but if you die, I will commit suicide on the spot to atone for my sins!"
"Ayang!"
Jian Hong hadn't expected his younger sister to be so stubborn. He gritted his teeth and finally gave in.
Refusing to surrender is not an option either. On the one hand, our fighting strength cannot last long, and we will not be able to rescue Jian Yang. Instead, we will lose dozens of lives here.
More importantly, he knew his sister well; once she made up her mind, nothing could change it.
Jian Hong knew that if he didn't comply with her, she would definitely dare to cut his own neck with a dagger.
“Your Highness the Second Prince,” Jian Yang said coldly, looking at Zhou Jing’an opposite her, “let my brother take his men and leave. I will stay.”
Zhou Jing'an gave a cryptic smile and said, "Your Majesty, it's clear that we have the upper hand right now. Shouldn't I be the one making the demands?"
Jian Yang suddenly produced a dagger from nowhere, pressed it tightly against his neck, and sneered, "You captured me just to threaten the Emperor? But guess if I die in your mansion today, will you still be alive?"
"Ayang!" Jian Hong rushed forward and tried to snatch the dagger.
Jian Yang immediately dodged to the side: "Just go when I tell you to, stop dawdling, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xing'an's handsome face immediately fell.
Jian Yang is right. It doesn't matter if Jian Hong dies, but if Jian Yang dies in his mansion, the emperor will definitely kill him tomorrow.
He gave her a deep look, then resumed his usual smiling demeanor: "Okay, deal."
Then he turned his gaze to Jian Hong and said with a smile, "General Zhenbei, my house is too small, so I won't keep such a great deity as you."
Jian Hong gripped the knife hilt tightly, and seeing Jian Yang constantly giving him meaningful glances, he hardened his heart and gritted his teeth, saying, "Withdraw!"
So his guards immediately and orderly sheathed their swords and withdrew from the prince's residence in an instant.
Jian Hong gave Jian Yang a deep look, and was about to jump over the wall as well.
"Whoosh—"
Just as he was about to leap over the wall, an arrow shot straight into his thigh. Jian Hong endured the excruciating pain and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
"Shameless scoundrel!"
Jian Yang was shocked that Zhou Jing'an would shoot an arrow at her brother at the last moment, and her eyes widened in fury.
Zhou Jing'an tossed the bow and arrow to a servant beside him and laughed, "Your brother caused me to lose more than ten ministers and killed so many of my soldiers. It's not too much for me to shoot him with an arrow, is it?"
"Despicable! Shameless! You big idiot!" Jian Yang's composure vanished at this moment; all she wanted to do was curse the person in front of her.
Zhou Jing'an found it quite novel to hear her curse, and then laughed and said, "Your Majesty, don't get agitated. It's just a minor injury. General Jian will recover in a few days."
Jian Yang said coldly, "If I stab you, can't you at least take a few days to recover?"
Zhou Jing'an shrugged and said, "Of course not."
Soon, Jian Yang was "invited" into the house, and Zhou Jing'an followed closely behind, dismissing all the servants inside.
Of course, before letting everyone else leave, Zhou Jing'an made sure the maids and servants thoroughly searched Jian Yang's body to make sure she didn't have any poison powder or weapons on her.
Just in case, he also ordered his men to tie her hands.
Now that the two sides have completely broken off relations, Jian Yang is too lazy to give him any more pleasantries. Since he entered the room, she has given him countless eye rolls.
Zhou Jing'an smiled gently and said, "Your Majesty, I am very pleased with your decision to stay."
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