He Zan was surprised by King Yi's words, but he was unwilling to show it in front of Lu Xingzhou.
If an alliance can be reached as Lu Xingzhou said, it will only benefit the Jin Kingdom.
Previously, they had considered marrying Princess Anle, but in reality, they were seeking her as a hostage in order to restrain the Chu State and prevent it from suddenly sending troops.
But now if we can really sign an alliance and trade between the two countries, then why bother marrying a princess?
The Jin Kingdom wanted more tangible benefits.
He Zan suppressed his excitement and looked at Lu Xingzhou calmly, "Prince Yi's words are very good. But I need to think about it again and discuss it with the delegation. Moreover, the specifics of how to sign this alliance still require long-term consideration. I must first report this matter to His Majesty, and after His Majesty has made a decision, I will come back to discuss it in detail with His Royal Highness Prince Yi."
Lu Xingzhou nodded slightly in agreement. He knew that He Zan would need time to report to the Jin emperor and also to prepare for subsequent negotiations.
He Zan turned and left, secretly thinking about how to report the matter to the emperor and how to gain more benefits in the subsequent negotiations.
A situation that seemed to be full of crises took a turn for the better because of Lu Xingzhou's proposal.
In the next few days, although He Zan had not received the order from the Jin emperor, he actively cooperated with Lu Xingzhou's ideas. The two discussed some details and were only waiting for the order from the Jin emperor to sign the alliance.
Lu Xingzhou had just felt a little relieved when another envoy suddenly came that night to report that the crown prince of Jin had been assassinated.
Wang Wentian arranged for He Zan to stay in the best inn in Luancheng, which was also heavily guarded. But for some reason, He Zan suddenly said he wanted to go out today, and did not allow the guards of Da Chu to follow him. He only brought two personal soldiers with him, saying that he wanted to stroll around Luancheng.
Walking on the most prosperous street in Luancheng, He Zan couldn't help but sigh at the prosperity of Da Chu. This was just the border of Da Chu. If it was Wangjing City, I wonder how prosperous and lively it would be.
But just when He Zan stopped in front of a jewelry stall, an accident happened.
He Zan was holding up a jade hairpin in his hand and was about to ask the owner about the price, but he didn't expect the stall owner to suddenly jump up, pull out a soft sword from somewhere, and come straight at He Zan's face.
He Zan was a prince and had practiced martial arts since childhood. When he found something was wrong, he immediately dodged to the side, but the distance was too close. Although the sword did not hurt He Zan's vitals, it still pierced his shoulder.
He Zan endured the severe pain and grabbed with his backhand. Seeing that the situation was not good, the assassin immediately withdrew and ran away. He Zan only tore off a part of his sleeve, but he also saw what seemed to be a tattoo on his arm.
After Lu Xingzhou got the news, he rushed over immediately. He Zan had already returned to the inn to bandage his wounds.
Wang Wentian came from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, so he arrived faster than Lu Xingzhou. He brought the palace physician with him, and the physician prescribed external and internal medicine after examining He Zan.
The court physician bowed and said, "Fortunately, the Crown Prince of Jin has martial arts experience. If the sword had been even an inch off, it would have hit his heart. However, the wound is on his shoulder, so the Crown Prince needs to take good care of himself."
Everyone was terrified after hearing this. If the Crown Prince of Jin died in Luancheng, then let alone peace talks, the two countries would be on the verge of war with no room for maneuver.
Lu Xingzhou quickly asked, "Is the sword poisoned?"
The court doctor shook his head and said, "From the wound, it doesn't look like anything is wrong at the moment, but we need to continue to observe closely for the next few days."
Lu Xingzhou put his mind at ease for the time being, thanked the court doctor, and went into the inner room to visit He Zan.
He Zan looked very weak at the moment. He was sitting against the head of the bed, his face pale, his shoulders wrapped in gauze and bandages, and blood stains could be faintly seen seeping out.
Lu Xingzhou felt very guilty. After all, such an incident happened in the territory of Da Chu, and the other party was the prince of Jin. This was not something that could be solved with just an apology or two.
Lu Xingzhou bowed and apologized, "I'm truly sorry for what happened today. No matter what, it's all our fault, Great Chu, for letting the Crown Prince suffer this unprovoked disaster. Rest assured, Crown Prince, we will conduct a thorough investigation and apprehend the murderer as soon as possible, giving you and the Kingdom of Jin an explanation."
Lu Xingzhou was sincere in what he said, so He Zan was not a fool either.
He Zan knew very well that Lu Xingzhou really wanted to facilitate the peace talks. If that was the case, the assassination could not have been carried out by someone sent by Lu Xingzhou.
There is no reason for Lu Xingzhou to attack him at such a critical moment. If the peace talks fail, war will be inevitable. However, war will be a waste of money and manpower for both the Jin Kingdom and the Great Chu. The fact that Lu Xingzhou can negotiate with him here means that Lu Xingzhou does not want to start a war. Therefore, assassinating him will not benefit Lu Xingzhou at all.
He Zan's left shoulder was still aching. He simply waved his right arm and said, "I know this matter has nothing to do with Your Highness. You don't have to blame yourself. Actually, it was just me who wanted to go for a stroll on a whim and told the guards not to follow me. I am also responsible for this."
After hearing what He Zan said, Lu Xingzhou felt slightly relieved. At least, He Zan did not vent his anger on Da Chu for today's attack.
He Zan waved his hand and dismissed the people around him.
Lu Xingzhou saw that He Zan had something to say, so he asked his followers to leave and stood guard outside the door. Only he and Wang Wentian stayed in the room to talk to He Zan.
He Zan said, "What do the prince and the marquis think about today's incident?"
Lu Xingzhou frowned. The incident happened suddenly and they had not expected it. Moreover, their people did not follow and did not fight with the assassin, so now they did not know which force the assassin belonged to.
But no matter which force he belonged to, the assassin's purpose in attacking He Zan was very clear, which was to disrupt the peace talks between Da Chu and Jin.
Hezan obviously thought of this, so he asked this question.
Wang Wentian thought for a moment and asked, "Prince, have you seen the assassin's face? Is he from the Jin Kingdom or the Great Chu?"
Wang Wentian's question was a bit offensive, but it was understandable.
He Zan was the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty. He held a high position, so it was inevitable that there were people below who were eyeing him covetously. Although the assassination took place in the territory of Da Chu, Luancheng was once under the jurisdiction of the Jin Dynasty, and there were still many Jin people in Luancheng, so it could have been either side.
There is a clear difference in appearance between the Jin people and the Chu people. Although they are only separated by a mountain, the Jin people are tall and rough in appearance, which can still be seen from their appearance.
He Zan didn't care about Wang Wentian's rudeness. He thought about it and shook his head.
"It was dark at the time, and I was only focused on the goods on his stall, and didn't pay attention to the stall owner's appearance, but..."
He Zan thought carefully and continued, "I fought with that man and tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve. I vaguely saw what looked like a tattoo on his upper arm."
"Tattoo?" Lu Xingzhou and Wang Wentian exchanged glances before asking, "Prince, can you clearly see what the tattoo is?"
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