Lu Xingzhou leaned sideways and barely avoided Fang Zhiran's sword.
Fang Zhiran reacted extremely quickly. Seeing that the sword missed, he immediately shook his wrist, changing the stabbing to a slashing attack, aiming straight for Lu Xingzhou's throat.
Lu Xingzhou leaned back and kicked Fang Zhiran's right hand, which held the sword. Fang Zhiran had no choice but to withdraw his sword move and retreat a few steps. Lu Xingzhou took the opportunity to rush forward and strike Fang Zhiran in the chest.
Fang Zhiran groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Fang Zhiran staggered back a few steps before stopping, then looked up at Lu Xingzhou with eyes full of hatred.
Lu Xingzhou just looked at him coldly. The fight between the secret guards and the assassins was over. One of the assassins was killed on the spot, and only two were captured alive.
"Search his body to prevent them from using poison. Go back and feed him some muscle softening powder and lock him up." Lu Xingzhou ordered.
"yes!"
The secret guards took the two assassins away, and Lu Xingzhou turned around and looked down at Fang Zhiran.
Fang Zhiran wanted to bite his tongue to commit suicide, but Lu Xingzhou poked it away with a sword.
"It's not that easy to die." Lu Xingzhou said coldly.
Lu Xingzhou reached out and pressed Fang Zhiran's acupoints twice. Fang Zhiran suddenly felt weak all over and even his tongue could not move properly.
"Take him away!" Lu Xingzhou waved his hand, and several guards came forward to drag Fang Zhiran away.
Lu Xingzhou watched Fang Zhiran being taken away, then turned and ordered, "Go back and capture He Yinxue in his tent. Then search his tent thoroughly, leaving no trace."
"Yes!" The guard clasped his fists in response, turned around and led his men to Fang Zhiran's tent.
He Yinxue was anxiously waiting for Fang Zhiran in the tent.
She had discussed it with Fang Zhiran, and success or failure depended on this one move.
If the assassin succeeds and Lu Xingzhou dies, then Fang Zhiran can naturally facilitate the alliance with Prince Gebu, because Fang Zhiran has the Second Prince behind him. If the Second Prince successfully ascends the throne, then Fang Zhiran will be considered a successful follower of the dragon, and will have a life of wealth and glory.
Although this assassination attempt would be risky, people often say that fortune and honor are sought in danger. If Fang Zhiran doesn't take a chance, he will be suppressed by Lu Xingzhou.
What's more, He Yinxue and Fang Zhiran had also discussed a retreat. If the assassination failed, Fang Zhiran would pretend to protect Lu Xingzhou. If that didn't work, he would stand in front of the assassin and pretend to block a sword for Lu Xingzhou.
Although he would suffer some physical pain, he could also clear Fang Zhiran of suspicion.
So He Yinxue didn't run away, but just waited for Fang Zhiran in the tent.
But He Yinxue never expected that instead of waiting for Fang Zhiran, she waited for Lu Xingzhou's personal guards.
The guards didn't wait for He Yinxue to speak and immediately stepped forward to tie up He Yinxue and her maid Meng'er.
He Yinxue asked in panic, "What happened? Why are you tying me up?"
The guard had a sullen face and ignored her.
He Yinxue struggled desperately, but she was no match for the guards and was soon taken away by them.
Another group of guards stayed in the tent and carefully searched for evidence of Fang Zhiran's guilt.
The tent was so small that it was not easy to hide things. The guards found a stack of letters in the secret compartment under the bed with almost no effort.
The guards imprisoned He Yinxue in the prison and presented the stack of letters to Lu Xingzhou.
Lu Xingzhou was not surprised to see the stack of letters. With Lu Yu'an's identity, it was impossible for him to travel to the Northern Frontier frequently, so if he and Fang Zhiran wanted to contact each other, they must do so through letters.
It’s just that Lu Xingzhou was a little unsure whether Fang Zhiran would destroy the letter.
Now it seems that Fang Zhiran kept all these letters, probably to keep them as evidence for future use. If Lu Yu'an ascends to the throne in the future and wants to kick Fang Zhiran out, then these letters can be used as a powerful weapon for Fang Zhiran to threaten Lu Yu'an.
But now, these letters have become evidence to convict Fang Zhiran.
Lu Xingzhou asked the clerk to copy the correspondence and send it directly back to Wangjing City to hand it to Emperor Jingkang, and then took the letters to the prison to meet Fang Zhiran.
With the evidence right in front of him and the previous assassination incident in mind, Fang Zhiran knew that he had nothing to argue about.
So he simply closed his eyes and didn't look at Lu Xingzhou, nor did he say anything, as if he didn't care what Lu Xingzhou said.
Lu Xingzhou was not annoyed. He asked someone to bring a chair over, sat down slowly, and looked at Fang Zhiran.
"What? You have nothing to say?" Lu Xingzhou knocked on the table. "Since you won't say anything, then I will do it."
"You colluded with the Second Prince to murder me, and you deserve death. However, I cannot understand why you, a Marquis, wouldn't just live your peaceful life in peace and quiet instead of taking such a risk."
Fang Zhiran sneered, "A peaceful life? Your Highness, do you know what life is like for a defeated Marquisate? There are so many mouths to feed in the Marquisate. If they are easily dismissed, what will the Marquisate become in the eyes of others? If they are not dismissed, just to maintain the superficial glory and respectability, Your Highness, do you know how much money it will cost?"
Lu Xingzhou frowned and said, "I understand that you came to the Northern Frontier hoping to gain merit, and I respect you as a man. Originally, I planned to wait for the Great Chu and the Jin Kingdom to sign an alliance, and then recommend you for merit when we returned to the capital. But you suddenly did this, and I can't understand why."
Fang Zhiran's expression relaxed a little, but he still couldn't believe it: "Your Highness, are you planning to ask for credit on my behalf? Don't be ridiculous."
Lu Xingzhou's doubts deepened. "Why not? You made great contributions in retaking Luancheng before, but the war in the northern border has not yet ended, so I wanted to keep you until the northern border is pacified before rewarding you. But now you are colluding with Lu Yu'an, and even I am not sure I can protect you."
"But didn't Your Highness come to Northern Frontier to make achievements? How dare Your Highness say that he has no intention of competing for the throne?"
At this point, Fang Zhiran felt that he was doomed to die, so he dared to ask those presumptuous questions.
Lu Yu'an looked at Fang Zhiran with sharp eyes. "If I were to tell you this, you wouldn't believe me if I, as a prince, didn't express my thoughts at all. But I came to the Northern Frontier to quell the war and restore peace to the borders of Great Chu. Great Chu and the Jin Kingdom have been fighting for a long time. No matter which side has the upper hand, the people suffer. I don't want the people to live in fear every day like this anymore."
"As for the meritorious service you mentioned, I am already a prince, and I am not lacking in merit. Whoever deserves it will get it."
Fang Zhiran's shoulders, which had been straight up, slumped down. What Lu Xingzhou said was completely different from what he had expected.
He originally thought that Lu Xingzhou came just to steal the credit. By signing an alliance with the Jin Kingdom, he could wipe out the results of all the frontier soldiers' years of bloody battles.
Many things also verified Fang Zhiran's speculation. Originally, Wang Wentian valued him very much, but when Lu Xingzhou came on Monday, Wang Wentian discussed everything with him.
There is another point, which Fang Zhiran himself is unwilling to admit. He is jealous of Lu Xingzhou, very jealous, even to the point of resentment.
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