Chapter 274 There is a traitor in the Jinwu Guard
Zhang Sicheng personally removed the jaws of more than ten assassins to prevent them from biting their tongues to commit suicide or swallowing poison.
Yan Shixu turned around and strode back to the carriage.
The car curtain was lifted, and he leaned in with a strong smell of blood and a cold murderous aura.
Hua Zhan and Qiu Ying consciously dodged.
Wen Li'er stared at the man in front of her without blinking.
There were a few dark red blood stains on his handsome face.
Instead of looking embarrassed, it even has a bit of thrilling evil and murderous aura.
Wen Li'er's eyes instantly turned red and she threw herself into his arms.
She looked up at him, her soft hands stroking his cheek, wiping away the few drops of blood.
Then he stroked his body inch by inch, checking if he was injured.
Yan Shixu grabbed her rebellious hand and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you scared?"
Wen Li shook her head, then nodded, her voice trembling slightly with the feeling of having survived a disaster.
"I am just worried that the emperor will get hurt."
Yan Shixu stretched out his hand, but his movements were completely different from the ruthless and murderous one just now. With a cautious and gentle touch, he gently wiped away a tear that had rolled down her cheek with his fingertips.
The hot touch fell on his fingertips with thin calluses and also on his heart.
"It's okay." He said softly, holding her gently in his arms.
"Don't be afraid, Li'er. I just want to verify the results of my martial arts training with Uncle Wu over the past two years."
Knowing that she would be worried and crying, he would definitely not go to fight the assassin himself.
Wen Li'er nodded vigorously in his arms. All her fears and worries seemed to have found an outlet in this solid and warm embrace, turning into silent dependence.
Ye Huai, the General of the Central Guards, who arrived late, knelt down and apologized.
"Your Majesty, I, Ye Huai, am late in protecting you. I deserve death! Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
His voice broke the brief silence and instantly ignited the suppressed coldness in Yan Shixu's eyes.
Yan Shixu did not respond immediately.
He still maintained the posture of hugging Wen Li'er, but slowly raised his eyelids, and his gaze was like a solid ice cone, piercing Ye Huai who was kneeling on the ground.
"General Ye."
Yan Shixu's voice was not loud, even a little lower than when he ordered "severe torture" just now, but every word seemed to be wrapped in ice chips, hitting the silent night sky and also hitting Ye Huai's heart.
"You, the Jinwu Guard, will be responsible for clearing the path, deploying defenses, and maintaining vigilance along the Imperial Concubine's route back to the palace. This location is only three streets away from the Jinwu Guard patrol station. Even if we have to crawl, we should be able to reach it."
He spoke slowly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking Wen Li'er's soft hair, but his eyes were extremely sharp.
"Tell me," Yan Shixu's voice grew even colder, "where were you and your Jinwu Guards just now?"
This calm questioning frightened Ye Huai far more than thundering rage.
His forehead hit the cold, hard ground with a dull thud.
"Your Majesty, calm down! I... I deserve death! When the incident happened, I was patrolling the camp west of the city. After receiving the urgent report, I immediately led my troops here at full speed. The journey is quite far..."
"Patrol camp in the west of the city?" Yan Shixu raised his eyebrows slightly, and a very cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Today, the Imperial Concubine is returning to the palace. I have specifically instructed the main force of the Jinwu Guard to guard the route back to the palace. You were on duty today, but instead of staying in the main defense area, you went to patrol the camp west of the city? Ye Huai, did I misremember the order, or do you... have other intentions?"
The words "other plans" hung over Ye Huai's head.
Wen Li'er didn't dare to interrupt Yan Shixu, but subconsciously buried her face deeper into his arms, her little hands tightly clutching his clothes.
Ye Huai's body was shaking, and cold sweat had soaked through his underwear.
He knew that any excuses and prevarications would be weak at this moment and might even increase the emperor's suspicion.
But he had to say it.
"Your Majesty, please understand! I have absolutely no second thoughts! Tonight… tonight, the Left General of the Jinwu Guard, Zhou Tong, is on duty, responsible for defending the main route. He ordered me to command the central army, but… but at the beginning of the evening hour, the Left General suddenly reported that there seemed to be unusual activity at a Jinwu Guard outpost west of the city. He feared that some scoundrels were causing trouble, and this was a matter of great importance. He ordered me to personally lead a team of elite troops to investigate. Unexpectedly… Unexpectedly, upon arriving, we only found three petty thieves! When I realized something was amiss, realizing it was a decoy, I rushed back to provide assistance, but it was already… already too late! This was all because I trusted what others said! I am willing to die, and I only ask Your Majesty to investigate. I have absolutely no intention of colluding with the assassins!"
Yan Shixu listened quietly, with no expression on his face.
His eyes swept across Ye Huai's sweaty temples and his posture pressed against the ground, then passed by the assassin's body being dragged away in the distance, and the thick smell of blood in the air.
"Lure the tiger away from the mountain?"
Yan Shixu repeated it softly.
"Over three hundred well-armed, fearless warriors silently infiltrated the capital and laid a precise ambush on the route the imperial concubine had to take to return to the palace. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant General of the Jinwu Guard, responsible for maintaining security in the capital and protecting the imperial palace, was distracted by a 'suspicious movement' by General Zuo... Ye Huai, do you think this was merely a coincidence?"
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Ye Huai like a hawk: "Where is Zhou Tong?"
Ye Huai's heart trembled, and he hurriedly said, "Zhou Tong...Zhou Tong is in charge of the defense of the main route. At the moment...I don't know where he is. I will go find him immediately!"
"No need." Yan Shixu interrupted him coldly.
"Zhang Sicheng!"
"I'm here!" Zhang Sicheng, who had been standing solemnly by the side, immediately bowed.
"Go personally and apprehend Zhou Tong, the Left General of the Jinwu Guard, along with all the Jinwu Guards on duty tonight. Keep them under strict guard! All those with high official rank will be held in solitary confinement. No one is allowed to approach them without my written permission!"
After giving the order, Yan Shixu glanced at Ye Huai coldly: "He is the same."
"Yes." Zhang Sicheng accepted the order.
Ye Huai collapsed to the ground, closed his eyes, and prepared to die.
Yan Shixu said, "I'll give you a chance to prove your innocence. The assassin is alive, and Zhang Sicheng will preside over the trial. I want you to personally investigate the whereabouts and confessions of all the Jinwu Guards on duty tonight. Get to the bottom of it! If you can't find out, I'll only punish you for dereliction of duty. If not, bring your own head before me!"
Ye Huai kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, I obey your command! I thank you for your grace!"
Yan Shixu stopped looking at him, withdrew his gaze, and gave orders in a deep voice.
"Let's go back to the palace."
The carriage started again and rolled over the blood-stained bluestone road.
Yan Shixu hugged Wen Li'er, his jaw line tense.
There is a traitor in the Jinwu Guard. Ye Huai is suspicious, and Zhou Tong is even more suspicious.
Wen Li'er called him softly, "Your Majesty..."
Yan Shixu lowered his head, met her worried eyes, and patted the back of her hand soothingly.
"It's okay, Li'er. I will investigate thoroughly. I won't let anyone who dares to hurt you go."
Wen Li'er nodded heavily.
…
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