Chapter 168 Ji Chen is arrested
She then asked Aoxue, "Can you contact any of the other guards in the Prince's mansion?" Xie Shang had left someone for her when he left, but she had been in the palace and hadn't seen them yet.
Ao Xue took out a signal flare from her body and released it into the sky. "Alright, they'll come looking for us when they see the signal."
As soon as the carriage arrived at the Zhang family's gate, it was already surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Jiang Fenghua opened the carriage window and looked out, and was shocked by what she saw. Sure enough, something had happened at the Zhang residence, and the fire was quite large.
She crawled out of the carriage, but Lin Yu stopped her. "Your stomach isn't feeling well, so don't get off. There are too many people, and I'm afraid you'll get jostled. I'll go see what happened and come back to tell you before you make a decision."
Jiang Fenghua shared this concern and nodded, "Be careful, have the guards follow you."
A moment later, Lin Yu ran back, panting, "I heard that the fire started in the courtyard of the Duke of Zhang, and most of the Zhang mansion was burned down. The Zhang family has also caught the culprit, who is none other than the Second Madam Zhang."
"How is Duke Zhang?" Jiang Fenghua asked with concern.
Lin Yu said, "It's said that he's probably dead. With such a big fire, how could someone with mobility issues escape? The Zhang family is in complete chaos now, the whole mansion is filled with mourning. I also heard that Old Madam Zhang is nearing her end..."
"How could this happen? It must have been Madam Zhang who set the fire. How dare she?"
"I heard she was holding a grudge... She was divorced by the second master of the Zhang family." Lin Yu recounted what she had found out.
Jiang Fenghua shook her head. "It's not that simple."
She thought to herself: Ji Chen was rescued by Su Xuan, and now Su Xuan has returned to the border. Just then, the Zhang family had an accident, and the Su family washed their hands of it. But Ji Chen did not go to the border with them. Could he reach into the Zhang family and instigate Madam Zhang the Second?
Based on her understanding of Ji Chen, she knew he was capable of doing anything immoral or heinous.
If it really is him, is he also at the scene now? Jiang Fenghua wanted to take a gamble.
She told Lin Yu and Ao Xue about her plan to lure the snake out of its hole, and both of them objected.
Ao Xue said, "No, my duty is to protect the safety of the Princess and the young prince."
Lin Yu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Perhaps the Princess's suggestion is feasible, but it needs to be adjusted."
They were just waiting for Princess Heng to emerge from the carriage and head towards the Zhang residence.
Just then, a hidden arrow suddenly shot out from the shadows and flew straight at her.
"Your Highness, be careful! There's an assassin!" Ao Xue reacted quickly, pushing her away. Immediately afterward, more arrows came flying, and Ao Xue drew her soft sword from her waist to defend herself.
However, Princess Heng, who was heavily pregnant, was not so lucky. Wearing a large fur coat, she fell directly to the ground, looking as if she had suffered a serious injury and was in great distress.
The people around were initially focused on the fire at the Zhang family's house, but suddenly someone shouted, "Your Highness, be careful! There's an assassin!" Everyone was so frightened that they all covered their heads and ran away.
In an instant, the scene became chaotic. Princess Heng and her maid were separated, leaving her alone as she was pushed aside by the crowd and fell to the ground.
While Ao Xue was still dealing with the assassins, even though she was quite skilled, she had no time to take care of the princess in the distance.
The lotus leaves were also squeezed to one side, seemingly unable to get through.
Ji Chen hid in a corner, watching the swaying heads. His blood was flowing fast, as if he was very excited. Just as Jiang Fenghua was about to stand up, he put on his hooded cloak, grabbed a dagger, and rushed into the crowd.
He slowly approached Jiang Fenghua, intending to plunge the dagger directly into her stomach.
Just then, Lin Yu, disguised as Princess Heng, reacted swiftly and displayed her martial arts skills. Her dagger struck Ji Chen's hand, severing his tendons.
He hadn't expected that the other person wasn't Jiang Fenghua. Only when he got closer and saw her face clearly did he realize who she was: Manager Lin of Xiangya Restaurant, a passionate and flirtatious woman who even knew martial arts.
He hadn't expected that even though the Zhang family had suffered such a huge incident, Jiang Fenghua, who had clearly arrived at the Zhang family, could still find someone to impersonate her, given her relationship with the Zhang family.
When his plan was exposed, Ji Chen tried to escape in the chaos despite the pain in his hand, but Lin Yu gave him no chance. She rushed up and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Ji Chen wore a hat that covered most of his face, and it was dark, so Lin Yu didn't remember his face. She said, "Let this old lady see which bastard you are who wants to harm people."
Ji Chen crawled on the ground, trying to grab Lin Yu with a backhand, but Ao Xue suddenly leaped up and stepped directly on his body. Her sword flashed in her hand. She had tried to kill him last time, but he had escaped.
Jiang Fenghua stopped him, saying, "Aoxue, wait a moment." If it really was him who set fire to the Zhang Mansion and killed the Duke and Duchess of Zhang, he would have to give the Zhang family an explanation, and even give Zhang Yumo an explanation.
At this moment, the archer also began to flee, but was blocked by a person whose body was ice-cold.
Soon, the royal guards arrived. "Your Highness, I'm sorry for being late and causing you any distress."
Jiang Fenghua had never encountered anything so thrilling, where life and death hung in the balance. She knew this path would be fraught with thorns.
Her mind raced. She glanced at the guard, who she had never seen before at the Prince Heng's residence. Calmly, she said, "Go after the assassin first."
Aoxue wanted to chase after them, but the person glanced at her and said, "Qin Aoxue, you stay here to protect the princess. Let the assassins go after them."
He then had someone take Ji Chen from Ao Xue's hands and lift his cloak to reveal his true face.
For a moment, Ao Xue was stunned. "Yes."
Ji Chen never expected to be defeated by Jiang Fenghua again. His eyes blazed with anger. Jiang Fenghua and Lin Yu had changed clothes and were hiding in the car, which meant that she had been alone just now. He said coldly, "Jiang Fenghua, why do you always manage to escape? What's going on? From the first time I saw you, I felt that you were hostile towards me."
Jiang Fenghua stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Did you set the fire at the Zhang residence?"
Ji Chen sneered, "I don't have the ability to enter the Zhang mansion to kill and set fires. Now I've fallen into your hands. You're so smart, don't you already know who set the fire?" It was Madam Zhang the Second who set the fire, but it had nothing to do with him.
At this moment, Lord Yang of the Five Cities Garrison arrived late. Seeing the chaotic scene, he quickly ordered his men to suppress the unrest and maintain order.
"I am late and have caused Princess Heng a fright." Yang Zheng bowed to her. He had already questioned the person who went to report the incident and knew that it was Princess Heng who sent him, so he came in person. He did not expect that it really was the Zhang residence that was on fire.
Jiang Fenghua said, "Lord Yang, my guards have captured the assassin who tried to harm me."
Meanwhile, on the other side, seeing that Ji Chen's assassination attempt had failed, Li Cheng curled up a contemptuous smile and turned to leave.
In his eyes, Ji Chen was a good-for-nothing. He really didn't know why Su Xuan would save him or even entrust him with important responsibilities.
Li Cheng didn't bother with him. If Ji Chen hadn't told him to come and watch the show, he wouldn't have come.
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