Prince Cheng's mansion is bustling with activity today. Soldiers from the City Defense Department, Jingzhao Prefecture, and the Jinwu Guards have all arrived. They are now moving things out of the secret passage one by one, or in other words, piece by piece, and displaying them on the ground in the outer courtyard of the former study.
The overwhelming smell of blood, stench, and explosives mixed together, stimulating the noses of everyone present. However, no one complained, as the issue that had troubled them most had been resolved—the Second Prince, who had been on the run for so many days, had finally been apprehended, and no one would be held responsible for this.
However, he had no time to be happy. The series of consequences brought about by his death needed to be explained. For example, why did the Second Prince appear in Prince Cheng's mansion, why did he carry so much explosives, why did he blow himself up, and where did this secret passage lead to? These were all vexing questions.
Lu Anyuan has already come out of the secret passage and confirmed the death of his second brother. What happens next here is none of his business.
Prince Cheng had also returned to his mansion at this time. He watched this group of people busy in his study without saying a word.
"Uncle." Lu Anyuan bowed as he left the hospital. He wanted to ask something, but when he saw that his uncle looked normal, he knew that he didn't need to explain anything about this secret passage, or in other words, he didn't need to explain it to himself.
"Anyuan, thank you for your hard work. I heard that it was thanks to you that we led the army in pursuit today. Otherwise, if he had broken into the palace, all the ministers who were still in the morning court would have suffered."
"He Xin also contributed a lot, and we have to thank him for holding my second brother back for a while."
Prince Cheng looked puzzled. "How come He Xin is involved in this? I haven't seen him show up yet..."
Lu Anyuan's heart tightened. Could he have been killed in the explosion? If he was killed, would Yixing's shadow guard also be killed?
"Uncle, you take care of things here. I have to go back home quickly."
"Go ahead." Prince Cheng did not try to stop him. Anyway, he had to explain today's events to the emperor, so there was no rush.
He rushed back and saw Xu Yixing still in the hall, but there were some envelopes and reports in front of him that he had read.
"Oh my God, where have you been? Why are you so dirty?" Xu Yixing stood up and wanted to take a few steps forward to see it more clearly, but the red and black stuff on his armor made it really difficult for people to get close to it.
Lu Anyuan also knew that he was indeed a little dirty at the moment, so he stopped and said: "Well, thank you for your shadow guards today. If it weren't for them, I'm afraid I would have missed the opportunity to hunt down my second brother."
"It's good that you know. I asked you not to tell me anything, but I still have to take action!"
Lu Anyuan smiled. It seemed that nothing had happened to Yixing, so he could rest assured and take care of the funeral.
"Then I'll go first. I'm afraid it will take a long time to finish today's work. You don't have to wait for me to eat."
"Who's willing to wait for you?" Xu Yixing smiled and sent him off, his heart finally settling down. It seemed that Lu Anyuan had won a great victory today, but it was a bit embarrassing.
While he was still feeling proud, Ying Jiu came in, his voice slightly hoarse: "Master, everyone is back. We have lost a brother."
"Ah? Who is it?" Xu Yixing stood up quickly, his heart broken.
"It's Ying Er."
Shadow Two, Xu Yixing remembered him. He was good at setting up mechanisms. He was very tall and stood out a little in the crowd, so he rarely showed up.
"How did it happen?"
"The Second Prince placed a gunpowder trap under the Fourth Prince's seat. If he moved or left, it would explode. Ying Er went to dismantle the trap."
"Killed by the explosion?" Xu Yixing's heart was in her throat. She seemed to know why Lu Anyuan's face was so dark and gray.
"No. The mechanism was broken, but the Second Prince was unruly and set up a poison gas duct under the floor. As soon as the mechanism was broken and the floor was opened, poison would be sprayed out. He fell for it."
Xu Yixing took a few deep breaths. She felt helpless and pale, because the second prince was defeated and would either die or be imprisoned. She had no way to seek revenge on him without going through the emperor. How frustrating!
"What about the Fourth Prince?"
"He was also poisoned, but he was covered in a mechanical blanket by Ying Er, so he didn't inhale much and is still alive."
"Okay, then he owes me his life from now on. Wait, where's Ying Si? Didn't they go together?"
"When Ying Er broke the trap, Ying Si and the others followed the Seventh Prince. After all, it would be more dangerous for him to chase the Second Prince."
"Oh!" He slammed his fist on the table. How could he tell others about this anger? "Did anyone else see his body?"
"No, we've already taken it away."
"Give him a proper burial." Xu Yixing slumped in the chair. Although she had no involvement in today's events and didn't even know the cause and effect, she was very sad to have lost a shadow guard in vain.
Ying Jiu didn't leave, and spoke cautiously, "Actually, they heard something else outside the Fourth Prince's courtyard. They asked me to carefully relay it to you, but I don't know what needs to be considered."
"Tell me everything." Are these people planning to hide what they heard from me? Absolutely not!
At night, Lu Anyuan had a head full of answers and excitement, and wanted to share them with Xu Yixing who had been waiting at home. But after pushing the door open, he saw her expression, and it seemed that, probably, she was not waiting for his story here.
"Not asleep yet, waiting for me?"
"I'm not asleep. I'm waiting for you."
"You talk, I'm listening." Lu Anyuan loosened his armor slightly. He had worn it long enough today.
"One of my shadow guards died."
"When, and which one?"
"The man who helped the Fourth Prince break the trap was poisoned and died."
"Hiss!" Lu Anyuan already knew that the Fourth Prince was poisoned, but he was still unconscious, and no one came to explain what happened there after he left. He really didn't know that the shadow guard would die because of it.
"The poisonous smoke is placed under the floor. It will be released if the mechanism is broken and the floor is opened. My people have been infected."
"I see. Second Brother had no intention of letting him live. Whether it was blowing him up or releasing the poison gas after someone cracked the mechanism, he left no chance for us to survive."
Today, the Second Prince had originally planned to send assassins to kill the two of them after he left. They would either be shot to death by arrows from outside, or killed by assassins inside the house, or killed by an explosion caused by the panicked Fourth Prince's movements.
Everyone was doomed to die, but because of those shadow guards, the two of them managed to survive. My second brother really hated us.
"I will remember this life on Lu Hexin. When he recovers, remember to tell him that he owes me a life, and he will have to pay it back in the future."
"Of course, it's mine too. After all, if I wasn't here, Ying Er wouldn't have had to go in."
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