Half a month passed quickly. On that day, the emperor left the palace and a large group of people came to Panlong Mountain where the Huguo Temple was located.
Bai Su was also among the guards. He was wearing silver armor and appeared before everyone, walking as usual. With a long sword at his waist, his imposing aura attracted many people's attention.
Many people were whispering, wondering how the Zhongyong Marquis's son had recovered from his injured right leg. If Bai Su had truly recovered, then his position as the crown prince would have been secure.
"Lord Bai, when did the prince recover from his leg injury? You've done a great job of hiding it!"
A court official who had a good relationship with Bai Heguang teased him when he saw this. "Congratulations, Lord Bai! Now that the Crown Prince is well, the Marquis of Zhongyong's Mansion is truly a powerful addition!"
Bai Heguang suppressed his shock. Seeing the teasing looks from the others, he pretended to have known about it. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Sure, sure."
Only Bai Feizhang glanced gloomily at Bai Su's right leg, his eyes full of sarcasm.
He thought, what if his legs and feet healed? After today, Xiling would be in chaos. By then, when he gained power, it would be easy to trample Bai Su under his feet!
Thinking of this, Bai Feizhang felt extremely proud, as if he had already seen himself becoming the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and having absolute power in the court.
After arriving, the group was temporarily accommodated in the Huguo Temple. The old emperor, in particular, had to bathe and fast for three days before beginning to pray under the guidance of the abbot.
An Hebo was a decisive man. He ordered his men to take action on the night the emperor entered the Huguo Temple.
After dusk, he quietly went down the mountain to join his men, who had already quietly surrounded Panlong Mountain.
According to the plan, the people in the temple he had bribed before would put knockout drugs in the food of the guards and ministers.
As soon as night fell, he sent a signal to let the people Bai Feizhang had placed in the guard team first kill all the guards who were drugged, and then take control of the emperor and ministers.
In this way, capturing the king will be easy.
And as planned, he soon received a reply signal.
Seeing the inconspicuous white fireworks, An Hebo showed a smug smile on his fleshy face, and then he led his men to rush forward.
When he excitedly arrived at the courtyard where the old emperor was, he saw that it was quiet everywhere and there seemed to be no guards at all. He couldn't help but laugh arrogantly.
But he didn't expect that before he could be happy for long, a large number of guards suddenly rushed out of the yard. These people were led by Bai Su, each of them had strong martial arts skills and killed them by surprise.
The people behind An Hebo were no match for them. For a moment, the sound of weapons clashing filled the air. The enemy was simply too outnumbered, and soon reinforcements arrived, surrounding An Hebo's men.
When An Hebo saw this, he knew that the situation was hopeless and he could only surrender.
After making sure it was safe outside, the door of the room was opened from the inside. The old emperor walked out with a sullen face, and when he looked at An Hebo, his face was still filled with uncontrollable anger.
"What a great Lord An He! I never realized before that you actually have such a wicked ambition! Damn it!"
Situ Hongshen had been on the throne for many years, so naturally he could not tolerate someone daring to assassinate him or rebel. He walked over quickly and started cursing at An Hebo.
Unexpectedly, An Hebo, who seemed to have been subdued by the guards, suddenly jumped up, pulled out the dagger in his arms, and stabbed at the old emperor.
The guard behind him obviously didn't expect An Hebo to have so much strength, and he let go for a moment.
Just as everyone was unable to react, watching the dagger about to pierce the emperor's chest, a long sword suddenly swung down, instantly chopping off An Hebo's hand holding the dagger. Then, with a clever move, the severed hand, still clinging to the dagger, was lifted off.
An Hebo screamed and fell to the ground. The guards behind him quickly restrained him and pinned him to the ground. But soon, black blood flowed from the corner of An Hebo's mouth. Obviously, he had bitten through the muttering in his mouth and committed suicide by taking poison.
Looking at An Hebo whose eyes were still wide open after his death, the old emperor was horrified.
At this time, Chen Tian walked over, bent down and looked carefully at the corpse on the ground, naturally reached out and touched his erect neck, and then tore it hard.
A completely different face was revealed: deep eye sockets, a hooked nose, a look that was completely out of place in the Central Plains.
Chen Tian then tugged at the man's oversized outer robe and discovered that he was wearing a fluffy cotton coat underneath, which made him look bloated. The man's exposed chest and arms were completely different from An Hebo's original obesity; instead, they were very muscular and dark.
Upon seeing this, Bai Su immediately ordered his men to check the people brought by An Hebo, and found that many of them looked like foreigners.
It was obvious that the original An Hebo had been replaced by someone at some point in time. The current one, judging by his appearance, was clearly a spy from the Tucker tribe.
No wonder An Hebo was willing to work for the enemy country. Now everything makes sense.
The old emperor's expression instantly turned grim upon seeing this. He had previously been somewhat skeptical of General Shang's report on the alliance between Dayan and the border tribes, but now, he completely believed it.
Because of Chen Tian's identity, he learned the news and did not hide it from the old emperor.
Of course, it didn't specify who it was, just that it's better to be prepared.
The day for praying for blessings had been set long ago, and it was impossible for the old emperor to change the date just because of some groundless rumors.
But face is one thing, and who wouldn't cherish their life, let alone an emperor? For this trip, the old emperor had surrounded himself with numerous experts. Bai Su was leading the team, having been recommended by Chen Tian. After all, this was an opportunity to make a name for himself.
Therefore, this operation was actually carried out under Situ Hongshen's nose.
Bai Su had been prepared for the drug incident. However, to avoid alerting the enemy, the ministers were actually drugged. It wasn't a serious matter, just a moment of unconsciousness.
The rest were held back, awaiting interrogation. Bai Feizhang, however, was not among them, as he ran away quickly. The commander of the imperial guards had already sent people to hunt him down.
After all the strangers had left, the old emperor returned to his room in a dispirited state, supported by Chen Tian.
Seeing Situ Hongshen's expression, Chen Tian knew he had something to say, so he went out and signaled the guards to stay away. Noticing Bai Su in the yard, he smiled at him before turning around and closing the door.
The guards around were all standing at a distance, but as Bai Su was the leader, no one cared about him.
Looking at the tightly closed door, Bai Su wasn't sure what he was thinking. He pursed his lips and finally moved closer, then pretended to stand casually next to a pillar not far from the door.
At this distance, by exerting his inner strength, the sound of the conversation in the room immediately became clear.
"Traitors! These traitors! I never thought those damned little border tribes would be so bold!"
Inside the room, the old emperor was obviously angry and kept cursing.
After a long while, he finally calmed down a little, looked at Chen Tian who was calm beside him, and his expression eased a little: "Chen Ye, this time it is all thanks to you!"
Chen Tian chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Father, don't be too angry. Be careful of your body." Although this trip was a bit dangerous, we have seen through their plan.
"The tribes at the border alone are not capable of replacing An Hebo. It seems that the capital is not entirely solid, and even the imperial palace needs to be guarded more."
The old emperor nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. Dayan must have been behind this."
Thinking of this, Situ Hongshen felt even more threatened and his face turned pale.
Seeing this, Chen Tian said, "Father, misfortune often brings good fortune. The actions of that fake An Hebo are not without benefits. You know, An Hebo and Prime Minister Yan..."
Seeing the old emperor's understanding look, Chen Tian didn't continue.
Minister Yan's faction was a thorn in the old emperor's side. Even if Situ Hongshen valued civil officials over military officials, he would never have liked a court official to form a faction. Minister Yan had violated a taboo, but there had been no reason to punish him.
Now that the matter of An Hebo has come out, even if Yan Xiangzhen is unaware of it, he will certainly be implicated and his power will be stripped away.
Here, the old emperor continued to talk to Chen Tian about court affairs, but Bai Su outside had already withdrawn his internal energy and was a little dazed.
He clenched his fists and stood there blankly. He appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was already in turmoil.
The moment he heard Prince Ning call the Emperor "Father," he was completely stunned. He thought he might have misheard, but the following words only further confirmed his suspicion.
He never thought that Prince Ning would be the emperor's son!
It seems the Emperor had anticipated what happened today, indicating his deep trust in Prince Ning. Prince Ning's actual status meant he had the potential to inherit the throne.
Now, the Emperor intends to use the incident of Earl Anhe to weaken the faction of Prime Minister Yan. But who is Prime Minister Yan supporting? Naturally, it is the Fifth Prince, born to Empress Yan. The Fifth Prince is also the person that everyone thinks is most likely to be appointed as the Crown Prince.
The fact that Prince Ning was able to gather information about today's assassination attempt shows that he is quite powerful. And if Prime Minister Yan were to fall from power, the Fifth Prince would undoubtedly be deeply hurt.
But why did Situ Chenye introduce herself to the Fifth Prince before, and act as if he wanted her to assist Situ Chen, and even let the Fifth Prince call her "Imperial Sister-in-law" in private!
No, that's not right!
Prince Ning had long known that he had the Iron Mysterious Guards in his hands, and perhaps he had a purpose in approaching her. It was only during their subsequent interactions that he discovered her feelings and began to play along, even going so far as to stay with her.
And if he is with me, he can not only command the Tiexuan Guards behind him at will, but also use their relationship to paralyze the Fifth Prince, let him relax his vigilance, and even trust me, the so-called "imperial uncle".
I didn't expect that Prince Ning was so cunning!
So, I was just a pawn of his from the beginning to the end?
Thinking that the true love he believed in was just a scam, Bai Su's eyes turned terrifyingly red, and dense pain spread across his heart, as if he wanted to break his heart into pieces.
But after the heartache, Bai Su quickly calmed down.
He didn't care about being used. No matter what Situ Chenye's purpose and ambition were, since this man had provoked him, he should not think about getting rid of him.
There was a cold look of horror in his eyes. Bai Su curled the corners of his mouth. If someone wanted to use him, he would have to offer some decent compensation in exchange!
The author has something to say:
Don’t worry, you can still be sweet even after turning evil!
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