Chapter 39 Half a year after returning to the capital, Xiao Wangshu was awarded the title of Emperor…
Half a year later, Xiao Wangshu was recalled to Bian Jing by the emperor due to his outstanding political achievements and was appointed as a Grand Secretary and entered the cabinet.
It can be said that he has risen to prominence. After bidding farewell to everyone in the counties, Xiao Wangshu, taking Nian Yue and An with him, set off on his journey home.
As for Mr. Chihua, he said goodbye to him halfway. He still remembered that it was a beautiful spring day, and Mr. Chihua had a warm smile:
"When the time is right, we will meet again. Farewell, and we will meet again."
After saying this, he raised his whisk and left in a leisurely manner.
They were exhausted from the long journey, but who would have thought that as soon as they left Licheng, Xiao Wangshu and others were assassinated.
They were all dressed in uniform black and came with great momentum. They were not asking for money or people, but were targeting Xiao Wangshu's head. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not assigned him a few guards before leaving, he would probably have died on the way.
Even so, they were in a very miserable state.
Late at night, in a dilapidated land temple somewhere, the guards lit a bonfire, and the fire illuminated the scene of the dilapidated temple.
The wind blew outside, making the already dilapidated door creak and nearly snuffing out the bonfire in the temple. Soon, a heavy downpour began to fall, and the mist thickened, making their dilapidated temple seem even more isolated from the world.
"Sir, do you have any clues about this group of people?"
After neatly clearing out a place for people to sit, Nian Yue took out some dry food from the package and distributed it to everyone. Then she sat down next to Xiao Wangshu, stuffing the dry food into her mouth while asking Xiao Wangshu questions.
Xiao Wangshu shook his head first, took a bite of his rations and swallowed them before he spoke carefully:
"I'm just a gentleman in Bianjing. With such hatred, there are only a few who dare to attack me."
Suddenly he smiled, and Xiao Wangshu remained calm, as if he was not the one who had just escaped from an assassination.
"But who can say for sure? Maybe it's just one of them who's stupid."
"Sir, you really have a big heart."
Having said that, Nian Yue didn't seem to take the assassination seriously. She was still stuffing biscuits into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster hoarding food.
But Xiao Wangshu just laughed it off and started eating quietly.
A sudden rainstorm hit, and they were trapped in this dilapidated temple and temporarily unable to continue their journey, so they had to spend the night here.
Xiao Wangshu and Nian Yue, who were not sleepy for the time being, planned to guard the first half of the night. Naturally, several guards did not dare to do so, but Xiao Wangshu did not care. First, these people had just fought a fierce battle during the day and were in urgent need of rest. Second, the person behind the scenes would probably not give up. He would probably have to go through a lot of assassinations before entering Beijing, so these guards were particularly important.
The guards obviously failed to convince Xiao Wangshu, and after several rounds of negotiations, they had no choice but to agree.
In the middle of the night, the rain outside the house gradually stopped, leaving only a few drops of rain, accompanied by the crackling sound of flames burning wood, which was very sleep-inducing. Nian Yue had already dozed off.
However, Xiao Wangshu remained sober, and the situation in the capital became clearer.
The fourth prince, Xie Jingrong, was the heir apparent and had a good relationship with the seventh prince, Xie Zhenhe, who had gone to the border for training. He had the advantage of being the legitimate son and the support of the renowned general Guan. His faction was primarily composed of military commanders, along with several civil officials, led by Yao Ce, and, of course, his father.
As for the Sixth Prince Xie Yongheng, he was born to Consort Liu Xian, who was the only one favored by the Emperor. He was now a Royal Consort and had a sister, Princess Duanyang. He did not have a particularly close relationship with any of the other princes, but he was very close to the Emperor's brother, Prince Liang.
Thinking of this, Xiao Wangshu drew a circle around King Liang in his mind. The relationship between the two still needed to be further investigated. In his previous life, he was forced to commit suicide, and a big reason was that he knew many secrets that he shouldn't know. In this life, these secrets will become his most advantageous weapon to overthrow the Sixth Prince.
In the court, the Sixth Prince's faction was more secretive and complicated, and more than half of these ministers had leverage over him. As a result, these ministers became the sharpest blades in the Sixth Prince's hands, and were the first group he dealt with after he ascended the throne.
Generally speaking, the government was mainly composed of civil officials, and with the support of King Liang, there was never a shortage of silver and money.
Among the people, the reputations of these two people are comparable, in sharp contrast to his own prince.
Although His Highness is the legitimate son, his reputation for being tyrannical, unjust, and moody is known to everyone.
As for the imperial court, it can be said to be isolated and helpless. Of course, this is only on the surface. Privately, His Highness has always maintained contact with his maternal family. Led by the Licheng Lu family, all the noble families are willing for His Highness to ascend the throne.
Apart from him, there is only the old general, but the old general is very busy and can only return to Beijing once every six months or so.
As for the princes, the eldest prince Xie Anyi is on good terms with His Highness, but Xiao Wangshu doesn't like the eldest prince very much.
When he saw the eldest prince, Xiao Wangshu felt like he was seeing another himself.
Suddenly, a loud thunder interrupted Xiao Wang's thoughts. He looked outside the temple and was a little distracted, but suddenly he heard a cracking sound, as if something heavy had broken a branch. Xiao Wangshu instantly became alert and listened carefully, but the rain covered his eyes and he couldn't make out anything.
It took so long that he almost thought it was an illusion.
There was another click, and besides that there were a few scattered footsteps.
Without much hesitation, he quickly and gently woke up the guards who were still sleeping, and gestured for them to be quiet.
The footsteps outside the temple became more and more frequent and chaotic.
The next second, there was a loud bang and the already shaky temple gate was completely destroyed, and then several men in black rushed in.
Several guards had been waiting for a long time and rushed forward with weapons in hand. The two groups fought fiercely.
In an instant, the small dilapidated temple was filled with the sound of fighting, the clashing of swords and the flying of sparks, which intertwined with the heavy rain that had started outside the house at some point in time to form a fierce melody.
These men in black were all agile and ruthless. They were obviously the same group as the previous one and were all well-trained assassins.
Although the guards assigned to him by the prince were also the best fighters picked from hundreds, they were exhausted after the fierce battle during the day. In addition, they were outnumbered and gradually fell into a disadvantage. Xiao Wangshu and Nian Yue were protected in the middle, and everyone fought and retreated.
Just when everyone's attention was focused on the battle situation, Nian Yue, who was originally protected in the center, suddenly left. She wandered outside the center of the battlefield, clutching the package in her hand with a sharp look in her eyes.
At this moment, a man in black suddenly broke through the guards' defense, and the sharp sword flashed straight towards Xiao Wangshu's face.
Just as the blade was about to fall, the man in black's arm suddenly stiffened, and several large red rashes suddenly appeared on the exposed skin. Then he couldn't help but utter a few painful groans, and the knife in his hand loosened, falling to the muddy ground with a clanging sound. The remaining men in black also showed the same symptoms.
It was Nian Yue! She raised her arm high, a few silver needles gleaming with silver light between her fingertips. In an instant, the men in black fell to the ground, and there was no sound.
Raindrops dripped from the leaky roof, mixing with blood and winding on the ground.
Silence returned to the dilapidated temple, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing and the patter of rain outside. The guards, all wounded, struggled to check on their companions. Fortunately, no one was killed, but the injuries were severe.
"Clean the wound and bandage it simply. We shouldn't stay here for long." Xiao Wangshu's voice was still steady, but if you listened carefully, you could detect a hint of fatigue.
After explaining it, he walked over to Nian Yue and asked, "Are you okay?"
Nian Yue shook her head, put away the remaining poison needles, and her face regained some of its usual expression, but her eyes were still cold:
"It's alright, sir."
Hearing the answer, Xiao Wangshu sighed. Nian Yue had indeed learned a lot in places where he couldn't see.
After a short rest, everyone did not dare to stay any longer. They hastily treated their wounds and simply placed the bodies of their fallen companions behind the temple. Then, braving the heavy rain that was still going on, they left this dangerous place overnight.
The rest of the journey was just as Xiao Wangshu had expected, with constant assassinations. Fortunately, thanks to the guards' desperate protection and Nian Yue's unexpected acupuncture skills, and Xiao Wangshu's usual alertness, they managed to escape danger along the way. Finally, after more than a month, they arrived in Bianjing, exhausted.
Looking at the towering city walls in the distance, everyone felt as if they were in another world.
The guards would handle the formalities of entering the city. Xiao Wangshu sat in the carriage, opened the curtains, and looked at the still bustling streets of Bianjing with a deep look in his eyes. He was afraid that the situation in Bianjing was even more treacherous.
The carriage did not go directly to the palace to report, but first returned to the Grand Secretary's mansion granted by the emperor. The mansion had obviously just been cleaned up in a hurry and was a little deserted.
As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate, servants came forward to serve. Xiao Wangshu was helped out of the carriage by the servants, and Nianyue followed closely behind.
As soon as he entered the mansion, he saw a man waiting at the door for a long time. He had an ordinary appearance but an extraordinary temperament. Xiao Wangshu knew it was the prince at a glance.
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