The two quickly ruled out this possibility. The fact that the Crown Prince was currently in Yunzhou was another matter. Since Yuwen Wuji had appointed him as Crown Prince, it was impossible for him not to be wary of him.
The two men couldn't understand how anyone could have known in advance that the Emperor was coming to Huangjue Temple to pray for blessings, and then planned this assassination attempt.
Based on the information they currently have, it's unlikely that anyone in North Korea would do such a thing.
Fang Rao led his men to clear away the traces of people outside the cave. With such a commotion today, the Five Cities Military Command would surely receive the news. Once the reinforcements arrived and dealt with these rebels, they would be able to leave safely.
Caijin took out a handkerchief to wipe Song Yaozhu's face and fix her hair, then took off her vest and placed it on the ground for Song Yaozhu to sit on.
"It's getting chilly now, take off your clothes, what if you get cold at night?" Song Yaozhu told her to put on her vest.
“I’m not cold. It’s Your Highness who should be careful. Your health is already weak. If you catch a cold and Granny Qin finds out, we servants will definitely get a scolding.”
Seeing that Song Yaozhu was about to refuse, Xie Liwei grabbed her waist and made her sit on his lap. He said to Caijin, "Put your clothes on. How dare you undress in front of me and the Queen."
Caijin silently picked up the vest, feeling that the prince's words just now sounded like he was complaining to the princess. It gave her the feeling that a chaste and virtuous man was being unreasonable...
No, no, no, this must be her imagination. That's their clever and decisive prince! How could he possibly do such a thing?
"You've been running all this way, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Xie Liwei took her pulse. Song Yaozhu felt helpless. Ever since she became pregnant, she had become a key person to protect. She had to be careful about what she ate and did. But sometimes, too much of a good thing can be bad. The more careful she was, the more vulnerable the baby might become.
Of course, let's skip the dramatic scenes like today's.
Xie Liwei knew how to take a pulse normally, and seeing that her pulse was stable, he breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into his cloak.
After clearing away the traces outside, Fang Rao sent two people to guard a high place and another person out to scout the surrounding area.
"Are we going to spend the whole night here?" Caiyin asked fearfully. Inside the cave, only a luminous pearl emitted a faint light, barely enough for them to see.
Outside the cave, it was completely dark. The world without light was like a huge black hole, as if anyone who stepped into that darkness would be swallowed up.
Caijin comforted her by pulling her into his arms and patting her back.
"Don't be afraid, the prince and princess are here."
“It’s dark now, and there’s chaos outside. If we go out, we won’t know who’s friend and who’s foe. Besides, we’re outside the city now. If someone from the Five Cities Garrison rebels, going back into the city would be like walking into a trap,” Song Yaozhu explained. “The original plan was to return to the city after the prayers today. If the people in the city find that the Emperor hasn’t returned, they will naturally send people out to search. By tomorrow morning, all that mess will probably be over.”
Caiyin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded obediently. Suddenly, she took out a small packet of pastries from her sleeve. These pastries were prepared by Granny Qin for Song Yaozhu to take to the palace to tide her over.
"Your Highness and Your Highness, are you hungry?" She presented the pastries to them like a precious treasure, but unfortunately, the pastries had already broken during her escape. Seeing the broken pastries in the handkerchief, Caiyin felt very upset, feeling like a burden who couldn't help at all when it mattered most.
But Song Yaozhu didn't mind; she reached out, picked out half a piece, and ate it.
Xie Liwei also took a piece that wasn't too broken, "You guys can divide the rest."
The sweet taste in their mouths helped to quell the fear and trepidation they had felt during the assassination attempt, and they eagerly awaited the arrival of dawn.
Strange noises kept coming from the mountains at night, making it impossible for everyone to sleep soundly.
As dawn approached, a guard returned. Xie Liwei, carrying Song Yaozhu, couldn't leave her behind to go out and hear the report, so he had to take the guard with him.
"The military police have surrounded Huangjue Temple and rescued many officials and their wives. However, the emperor has gone missing. Some people say they saw the imperial guards escorting people into the back mountains. Assassins chased after them, and now the soldiers have begun searching the mountains."
Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.
"Pack your things and go find the Emperor."
Yuwen Wuji cannot die now.
The two thought about it for a long time last night and felt that the assassination attempt was related to the new policies.
Those established aristocratic families would certainly not want the emperor to implement this policy. They would have to pay for the canal, but they might not necessarily be able to enjoy the benefits it would bring.
The emperor has always been wary of powerful families, and it's possible that after the canal is completed, he will vigorously support students from poor families in the south, allowing them to gradually accept the power of the northern aristocratic families in the court.
This is absolutely not what the powerful families want to see.
Therefore, this assassination attempt could be seen as a joint revenge by powerful families against the emperor.
If the emperor dies, they can install a new emperor who listens to them. Then they can just find some excuse to stop the canal project.
The group of guards were all experts at darting between trees. They leaped from one tree to another, and being high up provided them with a better view and made it easier to find people.
Soon, they found signs of a fight halfway up the mountain, and along the way, they could see scattered corpses.
"Let's go up and take a look."
Fang Rao led his men up the mountain, thinking that the emperor, dressed so brightly, would be easy to find.
Unexpectedly, after searching for a long time, they did find a corpse on the mountain dressed in bright yellow clothes. They initially thought it was Yuwen Wuji, but when they opened the body, they found it was just a junior officer of the Imperial Guard wearing an outer robe, which relieved them.
Song Yaozhu did not go up the mountain with them to look for people, after all, the mountain path was too steep and it would be too tiring to walk.
She and Xie Liwei waited in the cave, roasting the rabbit Xie Liwei had caught. After listening to Fang Rao's report, dawn broke on the horizon.
"If we don't find the Emperor soon, we might miss a golden opportunity." She sighed regretfully, but the mountain was so vast, and the assassins had chased him all night without finding him, which meant he was hiding very well. Perhaps he had already been found and taken back by reinforcements.
Song Yaozhu frowned slightly, and suddenly thought of a place.
"I know a place."
As soon as Song Yaozhu finished speaking, Xie Liwei seemed to have realized it as well, and his expression was not good.
Because that place was once where Yuwen Wuji and his sister made love!
If he had gunpowder, he would definitely blow that place up, out of sight, out of mind!
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