Chapter 772 A Family of Drama Queens (Second Update)
The Imperial Guards instinctively took a step back, a primal reaction to the crisis that they couldn't control for a moment.
The crown prince clenched his fist.
He had witnessed the polo match in which the boy defeated the Shaolin monks; the boy wasn't this skilled back then.
What exactly happened to cause the boy's strength to increase so much?
Gu Jiao was also quite surprised. After she finished her attack, she realized that her strength had recovered considerably, almost reaching 50% of her strength from her previous life.
It seems that the battle with Han Ci was not in vain.
If six more Imperial Guards from the Crown Prince's residence came, she would never be in such a sorry state as before; she could wipe them all out!
This is bad. I never expected this kid to become so strong. We didn't bring enough people... We can't search anymore...
How awful!
The prince's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Just then, Zhang Dequan's voice suddenly came from behind: "The Emperor has arrived—"
Father Emperor is here?!
The crown prince's expression changed.
The next second, he secretly rejoiced.
The Emperor's arrival was perfectly timed. As long as he said that an assassin had broken in and might endanger the safety of Shangguan Yan and her child, the Emperor would definitely agree to let him search.
The Crown Prince gave the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him a wink and whispered, "You know what to do when we find them."
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said in a low voice, "I know."
The crown prince looked in the direction the king was coming from and continued to lower his voice: "This is our only chance. If we don't deal with Long Aotian now, and they move him to a safe place, heal his injuries, and come back to expose us, we will be in a very passive position."
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard understood: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will not give Long Aotian a chance to speak."
When he finds Long Aotian, he will kill him with one strike!
The king was brought here by the little princess's antics, and even the heavy rain couldn't dampen her enthusiasm for meeting her friends at the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
The palace servants held a large oil-paper umbrella for the king, and the little princess was held in his arms, her small body hidden under the cloak.
"Are we there yet?" Her cute little head popped out from under the cloak.
The king's face darkened when he saw the scene. He didn't let the little princess see it, but handed her to Zhang Dequan and said, "Take the little princess inside."
"Yes." Zhang Dequan carried the little princess, cloak and all, over.
"Where are we going? Where are we going?" the little princess asked, nestled inside her cloak.
Zhang Dequan's expression was solemn, but his tone of voice carried a smile as if nothing had happened: "Go find the little princess's classmate."
The little princess obediently replied, "Okay!"
Zhang Dequan carried the little princess to Xiao Heng and Xiao Jingkong's room.
As the little princess's savior, Xiao Jingkong was also granted the right to recuperate in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. The eldest grandson of the emperor took a liking to him and was willing to let the little guy keep him company, which was common knowledge in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
Inside the house, the two little ones met, facing each other and flapping their little arms like two fledglings just out of their nest.
"Xiaoxue, you're here?"
"Yes, Jingkong, I'm here!"
Zhang Dequan gently closed the door from the inside.
Outside the Qilin Palace, the king glanced at the tense situation between the crown prince and Xiao Heng, and asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing now?"
Xiao Heng coughed weakly twice, his arrogant demeanor in front of the Crown Prince completely gone. He said with a wronged and listless tone, "Grandfather, His Highness the Crown Prince is bullying me."
The crown prince nearly choked to death.
He finally understood what was wrong with his nephew earlier. He had been so energetic and arrogant when the king wasn't around!
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth: "Weren't you quite energetic just now? How come you've become so sickly as soon as Father Emperor arrives?"
Xiao Heng did not deny it: "Isn't that because no one stood up for me and my mother just now? If I didn't stand up for you, were I supposed to just watch you bully my mother?"
The crown prince's lips twitched; what a shameless person!
Xiao Heng continued to complain. He looked at the Imperial Guard who had been beaten to the point of vomiting blood and fainting on the ground by Gu Jiao, and said pitifully, "Thanks to Young Master Xiao's timely intervention, otherwise I would be the one lying there now. Young Master Xiao, please don't stand in the rain, you are still injured."
Gu Jiao walked to Xiao Heng's side.
The king looked at the unconscious Imperial Guard, his gaze turning cold. He said to the Crown Prince, "Did your Imperial Guards lay a hand on Qing'er?"
The crown prince quickly bowed and said, "Father, please hear my explanation!"
Oh no, how did this kid become so good at tattling?
The king glanced at Xiao Heng, whose face was pale, then at Shangguan Yan, who was leaning on her cane, and said in an icy tone, "Very well, I'll hear how you explain this."
The Crown Prince sensed something was wrong. It would have been fine if he had only targeted Shangguan Yan, as she was still impolite, but Shangguan Yan was a commoner. However, he had sent someone to harm the eldest grandson of the Emperor.
The emperor did not depose the eldest grandson!
The prince has a headache.
But he couldn't let go of his only chance.
He had no choice but to take the risk.
He said, “Father, a traitor has appeared in my residence. He tried to assassinate me but was injured by my guards. The guards tracked him down and found that he had escaped into the Imperial Preceptor’s Hall. The reason I insisted on searching for him was because I was worried that he would hurt my third sister and Qing’er, but I don’t know why my third sister and Qing’er did not stop me in every way.”
"Is that so?" The king looked at Xiao Heng and Shangguan Yan with a deep gaze.
The mother and son shook their heads in unison: "No!"
Crown Prince: "...!!"
Shangguan Yan sighed and said, "So you're here to search for assassins. Can't the Crown Prince talk things out properly? Why did you have to resort to violence right away? People who know the situation will think you're here to arrest assassins, but people who don't will think you're here to arrest me. Please."
Having said that, she stepped aside to make way for her.
Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao also stepped aside.
The crown prince was furious with this mother and son who were turning black into white.
However, why did Shangguan Yan suddenly dare to let him search her again?
Has Long Aotian been moved?
Impossible! His men have guarded both the front and back gates of the Qilin Palace. Long Aotian must still be inside the Qilin Palace!
The Crown Prince led the Imperial Guards into the palace to search it.
As they brushed past each other, Shangguan Yan casually remarked, "Your Highness, when we were kids, we played hide-and-seek, and you never won."
The Crown Prince's pupils contracted, he clenched his fingers, looked coldly at Shangguan Yan, and whispered, "Third Sister, don't worry, this time, I will definitely not lose!"
A dozen or so Imperial Guards split up and searched each room one by one.
The king, the crown prince, Xiao Heng, Gu Jiao, and Shangguan Yan waited in the main hall.
Before long, the Imperial Guards arrived at the main hall to report back.
"Didn't you find it?" the crown prince asked, frowning.
Everyone shook their heads.
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said, "There are still two rooms we haven't searched. One is the room where the little princess was playing, and the other is a secret room guarded by the Imperial Preceptor's assassins."
The Crown Prince turned to look at Shangguan Yan and the other two, and keenly noticed that their expressions had changed slightly, especially the fake Xiao Liulang, who was almost about to rush out to stop the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The crown prince pleaded with the king, "Father, please allow me to search the area."
The king nodded to the crown prince, then turned and ordered a disciple of the Imperial Advisor's Hall: "Summon your Imperial Advisor; I want to search that secret room."
Gu Jiao clenched her fists, and her arms stiffened.
Xiao Heng gently held her wrist reassuringly.
The Crown Prince keenly observed all of this.
When the Imperial Preceptor arrived at the Qilin Palace, the room where the young princess and Xiao Jingkong were staying had already been searched by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but nothing was found.
The Crown Prince politely said, "Grand Preceptor, please allow the people of the Crown Prince's residence to search your secret room."
The Grand Preceptor said, "That secret room is guarded by assassins; no assassin could easily break in."
"What if they leave for some reason, or are lured away? Can the Imperial Advisor guarantee that such a thing will never happen?" The Crown Prince did not suspect that the Imperial Advisor would deliberately cover up the death of the Xuanyuan family, and that the Imperial Advisor was also involved, as he and the Crown Princess were enemies.
The fact that the Crown Princess was allowed to recuperate in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall was all thanks to the King's influence.
How could I possibly help her hide people?
"This..." The Grand Preceptor glanced at Gu Jiao and said to the Crown Prince, "Does the Crown Prince not trust the assassins in the Grand Preceptor's Palace? I can assure you that there is no one hiding in the secret room."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "The Imperial Advisor has repeatedly obstructed this. Could it be that there is something unspeakable in this secret room?"
The Imperial Advisor opened his mouth.
The king said impatiently, "Alright, stop arguing! Grand Preceptor, tell your men to move aside!"
The Imperial Advisor glanced at Gu Jiao without leaving a trace, while Gu Jiao clenched her small fists tightly.
However, since the king had issued a decree, even the imperial advisor could not disobey the emperor's will.
He said to the two assassins, "You may leave."
The assassins retreated to the side.
The Grand Preceptor then said, "Ye Qing, Yu He, go open the door."
"Yes," the two replied, bowing respectfully.
The crown prince frowned and winked at the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard standing to the side.
When the door opens, remember to rush in immediately and kill Gu Changqing.
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard understood and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I won't use the knife. I'll use my internal energy to shatter his heart meridian."
Ye Qing took the key from the two assassins and led Yu He to the door.
When he went to open the copper lock, he was shocked to find a drop of half-dried blood underneath it.
Someone has been here!
Ye Qing wanted to ask the two assassins if they had just left.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.
Without saying a word, he inserted the key into the lock, making a huge noise as he turned it around, and deliberately bumped it against the iron gate when he took the brass lock off.
"Is it this slow to open a door?" the crown prince asked casually.
Ye Qing retorted, "The door is very heavy, otherwise why doesn't His Highness the Crown Prince open it himself?"
The crown prince snorted.
Ye Qing and Yu He worked together to push open the heavy iron gate.
Yu He's skill was not deep, and Ye Qing used less force, so the door opened slowly.
Even the slowest things can eventually be pushed aside completely.
When the empty house was fully revealed to everyone, Gu Changqing's figure could no longer be hidden.
"It's you?"
Yu He blurted it out.
He never expected that there would actually be someone inside, and that it would be someone he knew.
Ye Qing also recognized Gu Changqing's face, but he was more composed than Yu He and did not express his surprise.
The head of the Imperial Guards beside the Crown Prince was about to rush in and kill him to silence him when the Crown Prince raised his hand to stop him.
The Crown Prince is a very intelligent man. If he remembers correctly, Yu He has never met Long Aotian.
But why did Yu He act as if she had met an acquaintance?
He turned back to look at Shangguan Yan and the other two, who were extremely nervous.
Ah, looks like there's going to be some good stuff going on.
Killing Long Aotian is the first choice, but not the best choice.
If it can be proven that Long Aotian colluded with Shangguan Yan, then his gains will be enormous!
"Is this young monk named Yu He? Do you know him?" the Crown Prince asked Yu He gently.
Ye Qing closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on.
How could he not see that his master wanted to protect Xiao Liulang?
Yu He, that idiot, has ruined all of Master's hard work!
"I..." Yu He also felt the powerful aura of her senior brother and was too scared to speak.
The king said, "Just tell me, do you know this person?"
Yu He lowered his head.
"Grand Preceptor." The king looked at the Grand Preceptor with a deep gaze.
The Grand Preceptor said, "Tell me the truth."
With her master's approval, Yu He spoke in a low voice: "He is a friend of the Crown Prince and Young Master Xiao, and has visited the Imperial Preceptor's Hall several times."
The prince then asked, "When was the first time he came?"
Yu He gave a date.
The Crown Prince chuckled, "This man only came to my residence the next day saying he wanted to join me. Manager Pang Hai of the underground martial arts arena can testify to that. Third Sister, so he was your spy planted by my side!"
Gu Jiao stepped forward: "This matter has nothing to do with the former Crown Princess and the eldest grandson of the Emperor. He and I are both from Zhao Kingdom. On my way to the palace to rescue the Crown Princess, as His Majesty the King summoned me, I was attacked. Fortunately, Young Master Gu arrived in time and helped me out. Afterwards, I learned that we were from the same hometown, so I became friends with Young Master Gu. I don't know about his going to the Crown Prince's residence to work as a staff member. He did come to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall a few times afterward, but our interactions were just between people from the same hometown."
Crown Prince: I'd be a fool to believe you!
The Crown Prince wanted to say, "Xiao Liulang, so that's how you got your position as commander! Long Aotian secretly helped you cheat!"
However, the Crown Prince ultimately restrained himself, because even if Long Aotian was a spy sent by Shangguan Yan to his side, it was his idea to have Long Aotian replace a member of the Han family in the selection.
He broke the rules.
Forget it, these are all minor matters. As long as it can be proven that Long Aotian did have dealings with Shangguan Yan and the other two, then Shangguan Yan will be unable to escape the charge of plotting against the Crown Prince!
The Crown Prince sneered at Gu Jiao, "Don't take all the blame just because you're close to the Crown Prince. Do you know what crime this man just committed? He attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince of Great Yan, a capital offense! His mastermind will also be held accountable!"
Gu Changqing looked at the Crown Prince with a solemn expression: "I did not assassinate you."
The crown prince said, "Stop pretending. Do you dare to have someone examine your injuries?"
Gu Changqing took a step back: "I'm not injured."
The crown prince sneered: "Whether you're injured or not, we'll know after a check!"
After saying this, he turned around and bowed to the king, saying, "Father, this man was stabbed by a guard from my residence with a sword. The wound is on his right chest!"
The king gave Gu Changqing a deep look and raised a finger.
The crown prince was overjoyed and said solemnly, "Examine the injuries!"
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward, and Gu Changqing tried to resist, but was ruthlessly pinned down by the leader.
The prince thought to himself, "Having been struck by your sword, do you think you still have the strength to resist?"
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard swiftly ripped open Gu Changqing's collar, but as soon as he opened his outer garment, a secret letter fell out.
Gu Changqing hurriedly stepped on it.
The leader of the Imperial Guards picked up the secret letter before he could!
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard opened the secret letter, took out the maps inside, and his face turned pale: "Map of the Crown Prince's residence, map of the Han family's military camp deployment..."
Well, Long Aotian, you actually stole so many confidential things from me!
But you did a really good job stealing it!
You never expected that I would find you out on the spot!
The Crown Prince just wanted to laugh out loud three times. Originally, it was difficult to prove that Long Aotian and Shangguan Yan were colluding, but now that the irrefutable evidence has been presented, he doesn't need to say anything more. His father will no longer believe that Shangguan Yan is innocent, right?
After all, besides Shangguan Yan, who else would go to such lengths to target the Crown Prince's residence?
"Father!" The crown prince looked at the monarch with great emotion.
The king's gaze fell on Shangguan Yan's lowered eyes: "Do you have anything else to say?"
Shangguan Yan said calmly, "I didn't. Anyway, you've never believed me."
The king, enraged and humiliated, demanded an answer: "Did you do it? I want to know the answer!"
Gu Changqing hurriedly said, "No! It wasn't the Crown Princess! It was my own idea! It has nothing to do with the Crown Princess! Your Majesty, if you want to punish someone, punish me alone! I am willing to bear all the blame!"
The king ignored Gu Changqing and looked sternly at Shangguan Yan: "So it really was you?"
Shangguan Yan turned her face away.
The king, his chest filled with rage, exclaimed: "Shangguan Yan, you have greatly disappointed me!"
Gu Changqing said anxiously, "Your Majesty, it really has nothing to do with the Crown Princess. It was all my own willful act! The Crown Princess was unaware of it!"
The Crown Prince chuckled and said, "Even on the verge of death, you're still trying to exonerate her. You're truly loyal to my third sister."
The king, no longer wanting to see this spy, ordered: "Take him away! Execute him by slow slicing!"
"Wait!" Xiao Heng said.
The king glared at Xiao Heng: "This matter has nothing to do with you, don't meddle!"
Xiao Heng said calmly, "Grandfather, I just have a question. Wasn't His Highness the Crown Prince clamoring for an examination of his injuries? Why did he stop after dropping this secret letter?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Uh, it seems we forgot to continue the examination of injuries.
The main reason is that the evidence is irrefutable, and Gu Changqing himself has indirectly admitted it, so whether or not to conduct a test is irrelevant.
Xiao Heng walked step by step toward Gu Changqing, who dodged backward.
Xiao Heng reached out his hand, but Gu Changqing suddenly broke free from the two Imperial Guards and struck Xiao Heng with a palm!
Gu Jiao pulled Xiao Heng away with one hand, and with the other hand grabbed Gu Changqing's collar, pulling it down to the bottom with a whoosh.
Gu Changqing's chest, which was wrapped in gauze, was exposed. Gu Jiao showed no mercy and removed the blood-stained gauze as well.
However, there were no wounds on his skin.
The blood on the gauze is fake.
The crown prince was stunned. Wait, how could this be? What about his injuries?!
Xiao Heng feigned sudden realization, turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, and said with feigned anguish, "Uncle Crown Prince, you put on such a good show! If I hadn't noticed something was amiss in time, you might have really gotten away with it. You really went to great lengths to frame my mother!"
"I didn't!" The Crown Prince was completely bewildered, unable to understand what had happened or where Long Aotian's injuries had gone.
It can't be that they've changed the person.
Impossible. They searched the entire Imperial Preceptor's Hall and found no hiding place.
Moreover, this person clearly looks exactly like Long Aotian, and even has the same voice. How could it be a different person?
Just as the Crown Prince's thoughts were racing, Gu Changqing suddenly arrived at the door, channeled his inner strength, and slammed the iron gate shut!
The Imperial Advisor, Ye Qing, Yu He, and others were all locked outside.
Only the king, Shangguan Yan, Xiao Heng, Gu Jiao, Gu Changqing, the crown prince, and the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard remained in the secret chamber.
"What are you going to do?" The Crown Prince looked at Gu Changqing warily.
Gu Changqing curled his lips into a wicked smile: "Master, haven't you realized yet? This old geezer doesn't care about you at all! The person he dotes on the most has always been Shangguan Yan! When Shangguan Yan used a self-inflicted injury to frame you in the palace, didn't he see through it? But he still insisted on favoring her! He still insisted on protecting her! Today the plan has been exposed, and given this old geezer's boundless favoritism, you will not be easily forgiven! Since that's the case, let's just go all the way! Kill them all! Then pin it on Shangguan Yan!"
Xiao Heng seamlessly followed up, giving the Crown Prince no chance to speak: "Are you insane! Are you trying to murder the emperor?!"
"I..." No!
Unfortunately, Gu Changqing didn't give him a chance to interrupt: "So what if it is! Take this!"
Gu Changqing drew his longsword and thrust it towards the king!
The king was still furious at being called a "grumpy old man"—how dare that brat call him a grumpy old man!
The long sword pierced his body with a whoosh, and the king was horrified.
However, the expected pain did not come—Shangguan Yan rushed over and blocked the sword for the king.
Gu Jiao kicked Gu Changqing away!
The longsword was also pulled out of Shangguan Yan's body!
Blood splattered everywhere, mercilessly covering the king's face.
The king froze, and almost instinctively embraced Shangguan Yan, who had collapsed into his arms.
Shangguan Yan was vomiting blood.
The king crouched down, holding her in his arms, and tried to cover her wound with his hand. She had been stabbed right through, and blood was gushing from her back and chest, which he couldn't stop.
Even the usually composed king began to feel a pang of anxiety: "Yan'er... Yan'er..."
He hasn't called himself by that name in over a decade.
Shangguan Yan looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears, and said, "I... didn't want to... take the sword for you... I... haven't... forgiven you yet... but... you are... my father... I've already... lost my mother... I can't... lose... my father..."
The king's heart suddenly clenched, a sharp pain shooting through him: "Yan'er..."
Shangguan Yan's body temperature was rapidly dropping, and her tears flowed down her cheeks along with blood: "I hate you... I hate that you never believe me... I waited for you at the imperial mausoleum... for so many years... and you never... came to see me... I hate you... I hate you..."
She cried sadly in the pool of blood.
Most things in this world are only appreciated after they are lost.
Never before had the king felt Shangguan Yan's death so clearly. He suddenly realized that he was losing her, losing his only child with Xuanyuan Hanyan.
All the unpleasant memories of the past vanished on his own, and all that remained in his mind was the goodness of Shangguan Yan.
He held Shangguan Yan in his arms, a lump forming in his throat, unable to contain his emotions: "I thought you hated me... and didn't want to see me..."
On one side, the father and daughter are separated by life and death; on the other side, Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing are locked in a fierce and inseparable battle.
The crown prince was completely dumbfounded.
This series of events left him completely bewildered.
Reason told him it was fake.
But everything felt so real.
Gu Jiao kicked Gu Changqing again, sending him flying and crashing into the wall. Gu Changqing remained stuck to the wall for a full three seconds before finally falling down with a thud!
Gu Changqing... or rather, Gu Chengfeng, clutched his chest, inwardly cursing.
Seriously? You brat, it's just acting, why are you being so realistic?
Gu Jiao: Hmph, I'm very dedicated!
I updated 10,000 words today, my hands are almost worn out, I need a vote to keep writing~
(End of this chapter)
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