Chapter 289 There is an assassin!
The guards rushed in, and the sound of swords being unsheathed was particularly harsh in the darkness.
Murong Yu's eyes could not adapt to the darkness for a while, and he could not see anything. He could only hear the chaotic footsteps and the rubbing of clothes.
"Your Majesty." The secret guards lurking behind the palace rushed out in time and surrounded Murong Yu.
Murong Yu sneered, and it was indeed caught.
There were secret guards inside the palace and imperial guards outside. He had already laid a tight net today, determined to capture the man.
But he was halfway through laughing when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, like a sharp knife cutting his skin.
"Ah——!" Murong Yu screamed in pain.
A sharp flying knife was already stuck in his shoulder.
At the same time, several dark shadows flew in from nowhere and fought with the secret guards.
Although Murong Yu had few secret guards, each of them had good martial arts skills. However, when facing the assassin this time, they were beaten back repeatedly and died on the spot.
One of the secret guards had his internal organs shattered by a palm strike, and he was surprised before he died.
How is that possible?
There are people guarding outside the Hanliang Palace, including on the roof. How could the assassin sneak in quietly?
His internal strength is already rare and deep, but how could the opponent's internal strength be several times deeper than his?
How... is it possible...
"The Emperor has been assassinated, quickly call the imperial physician!"
"Catch the assassin!"
The ministers and palace maids in the hall became even more panicked when they heard this.
There were also sounds of fighting coming from outside the hall, and it seemed that several assassins had sneaked in.
No one dared to run outside, so they each ran to a corner of the hall where they could hide. However, it was dark and they bumped into each other without being careful.
After all, He Tingfang is a little older and his body is not as flexible.
He was trying to steady himself, but someone knocked him to the ground. He tried to get up, but someone running over stepped on his hands and arms, and he couldn't get up at all.
Grand Tutor Zhang was also here tonight. Amidst the chaos in the hall, the elderly Grand Tutor Zhang stumbled and nearly tripped over the corner of a table, only to be caught by a pair of hands just as he was about to fall.
"Master, be careful." Hao Ren's voice sounded beside him.
"Lord Hao?" Tutor Zhang thought for a moment before recognizing that it was Hao Ren's voice.
He didn't expect that Hao Ren would come to help him at this time.
Hao Ren didn't say much, but just helped Master Zhang bypass some obstacles and stood in an empty seat by the window.
There were louder noises and more footsteps coming from outside the window.
Soon, a group of people rushed into Hanliang Hall and the lights in the hall came on again.
Yuan Chi strode in with a spear in hand, with some blood stains on his chest armor.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being late in coming to your rescue and causing you to be frightened."
Everyone in the hall saw light again, and saw that the hall was in a mess.
The ice dragon that was originally standing in the middle had half of its body broken off, fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, then turned into a pool of cold water.
The food table, the wine pot, the glass cups...some were overturned and some were broken into pieces.
The most terrifying thing was Murong Yu, who was sitting on the dragon throne. There were corpses lying around him, and only he was left leaning against the back of the chair with his lips pale and his hands covering his shoulders.
The flying knife on his shoulder was still flashing a chilling cold light.
"General Yuan, I..." Murong Yu had just said a few words when bright red blood flowed from the corners of his pale mouth and he fell forward.
Wang Nei Shi, who had been hiding under the table, crawled out in time and hurried forward to help Murong Yu:
"Quickly call the imperial physician! His Majesty has fainted."
"Call the imperial physician—"
"Imperial Physician—"
That night, the palace was bustling with activity.
While the Emperor was having an ice banquet with his ministers in Hanliang Palace, the Empress Dowager was also having ice with the concubines in Fushou Palace.
The ice banquet in the harem was originally hosted by the queen, but the queen had been away for many years, so it was held in the queen mother's palace, which could also earn the reputation of being filial to the queen mother.
Before the news of the assassination in Hanliang Palace came, the empress dowager was sending away the concubines and asking everyone to go back and rest.
However, when the news came, many concubines were so scared that they dared not leave Fushou Palace.
Fu Shou Palace is at least heavily guarded, so if an assassin comes, it can be held off for a while.
Ning An, who was sitting with Concubine Shu, jumped up anxiously:
"Mother, don't be afraid, I'm here! I can go out and take a look."
She was now fourteen years old and had made some progress in spearmanship from Yuan Chi. Among all the concubines and princesses in the harem, she was the only one with any notable martial arts skills.
Concubine Shu pushed Ning An back to her seat and said, "Don't worry. Hanliang Palace is quite a distance from here. The assassin will probably be captured soon. We shouldn't go out and cause trouble at this time."
The Queen Mother twisted the Buddhist beads in her hand and said, "Shufei is right. There is no need to panic. The palace is guarded by imperial guards and will not let the assassin succeed. If you can't calm down, please go to the Buddhist temple with me to chant sutras and pray for blessings."
Since the Queen Mother had spoken, everyone naturally followed her into the Buddhist temple.
Pei Shu didn't say a word from beginning to end. She just found a cushion and knelt quietly, with her hands clasped in front of her chest, looking very pious.
The concubines stayed in the Buddhist hall for a while. Soon after, news came from Hanliang Palace: General Yuan had caught the assassin, but the emperor was injured and was being treated by the imperial physician.
Everyone's heart was lifted and lowered, but finally they could go back to their bedrooms to rest.
Ning An frowned and said to Concubine Shu: "Mother, the emperor is injured. I want to go see him."
Concubine Shu rubbed her forehead tiredly: "Go ahead, but your father needs to rest well tonight, so you may not be able to see him."
After much hesitation, Ning An finally went to Ganyang Palace.
She was worried about her father, so she wanted to just take a look outside the palace and ask about the situation.
When Ning An arrived outside the Ganyang Palace, Wang the Eunuch said:
"Princess, the Emperor has just woken up, but he is currently busy discussing matters with General Yuan and will not see anyone else. Princess, please return."
Ning An felt lost but also a little comforted: "I'm glad that Father has woken up."
When she left Ganyang Palace, she saw the imperial guards dragging several men in black into the palace. The men in black had limp bodies like mud, as if they were dead.
Ning An had never seen a dead person before, so he shuddered and quickened his pace back to the palace.
In Ganyang Palace, the imperial physician had already left.
Murong Yu, who had just woken up, leaned on the couch, his face still pale.
Although the wound on his shoulder had been bandaged, when he slightly turned sideways, he felt a tearing pain in his right shoulder.
Murong Yu still felt a lingering fear when he thought of the scene in the hall just now.
He deployed sixteen elite secret guards in the palace, but none of them survived.
If Yuan Chi had rushed in a little later, his injury would probably not be just a shoulder injury.
Yuan Chi knelt before the dragon couch and said, "I was on guard at the palace gate today and failed to notice the movement in Hanliang Palace in time. I was late in coming to the rescue and frightened the emperor. I ask for your punishment."
Murong Yu waved his hand. He didn't want to beat around the bush at this moment, so he said directly:
"Have all the assassins been caught?"
Yuan Chi: "Your Majesty, I don't know the total number of assassins, but we have captured more than a dozen. However..."
Murong Yu: "Just what?"
Yuan Chi: "I originally wanted to investigate the assassins, but they saw they had nowhere else to turn and committed suicide one after another."
A deep furrow appeared between Murong Yu's brows:
"Bring it in, I'll take a look at it myself."
"yes."
Yuan Chi went outside and gave an order.
Soon, several corpses in black were dragged in, bringing with them a strong smell of blood.
At this moment, the black masks on their faces have been removed, revealing their true faces. Each of them has a purple complexion, as if they died of poisoning.
Everyone's appearance seems to be very mediocre and ordinary, so ordinary that you can't find them if you throw them into the crowd. It is the most suitable appearance for an assassin.
Murong Yu glanced at them with disgust, then suddenly stopped and pointed at one of the corpses with his left hand:
"Carry that man closer."
The body was moved in a little.
The lights in Ganyang Hall were bright, and everything was clearly visible.
Under the light, Murong Yu saw a very thin and sad face, with his eyebrows drooping into the shape of an "eight".
The man was also very old, with many wrinkles on his face. He must be at least fifty years old.
It is rare for an assassin over fifty years old to be sent out, unless he is deeply trusted by his master.
Murong Yu stared at the man intently for a long time.
He searched his memory, convinced that he had seen this man before.
The sultry night wind blew in from the hall door, and the candlelight in the glass lamp shook violently.
Murong Yu's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he whispered a few words:
"He Tingfang——"
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