Just then, flames erupted at Spring Breeze Pavilion. A moment later, Mo Yan and Mo Wen returned with men, carrying only Zi Yan, their faces grim. "Your Highness," they said, "the others are dead."
Chu Tianze glanced at the enigmatic expressions of Prince Xiang and Prince Qi beside him, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Take her back, and be sure to treat this Miss Ziyan well."
Chu Tianling said calmly, "Seventh Brother, it might not be appropriate for you to take this person away. This person attempted to assassinate me; it would be better if I took him back for questioning."
For some reason, the Prince of Xiang also spoke up, "This matter concerns His Highness the Crown Prince. In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to hand it over to the Prefect of the Capital or the Ministry of Justice."
Chu Tianze raised an eyebrow. "No need for you two imperial brothers to trouble yourselves. Father Emperor sent me to reorganize the capital's defenses, but now this has happened. Naturally, I should take this person back to give Father Emperor an explanation, shouldn't I?"
Having said that, he didn't want to listen to what they were saying anymore, and chuckled lightly, "Tonight isn't safe either, Mo Yan, you take some men and personally escort Brother Si Fang and Brother Zui An back."
Zhao Sifang and Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yan."
King Qi and King Xiang, having nothing more to say, hastily left with their few surviving guards.
Bai Chuxiao, having quietly returned to Liuli Courtyard, removed her disguise but did not rest. Instead, she sat quietly in the courtyard waiting. Soon after, a figure in black landed in the courtyard.
Looking at the woman sitting in the courtyard, smiling gently, the newcomer chuckled helplessly, "You, have you had enough fun today?"
Bai Chuxiao snorted, "Isn't it because I heard that our Prince Yan went to visit a brothel? Of course I have to go and see how fun a brothel is?"
Chu Tianze asked in a gentle voice, "Is Xiaoxiao jealous?"
Bai Chuxiao rested her chin on her hand. "Hmph, I'm not jealous. If you really are the kind of person who frequents brothels, I'll just quietly cripple you."
Chu Tianze said indulgently, "Don't worry, Xiaoxiao, your husband will keep himself pure."
"It's good that you knew. How did you recognize me?"
"Although your appearance is different, your figure remains unchanged. I know you, and I've never seen you in Kyoto before. You came with Zhao Sifang, and I know your relationship with Zhao Sifang, so it's not hard to guess."
Thinking of the woman beside him who had acted like a dissolute playboy at Chunfeng Pavilion just now, he smiled helplessly, "You, you're not allowed to go to places like that again. You bewitch those girls."
"Seriously speaking, I'm afraid today's events weren't solely Chu Tianling's doing, were they? Was the Prince of Xiang also involved?" Bai Chuxiao said with a faint smile.
At first, she only suspected Chu Tianling, but later, when the Prince of Xiang suddenly wanted to send Ziyan to the Ministry of Justice, she also became suspicious of the Prince of Xiang. If the Prince of Xiang had nothing to do with this matter, wouldn't it be fine for her to just watch the show?
"You guessed it, that's right. Sixth Brother thought Zi Yan was his person, but actually Zi Yan is backed by Fifth Brother. However, he should have realized it later tonight," Chu Tianze said in a deep voice.
"I never expected that King Xiang, who usually keeps a low profile, would make such a grand move today."
Chu Tianze chuckled, "Xiaoxiao, don't underestimate my fifth brother. He's very shrewd. When it comes to scheming, the sixth brother can't beat him. Besides, the fifth brother has the right-hand man backing him. He's a real old fox. The left and right prime ministers oversee all officials in the court, and they have many capable officials under their command. Otherwise, why do you think my crown prince brother is so determined to get involved with your father?"
Bai Chuxiao nodded. She admired martial arts and naturally valued military generals more, but since the world was relatively peaceful at present, civil officials played a more significant role in daily life.
"So it seems the Ministry of Justice and the Prefect of Jingzhao are on the King of Xiang's side?"
Chu Tianze shook his head. "The Ministry of Justice is their man. The Prefect of the Capital is probably just a cover. Father Emperor would only release one person loyal to him as the Prefect of the Capital."
"You must have made arrangements for tonight, otherwise the Imperial Guards wouldn't have arrived so quickly."
"Of course, if Chu Tianling succeeds tonight and the Crown Prince dies, I, who have just taken over the command of the capital's defenses, will also be punished. However, the show must continue, so He Yan and the others cannot arrive too late or too early."
Bai Chuxiao sighed inwardly. Sure enough, people in the royal family are all cunning; otherwise, how could they have grown up so safely?
The Crown Prince, though gentle, wasn't stupid. He went to the banquet tonight knowing something was amiss, because he knew that as long as he had Chu Tianze with him, he wouldn't be in real danger. If he could find out anything about the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Xiang, even if he didn't, His Majesty would still harbor suspicions about his other brothers. Why not?
The King of Qi's move was blatant; if successful, it would eliminate both the Crown Prince and the King of Yan. Moreover, the assassins targeted him first, and a subsequent fire destroyed most of the evidence, making it impossible to trace the assassin back to him.
As for the Prince of Xiang, he reaped the benefits without lifting a finger. Zi Yan was his person, and no one knew beforehand. Even if someone discovered something amiss, it was all orchestrated by the Prince of Qi. He hadn't given any orders; he had simply instructed Zi Yan to cooperate with the Prince of Qi.
"Zi Yan is the Prince of Xiang's person, she'll probably pin everything on Chu Tianling, right?"
Chu Tianze smiled faintly, "That's right, but now that Sixth Prince has realized what's happening, he won't let her live, so my Prince Yan's manor should be quite lively now."
Chu Tianling never suspected Zi Yan, otherwise he would have definitely taken precautions and killed her directly, instead of intentionally keeping her alive to have her identify others. Unfortunately, he miscalculated.
"Won't Chu Tianling be furious that he was tricked by the Prince of Xiang?" Bai Chuxiao smiled, after all, she was quite happy that Chu Tianling was in trouble.
“Zi Yan won’t say it easily, and in the meantime, the Sixth Prince won’t sit idly by. Ultimately, this matter depends on Father Emperor’s attitude…”
Bai Chuxiao sighed slightly. It seemed that seeing Chu Tianling suffer wasn't so easy after all.
Seeing her like this, Chu Tianze patted her head. "Xiaoxiao, are you a little disappointed?"
"No, not really. It's just that the more you get to know Chu Tianling, the more he seems like a venomous snake. It would be good if he could step down sooner."
Chu Tianze had arranged everything beforehand, so he simply packed his bags and came straight to the Bai residence, without any concern for the situation at the Prince of Yan's mansion.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Yan's residence was surrounded by archers from the Imperial Guard, and a group of men in black were trying to rush in.
Yu Fengyang stood in the courtyard, sword in hand, watching everything unfold, and cursed angrily, "You damned Chu Tianze, you go off to enjoy yourself while I, this young master, stay here and guard the gate! How outrageous!"
Mo Yan and Mo Wen, standing beside him, pretended not to hear his insults towards their prince, since their prince had indeed acted unethically.
Just then, a middle-aged man in black robes led a group of people in and rushed in. The leader of the group shouted, "Yu Fengyang, get out of the way if you don't want to die!"
Yu Fengyang sneered, "Oh, you know me? Who are you? Why hide your identity?"
Although he said that, he became more vigilant. The person in front of him was definitely a master, but…
The leader in black robes said in a deep voice, "You're courting death, so don't blame me. Remember to choose a good master for yourself in your next life." With that, he charged forward, unleashing a chilling sword aura.
Yu Fengyang laughed heartily a few times, then waved his hand, and suddenly many more men appeared from the shadows.
The man in black robes was shocked. "The Xuanjia Army! How dare you provoke the Xuanjia Army?"
Yu Fengyang snorted coldly, "You're right. Remember, in your next life, you'd better choose a good master."
Unexpectedly, upon seeing this, the man in black robes abandoned his men and turned to flee; he couldn't afford to be caught again...
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