Chapter 150: Assassination at the Hunting Ground
It was almost dark, and a bonfire was lit in the center of the Baishan grassland. Everyone sat around the fire drinking and eating meat.
The princes came out of the forest one after another, but Crown Prince Li Jincheng, Li Yanchang and Li Jifeng were nowhere to be seen.
During the conversation, someone said, "It seems that the hunting grounds have a rich supply of game this year. Your Highnesses are having a great time."
But some people were becoming more and more anxious, including Emperor Tongxu and Marquis Xuanping and his son.
Another half an hour passed before Li Jifeng and Xie Tingzhou came out of the northern forest farm.
When Li Jifeng landed on the ground, his legs were unstable. Two bodyguards each held one of his arms and listened to his cries.
Emperor Tongxu looked at the returning Li Jifeng and asked solemnly, "What happened? Is Jifeng injured?"
Li Jifeng was so old but still acted like a spoiled child, "Father, I am injured."
"Hiss—slow down, slow down." Li Jifeng was helped to sit down.
Emperor Tongxu was stunned. "How did you get hurt? Where is the injury?"
"My thigh is ruptured. I'm so tired from riding a horse for too long."
As soon as Li Jifeng said this, everyone burst into laughter, and some people joined in praising him, saying that the Ninth Prince was diligent and heroic.
Emperor Tongxu was speechless.
"Father, I have hunted a deer. I will roast the deer meat for you." Li Jifeng waved his hand and asked someone to bring the deer up.
Xie Tingzhou turned his back to the noise and strode towards the tent.
The guard at the door of the tent lifted the curtain, but Xie Tingzhou did not go in. "Shi Yu hasn't come back yet?"
The guard said, "No."
Xie Tingzhou's face became even gloomier.
The Baishan Forest Farm is very large, and it takes half a day to go in and out of the forest. I didn't catch up with her, so I thought she came back by herself, but I didn't expect that she hasn't returned yet.
"Xifeng, gather people and go back into the mountain with me." Xie Tingzhou jumped on the horse.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the other side of the pasture.
"Prince, His Royal Highness is injured! Hurry!"
"Imperial Physician——"
Xie Tingzhou frowned, there was indeed a problem in the south.
The prince was injured in the hunting ground. I'm afraid that no one who enters the hunting ground in the south will be able to escape today. It depends on how they clear their suspicion.
But what he is most worried about now is Chen Yu. She is now deep in the mountains and is even more dangerous at night.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Li Jifeng shout, "It's Shi Yu, Shi Yu is back too."
Xie Tingzhou immediately rode his horse and arrived in no time. He turned over and saw Li Jincheng being escorted into the tent by a group of people, while she followed behind alone,
Covered in blood, he looked miserable.
Xie Tingzhou didn't move, just watched from afar, feeling like his breathing was about to stop.
As if she suddenly remembered something, she looked among the crowd and finally fixed her gaze on him for a long time.
Xie Tingzhou finally stepped forward but did not speak.
"I'm fine." Chen Yu said tiredly, "It's all someone else's blood."
The worry in Xie Tingzhou's eyes was swept away, and his cold eyes were calm, "You went to the South Hunting Ground."
Shen Yu didn't say anything.
Xie Tingzhou asked again: "You led me to the northern hunting ground, but went to the southern hunting ground yourself. Why?"
Shen Yu hadn't figured out how to answer yet.
A eunuch announced from afar: "Announcement - Shi Yu is here to see you."
Chen Yu glanced at Xie Tingzhou, then walked towards him and squeezed his hand quickly as they passed by.
He whispered, "You trust me."
Chen Yu followed the eunuch into the imperial tent. There were so many people in the tent that Chen Yu did not dare to look closely. She bowed her head and knelt on the ground.
There was total silence in the tent, and it seemed as if everyone was holding their breath.
Shen Yu knelt for a long while before she heard Emperor Tongxu's voice: "Your name is Shi Yu?"
This is the name that Emperor Tongxu learned from Li Jincheng.
Emperor Tongxu's voice sounded a little tired, but no one dared to underestimate him. Perhaps this was the majesty of someone who had been in a high position for a long time.
Chen Yu: "Your Majesty, yes."
"Who are you?" Emperor Tongxu asked.
"I know." Li Jifeng interrupted, "He is the guard of the boat."
Emperor Tongxu asked, "Since he is the guard of the Prince of Beilin, he should be with Xie Yun. Why is he with the Crown Prince?"
Li Jifeng: "I know——"
"Shut up." Emperor Tongxu interrupted, looked at Chen Yu and said, "Tell me the whole story in detail."
"Yes." Chen Yu said, "I suddenly felt unwell on the way, so I looked for a place to use the toilet, and then I got separated from His Highness the Ninth Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince. I remember that before entering the mountain, His Highness the Ninth Prince and His Highness the Seventh Prince said that we were going to the hunting ground in the south, so I chased them south, but I didn't find the two princes. Instead, I met His Highness the Crown Prince who was besieged by assassins."
"At that time, more than half of His Royal Highness's guards had been killed or injured, and they were no match for the assassins, so I joined the battle. However, there were too many of them, and His Royal Highness's guards gradually decreased in the fight. I had no choice but to leave the others behind, and then I took His Royal Highness alone to avoid the assassins' pursuit."
Emperor Tongxu was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked Li Jifeng: "I remember
You came from the north, right? You were originally planning to go south, why did you change your mind at the last minute?"
Chen Yu was nervous inside, she raised her head slightly, and saw Li Jifeng had swept away his previous dissolute look, and said with a serious expression.
He said, "The forests in the southern hunting grounds are too dense. The Saker Falcon that anchored the boat couldn't get down. How could it find prey for us? We had to go north. Fortunately, we didn't go south."
Li Jifeng looked like he was still frightened, but it seemed that he was unable to completely dispel Emperor Tongxu's doubts.
"Let Xie Yun in." Emperor Tongxu said.
Xie Tingzhou entered the imperial tent and was offered a seat by Emperor Tongxu, but he did not ask Chen Yu to stand up.
When Chen Yu raised her eyes, her gaze met that of Xie Tingzhou who was sitting next to Li Jifeng.
She glanced at him quickly, "Your Highness."
Xie Tingzhou said "hmm" lightly and stopped looking at her.
Only then did Chen Yu see that there were many people sitting in the tent, including Pei Chunli, Marquis Xuanping, Jiang Lianzhi, and other princes. Except for Jiang Yuanqing, all the important ministers in the cabinet were there.
Emperor Tongxu said: "The Crown Prince was assassinated in the hunting ground. I have ordered the mountains to be closed and the boats to be stopped."
Xie Tingzhou said, "I am here."
"Why did you suddenly change your route and go north?" Emperor Tongxu asked the same question again.
Emperor Tongxu himself came to this position through fighting among the princes. The title of the Supreme Emperor is too tempting. The royal family can believe in interests, but what they can least believe in is brotherhood.
Xie Tingzhou said calmly, "There are wild beasts in the hunting grounds in the south. I am a sickly person, and I cannot guarantee that I can escape safely if I bring the Ninth Prince with me. It is better to go to the north, where it is safer."
Emperor Tongxu nodded slowly, as if this reason could convince him more.
Xie Tingzhou asked: "How is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now?"
Emperor Tongxu raised his hand and pointed, "The imperial physician is treating inside."
The emperor's tent occupies a large area and is divided into several compartments. The prince sleeps in the room where the emperor sleeps.
Xie Tingzhou glanced around the tent, tapped his fingertips on his knees and said, "Why is the Seventh Prince not here?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone reacted. They had been in such a mess because of the Crown Prince's injury that they had forgotten that there was another prince who had not returned.
Emperor Tongxu frowned and said, "Come on, send someone into the mountains to look for him. We must bring Old Seven back."
Everyone in the imperial tent had different expressions and their own thoughts.
Chen Yu didn't dare to look at Xie Tingzhou, but found that a pair of eyes were staring at her.
She looked back and saw the person looking at her was the Fourth Prince Li Zhaonian.
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