Yunxiao suddenly remembered something else.
“Your Highness, Madam Li came to the residence today with her daughter to pay respects to the Princess Consort.”
Xiao Yi glanced at Yunxiao and understood at once.
Xu Jinxin must have said something to Su Xian, which was why Su Xian had become worried.
Xiao Yi guessed it was most likely because Prince Ling had become Crown Prince.
“Has Madam Li left yet?” Xiao Yi asked.
Yunxiao shook his head. “Not yet.”
Xiao Yi waved a hand. “All right. Go attend to your work.”
Yunxiao bowed and withdrew.
After pondering for a while, Xiao Yi gave up on going to the rear courtyard.
Su Xian was most likely worried about whether he was all right after hearing that Prince Ling had become Crown Prince.
Since nothing had happened to Duoduo, Xiao Yi set aside his concerns and turned to other matters.
The stones from the river where they had previously discovered the stone deposits had all been excavated.
Every last stone had been transported to the capital.
Through a bidding process, Li Jin had sold them all.
In return, they had obtained dozens of large chests of silver, now piled in a secret chamber within Prince Xian’s residence.
That silver was enough to support the people in the mountains for quite some time.
Xiao Yi’s fingers began tapping rhythmically against the table.
Should he seize the moment and rise?
Or should he continue to lie low?
It was a question Xiao Yi had repeatedly considered over the past several days.
Yet whenever he thought of those unseen eyes watching him from somewhere beyond his knowledge, Xiao Yi felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.
Until he dragged that person out into the open, they would remain a threat!
Perhaps that person was simply waiting for him to make a move, so they could strike him a crushing blow.
No!
He absolutely could not let that person have their way!
He had already suffered one defeat at that person’s hands.
He would never allow himself to fall again.
It was nothing more than waiting.
That was all!
He could afford to wait!
At that thought, Xiao Yi’s tapping ceased.
Outside the Office of Judicial Punishment, Xiao Che looked at the jailer in confusion.
“What did you say? Princess Changle has left?”
The jailer nodded with a false smile. “Yes, Eighth Prince.”
“You should return, Your Highness. The Office of Judicial Punishment is not a place you ought to be visiting.”
With that, the jailer turned and shut the heavy doors.
Xiao Che stared at the cold, closed gates, his face full of confusion.
Changle had left the palace?
And here he had been worrying himself sick over her and rushing over to see her!
Dejected, Xiao Che began walking back.
Halfway there, he ran into Prince Ling, who was preparing to leave the palace.
“Eighth Brother?” Prince Ling greeted him cheerfully when he saw Xiao Che hanging his head in discouragement.
Xiao Che stopped. Once he recognized the man before him, he lowered his head.
“Eighth Brother greets Your Highness.”
Prince Ling happily patted Xiao Che on the shoulder.
“I’m your eldest brother. Why be so distant?”
“By the way, where have you come from? Why do you look like that?”
“Did some blind fool of a servant bully you?”
“Just tell me. I’ll have their heads!”
Keeping his head lowered, Xiao Che said, “In reply to Your Highness, no one has bullied me.”
Prince Ling clearly did not believe him.
“Then why do you look so upset?”
Xiao Che did not wish to continue this exchange with Prince Ling. He cupped his hands in salute.
“Your Highness, I need to return to my studies. Please excuse me.”
Without waiting for Prince Ling’s permission, Xiao Che hurried away.
Prince Ling watched his retreating back thoughtfully.
One of his attendants stepped forward. “Your Highness, this subordinate will investigate at once.”
Prince Ling waved a hand. “Forget it. Since he says it is nothing, then it is nothing.”
“Yes.” The attendant stepped back.
“Come. Let us leave the palace first,” Prince Ling ordered, high-spirited.
Although his father seemed to have forgotten to order him to move into the Eastern Palace, Prince Ling did not take it to heart.
He believed his father was surely testing him.
Prince Ling climbed into his carriage, which soon began to move.
He closed his eyes to rest.
Being Emperor was truly exhausting.
He had to rise at the hour of the Rabbit, and he was still handling affairs at the hour of the Pig.
He was leaving the palace this early only because he needed to return to Prince Ling’s residence.
The carriage swayed and rocked, and Prince Ling was just about to fall asleep.
Then, with a loud bang, the carriage came to a halt.
Prince Ling’s eyes flew open.
“What is it?” he asked coldly through the carriage wall.
“Protect Your Highness! Assassins!” came his attendant’s voice from outside.
Prince Ling froze for a moment before opening the window.
On the roadside, more than a dozen men in black were fighting his guards.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot straight toward his face.
Prince Ling immediately threw his head back. The arrow skimmed past his forehead and embedded itself in the carriage wall.
A sharp pain flashed across his brow, and he quickly pulled the window shut.
Prince Ling’s carriage had been specially made.
Its exterior was plated with iron, impervious to blades and swords.
So long as he did not open the window, the arrows outside could not harm him!
After securing the window, Prince Ling pulled a long sword from beneath the table and gripped it in his hand.
Outside the carriage, the clash of weapons rang out without end.
Prince Ling did not dare stick his head out to inspect the situation. He strained his ears, trying to make out every sound beyond the carriage.
Gradually, the commotion outside began to fade.
Then, little by little, it disappeared entirely.
Silence.
A profound silence.
Prince Ling’s heart began hammering uncontrollably.
He tightened his grip on the sword.
At that moment, the carriage curtain was suddenly flung aside.
Without a word, Prince Ling slashed out with his sword.
“Your... Highness...”
Prince Ling watched as his attendant’s head rolled into the carriage from the doorway.
The mouth was still opening and closing, while the eyes stared at him wide open.
Prince Ling felt a pang of regret.
Then another guard’s voice came from outside.
“Reporting to the Crown Prince, all the assassins are dead.”
Prince Ling recognized the voice clearly. It belonged to another of his guards.
He let out a breath of relief, lifted the curtain, and pushed his attendant’s corpse out of the carriage.
Stepping down, Prince Ling examined the bodies on the ground.
“Any clues? Who sent them?”
The guard shook his head.
“In reply to the Crown Prince, they were all death-sworn men.”
“We tried to capture them alive, but they bit off their tongues and killed themselves.”
Prince Ling surveyed the area. The silent street was utterly deserted.
In the darkness, it felt as though countless eyes were watching him.
“Return to the residence at once!”
As he spoke, he prepared to lift the curtain and climb back into the carriage.
Suddenly, he felt a cold gust sweep in from behind.
Alarm surged through Prince Ling. He immediately ducked.
Clang!
A sword struck the carriage door, sending sparks flying.
Prince Ling had no time to turn around. He thrust his sword backward with a reverse strike.
Then he rolled across the ground, dove into the carriage, and swiftly pressed the hidden mechanism.
At once, a row of feathered arrows shot outward from the carriage door.
Thud, thud!
Several arrows pierced flesh, followed by the sound of bodies collapsing to the ground.
Then everything fell silent once more.
Ignoring his disheveled state, Prince Ling listened tensely, trying to catch the faintest sound from outside.
