In the dark and sunless prison cell, thick blood stained the straw on the ground a deep red.
The maid, who had been neatly dressed just moments ago, now lay wretchedly on the floor, her pale, smooth face covered in tears and blood.
Fan Guanshan picked up a stack of confessions from the ground.
To be able to plant a mole in Prince Ying's manor for so many years without being discovered, Prince Qi certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.
He just didn't know if there were others.
Looking up at Fan Guanshan's tall back as he turned to leave, the maid no longer had the strength to hold on. Her head dropped, and she passed out on the ground.
The imperial guards in charge of keeping watch frowned.
"She cannot die yet. Go get a doctor."
As he walked out of the prison, the horizon was already faintly white.
Colorful rays of dawn peeked out from below the horizon, but Fan Guanshan's heart felt exceptionally heavy.
He gripped the confessions tightly and walked toward the imperial palace.
In the imperial study, looking at the fresh confessions, Xiao Chengjing slammed his hand heavily on the desk.
With a ferocious expression, he roared at the air, "How audacious! When did this rebellious son become like this!"
Standing below, Fan Guanshan twitched his eyelids.
Wasn't it because you spoiled him.
After calming down, Xiao Chengjing closed his eyes.
"To avoid affecting diplomatic relations between the two countries, the matter ends here. I will punish Prince Qi myself. The wedding is over, and the envoys of the Shuobei State should be leaving."
Fan Guanshan nodded without a word.
The commotion at the Jingzhao Prefecture last night was too great. Everyone in the royal court knew that Prince Qi and the Shuobei envoys were almost assassinated.
The officials who did not know the inside story were all submitting memorials during the morning assembly to reorganize the capital's defenses.
At the same time, Wang Nie and Qi Xiong, lying in the Huitong Guesthouse, were furious.
Qi Xiong pointed his thick finger at Jiang Dongsheng's nose and roared, "I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. How could I be knocked out by a mere pot of wine? There must be a problem here."
Sitting in the chair, Wang Nie rubbed his temples, still feeling a bit of a headache.
"I only had two cups. Was there something wrong with the food and wine?"
Jiang Dongsheng forced a fake laugh. "Perhaps the wine of our Dongzhao State is too strong, and you two lords couldn't handle it."
Qi Xiong put his hands on his hips, wishing he could punch Jiang Dongsheng in the face.
"I've drunk the strongest of wines. What exactly are you trying to do?"
It must be the people of Dongzhao who drugged them, but what was the purpose of setting up this scene?
Jiang Dongsheng kept a smile on his face. "Yesterday, County Princess Linghui already checked your pulses. You were indeed just too drunk."
"Fortunately, His Highness Prince Qi arrived in time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. Before the thieves are caught, please do not leave the guesthouse to avoid encountering danger again."
Qi Xiong puffed out his chest and angrily stepped right up to Jiang Dongsheng's face.
"A mere thief? You think I'm afraid of him?"
Jiang Dongsheng twitched the corners of his mouth.
"The opponent has strong martial arts. More than a dozen guards couldn't defeat him. It is better for you to stay in the guesthouse, Lord."
After speaking, he ignored their angry glares, turned around, and left.
As his figure disappeared into the courtyard, Qi Xiong smashed the table with a punch.
After venting his anger, he quickly turned to look at Wang Nie, his eyes full of confusion. "Lord Wang, what do you think they are trying to do?"
Wang Nie lowered his hand and took a deep breath.
"The possibility of it being a thief is very small. Even if we ran into Xiao Rongche, he wouldn't save us."
Qi Xiong paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
"Could it be that Xiao Rongche wants to kill us?"
Wang Nie's expression paused slightly. "Then why didn't he strike last night?"
Because they were going to offer congratulations, and Qi Xiong was also going, the eight sedan chair bearers they brought had very weak martial arts. Eliminating them would have been extremely easy. Yet, six of Xiao Rongche's guards also died. No matter how you thought about it, it was strange.
Qi Xiong's thick eyebrows knitted together. "Could it be that he regretted it halfway through? Xiao Rongche is afraid we will wage war against them."
Wang Nie thought for a moment and nodded slightly. "That is very likely the case."
Qi Xiong asked, "Should we expose this matter?"
Wang Nie raised his hand in objection.
"No. The Emperor doesn't plan to attack Dongzhao right now. You and I are completely unharmed, and being here in Dongzhao, no one would believe us."
Qi Xiong said unwillingly, "Then what should we do? Just pretend this never happened? We lost eight men."
Wang Nie stood up and touched his neck, his voice sounding incredibly calm.
"The marriage alliance is already over. We must leave as soon as possible." To avoid Xiao Rongche continuing his madness.
In the end, this incident was caused by Prince Wei, yet the two of them were left to clean up the mess.
They got no benefits at all, but suffered plenty.
"Yes." Seeing Wang Nie say this, Qi Xiong, as the captain of the guards, could only agree.
Under Xiao Chengjing's arrangement, the Jingzhao Prefecture soon released news that they had caught the notorious bandit who assassinated Prince Qi and the Shuobei envoys.
Just as the court officials wanted to inquire about the details, the Jingzhao Prefecture beheaded the man that very day.
From capture to execution, the whole process took no more than half an hour.
By the time Wang Nie received the news, the man was already dead.
Not only that, Jiang Dongsheng even put on a show of bringing the severed head over to report back.
"Lord Wang, Guard Qi, this is the notorious bandit who tried to assassinate you the night before last."
Looking at the bloody severed head, Wang Nie vomited on the spot.
"Get out, and take it away."
Not wanting to stay in the capital any longer, Wang Nie entered the palace the next day to bid farewell to Xiao Chengjing.
Eager for them to leave quickly, Xiao Chengjing approved it without the slightest hesitation.
Before leaving, Wang Nie took his men to Prince Ying's manor.
"The wedding is complete, and this humble official will set off for Shuobei tomorrow. If the princess suffers any grievances in Dongzhao in the future, you can write to the Emperor at any time. You will always be a princess of our Shuobei State."
When saying the last sentence, Wang Nie and He Shuwan locked eyes, everything understood without needing to be spoken.
Sitting to the side, Xiao Rongyan smiled and said, "Rest assured, Minister Wang. Shuwan is my secondary consort, and I will absolutely not let her suffer any grievances."
Wang Nie calmly curled the corners of his mouth. "With Your Highness's words, this official can return and report back on his mission."
Xiao Rongyan, satisfied, had someone see Wang Nie out.
The more importance the Shuobei State attached to He Shuwan, the more beneficial it would be for him.
Considering that he might need Shuobei's help in the future, he didn't mind saying a few nice words to them at this time.
