Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei lamented to himself that Xiao Jingyun was born at the wrong time. If he had gone to burn incense one day later...
But halfway through his thought, Chen Xiaobei shook his head gently. Even if Xiao Jingyun had gone to burn incense a few days later, would he have told him? It was impossible for Xiao Jingyun to know, even if he found out.
His secret contact with the Da Tu Kingdom would invite speculation.
"Prince Xiao Jingyun has been injured by your people. I suspect it was Duobang's doing. They used poison, and the prince is in a coma. Can you help find an antidote?" Chen Xiaobei asked tentatively. Sudan Novel Network.
The visitor cupped his fists and said, "Sir, I am powerless in this regard."
"Captain Wei Duobang excels at using poison. Unless he is found, it will be difficult to determine the poison!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei felt a chill run down his spine. This was essentially a death sentence for Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Meanwhile, Duobang had already sneaked back to Wannian City. He wanted to ensure Prince Xiao Jingyun's death before claiming credit from the Emperor.
The rest of his subordinates, seeing him return alone and without Alido, understood what had happened. But in this era, death was a common occurrence.
Duobang addressed the crowd, "After lunch, all of you will go out and gather intelligence. Xiao Jingyun is injured, and news of his death will spread within two days. Then, we can claim merit from the Emperor."
While preparations were being made for a celebration, Xiao An was restless, unable to eat or sleep.
Upon learning that his son had been poisoned again, Xiao An's face contorted with distress.
It was understandable. Being poisoned twice in such a short period had greatly shamed the royal family.
But what could be done about the shame? He had to find a way to save his son's life.
With the experience from last time, relying on ordinary means was futile. They had to post a royal decree.
After the royal decree was posted, Xiao An sat there, still filled with worry.
Captain Wei Bai Han, seeing his distress, couldn't help but try to comfort him, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is blessed with good fortune. He will surely be fine. Someone will respond to the decree soon."
Xiao An sighed, "Let's hope so. Last time, Chen Xiaobei rescued Jingyun from danger. Who will it be this time?"
As they both waited with anticipation, a thousand miles away, Liu Rumei and Xiao Qing had already reached the border on horseback.
From a distance, Liu Rumei signaled Xiao Qing to dismount and lead the horses into the nearby woods.
They found a patch of withered grass, and Liu Rumei unbuckled the reins from the horses' necks.
"Xiao Qing, we're nearing Pingzhou. We can't ride anymore. We must proceed stealthily. These two horses have served us well to get this far. Let them be free."
Xiao Qing nodded. They exchanged a look and quietly left while the horses grazed.
In fact, even if they had traveled openly, these two horses probably wouldn't have minded much. For the horses, it was just a few days of travel.
The two walked slowly along a small path. After a while, Liu Rumei stopped. She hid behind a large tree and gazed into the distance, her expression becoming grave.
"Xiao Qing, do you see? The people from the Da Tu Kingdom are patrolling not far ahead. We can't pass in daylight. We'll have to wait until night."
Xiao Qing looked into the distance, her face also turning serious. "Miss, could our whereabouts have been discovered?"
Liu Rumei smiled wryly, "When so many of us disappear at once, they'll surely try to find their way back."
"Alright, let's find a place to rest."
They found a sheltered spot and basked in the sun, dozing off. The constant travel had been exhausting.
Meanwhile, back in Wannian City, Duobang was already preparing for his next target.
He had promised the Emperor to kill both Xiao An and his son. With Xiao Jingyun virtually dead, Xiao An was next.
Duobang made a bold decision: he would infiltrate the imperial palace that night and carry out his mission.
As night fell, Wannian City was under strict guard. Soldiers patrolled the streets.
However, such patrols were meaningless to a master like Duobang. Soon, he reached the vicinity of the imperial palace.
Lying in the darkness, Duobang observed carefully. The palace guards were much more vigilant than those at the Crown Prince's residence. Additionally, the palace had increased guard posts on the high walls, with a soldier stationed at every corner to keep watch.
This made infiltrating the palace considerably more difficult.
After much deliberation, Duobang decided to take the risk.
He hid in the darkness, waiting patiently for the soldiers' shift change. Normally, guards changed every hour.
Indeed, after about half an hour, the relief guard arrived.
Taking advantage of the momentary confusion during the shift change, Duobang leaped up, reached the top of the wall, and lay there for a moment, ensuring no one noticed him, before quietly dropping into the palace grounds.
As soon as he landed inside the palace, he heard a rustling sound.
It turned out that piles of dry leaves and grass had been placed along the base of the wall.
This was Bai Han's deliberate act to prevent anyone from scaling the wall. The noise naturally alerted the guards who were on duty.
Duobang knew that with this commotion, his plan for the night was ruined. He immediately leaped back over the wall and fled.
Soon, Wannian City was in an uproar. Soldiers pursued him, but it was clearly difficult to catch up to Duobang.
After being pursued for a while, Duobang quietly hid on a rooftop, evading the chasing soldiers. Only when things had calmed down did he sneak back to the inn.
Upon returning to the inn, Duobang realized he had alerted them. He wouldn't be able to enter the palace again for several days. Therefore, he had to change his target.
After careful consideration, Duobang decided to focus on the mysterious驸马 (son-in-law of the emperor), Chen Xiaobei. Killing Chen Xiaobei would deprive Emperor Xiao An of his son-in-law and also cause trouble for Liu Rumei, who had been wreaking havoc in the Da Tu Kingdom, by taking away her husband. It was a two-pronged attack.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Xiao An was also shocked. He hoped his son was not already dead. Now, the target was himself. The enemy was too audacious.
However, with his son severely injured, he could no longer oversee state affairs. Some matters required his personal attention.
Xiao An turned to Captain Wei Bai Han and said, "Go and issue an imperial decree to seal off Wannian City. Search every household and find this culprit."
Bai Han bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, please forgive my subordinate's words, but would it not be better to invite Marquis Liu to take charge? With Marquis Liu leading the situation, he can certainly stabilize it."