Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Twilight bled across the horizon as the Embroidered Uniform Guard silently encircled the Second Prince’s mansion. After days of tight blockade and intensive surveillance, hidden sentries from the Guard had been deployed all around the compound. Yet before the Guard could enter with the imperial edict, a fierce blaze erupted within the mansion. A panicked cry of “Fire!” pierced the air—and the Second Prince’s residence was instantly engulfed in flames.

The fire raged violently—deliberately so—the front courtyard burst into flames first.

Ye Xuanjiu had just arrived with his men when the inferno blocked their advance. From within the conflagration, several black-clad figures wearing masks charged forth, each wielding ruthless precision as they barred the Guard’s path.

“Lord Ji, we haven’t located the Second Prince or the Princess!” a guard urgently reported.

Ji Wuming stood firm outside the mansion. From the moment the fire broke out, they had sealed off the exterior—but he had never anticipated the Second Prince would commit such recklessness: igniting a fire that would consume even the servants trapped inside. His voice was low, icy: “Monitor everyone inside the Second Prince’s mansion. If dead, identify the bodies; if alive, take them captive. Not a single soul is to escape.”

His gaze remained fixed on the burning structure, unblinking. The fire itself was the least of his concerns—what truly alarmed him was the possibility it served as a diversion.

“Have troops been dispatched to the city gates?” Ji Wuming demanded.

A guard replied, “Yes! The Ministry of War has issued an urgent order to seal all gates!”

Following the court incident, His Majesty had deliberated and issued a firm decree: whether concerning the First Prince’s case or the factional strife and clandestine networks, the Second Prince’s life must remain confined within the capital—to quell all unrest at court.

Yet inexplicably, Ji Wuming’s eyelids twitched incessantly. He sensed this matter would not be resolved so easily.

“Lord Ji, we’ve discovered a secret passage inside the mansion!”

Another guard reported, “And there’s something else—please examine this…”

Ji Wuming inspected the object the guard presented. Though partially scorched, the character “Qi” (戚) remained faintly legible. In Dayuan, which “Qi” could it possibly be, other than the Qi Family Army stationed along the northern frontier? Yet why would such an item appear in the Second Prince’s mansion?

Ji Wuming’s expression darkened instantly. His eyes snapped back to the raging fire. Now that the Second Prince was implicated in the secret faction, the mere presence—true or fabricated—of anything tied to the Qi family in his residence would constitute an inescapable stain, especially at this critical juncture.

If this item were presented to the emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable. Ji Wuming immediately pressed down on it: "Before this matter is fully investigated, no one is to be told. Issue a city-wide search warrant and seal the city!"

These Secret Faction members actually dared to reach out to the Qi family.

Ji Wuming felt a chill. He turned to look at the city. This item could not have appeared here without reason. He feared the Second Prince had left a hidden trap that couldn't be guarded against. If this item appeared in the Second Prince's residence, where else could it appear?

In the city, the search warrant was issued, and the entire city was sealed.

The silent undercurrents lurking in the capital—the fire at the Second Prince's residence seemed to have triggered a signal.

The Imperial Guard searched the city, but no one found the Second Prince who had disappeared from his residence.

While all the Imperial Guard were drawn into the city, the Second Prince escaped through a secret tunnel all the way to outside the city gate. After years of operating in the capital, it was expected that he would have a secret escape route, but he never thought that before he could stir up the situation in the capital, the emperor would strike and even order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround his residence layer by layer.

To remain hidden, he had lost nearly all his lookouts at the city gate, just to divert the main force of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The exit of the secret tunnel was in the northern suburbs. The Second Prince, protected by elite guards, made his way out, and at the tunnel entrance, a carriage was already waiting.

"Your Highness, the people in the city have been drawn away," a subordinate reported.

The Second Prince nodded. "Head straight to Western Shu. With Qi Hanzhou's ability, in an hour—"

Before he finished speaking, arrows suddenly shot from the dense forest, hitting two of his men. The driver was struck dead on the spot. The Second Prince turned sharply and saw Qi Hanzhou pursuing on horseback. Caught off guard by this unexpected turn, he immediately looked at his bodyguards, wondering who had revealed his whereabouts.

Dozens of Embroidered Uniform Guard had surrounded the tunnel entrance along the way, clearly a pre-arranged setup.

Qi Hanzhou flicked his wrist, and a scroll of the Ministry of Works' records fell to the ground. It was the Ministry's survey records of the capital from the founding of the dynasty. From the moment he sealed off the Second Prince's residence, he had investigated all information about it, including the location of the residence, which was far from the imperial palace. With such a major incident happening in the capital, the Second Prince still dared to stay, undoubtedly relying on a means of survival. Although Liu Yunshi could not find the exact location of the secret tunnel, he could infer its approximate position.

The Second Prince stepped back half a step, not expecting Qi Hanzhou to be so thoroughly on guard against him. The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, mounted on horseback, did not dismount, but looked down at him from above, while the Imperial Guards around him blocked all escape routes. The assassins around the Second Prince, seeing this scene, knew they could not break through Qi Hanzhou's encirclement.

A group of assassins surrounded the Second Prince, who had no way out.

"Junior General, the number of assassins is wrong!"

Ye Xuanjiu said, "We haven't found the Second Prince's Consort!"

Qi Hanzhou's expression shifted slightly; there was another exit in the secret passage.

His gaze darkened, and he ordered the Second Prince to be taken into custody first. "Take him back. Search the passage."

The Second Prince, already surrounded by the Imperial Guard, suddenly laughed out loud. "Junior General Qi, your Qi family is said to be the sharpest blade of Imperial Power. I never expected this blade of yours had long since turned to Prince Yan, and that you even secretly brought the Light Garment Guard to protect the capital. How long have you and Ying Fusheng been in this secret alliance? And how much does my father know?"

He maintained his composure. "If the Qi family harbors rebellious intentions, who do you think my father's wrath will be aimed at?"

Ye Xuanjiu's expression changed slightly as he looked at Qi Hanzhou.

Qi Hanzhou stopped in his tracks, his eyes cold. "Second Prince, how do you know I'm only arresting you alone?"

"If you're waiting for Concubine Xian, she won't be able to leave the palace by now."

When the Second Prince heard that Concubine Xian was in trouble, his eyes flickered, and his composure finally faltered.

Qi Hanzhou had no intention of wasting words with him.

The Second Prince shouted, "Qi Hanzhou!"

"I heard that years ago, during the tragic incident in Youzhou City, you were one of the few who survived," the Second Prince stared straight at him, a dark, cold glint in his eyes. "Is that true? Now I only have these assassins around me. Don't you want to know where the others have gone?"

Qi Hanzhou paused slightly, then suddenly looked toward the darkened capital not far away.

...

At the Prince Yan's Mansion, the capital was destined for unrest that night. A secret order from the palace demanded the city be sealed off for a full-scale search for the Second Prince and his remaining followers. Especially after the silence fell over the city, the sound of marching garrison troops echoed in the streets. From the moment the Second Prince's manor caught fire, certain things had been set in motion silently.

Chen Xuqiu pulled out the needle and turned around, seeing Wu Lao frequently glancing out the window, uneasy. "What are you worried about?"

"Can the Second Prince truly be brought to justice?" Wu Lao looked at the unconscious young man on the bed. He seemed to have more to say, but was even more unsettled by the situation, suppressing his anxiety.

Chen Xuqiu noticed his odd behavior. Since arriving in the capital, first he had used her to deliver the herbal diagram to Qi Hanzhou, and now he was so anxious. She knew this old scholar was hiding a secret. "Do you know the situation with the Second Prince?"

Song An, who was tending to Ying Fusheng, looked back, also noticing Wu Lao's strange behavior.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from outside the door, and the next moment, several arrows shot into the bedroom. Chen Xuqiu reacted first, pulling Wu Lao under the table. She turned abruptly, and in that instant, Ye Xuanqi, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly blew a whistle. A dozen Light Garment Guards guarded the entrance to the courtyard, while Ye Xuanqi blocked the door of the wing room, looking up at the gathering attackers.

The Prince Yan's Mansion was under attack!

The Light Garment Guards intercepted the assassins. Chen Xuqiu settled the two people inside and hurried to the door, immediately seeing the decaying corpses on the ground.

"It's a secret medicine from the previous dynasty!" Seeing the horrific state of the bodies, Chen Xuqiu murmured, "No, why are they attacking the Prince Yan's Mansion?"

Unknown assassins and Jianghu people had stormed into the Prince Yan's Mansion. The city was now filled with troops searching for the Second Prince's whereabouts, yet at this moment, assassins were still attacking the mansion. Did they not know how heavily guarded the Prince Yan's Mansion was?

"Stay inside and protect His Highness." Ye Xuanqi frowned, watching. The assassins today were different from before.

Dozens of assassins launched a sudden night raid, and news of the previous dynasty's assassins hidden all over the capital emerging in full force quickly reached the mansion. Weng Yanqing, who was staying behind, paled upon hearing the secret report. He immediately rushed to Ying Fusheng's courtyard. The ground was already littered with bodies of assassins, but even so, there were still more outside.

There were far too many of them. These assassins and Jianghu figures had likely been targeting the Prince Yan's Mansion for a long time, and someone had ordered them to act at this moment.

"They are buying time," Weng Yanqing said.

The encirclement of the Second Prince in the capital was already destined the moment Meng Jinyuan and Liu Yunshi made their statement in court. The Secret Faction had spent years laying the groundwork in the court for the Second Prince. If the Second Prince had colluded with the Prince of Qin of Western Shu, then with the Second Prince's fall in the capital, the Prince of Qin would surely dispatch troops. Only by killing the Second Prince before the news reached the Prince of Qin could they take the Secret Faction by surprise and force those hiding deeper into the open.

At this moment, the Second Prince, even while fleeing, was deploying these assassins—his final move in the capital, targeting His Highness directly!

Across the capital, the whistle sound spread, and the news of the assassins attacking Prince Yan's residence spread quickly.

Upon hearing the whistle, Weng Yanqing and Ye Xuanqi immediately looked into the distance. This news was bound to reach the imperial palace.

Within the palace, as the whistle sounded, someone hurried toward the inner court.

Outside the hall of Concubine Xian in the rear palace, the Imperial Guard had surrounded the hall. Empress Xu stood outside the door, looking at Concubine Xian inside. At the sound of the whistle, she turned abruptly.

"Urgent whistle from Prince Yan's residence! The residence is under attack!"

On the capital streets, the Imperial Guard patrolling and searching the city stirred at the sound, turning to look toward Prince Yan's residence.

The rapid hoofbeats, accompanied by the Light Garment Guard's covert whistle, alerted Weng Yanqing to the problem.

The core protectors within Prince Yan's residence, the ones who guarded the Prince most closely, were the Qi family's Light Garment Guard.

At this moment, a large number of Imperial Guards were searching the city. If Prince Yan's residence was attacked, they would come, and then the Light Garment Guard on site would not be able to escape.

If the presence of the Light Garment Guard was discovered, the secret alliance between the Qi family and Prince Yan would be revealed.

Why? Why the urgency to expose the secret alliance between the Qi family and Prince Yan?

"Tonight, the Imperial Guard patrol will inevitably pass through here," Weng Yanqing said hurriedly, stopping Ye Xuanqi. "You must leave quickly."

"Master Weng, we can't leave," Ye Xuanqi replied, following only Qi Hanzhou and Ying Fusheng's orders. Earlier today, Qi Hanzhou had instructed that no matter what happened in the capital, the Light Garment Guard must not leave Ying Fusheng's side. He wiped his blade clean and stepped back half a pace, the Xuan iron shield already protecting the interior of the side room, not allowing a single arrow to pass through. "Besides, these people came prepared."

If the Light Garment Guard withdrew, these people would surely stop at nothing to kill Prince Yan.

But if the Light Garment Guard stayed, there would be a follow-up move. This Second Prince, even at the brink of disaster, wanted to turn the capital upside down.

"A signal whistle has arrived!" Within Prince Yan's residence, a scout from the Light Garment Guard returned first. "It's from the Yun family. Someone is leading the Imperial Guard here!"

So fast!

Weng Yanqing and Ye Xuanqi exchanged glances. Weng Yanqing recalled the guards who had frequently come to spy on Prince Yan's residence in recent days. During this period, the Prince had been unconscious and absent from morning court for many days, which had already aroused the Second Prince's suspicion, prompting him to push the Yun family to test the waters.

The Yun family and the factions behind them had been suppressed by the Emperor and were under control. Now, with Prince Yan pushing these factions so hard in the court, if someone with ill intent were to expose Prince Yan's weakness at this moment, then after this encirclement...

Amid the clash of blades and arrows, the fingers of the long-sleeping man twitched. The boy opened his eyes in the flickering candlelight.

The noise outside was overwhelming. Ying Fusheng, suddenly hearing the sounds, felt the fog that had shrouded him for days dispelled by the clamor. He smelled the heavy scent of blood, and his long-dulled consciousness snapped back.

Bloodstains splattered across the window paper. The assassins' assault suddenly intensified.

Hoofbeats crossed the alley and headed straight for Prince Yan's residence. The Imperial Guard had arrived at the gate!

At this critical moment, with Prince Yan under attack, no Imperial Guard in the capital dared take the risk. The leader who entered was the squadron leader of the Imperial Guard. Seeing the situation in the residence, he hesitated briefly before ordering directly: "Assassins! Search Prince Yan's residence immediately. There must be spies inside! Check everyone's identity!"

The Imperial Guard acted on orders. Prince Yan's safety was of utmost importance.

Ye Xuanqi noticed that the leader of the Imperial Guard was none other than Lord Yun, a noble scion in the capital commanding a squadron of the Imperial Guard. The Second Prince's assassins and Lord Yun arrived almost simultaneously. If they used Prince Yan's safety as a pretext, the search of the residence was unavoidable.

Ye Xuanqi was about to step forward to stop him, but Weng Yanqing grabbed his hand from behind and whispered, "He deployed the assassins to find an excuse to search Prince Yan's residence thoroughly."

Ye Xuanqi could only discreetly signal for those behind him to hide first. Weng Yanqing had already sent a message to inform Shen Changcun, hoping to buy time until the Ministry of War arrived.

At that moment, Lord Yun's gaze swept over and fixed on Prince Yan's bedchamber, where several guards stood outside the door. Ye Xuanqi's hand was already on the knife at his waist. Behind him and Weng Yanqing, inside the chamber, several Light Garment Guards were concealed. Lord Yun walked straight toward them without stopping. Ye Xuanqi's knife was about to draw, when suddenly Song An stepped forward, blocking Lord Yun: "Prince Yan is resting inside. No disturbance allowed."

The more he obstructed, the more sinister Lord Yun's gaze became.

Recently, the Ministry of Revenue had lost several officials in succession, and even the Minister of Revenue had been ordered to undergo strict investigation. The First Prince had fallen from grace, the Yun family had suffered repeated setbacks, and now they were falsely accused of being part of the Secret Faction. Today, someone had sent a message claiming that the Qi family and Prince Yan had formed a private faction and that the residence harbored secrets. The family head immediately ordered him to investigate the situation.

The Imperial Guard's actions were within reason; the Emperor had no grounds to fault them. If they could indeed find evidence against Prince Yan, it would be leverage. There were so many corpses around. The more the people of Prince Yan's residence tried to stop him, the more he suspected something was amiss. An informant had reported that Prince Yan was unconscious. If he didn't investigate now, he would never have another chance.

"If the Prince is unharmed, we will leave," Lord Yun said, seeing the situation, even more convinced. "We merely want to enter and confirm the Prince's safety. Why is this steward obstructing us so persistently? Could it be that something is happening inside?"

Song An replied calmly, "What do you mean, my lord?"

"Only to confirm the Prince's safety, and then we will leave," Lord Yun continued. "I ask the steward to understand. The attack on Prince Yan's residence is indeed strange, and we are acting on orders. Today, we must confirm the Prince's safety."

He gestured, and some Imperial Guards stepped forward to restrain Song An.

The next moment, he decisively leaped forward and pushed the door. Just as he touched the door, a voice suddenly rang out—

"Let me see who dares to enter."

At the sound of the voice, Lord Yun's expression flickered.

The door was pushed open, and a young man in a simple robe walked out, wading barefoot through the blood, and stood at the doorstep. Lord Yun, who was about to push the door, froze in mid-motion. Ying Fusheng looked at him coldly, his face marked by illness, his brows and eyes carrying a drowsy, half-awake look. Yet at this moment, his expression was unusually icy.

Seeing Prince Yan appear, the Imperial Guards behind Lord Yun immediately stopped in their tracks. The young man before them could barely stand without leaning on the doorframe, yet the invisible pressure he radiated made no one dare to step forward.

"What is the meaning of this, Imperial Guard?" Ying Fusheng swept his gaze over everyone, his voice hoarse from prolonged illness. "Since when can the Imperial Guard act with impunity in Prince Yan's residence?"

"Your Highness, forgive me. I saw vicious criminals breaking into your residence, and I was worried for your safety," Lord Yun knelt and bowed, breaking out in a cold sweat. Wasn't Prince Yan supposed to be unconscious? What on earth is going on?

In the courtyard stood a dozen Imperial Guards, all lowering their heads, not daring to speak. They had only followed Lord Yun's orders and never expected this turn of events.

"Since you're here, none of you will leave today," Ying Fusheng said, looking up. Suddenly, he hurled a Light Garment Guard token into the courtyard. As the token hit the ground, Weng Yanqing and Ye Xuanqi's faces twitched slightly, while Lord Yun trembled as he stared at the token on the ground.

What on earth is going on?

In the blink of an eye, men had already arrived outside Prince Yan's residence.

Hu Buyu stepped into the blood-soaked courtyard of Prince Yan's residence and saw the young man standing at the door.

"Lord Hu, you've come just in time. Witness this for yourself."

Ying Fusheng suddenly smiled. "I found this forged token on one of the assassins. Were you all truly worried about my safety, or were you seizing the chance to frame me?"