Chu Li bid farewell to Prince Bao and returned to Xiao Qi's side.
"What happened?" Xiao Shi covered her face with a white veil and stared at him with her deep, bright eyes.
Chu Li shook his head. "You'll know when you get back. It's better not to say."
"Qiao San!" Leng Tao, who had been listening attentively, raised his voice and shouted.
"Imperial Crown Prince!" Qiao San was following behind the Protectors of King An's Imperial Residence and was only ten steps away. When he heard Leng Tao's call, Qiao San quickly went forward and fist saluted. "Imperial Crown Prince, what can I do for you?"
"What happened in the town?" Leng Tao scoffed.
Qiao San was meticulous and knew how to serve people. He was exceptionally quick-witted and would do everything even without being instructed. He was very useful.
Qiao San looked around and seemed to be in a difficult position.
"There are no outsiders here. Just say it!" Leng Tao scoffed.
Qiao San lowered his voice. "I heard that Consort Ping was assassinated."
Chu Li looked at Leng Tao helplessly.
Leng Tao cried out, "Fourth Aunt is dead?"
"Yes." Qiao San nodded.
"How is that possible!" Leng Tao was in disbelief.
The Protectors of King Ping's Imperial Residence were very strict. The Protectors were all experienced generals and they were better than martial arts masters when it came to killing people. Yet, they could not protect Consort Ping and she was killed!
Qiao San lowered his voice. "That's what the news says."
Leng Tao looked at Chu Li. "Head Chief Chu, is it true?"
Chu Li looked at the ladies whose expressions had changed. "Why do you have to say this? It'll affect everyone's mood."
"Who the f * ck still has the mood!" Leng Tao shouted.
Chu Li said impatiently, "She's dead, but we still have to live our lives. People die every moment in this world."
"So, she's really dead?" Leng Tao asked.
Chu Li nodded. "Dead."
Leng Tao mumbled in disbelief, "Dead?"
He had always thought that he was far away from death since he was the descendant of the Emperor. Consort Ping's death was like a flood that rushed toward him. It turned out that death was so close to him!
Siao Shi sat on the horse lazily and said, "It's just an assassination. Look at you!"
Leng Qiu and Leng Qing were in a daze at first, but when they heard Siao Shi's clear voice, they snapped back to reality. It was not the first time that the Consort had been assassinated, but she was still alive and well.
Therefore, assassinations were not that scary. The guards of the Prince's Mansion were strong enough.
Leng Tao raised his head to take a look and met Xiao Shi's deep and bright eyes. He blushed and turned his head away.
Siao Shi turned her head towards Chu Li, "Who did it?"
Chu Li said, "I can't say for sure now. I'm still investigating."
"How dare you! Aren't you afraid of King Ping's revenge?"
"I know, right?"
Siao Shi looked at his perfunctory expression. It was obvious that he did not want to talk about it. She rolled her eyes at him and did not ask anymore.
— —
Chu Li and Prince Bao stood on top of the tower. He gazed at the distant battle between the cavalrymen on the prairie.
Before Leng Tao could come back to his senses, a small mistake was seized by his opponent and he was utterly defeated. Prince Bao could not stop shaking his head as he watched.
Footsteps were heard. A Protector in black went up the tower and went up the stairs. He was a secret guardian from the Secret Guardians Hall.
Chu Li turned to look at him, "Qi Meng."
"Centurion Chu, this is a letter from Commander Xu." Qi Meng handed over a letter with both hands.
Chu Li took it. "Thank you."
Qi Meng took a step back.
Chu Li quickly scanned the letter and passed it to Prince Bao.
Prince Bao's face darkened after he read it. "It's them!"
Chu Li took the letter and gently rubbed it into powder. He sighed, "I didn't expect it to be them!"
He turned to look at Qi Meng. "Thank you for your trouble. Tell Commander Xu that I know. Qi Meng, don't let anyone know that you're sending me a letter. There was never this letter. You're here because Commander Xu summoned me back!"
"Yes." Qi Meng fist saluted and retreated to the staircase. He then turned around and went down the stairs, riding his horse and galloping away.
Both of them held onto the exquisite railing that was carved with flowers and plants. They looked at the prairie in silence.
Gusts of wind blew. Prince Bao's purple robe and Chu Li's white robe fluttered.
After a while, Prince Bao said, "Do you think the Emperor will hide this news from King Ping?"
"How can we guess the Emperor's thoughts?" Chu Li shook his head. "But from what I can see, the Emperor doesn't plan to fight on two fronts. It's already hard enough to deal with the Li Dynasty. If another war breaks out, the nation's strength won't be enough. In the end …"
"Yes." Prince Bao sighed and shook his head. "It'll be hard on King Ping."
"If the Emperor hides this from King Ping, he's afraid that the father and son will turn against each other." Chu Li frowned and said, "Only the three of us know the truth now. Including the Emperor, there are only four of us. If King Ping finds out one day, we won't be able to escape responsibility. No one knows if the Emperor will vent his anger on us."
"I'll advise my brother to be honest with King Ping." Prince Bao nodded.
Even if the Emperor did not vent his anger on him, he would lose the Emperor's favor. The consequences would be severe, so he had to nip it in the bud.
"Chu Li, you should enter the imperial court and become an official. You'll definitely rise to a high position." Prince Bao smiled.
Chu Li was meticulous and sharp. He could always predict danger in advance and eliminate it. If he entered the imperial court, he would be like a fish in water.
Chu Li smiled. "I'm just a martial artist. How can I become an official in the imperial court? I prefer to be free and unfettered."
Prince Bao nodded. "That's true. Once you become an official, you'll be tied to a rope."
"Now that the Li Dynasty and the Qiu Dynasty are going to fight, do you think we should take advantage of the situation and teach the Li Dynasty a lesson?"
"I think we should fight, but we don't have to fight too fiercely. It'll be enough to distract some of the troops so that the Li Dynasty won't be able to focus on the Qiu Dynasty."
"Won't that benefit the Qiu Dynasty?"
"If we don't fight, the Li Dynasty will benefit. We have to choose the lesser of two evils."
"The Li Dynasty is no match for the Qiu Dynasty. Even if we don't take advantage of them, they'll still lose. They might even be destroyed by the Qiu Dynasty."
"Your Royal Highness, don't forget about the Fu Dynasty." Chu Li shook his head. "They won't allow the Qiu Dynasty to destroy the Li Dynasty."
"The Fu Dynasty." Prince Bao gritted his teeth and scoffed. "They're just sh * t-stirrers!"
Chu Li smiled and nodded.
The Fu Dynasty regarded themselves as the leader of all the countries. In order to prevent the other four countries from challenging their position, they had been sowing discord and not allowing two neighboring countries to have a harmonious relationship. Otherwise, they would not be able to sit still.
Once two or even three countries joined forces, the Fu Dynasty would not be able to withstand it no matter how strong they were. Even if they could win, their vitality would be greatly damaged and the losses would outweigh the gains.
Prince Bao sighed. "This is the sorrow of a weak country. However, we don't have to worry about these things. Let the Emperor worry about it. We'll just listen to his orders!"
Chu Li nodded.
Given their status, they could not decide these things, so they could only talk about it.
When the Hunting Ceremony ended and Chu Li and the others returned to King An's Imperial Residence, everyone in the city knew that Consort Ping had been assassinated. Everyone was anxious. If Consort Ping could be assassinated, who would be safe?
On the other hand, King An's Imperial Residence was as stable as usual. They had experienced many assassinations. Whether it was the various martial arts sects of the Ji Dynasty or the Li Dynasty's Holy Church of Light, they had all come to King An's Imperial Residence, but none of them had succeeded.
After lunch, Chu Li was talking to Xiao Qi and Xiao Shi in Tianshu Courtyard. He told Xiao Shi about Consort Ping's assassination and how a few protectors had committed suicide, which made Xiao Shi feel rather pained.
Suddenly, Zhu Tianhua's voice was heard from outside. "Head Chief, there's a protector with the surname Qi who wishes to see you."
"Let him in," Chu Li said.
A moment later, Qi Meng, who was dressed in black, strode in and gave a fist salute. "Greetings, Centurion."
Chu Li waved a hand. "What's the matter?"
Qi Meng looked around.
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