“An assassin!”

Someone shouted, and the imperial guards rushed forward to protect the Emperor.

The First Prince had already rushed out to block the approaching arrow.

The Third Prince also reacted quickly, standing directly in front of the First Prince.

The cold arrow struck the Third Prince in the chest; a foot-long arrow pierced his flesh.

The Third Prince groaned and fell to the ground.

“Third Prince!”

“Quickly summon the imperial physician!”

“Catch the assassin!”

“…”

Chaos erupted in the hall.

Everyone present looked extremely grim, especially the First and Second Princes, who exchanged a glance and then simultaneously looked outside.

“Your Highnesses need not worry. Lord He has already gone after them with the Imperial Guards; the thief will not escape!” Chang Gaoyuan, the chief eunuch beside the emperor, reassured him.

The First Prince and the Second Prince both subtly changed their expressions but quickly regained their previous worry and anxiety.

“This villain is so audacious! He must be captured and executed by slow slicing to vent our anger!” the Second Prince gritted his teeth.

“That’s secondary. The important thing is to check on the Third Prince first,” the First Prince advised.

If his condition was truly dire and beyond saving, at least their efforts wouldn’t have been in vain.

“The imperial physician has already examined him. It seems Third Prince is fortunate and will be alright,” Chang Gaoyuan said. As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial physician loudly reported, “Your Majesty, the Third Prince has been suffering from stomach cold and spleen deficiency these past few days. He had a plaster applied to his chest. Although the arrow was sharp, it struck the plaster precisely where it was applied. Therefore, although Third Prince was injured, it’s not a serious injury; he only needs treatment with medicine.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Third Prince!”

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people knelt down in unison.

“It’s good that he’s alright; it’s good that he’s alright.” Upon hearing this, the Emperor felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He beckoned to the First and Second Princes, “You two, come and check on the Third Prince.”

“Yes.” The First and Second Princes glanced at each other again.

This kid, he actually has such good fortune.

Not only was he unharmed, but he also gained the reputation of saving the Emperor and willingly shielding his elder brother from an arrow. His fame would likely grow even louder, and he would be even more respected.

It was truly infuriating.

The two gritted their teeth, their faces full of worry, and went to look at the Third Prince.

The First Prince, in particular, showed more gratitude than usual. “That arrow should have been blocked by me. How could you be so foolish as to suffer such a fate? How can I bear it?”

His words were a mix of gratitude and reproach, but he was actually reminding others that although he hadn’t successfully blocked the arrow, he had intended to, but the Third Prince had gotten there first.

The Third Prince, pale and unsteady on his feet, forced a bitter smile. “Brother, please don’t blame me. I didn’t think too much; I just rushed over when the situation turned against me…”

His actions were purely driven by a desire to protect Father and his elder brother.

The First Prince gritted his teeth but didn’t show much on his face. He checked the Third Prince’s injuries, urging him to rest and instructing the imperial physicians to take good care of him.

Because of the assassination attempt, the Emperor had to return to the palace ahead of schedule.

The First Prince and the Second Prince were also in a flurry of activity.

Finding an opportunity, the two huddled together again.

“Brother, don’t you find today’s events a bit strange?” the Second Prince whispered. “Third Brother is usually more devoted to literature and poetry, and his martial arts are lacking. That arrow came so fast, I could barely see it. How could Third Brother react so quickly?” “

Not only was his reaction quick, but he was also incredibly brave, and he had a plaster on his chest to help block it,” the First Prince scoffed. ” Today is the late Emperor’s birthday, and people come to the temple to offer incense and pray for blessings. Ordinary people are afraid of offending others, and they don’t even dare wear sachets or incense. He, however, is bold enough to bring a plaster to the temple.”

“Brother, do you also think Third Brother is playing along?”

And all their efforts had been for nothing but a pawn’s work?

The First Prince nodded, his expression growing increasingly grim.

With the court now stable and the world at peace, it was incredibly difficult for them, as princes, to achieve any real merit. Their usual abilities were limited to literary talent and some administrative tasks.

But they all read the same books, were taught similar things by the same tutors, and spent roughly the same amount of time studying, so their literary talent was naturally at a similar level.

As for administrative tasks, as princes, they delegated tasks, and others handled them perfectly, so their individual abilities weren’t particularly outstanding.

Standing out among the three was extremely difficult.

The First Prince thought for a long time before coming up with the risky idea of ​​rescuing the Emperor—having someone assassinate him while he shielded the Emperor from the arrows—which would become a celebrated story, even making the Emperor remember his kindness.

But even the most meticulous plans can have flaws; he overlooked the shrewd Third Prince!

Just like his venomous mother, he always lurked in the shadows, ready to strike unexpectedly.

Truly despicable!

The First Prince was furious, and the Second Prince was equally enraged. “Brother, are you just going to let it go like this?”

“There’s no other way right now; this is all we can do.” The First Prince swallowed a breath of sullen air. “Visit the Third Prince more often these days; it’ll show how close we brothers are.”

As for other things, they would deal with them later.

The First Prince gripped the reins tightly.

Meanwhile, He Yanxiu and the Imperial Guard Commander Zou Yunqi chased the suspicious man all the way to the mountainside.

The man was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a quiver on his back. He was as light as a swallow, even more agile than He Yanxiu and Zou Yunqi, occasionally firing a couple of arrows to distract them from their pursuit.

“This guy has good archery skills!” Zou Yunqi was somewhat annoyed, so he simply leaped into the air and pounced.

“Commander Zou, be careful.” He flanked Yanxiu from the side.

The man nocked an arrow and fired another at He Yanxiu.

He Yanxiu hurriedly dodged to the side, but the attack was so sudden that he couldn’t dodge in time. The arrow pierced his waist under his armpit, and he groaned as he fell to the ground.

“Hmph!”

The man sneered, now having a chance to deal with Zou Yunqi.

“Lord He!” Zou Yunqi was worried about He Yanxiu and panicked.

But before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light flew from He Yanxiu’s hand, heading straight for the thief. In almost an instant, the dagger was embedded in the man’s chest.

After a moment of stunned silence, the man dropped his bow and arrow, plummeting down the mountain and landing on a protruding rock below, where he remained motionless.

Zou Yunqi leaped onto the rock, examined it, and shook his head at He Yanxiu. “Looks like we won’t get anything out of him.”

“But it’s all the same,” Zou Yunqi added.

(End of Chapter)

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