20 days later, in Ningde Manor.
Tomorrow, he would be returning to the capital, but nothing had happened in the villa. Every few days, there would be a banquet, and every time there would be a banquet, there would be a Su He smiling as he played the zither.
What were Feng Qianyue and Xiao Zhenhai waiting for?
"The fragrances of Red Lotus Root are fragmented and jade-like. Lightly relieving Luo Chang, I'll go to the blue boat. Whoever sends me the best books will be able to return the favor. The moon shines in the west tower …" Su Han smiled as he caressed the pipa. His voice was filled with emotion as he chanted.
Beneath it, there was still the appearance of all living things.
"Feng Degui, when are you returning to the palace?" Zhou Cheng Emperor asked as his gaze fell upon the cinnabar mole on Su Huan Xiao's forehead.
"Return to the Emperor, and return to the palace tomorrow." Feng De Gui said respectfully.
"Oh, so fast." Zhou Chengdi sighed and said.
At this time, Su Han continued to laugh, and the rest of the people were mesmerized. Suddenly, she thought of something tragic, and two lines of tears rolled down her crystal clear face. That sad little face made them feel sad.
Zhou Cheng Di was stunned for a moment before he slowly stood up and walked towards Su He with a smile.
Everyone was startled as they looked at each other.
Zhou Cheng Di walked up to Su Huan Xiao and continued to play his lute. He bent over and placed his hand on her face, his eyes glazed over.
"Your Majesty …" Su Han Xiao raised his head and looked at the kingly man before him with his watery eyes.
"Zining..." he said.
"Emperor Doggie, hand over your life!" At this moment, the man who was responsible for ringing the bell behind Su Zining suddenly stood up. The wooden stick in his hand suddenly turned into a blade.
"Protect the emperor!" Jiang Keji, who was standing to the side, immediately rushed over.
"Father!" The princes all suddenly rose to their feet. Everyone was shocked.
"Ugh!" The person closest to the assassin, Su He Xiao, didn't even think before jumping onto Zhou Cheng Di's body. The knife stabbed viciously into her back, causing her to soften and fall into Zhou Cheng Di's embrace.
"Zining!" "Zining!" Zhou Cheng Di panicked and hugged Su He.
And Jiang Keji had already subdued the assassin!
"Your majesty!" Xu Xianfei and Imperial Concubine Liang stood up at the same time and followed the emperor into his courtyard. Xu Xianfei had only taken two steps when her legs went numb for some reason. Her legs went weak and she fell down.
"Aunt …" Wei Rucai hurried over and helped her up with the servants. Those who didn't know her would think she was in too much of a hurry to fall.
Standing in the darkness, Leng Mei quietly withdrew her hand.
When Xu Xianfei finally stood up, Consort Liang had already followed the emperor into the courtyard.
One by one, the imperial physicians that accompanied them entered the courtyard, and the palace maids and servants took turns bringing water in. When they came out, the basin of water had turned red.
The emperor had given the order to save Su Han Xiao.
Everyone sat where they were, waiting nervously and doubtfully. They all tried to guess who was the assassin that Commander Jiang was suppressing on the ground, and why he had dared to assassinate the emperor. Who was he at his command?
Under the light of the candle flame, Feng Qianyue, who was seated on his seat, revealed a profound expression.
He had suffered for so long. Today, he was going to take revenge.
He looked at Xiao Zhenhai and Xiao Zhenhai nodded to him. He then looked at Lian Xiyue, and she was also looking at him.
More than two hours later, Emperor Zhou Cheng finally appeared at the banquet once more. He had already instructed Imperial Concubine Liang to take good care of the unconscious Su Hanyi.
"Greetings, your Imperial Majesty." Everyone quickly kneeled down, each one of them on tenterhooks.
Zhou Chengdi sat down, and his gaze landed on the assassin. He asked, "Who are you? Why are you trying to assassinate me?"
"Humph!" The man spat, closed his mouth, and held his head high, refusing to say anything.
"Pah!" Zhou Chengdi slammed his palm on the table, "How dare you make things difficult for the people!"
"Please don't be angry, your majesty!" Xiao Zhenhai hurriedly stood up. "The Emperor's dragon body is more important. How about you let Commander Jiang and this humble subject handle the case? Your majesty will wait quietly for the results."
Xiao Zhenhai had purposely added Jiang Keji, whom the Emperor trusted, to get rid of the suspicion.
"I will give you an hour." Zhou Chengdi sat down and said while clutching his chest.
In the past few days, he had been recuperating at the Ningde Manor for a month. He felt that his body was slightly better, and now that he was excited and his vital energy and blood were surging, he felt unwell again.
"Yes sir!" Jiang Keji brought the assassin away, while the rest waited in the hall. Occasionally, they would hear a miserable scream, and in addition to that, Emperor Zhou Cheng's face would always be cold. Everyone felt their scalps go numb, and no one dared to make a sound.
An hour later, Jiang Keji, Xiao Zhenhai, and the dying assassin returned.
"How is it? Is he admitting it? " Zhou Chengdi asked.
"In reply to the emperor, he admitted it. He said that King Pancin, the prince of Qing Nan, had sent him here to deliberately mix with the musicians and wait for the right time to stab the emperor." Jiang Keji reported.
"What, King An Qing?"
Zhou Cheng Di frowned and was puzzled. He squinted his eyes and asked the dying man, "Why is King An Qing trying to assassinate me?" "Speak!"
"I, our king said it, the emperor is willing to show off his power on the surface, but in his heart, he's already set up the vassal lords. Now he wants to weaken the vassal lords' power by using a medallion. He wants to kill the emperor, then launch a counterattack, and take his place." The man was bleeding from the corner of his mouth. He forced himself to breathe as he stared at Zhou Chengdi with hatred in his eyes.
When the assassin said this, Lian Ru Yue finally understood that all of this was aimed at the Ninth Prince!
Earlier, the ninth prince had said that the command was carried out smoothly in the south of the kingdom, but now, there was an assassin arranged by Prince An Qing to express his dissatisfaction with the order.
Was this not enough to show that the Ninth Prince had not only failed to fulfill his Imperial Mandate, but had also lied to the Emperor in order to gain merits?
Lian Meng Yue secretly clenched her fists as she looked toward Zhou Cheng Di.
Sure enough, Emperor Zhou Cheng had been enduring the anger on his face as he said, "This Yun Zheng went on the imperial report two months ago and clearly stated that Prince An Qing and his two sons not only had no objections to the Eunuch Order, they even actively cooperated with it. But now there's an assassin trying to assassinate me."
"Your Majesty …" Xiao Zhenhai walked out, cupping his hands and saying, "Your majesty, please calm your anger. This is not all the fault of Ninth Prince, after all, he is still young, and has experienced too little in the world. And the King of Anping, Pan Lin, is a cunning old fox.
The first part of Xiao Zhenhai's words sounded like he was opening the door for the Ninth Prince, but the second part was obviously pouring oil onto the emperor's fire.