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Chapter 220
Chapter 220
Chapter 220
The night was dimly lit. At this late hour, when the streets of Zhuque were typically deserted, they were packed with people. More martial officers were gathered after the assassination attempt at the pastry shop. Before curfew, the son of Prince Yongle, the grandson of the Emperor, had been attacked. Regardless of the circumstances, the Golden Guardians couldn’t evade responsibility. Upon receiving the news, General Weichi Gong of the Golden Guardians was reportedly furious. He promptly ordered all the martial officers to mobilize and rush to the scene to protect Su Che. As for Weichi Gong himself, he hastily entered the palace to meet with Li Er. This prominent figure in the Tang Dynasty, widely recognized, had become adept at handling such situations. He didn’t dare to approach Su Li directly, opting to seek reinforcements within the palace.
However, the martial officers patrolling the streets faced an unfortunate situation. At this moment, the pastry shop was completely encircled by layers of martial officers. Torches were held aloft, casting a bright light across an area about thirty feet in diameter. Everyone’s eyes were wide open, vigilantly scanning their surroundings. Although they claimed to be guarding against potential assassins, everyone knew that with such a display, it was highly improbable for any foolish assassin to walk into their demise willingly. They were simply following Weichi Gong’s orders.
Before long, a booming sound echoed from a distance. Shortly after, the ground beneath the martial officers began to tremble slightly. Simultaneously, all of them turned their attention towards the noise source. What followed left them astonished. Amidst the pitch-black night, over a hundred black-armored riders were charging towards them. Each of them was fully equipped and armed. Even from a distance, the martial officers could feel the overwhelming sense of danger from the approaching group.
Instantly, their legs turned weak. They were the patrolling martial officers responsible for maintaining law and order in Changan. The night in Changan belonged to them, and they naturally exuded an aura of ferocity. However, no one had ever imagined that they would witness an army galloping through the city’s heart. No one dared to step forward to impede them. The officers’ hearts were heavy, causing an oppressive feeling that made breathing difficult. Some of the more timid ones even found themselves short of breath.
Soon, the cavalry unit arrived nearby. Each martial officer trembled, bowing their heads and not daring to take a breath. “Father!” Suddenly, a clear child’s voice rang out. Then, they saw Su Che, with his little legs, sprint towards the front of the tallest white horse. Without hesitation, he leaped onto the horse’s back. Su Li, who was riding on the back of White Dragon, immediately embraced Su Che in his arms. Even though he had learned from the messenger martial officer that Su Che was unharmed, it wasn’t until this moment that he truly felt relieved. Afterward, his expression turned cold.
“Where are the assassins? Have you discovered anything about their identities?” Su Li inquired, his voice low. In response, the martial officers began to disperse to the sides, revealing the seven corpses they had surrounded. A skilled tracker among the officers stepped forward and carefully examined the bodies and the weapons they had used. “Lord, there’s nothing that indicates their identities!” The tracker expressed his frustration. Su Li nodded, not particularly surprised. Those who dared to assassinate Su Che would naturally be well-prepared to leave no traces. The only thing they hadn’t anticipated was Su Che’s strength.
“In that case, let’s directly pursue them!” Su Li narrowed his eyes and stated. Simultaneously, his mental focus entered the system’s storage, searching for information. Before long, Su Li found what he was looking for,
[Truth-Telling Elixir *2: Pose a question to make the other party speak the truth. (After consumption, you can freely choose the activation time of the elixir’s effect.)]He waved his hand and led the group to depart. The martial officers exchanged puzzled glances, clearly perplexed by his actions.
On the other side, inside the imperial palace, Li Er paced back and forth in the main hall with an angry expression. Weichi Gong stood upright by his side. “Your Majesty, can you provide me with a clear answer on handling this matter?” Weichi Gong finally couldn’t bear it anymore and asked directly, seeing Li Er pacing around in a way that made him dizzy. “What to do? We’d like to know what to do, too!” Li Er exclaimed angrily. Recently, he had been watching the powerful families suffer setbacks under Su Li’s suppression, and he was delighted.
However, such an incident suddenly occurred today, and Li Er was now consumed by anger. Privately, Su Che was the son of Princess Changle and his grandson. The fact that those individuals dared to target Su Che was undoubtedly a challenge to the royal family’s authority. Publicly, an assassination attempt on Su Che would undoubtedly trigger Su Li’s rage. Who in the world had the confidence to withstand Su Li’s fury? The plotters behind Su Che’s assassination aimed to create chaos and unrest.
Li Er couldn’t understand the extent of Su Li’s anger. However, as the Emperor, he had to keep this situation under control. Anyone with clear eyes could see that the assassination attempt on Su Che was a warning from the powerful clans to Su Li. But what difference did it make to realize that? Li Er was well aware of the modus operandi of these influential families. The assassins they sent were undoubtedly highly skilled and were willing to die for their cause. Since the assassination attempt had failed, those individuals were likely already dead. Without evidence, where could they begin the investigation?
Li Er’s greatest fear was that Su Li wouldn’t find conclusive evidence and would resort to indiscriminate revenge out of anger. Su Li had the power to overturn the chessboard, and now, with the assassination attempt on Su Che, he had a reason to do so. Li Er did not doubt that Su Li could wipe out the Five Aristocratic Families and the Seven Noble Clans. However, if he were to do that, how could Li Er continue to be the Emperor?
Setting out without clear evidence, purely based on suspicion, and allowing Su Li to annihilate a prominent family’s entire lineage could lead to a scenario where people only recognized Prince Changle but not him, the Emperor, in the future. At this moment, Li Er felt he was facing the greatest crisis of his life. He realized that if he didn’t handle this situation carefully, it could lead to irreversible consequences.
Suddenly, a eunuch hurriedly entered the hall, taking small, quick steps. “Your Majesty, a message from Prince Yongle!” The eunuch handed over a piece of paper to Li Er. As Li Er unfolded it and read its contents, his expression changed drastically. The note contained only one sentence: “Lu Family of Fanyang attempted to assassinate Su Che. The downfall of the Lu Family will be today!”
Even someone as composed as Li Er turned pale upon seeing this message. It was a chaotic situation! Imperial power struggles were far from straightforward, and he had no reason to believe that the Lu Family was behind this assassination attempt without concrete evidence. Without evidence, even as the Emperor, he could, at most, give them a warning. Why would Su Li dare to confront the Lu Family without proper justification directly? This was a question that deeply perplexed Li Er.
“The messenger who delivered the message also brought the Minister of Agriculture, Cui Shu. According to him, Your Majesty can ask Cui Shu anything directly if you wish to know,” the eunuch whispered again. Soon, Cui Shu was brought into the hall. However, his expression was fixed and unusual, but Li Er was too preoccupied to pay much attention to it.
“I ask you, who plotted the assassination against Su Che tonight?” Li Er asked directly. Cui Shu’s body trembled, and then, in a vacant voice, he answered, “The Magistrate of Wannian County, Lu Qiqing, dissatisfied with Prince Yongle’s excessive executions, sent assassins to target Prince Yongle’s son, seeking revenge for the deaths of his clan members…” After speaking, Cui Shu suddenly shivered, his expression clearing up abruptly. Looking at the visibly shocked Li Er and Weichi Gong, Cui Shu realized what he had just revealed. His face turned pale as a sheet, and he cried mournfully. At this point, there was no saving the Lu Family anymore.