amaotonovel Chapter 408 Critical Situation
Chapter 408 Critical Situation
The sudden turn of events terrified King Qi, who turned pale as he watched helplessly as the long sword hurtled toward his chest.
Suddenly, a figure lunged at him from the side and knocked him down into the carriage.
King Qi looked at the eunuch lying on top of him with a horrified expression, his face contorted in pain. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the eunuch.
"Protect His Highness!"
The cold, sharp voice of the guards rang out from outside the carriage, followed by the sounds of swords clashing and fighting.
King Qi trembled uncontrollably, and, still shaken, pushed away the eunuch who was pressing down on him. He wanted to see what was happening outside, but was afraid of being stabbed if he got too close to the carriage window.
He heard the voices of his own people, trembling as he approached. He smelled a thick stench of gunpowder and blood, so strong that he could barely breathe. He clenched his fists and, steeling himself, lifted the curtain.
A flash of white light appeared, and warm blood sprayed all over his face. His eyes widened instantly as he watched the guard fall to the ground.
The man in black saw King Qi through the gap in the carriage curtain, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and approached step by step.
King Qi was drenched in cold sweat, trembling like a leaf, and inching backward. Until his back pressed against the carriage wall, with nowhere left to retreat, a sense of impending death welled up in his heart.
He went limp, his blood gushing, unable to utter a sound. He watched in horror as the man in black, wielding a large, imposing knife, brought it down with terrifying force, shattering the carriage into pieces. The blade, carrying a powerful gust of wind, hurtled straight toward his face.
King Qi jolted and instinctively rolled to the side. With a "bang," he fell off the carriage, gasping for breath in pain. Before he could escape, the man in black caught up and slashed down with his sword.
At the critical moment, a group of men rushed in. The commander threw his spear, which pierced the chest of the man in black. His knife veered and stabbed into the shoulder of the King of Qi.
King Qi let out a miserable scream.
When the men in black saw that the King of Qi's reinforcements had arrived, they knew they had missed a golden opportunity and that the situation was hopeless, so they all retreated.
The adjutant rode up to the man in black, his rough hand gripping the gun handle and pulling it out. Blood splattered on his face, highlighting the murderous glint in his eyes.
The soldier asked, "Commander, should we give chase?"
"No need to pursue." The adjutant smelled the gunpowder and looked at the guards and horses ahead, blown to pieces. He worried that there might be landmines lying in ambush ahead, and if they chased after them, they might be blown up. "Search the scene carefully and find out where these people came from."
He dismounted and squatted down beside the King of Qi. He saw that the King of Qi had a deep wound on his shoulder that exposed the bone. Blood stained half of his clothes, and his face was as pale as paper. He didn't know if it was from being frightened, from losing too much blood, or from both.
The adjutant took out a dagger, cut open the Qi King's robe, tore off a strip of cloth to bandage his wound, found a nearby clinic to treat it, and then escorted him back to the capital.
Marquis Shou'an was waiting at the city gate. When they returned, he asked, "General Jiang, what's the situation with His Highness?"
Jiang Canjiang dismounted: "His Highness was assassinated and seriously injured. If I had arrived even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Shou'an looked at the carriage behind him, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
No sooner had the King of Qi left the capital with his entourage than someone came to the Marquis's residence to report to him. He realized something was amiss. The King of Qi was still injured and had delegated all his authority to the Prince of Guangling. What matter required the King of Qi to handle personally?
He suspected that because he had not cooperated with the Prince of Qi in asking the Northern Qi Emperor to establish a crown prince on the day of the wedding in Guangning, the Prince of Qi had taken other actions in private.
Fearing that the Prince of Qi might cause trouble, he went to the Prince of Qi's residence in person and questioned someone. Only then did he learn that the Prince of Qi had arranged for people to investigate the remnants of the previous dynasty and had traced them back to their ancestral home.
The clan elders would report all matters, big and small, concerning their ancestral home every year. He knew exactly what the situation was like at the ancestral cemetery and temple, and he would never harbor remnants of the previous dynasty.
It's obvious that someone deliberately set a trap for King Qi, and King Qi, being too eager for quick success, actually jumped into the trap.
The Northern Qi Dynasty is currently in a turbulent period, with the struggle for succession already quietly underway.
He suspected that it was the faction of the Prince Xian and the Prince of Guangling who were behind it, and worried that the Prince of Qi's life was in danger. He immediately went to the palace to request the Emperor of Northern Qi to send troops to rescue the Prince of Qi.
The Northern Qi emperor, mindful of the pure bloodline of the Prince of Qi, agreed to send troops to rescue him, thus saving the Prince's life.
Marquis Shou'an continued to inquire, "Have you found any clues?"
“All the people Your Highness sent to your ancestral home were killed, and we found no clues. On my way back, I inquired about the details of the matter from Your Highness.”
"It is said that the person behind the scenes used His Highness's confidant to write a letter to the Prince of Qi's mansion, luring His Highness to his ancestral home, and then setting up an ambush to assassinate His Highness on the way."
"Those assassins deliberately planted mines on the mountain path. The guards rode their horses and triggered the mines, killing several of them. Landmines are firearms used in the army, and the fact that these assassins had mines shows that they were not of high status."
"Furthermore, the assassins are highly skilled in martial arts, even surpassing His Highness's personal guards. Their masters are either of equal or higher status than His Highness."
At this point, Jiang Canjiang looked dejected: "The assassins saw us approaching and immediately fled. I was worried that there were still landmines on the mountain road ahead, so I didn't send any men to chase after them. The assassins who died there didn't leave any distinguishing features on their bodies, so we couldn't find out who their master was."
"They came prepared, so how could they have left any evidence?" Marquis Shou'an asked. "Did they check the mountain roads?"
Jiang Canjiang replied, "We have investigated. All the mines planted by the assassin have been detonated and will not harm innocent civilians."
Marquis Shou'an nodded, signaling Jiang Can to escort Prince Qi back to his residence.
Upon receiving the order, Jiang Can prepared to mount his horse and head towards the Prince of Qi's residence.
At this moment, a soldier got out of the carriage and said anxiously, "General, His Highness has contracted a fever. His forehead is burning hot, and he is talking nonsense."
Jiang Canjiang's face darkened. Before he could speak, the Marquis of Shou'an said, "Your Highness's injuries have worsened. Send him to the palace immediately to have the imperial physician treat him."
Having been on the battlefield, Jiang Canjiang knew the danger of worsening injuries and dared not delay. He quickly sent Prince Qi to the palace and settled him in the East Fifth Palace, where the princes resided.
When the Empress arrived after hearing the news, she happened to see the imperial physician re-bandaging Prince Qi's wounds. She slowed her pace and walked towards the bedside, where she saw a copper basin on a stool, the water inside stained red with blood.
She felt a pang of panic in her chest and pressed her hand to it: "How is Your Highness?"
The imperial physician reported, "If His Highness's high fever subsides tonight and his injuries do not worsen, then there is no serious problem."
The Empress understood the meaning behind the imperial physician's words: if the injury continued to worsen and the high fever persisted, the situation would be very serious and could even be life-threatening.
She looked at the King of Qi lying quietly on the bed. His face, which was usually very healthy, was now pale and had lost its usual vibrancy.
The Empress felt as if a needle had pricked her heart, and she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.