Encountered Attack

Encountered Attack

Outside the Imperial Palace, the carriages scattered in all directions, heading off along different routes.

Inside the carriage, a faint incense fragrance lingered in the air, refreshing the heart and mind.

Zhao Hongming sat behind the low table, cross-legged upon the carpet with his eyes closed in rest. His body swayed gently with the motion of the carriage.

The carriage he rode in was positioned at the center of the convoy, with fifty Imperial Guards protecting it ahead and another fifty behind.

Chang Wubing and Wang Bao rode to either side of the carriage.

Chen Xuerong, who had joined them later, rode ahead of the carriage to lead the way.

No one in the entire convoy made a sound. Zhao Hongming heard only hoofbeats, footsteps, and the creaking of carriage wheels.

After leaving the Imperial Palace, the convoy, led by those at the front, bypassed Great Liang City's main streets and left the city through another, relatively deserted alleyway.

After a while, Zhao Hongming opened his eyes, lifted the carriage curtain with the back of his hand, and asked outside, "Wang Bao, where are we now?"

"Your Highness, we have just passed through Daliang's East Xuan Gate and are now on the official road." Wang Bao answered with great respect, truthfully reporting the current situation.

Zhao Hongming asked, "Is this official road easy to travel? Are there many forests?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, we will soon enter Li Mountain. There are quite a few mountains and wildernesses on both sides, and the scenery is excellent."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongming frowned slightly.

Many forests meant many places to set an ambush.

Something could very well happen.

He knew they were moving out of the Imperial Palace because the Imperial Palace Grand Formation had been damaged.

Yet in his view, if the Imperial Palace was unsafe, the wilderness would not be much safer.

If he had been one of the enemy, he certainly would not have let such an opportunity slip away.

Over the past few months, both the Palace Guard Division and Imperial City Division had taken on quite a few additional hands. Yet Zhao Hongming felt that the palace defenses had grown much looser lately. Every time he eavesdropped, he moved about without hindrance.

The palace had been infiltrated to such an extent. It was impossible for the Jian'an Emperor not to have noticed at all.

Logically speaking, the destruction of the Imperial Palace Grand Formation could not have happened without the slightest warning.

Yet that was exactly how it had occurred, strange beyond belief.

There had to be another reason.

These truly were troubled times. Zhao Hongming glanced at the towering city walls behind the carriage, vigilance rising in his heart.

He straightened his body, placed one hand on his sword hilt, and focused his mind to the utmost.

At the same time, on another official road outside Great Liang City, a convoy of nearly a hundred people was likewise traveling along the road.

The carriage was drawn by five black horses of the same color.

This convoy was none other than the Crown Prince's party.

The Crown Princess, Gu Wei, sat beside him in the carriage, reclining against a soft pillow with her eyes closed in feigned sleep. Crown Prince Zhao Hongli sat properly beside her, his heart burdened with worries.

His complexion did not look very good.

Now that the Imperial Palace Grand Formation had been damaged, it was obvious that someone within the palace was working hand in glove with those outside.

There were wars and conflicts beyond the borders, drought and treacherous villains within, and Wei Country looked as though it were on the verge of collapse.

Since ancient times, whenever many states were about to perish, the reigning emperor would eagerly pass the throne down, leaving the Crown Prince with a mountain of messes.

He believed Wei Country had not yet reached the point of national ruin, but there was no doubt that after all these upheavals, Wei Country would certainly be weakened.

By the time it reached his hands, it would be a weakened Wei Country.

How detestable.

He did not know how long this turmoil would last, nor when he would be able to return while outside the Imperial Palace.

Moreover, he had previously heard that the Jian'an Emperor was considering replacing the Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Zhao Hongli immediately felt stifled and anxious.

Rumble—

The eastern sun had yet to show its face, yet thunder already rumbled across the heavens, and the sky was dark and overcast.

Gradually, dark clouds hung low, blotting out the moon.

Lightning flickered through the clouds from time to time, as though the sky itself were growling.

The Crown Princess, Gu Wei, was startled awake by the thunder. She gently lifted the carriage window curtain and leaned out to look.

Waves of warm wind blew past, carrying a heavy dampness. If one listened closely with the nose, one could even smell the earthy stench of soil.

"It is finally going to rain." Gu Wei suddenly revealed a faint smile. "Crown Prince, the people of Great Wei have been yearning for rain for a long time."

Zhao Hongli's mind was in utter chaos. He gave an absent-minded hum in response.

Gu Wei lowered the curtain and asked, "Crown Prince, when will we return to the Imperial Palace?"

"I do not know. We will wait for Father Emperor's message."

"Oh."

Whoa...

The carriage came to an abrupt halt, causing Zhao Hongli, who had been sitting upright inside, to pitch forward from the momentum.

Gu Wei reacted swiftly, hurriedly catching Zhao Hongli.

Zhao Hongli immediately flared with anger. He climbed out of the carriage and pointed at the coachman as he cursed, "Damn slave, how are you driving?"

Faced with the Crown Prince's rebuke, the coachman gave no response. Both hands clenched tightly around the reins, his eyes fixed straight ahead, utterly motionless.

Zhao Hongli followed the coachman's gaze and saw shadows of figures surging at the very front of the convoy.

Hoofbeats, footsteps, and the scrape of metal plates came from the darkness in all directions.

Zhao Hongli was very familiar with that sound.

He had heard it in military camps before. The sound of metal plates scraping together was the noise made by armored soldiers in motion.

Soldiers!

Very soon, soldiers clad in red armor emerged one after another from the forests. They held long spears and shields, surrounding three sides of Zhao Hongli's convoy. There were no fewer than two hundred of them.

Judging by their attire, they were the Chu army.

Zhao Hongli could scarcely believe it. Why had the Chu army appeared in the outskirts of Wei Country's Great Liang City?

The convoy's battalion commander reacted quickly. "Form ranks! Protect the Crown Prince!"

At his command, the nearly hundred Imperial Guards swiftly drew the sabers at their waists and formed groups of three with their nearest teammates, protecting Zhao Hongli at the very center.

The Tu Clan martial artists sent by Empress Tu Lihua also contracted their perimeter, guarding the area around the carriage. "Crown Prince, please return inside the carriage."

Zhao Hongli said nothing and quickly climbed back into the carriage.

"Crown Prince, what is happening outside?"

"Nothing." Zhao Hongli's face was deathly pale, and his heartbeat continued to accelerate.

He tightly grasped Gu Wei's hand, trembling faintly.

Straight ahead, the Chu soldiers opened a passage.

A five-foot tall strong man slowly rode out from within on a tall black horse.

He wore heavy armor and held a long-handled Mo Dao roughly a zhang long, dragging it along the ground.

The Imperial Guard leader at the front shouted sternly, "Who goes there? How dare you raise arms against the imperial heir within Wei Country's borders?"

The strong man tugged at the reins, making the horse beneath him shift uneasily from side to side.

He cupped his fist in salute. "I am Shen Xishan, a Chu innate martial artist. By order of the Chu King, I have come specifically to take the Wei Crown Prince's life!"

As soon as the words fell, he swung the long blade in his hand.

After receiving the command, the soldiers at the front stepped back, revealing the Archers hidden behind them.

The Imperial Guard leader's heart immediately jolted at the sight.

Those were Two Stone Crossbows. Every one of these soldiers was a martial artist.

Shen Xishan fiercely brought down the Mo Dao in his hand. "Kill!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless arrows fell headlong upon the Crown Prince's party like a torrential downpour.