Concerned (Continued)

Its formidable defenses left onlookers speechless.

But Sui remained indifferent, glancing around a few times before shaking her head slightly.

Is this a serious matter?

She looked at Maria beside her and asked with some confusion.

In her mind... it was just a sneak attack.

It's not a big deal.

Is it necessary for so many people to be here?

"..."

Sui didn't hide his voice, and soon a large group of Imperial Guard turned around and stared at Sui with serious expressions.

Zuo Zheng, who was standing to the side, was also having a headache, but he still took out the token in his hand and showed it to everyone present.

"Give Way!"

Although Zuo Zheng seemed like a punching bag in front of Maria and Sui, in the eyes of others, the girl was still an absolute prodigy. After seeing the token, they hesitated for a moment, but then decisively refused.

"I'm sorry, Miss Zuo, the situation is urgent. You are not allowed to enter until we find the madman!"

Although the girl revealed her identity, the Imperial Guard dared not easily let her in and resolutely refused.

"This..."

Seeing that the token was useless, Zuo Zheng hesitated, but after a moment, she gritted her teeth and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"General Wei! General Wei!"

"Um?"

Hearing the commotion, the Imperial Guard nearby turned to look, and several vigilant Imperial Guard approached with their weapons drawn.

Seeing this, Sui, who was standing nearby, also frowned slightly.

Fortunately, the situation here didn't escalate.

Soon, several guards from inside came out.

Although they couldn't compare to the Imperial Guard in terms of status, they were Wei Sanzheng's personal guards, after all.

After they appeared, the other Imperial Guard paused slightly.

But soon, the other party spoke.

"His Highness has ordered these gentlemen to enter."

"Yes!"

The Imperial Guard hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

After all, as Imperial Guard, their daily training was not primarily about combat, but about obeying orders.

For them, no identity is as direct as a simple command.

Therefore, after the other side issued the order, its leader pondered for a few moments before waving his hand.

A guard promptly stepped forward and led him inside.

Seeing this, Sui did not continue to make trouble. He just pursed his lips and walked inside.

Soon, surrounded by the Swarm crowd, Maria and the Prince met the current Emperor.

It wasn't what Maria expected.

Despite the attack, the man remained conscious. Although his face had paled slightly, his sharp edge was undiminished.

Upon seeing Maria and the others approaching, he nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, the Swarm of Wei Sanzheng's personal guards were on guard nearby.

Several corpses lay on the ground, clearly lifeless.

Several elderly doctors, leading young apprentices, were diligently treating the man's abdominal wound.

Although the wound is not actually fatal, it should fully heal in one or two weeks with normal treatment.

But given their status, they dared not be negligent.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming."

The man waved his hand, and the doctors nearby almost immediately stepped back.

He slowly got up, first patting Wei Sanzheng on the shoulder, and then walked step by step to the two of them.

After taking a deep breath, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

"So... you're still alive? If you're not dead, why did you call us here?"

He remains as outspoken as ever at his age.

She thought these villains were about to die and were planning something big, which was why they had called them over.

Result...

That's it?

Why call them over?

"... Perhaps it's because wicked people live longer."

The man casually said something, then looked at Zuo Zheng beside him.

He didn't actually call Maria and the others.

The main point is that he can confirm that this assassination attempt has nothing to do with these two people... After all, for Great Beast, such a situation is just a minor skirmish.

But Zuo Zheng still summoned Maria and the others.

Clearly, Zuo Zheng worried that he might mistakenly believe that the attack was carried out by these two Great Beasts, thus causing a deterioration in relations between the two sides?

This left the man somewhat amused and exasperated.

As the person most vulnerable to an assassin's sneak attack, he could immediately discern the crux of the matter, yet Zuo Zheng failed to see it... It can only be said that his concern clouded his judgment.

But... does this attitude indicate that these two girls hold significant weight in Zuo Zheng's heart?

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, but then gathered his thoughts and looked back at Maria and Sui.

"It was just a petty thief... I didn't expect you guys to come too."

"Um..."

The man didn't reply, but Maria turned her head slightly.

"I heard you haven't caught the murderer yet?"

"..."

"There may be some problems with your defense design."

Maria spoke calmly, but even those words made the guards beside her bow their heads involuntarily.

As the most important figure in the entire Great Yan Yan, how could the emperor's guards allow assassins to launch a surprise attack and escape so easily?

This is not just a minor dereliction of duty; it could even be described as malfeasance!

Maria's words struck them like a dagger to the heart.

The man, however, simply shook his head upon seeing this.

"This isn't their problem. It's been almost a century since an attack on the palace has happened... We're not plants or trees; how can we keep our nerves constantly on edge?"

"But..."

The man first offered words of comfort to the other guards, then changed the subject, saying, "This matter cannot be simply swept under the rug."

The man looked at Wei Sanzheng, who was standing to the side.

"Third brother..."

"I am here!"

Wei Sanzheng was an honest man through and through. At this moment, he didn't think about defending himself. He just gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, please punish me!"

Whatever the reason, the final result was that they not only failed to protect the safety of the men, but they also failed to catch the criminals... He wouldn't be surprised if they were beheaded for such dereliction of duty.

"The salaries of all members of the Fire Guard will be reduced by one rank this year, and the salaries of all lieutenants in each army will be reduced by two ranks."

The man did not hesitate.

The emperor may be easy to talk to, but his majesty is inviolable!

In fact, given that such a major incident occurred, the fact that they were only demoted and had their pay reduced is already an extremely lenient treatment.

The other guards also let out a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing about the punishments.

In any case, at least they survived.

But the story clearly doesn't end there.

"As for other punishments, we'll discuss that after you catch that scoundrel..."

"I'll give you three days and nights... If you can't produce anything within three days and nights, even you, my third brother, will not be spared..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wei Sanzheng gritted his teeth and decisively spoke.

He knew the man wanted to downplay the matter.

Regardless, such a major incident has occurred. As his bodyguard, he should at least be exiled, if not dismissed.

But the man didn't immediately punish him; instead, he gave him three days... This was clearly an attempt to make him atone for his crime through good deeds.

This made him even more grateful to the man.

Maria watched this scene silently, and after a moment of silence, she turned her head away.

Is that all?

"... That's not the most important thing right now."

The man understood Maria's meaning, but he certainly didn't intend to settle accounts for the time being.

The most important thing now is to figure out who the attackers are and what their motives are.

Just as he himself said, this imperial city has been untouched by any attack for almost a century.

Now that such a big thing has suddenly happened, even he is somewhat stunned.

However, Maria didn't seem to care much about it.

The king was assassinated... isn't that normal?

Rather, it's more accurate to say that emperors who lived to the end of their own lives were extremely rare.

Therefore, she didn't say much about the man's decision and simply turned her head away slightly.

"Those... over there a few."

"Ah... indeed, little sister, come out."

Noticing Maria turn her head to the side, the man paused for a few moments, then also turned his head to look to the side.

Although they were siblings, Maria could tell that compared to his indifference towards Wei Sanzheng, the man clearly cared more about this so-called youngest sister.

As he called out, a woman with a terrified expression emerged from the nearby library, who had been lying next to a white-haired maid.

Upon seeing the corpse beside her, she buried her head in the maid's arms in fear, trembling all over.

"Little sister..."

Seeing this, the man felt a pang of sympathy.

He disregarded his status and walked over in a few steps.

"Brother..."

The girl's hair was snow-white, and her wide eyes were filled with confusion and fear.

Fear and unease.