Arrangements

"Whose child is that?" Eunuch Deng asked.

"He's a little beggar from the street. He was just taken in by that woman at the gates of the capital this morning."

Eunuch Deng: "..." The last glimmer of hope was shattered.

The plan was meticulously crafted, with only success allowed and no failure permitted. The mission was undertaken by elite assassins, and a young beggar was even used as a decoy. It seems certain that a prince from the capital has indeed made his move.

Are these people trying to kill Zhao Ruxi before he can issue the imperial decree?

This serves as a warning to the second and Fifth Prince while minimizing the impact. After all, Zhao Ruxi hasn't received the imperial decree yet and isn't considered a member of the royal family. The death of an ordinary person or Subordinate Sixth Rank official is very different from the death of a royal daughter-in-law. At least the emperor's anger won't be as intense.

Furthermore, there is a huge difference between ordinary guards and imperial Imperial Guards trained by the royal family. If Zhang Tao and his companion hadn't been there, the assassination might have succeeded today. Therefore, they needed to assassinate Zhao Ruxi before he brought Zhang Tao and his companion to the palace.

However, wanting to curry favor with Zhao Ruxi and the Prince of Qi, he arrived in Nanyang before the end of the Wushi, delivered the imperial decree, and promptly sent two Imperial Guards to avert this calamity for Zhao Ruxi.

It seems the future Consort of the Prince of Qi is a blessed person, while he is an unlucky one, and who knows how that prince will hold a grudge against him.

Eunuch Deng was troubled and didn't know what to do.

He said helplessly, "Send these people, along with their corpses, to the capital and inform the Emperor."

The Emperor and Prince of Qi will surely personally inquire about this matter. Although these passersby are unrelated, they just happened to be passing by at that time, so they have no choice but to go to the capital and act as witnesses.

If he's detained in Nanyang and something happens to him, Liu Hongyu is convicted, he won't be able to escape responsibility either.

As for Gusu, naturally, I can't go there.

"Lord Zhao...?" the Imperial Guards asked again.

"Have Lord Liu prepare the carriages and horses and take care of everything; I'll go visit Lord Zhao. After I return, we'll go back to the capital together," said Eunuch Deng.

They needed to get back to the capital before the city gates closed, but they also had to take a group of passersby and several corpses with them, so they couldn't walk fast and had to hurry.

Emerging from the house, Eunuch Deng said to Liu Hongyu, "Send a deputy prefect, along with clerks and constables, to escort these people to the capital with us."

During the interrogation of these people, Liu Hongyu and the rest of the state officials were not allowed to approach the two rooms, and they all waited anxiously outside.

Upon hearing that someone was to be sent to the capital, Liu Hongyu dared not ask any further questions and repeatedly replied, "Yes, yes." He then turned to look at Cai Yaozong and Li Li.

When Li Li learned that Zhao Ruxi had become a princess, he decided to cling to her coattails. After all, he was the first to pledge allegiance to Zhao Ruxi, giving him a natural advantage. If he served Zhao Ruxi well in the days to come, Zhao Ruxi or Prince of Qi would likely promote him in the future. Even if they didn't, he wouldn't suffer any loss.

But the assassination attempt just now made him clearly aware of the dangers of the struggle for the throne. Before Eunuch Deng came out, he had been torn between his own feelings and his desire to curry favor with someone powerful began to waver.

Now is the time for him to make his stance clear.

If he were to join the camp of the Second and Fifth Prince, he would have to step forward now to escort these people to the capital, and at the same time, he would have to recount what happened today to the Emperor. At that time, the people sent to assassinate Zhao Ruxi would surely hate him as well and want to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Is it better to seek fortune and power through risk, or to live a peaceful and stable life as a minor official? This is a difficult choice.

Even when Liu Hongyu asked the question, Li Li was still undecided. But when his eyes met Liu Hongyu's, a thought struck him, and he quickly stepped forward, saying, "This humble official is willing to go."

Cai Yaozong is the Crown Prince's man. As long as the person who assassinated Zhao Ruxi is not found, the Crown Prince will not be able to clear his name. Therefore, Liu Hongyu will not allow Cai Yaozong to go to the capital. Presumably, the Emperor and Prince of Qi also do not want to see Cai Yaozong, and they will not believe what he says.

There will be a lot of trouble involved, and Li Li won't be able to avoid it.

Since he's going to do it anyway, it's natural that he'd benefit more from volunteering.

Cai Yaozong had just been struggling with his own thoughts. Seeing Li Li step forward, he felt relieved and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Li."

Eunuch Deng didn't care how these people were assigned. He randomly grabbed a yamen runner and ordered him to lead the way to the clinic. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a group of people carrying baskets and hampers, following the yamen runners guarding the gate, coming in.

"Sir, Your Excellency, Lord Zhao has sent someone to bring us food!" the gatekeeper called out Gao Xing.

The group of people in the yamen immediately perked up.

Not only was there food, but it was also delivered at Lord Zhao's request, which shows that Lord Zhao must be alright.

If Lord Zhao is alright, the Emperor and Prince of Qi's anger will not reach the Nanyang Prefecture, and they will not become innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

At that moment, everyone felt relieved and became Gao Xing.

When Eunuch Deng saw that Zhao Ruxi's bodyguard, Xiang Ming, had also entered, he quickly asked, "How is it? How is your master's injury?"

Xiang Ming, "The injury isn't serious. Fortunately, the maidservant beside you knows some martial arts and pulled you away from the attack. You only suffered a cut on your left arm; otherwise, it would have been dangerous."

He still looked Youyu as he spoke.

Only then did Eunuch Deng feel relieved.

"My daughter said she felt really bad about what happened, so she asked the restaurant to send over some food. Everyone can eat whatever they like," Xiang Ming added.

"Thank you Lord Zhao, for still remembering us at this time," said Eunuch Deng.

Everyone echoed this sentiment, expressing their heartfelt gratitude towards Zhao Ruxi.

"I plan to send him to the capital later to report this matter to the Emperor. So we can't go to Gusu. In a little while, take me to visit Lord Zhao, and then we'll set off back to the capital," Eunuch Deng added.

Xiang Ming nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Deng. Please have your meal first."

He then asked Liu Hongyu for leave on behalf of his master.

Liu Hongyu said, "Let Lord Zhao rest at home and not worry about the affairs of the yamen. We will take care of anything that needs to be done."

Even though he was extremely anxious, Eunuch Deng couldn't skip a meal. He sat down and ate the meal with great relish, then followed Xiang Ming to the Zhao Residence.

"Eunuch Deng, you must speak to the Emperor! This matter must be resolved with justice for my Miss Xi!" Lady Zhu cried out as soon as she saw Eunuch Deng.

"Mother, please stop making a fuss." Zhao Ruxi glanced at Lady Zhu with a helpless expression.

She said apologetically to Eunuch Deng, "My mother didn't have many expectations for my marriage, she only hoped that I would live a peaceful life. Now that the imperial decree of marriage has turned into this, she is understandably emotional. Please forgive her for her rudeness."