After a while, the captain handed over two arrows and said respectfully,""Your highness, this humble servant has already checked these two arrows. They are not poisonous!”
Seeing this, Baoyun asked in confusion,""Your Highness, isn't this too much of a coincidence? Two batches of assassins had just arrived, and now, the imperial edict had arrived as soon as the assassin had left.”
Li Qing frowned and touched the jade ring on his hand. After hearing Baoyun's words, he laughed and said,""What Lord Baoyun said makes sense. With so many coincidences happening together, something big must have happened. Moreover, the three of them met so close together, which is equivalent to indirectly telling us that the master behind the assassin must have received the news in advance.”
"Your Highness, you mean Su Shun?"
"Yes, one of these two arrows definitely has to be him. However, this king is thinking, is it this life-taking arrow that wants to pierce through this king's chest or the other arrow that wants to reveal information?”Li Qing held the two arrows in his hands and said.
Baoyun looked at Li Qing, who was deep in thought, and then at the anxious bailiffs. She had no choice but to interrupt Li Qing's thoughts and say,"Wangye, I don't think we can deduce who the real murderer is in a short time. In this humble official's opinion, Wangye should go and receive the decree first!”
"Hmm?" Li Qing was a little unhappy that Baoyun had suddenly interrupted his thoughts, but he calmed down in an instant and said,""That's good too. This king can listen to what the imperial edict says. Moreover, we've already left him hanging for nearly the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. I reckon that the person who delivered the imperial edict should be involuntarily letting his imagination run wild!”
Baoyun smiled. I've never heard anyone talk about me like this.”
Just as Li Qing was about to head to the county hall to receive the imperial edict.
In the main hall of the county government, Cao Yuying was pacing back and forth anxiously. He had originally planned to show off his might, but who would have thought that the moment he entered the county government, he would hear the news of the Gong Prince's assassination. For some reason, the moment he heard the news, he immediately thought of the woman in the palace.
This made Cao Yuying, who had originally wanted to rely on the dragon's achievements to ascend to the position of military minister, a little regretful. This woman was too terrifying. She dared to assassinate a prince of a country, and she was a prince with real power in the hands of an army.
He really didn't dare to imagine what the consequences would be if the assassin was caught. However, it was easy to get on the boat but difficult to get off. He had experienced this woman's methods. If he wanted to escape now, with her personality, he and his family would definitely have various accidents every now and then, such as a fire.
Just as Cao Yuying was feeling like an ant on a hot tin roof, the Gong Prince walked in with eight personal guards.
Cao Yuying heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the Gong Prince was safe and sound. However, a new worry soon welled up in her heart. She couldn't help but ask,"Your Highness, was the assassin captured?"
"Lord Cao, does this matter have anything to do with you?”Li Qing asked with a faint smile.
"This... Of course, it didn't matter. This lowly official was only concerned about wangye, this matter absolutely has nothing to do with this official!”Cao Yuying said in panic.
"Haha, this king didn't say that this matter was done by Lord Cao, so why is Lord Cao so nervous? Moreover, wasn't Lord Cao here to deliver the imperial edict?”
For some reason, Cao Yuying looked at the Gong Prince's gaze and couldn't help but feel a little afraid. His original thoughts had long since been thrown out of his mind. At this moment, he only wanted to finish reading the imperial edict as soon as possible and return to report back.
Cao Yuying felt even more guilty after being questioned by the Gong Prince. She took a deep breath and read,"The Gong Prince accepts the decree!"”
"I accept the decree!"
"In accordance with the heavens, the emperor has decreed…Prince Gong is loyal to the country. I think of his hard work and specially give him a banquet in the palace tomorrow.”
After Li Qing heard this, he stood up and shouted,"This subject receives the decree to thank you!"
......
After Cao Yuying left, Li Qing and Bao Yun went to the backyard.
"Your Highness! The emperor has ordered you to go to the palace for a banquet tomorrow. This official thinks that wangye will find an excuse to not go!”Baoyun said worriedly.
Li Qing grinned and said,"Is Peiheng afraid that this is a trap?"”
Baoyun nodded and said," I do have such concerns. Most importantly, it's easy to dodge an open spear, but difficult to guard against an arrow in the dark!"”
"Peiheng only knows one thing and doesn't know the other. If this king doesn't go, the court will definitely use this as an excuse to slander this king!”
"Your Highness has considered everything. Then when Your Highness goes tomorrow, bring more personal guards and a team of Prince Gong's soldiers to guard the road.”
"There is no need to make such a big fuss. This Prince will set off tonight. As for the guards, just follow the imperial edict.”Li Qing said with a smile.
"But…"
"Don't worry, Peiheng. The master behind them probably wouldn't have thought that this king would rush to Chengde overnight.”
Baoyun looked at the determined Li Qing and nodded.""Wangye, then please allow this lowly official to move five li outside Chengde City. If anything happens, this lowly official can also receive wangye at any time.”
Li Qing stopped and thought for a moment before saying,"Alright! When the time came, the gunshots would be the signal. As long as the gunshots were heard in the palace, Pei Heng would bring his troops into the city.”
......
When the night had completely darkened, under the protection of 200 personal guards, Li Qing sped towards Chengde City.
"Wang Lei, bring five personal guards to scout ahead. Report immediately if there's anything unusual!”As soon as they left Luanping County City, Li Qing said to a guard beside him.
After receiving the order, Wang Lei led his soldiers forward.
After about two hours, Li Qing saw Wang Lei rushing back and shouting,""Your Highness, we've discovered a group of unidentified men in black rushing over from five kilometers ahead!”
Li Qing thought to himself,"This is the official road, and there are many courier stations along the way. If it's a horse bandit, it's impossible to take the official road brazenly."
Thus, Li Qing crossed his arms and waved, and his personal guards quickly laid in ambush on both sides.
Just as everyone was in ambush, they heard the faint sound of a horse bell in the distance.
"Lord Zuo Ling! Did you have something important to do when you asked your brothers to wear night clothes and rush through the night?”
The leader of the men in black whipped the person who spoke and said angrily,"How many times have I told you, don't call me Lord Assistant Leader. I'm now the leader of Blackwind Ridge. Also, ask what you should ask and don't ask what you shouldn't ask.”
After hearing this, the man said with a trembling voice,"Zuo... Chief, I understand!"
Just as the men in black kept galloping forward, Li Qing craned his neck to look. In the hazy sky, he vaguely saw a team of men in black rushing towards him. Li Qing was nervous and excited. His right hand unconsciously held the revolver at his waist.
When the black robed knight was within a stone's throw of them, Li Qing blew his whistle.
As soon as the whistle sounded, the guards lying in ambush on both sides shot out sharp arrows. Under the dense rain of arrows, the black-clothed knights were shot and fell to the ground. The remaining thirty or so people could not care less about anything else. Under the lead of their leader, they turned around and ran back.
"Your Highness, what should we do next?" Liu Qi asked.
Li Qing glared at him and shouted,"Hurry up and chase after them. Remember to leave a few alive."”
"Your Highness," Liu Qi respectfully asked,"are our brothers still not allowed to use guns?"”
"If you don't need it, then don't!" After Li Qing gave his orders, Liu Qi led his subordinates in the direction the man in black had fled.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]