The sounds of barking dogs coming from the courtyard made Li Yanchun break out in a cold sweat.
He drew his waist knife almost without hesitation, his eyes sharply fixed on the subordinates in front of him.
"Captain Li, why are you so nervous? We're just sending someone to ask a question. Even if we're wrong, the Prince won't blame us. Is it necessary to draw your sword?"
Although they spoke casually, the men subconsciously placed their hands on their sword hilts, subtly shielding Wang Tiezhuan behind them!
"What do you want to do? Are you trying to fight me? Is there no longer any distinction between superiors and inferiors in the Prince Xin's mansion?"
Seeing this formation, Li Yanchun's heart sank with despair. The patrol team of Prince Xin's mansion was organized into groups of ten, but at this moment, apart from a few fence-sitters, four men had already placed their hands on their sword hilts.
Although his martial arts were the best among them, fighting four opponents wasn't something he could resolve quickly!
"Superior and inferior? Compared to the Prince's safety, this matter is nothing. I don't understand, why are you reacting so strongly tonight? Could it be that he was right?"
"That's right, Captain Li. I heard that you've been sneaking out of the mansion every one or two days recently? Are you going to Wanchun Tower too often? You used to only visit your paramour once or twice a month!"
Once doubt is sown, trust vanishes instantly. There are no airtight walls in this world. The slightest hint of Li Yanchun's actions was immediately seized upon by those closest to him, leading to his complete isolation.
"You're talking nonsense! I think you guys are in league with this fellow. What are you waiting for? Are you going to betray us together with them?"
As Li Yanchun spoke, he glanced at the fence-sitters beside him. At this moment, to resolve the fight quickly, he had to involve them.
"What do you want to do? Are you going to draw your swords on your own people?"
Just as the two sides were at loggerheads, ready to explode, the trusted confidantes who served Zhao Zhen closely finally arrived.
"Captain Yang, I suspect these people are colluding with this fool. They were about to draw their swords on me!"
Seeing Yang Hu appear, Li Yanchun's heart was filled with dread.
Yang Hu was a trusted subordinate of Zhao Zhen. His mother was Zhao Zhen's wet nurse, and he was utterly loyal to Zhao Zhen.
With him here, if Li Yanchun couldn't muddy the waters before Yang Hu understood the situation, his death would likely come tonight!
"You are all brothers. Isn't it shameful to be drawing swords and guns here? Put your weapons away!"
Noticing the flicker of panic in Li Yanchun's eyes, Yang Hu immediately felt that something was not quite right.
However, at this sensitive moment, he chose to ignore it, intending to smooth things over for now.
"Brother Yang, I am not a villain. I am Wang Tiezhuan, the inspector of Kaifeng Prefecture!"
As soon as he recognized Yang Hu, Wang Tiezhuan shouted loudly.
"Wang Tiezhuan?"
Hearing this, Yang Hu quickly stepped forward and lifted the messy hair from Wang Tiezhuan's face.
"It is indeed you! What are you doing at the Prince's mansion in the middle of the night?"
After recognizing his identity, Yang Hu's brow furrowed. The more he thought about it, the more peculiar the situation became.
An inspector from Kaifeng Prefecture, and a confidante of Zhang Shaoyou, coming to Prince Xin's mansion as a thief in the dead of night? Who would believe such a story?
"I have an important message for the Prince. I ask for your assistance, Brother Yang!"
As Wang Tiezhuan spoke, tears began to stream down his face.
To deliver the token from under his feet to Zhao Zhen, he had already skirted the gates of hell for the second time tonight.
If Li Yanchun had been even a little faster, he would likely be a corpse by now.
"Since that is the case, you come with me! And you lot, follow along. Are you blind? Can't you see his Kaifeng Prefecture uniform?"
Looking at the bloodstains on Wang Tiezhuan's body, Yang Hu glared at his subordinates.
"This fellow, being an inspector of Kaifeng Prefecture yet entering the Prince's mansion at night, is clearly not good news. Captain Yang, please do not bring disaster upon the Prince!"
Even Li Yanchun hadn't expected that Yang Hu would actually recognize Wang Tiezhuan. As the man was about to be taken away, he quickly added a final word.
"You don't need to worry about that. The Prince has decreed that you are all negligent in your duties. Follow me to receive your punishment!"
Yang Hu spoke, glaring at Li Yanchun again.
"Li, who exactly is the spy from the Imperial City Department? I think we should clarify this with the Prince."
Seeing that Yang Hu had confirmed Wang Tiezhuan's identity, the guards who had just confronted him now looked at Li Yanchun with a hint of schadenfreude.
"My loyalty is unwavering, am I afraid to see the Prince with you? Since you insist on seeing the Prince, let us go and present our case before him!"
After casting a fierce glare at the group, Li Yanchun strode ahead towards Zhao Zhen's study.
"Whoosh—"
He had only taken a dozen steps when a firework suddenly streaked across the night sky and shot upwards.
"Damn it, kill this scoundrel on the spot!"
Seeing this, Yang Hu's teeth itched with rage. He had been too careless! How could he have let this fellow get away?
Setting off fireworks in the middle of the night was clearly signaling to those outside!
"I am a spy from the Imperial City Department. Are you trying to rebel?"
After hearing Yang Hu's words, Li Yanchun no longer bothered to pretend and revealed his true identity.
"Nonsense! If you were a spy from the Imperial City Department, I would be the Grand Coordinator. Execute this disloyal wretch on the spot!"
The situation had escalated to this point, and Yang Hu was too tired to waste any more words. After giving his instructions, he immediately carried Wang Tiezhuan on his back and rushed towards Zhao Zhen's study.
At this moment, he had no lingering doubts about Wang Tiezhuan. If the message Wang Tiezhuan brought wasn't crucial, why would a spy from the Imperial City Department reveal his identity?
"Your Highness, your subordinate has sinned. The guard Li Yanchun in the mansion is a spy from the Imperial City Department. He has just set off a firework signal!"
As soon as Yang Hu stepped into Zhao Zhen's courtyard, he saw Zhao Zhen pacing back and forth in front of his study. Without a second thought, he knelt on the ground and confessed his fault.
"Your Highness, my lord has something important for me to deliver to Your Highness!"
Hearing this, Wang Tiezhuan finally confirmed that the young man before him was Prince Xin, Zhao Zhen. He disregarded his injuries and knelt on the ground, shouting loudly.
"Your lord? Zhang Shaoyou? Where is it?"