"Xiao Man, Xiao Man, wake up, it's me!" Nangong Yu grabbed Xiao Man's sword-wielding wrist. The sword slipped from Xiao Man's grasp, and in an instant, it was in her left hand, stabbing at Nangong Yu without hesitation.
"Your Highness!"
Nangong Yu gripped Xiao Man's hand, exerting pressure, but Xiao Man's eyes still reflected nothing. Nangong Yu held the sword, preventing Xiao Man from drawing it out.
"Xiao Man, have you become so useless that you're controlled by a mere sword? Wake up!"
A faint glow flashed across Nangong Yu's body. Though only a flicker, Xiao Man's eyes slowly regained focus, the blackness gradually receding.
"Nangong Yu..." Xiao Man's hand holding the sword abruptly withdrew, and blood spurted out. Xiao Man trembled uncontrollably. What was she doing?
Nangong Yu, disregarding his own injuries, showed joy. "You... you're lucid?"
"A'Yu!" Xiao Man quickly supported the falling Nangong Yu, pressing the vital acupoint on his chest. "Si Chen, immediately take your Prince back to the manor, have Ye Qing treat him, and send someone to the palace to summon an imperial physician. Inform His Majesty that the Prince of Qin has been attacked."
"Yes." Si Chen was furious that Xiao Man had injured Nangong Yu, but he also knew that at this moment, following Xiao Man's orders was the wisest course of action. He immediately took the man away.
Xiao Man glanced at the corpses littering the ground and gestured with her eyes for the others to disperse.
"Ying Xue, take me back to the manor. Such a good opportunity delivered to our doorstep must not be wasted." A cold, cruel smile curved Xiao Man's lips. Her body went limp, and she completely fainted.
In the imperial palace, the Emperor was playing chess with Prime Minister Wen. Prime Minister Wen always knew how to please the Emperor. He wouldn't let the Emperor win too easily, nor would he let the Emperor lose. Every time he lost, he did so skillfully, as if he had tried his best, only to lose by a single piece.
The game was in a deadlock. The old Emperor happily watched Prime Minister Wen scratching his head in frustration. "My dear minister, do you concede?"
Hu Wan, along with the Prince of Chu and the Ling family father and son, arrived in a hurry. "Your Majesty."
The old Emperor's attention was captivated by the chess game. Without looking up, he asked, "What is it?"
Nangong Yan stepped forward slowly. "Reporting to Father Emperor, Tenth Brother has had a conflict with the common people on the street."
The old Emperor frowned. He disliked this son, Nangong Cheng. He had given him a hundred thousand troops, only for them to be annihilated. Such a waste. And not only a waste, but he had the audacity to send people to assassinate Wulana. Useless and brainless.
"Did I not order him to reflect in his manor? Why is he out again? Escort him back to the Prince of Han's manor. He is not to step out of the manor a single step without my command."
Nangong Yan's tone remained unchanged. "Father Emperor, I'm afraid that is not possible. Tenth Brother had a conflict with the common people and was killed by the enraged populace during the altercation."
The chess piece in the old Emperor's hand rolled off the board. He turned his head to look at Nangong Yan. "What did you say?"
"Tenth Brother has been murdered."
Lord Ling quickly pulled his son to his knees. "Please forgive us, Your Majesty. At that time, the common people had a conflict with His Highness, the Prince of Han. My son rushed over with his men to escort His Highness back to the manor. His Highness refused to leave, wielding a sword and hacking at the common people. Finally, he incurred the wrath of the crowd and was killed by the enraged populace."
"Have the culprits been apprehended?" Su Dan Novel Network
"The few who committed the act have been brought to justice on the spot. Their bodies are currently at the Jingzhao Prefecture." Lord Ling knelt on the ground, not daring to look up. If the dead could bear the blame, then let the dead bear it. It was better than implicating those who were still alive.
The Emperor's expression was unreadable. "Where is the Prince of Han's body?"
"In the side hall." Lord Ling thought of the Prince of Han's body, which was riddled with holes like a sieve. He couldn't help but swallow. If His Majesty saw how tragically the Prince of Han had died, would he, in his rage, have him executed as well?
"Take me to see him."
In the side hall, the stretcher was covered with a white cloth. The white cloth was stained with spots of blood, making it look particularly gruesome. The old Emperor strode forward and lifted the white cloth, revealing the corpse lying on the stretcher. The body was covered in bloody holes. His eyes immediately turned red.
"Why did the Prince of Han have a conflict with the common people?"
"According to the investigation, the common people were angered because His Highness, the Prince of Han, led troops to attack Wuyue Kingdom and suffered a complete defeat. Therefore, they cursed His Highness. In his rage, His Highness had a friction with the common people. When my son arrived, His Highness snatched the constable's sword and charged forward to hack at the common people, declaring that their lives were like ants and they deserved to die. He incurred the wrath of the crowd and was ultimately killed by the resisting commoners."
Lord Ling carefully chose his words. This matter was entirely the Prince of Han's own undoing. When Ling Xuan arrived, if he had left with Ling Xuan, nothing would have happened. But he insisted on wielding a sword and killing people!
The old Emperor closed his eyes and sighed. "Wasn't it good to just stay at home? Why did you have to go out and flaunt yourself at this time? Why can't you learn to be discreet?"
"Your Majesty, please bear your grief." Prime Minister Wen quickly said. The Prince of Han had gone out to flaunt himself at such a sensitive time, incurring public wrath and then committing violence in public. His end was self-inflicted. However, the Prince of Han was still a prince. "The culprits have been apprehended. I believe the Prince of Han can rest in peace in the underworld."
"Cheng'er, my son!" A woman's cry was heard, followed by Consort Xian stumbling in.
Consort Xian had originally thought that with her son in command of the army, she would be able to stand on equal footing with the Empress in the future. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, she heard the news that the Prince of Han had been defeated and gone missing. She had been filled with worry for a long time. Finally, her son had returned safely, only to die!
Consort Xian looked at the bloody figure on the stretcher, her vision blurring. She threw herself onto the Prince of Han's corpse, crying as if she were about to die. "My son, how could you bear to leave your mother? Who, who exactly harmed you?"
The old Emperor, seeing Consort Xian crying so heartbrokenly, couldn't bear to scold her. "My dear consort, please do not be too sad. Little Ten has passed away."
"Your Majesty." Consort Xian crawled on her knees to the Emperor, grabbing his robes. "Your Majesty, our child, our child died so tragically. Your Majesty must severely punish the culprits!"
"The culprits have been apprehended."
"The culprits have been apprehended?" Consort Xian seemed to not believe it. "Who, who murdered my son?"
"It was the rioting common people."
"Those lowly peasants, how would they dare to plot against a prince? Someone must have instigated them. Your Majesty, Cheng'er's martial arts are not bad. Those lowly peasants were no match for him. Someone must have taken advantage of the chaos to kill Cheng'er and frame those lowly peasants."
"I will have this matter investigated thoroughly. Rest assured, I will give Little Ten an explanation." The old Emperor was also puzzled. How could a dignified prince die at the hands of a mob? It was too ridiculous.
"All those present at the scene are culprits. Your Majesty, have them all arrested!" Consort Xian said incoherently. "They killed my son, and I will not let them go."
"Guards, escort Consort Xian back to her quarters."
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for Cheng'er. He died unjustly!" Consort Xian cried and wailed, grabbing and hitting like a shrew, refusing to leave, hugging the Prince of Han's corpse, and crying tragically.