"To deal with the Second Prince,"
Xiao Yan said helplessly.
"I don't want to be enemies with them, nor do I want to contend for the position of Crown Prince. However, the Second Prince has gone mad. He even sent people to kill me for the throne. This is why I left Tianlong City to study at Baiyue Villa. Firstly, to improve my self-preservation abilities, and secondly, to evade the assassins sent by the Second Prince."
Xiao Yan said with a heavy heart.
"I didn't want to be his enemy, but his actions made me unable to stand by. I had to fight back!"
Xiao Yan's eyes changed, and killing intent bloomed within them.
"How do you plan to fight back?"
This was the first time Su Fan had seen such a sharp Xiao Yan, completely different from his usual self.
Xiao Yan first explained his plan to Su Fan.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Putting yourself in danger could lead to disaster,"
Su Fan said with some worry.
"It's fine, I have a bodyguard. Chen Fang, come in."
Xiao Yan clapped his hands lightly, signaling Chen Fang, who had been hiding outside, to enter.
Su Fan was slightly stunned the moment he saw Chen Fang, clearly recognizing the previous year's martial arts tournament champion with whom he had sparred once.
He hadn't expected Chen Fang to be Xiao Yan's man!
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Young Master Su."
Chen Fang cupped his hands and greeted them both.
Su Fan had a strange look on his face.
He also understood why Chen Fang had held back last time. It wasn't because they both came from commoner backgrounds.
"You held back last time because Xiao Yan instructed you to beforehand, didn't you?"
Su Fan asked Chen Fang.
Chen Fang remained silent, implicitly admitting it.
"Proceed with the plan. That person just now has been dealt with by Chen Fang. I cannot appear yet, so I'm leaving."
After informing Su Fan of his plan, Xiao Yan departed. It was not yet time for him to show himself.
Su Fan shook his head and headed directly for the Second Prince's mansion.
"Su Fan is here, please sit down."
Xiao Zhiyi was very happy to see Su Fan. Su Fan's arrival surely meant he had some news to share.
"There's news about the Crown Prince."
Su Fan got straight to the point.
Xiao Zhiyi was taken aback, then filled with joy.
"Where is he now?"
Xiao Zhiyi pressed.
"I don't know. I've only found a clue. From Nangong Si, I learned that the Crown Prince will appear at the ancestral temple the day before the ancestral rites."
Su Fan told Xiao Zhiyi.
"The ancestral temple?"
Xiao Zhiyi pondered in silence for a moment.
"Excellent, this is very important news. Well done."
Xiao Zhiyi said happily to Su Fan.
"Also, there's some bad news. You Jing is missing."
Su Fan continued.
"It doesn't matter. He's just a guard. If you want one, I have plenty here."
Xiao Zhiyi was indifferent to You Jing's fate. He was only interested in the Crown Prince's whereabouts, and he was very pleased with this news.
Su Fan felt it was not worth it for You Jing. He was so loyal to Xiao Zhiyi, yet Xiao Zhiyi completely disregarded his life. From the moment he was assigned to Su Fan, You Jing had been a discarded pawn.
"No need, I'm more comfortable on my own."
Su Fan decisively refused. Sending another person would just be another spy watching him.
"Alright, inform me immediately of any new developments."
Because of the news Su Fan had brought, Xiao Zhiyi trusted him even more and did not force him to have a guard.
"Then I'll be going back now."
Su Fan left the prince's mansion and headed straight for the imperial palace.
After Su Fan left, Xiao Zhiyi went to Lichun Garden alone.
With no one else present, Jiang Xiaoli immediately sat on Xiao Zhiyi's lap.
Xiao Zhiyi informed Jiang Xiaoli about the Crown Prince's appearance at the ancestral temple before the ancestral rites.
"Why would he go to the ancestral temple?"
Jiang Xiaoli asked Xiao Zhiyi.
"Perhaps he wants to see the former Emperor alone. He's sentimental and doesn't care for formalities. He might feel that the ancestral rites day is too crowded and disrespectful to the former Emperor, so he'd prefer to go alone for peace and quiet."
Xiao Zhiyi thought about Xiao Zhiqian's character and guessed.
"If that's the case, this is indeed an opportunity. Since this news hasn't spread, it means not many people know about the Crown Prince's return, and the security won't be tight. Moreover, you said the Crown Prince likes peace and quiet, so he definitely won't bring many people with him. This is the best time to assassinate him. As long as the Crown Prince dies before the ancestral rites, the Emperor will have to appoint a new Crown Prince. Your chances are very high."
Jiang Xiaoli said softly to Xiao Zhiyi.
"So I plan to send skilled assassins to ambush him there in advance, taking him by surprise!"
Xiao Zhiyi had already thought of a countermeasure before coming. This was a rare opportunity, and he didn't want to miss it again.
"That's possible, but are you sure about the authenticity of this news?"
Jiang Xiaoli asked with a grave expression.
"Whether it's true or false, we'll know when the day comes and see if Xiao Zhiqian appears. We won't lose anything anyway."
Xiao Zhiyi said softly.
Jiang Xiaoli nodded, finding Xiao Zhiyi's reasoning sound.
"Xiaoli, I've missed you so much!"
After discussing business, Xiao Zhiyi began to get intimate with Jiang Xiaoli.
Jiang Xiaoli responded to Xiao Zhiyi, but when Xiao Zhiyi wasn't looking, a look of disgust appeared on her face.
Soon, an unspeakable battle ensued in Lichun Garden.
...
Su Fan arrived at the imperial palace.
With his identity as the Commander of the Imperial Guard, no one stopped Su Fan. He walked directly into the palace and headed for the Imperial Study.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Suddenly, a crisp voice called out in front of Su Fan.
Su Fan was startled. A girl in magnificent attire, with an ethereal beauty, about sixteen years old, appeared before him.
Seeing Su Fan in his commoner clothes, Xiao Xue'er immediately suspected him of being an assassin. "I've finally caught you! I'll beat you assassins to death!"
"Catch the assassin!"
Xiao Xue'er shouted while charging at Su Fan, pulling out a thick wooden stick, as thick as an arm, from somewhere and swinging it towards Su Fan's head.
Su Fan didn't know who she was, but judging by her attire and gender, he could guess. He dared not retaliate.
"I am the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard! It's a misunderstanding!"
Su Fan dodged and explained.
"You dare impersonate the Imperial Guard? You're asking for death!"
Xiao Xue'er didn't believe Su Fan at all and relentlessly pursued him.
The patrolling guards in the palace heard Xiao Xue'er's shouts and quickly arrived. Seeing the princess chasing a suspicious person in common clothes, they immediately pursued and surrounded Su Fan.
"Hmph! Let's see where you can run now!"
Xiao Xue'er arrogantly raised her chin and said disdainfully to Su Fan.
Su Fan was speechless.
"I am Su Fan, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard. This is my waist token."
Su Fan took the opportunity to take out his waist token and threw it over.
The leading guard picked up Su Fan's waist token, and his expression immediately changed.
"Princess, the token is genuine."
The guard said to Xiao Xue'er.