Lu Peishan sneered, "Your Highness need not be anxious. My uncle has a few capable individuals."
The Crown Prince's eyes lit up. Grateful and touched, he clasped Lu Peishan's hand and said with deep affection, "Crown Princess, you are truly my wise assistant. Without you, I wouldn't know what to do."
Lu Peishan was extremely pleased. She had been strong-willed even as a maiden, and after marriage, she never intended to be a parasitic vine dependent on her husband.
She wanted to be a mighty tree, equal in strength to her husband, relying on each other and ruling the world together.
After the Crown Prince left the main hall, the stone that had been hanging over his heart finally fell.
Infiltrating Dali Temple to silence witnesses was no easy feat.
If it succeeded, it would be for the best. If it failed, it would not implicate him.
The assassins brought back by Fang Zheng were major offenders, under strict guard at Dali Temple. The number of patrol officers was double that for ordinary prisoners.
The assassins had been interrogated for three days and nights. Their mouths were hard, and their bones were hard; they had revealed nothing.
Fang Zheng had also not slept soundly for three days and nights. He could no longer endure it and, after instructing them to guard the prisoner well, returned to Duke Zhongyong's mansion to rest.
Deep in the night.
The dungeon was silent.
This place only held major offenders; ordinary prisoners were kept on the upper level.
About a dozen patrol officers stood guard at intervals of five paces, securing the dungeon tightly, so tightly that not even a fly could escape.
The assassins' hands and feet were bound with iron chains, rendering them immobile. Their faces were covered with disheveled hair, and they showed little will to live.
As the night grew deeper, the guards became more lax. One even yawned and started chatting.
"I say, just beat them to death. We won't get anything out of them anyway."
"Exactly. These death warriors are the most tight-lipped."
"Heh, our Lord Fang is not one to give up easily. This fellow is in for some suffering."
Amidst their laughter, no one noticed a faint wisp of smoke drifting in.
Those near the entrance felt something was amiss first. Before they could raise an alarm, their vision went black, and they collapsed.
Those inside were less affected. Although they fell, they were not completely unconscious, only weak in their limbs and unable to exert any strength.
Someone was attempting a jailbreak.
The same thought flashed through their minds.
A man in black, his face masked, entered with a saber. He stepped over the sprawled bodies on the ground and walked directly to the cell.
With a swift strike, the iron chain on the cell door snapped. The masked man entered the cell.
Without a word, he swung his saber towards the assassin.
Just as the saber was about to strike the assassin, the assassin seemed to shift, moving to the other side with a whoosh.
The shackles on his hands and feet had also been removed at some point.
The man in black paused and sneered, "You can break free from your shackles, yet you don't offer your life in repentance?"
The assassin pushed aside the messy hair covering his face and looked up.
The man in black was shocked.
The assassin was none other than Shan Hanfeng, the commander of the Imperial Guards!
Shan Hanfeng drew a sharp sword hidden in the corner and sneered, "I've been waiting for you!"
The man in black finally realized he had fallen into a trap.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. Soon, Fang Zheng, leading two squads, rushed in.
The man in black was surrounded.
His mask concealed his expression, but panic was evident in his eyes.
Shan Hanfeng lunged with his sword.
The man in black's martial arts were not weak, but his psychological defenses had collapsed. Facing a master like Shan Hanfeng, he could not resist and was forced to retreat. Soon, Shan Hanfeng had his sword at his throat.
The man in black closed his eyes in despair.
Fang Zheng walked over and unceremoniously removed the black cloth from his face.
It was Chen Zuo, the foremost fierce general under the Grand General Longwu!
Shan Hanfeng exclaimed in surprise, "Chen Zuo?! How could it be you?"
Chen Zuo remained silent.
Fang Zheng sneered, "It seems Deputy General Chen was acting on someone's behalf. But I wonder if that person is General Zhou?"
Chen Zuo's eyes widened, and he roared at Fang Zheng, "General Zhou has nothing to do with this!"
"Heh, whether General Zhou is involved or not is not for you to say," Fang Zheng said with a slight smirk, mocking him. "The foremost fierce general under Grand General Longwu, storming the Dali Temple dungeon to silence witnesses. And the witnesses were the assassins who attempted to assassinate the Seventh Prince. What, did you send the assassins who attacked the Seventh Prince?"
Chen Zuo glared at Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng changed his tone and continued, "Deputy General Chen is a confidant of General Zhou. General Zhou is the Crown Princess's maternal uncle. Tsk, tsk, this is quite intriguing!"
"General Zhou is not involved in this matter!"
Chen Zuo could only repeat this sentence.
Fang Zheng waved his hand, ordering them to escort him to the dungeon. At dawn, he reported the incident to the Emperor.
Wang Qingyao and Ling Yun also received the news.
Ling Yun marveled, "It turns out to be someone from General Zhou's faction. Although General Zhou is the Crown Princess's uncle, he is not the type to take sides. While everyone believes he is aligned with the Crown Prince, I know he is loyal only to the Emperor. Has his stance changed just because his own niece became the Crown Princess?"
"It's normal for it to change," Wang Qingyao said with some regret. "We thought we could catch someone from the Crown Prince's side, catch him red-handed, but it turned out to be General Zhou. Although General Zhou is the Crown Princess's uncle, he is still one step removed from the Crown Prince. Regardless of whether the Crown Prince knew, he would pretend not to know and stay out of it."
Ling Yun sneered, "He definitely knew."