Xie Ming

An arrow pierced the clouds and shot straight eastward into the sky.

Snapped--

The moment the explosion rang out, Ning Ji shuddered.

He paused for a moment, then a bitter smile of disappointment crept across his face.

It turns out that the superior commander Qiu Zhizhong had his own backup plan.

Then, I and Lu Bao are probably just cannon fodder in a feint attack.

A drunken dream, a sudden awakening, but all is gone.

Skinny Ning Ji shook his head and smiled bitterly. As soon as he loosened his grip on his stomach, his intestines flowed out again, but he didn't care.

The man stubbornly pressed his bleeding head against the doorpost, struggling to get halfway up.

It struggled to climb out.

He yanked the door open, and as he writhed, blood stained the floor.

But he was still muttering something to himself.

"Ha, me, old man, Lao Tzu."

"Okay, okay."

"Brother Lu, we've managed to get this job done."

"It's nothing, nothing, you, you wait."

"You, you let me see that man, old man, I'm going right now."

Ning Ji persisted vainly, even when he was exhausted and knew that there was no possibility of anyone succeeding him.

Suddenly!

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded again at the doorway of the west room inside.

From the shadows, several guards who had been lying in ambush inside rushed out. They held crossbows, looked tense, and frowned as they approached the outer door of the main hall.

Seeing that Ning Ji was not quite dead at his feet, he crawled outwards on his own.

The leading soldier made no unnecessary movements or uttered a word, his eyes filled with disdain.

puff puff!

Only two short arrows were fired rapidly.

One arrow to the chest, one arrow to the back of the head.

Ning Ji didn't even have time to glance back at the perpetrator before he was instantly killed.

"Boss, it sounds like something happened in the east wing," one of the guards reminded him.

Upon hearing this, the ringleader immediately waved his hand dismissively.

"Stop talking, hurry, come with me to the east wing. Damn it, the enemy might have a backup plan."

"General Mei painstakingly persuaded the Third Prince to move his residence, precisely for this purpose."

"We absolutely cannot allow anything to go wrong."

"I have a feeling we've fallen for a diversionary tactic."

"Go, go quickly."

The leader urged them on in haste, and the group filed over Ning Ji's corpse and headed towards the east wing.

Zeguo Jiangshan entered the war map, Shengmin He Jile Qiaosu.

Relying on Junmo's words to seal the affairs of the princes, one will succeed in a thousand bones.

The arrow pierced the clouds with a terrifying sound, but eventually the dust settled. That night, the Third Prince Zhu Cijiong, in a daze, was indeed murdered in the east wing of the Chen residence, dying in the northwest with resentment.

The rest of the time will be over in no time.

A group of riders dressed in black galloped past in the direction of Dongtang Town, Hangzhou!

"drive--"

"drive--"

"How far is it from that dock designated by the higher-ups?!"

Without stopping, among the black-clad night travelers rushing about, the leader suddenly shouted to the side.

"Fisherman's Wharf is less than ten miles east," someone replied.

"drive--"

"Faster, faster!"

"We must get to the assembly point as soon as possible, otherwise things may change."

After that, everyone fell silent, only cracking their whips and galloping forward with all their might.

This group of black-clad night travelers consisted of the remaining survivors from Lu Bao and Ning Ji's teams, as well as those who managed to escape from the outer perimeter of another team operating in the east wing. In total, they numbered no more than twenty or so remnants.

And at this moment, at the same time, there.

Five miles ahead of this group of suicide soldiers, on the side of a narrow path on a steep slope in a bamboo forest.

Commander Qiu Zhizhongye led a team of Imperial Guards to guard the area.

In the vast wilderness, past midnight, a night wind blew in gusts.

Amidst the swaying bamboo shadows, a murderous aura permeated the forest floor.

Before long, a scout suddenly appeared, hurrying through the woods and approaching.

The more he cultivated, the more he received the reward, and he returned to Zhizhong's side with small steps.

"Commander, the whistle reports that more than twenty Night Walkers have escaped and are now rushing towards us, less than five miles away."

"Behind us, a force of over a hundred guards protecting the Chen residence is in pursuit, about fifteen li behind." In the dim moonlight, Yue Xiu bowed and lowered his voice to report.

Upon hearing this, Bai Mianzhi's expression remained stern, showing no emotion whatsoever, nor did he utter a word.

A few moments later...

Suddenly, from the west, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the narrow mountain path.

After waiting with his eyes closed for a long time, Qiu Zhizhong suddenly opened his eyes wide and flipped his hand.

Yue Xiuming understood the intention to withdraw and prepare.

Dadada, dadada—

The moon's shadow seemed to be shattered by the lush bamboo leaves, its cold light dappled.

Then the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and the night wind in the forest abruptly stopped.

Even the usual rustling sound of bamboo leaves seemed to be intimidated by this sudden surge of malevolent energy.

Dadada, dadada—

Suddenly!
Just as the escape team, unaware of the details, passed by this place on a night when...

Swish swish swish——

Suddenly, crossbow bolts rained down from the top of the bamboo canopy.

Scattered figures could be seen sliding down the bamboo, ambushing and surrounding them from all sides.

These Imperial Guards were well-trained and ruthless.

Suddenly, the neighing of horses rose from the woods.

A flash of cold light, and the Embroidered Spring Blade flew and attacked.

The stench of blood instantly filled the air.

Short and concise.

Before long, the original twenty-man cavalry team had completely disappeared.

The man dragged the horse through the woods, while the horse pulled it away.

Even the narrow, winding path was covered with a layer of withered leaves.

Seeing this scene, Qiu Zhizhong, who was not far away in the forest, gritted his teeth and kept his spirits up.

Only after everything was finished did the person let out a soft sigh with a complicated expression.

"What a terrible thing to do."

"Such ruthless and unscrupulous methods will surely bring me trouble in the future, shortening my lifespan."

Zhi Zhong sighed and lamented this, while Yue Xiu, who was nearby, heard it but dared not offer any words of comfort.

He glanced at her several times, and finally, Zhizhong couldn't hold back any longer; a single tear slid down his cheek.

"Alright, tell the staff to clean it up and get out of here quickly."

"The pursuers are probably not far behind."

"Leave a few skilled men to accompany the Imperial Guard, and make sure their whereabouts are not revealed." - Order to the Emperor.

After speaking, Yue Xiu immediately gave his orders.

That concludes everything.
That night!

News of the assassination of the Third Prince Zhu Cijiong at the Chen residence was delivered by express courier to the imperial palace.

When the bad news arrived, Emperor Hongguang was already awake, his body weakened by illness.

Upon hearing such heartbreaking news with my own ears, I was instantly devastated and consumed by anger.

puff--

Spitting out blood, Zhu Cilang, like a candle flickering in the wind, fell backward and completely lost consciousness, clearly on the verge of death.

Wang Zhixin, who was serving nearby, and many eunuchs were also thrown into a panic.

After a brief outburst of wailing and lamenting, Wang Zhixin snapped out of her daze, grabbed a nearby attendant, and whispered in his ear to order him to rush to the cabinet.

In the past, someone would always be on duty in the temporary inner chamber outside the palace at night, but tonight, it was Ma Shiying's turn.

The anxious eunuch, his hands and feet trembling, stumbled every three steps before rushing off.

He then lifted the curtain of the cabinet and stumbled in headfirst.

At that moment, Ma Shiying was still carefully reviewing the memorials from various places by candlelight.

Regardless of party affiliation, personal character, or stance, this young man is at least a rare talent.

bang-

Suddenly, he heard the eunuch at the door tumble and fall into the room. He was startled and jumped back in surprise.

"Yo!"

He squinted and peered closely in the candlelight, finally making sure he could see who it was.

"Oh my, isn't this Qin San'er?"

"Look at you, look at you."

"Hey, it's so late at night, and it's pitch black. Be careful."

"What brings you here in such a panic?"

"But, has His Majesty summoned me?"

(End of this chapter)