Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Wu Tao's hands trembled slightly, and the letter almost slipped from her hands. The prince passed away, the emperor was critically ill... These few words, like a huge rock, set off a storm in her calm heart. She couldn't imagine what kind of storm the imperial palace in Chang'an was experiencing at this moment.

"This...when did this happen?" Wu Tao's voice trembled a little. She forced herself to calm down and looked up at Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath, crumpled the letter in his hand, walked to the window, looked at the rolling hills in the distance, and said in a heavy tone: "The letter didn't say the exact time, but judging from the ink color of the handwriting, it should be in the next two days."

A brief silence spread between the two of them. The chirping of birds outside the window seemed particularly harsh, which was out of tune with the solemn atmosphere in the house. Wu Tao was filled with uneasiness. She knew that the arrival of this secret letter meant that their peaceful life was about to be broken. What was waiting for them were unknown challenges, even dangers.

"Who is it? Who killed the prince?" Wu Tao clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deeply into the flesh. She tried hard to control her emotions and not let herself show panic in front of Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui turned around, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said in a cold tone: "The secret letter mentioned that the prince did not die of illness, but died of an accident. The emperor was seriously ill, and the prince took the opportunity to win over the court officials and attempted to usurp the throne, but the emperor found out and he eventually failed and died."

Wu Tao was even more shocked when she heard this. Although she didn't know much about the palace struggle, she knew that once such a thing was exposed, it would inevitably cause an uproar. The emperor was seriously ill, the government was unstable, and various forces were eyeing him covetously. At this moment, Chang'an City was like a huge whirlpool, full of dangers and unknowns.

"Then what are you going to do?" Wu Tao raised her head and looked at Hu Bugui with a firm gaze. She knew that at this time, she could not panic, and she could not become a burden to Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui walked to Wu Tao, gently held her hand, and said in a gentle but firm tone: "A Tao, I must rush back to Chang'an immediately. The emperor is seriously ill and the government is in turmoil. As a member of the royal family, I cannot sit idly by."

Wu Tao nodded. She understood Hu Bugui's feelings and knew the responsibilities he shouldered, but she was more worried and reluctant. "When are you going to leave?"

"There's no time to lose. I'll leave tonight." Hu Bugui said, with a trace of guilt in his eyes. "A Tao, I'm sorry to leave you here alone again."

Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand with his backhand and said firmly: "No, I will go with you!"

"No, I'll go with you!" Wu Tao's voice was not loud, but very firm. Hu Bugui looked at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes, followed by deep worry: "Tao, the journey to Chang'an is long and full of dangers. I can't let you take risks."

"I know," Wu Tao interrupted him, her eyes clear and firm, "but I am your wife. No matter what happens, I will be with you through thick and thin, through life and death."

Hu Bugui's heart was deeply touched. He held Wu Tao in his arms and felt her warm and firm heartbeat. He knew that no words could stop her determination at this moment.

Chun Tao, who was standing nearby, also knelt down upon seeing this and said firmly, "My Lord, let me serve you as well! Although I don't have any special abilities, I can still help run errands and do odd jobs. I will never cause any trouble for you!"

Hu Bugui looked at the two women who were loyal to him, and a warm feeling surged in his heart. He took a deep breath and said firmly, "Okay! In that case, let's go back to Chang'an together! Chuntao, go prepare the carriage and dry food, and be sure to set off within half an hour!"

"Yes!" Chuntao took the order and quickly began to prepare.

As night fell, three horses galloped along the mountain path. The sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the night and also foreshadowed that a storm was about to come. Hu Bugui led the way with a solemn expression, knowing that this journey would not be peaceful.

As expected, as soon as they entered a dense forest, a hail of arrows attacked from the dark. Hu Bugui reacted quickly, protecting Wu Tao under his body and swinging his sword to block the arrows.

"Protect the prince and princess!" Chuntao exclaimed, and drew out the dagger she carried with her, looking around vigilantly.

"Swish, swish, swish--" The sound of arrows breaking through the air continued to ring out. Hu Bugui was resisting the attacks while looking for the enemy's position.

"They are in the tree!" Wu Tao had sharp eyes and spotted several dark shadows hiding among the dense branches and leaves. She immediately spoke out to remind them.

Hu Bugui got the hint, his eyes became stern, he drew out the bow and arrow from his waist, and shot several arrows at the tree. After a few screams, the black shadow fell from the tree.

However, this was just the beginning. Assassins seemed to be endless, emerging in waves. Although Wu Tao and Chun Tao did not know martial arts, they also tried their best to assist Hu Bugui, handing him knives and arrows, and buying him a chance to catch his breath.

The fierce battle lasted for nearly half an hour, and the number of assassins finally decreased, but Hu Bugui and his companions were already exhausted. At this moment, a cold arrow suddenly shot out from the darkness and headed straight for Wu Tao...

"Princess, be careful!" Chun Tao screamed, and without thinking, she rushed over and blocked the fatal arrow with her body. The arrow pierced Chun Tao's shoulder deeply, and the blood instantly dyed her clothes red.

"Chun Tao!" Wu Tao widened his eyes in horror and hurried forward to support the staggering Chun Tao.

Hu Bugui was also shocked. He never thought that Chuntao, who was always weak, would risk her life to protect Wu Tao. He hurried forward and pressed several acupuncture points on Chuntao's body to stop the bleeding.

"Don't worry, I'm fine..." Chun Tao looked pale, but she forced a smile, "I have thick skin and flesh, I won't die..."

"It's already this late and you're still joking!" Wu Tao's eyes were red as she scolded with heartache.

"Princess, I'm fine. It's just a superficial wound. The safety of the prince is the most important!" Chun Tao said with a firm look, enduring the pain.

Hu Bugui was moved. He took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and said in a deep voice: "A Tao, Chun Tao is right. Now is not the time to be sad. We must leave here as soon as possible!"

Wu Tao also knew that now was not the time to be sad, so she held back her tears, nodded, and helped Hu Bugui to help Chuntao onto the horse.

"Gee!" Hu Bugui shouted, spurred his horse and whipped it, quickly leaving the dense forest with Wu Tao and the injured Chuntao.

They galloped through the night, the shouting and screaming behind them gradually faded away, but the danger did not end there.

"Your Highness, there is a river ahead and we can't cross it!" Chuntao's weak voice came.

Hu Bugui pulled the reins of his horse and, in the faint moonlight, saw a turbulent river ahead. The water was so turbulent that it was impossible to cross.

"What should we do?" Wu Tao asked anxiously.

"It seems that we can only take the risk and go around the woods upstream." Hu Bugui pondered for a moment and made a decision.

They led their horses and walked through the woods with difficulty. The night was dark and the shadows of the trees were swaying, as if countless unknown dangers were lurking.

"Your Highness, look!" Wu Tao suddenly pointed forward and said in a low voice.

Hu Bugui followed her gaze and saw several flickering flames not far away, and could faintly hear human voices.

"It seems that we are being pursued." Hu Bugui said in a low voice with a serious expression, "A Tao, take Chun Tao away first, I will lead them away."

"No, let's go together!" Wu Tao refused without hesitation, "I will never leave you alone!"

"But..." Hu Bugui wanted to persuade him again, but was interrupted by Wu Tao.

"No buts, believe me!" Wu Tao's eyes were firm and his tone was unquestionable.

She quickly took out a packet of powder from her bag and handed it to Hu Bugui, "This is the drug I prepared earlier, use it when you get the chance!"

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao's determined eyes and knew that he could not change her decision. He could only take the powder and nodded, "Okay, be careful!"

The three of them supported each other and moved cautiously towards the direction of the fire. The flickering firelight illuminated several vigilant faces. Hu Bugui took advantage of the cover of night and led Wu Tao and Chun Tao to approach quietly. They found that these were not pursuers, but guards sent by the emperor to pick them up.

"Prince, Princess, you have suffered!" When the leading guard saw Hu Bugui, he immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee.

Hu Bugui helped the guard up and asked in a deep voice, "How is the emperor?"

"My Lord, the Emperor is not feeling well, but he has been thinking about you and the princess, so he sent me here to help."

"Take us to see the Emperor."

It was already dawn when they arrived at Chang'an. The palace gates opened, and the chilly wind blew away the last bit of warmth of the night. Wu Tao followed Hu Bugui closely, feeling uneasy in his heart, as if a storm was brewing.

The emperor's bedroom was filled with a strong smell of medicine. The emperor lying on the dragon bed looked pale and haggard.

"Royal brother!" Hu Bugui stepped forward quickly, his worry evident in his words.

The emperor forced himself to sit up and smiled weakly: "Royal brother, I'm glad you're back. I... ahem... I've been waiting for you."

"Brother Emperor, what exactly happened?" Hu Bugui was even more confused. What could have happened that could make the emperor so worried?

The emperor sighed and told the story of what had happened recently. It turned out that the prince had secretly cultivated power and won over many ministers in the court. This time, he took advantage of Hu Bugui's absence from the capital to start making moves and even controlled part of the imperial guards in an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate.

"I wanted to summon you back to the capital, but the prince stopped me..." The emperor coughed violently at this point, "Royal brother, the situation in Chang'an is complicated now, you must be more careful!"

Hu Bugui clenched his fists, a cold light flashed in his eyes: "Don't worry, my royal brother, I will definitely investigate this matter and restore peace to Chang'an!"

After settling Chuntao down, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao returned to the palace.

"It seems that Chang'an City is more dangerous than we imagined." Wu Tao frowned, feeling very worried.

Hu Bugui nodded, his face solemn: "The prince is acting more and more recklessly. We must find out his conspiracy as soon as possible to protect the emperor and ourselves."

"I have some ideas that may be able to help you." Wu Tao pondered for a moment, then told Hu Bugui the political struggle strategies he had learned in modern society, combining them with the current situation.

In the next few days, Hu Bugui secretly visited the ministers in the court and contacted his old subordinates, while Wu Tao used his understanding of modern social political struggles to give him advice. The two supported each other and took every step carefully to deal with the prince.

However, danger also came quietly.

On a dark and windy night, Hu Bugui was invited to a secret party. According to reliable information, the prince would also attend. In order to find out the prince's conspiracy, Hu Bugui decided to take the risk and go to the meeting. Wu Tao was worried about him going alone, so she dressed up as a woman and went with him.

The gathering place was set up in a remote courtyard. The lights were on and the sound of stringed instruments could be heard, but it could not cover up the tense atmosphere in the air.

Hu Bugui talked in a low voice with several trusted ministers, while Wu Tao observed the surrounding situation and tried to find any trace of the prince.

Suddenly, Wu Tao's eyes fell on a corner, and a figure in black clothes and a bamboo hat caught her attention. The figure was sneaky and seemed to be observing something in secret. Wu Tao's heart was alarmed, and her intuition told her that there must be something wrong with this person!

She approached calmly, wanting to see the man's true face. However, at this moment, an accident happened...

 Peach Blossoms Shining in Chang'an Chapter 97 A Sudden Change of Events

A burst of hurried footsteps broke the hustle and bustle of the other courtyard. A panicked servant stumbled into the banquet hall and shouted loudly, "Oh no! A group of soldiers came outside, saying that they were ordered by the prince to surround this place!"

As soon as these words came out, the guests who were originally toasting and chatting happily suddenly became chaotic. The purpose of the prince sending troops to surround the other courtyard at this critical moment is self-evident, that is, to capture all the ministers who have close contacts with Hu Bugui!

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" a minister asked in panic, his hand holding the wine glass trembling slightly.

Hu Bugui looked solemn, and quickly looked around, searching for Wu Tao. However, in the chaos of the crowd, where was her? An ominous premonition came to his mind, and he turned his head sharply to look at the corner, only to find that the sneaky man in black had disappeared.

not good!

Hu Bugui's heart sank. He knew that Wu Tao must have discovered something, which was why she went out alone. He had to find her immediately, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous!

"You guys, escort the adults out of the secret passage! I'll be back soon!" Hu Bugui whispered a few instructions, then rushed out of the banquet hall regardless of everything and chased in the direction where Wu Tao disappeared.

At this time, Wu Tao was carefully following the man in black, passing through the winding corridors and coming to the back garden of the courtyard. The night was dark, the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and only a few dim lanterns emitted a faint light, reflecting the shadows of the surrounding trees like monsters with bared fangs and claws.

Wu Tao's heart was beating wildly. She tightly grasped the dagger hidden in her sleeve and vigilantly observed the movements around her.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?"

A deep voice suddenly came from behind her. Wu Tao was startled and turned around suddenly, only to see that the man in black had been standing behind her at some point, holding a shining dagger in his hand, against her throat.

Wu Tao was unable to move. She forced herself to remain calm and asked in a cold voice, "Are you the prince's man?"

The man in black sneered and did not answer. He just gripped the dagger tightly. The cold touch made Wu Tao feel a stinging pain.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Tao suppressed his fear and tried to stay calm.

"Of course I'm following orders to take your life!" said the man in black, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

In a flash, Wu Tao seized the moment when the man in black was distracted, lowered his head suddenly to avoid the fatal blow, and at the same time raised his knee and hit him hard in the abdomen.

The man in black groaned, and the dagger in his hand fell to the ground. Wu Tao took the opportunity to push him away, turned around and ran away.

"Want to run? Not that easy!" The man in black reacted quickly and started chasing after him.

Wu Tao ran as hard as she could, but she was a weak woman after all, how could she outrun a well-trained killer? Seeing the man in black getting closer and closer, she was filled with despair...