Reborn, I am doing involution on Jinshan

The young eunuch Qin Dexing's royal sedan led the way, and pedestrians gave way one after another. The bolder ones looked around curiously from behind the buildings.

Commander Pang Zhengxiang and two guards were on horseback escorting the carriage. Inside the sedan chair, Dongfang Hao frowned, feeling a sense of unease. After the assassination attempt, various forces were undercurrents surging. Entering the palace at this time was uncertain whether it would be a blessing or a curse.

His handsome face was tense and expressionless. He looked cool, giving off a sense of distance. He was wearing a black robe, embroidered with a ferocious dragon in silver thread, and exuded a chill. Everyone knew he was in a bad mood.

Advisor Fan Dengke sat on the other side, his features cold and composed. He wore a simple dark scholar's robe and was absorbed in a book. He was the least susceptible to the Crown Prince's moods, which was why he stayed.

He failed to make the top three in the imperial examination and narrowly won the 15th place. By chance, he was rescued by the prince from being bullied. Prince Dongfang Hao appreciated his talent and took him on as his staff.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the rear of the procession. Dongfang Hao's heart tightened, and just as he was about to lift the curtain of the sedan chair to check, Pang Zhengxiang galloped over, shouting, "Prince, this is bad! A group of unidentified people are charging towards us from behind, and they seem to have ill intentions."

Dongfang Hao's face darkened, and Fan Dengke also put down the book in his hand and his expression became serious.

"Commander Pang, ensure safety," Dongfang Hao ordered calmly. Pang Zhengxiang obeyed and quickly directed two guards to confront the men in the rear. They were dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, grimy and dusty, yet their attacks were ruthless. They were burly and muscular, clearly trained assassins.

Desperadoes, their brutality is unimaginable.

Fan Dengke thought for a moment and said to Dongfang Hao, "Prince, I'm afraid this is a deliberate murder. We need to leave here as soon as possible." Dongfang Hao nodded and signaled the eunuch to speed up.

The rookie eunuch Qin Dexing was also careless. He left the palace like a released pigeon with the purpose of going shopping. He was in high spirits and wanted to sing a song. Who would have thought that he would be hunted down by a group of people after being summoned out of the palace day after day?

He felt at ease bringing only one secret guard, a rookie secret guard at that, a childhood playmate, and a coachman. Comparing the two sides, the prince's side seemed even smaller in number.

Their only advantage was that they rode on tall horses.

Just as the sedan was accelerating, a group of men in black appeared ahead, blocking the road. Dongfang Hao thought to himself, this is not good. It seems the other party has planned this and laid a tight net.

The coachman drove the carriage like a whirlwind, ramming into a group of men in black in front of them, instantly disrupting their formation. The neighing of horses, barking of dogs, and shouting of people shook the heavens.

In this chaotic moment, a man in black seized the opportunity and lunged at the sedan chair, blade in hand. In a flash, a rookie guard, cloaked in the shadows, stepped forward, sword drawn, and engaged the man in black. Though inexperienced, the rookie guard possessed remarkable courage, each strike delivered with a desperate determination, and he managed to temporarily hold off the man's advance.

At the same time, Pang Zhengxiang led the guards to fight bravely in the rear, but the enemy had too many people and they gradually could not withstand it.

Fan Dengke frowned, and suddenly an idea came to him. He shouted loudly: "The prince is here. If you know what's good for you, retreat quickly, otherwise you will be killed without a burial place!" This shout really made some of the men in black hesitate for a moment.

Dongfang Hao calmly pondered a strategy in his sedan chair. He knew he couldn't continue to passively accept the attack. He whispered to Fan Dengke, "Tell the coachman to take a detour to the crowded market. They won't dare to act recklessly there."

Fan Dengke nodded and quickly conveyed the order to the coachman. With a flick of his whip, the carriage sped off towards the market. Seeing this, the group of men in black hesitated for a moment, but continued to pursue. Several guards were also scattered, and their fate was unknown.

The young eunuch's groom followed closely behind. He also wanted to abandon his horse, but thinking of the execution of his entire clan, he gritted his teeth and followed. He thought that if he died, he might even get a generous funeral allowance.

The two carriages quickly rushed into the market, and the crowd was suddenly in chaos, with screams and shouts one after another.

Dongfang Hao lifted the car curtain and observed the surrounding situation. The men in black were still pursuing him, rushing through the crowd, knocking many people to the ground, and cursing and swearing one after another. After this commotion, the two sides had opened up a gap of 300 meters.

Pang Zhengxiang arrived and followed the carriage closely with the only remaining guard, keeping vigilant watch.

Suddenly, several meat stalls caught Dongfang Hao's attention. There were also several farmers dressed as hunters. The two sides seemed to be making a deal, and there were about a dozen people.

He was overjoyed and said to Fan Dengke, "Tell the groom to move towards the meat stall."

Fan Dengke delivered the order as he was told. As the carriage approached the meat stall, Dongfang Hao shouted, "Heroes, our prince has been attacked today. Please help us!"

Several meat stall owners were stunned for a moment, and then saw that one of the carriages was flying the royal flag. Passersby and vendors immediately reacted and picked up their weapons to join the battle.

The men in black hadn't anticipated this sudden change and were momentarily flustered. Seizing this opportunity, Dongfang Hao and his companions, protected by the butchers, sped out of the market and headed for the palace. In the chaos, the men in black were gradually thrown off and disappeared from sight.

Two carriages stopped in front of the palace. He quickly put away his dagger, straightened his clothes, and hurried into the palace with only Commander Pang Zhengxiang and the young eunuch.

In the side hall of the palace, the two important officials, the Grand Marshal and the Imperial Censor, along with several princes, had already arrived. Emperor Dongfang Yu sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression, scanning the crowd. "Who was responsible for the assassination attempt on the Empress Dowager yesterday? Do you have any clues?"

As it involved the royal reputation, the emperor considered it for a night and decided to hold the meeting in a side hall instead of having an open discussion in the court.

The emperor's voice was cold, and the atmosphere in the hall froze instantly.

Dongfang Hao thought in his heart, he suspected that this matter was related to the second prince Dongfang Ye and the fourth prince Dongfang Ran. It was normal for Concubine Shu to want to get that position since she only gave birth to these two sons.

Empress Tiemu Ziyun gave birth to her eldest sister Dongfang Hong and herself, a girl and a boy, and she had all the advantages of being the firstborn of a girl or a boy. The empress dowager was more partial to them, and she recognized his status as the crown prince very much, and praised him publicly, which inevitably aroused jealousy. People took their anger out on the empress dowager and even wanted to assassinate her.

But without evidence, they dared not speak rashly. The other princes also expressed their stance, saying they would do their utmost to investigate thoroughly.

Not long after, the Minister of Justice, Chai Lingyun, trotted into the hall, sweating profusely. He plopped down on his knees, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I am late, and I deserve death."

The emperor glared at her and asked coldly, "What else do you have to say? How is the investigation of this case going? If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, I will not let you off easily!"

The Minister of Justice raised his head tremblingly and replied, "Your Majesty, this case is quite complicated, involving many forces. I have been secretly investigating and have made some progress. However, those people are very cunning and always try to destroy evidence. I have spent a lot of effort to piece together some key clues."

The emperor frowned and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense and get to the point! What did you find out?"