Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Su Qin wisely led the Huwei Army to withdraw, and the courtyard suddenly became much emptier. However, Tang Ling could not breathe a sigh of relief, as Qinglan was quietly pulling his sleeve from behind.

"Hey, this night was a mess..." Qi Xiao stretched, turned to Tang Ling and said with a smile, "After all this trouble, I can't sleep. Are you tired? If not, let's finish the game of chess this afternoon."

Qing Lan tugged at Tang Ling's sleeves again, as if to signal him something. The person who broke in tonight might really be Ye Huai, otherwise Qing Lan wouldn't be so anxious.

Tang Ling knew Qing Lan had something to say and that he needed to get rid of Qi Xiao as soon as possible, so he said, "Your Highness, I am very sorry for your trouble regarding the assassin. I thank you again. I should have played the chess game with you, but I am particularly afraid of the cold at night and want to go to bed early."

"Is that so..." Qi Xiao dragged out the last syllable, glancing at Tang Ling with a sidelong glance. His gaze actually fell on Qing Lan's anxious face. He raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Then I won't force it. I was originally going to tell you about the assassin tonight."

Qi Xiao stopped talking here and just looked at Tang Ling with a frown.

"Since Your Highness is interested, I won't spoil his fun. Please come inside and have a seat."

Qing Lan was anxious and called Tang Ling softly, "Master!"

Tang Ling shook her head gently: "Qinglan, go make tea."

Qinglan was extremely anxious, but she didn't dare to go against Tang Ling's wishes, so she had to shut up and make tea.

"It's a small matter, come on, Ayu."

Just as Ah Yu was about to take the teapot, Qi Xiao said, "Ah Yu, everything is fine here. You can go down first."

"Yes." Ayu left the room and closed the door considerately.

Tang Ling raised her eyes and looked at Qi Xiao. It seemed that he asked A Yu to leave because he really had something important to say.

"Tonight was a complete mess. Just one person showed up, and the whole palace was in an uproar. There were Tiger Guards, government officials, and palace guards. With so many people guarding this small courtyard, it still caused such a commotion. They disturbed Ziyi's sweet sleep, and they really deserved to be beaten."

"Has the assassin been caught?"

Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling, his eyes full of ambiguous teasing and cunning, as if Tang Ling had asked a stupid question.

"Do you wish the assassin to be caught?"

Tang Ling met Qi Xiao's gaze without any fear and smiled, "General Su just made such a big fuss to search the palace. I guess he let the assassin escape."

Qinglan was making tea. After hearing Tang Ling's words, she suddenly turned around and looked over, and happened to fall into Qi Xiao's sight.

Qi Xiao chuckled softly, as if Tang Ling had said something amusing. After a moment, he said, "If it weren't for your safety, Ziyi, how could Su Qin search the Prince of Chu's Mansion whenever he wanted?"

"In this case, I have to thank His Majesty for his care."

Qi Xiao propped his chin on one hand and looked at Tang Ling curiously. "Do you know how many times you've thanked me today alone? Was it sincere or just perfunctory?"

Tang Ling was slightly stunned, then smiled faintly and said, "Of course, I am sincerely grateful to Your Highness."

Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow and nodded. It was just a casual question. Whether Tang Ling was grateful or suspicious of him was irrelevant to him. It was just that Tang Ling had a beautiful disguise that intrigued Qi Xiao, and he wanted to peel it off to see what was hidden. He was helping Tang Ling so he could return to Beijing. With his goal almost achieved, there was no need to be a good person or do favors anymore.

"It's late, I won't bother you anymore. Good night." Qi Xiao stood up and walked to the door, then suddenly turned around, raised one corner of his mouth, and smiled wickedly, "Oh, by the way, the assassin is injured. Lord Yue has been searching the city overnight. With the assistance of General Su and the Tiger Army, the assassin should be caught soon. Ziyi, don't worry. Have a good dream tonight, and you'll hear good news when you wake up."

Tang Ling's face darkened, she gritted her teeth silently, and still maintained a faint smile as she saw Qi Xiao off.

The door closed again. Tang Ling turned and asked Qing Lan, "Is it Ye Huai? Is he injured?"

"I didn't see it with my own eyes. The man entered from the west side of the palace and was quickly discovered by the palace guards. When I went to see, the ground was covered with arrows and fresh blood."

"It may not be Ye Huai... Is the person who came seriously injured?"

Qing Lan frowned and nodded: "Judging from the amount of bleeding, he must be seriously injured. But I don't know if he has been injured in a vital part. Sir, if it is Ye Huai... Sir, we must find a way to save him!"

Tang Ling sat down, her brows furrowed tightly. After a long moment, she said, "Don't worry. We can't say for sure if it's Ye Huai. You and I are both in shackles. We can't save him by ourselves."

The man acted alone and was obviously not in the same group as the assassins in Hukou Gorge. Tang Ling was almost certain that it was Ye Huai, but he himself was also surrounded by layers of enemies, so saving him was simply wishful thinking.

Ye Huai's skills were definitely above those of a top-tier expert, and his Qinggong was also excellent, but he was alone after all, and it was too difficult for him to break into the palace alone amidst the heavy security. At this moment, Tang Ling could only believe that since Ye Huai could escape, he could also hide.

Tang Ling was worried about Ye Huai's injuries. He trusted Qing Lan's judgment. Ye Huai was seriously injured. If he wasn't treated in time, he might be captured or... die. Qing Lan and Ye Huai were the only ones around him now, and Ye Huai couldn't afford to get hurt.

"Sir, can I find a way to go out and investigate the situation?"

Tang Ling shook her head. "Even if you could get out, who would tell you the news? We can't trust anyone here."

"But...then we won't care about Ye Huai anymore?"

"It may not be Ye Huai."

Tang Ling frowned. He couldn't lose his composure at this time, especially since Qinglan couldn't hide anything.

"What if it's Ye Huai? Young Master, Ye Huai has been with you since you were little!"

Tang Ling glared at Qinglan, her eyes no longer showing her usual gentleness, and her gaze was so fierce that Qinglan shrank his neck.

"... Young Master..."

"go out."

Tang Ling chased Qing Lan away and sat quietly by the lamp. Ye Huai wasn't Qing Lan, and wouldn't be so impulsive. He'd simply broken into the palace at night after not hearing from Tang Ling for a few days. Even if he didn't know Tang Ling's situation, he was most likely trying to find a way to get in. With the Tiger Might Army, palace guards, and government officials inside and outside the Chu Palace, the sheer number of people and eyes would make it easier to infiltrate. It wouldn't be easy for the Tiger Might Army to maintain strict discipline, and it wouldn't be easy for the palace guards to get to know each other. The best approach was to pretend to be a government official. Even if he couldn't get in, it wouldn't be difficult to gather information. So why break in?

Tang Ling paused to think, and something seemed strange. Perhaps it wasn't Ye Huai? What if it was him? How could she save him? Tang Ling clenched her fists, suppressing her anxiety with all her might.

What confused him even more was Qi Xiao's attitude and words. The sentence "Do you want the assassin to be caught?" was clearly a test.

Qi Xiao was young, so how could he be so unpredictable? The tone of his words just now seemed more like a challenge. Did he know something? Did he catch the assassin? Was it Ye Huai? Did he already know that Ye Huai was his man?