Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Hearing the knock, Yunmeng asked warily, "Who is it?"

Ling Yan replied, "It's me."

Yunmeng recognized her voice and immediately relaxed, opening the door.

After Lingyan and Chu Xiyao entered, the door was closed again.

Yunmeng asked in confusion, "Your Highness, why have you come at this time?"

Lingyan smiled and said, "Silly girl, of course I'm worried about you!"

Yunmeng was deeply moved upon hearing this.

His eyes were red and he choked up, unable to speak.

Seeing her like this, Lingyan walked over to her and patted her head to comfort her, saying, "You are my person, so of course I will protect you. People have different degrees of closeness and distance. Those officials and secret guards will protect you, but whether they can survive depends on their luck. But you are different. No one will wholeheartedly protect you, so I came!"

Upon hearing Lingyan's words, Yunmeng finally couldn't stop her tears from falling.

She looked up at Lingyan, wanting to say something, but in the end she felt that nothing she said could compare to the Crown Princess's affection for her.

It took her a while to calm herself down.

With a thick nasal tone, she said, "The Crown Princess treats Yunmeng so well that Yunmeng is willing to do anything for the Crown Princess, even die."

Lingyan smiled and disagreed, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? You can't say things like that. We all want to live to be a hundred years old."

Yunmeng burst into laughter through her tears and said, "Alright, I'll listen to the Crown Princess."

By this time, the commotion outside had gradually subsided.

Lingyan heard the head of the Eastern Palace's secret guards outside reply, "Reporting to the Crown Princess, all the assassins have been eliminated. Please rest assured, Crown Princess."

Lingyan replied, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work."

After the Eastern Palace guards left, Lingyan originally intended to go and rest.

But then I suddenly felt something was wrong.

She frowned slightly, thinking to herself: They've sent so many assassins this time just to kill her, the Crown Princess.

Therefore, the person behind the scenes could not possibly be unaware of the strength of the Eastern Palace's secret guards.

And why send someone with such low skill to assassinate him?

Was it merely to probe the strength of the secret guards? Or was it simply to scare her and annoy her?

wrong.

What she did in Jiangnan must have spread throughout the world by now.

So how could they possibly think she would be frightened by a mere assassination attempt?

As for probing the strength of the secret guards, that's even less necessary.

There's no need for spying to know they're incredibly strong.

The reputation of the Crown Prince's secret guards is known to all.

Their strength doesn't need to be investigated at all.

So their goal is...

Thinking of this, Lingyan immediately said to Chu Xiyao in a solemn voice, "Ayao, go out immediately and inform all the guards that there may be more assassins coming later, and they will be even more ferocious than before. Just in case, have them choose one person to go to the government office to ask for reinforcements."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiyao frowned and pondered for a while before understanding the reason.

Then he said solemnly, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

After Chu Xiyao finished giving the orders and returned, another large group of assassins arrived as expected.

Ling Yan remained silent for a long time, her expression icy.

Sure enough.

The first wave of assassins was intended to deplete her forces and exhaust her guards.

Furthermore, this would lower their guard; since the assassins had been eliminated, they wouldn't normally come back a second time.

Therefore, with the guards exhausted and off guard, they will immediately launch a second wave of assassins.

And this time, the real killer move will be made.

They will definitely be more numerous and of higher skill level than the assassins from before.

It seems the person behind this is determined to kill her tonight.

Since that's the case, let's give it a try.

Chu Xiyao also understood that the assassins who came this time must be very troublesome.

So he stood firmly beside Lingyan, protecting her closely with a serious expression.

The same applies to Yunmeng.

And so, the time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed, and the time it takes to burn an incense stick passed.

An hour passed, and the assassin had not yet been eliminated.

Reinforcements have arrived, but even with so many people, they couldn't subdue them.

However, they were blocked from reaching her by the guards.

But the person behind it all is plotting to kill her tonight.

Then they will definitely not give up until they achieve their goal.

They have a constant stream of new people joining them, while their numbers are limited.

Therefore, the guards and soldiers will probably not be able to withstand the attack soon.

We must find a way to break out, otherwise we'll definitely be trapped.

It can also distract some of their forces and catch them off guard.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiyao grabbed Lingyan and Yunmeng on either side and leaped out of the window, carrying them into the night sky.

Upon seeing this, the assassins outside immediately gave chase like arrows released from a bow.

Their figures flickered in the night, like a group of ghosts.

Chu Xiyao dropped Yunmeng off halfway through the journey.

Yunmeng felt that having her with him at this time would be a burden and slow down their progress. The Ninth Prince could get ahead of the assassins faster by having one less person with him.

She didn't want to drag the Crown Princess down because of her own actions.

So she gave Chu Xiyao a wink, signaling him to put her down.

Although Chu Xiyao hesitated upon seeing this, he still agreed to the matter.

In his heart, Lingling was of course the most important.

So before Lingyan could stop it, she witnessed Yunmeng being thrown down.

She wanted to blame Chu Xiyao, but she also knew that Yunmeng had volunteered for this.

What's done is done, and it can't be changed.

Now is not the time to blame anyone.

She could only convince herself that those people were targeting her, not Yunmeng.

Therefore, Yunmeng should be safe.

Ling Yan held Chu Xiyao tightly, listening to the whistling wind in her ears, and turned to look at the assassin behind her.

Surprisingly, they discovered that the pursuers were very close and not far from them.

This shows that these assassins were all highly skilled, possessing such impressive lightness skills that they were able to keep up the chase for so long.

So, in order to create some distance, Lingyan whispered to Chu Xiyao, "Hold your breath."

Chu Xiyao immediately did as instructed.

The next moment, Ling Yan flicked her sleeve, and a wisp of thick smoke swept in like a black dragon.

The assassin following closely behind was caught off guard and fell victim to the attack.

One by one, they lost their strength and fell like kites with broken strings.

Ling Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They should be able to get far away from them before the people behind them arrive.

Chu Xiyao didn't dare to relax for a moment the entire time.

He used his lightness skill to desperately traverse the night sky with Lingyan in his arms.

So even though he was exhausted and covered in sweat, he kept using his lightness skill to try to go faster and faster.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he felt he was nearing his limit.

Lingyan looked at him with heartache and worry and said, "Stop, we're already far away from them."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiyao steadily landed her on the ground.

Then his legs went weak and he almost knelt down.

But he still braced himself to make sure Lingyan was not harmed.

He then began to gasp for breath; his clothes were soaked through, and sweat dripped continuously from his head.

His face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless, and his hair was disheveled; he looked haggard and disheveled.

Looking at his exhausted state, Lingyan felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, causing her unbearable pain.

Her throat felt as if it were blocked by a wad of cotton, making it so uncomfortable that she could barely breathe.

Tears quickly welled up in her eyes, making them red and brimming with heartache and pity.

Then, a choked voice struggled to escape from his throat: "Ah Yao..."

These two simple words are filled with endless heartache and sorrow.

Ling Yan then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Then, fighting back tears, he said, "Let's go, I'll help you walk." His voice was thick with nasal tone.

Chu Xiyao tried to stand up straight, but found his legs were weak and wouldn't obey him.

He looked at Ling Yan helplessly, his eyes filled with guilt and powerlessness.

At this moment, he could only let Lingyan support him, and every step he took seemed so difficult.

Ling Yan held onto Chu Xiyao tightly, feeling almost all of his weight pressing down on her.

But she bit her lip tightly, using all her strength to support him, slowly moving forward step by step…