As she spoke, Wei Dongling hurled a jade token over. Jingzhe caught it in one hand. A flicker of struggle flashed across his eyes, and then he whirled around and darted away.
Miss Qiao roared, "Chase him!" A group of black - clad secret guards rushed after him in a hurry. A faint sense of worry welled up in Wei Dongling's heart. With so many secret guards in hot pursuit, how could Jingzhe possibly get away unscathed?
When she turned around again, she saw Yu Zixi had been stabbed in the chest with a spear. His blood - stained hands slipped off the well's edge, and his whole body teetered and fell.
"Yu Zixi!" Wei Dongling let out a roar filled with grief and indignation. She struggled fiercely to break free from the black - clad secret guard who was clutching her and lunged headlong in Yu Zixi's direction without a care in the world.
In the distance, Cuihuan heard Wei Dongling's voice. Her heart was in a complete turmoil. She led Tian Qi and charged into the courtyard with the most guards.
Seeing this, Miss Qiao leaped forward and struck a powerful blow on Wei Dongling's back. Caught off - guard, Wei Dongling tumbled into the well.
"Miss Wei!" Cuihuan on the high wall watched in horror as Wei Dongling teetered and fell. Frightened and shocked, she tried her best to rush into the courtyard. Tian Qi and Ruochen quickly followed and protected her at her side.
Jingzhe dashed away at full speed, leaping from roof to roof. Two or three dozen black - clad secret guards were hot on his heels, brandishing their knives. Wounded and on the run, Jingzhe was gradually losing his strength.
Jingzhe managed to evade wave after wave of desperate attacks. He made a sudden turn and rushed into a secluded courtyard. He was extremely familiar with the layout of the Crown Prince's Mansion. After a few quick turns, the pursuers behind him lost sight of him and had to search the place one by one.
Jingzhe leaped into the shadows and was about to scale the wall to escape when a black - clad secret guard suddenly appeared across the alley. He raised his long sword and charged straight at Jingzhe.
Jingzhe tightened his grip on his soft sword and was about to counter when the door of a nearby house suddenly opened. A long sword sliced through the neck of the black - clad secret guard opposite. Instantly, blood spurted three feet and the head rolled to the ground.
Jingzhe was stunned. The person who had made the move was wearing a mask, so his face couldn't be recognized. But the long sword in his hand was all too familiar to Jingzhe.
This was Cheng Hao, a good brother who had been inseparable from Jingzhe when he served the Crown Prince. They had joined hands to carry out all kinds of assassinations.
Cheng Hao must have recognized him from his soft sword and the scar behind his ear, which was why he had risked disobeying orders to save him!
A wave of gratitude welled up in Jingzhe's heart. Seeing him standing there in a daze, Cheng Hao grabbed his sleeve and dragged him into the house. He pulled him straight to the bed, lifted the bed board, and revealed a hole below. Urgently, he said, "Hurry and go!"
Jingzhe was stunned. He knew the layout of the Crown Prince's Mansion like the back of his hand. But he had never known that there was a secret passage in this room!
Seeing that he wasn't moving, Cheng Hao grew impatient. He picked Jingzhe up and stuffed him into the hole. In a hushed and urgent voice, he said, "Hurry up and go! I'll lead them away for you!" As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to close the bed board.
Panic welled up in Jingzhe's heart. Once Cheng Hao had disobeyed the order, how could the Crown Prince possibly tolerate him? Jingzhe grabbed his hand and whispered, "Come with me!"
"I have to cover for you!" Cheng Hao kicked Jingzhe down with one foot, quickly closed the bed board, and then quickly leaped out.
Jingzhe was filled with a flood of emotions. He never thought that his usually taciturn brother Cheng Hao would protect him like this, even going against the Crown Prince's wishes.
Thinking that Wei Dongling was still waiting for him to go out and ask for help, Jingzhe didn't hesitate any longer. He quickly crawled out through the secret passage.
In the dry well, when Wei Dongling fell, she was completely desolate. Qi Jinxuan's treatment of her had already left her heart cold. She just wanted to follow Yu Zixi.
But when she was halfway down and hadn't reached the bottom yet, a pair of hands firmly caught her. By the dim light, Wei Dongling looked closely and saw Yu Zixi with his feet apart, firmly wedged between the stone walls on both sides, catching her right in his arms.
Not far away at the bottom of the well, one of the two or three mansion soldiers who had fallen in let out a heart - rending scream. It was obvious that he had been stung by a poisonous scorpion at the bottom of the well and was in such excruciating pain that he let out such a spine - chilling scream.
Startled by the scream, Wei Dongling shivered and tightly wrapped her arms around Yu Zixi's neck. Her whole body trembled slightly.
The stone cover on the well was tightly closed, and the bottom of the well was plunged into darkness.
Seeing Wei Dongling jump down without a second thought, Yu Zixi felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Holding her slender waist, he murmured in her ear, "Dongling, I regret."
In the darkness, Wei Dongling tightened her hold on his neck and asked in a trembling voice, "Regret what?"
Yu Zixi's voice clearly carried a hint of a smile, "I should have taken you last night."
Wei Dongling:...
"Brother, look at the situation. Is this the time to talk about this?" Besides, weren't you supposed to be impotent?
It was highly likely that Uncle Li and the others had heard the news and rushed to the Crown Prince's Mansion to rescue them. The Crown Prince's words just now had implied something. It was very possible that Uncle Li and the others had all been arrested and taken to the government yamen.
Now, she could only hope that Jingzhe could find Lord Rong in time to bring reinforcements. Lord Rong claimed to be working for the emperor in private. The manpower he could mobilize should be able to match the power of the Crown Prince, right?
If not, she might have to reveal her identity as the daughter of the Concubine Chen at the right time and ask Lord Rong to meet the emperor to explain everything. Maybe they could withstand this disaster and protect all the uncles and Zixi.
She hoped Jingzhe would hurry. Before long, the air in the dry well would become thinner and thinner.
Wei Dongling straddled Yu Zixi's waist and hugged him tightly. A sense of despair gradually welled up in her heart.
In the main hall of the Crown Prince's Mansion, the Crown Prince sat upright on the main seat. Looking down at Murong Xuan in the middle of the main hall, who bowed and said, "Your humble subject pays respects to the Crown Prince."
Murong Xuan, the third son of the Prince Rui, was both academically and morally excellent. He had always been a standout among his peers and was also the only junior in the Empress Dowager's mind whose talent could rival that of Shangguan Yun. So, the Crown Prince naturally didn't look at him very favorably. However, his father, the Prince Rui, was quite shrewd and was deeply favored by the emperor. He also knew how to stay away from military power just right so as not to arouse suspicion. Therefore, the ever - suspicious Crown Prince had never had the intention of harming the Prince Rui.
But at this moment, Murong Xuan, who never deliberately befriended others, actually came to visit. He respectfully addressed the Crown Prince, not as his cousin. This really surprised the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince waved his hand, signaling his attendant to lead him to a seat and serve him tea. Then he asked, "I heard that the young prince has come here to deliver an imperial edict from the emperor. I wonder why my father didn't send the eunuch by his side to convey it but instead troubled the young prince to barge into my Crown Prince's Mansion to deliver it on his behalf?"
Seeing that the Crown Prince was secretly blaming him for being rude and barging into the Crown Prince's Mansion, Murong Xuan didn't seem to care at all. He picked up the teacup and smiled gracefully, "Crown Prince, please calm your anger. Actually, I've come today to talk to you about a private matter."
"Oh?" The Crown Prince's handsome face looked displeased. His brows knitted tightly, and he said coldly, "Then the young prince had better explain clearly what this private matter is. Otherwise, you might not be able to bear the crime of deceiving the emperor!"