CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 12: DANCING PRINCESS (12)

Li Shuning did not speak, but instead pounced on the table on the other side where the teapot was placed, poured herself a few cups of water, drank them all, and only then sighed with relief. Turning around, she saw the Emperor behind her with a stunned expression. She chuckled quietly, and then turned around again, pouring a cup of tea for the Emperor. While pouring, she slipped two sleeping pills from her palm into the tea. The tea was warm, and by the time Li Shuning served it, the pills had almost dissolved.

The sleeping pills were bought by Li Shuning in her own world.

"Would Your Majesty like to drink some water?" Li Shuning felt somewhat nervous; if the Emperor did not drink the tea, she would have to resort to other actions, which might be somewhat inappropriate.

The Emperor, seeing Li Shuning drink water, inexplicably felt thirsty as well and casually took the cup and drank a few sips. He noticed the water tasted somewhat bitter; perhaps he was just too thirsty?

Li Shuning breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, the Emperor still trusted her quite a bit.

In recent days, the Emperor had been sleeping very lightly, with little sleep, developing noticeable dark circles. Li Shuning felt that two sleeping pills should suffice.

Once the Emperor fell asleep, it would take about half an hour. During this time, she had to divert the Emperor’s attention, hoping those black-clad men wouldn’t come so soon.

"Your Majesty, An Ping has rushed here to discuss something with you."

"Imperial Sister, speak slowly, there’s no rush."

"Your Majesty, these days, Mother has been sleeping poorly and not eating well. If this continues, I fear Mother won’t hold on. And Your Majesty, you are in the same situation. I heard from Xiao Lin that you only sleep two to three hours daily. How can you endure this?"

"If you can’t hold on, I’m afraid Mother will collapse. An Ping is very worried, which is why I rushed here to see you, and I apologize for any disturbance, Your Majesty."

"Imperial Sister, for your concern for both the Empress Dowager and me, how could I blame you? It’s just that these past days, there have been too many matters. I can’t help it, but I’m still young, so by paying extra attention to exercise, there should be no problem."

Li Shuning chatted with the Emperor for quite some time, and the Emperor started to nod off. Gradually, he fell asleep on the chair, clearly exhausted from recent times.

Seeing the Emperor asleep, Li Shuning immediately activated the hovercar, keeping the invisibility effect on. She helped the Emperor inside, placing him in the isolation chamber and releasing some gas inside. Then, she also took the cup the Emperor had drunk from into the hovercar, intending to dispose of the remaining water, wash it, and put it back.

Just then, there was a sudden scream outside, "Assassin, there’s an assassin, protect the Emperor!"

Startled, Li Shuning quickly shut the hovercar’s door, and then the car lifted off the ground, hovering to the ceiling.

The Emperor’s chamber was relatively tall and large, so Li Shuning deliberately parked the hovercar above the desk.

Soon, three black-clad men rushed in.

Following them, Xiao Lin and several guards also ran in.

But soon, they were dumbfounded, as neither the black-clad men nor Xiao Lin and the others saw the Emperor, nor was the Princess in sight.

What happened?

The black-clad men were somewhat at a loss, having been discovered, yet they couldn’t figure out where the Emperor was. Was this mission to end in failure?

If they failed, there might not be another chance. After all, following an assassination attempt, the palace guard would undoubtedly tighten.

The intelligence received indicated that the Emperor had always been here reviewing memorials.

He must be here; he must have hidden after being alerted by the shout of "assassin," thinking the dog Emperor had just hidden away.

They quickly searched around the cabinet, under the desk, and under the dragon bed, yet still found no trace of the Emperor.

As more guards arrived, the black-clad men, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, attempted to break out, but the guards couldn’t allow them to leave, not while the Emperor’s fate was unknown.

After capturing the black-clad men, the guards searched the area but still could not find any sign of the Emperor. It was just then that there was also news of an assassin at the Empress Dowager’s Palace.

All the guards rushed out, while Li Shuning cautiously maneuvered the hovercar out of Yuyang Palace.

At the Empress Dowager’s side, two black-clad men escaped, one was killed on the spot, and one was captured.

When the Guard Commander arrived, he did not see the Empress Dowager either; she had disappeared.

From the young eunuchs, the palace maids, and the older female attendants, it was learned that before the assassin attack, the Princess had visited both the Empress Dowager’s Palace and the Emperor’s chamber.

Is there a connection here?

Or had His Majesty the Emperor already sensed the danger, so they were hidden away?

But now that the assassins have been captured, why haven’t the Empress Dowager and others reappeared?

The Guard Commander was personally promoted by the Emperor, very loyal and intelligent, contemplating whether there were more assassins present?

"Everyone, search the palace, arrest all strangers."

Li Shuning remembered clearly, there were a total of nine black-clad men, but now only four had been captured, two were dead, and three were missing.

The hovercar hovered above the Imperial Palace, the entire palace in her line of sight.

Where were those three black-clad men?

Soon, Li Shuning found two of the black-clad men. One seemed to be trying to return the way he came, but unfortunately, once discovered, every corner of the palace was brightly lit, making it nearly impossible for him to escape. At that moment, he was hiding within the rockery of the Imperial Garden, waiting to be discovered.

The other had hidden inside a fountain pond in the Purple Cloud Palace. The pond was full of lotus flowers with lush leaves. The black-clad man was hiding underwater, with only a thin tube exposed, rendering himself undetectable.

Had it not been for Li Shuning observing the man using the hovercar’s surveillance equipment entering the pond, he might have remained undiscovered.

That individual seemed to be their leader. Previously, after two assassins fled the Purple Cloud Palace, many guards went in pursuit. The black-clad leader doubled back and hid in the fountain pond.

But where was the remaining black-clad man?

Regardless, Li Shuning hadn’t seen that black-clad man.

Soon, the black-clad man hiding in the Imperial Garden’s rockery was captured.

The Guard Commander began interrogating the captured individuals, but they remained silent, and naturally, he was unable to ascertain from where they originated or how many of them there were.

In the turmoil, time had reached the third watch before dawn. In roughly another half-hour, it would be nearly time for the morning court assembly, and His Majesty the Emperor still had not appeared. What was to be done?

Certainly, Prince Rui’s faction had its spies in the court, and if the Emperor did not make an appearance, rumors would undoubtedly arise.

Before the court assembly, the Emperor must be returned and awakened.

Li Shuning glanced around the hovercar, her eyes suddenly lighting up. The teacup she had brought in earlier could now serve a critical role.

Subsequently, the hovercar flew to the pond’s above, above the fountain.

Opening the hovercar’s door, Li Shuning threw the washed teacup directly into the fountain. At this moment, there were still quite a few guards in Purple Cloud Palace. The teacup fell from a great height, landing on the stone sculpture in the center of the pool with a piercing clatter.

The guards quickly rushed over, and with a plop, a black-clad man jumped out of the pool. Confounded by the sudden object that had descended into the pool, the man knew that if the guards surrounded him, there would be no time to escape. The black-clad man hastily bolted outward.

The guards quickly reacted and gave chase.

This black-clad man was likely the most formidable among them. It took a long chase before he was subdued, not before many guards had been grievously wounded or killed.