CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: THE CROWN PRINCE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The Crown Prince’s procession has arrived.

Outside Xianfu Temple, from the Princes and Princesses to officials, citizens, monks, and laypeople, all stood respectfully with hands lowered, waiting to welcome the Crown Prince’s procession.

Due to Duke Yan’s First Rank nobility, Tang Xiaobai stood quite close to the front, and with a slight lift of her gaze, she could catch a glimpse of the swaying banners and the imposing procession of the Crown Prince from the corner of her eye.

The Crown Prince rode on a palanquin carried by eight sturdy guards.

At the four corners of the palanquin stood pillars draped with layers of veiling curtains, concealing the face of the noble youth inside.

Initially, Tang Xiaobai stole a glance, feeling that the silhouette behind the veils was hazy, like a figure formed from mist, with a delicate sense of fragility that might disperse with a breeze.

She recalled the rumors of the Young Crown Prince’s frail health and couldn’t help but take another look.

Still unable to see clearly, what she could vaguely make out was the grand attire, further obscuring the small figure within.

So small...

Tang Xiaobai’s heart ached as she watched.

Suddenly, she was pulled down to her knees by Tang Jiaojiao beside her.

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Long live the Crown Prince!"

The shouts rolled like waves, deafening...

...

The increasingly loud chanting pierced Li Mu’s mind.

He rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping forward through the veils.

A thick mass of heads, making it impossible to find that little girl.

As he regretfully withdrew his gaze, he suddenly noticed a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye.

Focusing, he saw Zhao Jing leading a team of Imperial Guards quietly leaving the procession.

Li Mu watched for a moment, his expression calm as he lowered his gaze.

The message has already been delivered; if there is any more commotion, it would be Zhao Jing’s problem...

...

After spotting suspicious individuals in the crowd, Zhao Jing initially planned to have his subordinates approach discreetly.

However, the other party was far more alert than he expected and left their original position upon sensing someone approaching.

This departure only heightened the suspicion.

Zhao Jing did not hesitate to lead his team in pursuit.

This time, His Majesty had transferred him to the Crown Prince Right Guard to oversee today’s security for the Crown Prince’s outing, mainly due to the assassin that eluded capture last month.

Since the target was the Crown Prince, it was impossible for them to remain indifferent upon his appearance!

This time, the assassin must be caught! It was the only way to justify all he had sacrificed!

"Hyah—" Zhao Jing shouted angrily, speeding like the wind in pursuit of the fleeing figure.

However, the person he was chasing had an exceptional mastery of Qinggong and was well-acquainted with the Capital City’s layout, sprinting along rooftops and eaves, eastward and westward, nimble as a beast. Zhao Jing’s attempts to encircle were repeatedly evaded.

After about half an hour of pursuit, Zhao Jing lost sight of the target.

"Where is this?" Zhao Jing frowned, surveying his surroundings.

In his intense chase, he had not paid much attention to direction, only recalling that he had roughly reached the south of the city.

"It’s Jinchang Village," a subordinate reported.

Indeed, it was the southern city.

Zhao Jing’s gaze swept over the area, ordering, "Search!"

The southern city, being far from the Imperial City, housed no nobles, making the search relatively easy.

He led the way toward one of the residential houses.

The wooden door was unvarnished, with a faint crack, and the simple eaves bore lush, dripping vines. Drawing closer, one could smell the fragrant scent of flowers and plants wafting through the door.

Zhao Jing hesitated for an instant, then sternly ordered his subordinate to knock on the door.

Moments later, the homeowner asked from behind the door, "Who knocks?"

Zhao Jing’s body suddenly froze—

...

Before the main hall, incense smoke swirled, as if the midday sun had baked the world, creating waves of heat.

Tang Xiaobai stood not far from the hall.

The Crown Prince, Princes, and Princesses were inside the hall, while various Royal Family members lingered under the corridor eaves outside.

Though considered a Royal Family member, she wasn’t closely related enough, so she was conveniently excluded from under the eaves.

At first, she was eager to find any angle, by any means, to catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince’s true appearance, but she quickly wilted in the sun.

As she discreetly shifted her steps, hoping to lean towards the Gu Family, suddenly the Buddhist chanting inside the hall ceased abruptly.

Tang Xiaobai immediately straightened her posture, her eyes fixed intently on the open door of the hall.

This ceremony was meant to last several days, but the frail Crown Prince would only stay for an hour.

Now, about an hour had passed.

The Imperial Guard cleared the path, and Palace Maids lined up.

"The Crown Prince returns—"

The drums and music began, and the steps were dignified as they approached.

Tang Xiaobai discreetly peeked out from behind her mother, her gaze slipping through the gaps in the clearing Imperial Guards to see an extremely slender silhouette.

He wore black boots with auspicious clouds, a crimson gauze robe, the hem embroidered with gold thread forming noble dragon patterns, reflecting somewhat dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Tang Xiaobai’s gaze moved upward, and she couldn’t help but be stunned.

Earlier, she hadn’t seen the Crown Prince when he arrived because she was at the back.

Now she could see the person but still couldn’t see the face.

It wasn’t clear whether it was to block the sun or the wind, but the veil hanging around the majestic canopy above the Young Crown Prince’s head was longer than imagined, covering everything above the shoulders.

This...

Tang Xiaobai was not one to give up easily.

When the Crown Prince walked directly in front of her, she discreetly crouched and tilted her head sideways, trying to glimpse the Crown Prince’s true face from below.

At that moment—

"Whew!"

A piercing sound nearly shattered her eardrums.

Before Tang Xiaobai could instinctively cover her ears, she heard a chaotic shout: "An assassin! Protect the Crown Prince—"

...

An hour later.

Tang Xiaobai sat in a spacious and airy waterside pavilion, staring blankly at the pond filled with green leaves and white lotuses.

How did she end up here?

Not long ago, she was still at Xianfu Temple.

When the prayer ceremony concluded, the Crown Prince was about to head back to the mansion and was attacked before reaching the entrance.

The scene was extremely chaotic at that time.

She was small, with limited vision, bumped to the ground, and nearly trampled.

But she wasn’t.

A highly skilled individual quickly picked her up from the ground, and then they flew in a blur.

Afterward, she was brought here—

"Second Miss Tang—"

Tang Xiaobai turned her head to look.

The waterside pavilion was connected by a corridor, and from the corridor’s end, a team of people approached with steady, orderly steps, making hardly any sound on the wooden path, demonstrating their training.

Leading them was a red-clad servant in his fifties, who approached with a smiling face and said, "I am Cao He, the Eunuch of the Crown Prince, ordered by the Crown Prince to bring Second Miss her lunch."

Tang Xiaobai suppressed her confusion, rose, and politely bowed in thanks, then asked with concern, "Is the Crown Prince well? Was he frightened?"

The elderly eunuch looked at her with even more kindness, instructing the maids to set the meal while answering, "His Highness is fine, but he was worried that Second Miss hadn’t had lunch, so he urged me to bring it to you!"

Tang Xiaobai was overjoyed yet puzzled.

How did she end up at the Crown Prince Mansion?