Chapter 601:1 Anticipated Your Anticipation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Your Highness, everything is ready. We can swing into action at any time.” The person who came was Xiao Shijie’s trusted aide.
Xiao Shijie’s eyes darkened. “Proceed. What about Chu Min’s end?
“The spy sent news that Chu Min is already waiting at the east city gate.”
“Good.”
The banquet hall was still filled with singing and dancing. Just as the guests were toasting and jesting with each other, sounds of shouting and fighting suddenly erupted from outside the door.
A figure was thrown in from outside the courtyard and smashed heavily against the banquet door.
“Argh!”
-Who’s there?” The Imperial Guards immediately became wary and drew their long swords.
The people in the hall immediately tensed up when they heard the commotion.
The singing and dancing also stopped abruptly.
The sounds of fighting outside the door became more and more intense, and everyone’s hearts were in their mouths.
“Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!”
Several generals stepped forward and shielded Xiao Jin and Su Ying.
Xiao Jin’s eyes darkened slightly, but there was no obvious change in his
expression.
Su Ying was still holding the last piece of cake in her hand as she followed Xiao
Jin.
At this moment, Jiang Yang suddenly rushed in through the back door. “Your Majesty, the back courtyard of the residence is on fire. We will escort Your Majesty and Your Imperial Highness back to the palace now.” -What? The back courtyard is on fire?” When Prince Jiangning heard this, his face instantly became panic-stricken. Dozens of his beautiful concubines were housed there. They must not die just like that!
“What’s going on outside?” Xiao Jin asked in a deep voice.
“Your Majesty, a group of people rushed in with the intention of breaking into the main hall. We have already stopped them outside the entrance. Your Majesty and Your Imperial Highness should leave as soon as possible.”
Xiao Jin held Su Ying’s hand. “Let’s go.”
The ministers followed Xiao Jin and his group when they saw them retreating.
As soon as they came out, they smelled the strong burning stench. When they raised their heads to look, they could already see the towering flames not far away.
The Imperial Guards led Xiao Jin and his group and exited through the back door. Xiao Shijie had been hiding in the dark after disguising himself. When Xiao Jin and the rest rushed to the back door, he quickly blended into the crowd and followed them out.
These people all lived in various places in the city. After leaving the residence, they dispersed in all directions. No one noticed Xiao Shijie’s movements. He successfully boarded the horse carriage that had been prepared long ago.
“Leave quickly!”
The horse carriage quickly moved towards the city gate which had the weakest security.
The spy said that ever since Xiao Shijie returned to the capital city, the soldiers guarding the city gates had become stricter than before. They approached everyone who entered and left the capital city to check on them. No one knew what the soldiers were checking for. When asked, they simply said that they were pursuing a river pirate.
However, Xiao Shijie knew that the Emperor was trying to prevent him from fleeing the capital city.
Very soon, the horse carriage arrived at the location where Chu Min had arranged to meet him.
After the horse carriage stopped, Xiao Shijie alighted. However, he no longer looked like what he was disguised as earlier. Instead, he had turned into a woman with hunched shoulders.
The trusted aide who was waiting at the meeting point came forward and brought him to a horse carriage. As soon as he got on, he saw a familiar figure sitting in the carriage.
Chu Min got a shock when he saw the woman entering suddenly. When he looked at her face closely, the corners of his eyes twitched violently.
It seemed that Xiao Shijie was prepared to go all out.
“Let’s go, Lord Chu. It will be troublesome once they catch on to what we are doing.”
Chu Min nodded and gestured for the coachman to start driving.
In the blink of an eye, the horse carriage arrived at the front of the city gate. As the guards had to check the people who were leaving the city, there were already many people lining up before the city gate.
When it was time for Chu Min’s carriage to be checked, Chu Min lifted the curtain.
The soldier recognized Chu Min and bowed respectfully. “Lord Chu.”
Chu Min nodded. “I have been ordered to leave the capital city to handle some matters. I must not be delayed.”
The soldier glanced inside the horse carriage. When he saw that a woman was sitting inside, he did not ask any more questions and allowed their horse carriage to leave right away.
The horse carriage left the city. After traveling on the official road for a while, it turned into a remote path and quickly split away from the official road.
Although they had left the capital city, Xiao Shijie did not dare to let his guard down.
“Thank you for your help today, Lord Chu. When I succeed in the future, I will definitely not treat you shabbily.”
The speed of the horse carriage gradually slowed down. Chu Min slowly shifted his gaze to Xiao Shijie’s face. “Your Highness is really not suited to wear this sort of heavy makeup. As for the matter in the future…” Before Xiao Shijie could react, Chu Min suddenly whipped out the dagger he had prepared beforehand and stabbed him with it.
“How can you still have a future?” Chu Min’s eyes gradually turned ferocious. If he wanted to escape Xiao Shijie’s shackles, he could only make sure Xiao Shijie died!
He had already made his plan when Xiao Shijie sought his cooperation to help him flee the capital city.
Xiao Shijie got a shock and looked at Chu Min in astonishment. “You… you actually…”
Chu Min gave a scornful laugh. “If you die, I will still be the head of Duke Jingguo’s Residence. I will still be Lord Chu, whom the Emperor thinks highly of. I will also be the successor to take over Duke Jingguo’s Residence. You have made so many contributions to me so your death is worthwhile.”
Xiao Shijie suddenly laughed disdainfully. His body then moved close to Chu Min abruptly.
Before Chu Min could react, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
He widened his eyes in shock and looked at the dagger in his abdomen in disbelief. He then looked at Chu Min’s abdomen but there was no blood at all!
“You… you…”
Xiao Shijie twisted the dagger in his hand forcefully around the inside of Chu Min’s stomach. Blood gushed out of Chu Min’s mouth at once.
“Chu Min, you have been thinking of betraying me and getting off my ship all the while. Do you think I’ll still trust you?” Xiao Shijie sneered as he pulled open his lapels, revealing the soft armor inside.
When Chu Min stabbed Xiao Shijie with the dagger earlier, he was too nervous and did not notice anything unusual. It was not that he did not consider the possibility that Xiao Shijie would not trust him. He simply did not expect Xiao Shijie to be so bold as to kill him in the suburbs of the capital city!
Xiao Shijie pulled out the dagger abruptly. Chu Min spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
Xiao Shijie gave a scornful sneer and wiped the blood off the dagger. “Get rid of the corpse.”
After he finished speaking, there was no movement from outside for a long time.
Xiao Shijie frowned. He lifted the curtain of the carriage and found that he was surrounded by the Imperial Guards who had arrived at some point.
Xiao Shijie’s heart sank.
Jiang Yang walked up to the horse carriage and glared sternly at Xiao Shijie. “Prince Jiangning’s birthday banquet is not over yet. Where does Your Highness intend to go?”
Xiao Shijie gripped the dagger in his hand tightly.
“Please get out of the carriage and follow me back to the capital city, Your Highness.”
Xiao Shijie gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm. “I won’t ride a horse. I’ll take the horse carriage.”
“The horse carriage is too slow. I’m worried it may delay things. Your Highness, please get off the carriage.”
As soon as Jiang Yang finished speaking, he flung the curtain wide open and revealed Chu Min lying in the carriage.
When he saw that his plan had been exposed, Xiao Shijie swung the dagger in his hand and stabbed it at Jiang Yang.
“Take him down!”
With Jiang Yang’s order, the Imperial Guards rushed forward.
Xiao Shijie was unable to fight so many opponents at once and was eventually brought back to the capital city.
Chu Min’s corpse was also brought back with him.
Xiao Shijie was escorted to the Ministry of Justice’s prison while Chu Min’s body was sent to the government office’s morgue..
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