SFS Chapter 405 Death Soldier
Chapter 405 Death Soldier
Chapter 405
The situation at the Third Prince's residence was complicated, and the Third Prince was cunning. Concubine Cheng was no ordinary person either. She and the Cheng family had been operating in the capital for many years, and their influence could not be underestimated. It was inevitable that they had other tricks up their sleeves. Just in case, Ye Yunzhou had already arranged for Ye Yi and several others to keep an eye on them day and night.
Tonight, Ye Yi, assigned to watch the night, hid on the rooftop, bored and counting the hours it would take for the moon to break free from the dark clouds. Suddenly, he glanced down and saw someone quietly emerging from a secret passage in the rockery. He quietly followed the two men, overhearing their identities and purpose. He hurried back to report to Ye Yunzhou. To his surprise, Ye Yunzhou, upon hearing this, neither ordered their arrest nor reported it to his superiors. Instead, he made the following decision.
Until this moment, Ye Yi was still full of doubts. He couldn't figure out why his supervisor did this.
Ye Yunzhou naturally ignored his doubts and made no attempt to answer them. He glanced back, seeing the fire gradually subsided, and motioned for everyone to follow him back. He also ignored the two patrol guards sleeping on the ground. They would rise when they woke up, and he wasn't worried about them leaking what had happened today. After all, if they did, and it was discovered that someone had crossed the moat under their noses, they would be guilty of dereliction of duty. Since these two had joined the patrol corps, they were certainly not fools and could distinguish between the important and the unimportant.
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In the palace, perhaps because of his age or perhaps because he was overthinking things, Emperor Yuanzhen lay on his dragon bed, tossing and turning, thinking over and over about his life and what would happen after his death. As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a noisy sound outside. He couldn't help but feel impatient and stood up and shouted angrily, "What are you arguing about outside?"
When Eunuch Su heard that Emperor Yuanzhen had woken up, his heart tightened and he quickly lowered his voice to report, "Your Majesty, there has been a sudden fire in the Third Prince's residence. I have just arranged for a team of guards to help put out the fire. I was undecided whether to inform you."
"What?!" Emperor Yuanzhen was so shocked that he stood up immediately, not even having time to put on his inner robe, and strode out of the bedroom. "What do you mean the Third Prince's residence suddenly caught fire? What happened to the Third Prince?"
Although the Third Prince had committed a grave fault and Emperor Yuanzhen was extremely angry, he was still his own son after all, and he was not so cruel as to ignore his son's life or death. Thinking of this, Emperor Yuanzhen could not help but feel worried.
Eunuch Su lowered his head, his face showing embarrassment. He said, "I don't know either. As soon as I received the news, I immediately sent someone to check. But I think the Third Prince is a lucky man, so he will be fine."
Emperor Yuanzhen had weathered countless storms, and after his initial shock, he realized there was no point in rushing. He looked outside the palace. It was too dark, and he could only vaguely see thick smoke and a glimmer of fire; nothing else was clear. But no matter how anxious he was, he knew there was nothing he could do. So he calmed himself, turned back to the inner hall, threw on a piece of clothing, and once again peered outside.
It wasn't until dawn broke and a hint of white appeared on the horizon that someone hurried over to report. Emperor Yuanzhen raised his hand to stop him from saluting and asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation? Where is the Third Prince?"
The man knelt on the ground, his body trembling slightly. His voice was hesitant, but he still replied with forced composure, "Your Majesty, the fire has been put out. Fortunately, it only burned an abandoned palace and did not spread to the surrounding area. It's just...it's just that the Third Prince...he has disappeared."
After burning down the abandoned palace, Emperor Yuanzhen felt a slight sense of relief. But then he heard that the Third Prince had disappeared, and his heart tightened again, a chill running down his spine. "What do you mean 'missing'? I ordered you to guard the Third Prince's mansion day and night. Are you just here for nothing? How could you let him vanish for no reason?"
The guard's face turned pale with fear at this thunderous wrath, and he replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, calm down! We have indeed been on guard day and night, not daring to slack off for the slightest. I can assure you that when the fire broke out last night, we did not see anyone approach the Third Prince's mansion. I don't know how the mansion suddenly caught fire. Then the mansion was in chaos, with thick smoke billowing, obstructing our vision. We had to put out the fire and search for the Third Prince at the same time, which was really too much to guard against. After the fire was out, we searched carefully, only to find that the Third Prince had disappeared. We found a secret door in the rockery in the hall and searched all the way through the secret door, but could not find any trace of the Third Prince. We have failed in our duty and deserve death. We hope that Your Majesty will have mercy on us!"
Already dizzy from a sleepless night, Emperor Yuanzhen felt even more dizzy, his legs weakening, and he stumbled backwards. "Your Majesty!" Eunuch Su was quick to step forward and support him. "Please take care of yourself, and don't frighten me!"
Emperor Yuanzhen was supported by him, and it took him a long time to steady himself. Naturally, he wasn't that fragile. He waved his hand unhappily, signaling Eunuch Su to let go. Then, with a sullen face, he ordered, "Since that's the case, I command you to atone for your sins! Immediately begin a search throughout the city! Since he was able to escape with such a trick, he must have accomplices. Pass on my order to strictly investigate all patrols at the city gates. No suspicious individuals must be allowed to leave the city again!"
Emperor Yuanzhen was no fool. He knew the Imperial Guards were loyal to him and would never dare betray or deceive him, so he trusted their report without a doubt. At this point, no amount of reprimands could salvage the situation. It was better to let them atone for their sins and quickly locate the person. He had considered the possibility that the Third Prince had already left the city, but then he thought, the patrol soldiers were hand-picked, well-trained elite. If even the Third Prince could easily escape, wouldn't the Great Zhou Dynasty's defenses become a mere decoration? What dignity would there be in the future? Wouldn't anyone be able to enter and exit at will?
It must be said that the Cheng family was extremely secretive. Although Emperor Yuanzhen had absolute control over the noble families in the capital, he had never expected that the Chen family would dare to ignore the ban and follow the old customs of the previous dynasty to secretly train assassins.
The Great Zhou Dynasty explicitly prohibited the captivity and training of death warriors because the selection process was harsh and cruel, seriously violating human ethics. During the selection process, children, still inexperienced in the world, were gathered together and left to fight among themselves. Only those who survived could become death warriors. Once formed, these death warriors were steadfastly loyal to their master, and would do their utmost to carry out their master's orders, even if their last breath was left.
Because the selection process for assassins violated human ethics, Emperor Yuanzhen hadn't anticipated that the Cheng family would dare to defy the law and secretly train assassins. He also hadn't expected that Concubine Cheng and the head of the Cheng family, before their death, would not forget to release the assassins, allowing them to successfully rescue the Third Prince.