Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 894 Assassination of the Crown Prince

The atmosphere in the palace was oppressive and solemn. Zhao Kuangyin lay on the dragon bed, his face pale, with a hint of fatigue between his brows. He coughed slightly, and each cough seemed particularly difficult.

His body had been severely injured by the previous ship bombing, the blast from the firearm fragments and the attack from the river water were too much for him, who had practiced martial arts for many years. His body was already weak, and now it was getting worse.

If he rested peacefully, with his physical condition, he might be able to recover in half a year. However, the Song Dynasty was in danger, and as the emperor, he was too obsessed with it. He did not want to become the king of a fallen country and was worried about the destruction of the Song Dynasty.

As a result, Zhao Kuangyin was anxious day and night and exhausted himself. Not only did his illness and injuries not improve, but they became worse.

Queen Song walked over quietly with a hint of worry on her face, holding a bowl of the best ginseng soup in her hand, trying to nourish Zhao Kuangyin's body.

"Your Majesty, this is ginseng soup. Please drink more to nourish your body." Her voice was gentle and concerned, trying to reassure Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin glanced at the young Queen Song and sighed slightly: "The situation is critical now, how can I have the heart to drink it." There was a hint of helplessness in his voice and deep worry in his eyes.

Queen Song frowned slightly, with a hint of urgency in her voice: "Your Majesty, no matter how critical the situation is, your health is more important. You are the emperor, and the Song Dynasty cannot be without your governance." She actually had her own worries in her heart.

After all, Zhao Kuangyin was getting thinner and thinner, and his condition was obvious. The queen was worried that he would not survive. She herself had no children, so she would not be able to control the harem in the future. If the throne was passed to Zhao Dezhao, who was only three years younger than her, he might not respect her as much as before, and her situation in the palace could be imagined.

Queen Song is only 23 years old this year, and naturally she is more active in her thinking. When she saw Zhao Kuangyin's situation, she couldn't help but have some other thoughts.

Just then, the eldest prince Zhao Dezhao came in to visit. With a look of respect on his face, he greeted his father.

Zhao Kuangyin looked at the grown-up Zhao Dezhao, and a trace of relief flashed in his eyes. Because there was no rush to appoint a crown prince before, Zhao Dezhao was not the crown prince for the time being, but only the eldest son of the emperor, and he was not even crowned a king.

Seeing his father so haggard and sick, no longer as heroic as before, Zhao Dezhao felt distressed and couldn't help but shed tears.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin sighed slightly, with a hint of seriousness in his tone: "De Zhao, remember, you are the eldest son of my Zhao family's royal family, shouldering the important task of defending the country and revitalizing the Song Dynasty. Regardless of whether you can become the person in charge of the country in the future, you must be dedicated to the Song Dynasty and protect our Zhao family's country."

When Zhao Dezhao heard this, his heart was shocked. He quickly wiped his tears and said in a firm tone: "Father, I know that you must rest assured and recuperate. You will definitely recover." There was a hint of sob in his voice, but his eyes were firm.

Zhao Kuangyin smiled slightly, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue: "You should also share more of the concerns of the court. The peace talks are very important right now, as well as borrowing troops from the northwest. These are both top priorities."

"I understand, son." Zhao Dezhao nodded, his heart full of sense of responsibility.

After talking for a while, Zhao Kuangyin's condition became worse and worse. Seeing this, Zhao Dezhao quickly took his leave and left the palace.

Zhao Dezhao walked out of the palace with his heart full of worries. The Song Dynasty was now in a precarious situation, and he, as the eldest son of the emperor, had to shoulder his own responsibilities.

Since Zhao Dezhao had grown up, he no longer lived in the imperial palace but had his own residence outside the palace.

As night fell, the streets of Bianjing city were sparsely lit and seemed especially quiet.

Zhao Dezhao was sitting in a van, surrounded by dozens of guards, and the vehicle was slowly driving on the road. He was worried and uneasy, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

After a moment, Zhao Dezhao sighed slightly and whispered to himself: "Oh, I don't know if my Great Song Dynasty can survive this disaster!" He looked into the distance through the car window, worrying in his heart whether the Wu army would attack. The fate of the Great Song Dynasty kept him awake at night.

However, just as the vehicle was driving to a remote place, suddenly, unusual movements occurred on the roofs of the houses on both sides of the road.

Several black shadows quickly jumped down from the roof, like ghosts in the night, quietly approaching Zhao Dezhao's car. These men in black moved swiftly, holding gleaming weapons in their hands, and were obviously well-trained killers.

"The eldest prince must die today!" a man in black shouted coldly, with a hint of murderous intent in his voice.

"Don't let the eldest prince go, kill him without mercy!" Another man in black also shouted. There was determination in their voices, and it was obvious that they came with the determination to die.

These men in black all had northern accents and were clearly well prepared. They charged directly at Zhao Dezhao's car, their movements swift and brutal.

Nearly a hundred guards and generals reacted immediately. They quickly surrounded the vehicle and tried to stop the assassins. "Protect the eldest prince!"

The guard leader drew his sword and shouted, his voice carrying a hint of majesty. He ordered the guards to spread out and form a defensive circle, tightly surrounding Zhao Dezhao's vehicle, preparing to counterattack.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

The sound of metal colliding was heard instantly, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

There were more and more people in black, about sixty or seventy of them. It was obvious that they came prepared. Not only were they numerous, but they were also equipped with hidden weapons and cold arrows.

These weapons flashed coldly in the night and instantly suppressed the Crown Prince's guards.

Zhao Dezhao looked through the car window and saw the chaos and danger outside. His face turned pale instantly. He held the window railing tightly, with a hint of panic in his voice: "What's going on?"

He stared at the assassins outside, feeling uneasy. He knew that they were targeting him, and his situation was becoming more and more dangerous.

Zhao Dezhao was filled with doubt and anxiety. He held the window railing tightly, with a look of confusion in his eyes. "Who wants to kill me?"

He pondered this question over and over in his mind. Was he a spy from Liao or a spy from Wu?

But even if these two enemy countries were hostile to him, they would not kill him, a prince who had not yet been crowned as a king and was not the crown prince. His status in Bianjing City was not high, so why would someone kill him so cruelly?

Is it because the emperor's health is not good that some people think he is a threat?

This thought flashed through Zhao Dezhao's mind, and his face changed instantly. He realized that these men in black might not be from the enemy country, they might be forces from within the Song Dynasty, and some people did not want to see him become the future heir.

Just as he was daydreaming, the assassin in black had killed many guards and began to approach the carriage.

When Zhao Dezhao saw the tragic scene outside, his heart tightened. He knew that he could no longer sit there and wait for death.

He jumped out of the carriage and shouted, "Go back to the palace!"

This place is relatively close to the imperial palace and is guarded by the imperial guards. For Zhao Dezhao, it is the safest place.

"Don't let Zhao Dezhao go!"

Someone among the men in black shouted loudly, with a hint of urgency in their voice.

"Once he dies, the master's great cause will be accomplished!"

This sentence made Zhao Dezhao even more shocked, and he realized that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

But Zhao Dezhao did not stop. He ran for his life with a dozen guards.

Their footsteps sounded particularly hurried in the night, and Zhao Dezhao had only one thought in his mind: he must return to the palace as soon as possible.

When they were still a mile away from the palace, a team of night patrol guards happened to pass by. They heard the fighting and rushed over immediately.

"What happened?" the night patrol captain asked loudly, trying to distinguish friend from foe.

"Come and protect the eldest prince quickly, there is an assassin who wants to harm him!" Zhao Dezhao's family general shouted hurriedly, with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"The eldest prince is in danger. Hurry up and protect him!"

The head of the night patrol guard reacted immediately. He shouted orders and led the guards to quickly join the battle.

"Hurry!" The men in black saw that the situation was not good and knew that if they did not retreat, they would be in a bigger predicament. They quickly gave the signal to retreat and began to flee.

Zhao Dezhao felt slightly relieved when he saw the assassins retreat, but he felt that this assassination was by no means accidental and there must be a bigger conspiracy behind it.