The prince is more stable

Chapter 345: Failure due to cleverness
"Failure" means that Zhao Ji did not die.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very surprised, and Zhao Hao was even more surprised.

However, what surprised the father and son most was each other's reaction.

These words spoken in unison contained so much information.

The same thought involuntarily popped up in the minds of the father and son: Could it be that there are more than just our group trying to assassinate Zhao Ji tonight?

Zhao Hao and Zhao Xiaoqian looked at each other with complicated expressions.

So, is it true that fathers and sons in this world are in sync with each other?
"Father, what did you do?" Zhao Xiaoqian finally broke the silence.

Zhao Hao's small green eyes rolled around and he asked, "What did you do?"

"I asked first, you answer first."

"I am your father."

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his mouth. Well, this seemingly insulting remark was actually the truth.

"Chen Shou, the commander of the imperial guards close to my son, has arranged people to assassinate Zhao Ji tonight." Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Zhao Hao was stunned: "Chen Shou?"

Of course Zhao Hao knew Chen Shou. Theoretically, the person Chen Shou should have protected closely was Zhao Hao, but Zhao Hao doted on his son too much, so he transferred Chen Shou to Zhao Xiaoqian's side for close protection.

Zhao Hao curled his lips and smiled with satisfaction, "I didn't expect Chen Shou to be such a loyal and righteous man. My son must treat him well in the future."

"I understand that Chen Shou is my most trusted confidant in the palace today."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't forget the question he had just asked, and continued, "Did your father also arrange for someone to assassinate Zhao Ji tonight?"

Zhao Hao immediately shut up and pursed his lips tightly, fearing that his son would pry them open.

Seeing his reaction, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed helplessly, "Father, you are being unreasonable. I have been honest with you, but you are still hiding it from me. You don't treat me as one of your own."

Zhao Hao was silent for a while before he slowly said, "I am your father!"

"I know, I know. I didn't argue with you."

"What I mean by father is that I am your father. There is no need to explain to my son what a father does. Do you understand?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned.

Such unreasonable words coming out of his mouth were surprisingly reasonable and logically flawless.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's stunned expression, Zhao Hao was helpless.

There are some things that cannot be asked. After the first question is answered, the second and third questions will follow.

For example, tonight, Zhao Hao arranged for someone to assassinate Zhao Ji. So, where did the assassin come from? What was his relationship with Zhao Hao?
If we continue to dig deeper, we will inevitably touch upon very secret issues, such as how powerful the evil forces under Zhao Hao are, who are the people involved, what are the purpose and goals of this evil force, etc.

These problems are all derived from the first problem, and Zhao Hao cannot avoid them.

Then Zhao Hao could only choose not to answer.

It’s not that he is wary of his son, but that it is not time for Zhao Xiaoqian to take over.

Because Zhao Xiaoqian's wings are not strong enough now, he cannot control this force.

Seeing that Zhao Hao refused to answer so arrogantly, Zhao Xiaoqian did not continue to pursue the matter. After his mother Feng said that Zhao Hao was not simple, Zhao Xiaoqian was mentally prepared.

Isn't it normal for a person who is not simple and usually hides himself very deeply to find a group of assassins to assassinate Zhao Ji?

When the idlers and thugs on the streets of Bianjing were fighting for territory, they could immediately gather dozens or even hundreds of people to support the situation. It was impossible that the princes of the Song Dynasty were worse than the street thugs.

"Okay, father, I won't ask anymore. Let me put it this way, we both have arranged people for tonight, right?" Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Zhao Hao hummed.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed: "What a coincidence! Isn't this a coincidence? Isn't this a coincidence?..."

Zhao Hao's expression was filled with regret. Who could have known that both father and son would choose to act on the same day and at the same time? If he had known this would happen, he would have been more open and honest with each other beforehand. With both parties cooperating, they could have set up a decisive victory. It would have been perfectly fine. Unfortunately, father and son kept silent tonight, each doing their own thing, and ultimately nothing was accomplished.

"If we don't do it tonight, I'm afraid it won't be appropriate to take action. We should at least wait until the storm has died down. The assassination tonight was quite a big deal, and I'm sure the court will be in an uproar tomorrow." Zhao Xiaoqian sighed dully.

Zhao Hao hummed and said, "The next thing we need to do is clean up the mess. Although the assassination attempt tonight failed, it shouldn't have left any traces or evidence. You and I, father and son, should just pretend we knew nothing."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes flickered: "Perhaps Zhao Ji will notice something..."

Zhao Hao sneered, "So what? If you want to catch a thief, you have to take the stolen goods. Without any evidence, how dare he make random accusations?"

"Qian'er, now that things have come to this, your hostility with Zhao Ji has been exposed. Don't worry. Zhao Ji has a strong foundation, and I am not a bad father either. Just go to Zhending with peace of mind. I will take care of everything in Bianjing."

Zhao Hao's expression gradually turned gloomy, and he said in a cold voice: "I want to let Zhao Ji know that if you do something wrong, you will have to pay the price. He is not the only one who does those shameful things in secret."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him deeply, and his curiosity about Zhao Hao grew stronger.

What kind of person is this father who looks as cute as a fat panda?

The true face hidden beneath his appearance may be just the tip of the iceberg at this moment.

"Father, after I take office, it will be up to you to maintain the situation in Bianjing. No matter what, you must not let him harm you and my wives and concubines." Zhao Xiaoqian said seriously.

"Don't worry, now that I have locked onto Zhao Ji, I won't let him escape easily." Zhao Hao promised.

Zhao Xiaoqian stared into his eyes and added, "Also, father must send more people to protect my mother."

Zhao Hao was stunned.

"Father, promise me." Zhao Xiaoqian said in a more stern tone.

Zhao Hao nodded: "Okay, I promise you."

Zhao Xiaoqian finally smiled in relief: "That's right, you are husband and wife, and we can end our business but not our friendship. Just stop having any contact with each other until you die. There is no need to turn against each other. If we can't have red eyes when we meet again, can we still have red faces..."

Zhao Hao looked at him speechlessly.

This boy, where do all these dirty words come from!

"Alright, Father, let's talk about the mechanism in the study... So, where exactly is it hidden? Even a hint would be fine. With my intelligence, I'm sure I'll find it."

Zhao Hao's fat face trembled, and he immediately pursed his lips tightly, refusing to say another word even if he was beaten to death.

…………

If things fail, they fail. It’s no big deal.

The next day at noon, Zhao Xiaoqian got up and walked to the front yard of the palace. Chen Shou, who was on duty, came over and lowered his head in front of him with a look of shame on his face.

"I deserve to die. I failed the prince's trust and failed last night." Chen Shou whispered.

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about that. Let me ask you first, are there any casualties among the Imperial Guards?"

"Two people were killed and five were injured. The dead were taken away and buried secretly that night. No trace was left at the scene."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Do you think I'm afraid of leaving traces that will implicate me? You took five thousand taels of silver from me to give generous relief to the brothers who died and were injured in the battle. They were injured because of me. Please help me tell their families. I feel sorry for them."

Chen Shou choked up and said, "Your Majesty is kind and righteous. I feel even more ashamed."

Zhao Xiaoqian patted him on the shoulder and said, "For things like this, success and failure are both normal. You don't have to dwell on it. If it doesn't work this time, let's try again next time."

Chen Shou gritted his teeth and said, "I still want to explain. Last night, we had originally planned to ambush Zhao Ji by the Bian River on East Street. Our men followed Zhao Ji's carriage all the way and discovered that he was attacked near the Daxiangguo Temple..."

"I don't know who these assassins are. They attacked Zhao Ji before us, and the ambush plan I had arranged in advance was completely disrupted."

"Fearing that the opportunity would be lost, I had to temporarily change my plan and choose to attack in the alley behind Daxiangguo Temple. What was originally a perfect ambush suddenly became a hasty confrontation, and therefore failed."

Zhao Xiaoqian's face turned red when he heard this. He knew who Chen Shou was referring to as "this bunch of killers", but he really didn't feel comfortable explaining.

It really proved the saying that the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple. Last night, two groups of people fought each other without any tacit understanding, and instead dragged each other down, leading to the ultimate failure.

(End of this chapter)