Prince Bei Jing of the Red Chamber, starting from saving Qin Keqing

In the side hall, Prince Zhao, Zhu Changming, held half a piece of osmanthus cake in his hand, his fingertips gripping it so tightly they almost crushed it, his voice betraying barely concealed panic:

"Brother, what did you say? The Crown Prince was assassinated?"

Prince Zhu Changjun of Qin paused, the warm tea rippled, and his brows furrowed, his face filled with bewilderment.

"It's absolutely true. It was spread privately by people in the Crown Prince's Palace. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I asked two trusted eunuchs, and their accounts were almost identical."

"How is that possible?"

Zhu Changming swallowed the pastry in his mouth abruptly, his tone urgent and incredulous:

"No matter how rampant the assassins are, they wouldn't dare to assassinate the Crown Prince in the heart of the imperial city, under the layers of protection of the Imperial Guards, would they? That would be tantamount to courting death!"

He stood up and paced back and forth, his boots making a dull thud as they rolled over the blue bricks, his panic deepening in his eyes.

Brother, do you think... anyone might suspect that we sent the assassins?

Zhu Changjun looked up at him, his eyes filled with seriousness. He slowly nodded and responded with an "Mm," then silently took a sip of tea.

Needless to say, both of them knew that the struggle for the crown prince's position was brewing beneath the surface, and that the most suspicious people after the crown prince's assassination were these two princes who were eyeing the throne.

Zhu Changming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His fingertips traced the edge of the table as he said in a deep voice:

"Logically speaking, the Crown Prince holds the command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and is accompanied by agents from the Eastern Depot, so ordinary assassins would not be able to get close to him."

"Unless it was the East and West Factories involved, they could not have succeeded under such tight security."

"But you and I both know that the Eastern and Western Depots are Father Emperor's henchmen, obeying only his orders. How could they possibly assassinate the Crown Prince?"

"Moreover, with the combined strength of the two of us, we simply cannot touch the Crown Prince," Zhu Changjun finally spoke, his voice low and deep.

"We have neither military power nor spies. To think we could assassinate the Crown Prince in the capital is simply wishful thinking."

"Could it be Uncle Wang?"

Zhu Changming's eyes suddenly lit up, and his tone was somewhat speculative, "These days, things have been too quiet at Prince Bei Jing's place. He's only busy decorating the palace in preparation for the New Year, which seems unusual."

"Absolutely impossible."

Zhu Changjun rejected it without even thinking:

"Uncle Wang has always been working to create a situation where the three kings stand side by side. What he wants is a balance of power, not to break the balance."

"If the crown prince falls, the court will be in chaos, which does not fit his plan. He would never do such a stupid thing."

The two sat facing each other in silence. The room was filled with the curling smoke of tea, but it couldn't dispel the doubts in their hearts. Who was behind the assassination attempt on the crown prince?

How can they prove their innocence?

Meanwhile, inside the Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters, the atmosphere was oppressively suffocating.

Crown Prince Zhu Changyu lay half-reclined on the bed, his chest wrapped in thick white silk, the blood seeping out staining the fabric dark red.

His face was contorted with rage as he sternly rebuked Lu Bingming, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard kneeling before the bed:

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! What use are you Imperial Guards to me? You can't even catch an assassin, and she even managed to injure me!"

His voice was hoarse, filled with barely suppressed rage, and his eyes were bloodshot.

In the past, although he could not be considered kind, he always maintained the dignity of a crown prince. He had never roared in such a disorderly manner before.

Lu Bingming knelt on the ground with his head bowed, his back straight, but he remained silent, a hint of estrangement flashing in his eyes.

"Little Six!" Zhu Changyu turned to the eunuch beside him, his tone becoming increasingly urgent, "Quickly, bring me the divine incense!"

Xiao Liu was so frightened that he trembled all over and immediately knelt down and kowtowed:

"Your Highness, you are still injured. Tobacco harms your lungs and will do nothing to help your injury. I beg you to reconsider!"

"roll!"

Zhu Changyu suddenly waved his hand, sweeping the teacup on the bedside table to the ground. The sound of the celadon shattering broke the silence of the bedroom.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace gates, and Empress Xu Jingxian, lifting her skirt, rushed in, her face full of anxiety:

"My son! How are you?"

She immediately noticed Zhu Changyu's deathly pale face on the bed, and her eyes reddened with heartache. She quickly waved her hand and reprimanded the eunuchs and maids in the hall:

"Get out of here, all of you!" Once everyone had left, she strode to the bedside, grasped Zhu Changyu's hand, and said in a trembling voice:

"My son, what happened to your injury? You were protected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, how could you still be injured by an assassin?"

Zhu Changyu froze at her question, his attitude immediately changing. His eyes darted around nervously, and he buried his face in the blanket, his voice muffled:

"Mother, I'm a little tired and want to rest. I still have to deal with the people from the Imperial Hospital later."

His avoidance only deepened Xu Jingxian's suspicions.

She frowned, stood up, walked outside the hall, and looked at Lu Bingming, who was guarding the door. She said in a deep voice, "Commander Lu, come here."

Lu Bingming bowed and stepped forward, greeting Xu Jingxian: "Your Majesty the Empress."

"What exactly happened on the day the Crown Prince was assassinated?" Xu Jingxian's tone was icy, carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"If my son doesn't want to talk about it, then you must tell him, and you must not hide a single word!"

Lu Bingming glanced at the direction of the sleeping quarters, then lowered his head and knelt down, speaking in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince was not in the Eastern Palace that day, but went to Wan Jin Lou instead."

"What?"

Xu Jingxian's expression changed drastically, a fierce look of disbelief flashing in her eyes:

"You're saying my son went to such a filthy place? He's always been very upright and honest, how could he go to such a filthy place? Continue!"

Lu Bingming had no choice but to report the truth:

"After His Highness arrived at Wan Jin Lou, he had a very pleasant conversation with the owner, who then invited the top courtesan, Miss Su, to come out and play the zither for His Highness."

"For some reason, His Highness suddenly became aroused and insisted on keeping Miss Su. He even carried her into the inner room and dismissed all the guards."

"We dare not disobey Your Highness's orders and can only stand guard outside the gate."

About an hour later, a scream suddenly came from the inner chamber.

Lu Bingming's voice remained calm and steady:

"I immediately led my men and rushed in. We found His Highness lying on the ground with a chest injury, and the windows of the inner room were open."

"I had already ordered the entire courtyard to be surrounded the moment the Crown Prince entered Wan Jin Lou."

"But the assassin somehow broke through the defenses, injuring not only His Highness but also four Imperial Guards, before disappearing into thin air."

"After that, I used the army's first aid methods to stop the bleeding for His Highness, and then Your Majesty arrived."

Xu Jingxian stood there, her face turning from white to green, and then from green to black.

She never imagined that the crown prince she had carefully raised would commit such a disgraceful act as abducting a woman from the common people!

What alarmed her even more was that, according to Lu Bingming's description, the assassin was able to pinpoint the opportune moment and escape from the encirclement.

Perhaps they already knew the Crown Prince, or even... this assassination attempt was a staged performance by the Crown Prince himself.

She was filled with shock, anger, and confusion. The crown prince had been supported by the Xu family to ascend the throne, and his every word and action was related to the honor and disgrace of the Xu family.

If the Crown Prince truly loses his morals, or gets caught up in some unclear conspiracy, the Xu family's situation will likely be precarious.

"Commander Lu,"

Xu Jingxian took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and her tone regained some calmness, "The Crown Prince's safety is entrusted to you. You must be extremely vigilant and ensure that no further mistakes are made."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Lu Bingming replied, bowing.

Xu Jingxian turned around and walked quickly towards Kunning Palace. She had to ask the people from the Eastern Depot immediately whether what Lu Bingming said was true, and what secrets were hidden behind the assassination of the Crown Prince.

Watching the Empress's departing figure, Lu Bingming slowly stood up and returned to the gate of the East Palace.

The cold wind whipped his robes, his eyes were deep as he gazed in the direction of the bedchamber, his eyes showing no worry, only indifference.

He had never thought highly of this crown prince; back then, he had favored the King of Chu the most.

Unfortunately, the King of Chu's mother died early, and His Majesty's ascension to the throne relied entirely on the support of the Xu family, so the King of Chu had already lost power.

Now that the crown prince has been assassinated, the court is bound to be in chaos. Perhaps this is a turning point for the former subordinates of the King of Chu.

Lu Bingming raised his hand and placed it on the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, his fingertips applying slight pressure. His gaze was firm as he looked into the depths of the imperial city, silently guarding the Eastern Palace, which held countless secrets.