Keep your voice down. Are you trying to look glamorous dressed as a forced lover?

The courtyard gate was closed, and a man in black suddenly appeared on the wall, firing arrows swiftly and accurately at the three of them.

"Be careful!"

King Heng and Cheng Fei, both incredibly perceptive, heard the sound of an arrow piercing the air and spoke up simultaneously.

King Heng was the first to block the first wave of arrows, but the second wave came quickly.

The Prince of Heng was no match for the arrows coming from all sides. Cheng Fei, leaning on her cane, was much weaker in battle. Fortunately, the eunuch Jing Feng was always by her side to protect her.

"Not good." Suddenly, the archer changed his arrow and a fire arrow streaked through the air with a crimson tail of fire.

Then another group of assassins emerged from the lotus pond beside them, slashing the maids who cried out for help with a few blows, and swarmed over.

Prince Heng and his mother Cheng Fei stood together, blocking Li Qingyan's path.

"The fire is dangerous. I'll cover your retreat; you protect His Highness and fight your way out!"

The King of Heng's voice was resolute, but there was reluctance in his eyes.

For nearly a century, the descendants of King Heng have all been military geniuses, until the birth of the Tang Crown Prince.

Princess Heng thought that Cheng Fei's premature birth and weak constitution were the reasons he couldn't learn martial arts, but Cheng Fei was so skilled that she wanted to teach him more. However, things only went so far as to...

She was reluctant, yet resolute.

Cheng Fei hesitated, however, because this might injure Prince Heng. It was his turn to do it, even if it meant losing his leg. But they had to protect His Highness.

Li Qingyan also hesitated.

The Hengwang lineage has always been very loyal. When Xilin repeatedly invaded Lingzhou, he was always the one guarding the northwest border. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the pillar of Lingzhou. His influence in the army was extraordinary, even greater than that of the Ji family.

This is why the Wise Prince has always been friends with the Crown Prince of Tang, and why he could tolerate the Crown Prince of Tang even though he knew that the Crown Prince of Tang and Qiu Nanxing were close.

The imperial family relied heavily on this regional military power, but was also constantly on guard. Therefore, the emperor had previously intended to bring the Tang prince into the palace and make him the emperor's consort in order to win over the Prince of Heng, and also as a precaution.

However, Prince Tang previously looked down on Li Qingyan, was on good terms with Prince Xian, and had someone he loved, so he rejected her, which led to Ji Mingzheng entering the palace by a twist of fate.

The Prince of Heng could accept that the Crown Prince of Tang refused to enter the palace, but he could not accept the Crown Prince of Tang's involvement with Qiu Nanxing. He never supported him and kept urging him to marry and have a legitimate daughter. Such behavior would make him a clear villain in the original book.

In the original book, on this very day, due to the lingering heart ailment from the battlefield and the oppressive summer heat, King Heng drank several cups of lychee wine. In the end, his old ailment suddenly flared up, and he died in shock at the banquet.

The Crown Prince of Tang thus inherited the title and became a strong supporter of the wise king.

However, he was too weak to defend Lingzhou. Later, Lingzhou fell, and Xilin invaded, causing countless deaths and injuries to soldiers and civilians of Li Kingdom. Qiu Nanxing, one of the male protagonists, embarked on his path to becoming a genius general. Qiu Nanxing claimed to be a military doctor, but in reality, he was just doing his dirty work in a different place. He acted recklessly on horseback, in the military tent, and even delayed military intelligence...

As a result, he was whipped and imprisoned for delaying military intelligence, and all he did was harbor resentment in prison.

Knowing the plot, Li Qingyan naturally wanted to stop this absurd situation. As it stands, Prince Heng is neither in the mood for being upset nor for drinking.

But what if you die in this accident?

"King Heng, this is too risky. Your life is of paramount importance to the Great Li."

Li Qingyan and Cheng Fei almost unanimously opposed it.

King Heng cannot die, at least not now, lest the Lingzhou incident happen again.

Cheng Fei nodded vigorously: "Yes, I'll cover the rear."

Just as Cheng Fei threw away his crutches and completely ignored his leg, which had mostly recovered, a rapid sound of hooves suddenly rang out.

The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out again, but this time the arrows were not aimed at them, but at the people who were lying in ambush.

"Break down the door and put out the fire."

"Yes!" A unified response rang out, its momentum as powerful as a thousand troops arriving.

Ji Mingzheng's voice grew clearer with the sound of the door being broken down. He rode in, reined in his horse, and stood at the gate of the courtyard. Without urging his horse forward, he skillfully nocked an arrow and drew it fully.

The bowstring trembled, and the arrow whistled through the air, accurately striking the bladed man in front of Li Qingyan.

It struck him squarely in the throat, killing him instantly.

Li Qingyan knew that Ji Mingzheng was good at archery and had seen him practice. It seemed that he always aimed at the throat, but this was the first time she had seen him practice.

Ji Mingzheng arrived with his men, and the situation changed instantly.

"Leave them alive."

"yes!"

The handsome, talkative archer who had been following Ji Mingzheng fired three arrows at once, fully demonstrating his skill as a master archer.

Meanwhile, Zhan Mang, whose physique was strong yet somewhat clumsy and simple, was a fierce swordsman. He charged forward, wielding a heavy black iron sword that was about four feet long, weighed over a hundred pounds, and was extremely sharp and indestructible, like a decapitation machine that crushed wherever it went.

These assassins are strong, but they are no match for real soldiers fighting on the battlefield. It was just a coincidence that King Heng and his men didn't bring any men with them.

In a short time, all but the survivors that Ji Mingzheng had requested to be spared were wiped out.

At this moment, Ji Mingzheng displayed his true strength and charm, making it impossible to look away.

Ji Mingzheng did not dismount, but bowed to Li Qingyan, the Prince of Heng.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness in order to maintain vigilance."

"General Ji, you're too kind. Thank you for saving me." King Heng waved his hand.

"Ji Mingzheng, what are you doing..." Li Qingyan came back to her senses, her eyes filled with complicated emotions. Fortunately, Ji Mingzheng arrived just in time.

"Song Cejun discovered that an old eunuch in Jingchen Palace was sneaking around spying and passing messages, so he interrogated him and found out that he had passed on the news that His Highness had taken General Cheng out of the palace. Song Cejun and Wen Cejun were worried that His Highness might be in danger, so they sent me out of the palace to come here."

When Wen Sheng took the initiative, Ji Mingzheng naturally knew it. He didn't say anything, but just thought he did a good job.

He had made up his mind not to interfere or bother them anymore.

Upon hearing that Li Qingyan was in danger, his body acted faster than his heart, rushing to the scene at top speed.

Even now, Ji Mingzheng still feels a lingering fear; it was so close...

Fortunately, he had been to the Imperial Garden before and saw the fire, so he quickly located it and didn't arrive too late.

"Thank you for saving me, Lord Ji." Cheng Fei picked up his cane from the ground and thanked him in a low voice.

"Protecting His Highness is my duty," Ji Mingzheng said calmly, the turmoil in his eyes subsiding once more at his words.

After thanking him, King Heng focused his attention on the survivors. He had originally intended to commit suicide, but the experienced Zhan Mang dislocated his jaw.

After a moment's thought, Li Qingyan said, "Prince Tang met with General Cheng once before, under the pretext of retrieving a kite."

Prince Heng's face turned pale, and he nodded: "Your Highness, may I begin the interrogation? I wish to ascertain one thing first."

"certainly."

Li Qingyan readily agreed.

After the Prince of Heng left, the remaining people cleaned up the scene, leaving only Li Qingyan, Ji Mingzheng, and Cheng Fei. An awkward silence suddenly spread.

Li Qingyan broke the silence and looked up at Ji Mingzheng: "Thank you."

"Protecting Your Highness is my duty," Ji Mingzheng repeated calmly. "I imagine Your Highness has other important matters to attend to, but please forgive me, Your Highness has just survived an assassination attempt. It is my duty to leave."

"But Your Highness, rest assured, I know my limits and will not disturb Your Highness's business. I will only provide protection from the surrounding area."

Li Qingyan: "..."

Why does she act like she's going to kick him out, yet she hasn't said anything?

He rejected her before, but now he's being so responsible; he really has an overflowing sense of duty.

No, that's not the point. The point is that now that the fourth level has begun, it's uncertain when it will transition to a stage where things need to be done properly. The levels will surprise you from time to time, and you can't predict anything. She thought that having Tang Fei would be fine too.

But now there's another Ji Mingzheng, making it a three-person challenge...