Chapter 137
On an open space in the plum forest, the ground was covered with plum petals that still kept falling. Only two palace maids were with the Fourth Princess. The Heir-apparent of the Duke of Lu stood upright beside her. The two of them seemed to be talking. Wei Yuewu could see the smiling face of the Fourth Princess and she noticed that the Heir-apparent of the Duke of Lu was not as cold as usual.
The two of them chatted happily as they walked in the depths of the plum forest. At this time, they coincidentally arrived at the plum tree on which Yan Huaijing and Wei Yuewu were hiding.
Wei Yuewu bit her lips and unconsciously hugged Yan Huaijing tightly. However, she felt a pain in her hand and almost fell down. Fortunately, Yan Huaijing had already reached out to grab her. His long and narrow eyes flashed with a trace of enchanting laziness.
Wei Yuewu’s breathing quickened and she hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look at his handsome face.
She lowered her head and saw an enchanting red-clothed woman hurriedly appearing in the warm scene below. This was an extremely charming young woman with rich seductive emotions at the corner of her eyes and eyebrows. Seeing Lu Yeli, she stopped and tears flashed in her eyes. She was both surprised and delighted.
Then, she pounced over and said, “Your Heir-apparent, I…I have finally found you. Your people said that you were here, but I…I couldn’t believe it was real!”
Her voice was intimate, making people believe she was quite familiar with Lu Yeli.
The smile on the Fourth Princess’s face faded and she stood still.
Lu Yeli frowned and sized the woman in red up and down. He took a step back and happened to avoid the woman. His face revealed a cold expression, “You… why are you here?”
“Your Heir-apparent, I… I have something urgent to tell you. You will definitely be happy to hear it.” The woman’s face was filled with joy. Even though she saw the displeasure on Lu Yeli’s face, she did not care. She took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes as she said excitedly.
“What is it?” Lu Yeli knitted his eyebrows and said coldly.
“Your Heir-apparent…I…” The red-clothed woman seemed to realize that the Fourth Princess was also standing at the side. She looked at the Fourth Princess with hostility and hesitated.
“Go on, what is it?” Lu Yeli became impatient.
“I… I’m pregnant with Your Heir-apparent’s child. I just found out. Your Heir-apparent said before that if I was pregnant, you would allow me to give birth to the child.” Seeing that Lu Yeli was impatient, the woman continued to report regardless. There were signs of joy that couldn’t be hidden from the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
Child? Wei Yuewu who was standing on the tree couldn’t help but feel surprised. When the heirs-apparent of the four places came to the capital this time, they clearly had the intention to choose a wife. Furthermore, it seemed that they all had the intention to marry the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess. At this time, a concubine waiting on Lu Yeli actually ran over and said that she was pregnant. Moreover, she had obtained Lu Yeli’s consent to give birth to this child.
This meant that Lu Yeli was at a disadvantage when he asked to marry the two princesses.
“Who is your master?” Lu Yeli’s gaze fell on the woman opposite him, and he smiled coldly.
“Ah!” The woman did not understand and widened her beautiful eyes in shock.
“Come here!” Lu Yeli suddenly waved to her.
Thinking that Lu Yeli was happy that she was pregnant, the woman hurriedly went forward and even proudly tilted her neck at the Fourth Princess, whose expression immediately became gloomy.
It was at this moment that something unexpected occurred.
The woman walked over, and she seemed to step on something so that she leaned towards Lu Yeli enchantingly. In her mind, the heir-apparent who had always doted on her would definitely reach out to support her. Moreover, she was now pregnant with his child. With so many surprises appearing together, she had already forgotten her identity as a concubine, and she had also forgotten that she had always been monitored and fed with medicine that made pregnancy impossible for her.
The light of sword flashed, and then the woman’s body tumbled out in a horrible manner. Blood covered the ground that was filled with plum petals. Wei Yuewu’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the woman in red who had fallen to the ground. Her chest was pierced by a sword that hit her in the heart. The hand holding the sword was calm and steady, without the slightest tremor.
“Your Heir-apparent, you…you…” The red-clothed woman covered her chest and widened her eyes. She only had time to say these words. She tilted her head and her body softened. She fell to the ground and died with her eyes were wide open.
“Well done, very ruthless!” Yan Huaijing smiled in Wei Yuewu’s ear and whispered. He reached out and touched her hair. The gentle aura made Wei Yuewu shiver all over though she was not cold.
“Your Heir-apparent…” Even though the Fourth Princess had always been indulged, she was just a young woman who lived in the Palace for a long time. She rarely experienced such a scene. Her feet went soft and she almost fell.
“Fourth Princess, don’t panic. Someone is trying to harm me. Come out, you guys. No matter who sent you, I will keep fighting. Anytime!” Lu Yeli stretched out his hand and withdrew his sword. He did not even look at the corpse of the woman in red who had fallen to the ground. He resolutely said to the Fourth Princess and waved the sword in his hand at the two guards who jumped out. “Protect the Fourth Princess well and do not let the Fourth Princess suffer any harm.”
Before the Fourth Princess could recover from the shocking death of the woman in red, she saw a few black-clothed masked men suddenly appearing in the bushes on both sides. At the same time, some guards with swords appeared behind Lu Yeli. The two sides met in the bushes and immediately began to fight.
For a moment, both sides swung their swords at each other and blood kept spurting out.
The palace maids who followed the Fourth Princess screamed and hid in the bushes. However, two men in black actually avoided the guards and chased after them. Even though the two of them ran into the jungle, they were killed on the spot.
The degree of horror and bloodshed in this scene had far surpassed those of the assassination of the Crown Prince Wen Tianyao, who was protected by many people on his side, and the other party had only a few people. But now, Lu Yeli’s people were obviously outnumbered by the other party. The Fourth Princess’s face was pale and her feet staggered. She retreated under the protection of the two guards.
However, she was shocked and fearful, and for a moment, she was unable to take a step forward.
Lu Yeli stepped forward, held the Fourth Princess by her waist and kept her at his side. He held a sword in one hand to block the attack from the assassin. Several times, the assassin’s sword almost hit the Fourth Princess, causing her to scream in panic. Then, when she saw the tip of the sword approaching her face, she shrieked and fainted.
However, compared with the black-clothed masked man, Lu Yeli’s guards were all brave and skilled in battle. A while later, they were able to control the scene. Wei Yuewu’s eyes widened in shock. It seemed that only Lu Yeli’s concubine and the two palace maids of the Fourth Princess died on the scene.
None of Lu Yeli’s guards and the masked men in black was killed or seriously injured.
“What do you think of the play?” Yan Huaijing’s gentle and smiling voice inexplicably caused Wei Yuewu to feel a chill run down her spine.
“These people… are they from the State of Lu?” Wei Yuewu took a deep breath and asked hesitantly.
“Smart!” Yan Huaijing reached out to touch Wei Yuewu’s head with satisfaction, and the corners of his handsome lips curled into a smile.
Wei Yuewu tilted her head away naturally to avoid Yan Huaijing’s hand. She asked puzzledly, “Was that concubine also a part of the play arranged by he himself?”
From whichever perspective, Lu Yeli would not discredit himself. By doing so, it harmed others without benefiting himself. This matter was indeed strange.
“Someone wanted to plot against Lu Yeli, and Lu Yeli himself made use of that to divert the attention of the royal family.” On the plum tree, Yan Huaijing explained smilingly in a seductive and gentle voice. “However, this is not how this play would be performed!”
As soon as he finished speaking, another scene appeared under the tree. There were actually many black-clothed masked men appearing.
These black-clothed men were all ruthless and determined to kill without mercy. Lu Yeli’s guards had already experienced a fight before, and at this time, they were unable to fend off. They were actually forced to retreat step by step. Even Lu Yeli who was holding the Fourth Princess was forced to retreat into the depths of the plum forest.
However, waves of screams could still be heard. Wei Yuewu did not need to see them to understand that they were the real killers.
“This… are these people the subordinates of Your Heir-apparent?” Wei Yuewu took a deep breath and clenched her hands tightly before suppressing the tumbling and fear in her chest. Knowing the truth and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things. The blood in front of her eyes reminded her of the snowy night when the intended assassination of her took place. The same kind of miserable screams echoed one after another…
Her hands trembled slightly!
“There are not only my people, but also the Crown Prince’s people.” Yan Huaijing stretched out his hand and grabbed her tightly-held hand. He lazily said, “How can the Crown Prince be at ease when the major heirs-apparent are all in the capital? He must find some people to keep an eye on us in case of an emergency.”
His slender fingers slowly pulled open her tightly-held hand and pulled her fingers to point in the direction down below the tree.
Wei Yuewu’s attention was immediately drawn over. As expected, the black-clothed men who jumped out later were clearly divided into two groups. They each acted on their own, but they also acted ruthlessly and were determined to kill without mercy.
“Why did the Crown Prince do this?” Wei Yuewu asked in surprise, but her heart was less palpitated than before.
The reason why Yan Huaijing chose to attack was clear: at least, he and Lu Yeli were competing against each other. Since the four of them came with the same goal in mind, one’s losses would naturally be the gains of the others. Taking advantage of the opponents to ruin them did not pose any difficulty to the black-hearted and cunning Yan Huaijing. However, the presence of the Crown Prince’s people was somewhat inexplicable.
“Of course, the Crown Prince hoped that the fewer people there were around us, the better!” Yan Huaijing said leisurely.
“But the Fourth Princess is the Crown Prince’s own younger sister!” Wei Yuewu was speechless. The Fourth Princess had cried out repeatedly, but now there was not a single sound. Needless to say, she must have fainted due to fear.
“So what? The Crown Prince is not as attentive to his own sister as to the Third Princess.” Yan Huaijing laughed nonchalantly.
Wei Yuewu was speechless. Without knowing that the Fourth Princess was the Crown Prince’s own younger sister, even she would suspect that the Third Princess was his real sister. No matter where the Crown Prince went, he would bring the Third Princess with him. Moreover, the Third Princess also cared a lot about the Crown Prince. From whichever perspective, the Third Princess was more like the Crown Prince’s own sister.
However, even so, this could not change the fact that the Fourth Princess was the Crown Prince’s own younger sister!
The imperial palace was truly the most heartless place.
Under the tree, Lu Yeli’s guards were becoming fewer and fewer. In the end, only two guards were still protecting him. Even Lu Yeli’s body was stained with blood and he was in a very dangerous situation. Fortunately, the black-clothed masked man no longer chased after him, and they gradually decreased in number. In the end, they completely disappeared, taking away their injured fellows.
The dead and injured people left behind were all Lu Yeli’s subordinates.
“Your Heir-apparent!” The two guards let out a sigh of relief when they saw the black-clothed men retreat. “Should we go down and find out who the killers are?”
“No need! Let’s go.” Lu Yeli fiercely slammed his palm onto the tree beside him, causing petals to immediately fall like snow. It was extremely beautiful, but this hellish scene in front of them inexplicably caused people to feel a chill.
He understood in his heart that he was being plotted against. The person who plotted against him was no other than his opponent, or someone from the royal family. At this moment, there was no solid evidence. Even if he wanted to make a fuss, he could not. Originally, he only wanted to win the favor of the Fourth Princess, but he had suffered such a loss for nothing. How could he not be angry?
Under the tree, Lu Yeli held the Fourth Princess in his arms and angrily left with his men!
“Your Heir-apparent, did you take me here to watch this play?” Wei Yuewu asked with a flash of light in her eyes. She did not think that this matter had anything to do with her.
“Lu Yeli and Mo Huating have a very close personal relationship!” Yan Huaijing smiled charmingly and said slowly.
So it was a reminder to her? Wei Yuewu was a little confused and blinked her lively and watery eyes, speechless for a moment.
“Although they kept the fake nun who assassinated the Crown Prince alive, she died during the interrogation.” Yan Huaijing said slowly.
“So…” Wei Yuewu was puzzled.
“That’s to say the assassin didn’t confess anything!” Yan Huaijing’s handsome phoenix eyes flashed with a trace of coldness as he slid down the tree with Wei Yuewu in his arm.
Standing on the ground, Wei Yuewu hurriedly pushed him away. Unexpectedly, she pushed him away in too much of a hurry. Maybe she had stepped on something, and she staggered and crashed into his embrace again.
“Yuewu, you’re reluctant to part with me!” Yan Huaijing reached out to hold Wei Yuewu’s slender waist, and a gentle smile appeared in his glittering eyes.
“Thank you for your help, Your Heir-apparent!” Wei Yuewu bit her lips and said in a clear and loud voice. After she stood firm, she took two steps back. Everyone said that the Heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan was exceptionally handsome, and that he was the most elegant and unworldly men of all like an immortal. But why did she feel he was so abominable?
“No problem. Between you and me, there’s no need to say thanks!” Yan Huaijing’s slender fingers retracted from Wei Yuewu’s clothes.
Wei Yuewu did not expect him to cooperate so well this time. She was slightly surprised for a moment. She simply pretended that she did not hear his intimate words and continued the previous topic with a serious expression. “Did Your Heir-apparent mean that someone didn’t want that assassin to talk?”