My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

The leader, a burly man with sharp, hawk-like eyes, lowered his voice and asked a companion who had just returned from scouting the direction of the Prince's residence:
"How's it going? Have you figured out the situation inside? Have you determined the patrol intervals and sentry posts?"

The man in black, who was in charge of the reconnaissance, reported in a low voice:

"Don't worry, sir, everything is taken care of. Although the guards in the Prince's mansion are very strict, they seem to be a little lax tonight. The intervals between shift changes are a little longer than usual. The section of the wall in the back garden near the stables is a blind spot, and the patrol teams rarely pass through it."

Upon hearing this, the burly man in black nodded in satisfaction, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes:
"Alright! Proceed according to plan. Be quick, and retreat immediately after you succeed. Do not linger!"

"Yes!"

The crowd responded in hushed tones.

Immediately, the group of men in black, like cheetahs in the night, used the shadows of buildings and trees to approach the tall walls of Prince Su's mansion with remarkable professionalism and speed.

As a prince, Hauge's residence was naturally heavily guarded, but it was, after all, located in Shenyang, the heartland of the Qing Dynasty, which was theoretically the safest place.

Therefore, the number of permanent guards in the Prince's Palace was relatively limited, and they mainly served the functions of ceremonial guards and daily security.

It is precisely this sense of psychological security that gives these men in black an opportunity to exploit.

Their chosen breakthrough point was a relatively secluded corner of the Prince's Mansion's back garden.

Two men in black, as nimble as monkeys, silently scaled the wall with grappling hooks. After carefully observing the situation inside the courtyard, they gave a signal to those below to be safe.

The companions below immediately tied ropes to the two heavy sacks, which were then pulled up by the people on the wall and gently lowered into the yard.

Immediately afterwards, the other men in black also nimbly scaled the wall and entered, the whole process was clean and efficient, and almost no sound was made.

However, just as they landed and were preparing to sneak deeper into the palace, an unexpected incident occurred.

An old servant, who was getting up to relieve himself, stumbled into the backyard and bumped into the group of men in black who had just landed and hadn't had time to disperse!

"Ah! Who are you?"

In shock, the old servant was about to shout when a man in black swiftly shot out a poisoned dart from his sleeve, striking the old servant squarely in the throat.

The old servant only managed to let out a short, muffled groan before collapsing limply to the ground, dead.

But this subtle movement still seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet night, immediately alerting the patrolling guards nearby!

"what sound?!"

"Oh no! An assassin! Something's happened in the back garden!"

"Quickly! Protect the prince!"

In an instant, the once tranquil palace erupted into chaos, like a pond tossed with a boulder! A sharp gong rang out, accompanied by the hurried footsteps and shouts of the guards, and countless torches were lit, illuminating the backyard as bright as day.

The men in black realized their whereabouts had been exposed and that their plan could no longer be fully executed.

The leader made a decisive move and hissed:
"Proceed quickly according to plan, then retreat!"

Immediately, the men in black clashed with the palace guards who had rushed to the scene.

The sounds of clashing swords, shouts, and screams filled the air.

The man in black was exceptionally skilled and well-prepared, and his attacks were ruthless. Although the palace guards outnumbered the guards, they were caught off guard and were quickly overwhelmed.

In the chaos, several men in black were slashed by the guards' swords and fell to the ground, wounded.

Two men in black were even killed.

Seeing that his own side had suffered casualties and that the guards from the Prince's Palace were pouring in from all directions, and realizing that further delay might lead to total annihilation, the burly man in black at the head of the group gave another order:

"Get out quickly!"

Upon hearing this, the remaining men in black immediately feinted a few moves to break free of the entanglement. Taking advantage of their brief familiarity with the terrain and the cover of night, they retreated towards the wall like a tide, quickly scaling it over and disappearing into the vast darkness. Their movements were astonishingly swift.

Only two bodies remained.

The head of the guards at the Prince's residence, fearing this was a ploy to lure the enemy away and that there might be an ambush, did not order a full-scale pursuit. Instead, he immediately tightened the defensive line, closely protected Hauge's safety, and took stock of the losses while searching the scene.

At the same time, Haug, who was awakened by the loud noise outside, suddenly sobered up.

He grabbed the sword lying on the table and rushed out of the study.

Upon entering the courtyard, one is greeted by a scene of utter chaos and bloodstains, with guards still shaken and busily tidying up.

"What's going on?! What happened? Who is so bold as to break into my residence at night to assassinate me?!"

Haug was both shocked and furious; veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes seemed to spit fire.

In an instant, the images of Dayuer and Dorgon flashed through his mind instinctively.

After all, within Shenyang, besides them, he couldn't think of a second person who had the motive and ability to organize such a professional assassination operation!
But this doesn’t make sense!

I have been behaving myself and keeping quiet for the past six months, so why would they do this to me?

Were all the previous appeasement and honor just illusions to numb myself?
Thinking of this, a chill ran from the soles of Hauge's feet straight to the top of his head!
Just then, the head guard strode up to him, knelt on one knee, and presented several items with both hands:

"Your Highness! The assassins have escaped, and we have suffered several casualties. These are the items we found on the two assassins who were killed. Please take a look, Your Highness!"

Haug took the items with a gloomy face. The most conspicuous item was a heavy token made of fine iron!

The token is clearly engraved with Manchu script and unique patterns!

Hauge was very familiar with this kind of token; it was clearly a special token belonging directly to the Imperial Palace Guards, who were under the personal control of the Emperor!

In other words, these well-trained and ruthless assassins in black tonight were carrying the palace's token and were acting on orders from the palace to carry out the assassination!
"It really is them! It really is them!"

Haug's suspicions were instantly confirmed, and his face turned deathly pale, then flushed red with extreme anger! He felt dizzy, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner shirt.

He thought the two sides had reached a superficial peace, but he never expected the other side to be so ruthless and want to eliminate him completely!

This is Shenyang, the core territory of the imperial palace and Dorgon's power! Most of his troops are outside the city. Since the other side dared to do this tonight, they must have made thorough preparations.

Now that the assassination has failed, the news must have already reached the palace. When Dorgon and Dayuer find out that the plan has been exposed, will they simply go all the way and immediately mobilize heavy troops to surround the Prince's Mansion on charges of "treason" and execute his entire family?

With Dorgon's methods, he absolutely could do it!

Thinking this, Haug felt a shadow of death loom over him. He couldn't sit idly by any longer! He had to get out of this den of thieves immediately!

He abruptly raised his head, his icy gaze sweeping over the guards who had followed him for many years and whose faces now wore the same expressions of fear and anger, and asked in a deep voice:
"You have all witnessed what happened tonight! Someone cannot tolerate me, Hauge, and wants to kill me! Shenyang City is no longer a place to stay! I have decided to leave this place immediately and head to the camp outside the city! Are you willing to follow me?"

Upon hearing this, all the guards knelt down without hesitation, their voices resounding with unwavering loyalty.
"We swear to follow Your Highness to the death! We will brave mountains of knives and seas of fire, even unto death!"

"it is good!"

Haug slapped his thigh hard, a fierce and resolute glint in his eyes.

"Pass down the order: travel light, only bring weapons and necessary rations, and leave the women behind! Immediately depart secretly through the back gate and get out of the city before the enemy's main force can react!"

"Whoo!"

The guards obeyed the order and immediately sprang into action with great efficiency.

Hauge didn't even have time to inform or appease his panicked wives, concubines, and maids. He simply ordered his trusted guards to forcibly take away his young sons.

He knew that at this critical juncture of life and death, bringing female relatives would only be a burden and would seriously slow down the escape.

His son was his bloodline and the hope for the future; he had to take him with him!
As for those concubines who were crying and wailing, they could only be cruelly abandoned at this moment.

A moment later, a group of several hundred people, like frightened birds, silently slipped out of the back gate of Prince Su's mansion and disappeared into the darkest night before dawn in Shenyang, fleeing for their lives towards the direction where their own troops were stationed outside the city.

However, as the capital of the Qing Dynasty, Shenyang must have been fortified.

Although it was late at night, soldiers were still on duty at key locations along the city wall.

Although Hauge and his men tried to choose secluded paths, their movements were still quite noticeable and soon attracted the attention of the patrolling soldiers on the city wall.

"Halt! Who goes there? Who is riding a horse through the streets during curfew?"

A sharp shout came from above the city wall, accompanied by a series of chaotic footsteps and the clash of weapons. Several torches quickly moved in this direction, illuminating the pale and tense faces of Hauge and the others.

The Niru Zhangjing, who was guarding the city, led a group of soldiers armed with bows and spears and blocked their way.

But when the firelight illuminated Hauge, who was surrounded in the middle with a gloomy expression, the Niru Zhangjing and the soldiers behind him were stunned, their faces showing surprise and uncertainty.

"Is it Prince Su?"

The Niru Zhangjing's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and fear.

He recognized Hauge, the current emperor's elder brother and one of the most powerful princes in the Qing Dynasty, second only to the regent Dorgon!

But why is Hauge here in the dead of night with his fully armed personal guards? And judging from their manner, they seem to be in a hurry, as if they are fleeing for their lives.
The night watch soldiers looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Should we stop him? This is Prince Su! If we anger him, given Hauge's past temper and current power, he could crush these junior officers like an ant.

Should we not stop them? Allowing people out of the city during curfew, especially high-ranking princes, is a capital offense!
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Hauge sat upright on his horse, suppressing his anxiety and anger. His cold gaze swept over the soldiers blocking his path. He did not dismount, but said in a deep voice:

"I have urgent military business to attend to and must leave the city immediately! Make way at once!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority and ruthlessness.

When Hauge swept his gaze over the Niru Zhangjing, he broke out in a cold sweat, instinctively took a half step back, his lips trembling, and dared not ask any more questions.

He glanced at the fierce-looking guards behind Hauge, their hands on their sword hilts, and then thought of Hauge's usual imposing manner. In the end, his instinct for survival overcame his fear of military regulations.

He swallowed hard, waved his hand to signal his soldiers to clear the way, then lowered his head, avoiding Hauge's gaze, and said in a trembling voice:
"Your Highness, please. I didn't see anything."

Haug snorted coldly, too lazy to bother with these insignificant people; escaping was the priority at the moment.

He then spurred his horse and gave a low shout:
"go!"

The group of people and horses did not linger. Like a whirlwind, they sped through the cleared passage, their hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs with a dull, rapid sound, and quickly disappeared at the end of the street leading to the next city gate.

Watching Hauge and the others disappear into the distance, the Niru Zhangjing finally breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and, still shaken, instructed the soldiers beside him:

"Keep your mouths shut about what happened tonight! If anyone tells anyone, I'll skin them alive!"

The soldiers nodded in agreement, their hearts filled with lingering fear and doubt.

At almost the same time, the Prince Rui's Mansion, located on the other side of Shenyang, was shrouded in an atmosphere of solemnity and chaos.

About half an hour ago, a group of about twenty agile men in black, using the cover of night, launched a surprise attack on Prince Rui's mansion in a manner similar to the attack on Hauge's mansion!
They first silently dealt with the guards on duty outside the gate, then forced their way in, hacking at anyone they saw, their attack extremely fierce!

"Assassins! Protect the Prince!"

"Quick! Stop them!"

The guards in Prince Rui's mansion reacted extremely quickly. After all, Dorgon was the regent and had many enemies. The mansion's defenses far exceeded those of ordinary princely mansions, and the guards were all battle-hardened elites.

After a brief period of chaos, the guards quickly organized an effective resistance and engaged in a fierce battle with the intruders in black.

The clash of swords, shouts, the sound of weapons clashing, and screams broke the silence of the night.

The battle did not last long. Although these men in black were brave, they did not gain much advantage against the numerically superior and equally well-trained guards of Prince Rui's mansion.

After leaving behind several corpses and realizing they couldn't succeed, the remaining men in black whistled, quickly broke free of the entanglement, and just as they had come, used the buildings inside the mansion as cover to swiftly retreat from the scene, disappearing into the vast night.

Fearing it was a ploy to lure the enemy away, the head of the guards did not order a relentless pursuit. Instead, he immediately strengthened security within the mansion, cleared the scene, and treated the wounded.

Deep within the Prince's mansion, the study was brightly lit.

Dorgon, dressed in plain clothes, sat on the armchair with a livid face. He had obviously been awakened by the sounds of fighting outside.

Despite the sudden attack, the seasoned regent did not appear flustered; only his narrow eyes flashed with a cold, piercing light, revealing his inner fury.

At this moment, the head of the guards strode into the study, knelt on one knee, and presented with both hands several items that had been taken from the body of the slain man in black:

"Your Highness! The assassins have retreated. Three were killed and several wounded. This was found on the thieves!"

Dorgon's gaze fell on the items in the hands of the head guard. The most eye-catching were two exquisitely crafted waist tokens engraved with special emblems!

He recognized it at a glance; it was an identity token issued only to core guards of Prince Su's residence! (End of Chapter)