Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Xiao Lie clenched his fists instinctively.

The Third Prince wanted to kill Shen Qinglan simply to take revenge on him and the Shen family.

Since the Third Prince is so ruthless, he should also offer a generous gift in return.

"Investigate the background of those assassins hired by the Third Prince." Xiao Lie guessed that most of these assassins were criminals on the run.

If the crimes of those assassins can be proven, and the emperor learns of the Third Prince's foolish actions, he will have no suitable pretext to protect the Third Prince.

Seventeen came and went in a hurry, leaving Shen Qingge stunned.

He had overheard the conversation between the master and servant, and couldn't help but worry about Shen Qinglan's safety. "Brother Xiao, the Third Prince wants to kill Shen Qinglan. Can we stop those assassins?"

In order to earn some money to live out their remaining years, these assassins were ruthless in their methods, and many court officials died tragically at their hands.

The emperor had already expressed his anger over this several times and had repeatedly ordered the suppression and killing of these assassins.

However, none of the emperor's men could find the assassins.

They hid it too well.

Xiao Lie gave Shen Qingge a deep look and said, "You keep an eye on the underground gambling den and gather as much evidence as possible of the crimes committed by those corrupt officials."

Don't get distracted by other things.

Shen Qingge was well aware of how important the matter he was handling was, and believed that Xiao Lie had the ability to protect Shen Qinglan, so she did not ask any further questions.

Xiao Lie secretly stayed in the capital for one night, and early the next morning he met Shen Qinglan in the meditation room of Qingtan Temple.

Shen Qinglan also received a secret letter from home: "Your Highness, the Third Prince went so far as to hire assassins to take my life. In order to protect myself, I will be staying at home in the coming days."

The implication was that he would not leave the Prince Kang's residence unless absolutely necessary.

The Third Prince wouldn't be so foolish as to send assassins to the Kang Prince's residence to carry out the assassination.

Xiao Lie, however, had a different plan. "Wait a little longer. Avoiding it all the time isn't a long-term solution."

There are many important matters in the capital that require Shen Qinglan's involvement.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Then we'll wait for the Crown Prince's news."

"You need to send more people to your courtyard. The experts in your Shen family are very skilled, but I'm still worried."

"Would you mind if I arranged for my people to also enter your yard?"

Xiao Lie believed that the more people protecting Shen Qinglan, the more secure they would be.

Shen Qinglan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll follow the young master's arrangements."

Xiao Lie left two Shadow Guards behind and then hurriedly returned to the Imperial Estate.

He fell seriously ill again, and no one came looking for him.

No one came to check whether he returned to the royal estate that night.

He lay back down on the couch and pretended to be sick again.

Xiao Lie lay down and fell asleep with a belly full of worries.

He had a headache when he woke up.

For some reason, he always felt uneasy.

"Your Highness, we have found out the origins of those assassins."

The five assassins were all orphans of former high-ranking officials.

Xiao Lie's eyes lit up instantly. He had thought those assassins were some vicious fugitives, but he didn't expect them to be remnants of the previous dynasty.

The emperor had been ordering the arrest and killing of these former dynasty officials, and this time the third prince was so audacious as to hire a former dynasty remnant to assassinate his own wife.

Xiao Lieguang couldn't help but sneer, "Does Jiang Heng even deserve to be my opponent?"

That's practically suicide.

And he even felt he wasn't dying fast enough.

"Have Seventeen find a way to get the contract that the five assassins signed with the Fifth Prince."

Once the contract is in hand and presented to the emperor, the third prince will be plunged into an abyss of no return.

"Go and send a message to Shen Qinglan, tell her to spread the word that she's going to Wanfo Temple to fulfill her vow tomorrow."

Wanfo Temple is situated in a treacherous location, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Xiao Lie dispatched many shadow guards to secretly protect her.

Having the Third Prince's agreement with the remnants of the previous dynasty wasn't enough; what he wanted was to capture the assassin alive.

After receiving the message, Shen Qinglan went to see the Third Prince Jiang Heng and said, "Your Highness, I need to go to Wanfo Temple tomorrow."

The Third Prince was overjoyed, knowing that the bounty on those assassins was quite high for a day.

Shen Qinglan remained secluded at home, and the assassins couldn't get a chance to strike, so he had to pay them bounties every day.

His own private treasury was almost running out of money.

There are so many people to deal with, from top to bottom.

"Would you like me to arrange a carriage for you?" Jiang Heng asked with unusual enthusiasm.

The carriage that Shen Qinglan rode in was specially made for her by the Shen family.

Not only was the carriage more sturdy than ordinary carriages, but it also contained hidden secrets.

In a critical moment, he was able to save her life.

"No need, I have a carriage." Shen Qinglan came all this way just to tell Jiang Heng in person that she was leaving the manor.

Sure enough, Shen Qinglan's men reported that they saw someone sneaking away from Jiang Heng's courtyard.

The next day at daybreak, Shen Qinglan set off.

On the mountain road to Wanfo Temple, Xiao Lie actually led his men to ambush in a pavilion.

Sixteen asked, puzzled, "Why is the Crown Prince coming too?"

Xiao Lie curled his lips into a mocking smile, "I'm here to witness this important moment."

From this pavilion, one can see the assassins being captured one by one by their ambushers.

Judging by the time, Shen Qinglan should be arriving soon.

As he expected, the assassins did indeed choose one of the points he had marked to target Shen Qinglan.

The Shadow Guards waited for their chance and engaged in a fierce battle with the five assassins.

No wonder it costs so much to hire them; these assassins are definitely skilled.

After a fierce battle lasting an hour, the Shadow Guards were somewhat exhausted.

Left with no other choice, Xiao Lie signaled that no one could be left alive.

The Shadow Guards, no longer restrained or hesitant, quickly dispatched four of the assassins.

The remaining assassin was surrounded and, just as he was about to commit suicide, his pressure points were struck.

"Throw this assassin out at the gate of the Imperial Censorate." Xiao Lie had already made arrangements, writing an anonymous letter and sending it to the Imperial Censor.

The third prince once humiliated the imperial censor over a trivial personal matter.

The censor harbored a deep resentment but had no opportunity to avenge himself.

Xiao Lie has presented such a great opportunity for revenge, and I believe the censor will spare no effort to harm the Third Prince.

Sure enough, before nightfall, the censor had finished interrogating the assassin who had been spared.

He wrote a memorial impeaching the third prince and brought witnesses and evidence to the emperor.

"You scoundrel!" The emperor could hardly believe that the future crown prince he had painstakingly groomed would do such a foolish thing.

The emperor was utterly disappointed in Jiang Heng and ordered the censor to personally lead a team to imprison this wicked son in the Ministry of Justice.

"Let the three judicial departments jointly try the case and see how to determine his guilt."

"From this day forward, he is no longer King Kang."

"And his cronies, those who can be found to have committed some wrongdoing, should all be exiled to Lingnan."

The censor accepted the order and quickly carried it out, fearing that the emperor might change his mind once his anger subsided.