Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

January 19th!

At 9:00 AM that day, Zhao Zongquan carried a bamboo rake down to the field, intending to find something to do so he wouldn't have to live in fear at home.

But just as he bent down to straighten the rice stalks that had been knocked down by the wind, a cold arrow suddenly shot out from the reeds beside the paddy field.

The arrow grazed his left ear and embedded itself in the mud.

Zhao Zongquan, still in shock, suddenly sat up and saw about twenty masked men carrying short knives emerge one after another from the reeds.

One of them was incredibly agile and closed in instantly, unleashing a powerful strike that seemed to split Mount Hua!

Seeing the short knife coming at him, Zhao Zongquan quickly grabbed a bamboo rake and held it horizontally in front of him.

The blade slammed into the teeth of the bamboo rake, and the splintered bamboo shavings grazed Zhao Zongquan's cheek, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

Zhao Zongquan struggled to receive the attack, and his right foot involuntarily took a half step back, only to sink into soft mud. Seeing the gleaming blade about to strike again, he was so frightened that he closed his eyes and waited for death!

No sooner said than done, a long, black spear suddenly swept in from the side, the shaft striking the assassin's wrist hard, and the short knife immediately fell into the paddy field.

It turned out that Gu Tingye was a miracle worker who came to the rescue in time!

With his spear tip covered in mud, he created several cold, flower-like patterns, forcing more than twenty assassins to retreat one after another.

An assassin tried to sneak up behind Zhao Zong and attack him, but he countered with a swift movement, sending the man sprawling straight into the mud.

His marksmanship was cunning; in the blink of an eye, he had killed seven or eight of the assassins who had surrounded him. At this moment, Zhao Ceying and others arrived with their guards to protect Zhao Zongquan!

With everyone working together, Yan Wang's Broken Group assassins were quickly wiped out.

"Zhonghuai, spare one of them!" Zhao Ceying reminded him.

Just as the last assassin was about to bite the poison and commit suicide, Gu Tingye threw the iron chain from the end of his spear and wrapped it around his neck, strangling him unconscious. He then stepped forward and removed the poison sac from the assassin's mouth!

Zhao Zongquan was terrified and was escorted home.

Under Gu Tingye's torture, the assassin confessed that he was sent by the Prince of Yan, and was thus quickly executed.

study!

Upon hearing the report, Zhao Zongquan asked incredulously, "I have no grudge against the Prince of Yan, why would he want my life?"

Zhao Ceying said, "We had just received the secret edict when assassins were dispatched; it must be related to the succession!"

"What does establishing an heir have to do with me? Although I am a member of the imperial clan, I have neither noble birth nor connections. What can I use to compete with the Prince of Yan? Why would he want to make things difficult for me?" Zhao Zongquan was puzzled.

Gu Tingye knew perfectly well what was going on, but said, "The Prince of Yan must have taken that private edict of appeasement and encouragement as an edict from the Emperor to establish an heir! The matter of establishing an heir has already caused quite a stir in Bianjing. The Prince of Yan is already on edge, and he will take any slight disturbance seriously."

Zhao Zongquan sighed and said bitterly, "Even sitting at home, disaster strikes from the sky! Why don't I go to the village outside the city to hide for a few days? Just tell them I'm staying at Shifo Temple on the outskirts of the city, so that if there are any more assassins, at least I'll be prepared."

Zhao Ceying held back Zhao Zongquan, who was trying to escape, and said, "Father! We are descendants of the founding emperor, the imperial family. If we are so afraid, won't the world laugh at us?"

"What do you know! Saving your life is the most important thing!" Zhao Zongquan said angrily.

Gu Tingye poured cold water on the situation, saying, "My lord, since the Prince of Yan has taken it seriously, he would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free! If he wants to kill you, there's nowhere to hide!" As he spoke, he winked at Zhao Ceying.

Zhao Ceying understood and said, "In my opinion, we should go all the way!"

"Let's go to Bianjing, meet with the Emperor, and file a complaint against him!" Gu Tingye continued.

"Complain?" Zhao Zongquan was dumbfounded. Was he walking into a trap?

Gu Tingye said earnestly, "Since defense is impossible, we might as well take the offensive. Rather than waiting to be killed, we should take a risky move. We'll secretly go to Bianjing, meet with the Emperor, and expose the Prince of Yan's crimes to the world. Even if we can't bring him down, we can still let the world know his sinister intentions. At that point, the Prince of Yan will have to protect you!"

"Will this... will this work?" Zhao Zongquan asked worriedly.

Gu Tingye sighed inwardly. He truly didn't understand why Zhou Ning had predicted the person in front of him would be the next emperor. He was just too cowardly!

"Father, since ancient times, there has never been a reason for imperial heirs to kill each other. The more we back down, the more we will be at the mercy of others! Only by cutting off the source of the problem and eliminating the Prince of Yan's ambition can we achieve a long-term solution!" Zhao Ceying said.

"If you are worried, sir, we can disguise ourselves as merchants and we will definitely be able to get to the capital smoothly!" Gu Tingye said.

"Father, Zhonghuai is a warrior of unparalleled bravery, and with those capable brothers from the Duan family, what do you have to fear?" Zhao Ceying said anxiously.

Zhao Zongquan shook his head and said, "I'd better go hide at the estate for a few days. His Majesty won't never establish an heir. Once the crown prince is chosen, the Prince of Yan will know it has nothing to do with me and will naturally give up." He then got up and ran away in fright!

Helpless, Zhao Ceying discussed with Gu Tingye and expressed his idea of ​​taking advantage of the chaos to make a fortune.

Gu Tingye clasped his hands and said, "If you have such great ambitions, I will follow you to the death!" He now suspected that Zhou Ning was wrong; Zhao Zongquan was actually the retired emperor, and his son was the one who looked like he could be emperor!

The two conspired to find someone to pose as an assassin and continue to kill Zhao Zongquan until he was scared enough to go to Bianjing!

Two more days have passed!

The Sheng family!

Shouantang!

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Minglan played chess with Old Madam Sheng as usual, while Hai Chaoyun also came early to pay her respects and serve her, quietly embroidering to the side.

"My father-in-law has been gone for several days now. I wonder how they are doing in the palace," Hai Chaoyun said casually.

Minglan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, aren't you worried about Father? You're worried about Second Brother, aren't you?"

Hai Chaoyun blushed shyly, while Grandma Sheng chuckled.

"It's not about him, it's just that the appointment of the crown prince is a matter for the Academy of Rites. My husband is from the Academy of Rites, so it's not surprising that he was called away to rush the work. But why was my father-in-law, who isn't from the Academy of Rites, also called away?" Hai Chaoyun asked in confusion.

Minglan said, "They said the Emperor was in a hurry and wanted everything to be quick and complete, so they borrowed people. The Zhou family's daughter was also borrowed by my second brother."

Hai Chaoyun knew that Zhou Ning was a friend of the official, so she didn't ask any more questions and continued embroidering.

"The Crown Prince is the future ruler, so how can the ceremony be done hastily? First, the Imperial Observatory has to select an auspicious day and request permission. Then, the Court of Rites has to consult the classics, formulate regulations, transcribe the edict, and distribute it to various prefectures and counties. Envoys have to be sent to all directions to offer sacrifices to the gods and prepare various ceremonial robes and crowns. Ministers also have to submit memorials to congratulate him. Hehe, it's so complicated and roundabout. Not to mention the enthronement ceremony, which involves offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, asking and answering questions, and praising the emperor. Oh dear, it's even more tedious!" Old Madam Sheng explained to her granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law.

Hai Chaoyun asked worriedly, "Then my father-in-law and husband won't be able to come home until next month?"

Grandma Sheng urged Minglan, "They're not in charge; they just do some paperwork. That should be enough for now. Hurry up, hurry up!"

Hai Chaoyun's eyebrows lit up with joy upon hearing this. She had really missed Sheng Changbai after being separated for so long.

Minglan made her move and smiled, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, now you don't have to worry about your second brother getting tired."

"Hehe, Ming'er is getting naughtier and naughtier. She knows your sister-in-law is shy, yet she still teases her!"

Minglan learned that family members were allowed to visit the palace and bring tea and food, so she invited Hai Chaoyun to go see her second brother together.

Remembering Sheng Changbai's instructions, Hai Chaoyun politely declined and asked Minglan to deliver it for her.

After finishing the game of chess, Minglan got busy and spent an hour making fish soup, which she then brought to the palace!

"I wonder if Pengqi likes to eat fish. With his father and brothers here, will he be able to guess that I want to see him?"

......