The First Marquis of Leisure

The night is long

The capital of Yan was very prosperous, with countless homes illuminated by flickering candlelight.

Bai Xinghe arrived alone in front of the Seventh Prince's residence.

Looking at the lights in the mansion, he was filled with thoughts, his heart filled with longing for Zhao Sisi!

Although the two were both in the Yan state and were now separated by only a wall, it felt as if they were from different worlds.

They couldn't recognize each other, let alone confide in each other.

"Sisi, I will definitely take you away from here, give you freedom, and give you peace!"

Bai Xinghe clenched his fist and muttered to himself firmly.

Now he is the top scholar in the Yan Kingdom and has ascended the Golden Terrace.

Tomorrow at the morning court session, there is a good chance that he will rise rapidly in rank and become the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

This was already a pipe dream for a fugitive, but it wasn't enough for him.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War holds a high position and wields great power, but above him are the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the current Prime Minister, and so on.

I am no match for these ministers.

Not to mention borrowing troops to fight their way back to Zhao, there's still a long way to go.

The only consolation is that at least the seventh prince didn't become the top scholar in the imperial examination, which means that he won't be able to officially marry Zhao Sisi for the time being.

This bought me some valuable time.

Perhaps it's a meeting of minds, or perhaps it's the unspoken understanding between lovers.

Zhao Sisi silently climbed the high building alone, gazing into the distance at the bustling capital of Yan.

Bai Xinghe's success made her feel much more excited and at ease.

She also had Bai Xinghe on her mind!

Perhaps it was heaven's pity on lovers, for the two happened to see each other.

One stood on the pavilion of the prince's palace, and the other stood at the foot of the city wall.

Although it was dark and they were quite far apart, the two recognized each other at first glance.

Even if there are a thousand words to say, there is no need to say more at this moment.

Bai Xinghe stared blankly at Zhao Sisi in the attic. Zhao Sisi wiped away her tears, a smile on her face.

The two looked at each other without speaking, but they both understood each other's feelings.

They didn't know how much time had passed, but neither of them could bear to part with the other.

They both wished time could stand still at this moment, silently watching each other through the wall.

Suddenly, Zhao Sisi, who was in the attic, seemed to have discovered something terrifying and started waving frantically at Bai Xinghe.

Bai Xinghe paused, somewhat puzzled.

However, the two were quite far apart, and if they shouted loudly in the middle of the night, it would surely attract the attention of the other people in the Seventh Prince's residence.

He didn't care, but it was very disadvantageous for Zhao Sisi.

But Zhao Sisi's movements became increasingly exaggerated, as if urging him to leave quickly.

Bai Xinghe hesitated for a moment before turning around.

Suddenly, three figures emerged from the darkness.

Bai Xinghe shuddered, sensing the intense killing intent emanating from the three people.

Clearly, these three people were after him.

Zhao Sisi was at a higher position, so she noticed it before I did.

"Who are you? I am the top scholar in the imperial examination. You want to kill me? Aren't you afraid of incurring His Majesty's wrath?"

Bai Xinghe remained highly vigilant because he sensed that these three men in black were not simple individuals.

They are much better than the people Tang Wannian invited in the Zhao state before.

"We are here to kill the current top scholar!"

The leader, dressed in black, stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly having no intention of making a move.

But with a wave of his hand, two men in black beside him charged forward, one on each side wielding a curved knife.

Bai Xinghe dared not be careless; he did not carry any weapons when he went out tonight.

In a moment of panic, he quickly retreated to the wall.

"kill!"

The leader of the men in black coldly observed everything, urging his two subordinates to act quickly.

The two men in black brandished their curved knives and slashed at him. Bai Xinghe gritted his teeth, exerted his strength, and kicked one of them.

He reached out and blocked the other man in black's wrist!

Upon seeing this, the leader of the men in black was shocked, not expecting Bai Xinghe to have such skills.

At first, he thought Bai Xinghe was just a scholar and had no martial arts skills.

"waste!"

The leader of the men in black, not wanting to waste any time, reprimanded his two subordinates and drew his curved sword to take action himself.

This put Bai Xinghe under even more pressure, as he faced three professional assassins wielding curved knives.

He was unarmed and could only dodge repeatedly.

"Guards, seize the assassin!"

"An assassin has entered the Prince's residence! Guards!"

Zhao Sisi, who was in the attic, couldn't care less about anything else at this moment and started shouting at the top of her lungs.

In the darkness, her voice carried far.

In an instant, the lights in the Prince's mansion came on, and a group of guards and armored soldiers were mobilized.

Bai Xinghe didn't care about anything else and rushed straight into the Prince's Mansion.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the three men in black had no choice but to quickly retreat.

"Who is it?"

"Kneel down immediately!"

A commander from the Prince's Palace led his armored soldiers out and happened to run into Bai Xinghe, who was running into the palace.

"I'm not here now, I've already run away!"

Bai Xinghe wiped the blood off his hands and tore off his sleeve to tie his arm.

Under such medical conditions in ancient times, excessive blood loss would be extremely dangerous.

"No matter who you are, daring to trespass on the Seventh Prince's residence is a capital offense!"

"Take it down!"

The commander of the Prince's Palace shouted and ordered the armored soldiers to take action immediately.

"Commander Qin, wait a moment!"

At this moment, Zhao Sisi rushed over.

Her face was full of worry, her eyes fixed on Bai Xinghe's injured arm. She wanted to ask him about it, but she had to hold back.

"Commander Qin, I know him. He is the top scholar of the year, Young Master Bai of Baizhen, not an assassin!"

Upon hearing Zhao Sisi's words, Commander Wang then ordered his men to disperse.

"What are you all standing there for? Quickly bandage Young Master Bai's wounds and go fetch the imperial physician."

Zhao Sisi was very anxious and gave loud instructions.

Soon, the seventh prince was carried out by several servants.

He was also surprised to see Bai Xinghe, after learning the reason from the servants.

The seventh prince was furious: "Outrageous! This is utterly audacious! How dare they attempt to assassinate the top scholar of the imperial examination! I must report this to my father, the Emperor, and get to the bottom of this!"

Bai Xinghe paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Seventh Prince, but there's no need for such trouble. I only suffered some minor injuries."

"Hehe." The Seventh Prince was a good person and admired Bai Xinghe's talent.

"It's good that Young Master Bai is alright. Fortunately, Sisi was admiring the moon from the attic and discovered it in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"Oh, by the way, I wonder why Young Master Bai is near my residence so late?"

Bai Xinghe's heart tightened, and he had no choice but to make up an excuse.

He said he had nothing better to do and was taking a night stroll in the capital, which led him to the vicinity of the Seventh Prince's residence.

The Seventh Prince did not suspect anything. He ordered his soldiers to track down the assassin while inviting Bai Xinghe into his residence for a chat.

Bai Xinghe sighed. He had longed to spend more time with Zhao Sisi.

But he knew it wasn't the right time yet; he had to return to the Doctor's residence to avoid worrying Li Chentian and the others.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I need to return to the Doctor's residence immediately to inform Elder Li and the others."

The seventh prince thought about it and realized that made sense.

So he ordered the guards of the Prince's Palace to escort Bai Xinghe back to the Doctor's Mansion.

On the other side, the three men in black had already left the palace.

However, the assassination attempt failed, leaving the three men displeased.

Especially the man in black who was in charge; he personally went to ensure everything went perfectly, but he still failed at the last minute.

"My lord, I have made a discovery!"

A man in black knelt on the ground.

The leader of the men in black said coldly, "Speak!"

"My lord, although we failed this time, before we made our move, the top scholar seemed to be exchanging flirtatious glances with the princess."

"I believe that since both the top scholar and the princess are from the State of Zhao, they must know each other."

After being reminded by his subordinate, the leader of the men in black recalled the scene just now and suddenly realized what had happened.

"Excellent, excellent!"

The leader of the men in black, his anger turning to joy, immediately issued orders.

"Immediately return to the organization to investigate the scholar's identity. I need to know his background before dawn tomorrow. I'm going to the Yuan residence now!"