Binding Spring Love

Jiang Yan took the wine bowl and said softly, "I shouldn't refuse this wine, but Yu Chi has been unwell lately, so it's really..."

"It's alright, I'll have someone bring you fresh tea."

Song Fu took the wine bowl back to himself, showing no sign of displeasure. Seeing this, Xiao Jiyue raised his bowl to offer a toast, thus smoothly letting the matter drop.

All three were shrewd and adept at handling all situations, so the conversation was pleasant for both host and guest. Moreover, Xiao Ji was ambitious and scheming, and he also had the idea of ​​befriending Song Fu. With Jiang Yan mediating between them, in less than half an hour, the three of them were calling each other brothers and were very familiar with each other.

After several rounds of drinks, the area in front of Dongzhimen became lively, and Song Fu then smiled and bid farewell to the two men.

The auspicious time for lighting the lamps was approaching, and he was about to visit his aunt and the Third Prince.

Xiao Jiang and Song Fufang agreed in unison, and the three of them made a promise to drink together again next time. Song Fufang then left the room.

On the bright yellow prayer platform erected for the Mid-Autumn Festival, many nobles from the palace had already taken their seats. Emperor Wenhui was not present, so the eldest prince, being the eldest son, sat in the first seat, followed by the third prince, while the fifth prince stood beside the third prince.

The Empress and several concubines sat on the west side of the Dengtian Tower.

When Consort Yun and Consort Jiang sat down, they smiled at each other.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and prayer ceremony was extremely complicated. Everyone sat on the stage for nearly an hour before they heard the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices finish chanting the prayer and invite the Third Prince to the Heavenly Tower to light the lamps.

Although the third prince is young, he already possesses the majesty of an emperor, and his every move exudes authority.

After paying his respects to Consort Yun and the Third Prince, Song Fu waited near the royal altar for the lighting of the lamps. Now, seeing Shen Qianbai leading a dozen guards toward the Tower of Ascension, he couldn't help but smile, feeling honored.

The Third Prince walked to the foot of the Tower of Ascension. Song Yun Ning looked at an inconspicuous eunuch in the distance. She saw the eunuch nod slightly and then quietly retreat to do something.

"Consort Yun is so lucky to have given birth to such a gifted and intelligent child as the Third Prince."

As Shen Qianbai walked into the Tower of Ascension, Jiang Man suddenly spoke.

She knew that the eldest prince would definitely make a move today. Although she had not found out the specific plan, it did not stop her from feeling excited.

As long as Shen Qianbai dies, the process is irrelevant.

Upon hearing this, Song Yuning smiled and said, "Unlike Consort Jiang, who is so lucky, the Fifth Prince may be a bit dull, but at least he's easy to take care of."

"Heh, Consort Yun's mouth is never forgiving, I just wonder if she can keep it up forever."

After exchanging a few words, the two quickly focused their attention on the Tower of Ascension.

A figure slowly appeared on the tower. The Third Prince, Shen Qianbai, raised the torch in his hand and slowly lit the huge dragon and phoenix lantern.

The lanterns lit up, instantly illuminating half the sky.

Xiao Jiyue and Jiang Yan were also standing not far from Song Fu, but both of them looked rather uninterested.

"Perhaps I drank too much earlier. I'll be right back."

Jiang Yan nodded and turned his gaze away from the Ascending Heaven Tower.

For some reason, all he could think about at that moment was the bag of shortbread in Song Fu's room.

Song Fu would have brought this specially for such an occasion, so the person must really like it.

He was suddenly annoyed, realizing he hadn't known anything about it before.

Jiang Yan looked up and around, and sure enough, there was a candy shop not far away.

Without thinking, he walked over, but he was suddenly stopped by Jiang Xingjian after walking a short distance.

"Where to?"

Jiang Yan said, "Let's go to the front and take a look at the lanterns."

Just as Jiang Xingjian was about to send him back to the Marquis's residence, he heard a whooshing sound coming from afar.

"There are assassins. I'm going to find the Fifth Prince."

With that, Jiang Xingjian rushed towards the Royal Prayer Platform.

Before Jiang Yan could react, a sharp arrow shot straight toward the eldest prince on the altar. The eldest prince panicked and hurriedly pulled a female official beside him to shield him from the arrow.

"What's going on? Where did these archers come from? Didn't we tell them to withdraw?"

The female official on the altar wore a bright green gauze skirt and a brightly colored moon-blue shawl.

Song Yan was also confused about the situation and was trapped in the crowd by the people before he could reply.

"what!"

Some of the more timid concubines cried out in alarm. Jiang Xingjian broke free from the crowd to look and saw that the arrow had pierced through the female official's brain and shot into the eldest prince's eye socket.

Shen Qianchi was writhing on the ground in pain, his hysterical screams echoing through the crowd. Suddenly someone shouted that Nanqing was attacking, startling the people who scattered and crowded together.

Those who couldn't dodge in time were trampled underfoot and died.

Instantly, a large crowd surged in front of Dongzhimen, with countless people shoulder to shoulder and leg to leg. The palace guards were all blocked in place, and no one could move an inch.

Under the cover of night, Xiao Jiyue threw the Sunset Bow from the rooftop into the crowd and then disappeared into the darkness.

The eldest prince was shot with an arrow. Jiang Man and Song Yun Ning, who were on the prayer platform, suppressed their shock and rushed to the side of the third and fifth princes. Under the cover of the eunuchs, the fifth prince was dragging his small body and crying for his mother.

Jiang Man was worried and quickened her pace. Just as she was about to pull Shen Qianshu into her arms, a low-ranking eunuch suddenly rushed out from the corner.

The eunuch rushed straight to the Fifth Prince, grabbed him, and jumped off the prayer platform.

"Shu'er!"

Jiang Man's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and she instinctively reached out to grab the Fifth Prince.

Although the fall from the prayer platform wasn't fatal, the crowds on the street were constantly surging towards the spot, making it appear quite dangerous. Jiang Man saw the eunuch clutch his chest, get up from the ground, and quickly slip away, while Shen Qianshu remained lying motionless on the ground.

As the crowd surged closer, the barriers used to separate them were gradually pushed down, while the imperial guards on the outermost perimeter were held tightly by the people, who feared that if they fell, they would be trampled into mincemeat.

Seeing that no one could save Shen Qianshu, Jiang Man knelt down, preparing to jump off the altar.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you can't go!"

Grandpa Chang grabbed Jiang Man and jumped down with a splash.

Jiang Man saw her child lying motionless on the ground, while countless people behind her tried to climb onto the prayer platform to survive. They jostled and pushed forward, and she could even see someone stepping heavily on Shen Qianshu's legs.

"Mother..."

A baby cried out, and Jiang Man bit her lip tightly. Just as she was about to jump down to save the child again, she saw Jiang Xingjian break free from the crowd and firmly shield Shen Qianshu under his body.

He curled himself up into a ball, tucked Shen Qianshu into his arms, and leaned close to the foot of the altar.

Shen Qianshu was tightly sandwiched between Qi Tai and Jiang Xingjian, his broken leg causing him to cry incessantly.

Jiang Xingjian gritted his teeth, feeling people constantly stepping on him to climb onto the platform. Jiang Man was being pulled desperately towards the palace by the eunuchs. In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared from sight.

Jiang Yan was pushed into the crowd and couldn't move. In a panic, a hand reached out from the crowd and grabbed him tightly.

"Come with me."

At this point, the only way to escape danger was to climb to a higher place. Xiao Jiyue, with a cold expression, dragged Jiang Yan toward the Tower of Ascension.

Jiang Yan was delicate and handsome, but he was no match for Xiao Jiye, who was tall, strong, and powerful. In this situation, he was powerless to resist. On the contrary, Xiao Jiye charged forward and cleared a path for the two of them.

Having finally reached the vicinity of the Tower of Ascension, Xiao Jiyue said, "Let's find a place ahead and climb up..."

Before they could finish speaking, the two heard a deafening roar erupt from the top of the Tower of Ascension.

"Third Prince!"

Jiang Yan exclaimed in surprise. Xiao Jiye looked up and saw a frail child's figure falling straight down from the Tower of Ascension.