Chapter 434: Killing Intent

Inside the carriage ahead, Zu An smiled, looking at Zheng Dan. "How about we continue?"

"No!" Zheng Dan shook her head emphatically. The sudden incident that had just occurred had nearly scared her to death; if it had been a moment later, everything would have been seen, and she would have been too ashamed to face anyone.

"Don't worry," Zu An continued to pester her. "What are the chances of another accident happening so coincidentally?"

But no matter what he said, Zheng Dan simply kept shaking her head, her face flushed.

Outside the carriage, Huang Huihong frowned. Was Zu An addicted to having someone massage his feet? Only a scoundrel like him would have a refined young lady, the wife of an official, do such a thing.

Huang Huihong shook his head. He couldn't worry about that much right now. The recent attack had sounded an alarm for him; a disorganized mob had almost succeeded in assassinating Zu An, making him never dare to be careless again. Not just him, but the entire Imperial Army became tense.

However, the next few days were calm; there was no second attack as they had anticipated. Yet, both Zu An and Sang Hong knew this was the calm before the storm. Judging by Prince Liang and Liu Yao's demeanor, though they had been tense for the first few days, the lack of incidents recently had caused them to gradually relax.

About half a month later, the convoy left Linchuan Commandery and entered the territory of the Prince of Wu. From a distance, they saw a troop of cavalry galloping towards them, and the entire convoy, whose mood had been relaxed for days, immediately tensed up. Even Prince Liang and Liu Yao stepped out of their carriages, their expressions grave, on guard. However, they quickly noticed that the cavalry troop was not in an attacking formation, and their expressions then eased slightly.

Soon, the cavalry halted their horses. Three riders emerged from the group and approached Prince Liang. The leader, dressed as a middle-aged scholar, saluted, "Your humble subordinate, Sun Buqi, greets Your Royal Highness Prince Liang and General Wei."

"Sun Buqi? That name sounds familiar," Prince Liang said, stroking his beard.

Liu Yao, who was standing by, said, "I hear you and Sheng Hong are the Prince of Wu's trusted aides, one civil and one military, managing his residence very well." Due to the Crown Prince, the Liu family paid special attention to any forces that might threaten the Crown Prince's position. As one of the imperial princes, they had naturally investigated the Prince of Wu as well.

"General Liu, you flatter me," the middle-aged scholar smiled. "I merely assist with various minor affairs in the prince's residence; I don't deserve such praise. This time, I have specifically come on behalf of the Prince of Wu to invite both of you to be guests at his residence. His Royal Highness originally intended to greet you personally, but he is preoccupied with preparations for your reception and could not leave, which is why he sent me. I hope you do not mind."

Prince Liang laughed heartily. "You're being too polite, too polite. We are not so petty. However, we are escorting an imperial criminal on this journey, so it might not be convenient for us to stay too long. We can only thank the Prince of Wu for his kindness."

Sun Buqi bowed and said, "This time, the Prince of Wu specifically instructed me to invite both of you. Publicly, you two have worked hard escorting the imperial criminal, and the Prince of Wu wishes to contribute to the court. Privately, both of you are elders to the Prince of Wu. Since he is not in the capital, he has had few opportunities to see you over the years. Now that such a rare opportunity presents itself, he naturally wants to fulfill his duties as a host..."

Prince Liang was the current emperor's uncle, and Liu Yao was the empress's uncle. In terms of generation, both were of the same generation as the Prince of Wu's grandparents. Sun Buqi fully leveraged this relationship to persuade them. Furthermore, Prince Liang and Liu Yao were accustomed to a life of luxury and ease. The recent days of traveling and camping outdoors had been truly uncomfortable for them, and they had originally wished to rest and recuperate in a prosperous area. Liu Yao, in particular, because Zu An had usurped his carriage, had been sharing a chamber with Prince Liang every day for the past few days. Both he and Prince Liang felt awkward. This was a perfect opportunity to request a carriage from the Prince of Wu and avoid future troubles.

Prince Liang suddenly realized a problem: "But with so many of us, won't it be inconvenient to enter the city?"

Sun Buqi quickly replied, "Your Royal Highness Prince Liang, please rest assured. My master has been busy with this matter for days. He has already arranged many empty residences near the prince's mansion and simultaneously built a drill ground, which will be sufficient to accommodate the accompanying Imperial Army."

Prince Liang secretly nodded. If the Prince of Wu had suggested stationing the Imperial Army in military camps outside the city while inviting only a few of them to his residence, he would genuinely have worried about potential issues. After all, this imperial criminal case was of great importance. Although the Prince of Wu had always been low-key, Prince Liang could not guarantee that the other party would not take desperate risks.

"Won't this cause some disturbance to the people?" Liu Yao, standing by, said with a forced smile.

Sun Buqi's breath hitched, but he quickly recovered. "General, please rest assured. Upon hearing that an imperial envoy was to be welcomed, many families voluntarily offered their houses. At the same time, our Prince has also given them appropriate compensation, so there will absolutely be no disturbance to the people."

Prince Liang, standing by, secretly sneered. "Who are you trying to fool by pretending to care for the people like your own children? Everyone in these circles knows what kind of person you are."

Despite a minor hiccup, it did not affect the final decision. The military order was soon passed down, and upon hearing they could enter the city to rest, the Imperial Army cheered.

Sang Hong, inside the prison cart, secretly frowned. He sighed, "How many years has the country been peaceful for the Imperial Army to become like this?"

Sang Qian, who was nearby, said, "It's normal for them to be accustomed to a life of ease and luxury right under the Imperial City's nose." Let alone these Imperial Guards, even the Moonbright City River Defense Camp was pretty much the same. In comparison, these Imperial Guards were still more elite.

Sang Hong, however, had some worry in his eyes. "The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty all rely on the Emperor being the greatest master in the world, believing no foreign tribes would dare to stir trouble. But the Emperor cannot possibly protect the Great Zhou Dynasty forever..."

Zu An, inside the carriage, heard the cheering voices of the surrounding Imperial Army. He asked curiously, "The Prince of Wu?"

Having spent so much time together, Zheng Dan knew he was unaware of many common facts about this world, so she began to explain. "The Prince of Wu is the fifth son of the current Emperor. However, his birth mother was a concubine of the Emperor, not the Empress, so he was sent to his fiefdom in Wu Commandery early on."

Zu An nodded. He vaguely recalled Chu Chuyan mentioning that Wu Commandery bordered Linchuan Commandery, and its administrative seat was Jibei City. The city was named Jibei (North of Ji) because it was located north of the Ji Mountain Range in Wu Commandery. "By the way, what's the Prince of Wu's reputation usually like? What's his general personality?" When entering someone else's territory, it's naturally important to gather information beforehand. This way, one can react accordingly if anything happens.

Zheng Dan slightly shook her head. "The Prince of Wu usually keeps a low profile. He doesn't have a bad reputation, but neither is he praised for his wisdom. So, I don't know much about his specifics."

Outside, Huang Huihong's expression was somewhat surprised. Zu An had humiliated Miss Zheng in such a way, yet she was still patiently answering his questions. This woman truly had a good temperament.

Inside the carriage, Zu An's expression was playful. "So he's also someone who keeps a low profile. Such a person is either genuinely unambitious or has grand designs. I wonder which it is."

"Oh, right, the most famous thing about the Prince of Wu over the years is that he married a woman from a minor family," Zheng Dan recalled some rumors from previous years. "You see, high-ranking princes like him usually marry into powerful aristocratic families to consolidate their position, so his action was very surprising."

"However, after someone saw the Princess of Wu later, all doubts were dispelled. It's said that the Princess of Wu possesses a beauty that could overthrow kingdoms, so the Prince of Wu's choice is understandable." Zheng Dan couldn't help but let out a snort. "You men just love to judge people by their looks."

Zu An immediately chuckled. "As if you women don't like looking at handsome men. Where I come from, women chasing handsome men are much crazier than men chasing female celebrities!"

Zheng Dan was startled. "The customs in your hometown are a bit too... too unconventional." Having been educated in the boudoir since childhood, she truly could not imagine such behavior. However, she also felt a hint of envy that those women were not bound by rigid etiquette.

Led by Sun Buqi, the convoy slowly entered Jibei City. Zu An secretly lifted the curtain and peeked out. "It doesn't seem as prosperous as Moonbright City."

"That's natural," Zheng Dan said, with a hint of pride in her tone. "Moonbright City benefits from salt and iron, attracting wealthy merchants and traders from all corners of the land, so it's naturally more prosperous than other places." It seems everyone has a soft spot for their hometown.

The streets were filled with the common folk of Jibei City. They were clearly very interested in the Imperial Army from the capital, rushing to watch the spectacle. Zu An was startled. He suddenly saw a familiar figure in the crowd. However, the person had changed their usual attire and was mingling among the people.

Just then, a dark streak of light suddenly shot out from the crowd.