Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 177: Shedding the Cicada's Shell

The carriage and cavalry continued to move forward, and the Iron Floating Guards, who were puzzled, immediately lost their momentum.

On the distant mountains, a black figure stared intently at the cavalry convoy below and suddenly asked in a crisp voice, "How confident are you?"

A person behind him cupped his fist and said, "Six points! If the poison enters the body, it will be eight points!"

The black figure coughed a few times. "Let's wait and see. We must not take it lightly. It is said that this kid comes from humble origins and is quite cunning. He is not comparable to Jiang Yuge, that useless person! Cough, cough, cough..."

"Miss Jian Ying, are you... injured?"

"Shut up! Don't call me by my name!"

"Yes!"

...

Inside the swaying carriage, Sheng Lingge, Chan Yi, and Xin Zhuo sat facing each other.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Sheng Lingge's mouth. "The Crown Prince is intelligent and already has the demeanor of a prince. The Jiang family will prosper!"

"Don't praise me. I spend more on eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling than anyone else! Tell me, who is behind the assassination?"

Xin Zhuo impatiently tidied his annoying long hair. "I actually came here to enjoy myself. With all this going on, I have to consider whether I should continue to be a bandit!"

Chan Yi and Sheng Lingge exchanged a glance and hesitated for a while. "Anyone could be responsible!"

"What do you mean?" Xin Zhuo asked. Could it be that enemies of the Jiang family were everywhere?

Chan Yi said, "Before the Crown Prince's father, the Prince of Western Qin, wiped out three kingdoms in the Western Regions. The remnants of the three royal families have not been completely eradicated to this day. This is one reason.

Secondly, when the Crown Prince returns to the Jiang family, he will be the eldest grandson of the Jiang family and destined to control everything in the future. The 300,000 Qin army in the Western Regions, the students and former subordinates from all over the country, and the hidden forces... Many people in the court do not want to see this, even the highest-ranking person..."

"Enough!" Xin Zhuo interrupted.

Damn it, I came here to win easily, and now you're telling me there are a bunch of enemies and I have to continue to start a business?

But if I really turn back and stop playing, I feel a bit unwilling. Xin Zhuo frowned and said, "I just want to return to the Jiang family as soon as possible and have a good night's sleep, Sheng Lingge!"

"As you command!"

Xin Zhuo ordered, "I don't have the patience to dawdle on the road. You go ahead and have fifty identical carriages made in the capital city. Find fifty people who resemble me in appearance to disguise as me. It must be done quickly!"

"Good idea."

Sheng Lingge's eyes lit up, and he cupped his fist in salute. "Yes!"

He quickly got off the carriage.

Chan Yi looked at Xin Zhuo and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "The Crown Prince wants to use a fragmented plan to confuse the assassins?"

Xin Zhuo sneered, "This kind of childish strategy doesn't fit my style. You split up and escort the carriages properly. I will go to the capital city myself. In the capital city... let's say the East Gate. I'll wait for you!"

...

Early the next morning.

Yanzhou Prefecture.

At the moment when the four city gates opened, fifty identical carriages, each escorted by more than ten Iron Floating Guards, took a detour and continued forward.

Cui Ying'er, Murong Xiu, and others were also separated and confused.

However, Chan Yi and Sheng Lingge were escorting one of the carriages, heading towards the capital city.

Halfway through, Sheng Lingge couldn't help but open the curtain and take a look inside. He said to a trembling unfamiliar young man, "Crown Prince, rest assured!"

Then he turned to look at Chan Yi, his brows furrowed. "Great Master Chan Yi, who do you think did it? Those people are well-trained. We couldn't capture a single live one. They all had poison in their mouths. Clearly, they were all assassins!"

Chan Yi remained silent, seeming either unwilling to answer or already having some guesses.

Sheng Lingge lowered his head and pondered for a moment. "Then tell me, which carriage did the Crown Prince take? I'm really confused!"

Chanyi furrowed her brows, and after a long while, she said, "The Crown Prince has experienced so much, his vigilance is strong, and he has many ideas. Even I don't know which carriage he took, or if he took any at all!"

Sheng Lingge chuckled, "He's much better than the Second Young Master."

"...It's hard to say. When one is used to hardship and suddenly becomes wealthy and powerful, it's difficult to discern their true character. It has nothing to do with intelligence. I hope the Crown Prince is not that kind of person."

Chanyi sighed softly, "And, I regret it. We shouldn't have listened to him. I even suspect... if he might have turned back the way he came!"

Sheng Lingge widened his eyes involuntarily, "No, that can't be, right?"

...

"No, that can't be?"

On a small hill outside the city, two figures in black silently watched as dozens of carriages of the same style left the city through the four gates. One of them couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The person in front was dressed in black, still curvaceous, with a slender figure. Only a pair of long eyelashes were visible, and her bright eyes carried a hint of doubt. "Whose idea could this be?"

"I don't know!" the other person replied.

"..."

Ying Jianying pondered for a long time. She had come here under her master's orders and must not let Jiang Yuqing return to the capital alive.

But at this moment, the other party's casual scheme presented a great challenge.

"Since the other party has used this trick, it's probably not harmful to Jiang Yuqing. Inform them and send seven more skilled Great Masters. Don't let any of the carriages go... But let's investigate first before taking action. We can't make a big scene!"

"Yes!"

...

"Clang clang..."

A head suddenly popped out of a flatbed cart carrying hay in the north of the city. Who else could it be if not Xin Zhuo with his messy hair?

Fortunately, the cart was being pulled, and the cart driver didn't notice him.

He sat up, feeling a bit dazed. Suddenly, he remembered the scene from a few months ago when he dealt with the wanted posters from the martial world. Those martial arts experts pushing their own portraits.

At that time, he even swore that he would never ride a flatbed cart again. Who could have expected that he would go back on his word today?

Life is unpredictable, just like how a bandit from the martial world suddenly became a nobleman's son.

He looked at the cart driver and asked, "Do you know if there's a boat nearby that can take me to the capital directly by water?"

The cart driver didn't turn his head, "Isn't the Great Qing River right next to us? It's said that the Great Qing River can lead directly to the Bian Tong River near the capital, but the journey is too..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly realized, where did this person come from? He turned his head abruptly, but the cart was empty. After a moment of stunned silence, he shouted and ran away.

...

Xin Zhuo had already boarded a three-story stern boat, a type of boat used for long journeys on inland rivers. This was the seventh boat he had inquired about, conveniently heading towards the Bian Tong River near the capital.

The first floor was for boatmen, boat owners, ordinary people, and cargo. The second floor was for ordinary merchants and wealthy households, while the third floor consisted of separate elegant cabins, either for the extremely wealthy or for officials.

Xin Zhuo wasn't short of money, so he got a small third-floor cabin. The distance to the capital was still over a thousand miles, and it would probably take several days. He couldn't afford to neglect himself.

Lying on a low stool, he casually ate a few pastries and wondered if Cui Ying'er and the others following the carriages were in danger. He had been too preoccupied with himself. Hopefully, with their cunning, nothing would go wrong!

Just then, he heard someone singing on the deck, "The lonely sail fades in the distant blue sky, only the flowing Yangtze River is seen! On this journey to the capital, I must make a good future!"

"Great poem! Great poem!" someone chimed in.

"Truly an excellent piece of poetry. I didn't expect Young Master Fu to have such remarkable literary talent!" another woman's voice praised.

Xin Zhuo was greatly surprised. Li Bai's poem? Could it be that he had encountered a "kindred spirit"? He quickly rushed out of the cabin to take a look.

He saw four people standing on the deck, two young gentlemen and a young lady accompanied by a maid.

(End of this chapter)