The next morning, the entire village bid Chen Laodie a final farewell.
She, the Empress, did not bury him with the highest rites, and it was the first time she personally carried the coffin for an ordinary citizen.
On the way back, Zhao Jiaqi brought Chen Yusheng with her. Chen’s family was left with only this one person. Unexpectedly, their carriage was attacked by assassins, and the surging crowd engulfed their carriage.
Assassination in broad daylight! Zhao Jiaqi was furious. Before she could seek revenge, these people were practically delivering themselves. Perfect, one would come, she would kill one; two would come, she would kill a pair.
Seeing this, Shi He guarded the carriage. Long Yi, whose martial arts were superior to his own, was sent to deal with the attackers.
As soon as the fight began, Fan Zehao arrived with his men. The assassins were caught in a pincer attack, and they became meat paste.
After a fierce battle, few of the assassins remained. Bodies lay scattered on the ground, and blood flowed like a river.
A thick smell of blood permeated the air, nauseating.
“Capture them alive.” Fan Zehao looked at the remaining few and felt it was enough. Capturing them alive would allow them to interrogate who wanted to take the lives of the imperial couple.
In fact, there was no need to interrogate. Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi both knew who was behind it, but without concrete evidence, they could not add another charge to his already unjust crimes.
Hearing that they were to be captured alive, and seeing the dire situation, the assassins immediately took poison and committed suicide. The poison was hidden in their teeth and difficult to detect.
It was too late by the time they realized they were going to poison themselves.
Zhao Jiaqi, about to step out of the carriage, was stopped by Chen Yusheng. He shook his head, “Don’t look. They are all dead. There’s nothing to see, and it will only defile your eyes!”
He had seen dead people in the village.
At that time, only three villagers had died, but the blood on the ground, and the villagers who died with their eyes open, were deeply imprinted in his memory. He dared not close his eyes, for as soon as he did, those images would surface.
Therefore, he had experienced it and did not wish for the Empress to go through it. A woman, no matter how high her status, had limited psychological resilience. And the smell of blood outside was so strong; one could tell many people had died outside without looking.
Outside the carriage, Fan Zehao had his subordinates completely clean up the bodies and search them for any distinguishing marks. After finishing, he boarded the carriage. Upon seeing Chen Yusheng also inside, a strange expression flickered in his eyes.
He had heard about Chen Laodie’s passing that morning. For Chen Yusheng, it was the loss of a father; for them, it was the loss of a good commoner. For both of them, the loss of Chen Laodie was truly a great pity.
“I apologize, Your Majesty, for not protecting your father well. But I will give you an explanation and avenge Chen Laodie, so he does not die with grievances!” Fan Zehao said in a low, hoarse voice.
Chen Yusheng nodded. He believed these words. He then turned his head towards the window, reminiscing about the past. Whenever he came home, his father would grumble and pick quarrels, verbally telling him to eat less, but in reality, he always served the largest portion for him.
From now on, he would be alone in the house. No one would nag him, no one would urge him to work, and at night, he would no longer hear snoring.
The trees outside the window flashed by rapidly. His mind was blank. He didn’t know where his future path lay or where he should go. He felt his future was uncertain!
Hedong Prefecture, Zhao Qing Sui’s residence.
Sun Mo had been waiting at the residence early. As Shi He drove the carriage to a stop, he stepped forward.
Seeing a stranger on the carriage besides the Emperor and Empress, Sun Mo swallowed the greeting he was about to utter.
He changed his words, “My Lord, your subordinate has investigated everything. The items have been handed over to Guard Feng. Please review them!”
Fan Zehao glanced at him and nodded in acknowledgment. He then gave him another task: “Yesterday evening, an assassination occurred in Shangmen Village in Qu Yang Town. This morning, the Empress was also attacked on her way back from Shangmen Village. Investigate this thoroughly and find out who is behind it. I want you to solve this case as quickly as possible.”
Upon hearing that the Empress had been assassinated, Sun Mo instinctively asked, “Did the assassins have a leopard head tattoo on their left arm?”
“Yes!”
Sun Mo let out a cold sneer. He didn’t even need to investigate; he knew whose men they were. “Your Majesty, these are people kept by someone in the capital. Your subordinate believes that this assassination was not simply meant to kill the Empress. Your Majesty and the Empress should be extremely cautious.”
Minister of Justice, Wang Wenquan!!!
Truly impressive. Before he could seek him out, the other party had already made a move. If he and his wife were to die, wouldn't this Minister of Justice rest easy?
Dream on!
Zhao Jiaqi listened to their conversation and felt a chill. She asked Sun Mo, “Do you know where these assassins usually reside?”
“I do. These people hide in a village outside the city. After a plague occurred there years ago, the village was abandoned, and they took it over. They also spread rumors that the village was haunted, so villagers who wanted to return later lost that thought!” Sun Mo said.
These details were discovered by Shen Teng’s investigation, and he had personally inspected the site. The village did have quite a few people, but they were reclusive. If they went out, they would disguise themselves.
Fan Zehao narrowed his eyes. “Good, very good. Then I shall see whether he destroys me, or I destroy him!”
Immediately, he leaned down and whispered something into Sun Mo’s ear. Sun Mo nodded from time to time and then bowed and retreated.
For lunch, Zhao Jiaqi looked at the table full of delicacies but had no appetite at all.
“I have no appetite. Take it away. I’ll eat when I’m hungry!”
Seeing that his wife hadn’t touched a single dish, Su Ya knew she was upset. Silently, she had the dishes removed and replaced them with fruits. She persuaded, “Madam, please eat a little. If you are upset because of Chen Laodie’s matter, then wouldn’t Chen Laodie’s spirit in heaven be unsettled! That was not his intention!”
Su Ya was very good at comforting people. Zhao Jiaqi felt it made sense. How could she avenge Chen Laodie without a good body?
She closed her eyes and ate a hurried meal.
In the afternoon, the special commander arrived with two squads.
Fan Zehao felt a lot more at ease seeing the special forces soldiers. He said, “You arrived quite quickly!”
Special Commander: “Your subordinate maintained a distance of fifty li from Your Majesty. Thus, as soon as Your Majesty summoned, your subordinate could arrive as quickly as possible!”
Having such subordinates saved him a lot of trouble!
“Follow Sun Mo and eliminate all those assassins. Do not let a single one escape. Capture a few alive!”
The special commander bowed and said, “Your subordinate obeys.”