Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

133. Assassinating the Crown Prince

Translator: Flying Lines

Yun Hui walked through the streets and alleys of the imperial city alone.

The soldiers he passed on the roads were all running here and there, yet not one of them would notice Yun Hui.

Yun Hui looked like an ordinary person. Also, the frightened civilians and the wrecked stalls were all near the imperial city’s entrance. If he walked closer towards that area, he would find that many of the citizen’s properties hadn’t been trampled on and that this area was still in a relatively stable state.

Thus, Yun Hui walked through these streets and alleys without the slightest obstruction.

He entered an inn and collected a cloth-wrapped bundle from a member of the sixteen guards, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, and placed it onto his back.

Yun Hui walked out of the inn and blocked the way of some passing soldiers with a simple and honest expression on his face.

“What is it?” Because they had just arrived in the imperial city, Ju Liandao’s soldiers were all excited and were naturally extremely friendly. Towards someone like Yun Hui, who looked like an ordinary commoner, these soldiers were all smiles.

Yun Hui touched his head and revealed an extremely honest smile. He laughed, “I heard that His Highness has arrived in the imperial city. I want to see him, and be touched by His Highness’s blessing so that I can marry a virtuous wife this year.”

Hearing this, the soldiers all laughed. There were indeed many citizens they had met whilst walking through the streets who wanted to see His Highness personally. So, they didn’t suspect anything and told Yun Hui, “His Highness is at the immortal’s temple two hundred meters to the east of the palace. But there are also a lot of citizens who are rushing there after they heard the news, so I can’t guarantee that you’ll have a spot there.”

“Great. Thanks.” Yun Hui simpered. His eyes were full of coolness and calmness. It wasn’t something that an ordinary citizen would have. Also, no matter how harmless he looked, people would find him different because of his many years of practicing martial arts. However, the soldiers were either sent to chase Lan Buhui’s escaping army or to maintain order. Some were also responsible for investigating. Because they all had their own responsibilities, they didn’t have the time to care about Yun Hui, who was pretending to be an ordinary citizen.

In the imperial city’s immortal temple, Su Jie worshipped the immortal. When he left the temple, he saw that many people had gathered outside.

War-honed soldiers guarded the perimeter with cool expressions, not letting the citizens near the temple.

Seeing Su Jie come out, not only did the citizens not kneel, they enthusiastically stared at the golden flower on Su Jie’s face, shouting ‘the immortal has appeared!’ and other things along that line.

The immortal’s temple in the imperial city was the largest in State Yanling.  More than ten years ago, Lan Buhui once ordered for people to wreck this temple as well as the immortal’s effigy. However, the citizens of the imperial city didn’t comply with the order. They surrounded the palace and wailed for a good half a day to the point where the palace’s guards killed quite a lot of people. However, in this way, instead of the number of citizens decreasing, more and more people from outside the palace gathered. Having no other way, Lan Buhui sent people to restore the temple and make a new effigy of the immortal.

Many people visited the immortal’s temple, and the folk custom of State Yanling was pure, kind, and filial. They all cherished the memory of the immortal who saved many people hundreds of years ago so that they could live a peaceful and happy life. As time went by, this gratitude turned into a kind of religion, which they all believed in with all their hearts.

The citizens believed that the immortal still existed and that the immortal’s descendants would ascend into the immortal’s realm to accompany the immortal after death.

And now that they have personally seen the immortal’s descendant stood in the streets, alive, the citizens were all naturally very excited. After shouting for a while, they all rushed to kneel towards Su Jie, and the things they all said were slightly incoherent. Many citizens’ eyes were glistening with tears, and said things like ‘His Highness has finally returned’.

Xiao Shengnian, who had been following Su Jie, was also slightly shocked. Even though he had seen scenes of citizens kowtowing before, he had never seen such a… messy kowtowing scene.

There was no organization between the citizens. They were only mumbling the things they wanted to say, but they didn’t care whether Su Jie could hear them or not. There was even a young man shouting at the top of his lungs to ask Su Jie to bless his wife so that she could give birth to a chubby baby the next year…

Xiao Shengnian, who had extremely sensitive senses, heard what the citizens said in detail and discovered that these people were praying to Su Jie for their family’s happiness, for their children’s intelligence and martial arts, and so on…

Xiao Shengnian’s expression was a little strange. He turned to look at Su Jie. For a brief moment, Xiao Shengnian was speechless.

He had known Su Jie for such a long time, but he only discovered today that the handsome young man was treated like a god by these citizens.

To Xiao Shengnian, the voices of the praying citizens were all ignorant. He didn’t believe in the immortal, because he didn’t live in this country. In State Yanling’s schools, the first lesson they teach was about the immortal’s achievements back in the days. This kind of faith, which came from deep within the heart, was already deeply embedded into this country.

There was even ‘Records of the Immortal’ in circulation in State Yanling. The book was recorded by the immortal’s son. ‘Records of the Immortal’ talked about the immortal’s mysterious and profound methods, as well as things the immortal once said.

“Su Jie.” Xiao Shengnian said with a few traces of impatience. His eyes swept over the kowtowing citizens and he only felt his head ring. His scalp became numb. Xiao Shengnian liked quietness. He was very rarely in such noisy places. He frowned and walked close towards Su Jie.

Su Jie maintained a small smile as he looked over the civilians. The moment he heard Xiao Shengnian talk, he turned around suspiciously and asked, “What is it?”

“Make them quiet. They’re so noisy, they’re making me annoyed.” Xiao Shengnian raised a hand to rub at his temples, his face full of helplessness.

“Sure.” Su Jie also let out a sigh. Even though he was calm, he didn’t like the feeling of people worshipping him. Su Jie had always thought himself to be an ordinary person. He couldn’t bear the pious worshipping of these civilians. If Xiao Shengnian hadn’t been standing beside Su Jie, giving him the feeling that there was someone sharing the pressure with him, Su Jie probably would have buckled under the pressure and escaped from here.

Su Jie cleared his throat, and said with a clear voice, “Please be quiet, everyone.”

Once he finished talking, the civilians who were originally praying suddenly became silent. Their attention was already on Su Jie. Now that they heard Su Jie speak, all of them looked at Su Jie with shining eyes.

“My ancestor, the immortal, showed sympathy for the people, commanded all kinds of beasts and expanded the territory so that the Su family line was able to continue. The dynasty of the present is in ruins, and everything is waiting for prosperity. As a member of the Su family, I will live up to my ancestors and everyone’s expectations. I will let State Yanling prosper!” Su Jie said in a loud voice.

Su Jie hadn’t read many books. He had only crammed some knowledge about State Yanling after he met Zhou Zaiyue, and it was finally useful now that he managed to string up some words that sounded elegant and generous.

The civilians all listened to Su Jie with perked-up ears.

Facing so many expectant gazes, Su Jie coughed. Just as he planned to say something else, the hairs on his body stood on ends, and goosebumps erupted upon his skin. A kind of oncoming danger made Su Jie feel suddenly alert.

It felt like he was doused from head to feet in cold water. It also felt like he being stared upon by a ferocious beast.

Many years of having to walk the line between life and death had made Su Jie abnormally sensitive to danger. His gaze turned severe and sharp, just like an unsheathed sword. His body was tense; a shocking amount of power could explode out of him at any moment. His eyes and ears were sensitive to the strange things in his surroundings, not letting anything suspicious go.

A noise of ripping through air sounded, followed by the whooshing of the wind. But he only saw an arrow flying towards him!

Su Jie’s eyes froze slightly, and his body already dodged subconsciously. With the sound of the wind, the arrow grazed Su Jie’s left arm and pierced into the red pillar that was behind Su Jie.

At the same time, a second arrow followed.

Just like Su Jie’s actions were predicted, the second arrow’s angle and aim were aiming at Su Jie’s heart.

The civilians seemed to have forgotten to breathe for a moment.

Someone actually dared to try to assassinate His Highness the crown prince in broad daylight!

Under the increasingly astonished gazes of the masses, Su Jie once again avoided the second arrow.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, so quick that people couldn’t even think. Su Jie swore in a low voice. His body’s flexibility was exceptionally good, but after dodging two arrows, the injury on his right leg gradually increased in pain whenever he tried to circulate his inner energy. His leg buckled, causing Su Jie to almost fall down.

At that time, the Hengduanchang from before became Su Jie’s fatal weakest point.

A third arrow followed,

This arrow used up the last of Yun Hui’s energy.

The corners of Yun Hui’s lips curled into an extremely cold smile. He was very confident in his three arrows, so he didn’t pay attention to the result of these arrows. Instead, he looked in the direction of the courtyard dwelling Lan Buhui lived in and said silently in his heart, “Farewell, Your Majesty.”

Then, Yun Hui circulated his inner energy and ran in the direction opposite to the courtyard dwelling.