Chapter 999: Chapter 837, Luo Qiong Dies

Daohua quickly pulled Beijing’s Prince into the throng of people; Xiao Yechi had entered Beijing, no doubt with men who were probably scattered around. All she could do now was to ensure her and the Beijing Prince’s safety and avoid capture.

Yet she worried if Xiao Yeyang would fail to receive the message promptly, so she shouted once more, “The Eight Princes’ Party’s son is in the carriage!” And after yelling, she dragged Beijing’s Prince and ran headlong into the bustling crowd.

From the moment the carriage door was pushed open to their dashing out and the loud yell, it all happened in an instant. By the time Xiao Yechi’s men and those following in another carriage, like Mei Lan and Huai En, reacted, Daohua and Beijing’s Prince had already been swallowed by the crowd.

“No good!”

Mei Lan, Mei Ju, and Xiao Yechi’s men simultaneously changed expression.

Mei Lan and Mei Ju leaped down from the carriage and swiftly chased in the direction Daohua and Beijing’s Prince had gone, while some of Xiao Yechi’s men pursued Daohua and Beijing’s Prince, and others rushed to Xiao Yechi.

The commoners of Beijing were to a greater or lesser extent informed about palace affairs, and the mention of the ‘Eight Princes’ immediately stirred them into commotion. This successfully bought some escape time for Daohua and Beijing’s Prince.

On the carriage, Xiao Yechi, who had been hit with anesthetic and Soft Muscle Powder, could only signal hurriedly with his eyes that his men should bolt out of the city immediately. Realizing their whereabouts were exposed, Xiao Yechi’s men dared not stay any longer–quickly loading the box that contained Xiao Yechen onto the carriage, they drove towards the city gates at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, Daohua had led Beijing’s Prince into an alleyway. Seeing Mei Lan, Mei Ju, and Huai Zhong catch up, they both couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, before they could relax completely, they saw Xiao Yechi’s men catching up.

Quickly, Mei Lan and her two companions engaged with Xiao Yechi’s men in combat. Xiao Yechi had more men, and Mei Lan’s trio couldn’t hold them all back, letting two assailants move towards Daohua and Beijing’s Prince.

Daohua positioned herself in front of Beijing’s Prince, taking out her slingshot to shoot at the two men. Beijing’s Prince, moved by seeing Daohua defend him, gestured with his hand, and suddenly two Hidden Guards descended from above rapidly towards Xiao Yechi’s men.

“Father, you have Hidden Guards?”

Beijing’s Prince dignifiedly nodded, “As a prince, I indeed have them.”

Daohua eased up a bit, “Then why didn’t you call them out earlier?”

Beijing’s Prince, speechless, retorted, “You never gave me the chance.”

Daohua: “…” Was it her fault?

With the Hidden Guards joining, Mei Lan was freed up and swiftly retreated to Daohua and Beijing’s Prince’s side, vigilantly watching their surroundings.

Safety now assured, Beijing’s Prince felt at ease to inquire, “How did you know Yechen was impersonated by Xiao Yechi? Where did the real Yechen go?”

Daohua’s eyes flickered, “I guess… Xiao Yechen is likely locked in the box behind the carriage.” Then she added quickly, “I didn’t fail to save him, though–I already pushed him off the carriage. In such an urgent situation, I could only look out for you first.”

Beijing’s Prince was stunned, but he didn’t blame Daohua, worried that Xiao Yechen might be in danger, he urgently shouted to the Hidden Guards, “Quickly finish these men off and go save Yechen.”

The Hidden Guards, upon receiving orders, became even more ruthless.

A quarter-hour passed, and all of Xiao Yechi’s men were down. The two Hidden Guards wanted to stay, but an anxious Beijing’s Prince said, “What are you waiting for–go save Yechen. I’ve got Huai Zhong here, and I’ve got Yan, right? Nothing will happen to me.”

Only then did the two Hidden Guards leave.

…

After Xiao Yeyang received the message from Yan Ying, he immediately sent word to the Commander, Xiu Xiangchen, instructing him to close the city gates.

Thanks to Daohua’s shout about “The Eight Princes’ Party’s son is on the carriage,” the Jinling Guard and patrolling city Guard rapidly converged in that area.

“Master, something’s gone wrong–the city gates are closed.”

Xiao Yechi’s men, driving the carriage, ran to four city gates and were unable to exit the city.

The effect of the Soft Muscle Powder was too strong; Xiao Yechi could only move his fingers even with his inner strength being activated.

His underlings parked the carriage in a secluded corner, opened the carriage door, and reported to Xiao Yechi, “Master, we have to abandon the carriage. The Jinling Guard and the patrolling city Guard are about to find us.”

Another subordinate thought for a moment and said, “I’ll keep driving the carriage to draw their attention. You take the master and escape. Try to find a way out of the city.”

With that, he walked to the back of the carriage and brought Xiao Yechen out from the box.

“Master, the Jinling Guard must all know by now that you were pretending to be Xiao Yechen. Just let him lead people away,” one of Xiao Yeyang’s servants suggested.

Xiao Yechi glanced at Luo Qiong, showed no reaction, and then nodded.

His subordinates immediately stepped forward, lifted Xiao Yechi on their backs, and under the protection of others, quickly left the area.

Watching Xiao Yechi’s retreating figure, the light in Luo Qiong’s eyes gradually dimmed.

“Bang!”

Xiao Yeyang was thrust into the carriage, and those who remained closed the door swiftly, careening the carriage through the streets.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Yeyang, with his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged, struggled fiercely until he managed to spit out the cloth in his mouth.

He gave Luo Qiong, who slumped beside him, only a fleeting glance. Knowing his life was on the line, he wisely refrained from arguing with Luo Qiong at this moment and instead focused on freeing himself.

Not long after, the carriage suddenly came to a screeching halt, tossing Xiao Yeyang and Luo Qiong into a heap. Before they could regain their seats, the carriage whipped around in a U-turn, then sped off again.

This happened several times.

Xiao Yeyang and Luo Qiong couldn’t see what was happening outside but could guess that they were being pursued.

“Stop the carriage, or we’ll release the arrows!”

The Emperor had not specified that Xiao Yeyang had to be taken alive.

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang’s face blanched, and he redoubled his efforts to gnaw through the ropes binding his hands.

Xiao Yechi’s men paid no heed, driving the carriage straight toward the checkpoint blockaded by the city patrol guards.

“Release the arrows!”

…

Xiao Yeyi arrived at the scene only after confirming that Daohua and Prince Pingxi were safe. By the time he got there, the carriage had already been forced to halt.

Xiao Yechi’s men lay on the ground, pierced like porcupines with arrows, and there was no sound from inside the carriage.

The Hidden Guard sent by Prince Pingxi to rescue Xiao Yeyang were the first to rush toward the carriage, heading straight for the trunk at its rear. Finding it empty, they then opened the carriage door.

Upon opening the door, everyone’s expression changed.

Xiao Yeyi furrowed his brows as he approached, seeing Xiao Yeyang holding Luo Qiong in front of him as a shield. Without even asking, he knew that the man before him was not Xiao Yechi. Without a word, he turned around and left.

“Xiao Yechi has escaped. The city gates must not be opened!”

“Eldest Young Master.”

Xiao Yeyang looked up at the Hidden Guard, knowing they had been sent by Prince Pingxi to save him, and then quickly pushed Luo Qiong away, scrambling out of the carriage as if fleeing.

“Take me back to the Prince Residence!”

Xiao Yeyang was helped away by two Hidden Guards, never once looking back at Luo Qiong, who lay there side having been struck by several arrows.

…

At Prince Pingxi’s Residence.

After his return, Xiao Yeyang secluded himself in the Chen Courtyard, refusing to see anyone except the physician.

Upon learning of Luo Qiong’s death, Prince Pingxi was stunned for a moment before heading to Pingxi Hall to find Daohua: “Yan girl, tell me the truth. What exactly happened with Yeyang and Luo Qiong? How did they get involved with Xiao Yechi?”

After dismissing her maids, Daohua began to speak: “The child in Luo Qiong’s womb was not the eldest brother’s, but Xiao Yechi’s. The Princess Consort was killed by Luo Qiong and Xiao Yechi after she discovered this.”

Hearing this, Prince Pingxi was left speechless, taking a long time to come to his senses.

At that moment, a servant reported that the patrol guard had delivered Luo Qiong’s body to the Prince Residence.

Furious, Prince Pingxi said: “The Prince Residence has no need for such dishonorable…”

“Father!”

Daohua interrupted him: “Father, it’s best not to publicize this matter, lest our Prince Residence becomes a laughingstock in Beijing.”

Prince Pingxi, in a fit of rage, replied: “Do you mean to let Luo Qiong enter our family shrine?”

Daohua countered: “Of course not. Send her back to the Duke Residence. Luo Qiong’s interactions with Xiao Yechi were because the Duke Residence is allied with the Eight Princes Party. This matter is bound to come to light soon. By sending Luo Qiong back, we show there is a reason for this outcome.”

Prince Pingxi nodded and motioned for the butler to make it so.