Chapter 907: The Subordinate Saw Nothing

Xiao Yuanhang startled, what happened again? He lifted his head to look.

Tuan Tuan's little hand also stopped, and together with Xiao Ze they raised their eyes to look.

Only saw the butcher's mouth bleeding fresh blood, his body softly collapsing.

The Imperial Guard holding him felt his hand sink, actually couldn't hold on, the butcher slid to beside the golden palanquin.

Xiao Ze pressed Tuan Tuan's little face against his chest: "Don't look."

Tuan Tuan, however, looked blank, couldn't hear what he was saying.

She raised her head, pointed to her little ear, then pointed to her mouth, her mouth pouted, tears instantly welled up.

Xiao Ze stunned, Tuan Tuan this is, can't hear and can't speak?

He hurriedly patted her little back: "It's okay, Third Elder Brother will have Guo Taiyi come treat you when he returns."

After saying that he realized, Tuan Tuan can't hear!

Xiao Tuanzi's tears soaked his chest, he was at a loss, continuously lightly patting her back.

Xiao Yuanhang glanced at his daughter, his heart roughly guessed a few points.

Tuan Tuan just now in panic, must have leaked her qi again.

He stretched out his big hand, gently rubbed her head: "Your Highness, don't be anxious."

"This matter Guo Taiyi probably can't cure, after the grand ceremony ends, I will bring her back to the manor to rest a day, then she should be fine."

Xiao Ze's heart then relaxed a bit: "Then good, then good."

Hoof sounds came from far to near, three horses almost simultaneously halted beside the two.

Xiao Ningchen didn't let go of the reins, just jumped down from the horseback.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi even more directly leapt down from the horse: "Miss! What happened?"

"Tuan Tuan! Are you alright?"

Three voices collided together.

Tuan Tuan saw them, her little mouth pouted even more, feeling wronged to death.

Behind them hoof sounds rose again, everyone turned to look, Xiao Ran and Chen Hao also rushed over.

"Little dot! How did you run into Seventh Brother's arms?"

"Why are you crying, Tuan Tuan?"

The two jumped down from the horse, also surrounded over.

Xiao Ningchen reached out wanting to hug his sister.

Tuan Tuan opened her mouth, wanted to shout "Second Brother", but still couldn't make a sound.

She watched Second Brother's mouth moving, Xiao Er and Lu Qi's mouths also moving, everyone's mouths moving, yet she heard nothing in her ears.

Her little head drooped, she buried herself into Xiao Ze's chest, cried again, her little shoulders trembling with each sob.

Xiao Yuanhang glanced at them: "Someone assassinated."

Several people were all startled: "What?" They all turned their heads toward the golden palanquin.

"The incident happened too fast," Xiao Ze's voice low, his hand never stopped, lightly patting Tuan Tuan's back one by one, "It was Tuan Tuan who saved me."

"However, she herself also seems not to understand what happened."

"Now she can't speak, nor hear."

Xiao Ningchen's fists clenched making crackling sounds, Xiao Er's dark big face full of anger, Lu Qi's lips pressed into a thin line.

Xiao Ran rarely furrowed his brow, Chen Hao's face all black.

Xiao Yuanhang raised his hand and rubbed her little head: "You stay here guarding the Princess, I'll go check."

Just as he lifted his foot, "Father!" came hurried footsteps from behind.

Xiao Ningyuan and Xiao Ningxun ran, their robe corners flying, just arrived.

The two are civil officials, the sedan chair at the end of the procession, only hearing the thunder ahead did they realize something was wrong.

Seeing the Imperial Guard start clearing the way, they ducked out of the sedan and ran over.

Xiao Yuanhang glanced at them: "Xun Er come with me, you few, stay here guarding Tuan Tuan and the Princess."

"Yes!"

The two strode to beside the golden palanquin.

The Imperial Guard at this moment had already lifted the three assassins' corpses together.

Xiao Ningxun squatted, drew a dagger from his boot, used the tip to open one assassin's collar, examined carefully.

On those two, there was nothing else.

When it came to the butcher, the dagger touched something inside his close-fitting undergarment.

"Father," Xiao Ningxun said softly, "something is not right here."

He lightly flicked the blade, a piece of embroidered silk slipped out from the lining of the undergarment.

The silk's material was exquisite, utterly different from the butcher's coarse cloth short jacket.

On the silk was embroidered a double-layer peony, gold thread gathering the stamens, scarlet layered dye, exquisite embroidery.

Xiao Ningxun's heart startled, he raised his head to glance at his father.

Peony, king of flowers, is a pattern only the Empress may use.

Xiao Ningxun folded the silk neatly and put it into his lapel.

He then searched a moment more, confirmed nothing else, put the dagger back into his boot, and slowly rose.

Xiao Yuanhang's gaze swept over the faces of the Imperial Guard surrounding them.

Those few already had faces ashen.

They all saw it, as Imperial Guard they all understood.

I, the Prince, will only say it once.

Xiao Yuanhang's voice wasn't loud, yet it was enough to make the several Imperial Guard shiver at once: "As for today's matter, if you don't want to bring disaster upon your families, you had better keep your mouths shut; not a single word may be spread."

"Yes! Prince!" the few hurriedly bowed: "Your subordinate saw nothing!"

Xiao Yuanhang turned, strode toward Xiao Ze, and Xiao Ningxun followed closely behind.

Tuan Tuan was still curled in Xiao Ze's arms, his tiny body folded into a ball; his shoulders had stopped trembling, yet he still did not lift his head.

Xiao Yuanhang stood straight and bowed: "Crown Prince, please board the carriage; His Majesty should already be in the Palace, so the Imperial Carriage should not be kept waiting."

Xiao Ze nodded, cradling Tuan Tuan as he boarded the golden carriage.

He gently placed Xiao Tuanzi on his lap and straightened his back.

"Chen'er, Xiao Er, you stay on the left side of the golden carriage," Xiao Yuanhang turned onto his horse, "Ninth Prince, Chen Hao, you stay on the right side, Lu Qi behind!"

"Yes." The few said nothing, mounted their horses, and hurried to the side of the golden carriage.

Xiao Ningchen and Xiao Er pressed close to the left side, their right hands resting on their sword hilts.

Xiao Ran and Chen Hao guarded the right side, one ahead of the other, continuously scanning the crowd on the street.

Lu Qi clutched the reins in his left hand, squeezed an iron lotus in his right, and kept watch at the rear.

Xiao Yuanhang looked toward the Imperial Guard commander beside him and said, "Send the order down: the civilians must not be driven away."

"The Crown Prince's investiture should be celebrated together with all the people."

"Yes!"

The Imperial Guard withdrew their long halberds that had blocked the people; the civilians on the street exchanged glances and gradually surged forward again.

The people ahead did not know what had happened behind them, and they continued to wait with hopeful anticipation.

The procession moved forward slowly, and when the people saw the golden carriage, the cheers rose again.

Xiao Ze patted Tuan Tuan's small hand and pointed at the civilians on both sides.

Xiao Tuanzi finally lifted his head, his small hand clutching his collar, and began looking around.

The ministers who dismounted quickly turned and remounted, and the civil officials who had abandoned the sedan chair slipped back into it.

The long procession restored order and marched grandly toward the Palace.