Chapter 122: Under Attack

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

The carriage traveled along the dim streets of Yancheng; the commoners on the road, seeing it was the guards of Yan Wang, stepped aside one after another, watching the carriage pass with smiles on their faces.

Life within Yancheng had fully recovered, and their fear of the Northern Di had vanished into thin air because of this battle.

Vaguely, they felt in their hearts that as long as Yan Wang was there, he could defeat the Northern Di again.

Xu Lie accompanied the carriage at its side.

The lazy hawking of vendors and the laughter of young children chasing and playing could be heard from time to time.

Now, Yancheng did not look at all like it had just experienced a great battle.

"Your Highness Yan Wang, watch out!"

Just at this moment, a cry of alarm suddenly rang out.

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Xu Lie's back.

He looked toward the sound and saw a vendor who had been selling goods by the roadside suddenly pounce on a person dressed as a commoner pushing a wheelbarrow.

At that moment, the carriage was right in the center of the intersection.

He hurriedly looked around and discovered that from the other three directions of the intersection, such "commoners" pushing carts were also rushing over, surrounding them.

Their carts were covered with straw; as they rushed over, they picked up Fire Tinder, blew them alight, and threw them onto the carts, which immediately caught fire.

"Protect His Highness!" Xu Lie shouted, jumped off his horse, grabbed the carriage driver's reins, and whipped them fiercely.

The horses let out a neigh and immediately accelerated.

Xu Lie didn't even think; he charged directly toward the direction of the "commoner" who had been pounced on by the vendor.

The carriage had galloped less than thirty meters when suddenly three loud "Boom" sounds rang out.

The sound was so loud that his ears were shaken with pain.

At the same time, a massive force spread through the air like lightning.

He only felt himself and the carriage tilt, and his whole body fell to the ground.

"Your Highness!" Xu Lie was so terrified his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

He hurriedly scrambled up and lifted the carriage curtain, only to see Yan Wang's eyes open and dazed, with a hint of clarity; this made him catch his breath.

"Protect His Highness!" Xu Lie shouted again.

The guards who had charged over with him were mostly lying on the ground at this moment.

Their horses had been startled and had thrown them to the ground.

The guards climbed up and came to Xu Lie's side, forming a circle around the carriage.

Xu Lie looked toward the source of the explosion.

That place was a scene of utter devastation.

The doors and windows of the shops near the explosion had been completely blown off, and some were still emitting blue smoke.

The vendor who had pounced on the attacker was clutching his ears in pain, while the attacker lay on the ground, dead or alive unknown.

Seeing such a tragic sight, Xu Lie's palms broke out in even more sweat.

If it weren't for that vendor pouncing on one person in time, and the carriage being squeezed in the middle by the four people pushing carts, Yan Wang would surely have died.

As Zhao Xu's personal guard, he knew that the vendor was not an ordinary commoner, but a member of the intelligence agency established by Yan Wang.

He was responsible for overt protection, while they were responsible for covert protection.

The loud noise was heard throughout Yancheng.

Before long, a troop of Cavalry came galloping over and stopped in front of the carriage.

They were the Personal Army soldiers responsible for guarding the city.

Xu Lie breathed a sigh of relief.

He had not dared to leave Yan Wang, fearing that the attackers would launch another assault while taking advantage of the chaos.

Now that a large number of soldiers had arrived, he lifted the carriage curtain again to confirm if Yan Wang was injured.

Unexpectedly, just as he poked his head in, he saw Zhao Xu staring at him with his eyes open, exhaling a breath of Wine, and saying softly, "Cry! Cry loudly!"

Xu Lie understood and let out a wail, "Your Highness... Your Highness..."

While crying, he poked his head out and beat his chest and stamped his feet.

Seeing Xu Lie like this, the guards all thought Yan Wang was dead; their faces turned deathly pale, and one by one, they began to cry.

The soldiers who arrived, seeing the guards like this, had some guesses in their hearts; some soldiers immediately shed tears, sobbing and wailing.

The shell-shocked commoners, seeing the guards and soldiers like this, were all stunned.

They suddenly felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Some commoners knelt on the ground, wailing loudly, "Your Highness Yan Wang, you cannot die..."

"Your Highness Yan Wang."

"..."

Xu Lie covered his face and cried for a while, then ordered the guards to lift the carriage, and without caring about others, drove the carriage toward the Prince's Mansion.

Returning to the Prince's Mansion, he drove the carriage straight into the courtyard.

At this time, Zhao Xu opened the carriage door and stepped down lightly.

The guards who had been crying the whole way were suddenly as if stupefied.

What on earth was going on?

Zhao Xu tried hard to control his footsteps; the effects of the Wine were still there, and he could not fully control his body, but the explosion had cleared his mind.

Damn it, how ruthless, to actually use explosives on him in ancient times.

How much must this person want him dead?

If he had been at the center of the explosion, he would probably have been blown to pieces by now.

At the same time, he should also be grateful for the Black Gunpowder of this era.

This is the most primitive Black Gunpowder, and its power is not very great.

Otherwise, he would have kicked the bucket.

"Do not let word of my current situation out; just let them think I am dead," Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes.

He had decided to fake his death the moment he regained consciousness.

This way, he could see who would be the first to make a move against Yan Commandery; the one who could not wait would naturally be the prime suspect and would easily reveal their true colors.

At the same time, he had his own considerations; over the past few months, he had employed many people to fill the Government Office and the military, and he did not yet know how loyal these people were.

And by faking his death, those with ulterior motives would surely take action.

In a moment, he would have the Flame Guard monitor the entire commandery.

It was not that he was narrow-minded, but as Yan Wang, standing in this position, he sometimes had to be as cunning and cautious as a fox.

Only in this way could he eradicate the hidden dangers of Yan Commandery while they were still in their infancy.

"Yes, Your Highness," Xu Lie and the guards replied.

As soon as Zhao Xu arrived, Feng'er and Luan'er had already come out to welcome him.

Seeing that Yan Wang reeked of Wine but was in decent spirits, their hearts settled.

"Your Highness, what happened just now?" Feng'er asked.

The sound from just a moment ago was like a thunderclap, and they had heard it clearly.

"Let's talk once we are back in the bedchamber." With the danger passed and his tense nerves relaxing, the effects of the Wine once again took hold of Zhao Xu's brain.

He flashed a mischievous grin, wrapped his arms around both of them, and walked toward the back courtyard, drawing a series of coquettish scolds from the two.

After Zhao Xu returned.

Xu Lie said to a guard, "You go immediately to the place of the explosion and see if the attacker is dead."

The person protecting Yan Wang had not died, but he did not know if the other person was dead.

North Camp.

After Chang Wei heard the news of Zhao Xu's attack, his drunkenness instantly vanished.

After ordering someone to splash cold water to wake up Lv Chang and the others, he hurried to the Prince's Mansion.

But upon reaching the entrance, he was stopped by Xu Lie.

"How is His Highness?" Chang Wei asked with a look of anxiety.

Xu Lie sighed and shook his head.

Chang Wei's face turned pale in an instant, and he plopped down onto the ground, wailing loudly.

The alcohol was still driving him; at this moment, he suddenly drew the Long Sword at his waist and placed it against his neck, "His Highness is dead, there is no longer a wise ruler in the world; there is no use in me living!"

Xu Lie was startled and rushed to snatch the sword away.

Chen Hu and Lv Chang also helped, and Lv Chang said, "General, wait until we have buried His Highness, then it will not be too late for us to go together to the underworld to follow His Highness."

Chang Wei let out a loud cry and beat his chest and stamped his feet again.

Just at this moment, Liu Fu walked out from inside, with fresh blood still on his head.

Standing at the entrance, he wore a helpless expression and said to Chang Wei, "Come in, go see His Highness first."

Then, he touched his head, wincing in pain.

He had arrived earlier than Chang Wei, and after mistakenly believing that Yan Wang was truly dead, he was filled with great sorrow and wanted to dash his head against the wall to prove his loyalty.

Fortunately, Xu Lie had pulled him back, and he only ended up with a bump.

Xu Lie had no choice but to explain Yan Wang's plan.

He was just about to go see Yan Wang, never expecting that Chang Wei would also pull such a stunt.

Seeing Liu Fu's calm expression, Chang Wei immediately felt something was off; he sheathed his sword and entered the Prince's Mansion.