Chapter 1068 - 453: Ninth Prince
Xiang Wei hurriedly rushed back to the An Mansion upon hearing the news.
When Yueyao saw Xiang Wei, she grasped Xiang Wei’s hand and asked, "What’s going on? How did Tingzheng get injured? What exactly happened?"
Xiang Wei’s expression was grim as well: "An assassin appeared at the Travel Palace. The assassin was targeting the Ninth Prince. Tingzheng happened to be there and got injured trying to save the Ninth Prince."
Yueyao quickly asked, "Is it serious? Is there any danger to his life?"
Xiang Wei didn’t hide anything from Yueyao and told her what she knew: "Tingzheng’s injury is not in a critical spot. There are Imperial Physicians at the Travel Palace and enough medicinal supplies, so there won’t be any danger to his life." Since the Empress was at the Travel Palace for health recovery, she must have brought Imperial Physicians and medicinal supplies. Tingzheng got injured for the Ninth Prince, and the Empress will surely be grateful.
Yueyao relaxed upon hearing that Tingzheng’s life was not in danger, but soon she was worried again. How unlucky must one be to encounter an assassin attempting a royal assassination? Is there any worse luck than this?
Xiang Wei, however, thought Tingzheng was extremely lucky: "Saving a Prince is a tremendous credit, the Emperor will surely reward Tingzheng when he returns." Unlike Yueyao, Xiang Wei felt that getting injured was a minor issue for someone practicing martial arts, as long as it wasn’t in a critical spot. She herself had suffered countless injuries and bore many scars.
Yueyao said helplessly, "How is this a good thing? It’s nothing but trouble. I wanted her to be far away from the Imperial Forest Army, which is a place full of conflicts!"
Xiang Wei wondered aloud, "Why on earth would you want Tingzheng to leave the Imperial Forest Army?"
Yueyao dared not mention that the Crown Prince would die next year, heightening the Princes’ rivalry: "I just feel that entering service through the imperial examinations would be more straightforward."
Xiang Wei thought Yueyao was being foolish from reading too much. There’s a shortcut, but she insists on doing things the hard way: "Even if you want that, Tingzheng wouldn’t agree. Moreover, now that Tingzheng has saved the Ninth Prince, he’s already caught the Emperor’s attention."
Yueyao’s feelings were very bad.
An Zhichen didn’t return that night but went to the Travel Palace with others to bring the Empress back to the palace. Yueyao was also anxious because of Tingzheng’s injury.
Three days later, Tingzheng returned.
Seeing Tingzheng walk in on his own, not carried as she had feared, really put Yueyao at ease.
Tingzheng didn’t wait for Yueyao to ask but recounted the events of that day himself. By Tingzheng’s account, it was mere luck, happening to cross paths with the assassin targeting the Ninth Prince, and having seen it, he naturally didn’t shrink back, immediately stepping forward to help: "Sis, brother-in-law used to say my Kung Fu wasn’t good enough, but after fighting with two assassins, I feel my Kung Fu isn’t worse than theirs!" An Zhichen’s standard was what made him comment on Tingzheng’s Martial Skills negatively.
Yueyao was puzzled: "What about the Ninth Prince’s guards?" It’s known that each Prince has guards by their side, carefully selected, their martial skills certainly exceptional, so how did it come that it fell on Tingzheng?
Tingzheng responded, "For some unknown reason, the Ninth Prince only had one close attendant with him at the time, and no guards, allowing the assassins to take advantage of the situation."
Yueyao thought the matter wasn’t so simple.
Tingzheng also knew there was likely more behind the incident, but he didn’t want Yueyao to worry, so he spoke casually: "Sis, I’m alright now!" Maybe there’s a blessing in disguise, he might get promoted soon.
Yueyao shared her thoughts with Tingzheng.
As Xiang Wei anticipated, Tingzheng didn’t want to leave the Imperial Forest Army and take the martial exams again: "Sis, it’s fine, this was just an accident, don’t worry, I’ll be careful in the future." Such events are rare over decades, it just happened to be his turn.
Seeing Tingzheng’s demeanor, Yueyao knew that saying more would be pointless, so she had to let it go.
While Tingzheng was at home recovering, because he had meritorious service in saving the Prince, the Emperor and Empress rewarded him with gold, silver, and jewels, brocade, amongst other things, and also issued a decree to appoint Tingzheng as a guard for the Ninth Prince.
Yueyao was left speechless by the news. How did he become the Ninth Prince’s personal guard? What’s going on?
An Zhichen soon found out the details, understanding the cause: "It was the Emperor’s decision. The Emperor felt that the Ninth Prince had too few guards, so he transferred twenty people from the Imperial Forest Army, with Tingzheng among them."
The last thing Yueyao wanted was entanglement with these Princes. One mistake could drag not just herself but also her close kin into a deep abyss: "What can be done? Is there no room for negotiation?" At this time, Yueyao regretted deeply, she would never have agreed to let Tingzheng enter the Imperial Forest Army if she had known. Better to stay in the Primus Battalion for two years, then attempt the martial exams, become a Martial Scholar and enter service one step at a time, steadily climbing.