He shielded himself, thus unable to bend the bow to shoot back.
Gu Ying thought that she could not drag him down like this, so she took the initiative to poke her head out from the greatcoat. He looked ahead while she scouted the situation behind for him.
"Your Highness, there are probably ten people in black behind us. They have long swords around their waists and bows and arrows in their hands, but there don't seem to be many arrows left in their quivers!"
"Oh? About how many are left?"
Gu Ying squinted to see through the snowstorm and said with great effort, "Around ten!"
"Good." Zhao Changdu said in his deep voice, "Do you see the cliff ahead?"
Gu Ying nervously swallowed and said, "I see it!"
"I will rein in the horse and stop by the cliff. You get off the horse and hide behind that big rock."
The man's mellow, deep and sexy voice seemed to come from his chest. Gu Ying's back was pressed tightly against his chest, as if she could feel his strong and powerful heartbeat.
She couldn't see his expression, but just listening to his steady and calm voice settled her heart.
"Okay!"
As they spoke, the steed neighed as Zhao Changdu pulled on the reins and made the horse rear up.
His black robes billowed in the fierce wind, and his handsome face seemed godly amidst the swirling snow.
Gu Ying didn't dare hesitate. The moment the horse's hooves touched the ground, she nimbly jumped off and ran towards the big rock without looking back.
Zhao Changdu's lips curled up slightly, this girl dismounted cleanly and nimbly without any fuss.
He tipped his toes and forcefully stepped on the horse's back, turning around and unsheathing the soft sword around his waist to counterattack the ten men in black besieging them.
The men in black were professional killers, well-trained and disciplined without making a sound. With their faces covered in black kerchiefs, only their bloodthirsty eyes were visible.
One look at their skills and weapons, it was clear they were not from the imperial court.
Gu Ying crouched behind the rock and poked her head out to glance at the chaotic fight. Her heart thumped wildly.
But Zhao Changdu's fighting style was so elegant, even when besieged in embarrassment, he remained unperturbed with Mount Tai collapsing in front of him. The soft sword in his hand flashed, and those men in black were thrown into disorder.
Blood flowed down the blade onto the pure white snow.
Gu Ying's heart quivered as she noticed another man in black hiding in the shadows, drawing his bow at Zhao Changdu.
She quickly called out, "Your Highness! Watch out to the southeast!"
Zhao Changdu stood erect, turning his head sideways. His dark eyes were deep, and the long sword in his hand rested on a man in black's throat. With a slight pull, the blade slit the throat and blood spurted out, splattering a few drops on his cheek, looking bewitching and wicked.
But he no longer had time to stop that man in black.
Unwilling to fall behind, Gu Ying picked up a small pebble, squinted one eye, and mustered all her strength to throw it at the hidden man in black.
The pebble hit the man's fingers and the arrow fell to the ground. Furious, his eyes turned cold and he pounced towards Gu Ying.
Gu Ying was so frightened she kept retreating, unaware of the thousand-zhang cliff behind her.
"Gu Ying!"
Zhao Changdu immediately lost his composure, his pupils contracting as he flashed over to Gu Ying's side, circling her waist with his arm. But his foot slipped over the edge.
"Hold on to me!"
"Your Highness, save me!"
With the icy winds howling in their ears, Gu Ying hugged Zhao Changdu's firm and muscular waist tightly, her eyes brimming red.
Gripping the long sword in his hand, Zhao Changdu focused all his inner energy into the blade and stabbed it fiercely into the cliff face. Sparks flew as the blade scraped down the cliff with a piercing screech. "Don't be afraid, just hold on to me."
"Okay..." Gu Ying forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't mess up Zhao Changdu's mind at this life-and-death moment.
But with both of them falling, the soft sword could not bear their combined weight. They continued sliding down rapidly.
The wind and snow in the ravine cut more than knives. Eventually, Gu Ying's weaker physique gave out and she shamefully fainted.
...
"Reporting!"
An armored imperial guard charged into the imperial camp holding up a flag.
"Your Majesty! The Crown Prince was ambushed in the Black Forest. The Crown Prince is now missing!"
The Tianqi Emperor was greatly shocked, pushing aside the tender concubine in his arms as he stood up, "What?!"
The guard said, "After the Crown Prince and Lady Hu entered the Black Forest, our men tailed them for a while. Suddenly dozens of men in black descended from the sky and charged at the Crown Prince. To protect Lady Hu, the Crown Prince told us to escort her back first. But when we returned to search for the Crown Prince, we could no longer find him."
The Tianqi Emperor nearly lost his footing and was gently supported by Concubine Wan at his side.
"Your Majesty, do not worry. The virtuous Crown Prince will surely turn peril into safety."
The Tianqi Emperor's face was black as the bottom of a pot.
The Old Duke was still stabilizing the Dong Li's rule at the border. Although Duke Zhao did not participate in court politics, he was still Zhao Changdu's biological father after all. If anything were to happen to this outstanding son at the hunting grounds, the Zhao family would definitely not let this rest!
"Go search again immediately!"
The guard quickly bowed, "Yes!"
"Wait!" The Tianqi Emperor suddenly sat down on the dragon throne, pondering carefully, "This cannot be concealed for now. Go and order Commander Xia Zixi to send men to relay the news of the Crown Prince's assassination attempt to the Zhao family. Then take all the imperial guards to search the Black Forest for the Crown Prince's whereabouts. Also—"
"Have the Qilin Army join the search."
Concubine Wan was startled, "Your Majesty, this is..."
The Qilin Army had formidable military prowess. It was an elite force trained exclusively by the Zhao family. Small in size but efficient, unlike these useless imperial guards.
The imperial house had always been wary of the Qilin Army's existence, forbidding the Zhao family from mobilizing them freely.
Once deployed, the Zhao family might become unwilling to stand down this army again.
The Tianqi Emperor held up his hand solemnly, "This assassination is of utmost importance. The Old Duke still lives! If his most beloved grandson Zhao Changdu really died today, I'm afraid Dong Li will plunge into civil strife even before the foreign enemies invade!"
"Your Majesty is right... The Crown Prince's safety takes precedence." Concubine Wan smiled and leaned against the Tianqi Emperor's shoulder, massaging his tense body and lowering her lashes to conceal the gleam in her eyes.
...
Soon, news of the Crown Prince's assassination and disappearance spread throughout the entire Nanhai Hunting Ground.
Torches were lit everywhere, lighting up the hunting ground bright as day. Imperial Commander Xia Zixi personally led the troops to surround the area, not letting a single thief escape.
Panic arose in every household. As time passed, some worried the assassination was not just targeted at the Zhao family, and others might be in danger too. Thus they quickly sent their family guards to increase security and defense.
Amidst the chaos at the hunting ground, some assessed the situation and analyzed which major power was behind the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince, and what their intentions were.
