IDWBE -Chapter 478 What’s in the Gourd?

Lei Kaishan used his light-footed skills to dash along the wall. As soon as he landed on the southern city wall and touched the ground, he saw the guards closing in behind him.

He glanced at the empty city outskirts, then turned to Tan Fei.

“What now?” Tan Fei asked irritably.

Lei Kaishan scratched his head. “Did you understand what the Prince meant?”

Tan Fei smiled. “The Prince is worried about the Empress’s safety and wants us to add more men. What’s not to understand?”

“Obviously,” Lei Kaishan rolled his eyes. “Anyone coming from the palace is trouble. The troops are led by General Jiang Zhen—this little lady is tricky. Who dares touch her? Moreover, White Horse Temple has a master monk controlling the situation. It’s practically foolproof.”

Who could be more reliable than the monk and General Jiang Zhen?

He couldn’t comprehend it. Was the Prince just giving blind orders?

He didn’t dare say that.

The problem was that the Prince didn’t understand martial arts. He had no accurate sense of General Jiang Zhen’s strength, the imperial guards’ power, or even the monk’s skills.
Unless the assassin was a complete fool, they wouldn’t attempt to kill the Empress with ninth-rank experts surrounding her.

Frankly, even a Grandmaster wouldn’t dare leave unscathed.

Besides, Grandmasters in the world were rare.

How low-minded would one have to be to attempt such an assassination?

“Do you dare disobey the Prince?”

Tan Fei sneered. “The Empress hasn’t even left the palace yet. If you act now, there’s still time.”

Lei Kaishan narrowed his eyes, looking at the approaching troops from a distance. He smiled, “Aren’t these the reinforcements the Prince asked for?”

“Starving troops?”

Tan Fei shook his head. “If you want to move his men, you need to go to the Five Armies Headquarters and get Lord He to issue orders. Otherwise, risking execution, they won’t accompany us out of the city.”

“Damn, I forgot that,” Lei Kaishan slapped his thigh. “Then I’ll go to the Headquarters to find Lord He!”

Seeing everyone staring at him like he was an idiot, Lei Kaishan frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Completely wrong. If anyone could casually deliver the Prince’s orders, why even have orderlies?”

Tan Fei rolled his eyes. “You rushed out without a written order. Do you think Lord He will just hand over the military token because of your big mouth?”

Lei Kaishan had been clever, but now… he seemed brainless.

Except for a few, like Chief Guard Jiao Zhong, Grand Supervisor Hong Ying, and eunuch Xi of the Court of Rites, no one had the authority to deliver verbal orders!

Even the Prince’s guards had to follow protocol.

Otherwise, forging orders in the camp meant death by a thousand cuts.

The thought alone sent chills down one’s spine.

In short, no recklessness. Everything must follow procedure.

“This…”

Lei Kaishan gritted his teeth. He had left in a hurry and skipped the basic steps!

He said hesitantly, “Go back to the mansion to get the documents from Liang Yuanzhi?”

Otherwise, how could he even enter the Five Armies Headquarters?

Let alone meet Lord He!

“It’s too late,” Tan Fei turned, pointing to a nearby troop. “The ones approaching in front are Liu Kan’s standard-bearer guards, all sixth-rank or higher. That means the Empress is in the carriage behind them.”

“What do we do then?”

Lei Kaishan scratched his head. “Then… should the five of us go ourselves?”

Tan Fei shook his head. “No. The Prince wants to strengthen the Empress’s protection. Skills don’t matter—he wants numbers. If something goes wrong, and the Prince sees only a handful of us, he’ll think we’re not following orders.”

“True,” Lei Kaishan hesitated. “Better safe than sorry. If anything happens, we’re done for. Everything’s risky… You’re clever—come up with a plan.”

The Prince’s guards had set duties every day. Most positions couldn’t be moved.

The five of them leaving the Prince’s side was already the maximum they could manage.

“This will probably have to rely on that little bastard Fang Pi,” Tan Fei sighed. “Right now, apart from the Court Guards, you can’t move anyone else.”

The Court Guards had the Imperial Cavalry and could be moved at will—this was a privilege granted by the Prince.

“Fang Pi?”

Lei Kaishan frowned. “You want me to beg that little bastard?”

He had already deeply offended Fang Pi.

The two were mortal enemies.

He didn’t believe Fang Pi would help him easily.

“Hmph,” Tan Fei sneered. “You’re underestimating yourself. We’re the Prince’s personal guards. If we can’t mobilize the Imperial Guards, how could we not mobilize the Court Guards?”

Lei Kaishan stroked his chin. “True… but if I go find Fang Pi now, it might already be too late.”

“The Court Guards are everywhere—you don’t need to find him,” Tan Fei said, then leapt from the city wall.

Lei Kaishan and the others followed closely.

“This old lady certainly has style,” Lin Yi, tired of walking, sat in a teahouse, watching the massive carriage procession pass slowly in front of him. He mused, “To go out like this, it must cost at least ten thousand taels of silver.”

Thousands of men, hundreds of beasts of burden—feeding all of them is definitely not cheap.

“Your Highness speaks truly.” Jiao Zhong couldn’t figure out the Prince’s logic. One moment worried about Consort Yuan’s safety, the next worried about silver? It was baffling.

“Silver doesn’t grow on trees. Saving even this little fortune wasn’t easy,” Lin Yi said helplessly. “This is my own mother. If she doesn’t understand me, fine. But she can’t just recklessly waste my savings. It’s infuriating.”

Because this involved Consort Yuan, Jiao Zhong didn’t dare comment. He kept silent.

“In this cold, the carriers and the ones in the sedan are suffering. Why not choose another day? Why now?”

Lin Yi looked at a tall horse passing by, incredulous. “That damn He Lian even brought out the Emperor’s horses—does he have no brain?”

He considered all palace assets as his own, including the Imperial Horses.

Even if he didn’t like riding, he couldn’t tolerate anyone else riding his horse.

And the rider was Yuan Zijun—his cousin!

“Rest assured, Your Highness,” Jiao Zhong patted his chest. “I’ll teach him a lesson later.”

He had long disliked He Lian. Without Xiao Xizi as backing, cutting down a eunuch would be like slicing a cucumber for him.

“What exactly is this old lady’s gourd hiding?”

Lin Yi held his forehead.

The tea in his cup, the donkey meat in front of him, all lost their appeal.