Chapter 5 A Narrow Escape

  For half a day, the king stayed in his small study and didn't come out. He also didn't allow anyone to enter and disturb him. The two people guarding outside were frightened for half a day, listening to the movements inside that didn't seem like reading, but rather like making trouble with ghosts. Suddenly, the room became quiet and there was no sound. "Your Majesty, are you still in there?" A small yellow gate guard asked bravely, if something happened to the king, they would all have to follow him to death.

  "Cough, cough, I'm fine!" A coughing sound came from inside the house.

  "Oh, the scoundrel is waiting outside!" Little Huang Men put his mind at ease, he's willing to make a fuss if he wants to, everyone knows that Wang Ye is not normal, as long as nothing happens to the person, their superiors won't blame them, and the several curious guys in the courtyard also retreated back into the house.

  After a while, the king's face was black and dusty, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were dirty. He walked out of the room with a book box in his arms, saying "You guys go clean up the study, I'm going to wash up, cough cough". After that, he went straight to his own room without looking back.

  "Yes!" The two little yellow gates were used to the prince's sloppy appearance, but they were still startled today. Zhao had already walked far away before they came to their senses and remembered to pay their respects.

  Two people ran out of the study, their legs trembling with fear. "Quickly report to the master, something big has happened, we can't afford it!" one of them said in a shaking voice, while the other nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Upon receiving the report from Xiaohuang Gate, Huang Jingchen, the chief steward of the Wang Mansion, hurried over. The gunpowder smoke in the study had not yet dispersed, and he ordered Xiaohuang to open all the windows to drive out the smoke before entering. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, the once tidy study was now like a place that had been struck by lightning. The good purple sandalwood desk was smashed into pits and holes, an iron hammer lay on the ground, its surface covered with bloodstains, next to it were the crystal pen holder, the inkstone given by Her Majesty, and the set of imperial porcelain tea cups, all reduced to fragments. Two tattered copies of "The Analects" lay on the floor, while the wall hanging "Spring Day Hundred Flowers Picture", personally painted by the Emperor, had several large holes added to it. He couldn't figure out how Master Wang could have turned his study into this state at such a young age.

  "Alas, just put it away. Go get another set from the inner warehouse and change into that!" Huang Jingchen sighed and said lightly, treating this as a child's nonsense.

  A gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall. Zhao Che realized his current situation and became more cautious, no longer sneaking out of the mansion to play, but instead keeping a low profile and maintaining a simple life. He didn't go to the garden in the morning, only strolling around the courtyard before attending classes with Xiqi in the large study room. After class, he immediately returned to his own courtyard. In the afternoons, he stayed indoors, hiding in his bedroom or small study.

  By nightfall, Zhao Che was even more reluctant to step out of his bedroom. In the inner courtyard where he lived, there were many people, including a chief eunuch and two low-ranking eunuchs who managed finances and procurement. Under them were ten young eunuchs responsible for various chores. Then there were two female officials in their thirties assigned by the palace to oversee his daily life, accompanied by over a dozen maidservants. It could be said that in the entire courtyard, only this child was a real man.

  "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" Zhao Tie's body kept bobbing up and down, sweat dripping down like beans. "99, 00" After finishing a hundred push-ups, he collapsed on the bed, panting heavily, without even having the energy to wipe the sweat from his face. After a while, Zhao Tie caught his breath, turned over and started doing a hundred sit-ups, followed by a hundred wall squats. By the time this set of physical training ended, more than half a watch had passed, and outside, the sound of the night watchman's rattle could be heard, it was already the hour of Hai.

  He wiped his body dry, lay on the bed, massaging his sore abdomen, preparing to fall asleep. Suddenly, a faint noise came from the roof, and Zhao Chu pulled out a gun from under his pillow, rolled off the bed, and hid in the dark. The rustling footsteps stopped abruptly at the eaves of the house, and a shadow was reflected on the window. Zhao Chu held his breath, gripping the gun tightly as he stared at the figure, waiting for its next move.

  What happened next, however, left him bewildered. The person observed for a while, then suddenly pushed open the window and flipped in, "Damn it, is he coming for me?" Zhao Chu lightly raised his hammer, aiming the gun at the black shadow, but quickly put down the gun, leaving a hint of a smile on his mouth.

  "Assassins, assassins!" The room of the king suddenly rang out with a shrill cry. A black shadow who was carrying a bundle and climbing out the window was startled by the sudden shout behind him, lost his footing and got tangled in the window curtains, falling headfirst to the ground. The gold and silver utensils in the bundle scattered all over the place, and the ingots and pearls rolled around everywhere.

  Zhao Zhe shouted loudly while quickly closing and locking the window, in case this little brat jumped back over the wall and took himself hostage, which would be a disaster. The shrill and terrifying child's voice echoed far into the silent night, and Xiao Huangmen, who was on night watch, immediately struck the alarm gong and shouted loudly.

  Zhang Yan hid under the window to take a peek. The shouting of the servants in the courtyard rose and fell, followed by the sound of doors being pushed open, and dozens of men and women rushed out. The women's chests were half-exposed, their hair disheveled, and they wore loose clothing, with some even barefoot and wearing only underpants. They all charged out. The weapons in their hands were varied: some servants held flower pots, others carried bricks or brooms, while the young maids carried washing rods, clothes racks, and kitchen knives.

  The lanterns in the courtyard were quickly lit up, shining brightly. Zhao Zhan was excited to wear his own clothes, although many people came out, but the thunder was loud and the raindrops were small. A group of people just surrounded far away, shouting and not daring to come forward. However, this momentum also had a deterrent effect. The thief may not have expected to provoke such a big commotion, his brain was a bit dizzy, he retreated several steps, leaned against the wall, pulled out a dagger, made a desperate appearance, and confronted these disheveled people.

  "Beat him!" The people in the yard heard another of Wang Ye's long, drawn-out shouts. They quickly reacted and realized that Wang Ye was still inside the house. If anything happened to him, no one present would be able to escape a fatal fate.

  Bang, a servant threw over a night pot and hit the "assassin" on the head, getting things started. Next, various long-range weapons came flying over like raindrops, clanging loudly as they formed a cluster. This "assassin" was probably new to the trade, taking several heavy blows before coming to his senses, remembering to run, using his household skills to hug a pillar and climb up onto the roof, leaping and bounding over the low wall of the inner courtyard to escape into the darkness, with a group of people watching as the "assassin" disappeared into the blackness.

  "Lucky it's just a thief, if it were an assassin, I'd really have no hope for this bunch of people!" Zhao muttered to himself as he watched the commotion outside like a farce, scolding. From the moment the black figure entered the house and rushed straight to the cabinet, he had determined that he was just a thief, not an assassin, so there was no need to start killing him and prematurely expose his secret weapon. Now what needed to be done was to keep a low profile.

  "Prince, Prince!" Zhao Yi heard someone rushing into the house, searching for him in every room, and knew it was time to make his move. 'Slap' He slapped himself on the nose, and snot mixed with tears immediately flowed out. He casually wiped his face, and with a convulsive body, fell to the ground, looking like he was about to meet King Yan.

  "The king" was first discovered by Zhao Zhe, who was still sleeping in the outer room. Huaihua and Guihua were awakened to find King's face covered in blood, his body slumped against the wall. Huaihua's legs went weak, almost dropping the candle holder she held, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Guihua, being older, squatted down, stretched out her hand to check Zhao Zhe's breath, and finding he still had a pulse, hugged him tightly and loudly called for help.

  "Quickly call the imperial physician!" Huang Jingchen lived in a separate house in the backyard and didn't catch up with the "battle" just now. He had seen storms before, and upon seeing the prince's condition, he immediately let someone go invite the prince's personal health doctor who lived outside the courtyard.

  The imperial physician was unlucky enough, living to over 60 years old and finally becoming the head of the Imperial Hospital, only to encounter the Second Prince's severe illness. As a result, he 'treated him to death', and he was waiting for the Emperor's furious punishment to drag him outside the Meridian Gate to be executed. Unexpectedly, the Second Prince came back to life, and although losing his official position was unavoidable, he managed to save his life and was sent here to redeem himself through meritorious service.

  It's said that the king had an accident, and Doctor Wang rushed to the inner courtyard with his medical box. When he arrived, Zhao was covered in dirt, his eyes were tightly closed, and white foam was coming out of his mouth. As soon as he saw this, he knelt down. "Doctor Wang, quickly take a look at the king!" Huang Jingchen pulled Doctor Wang over, who had been standing there in a daze.

  The old man calmed his mind, letting Xiaohuangmen bring the candle holder closer, and he crawled forward two steps, trembling as he reached out to feel the pulse of the prince. "It's okay, you're not dead!" He was frightened, when he came, the emperor had said that if the second prince had any more mishaps, it wouldn't be just killing him, but would also destroy his whole family. Now Wang Taigong had a foothold, as long as you don't die, my life will be spared for now.

  "The king has no life-threatening illness, he's just suffered a great fright and hurt his spirit, he needs to take good care of himself!" After all these years, the royal doctor hadn't been fooling around, he calmed down and carefully took the king's pulse, discovering that it was neither floating nor sinking, not big or small, with an even rhythm, smooth and steady, flowing strongly. He was healthier than his own mother! But since the king looked like this, he had to tell the truth, which didn't match the situation, so after a brief moment of hesitation, he came up with an illness for Zhao Zhen.

  "What's going on with the king, why is he still unconscious?" Guihua asked tearfully as she hugged Zhao Che. "This will do the trick, the king will wake up!" Wang Taigong said confidently, taking out his needle case and selecting a long silver needle to jab into Zhao Che's Renzhong (a point on the face).

  "Ah!" The effect came out immediately, and the king shouted loudly "Come to life", dancing with joy and shouting: "Assassin, catch the assassin!" "Your Majesty, it's not an assassin, but a thief who stole things and has been beaten away!" Guihua quickly hugged Zhao Che in her arms and comforted him softly.

  "Returning to the capital city, I want to return to the palace, no longer staying here!" The people around Zhao Zhe cried out in relief.