The King of Chu still clung to a sliver of hope that the sage from Jing Country was wrong! The assassination attempt wouldn't happen, and it certainly wouldn't be orchestrated by the Crown Prince he had doted on for so many years.
However, as they approached the third day of their return journey—the day the sage had warned about—the King of Chu's hope began to crumble. Once he started paying attention and investigating, suspicious characters began to emerge.
By the third day, the King of Chu, wearing the armor of one of his guards and riding at the rear of the procession, witnessed with his own eyes an arrow strike the horse of a guard disguised as himself!
"Enemy attack!" The guards instantly formed a protective circle.
The King of Chu was furious. The Crown Prince, how dare he actually do such a thing!
"Capture that assassin for me!" he roared.
Prime Minister Ji Duan and the Military Commander, who were accompanying him, were stunned. The previous night, the King of Chu had confided in them, saying he might be the target of an assassination attempt today. At the time, they had thought the Emperor of Jing Country was using the sage as a ruse to mock their king.
But they never expected it to be true!
The King of Chu had switched places with a guard, and the arrow had indeed struck his horse!
"The third day after leaving Jing, struck by an arrow"... Even the timing of the assassination attempt matched exactly with the warning in the sage's envelope!
Prime Minister Ji Duan and the Military Commander couldn't help but be impressed by the Jing Country sage. His prediction was incredibly accurate!
"Your Majesty, we've captured the assassin!"
Because the King of Chu had warned him about today's turmoil, the Military Commander was prepared. It didn't take long to apprehend the would-be killer.
Prime Minister Ji Duan was about to send the man to prison for interrogation, but the King of Chu stopped him, opting instead to detain him secretly.
"Your Majesty, if we don't interrogate him to find out who's behind this, I fear they may have more assassination plans!" Prime Minister Ji Duan was a ruthless man.
But the King of Chu, standing with Prime Minister Ji Duan by the moonlit lake, seemed to have aged ten years. He sighed softly, "Prime Minister, I haven't made up my mind yet."
Haven't made up his mind?
Prime Minister Ji Duan was stunned. What was there to think about?
Attempting to assassinate the king was a capital offense in any country. Capturing the culprit and executing their entire clan was the standard procedure... What was there to consider?
But the King of Chu's next words filled Prime Minister Ji Duan with dread.
"If it truly is the Crown Prince, I haven't decided how to deal with it," the King of Chu said in a desolate tone.
Prime Minister Ji Duan's eyes widened. The mastermind behind the assassination was the Crown Prince?!
The Jing Country sage not only predicted the time and cause of the assassination attempt but even identified the mastermind?!
His abilities were truly extraordinary. How much silver would it cost to have him read one's fortune... Ahem, not the point. How could the Crown Prince be so vicious?!
Prime Minister Ji Duan suddenly felt a splitting headache.
"Your Majesty, we can only know the truth after a thorough interrogation," Ji Duan could only offer this consolation to the King of Chu.
The King of Chu grasped at this last shred of hope. "You're right. Have the assassin taken to the capital. We'll interrogate him after I've rested for a day or two when we return to the palace!"
As long as the truth wasn't confirmed, there was still a chance the Crown Prince was innocent.
Having made this decision, the King of Chu also summoned local troops to increase his protection. He switched from horseback to a carriage and recruited two renowned doctors from the area to accompany them back to the capital of Chu State.
[The King of Chu is scared now, afraid he might be assassinated again!]
[But he still can't bring himself to condemn the Crown Prince just yet. A father's love for his son runs deep. The King of Chu doesn't want to believe his own son would harm him, clinging to a desperate hope.]
[Putting off the revelation for even a day is a small comfort. Ah, the love of parents is truly pitiful. Looking at it this way, the King of Chu is just a poor father right now~]
Xiao Chuchu, lying in her baby carriage, watched the live stream of the garden tour and enthusiastically commented in her heart.
Xiao Yunzhou, pushing the carriage and tending to his daughter, raised an eyebrow when he heard this part.
Foolish King of Chu!
But Xiao Yunzhou was relieved that the King of Chu had escaped this attempt. If the King of Chu had died unexpectedly, before Princess Yunwu could ascend to the throne, and that ungrateful Crown Prince had seized control of Chu State, it would have been extremely disadvantageous for Jing Country.
Xiao Yunzhou immediately signaled Wei Zheng to hurry and fetch an envelope from the study, to be sent out by messenger.
Sure enough, just as the King of Chu was about to reach the gates of the Chu State capital, before he could even disembark from his carriage, the hastily dispatched Jing Country messenger arrived.
"Old Chu, I trust you've encountered your first brush with death." Xiao Yunzhou's bold handwriting was instantly recognizable to the King of Chu in the carriage!
The King of Chu sprang up from his soft cushions, sitting bolt upright.
The Jing Country messenger had ridden hard to catch up with their group, arriving at the capital of Chu State at the same time.
This meant that Xiao Yunzhou had sent the message right after he had been attacked!
It couldn't have been more than half a day!
Had the Jing Country sage even predicted that he would be assassinated? And as if he had witnessed it himself, knew the exact time of the real assassination attempt?
The King of Chu narrowed his eyes.
For the sake of safety on the journey and to prevent unrest in Chu State, he had forbidden any of his guards from spreading word of the assassination attempt!
The Jing Country sage was truly extraordinary!
The King of Chu continued reading the note in the envelope, which said, "Now that you know the sage's words are true, Old Chu, quickly fulfill your promise to reduce prices by 30%, seal it with your royal seal, and let my Jing Country envoy bring it back."
"Don't delay, lest you displease our Jing Country sage!"
Xiao Yunzhou's forceful handwriting made it seem like he was collecting a debt, and his tone wasn't particularly friendly.
But the King of Chu couldn't muster any objection.
If it weren't for the sage's warning, he would have certainly fallen from his horse. At his age, such a fall could have left him crippled or even killed him.
The Jing Country sage had undoubtedly saved his life!
The King of Chu dared not delay. He immediately spoke to the Jing Country messenger, "Wait a moment, I'll affix the seal as soon as I enter the palace..."
Halfway through his sentence, the King of Chu noticed that the messenger was still holding another envelope!
"Could this be... what the sage mentioned about my second brush with death?" The King of Chu instantly recalled Xiao Yunzhou saying he would tell him about the second life-threatening situation after he had affixed the royal seal.
What was he waiting for?!
If he waited until after sealing the document to read the envelope, wouldn't his corpse be cold by then?!
Having experienced one near-death prediction come true, the King of Chu no longer dared to wait casually!
"Prime Minister, ride quickly to the palace. With my royal decree, immediately retrieve the royal seal from the imperial study, and have the Military Commander escort you back here!"
"Hurry, don't keep the Jing Country messenger waiting here too long!"
"When you come out, bring another squad of soldiers to protect me!"
The King of Chu now didn't dare to gallop on horseback, fearing assassination on the road.
But as he sat in his carriage, surrounded by guards and moving slowly towards the palace with heightened security, he truly feared that the Jing Country sage would become displeased if made to wait too long!
The King of Chu was instantly on the verge of death from anxiety, his eyes fixed intently on the second silk pouch in the Jing Country envoy's hand.
"Why haven't you left yet, Prime Minister?!" he exclaimed.
Prime Minister Ji Duan was utterly astonished, but still obeyed the order. He immediately went to the palace to retrieve the royal seal, then, accompanied by palace guards, rode nonstop to the city gates.
The King of Chu took the royal seal, stamped it on the treaty between the two countries, and only then did he breathe a huge sigh of relief. He promptly handed it to the Jing Country ambassador and received the silk pouch in return.
He eagerly tore open the pouch and read its contents, his eyes darting across the lines. Suddenly, it was as if he had been plunged into ice-cold water.
The King of Chu's face displayed a complex mix of emotions: fear of what could have been, relief, disappointment, and anger.
—[Second assassination attempt on the King of Chu: The Crown Prince will switch the medicine and poison him.]
After a long moment, the King of Chu closed his eyes, a glimmer of tears in the corners. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes with a piercing gaze, and spoke with words as sharp as a sword.
"This King has been attacked and wounded. Summon the royal physician!"
He would feign injury!
He wanted to see if the Crown Prince would really replace the medicine with poison.
[Oh my, the King of Chu still wants to test the Crown Prince. He really doesn't give up, does he?]
Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but click her tongue in sympathy.
[Let's just say, the Crown Prince's poison is already waiting in his hands!]