Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1039: Chapter 104: Prince Han Is Determined to Kill Prince Chu (Part 2)

"Your Highness, don’t worry about me, this old man will be fine." Yang Ling reassured Prince Chu with a gentle voice, "Yang Qi is my cousin. For the sake of our kinship, even if I fall into his hands, he wouldn’t take my life."

Prince Chu doubted that Yang Qi would spare Yang Ling, but he kept this thought to himself.

"Sir, we shall meet in the capital."

"Your Highness, you must also take care and be cautious." Compared to his own safety, Yang Ling was more concerned about Prince Chu’s well-being.

Prince Chu said no more, for words would only increase his anxiety.

The next day, Prince Chu went to the Northern Border Camp to bid farewell to Prince Dai and General Chu.

Prince Dai could not return to the capital yet and had to remain at the Northern Border for a while longer to prevent another incursion by the Xiongnu.

As Prince Chu was about to depart, Prince Dai rudely made some sarcastic remarks, implying that Prince Chu might not make it back to the capital alive.

Prince Chu was not angered by these words and politely thanked Prince Dai for his concern.

Prince Dai despised Prince Chu’s false courtesy and could not be bothered to argue further, instead just dismissing him.

After leaving the Northern Border Camp, Prince Chu returned to his residence, packed his belongings, and prepared to leave the next day. By noon, Prince Han sent someone to invite him to a dinner party. Prince Han had also invited Prince Dai, but Prince Dai refused. Prince Chu also declined Prince Han’s invitation.

Prince Han was merely putting on a show, and he wasn’t upset by the refusals of Prince Dai and Prince Chu.

"Old Fourth is leaving the Northern Border tomorrow. Have you arranged everything, sir?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness, everything is arranged. I guarantee that Prince Chu won’t make it back to the capital alive." Yang Qi was very confident in his plan.

Prince Han also trusted Yang Qi’s abilities, "This time, let’s see whether Old Fourth’s life is greater than mine."

"Naturally, Your Highness’ life is greater."

"Once Old Fourth is gone, we can continue our cooperation on that side." Ever since Prince Dai and Prince Chu came to the Northern Border, Prince Han had temporarily suspended contact with Princess Three and her associates. "Tell them they can proceed to the next step."

"Your Highness, will Prince Dai take the bait?" Yang Qi expressed some worry, "The Yuan family affair just passed not long ago; does Prince Dai have the courage to collaborate with Princess Three and them?"

"He won’t dare at first, but as long as Princess Three offers tempting conditions, Second Brother will surely agree." Prince Han said with a smile, "Let’s wait for good news."

"What about Prince Jing?"

"Old Seventh is not worth fearing." Prince Han let out a disdainful laugh, "The Duke Mansion has already declined, Old Seventh has no one by his side. As for Old Eighth, even less so, it’s nothing to worry about."

Yang Qi thought of Zhao Yao, far away in Lingnan, "And what about His Highness Prince Han?"

"Old Tenth, huh!" Prince Han’s eyes were cold with sarcasm, "Once Old Fourth is gone, Old Tenth will be at my mercy." Before long, all of Old Tenth’s business will be his.

"It’s not your fault, Your Highness, if Prince Han doesn’t recognize his place and you disregard brotherhood."

"I have no brotherly ties with him." Prince Han said with disdain, "He has no right to be my brother." Besides Zhao Yao, Prince Han didn’t regard any of the others as real brothers. In his eyes, Prince Dai and the others were obstacles to his ascension to the throne.

After discussing some matters with Prince Han, Yang Qi finally left. He needed to emphasize the importance of the assassination of Prince Chu, as failure would result in their deaths.

By nightfall, Prince Chu disguised himself as an ordinary person and left to join Liang Run’s caravan heading north. Early the next morning, he left the Northern Border smoothly with the caravan, heading towards the Western Regions.

On the same morning that Prince Chu left, the fake Prince Chu, Tiger Thirteen, led a group out of the Northern Border in a grand procession.

On the night of their departure, Tiger Thirteen and his group did not encounter any assassination attempts. It wasn’t until the third day that they were attacked.

The first wave of assassins was very vicious, but Tiger Thirteen and his group were well-prepared and did not let them succeed.

Yang Qi and Prince Han did not expect the first wave to succeed in killing Prince Chu. If the first wave succeeded, it would mean Prince Chu was too useless.

Subsequently, assassins turned up every day in waves, each wave more ferocious than the last, resolute in their intent to kill Prince Chu.

Zhao Yao, far away in Swamp Prefecture, received reports of the relentless pursuit and assault on the fake Prince Chu, Tiger Thirteen, and was not surprised. Fortunately, Tiger Thirteen and his men were no ordinary people; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand Prince Han’s assassinations.

Meanwhile, the real Prince Chu’s journey was going very smoothly; besides encountering a few mountain bandits and robbers, his journey was essentially safe.

"Thankfully, I arranged for Tiger Thirteen and his men to aid Fourth Brother, or he would have had difficulty safely returning to the capital this time." Compared to the deposed Crown Prince and the former Duke’s pursuit, the assassins sent by Prince Han were far more formidable.

"You sent Tiger Thirteen to help, but in doing so, you revealed your strength to Prince Chu and the others. Aren’t you worried this will cause Prince Chu to be wary of you?"

"I’m not afraid. I trust Fourth Brother won’t suspect me."

Seeing Zhao Yao’s absolute trust in Prince Chu, He Lianfang was annoyed and coldly snorted, "I’m waiting to see you get suspected by Prince Chu."

"Uncle, you won’t live to see it."

To this, He Lianfang shot Zhao Yao a cold glare.

"Aren’t you worried about Tiger Thirteen and his men’s safety?"

"Tiger Thirteen’s disguise technique can deceive the heavens. If they’re truly forced into a corner by Prince Han’s assassins, he’ll find a way to escape." Zhao Yao trusted Tiger Thirteen’s skills; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent him to impersonate Prince Chu. "In fact, I gave Tiger Thirteen an additional order."

He Lianfang was taken aback and looked at Zhao Yao in surprise, "What order did you give?"

"I ordered Tiger Thirteen and his men to force Prince Han to use his trump card."

"Prince Han’s trump card?" He Lianfang asked with a puzzled expression, "What is Prince Han’s trump card, suicide squad?"

Zhao Yao nodded slightly, "Yes, the suicide squad."

"Having a suicide squad isn’t much of a trump card; every major family has them. It’s not surprising that Prince Han has a suicide squad."

"It’s true that Prince Han having a suicide squad isn’t surprising, but have you considered that there might be Xiongnu among his suicide squad?"

He Lianfang hadn’t considered this possibility. Now, hearing Zhao Yao’s words, he raised an eyebrow, "You suspect Prince Han Mansion has Xiongnu among them?"

"Indeed, I even suspect there are Xiongnu private soldiers within Prince Han Mansion." Zhao Yao shared his suspicions, "These Xiongnu private soldiers should be stationed on the plains, trained by Princess Three and her group."

"It’s not impossible," He Lianfang admitted. "Prince Han is a cautious person; he wouldn’t easily expose his Xiongnu assassins."

"Under normal circumstances, he definitely wouldn’t expose them so easily, but this time is different. He wants Fourth Brother dead, to ensure Fourth Brother doesn’t return to the capital alive. He will stop at nothing to kill him. If those he sent initially can’t kill Fourth Brother, he’ll have no choice but to use his ultimate suicide squad."

"Would Prince Han’s Xiongnu assassins dare to approach the capital?"

"Naturally, they wouldn’t dare, so he must kill Fourth Brother before he leaves Jizhou." Zhao Yao calculated that Tiger Thirteen and his group had not been gone from Jizhou for many days.

"It will depend on whether Tiger Thirteen and his men can hold out until the end."

"If they truly can’t hold out until the end, it doesn’t matter." Zhao Yao wasn’t determined to catch Prince Han’s hidden cards this time. "If it doesn’t work this time, there will be other opportunities to catch him red-handed. Besides, once Fourth Brother safely returns to the capital, can Prince Han still sit still?"