Tan Zhaolin was on night watch tonight and had originally planned to make do with sleeping at Zhengyang Gate Tower. Halfway through his sleep, Colonel Luo suddenly reported that there seemed to be sounds of weapons clashing outside.

Tan Zhaolin had no choice but to call up several soldiers to patrol the night. They had just reached Zhaohe Bridge when they saw the Thirteenth Prince holding a short, fat-looking high official hostage with a blade, facing off against about twenty shadow guards.

Tonight’s scheme implicated too many parties. If it didn’t succeed, they would die trying.

And compared to the success or failure of this scheme, Lu Yuwei’s life was completely insignificant.

It was precisely thinking of this that when Zhu Nanxian saw the shadow guards tightening their grip on their blade hilts, he suddenly thrust the long blade in his hand into Lu Yuwei’s neck. Fresh blood instantly spurted out. He then withdrew the blade with a slash, blood droplets accompanied by the sharp blade energy rushing forward.

Zhu Nanxian took advantage of this moment to leap backward, grabbed Su Jin’s hand as she had quietly retreated to his side, and said tersely, “Go!”

As the two turned around, they ran right into Tan Zhaolin, who had just arrived to help.

When Tan Zhaolin saw Su Jin, his eyes immediately bulged round. “Good heavens! Aren’t you Magistrate Su? This… Am I blind?”

His shock and astonishment blocked Su Jin and her companion’s path.

The shadow guards from behind rushed up. Zhu Nanxian pushed Su Jin toward Tan Zhaolin, turned around with his blade held horizontally in front, blocked the hacking attacks of several shadow guards, leaned his body backward, made a flourish with his blade before him, and with the principle of deflecting great force with little effort, forced the shadow guards back again.

Su Jin didn’t hesitate either. She immediately drew the long blade from Tan Zhaolin’s waist, thrust it into his hand, and scolded, “What are you standing there for? Go help His Highness!”

Only then did Tan Zhaolin react. He left Colonel Luo to protect Su Jin and rallied the several soldiers behind him to rush forward.

Although Zhu Nanxian was no longer fighting alone against many, these shadow guards were all no ordinary fighters. Combined with the great disparity in numbers between the two sides, he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Su Jin stood at the bridge head, secretly gripping her short dagger tightly, and said to Colonel Luo guarding at her side, “Don’t worry about me. Go help His Highness.”

Who knew that upon hearing these words, Zhu Nanxian would use his blade to block a horizontal thrust from a spear, passing through between two long spears.

His body and face were splattered with blood, yet he still took advantage of this gap to turn his head and say, “Don’t come! Protect her and leave!”

Su Jin’s eyes suddenly widened as the words “Be careful!” burst from her lips.

The shadow guard captain took advantage of the moment when Zhu Nanxian turned his head, suddenly breaking away from Tan Zhaolin’s side, leaped like a tiger to Zhu Nanxian’s flank, and brought his blade down in an overhead chop.

Zhu Nanxian dodged with a sidestep, but unexpectedly left his back unguarded and had a blade held to his neck by a shadow guard.

The blade edge at his neck was icy cold. Zhu Nanxian turned his face slightly, his gaze sweeping indifferently over this shadow guard.

Who would have known that this shadow guard would be intimidated by his gaze, seemingly finally remembering that the man under his blade was the high and mighty legitimate imperial prince of Great Sui. For a moment, he actually couldn’t bring himself to strike.

The guard captain’s eyes revealed a sinister look. He immediately ordered, “Strike!”

Without waiting for the shadow guard to act, he drew his blade and thrust it toward Zhu Nanxian himself.

At that very moment, two arrows suddenly shot from a distance. One struck the shadow guard’s wrist directly, the other struck the guard captain’s back squarely.

Both men’s strength loosened. Zhu Nanxian took advantage of this opening, slightly turned his body to avoid the narrow gap between the two blades, lifted his foot to kick the shadow guard’s arrow-struck wrist. The long blade fell from his hand. Zhu Nanxian crouched to catch it, swept the blade horizontally, and immediately cut both men in half at the waist.

At the same time, Su Jin silently secured her hood and raised her eyes to look.

Two riders came on horseback from the depths of the long alley. Drawing closer and seeing them by firelight, one was none other than Wei Jiang, the Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard whom she had met days before, while the other was Liu Chaoming.

Several Embroidered Uniform Guards emerged in a line from the long alley and began fighting with the shadow guards.

Wei Jiang dismounted and cupped his hands toward Zhu Nanxian. “Your Highness, forgive this general. I arrived late.” Without hesitation, he raised his Embroidered Spring Blade and joined the battle.

Liu Chaoming also dismounted. He first clasped his hands and bowed toward Zhu Nanxian, his gaze pausing slightly as it fell on the cloaked figure beside him.

Zhu Nanxian glanced at Su Jin. Seeing that she had already secured her hood, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He sheathed his long blade, returned Liu Chaoming’s bow, and said, “Many thanks, Lord Liu.” He then grasped Su Jin’s wrist and said in a low voice, “Let’s go.”

However, before the two had taken half a step, they heard Liu Chaoming ask coolly from behind, “Where is Su Shiyu? Isn’t he with Your Highness?”

Zhu Nanxian’s steps halted. He turned his face slightly. “Is Lord Liu asking about Su Jin?” Then he said, “This Prince did not see him tonight.”

Liu Chaoming stared fixedly at the cloaked person beside Zhu Nanxian and said slowly, “Is that so? Then who is this?”

Zhu Nanxian turned back around, concealing Su Jin behind him, and said impassively, “A maidservant this Prince requested from Chamberlain Ma.” He added, “What, does Lord Liu need to inquire into this Prince’s private affairs as well?”

Liu Chaoming’s gaze was heavy.

He walked down from the bridge head, not wishing to say more to Zhu Nanxian. He directly went around him and raised his hand intending to knock off Su Jin’s hood. Zhu Nanxian extended his arm to block.

But at precisely this moment, a faint gleam flashed in the dark night. Colonel Luo, who had been guarding at the side, suddenly drew his dagger and stabbed.

The dagger point was originally aimed at Zhu Nanxian. Who knew that in his dispute with Liu Chaoming, he had just exposed an opening, causing the dagger point to suddenly aim at Su Jin standing behind him.

Zhu Nanxian’s heart shook violently. He turned back and lunged to take the blade for Su Jin. Losing his balance, he unexpectedly failed to prevent Liu Chaoming from pushing him aside with his hand.

The dagger thrust straight toward them. Liu Chaoming also had no time to react and could only grab Su Jin’s wrist, pulling her forcefully to his side.

This whirling motion stirred up a sudden wind that knocked off Su Jin’s hood. The cloak swept backward, revealing a head of black hair and plain-colored dress.

Liu Chaoming couldn’t help but freeze. He looked at Su Jin, his gaze extremely complex, seeming to contain both astonishment and anger intertwined, and even more so bewilderment and incomprehension.

It was this moment of dazed distraction that caused him to fail to avoid in time. The dagger originally aimed at Su Jin directly pierced his left arm.

The wound wasn’t deep, but blood still gushed forth. Seeing that one strike had failed, Colonel Luo was about to strike again when his body suddenly tightened—it turned out that in the instant he had stabbed the dagger into Liu Chaoming’s left arm, Su Jin had also drawn the dagger Zhu Nanxian had given her and stabbed it into his right chest.

At the same time, Zhu Nanxian flourished his blade like the moon, pushed the blade with his backhand, sent it toward his neck, and directly severed Colonel Luo’s head.

Liu Chaoming stared blankly at Su Jin. The shock and fury in his eyes seemed like rumbling thunderclouds, yet in a flash transformed into autumn wind and rain, the rain threads like mist—it turned out that from the very beginning, he had never seen her clearly.

He didn’t even have time to attend to the wound bleeding profusely on his left arm. His entire mind could only recall the old censor’s dying words—

Su Shiyu’s life has been too difficult, too difficult.

Liu Chaoming felt it absurd.

So this was the kind of difficulty it was.

The overwhelming bewilderment and inexplicable fury had nowhere to be placed and could only be swallowed down, giving a stifled feeling like breaking one’s teeth and swallowing them with blood. His internal organs felt as if they had been soaked in boiling water.

He raised his eyes and looked coolly at Zhu Nanxian. “Has Your Highness gone mad? If the Crown Prince learns that you blocked this blade for her, does she still have a life to live?”

Footsteps suddenly came from behind. Liu Chaoming’s heart jolted violently. He subconsciously covered Su Jin with the hood, pulled a corner of the cloak to conceal her entire body, and only then turned around.

Wei Jiang looked at the scene here and was about to apologize when Liu Chaoming raised his hand to stop him.

He glanced at the other end of Zhaohe Bridge. All the shadow guards had been executed and were being escorted in rows by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, awaiting his interrogation.

Liu Chaoming fell silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and said coldly, “Kill them all.”

Wei Jiang froze, completely puzzled. “My lord, won’t you keep any alive for questioning?”

But Liu Chaoming didn’t answer him.

Wei Jiang looked toward Zhu Nanxian standing at the side and requested instructions. “Does the Thirteenth Prince also mean this?”

Zhu Nanxian gave a slight nod. “Kill them.”

Su Jin looked at the wound on Liu Chaoming’s shoulder, thinking to tear off a piece of cloth to staunch the bleeding for him. When she raised her hand, she discovered her wrist was still tightly gripped by Liu Chaoming.

Liu Chaoming seemed disturbed by her movement. He lowered his eyes to look at his own hand gripping Su Jin’s wrist, froze for a moment, then suddenly let go as if burned.

Then he shook his head and stepped back to avoid. “It’s nothing serious.”

The Embroidered Spring Blades left their sheaths. In moments, the more than twenty shadow guards on the bridge had breathed their last.

Wei Jiang dragged Tan Zhaolin and threw him under the bridge, cupped his hands and requested instructions again. “Your Highness, Lord Liu, this one has merit. Should he also be killed?”

Liu Chaoming was silent for a moment and asked Zhu Nanxian, “Is this Your Highness’s man?”

Zhu Nanxian had not yet recovered from Liu Chaoming’s earlier words.

He felt somewhat unsettled. After a moment, he recalled what Shen Xi had said to him that day in the palace’s front hall—

Though you are a prince, you have no supreme power, having been born and raised under the protection of this supreme power.

If you truly want to protect someone, either you’re strong enough, or she’s strong enough.

At that time, he had been confused.

But at this moment, he thoroughly understood.

Yes, he was born under the protection of this power. If he couldn’t grasp this power in his hands, he didn’t even have the qualification to block a blade for her.

Zhu Nanxian looked away and said gravely, “If Lord Liu thinks he should be killed, then kill him.”

Tan Zhaolin wasn’t a fool. Although those shadow guards deserved to die, keeping a few alive would certainly be more useful than killing them all. The reason Liu Chaoming had Wei Jiang kill them all was probably because these people had all witnessed Su Jin’s female attire.

Even if they weren’t currently certain she was a woman, even the slightest guess could potentially brew great disaster in the future and cost her her life.

Tan Zhaolin knew he too faced great disaster, but with Wei Jiang present, he dared not explain much. He could only kowtow aggrievedly to Liu Chaoming with snot and tears.

Liu Chaoming fell silent for a moment and said to Wei Jiang, “The Crown Prince must already be on his way here. Assistant Commander Wei, why not go report to Commander Wei first? After this official finishes interrogating this person, I will naturally come.”

Before him stood a Left Chief Censor and a legitimate imperial prince. Wei Jiang was worried about these two’s safety and was originally unwilling to leave. However, he could also see that Liu Chaoming deliberately wanted to send him away. Not daring to say more, he led the Embroidered Uniform Guards to depart.

The streets and alleys quieted again. Only at this moment, after the clamor had passed, could one smell the thick scent of blood permeating the surroundings.

Liu Chaoming looked at Tan Zhaolin. Without wasting words, he only asked, “Where is your hometown? How many people are still in your family?”

Tan Zhaolin said, “In reply to Lord Liu, this general is from Yingtian City. The year before last, there was malaria in the city. My mother and young son couldn’t survive the high fever and both passed away. Currently, there are only my wife and I at home. We don’t often visit relatives…”

Liu Chaoming interrupted him and asked Zhu Nanxian, “Is what he says true?”

Zhu Nanxian lowered his eyes. “This Prince will need to ask Zuo Qian.”

Liu Chaoming said, “No need.” Then he looked at Tan Zhaolin. “This official won’t move against you. Do you know why?”

Tan Zhaolin kowtowed several times. “My lord, my lord, just consider that this general has already lost his tongue. Even if I die, even if the Crown Prince asks, this general will not utter half a word about Magistrate Su’s matter.”

Zhu Minda’s censure was only one of the reasons.

Too many people had died at Zhaohe Bridge. No matter what, they had to keep someone alive, otherwise Zhu Minda would certainly become suspicious.

Liu Chaoming said indifferently, “Besides this, remember this: in the future, no matter which prince discovers the clues and presses you for answers, the methods of our Imperial Censorate will only be ten times more ruthless than this prince’s, at the very least.”