The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 1)

Chapter 96 - Assassination

Pain arrived as expected.

One of the arrows struck her left shoulder, and despite her mental preparation, it was incredibly painful.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, with guards shouting to protect the emperor as more crossbow arrows were shot from the bushes across the river.

"Fang Cairen!" Ning Chen called out, quickly half-carrying, half-dragging her back.

At this moment, Yao Xiang was already in too much pain to move. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she was being pulled down by a huge force, only able to bite her tongue to keep herself awake.

"Your Majesty, go quickly! Don't... don't worry about me..."

After saying this, she completely lost consciousness.

Ning Chen's eyes were frighteningly dark as he handed the person over to a guard and turned to grab the guard's sword.

In the crowd, Ye Yun was being protected by Nan Zhi as they retreated. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation in her life, and she was understandably scared.

Suddenly, a guard standing in front of her was shot and fell, exposing her. A crossbow bolt shot straight at her face.

"Ah Yun, get down!"

Ye Zhe nearly leaped forward, using his knife to deflect the bolt, wrapping his arm around Ye Jun's waist as he pulled her back. A bolt that followed closely behind struck his thigh, making him grunt in pain.

"Brother, are you okay? Don't get hurt!" Ye Yun was genuinely panicking for the first time.

She could only watch as Ye Zhe's long robe became soaked in blood, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

But there was no time to speak; the guards accompanying them were skilled with knives, only able to defend and not attack.

Even though the Zhasake people were retaliating with arrows, the dense bushes on the opposite side greatly diminished their lethality.

With the river in front of them, it was impossible to launch an attack; they could only retreat step by step.

Even if Ye Zhe was brave, being shot in the thigh made it difficult for him to move. Ye Yun and Nan Zhi supported him on either side, and fortunately, a little eunuch bravely came over to carry him away, allowing the siblings to catch their breath.

"Where is the Emperor?" Ye Yun suddenly remembered that this assassination attempt must be directed at him.

Nan Zhi pushed her, saying, "Jieyu, hurry and leave! The Emperor is blessed and won't come to harm!"

Ye Yun refused, turning to look around. The crowd had already descended into chaos. Ning Chen, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, was being protected by guards in dark red official attire and was also retreating with difficulty.

Just as she suspected, those people were targeting Ning Chen, concentrating all their firepower on him.

This meant that even with Lu Qingyun personally guarding him, it was difficult for Ning Chen to escape.

Moreover, people on the opposite bank had already entered the water, using the cover of crossbows to swim over.

These reckless people were certainly death seekers.

Lu Qingyun shouted for Ning Chen to leave first, but Ning Chen, in his youthful arrogance and anger, refused to budge, determined to retreat alongside the guards.

Ye Yun's gaze darkened as she made up her mind; suddenly, she broke free from Nan Zhi's grip and rushed forward.

At this moment, Ning Chen was swinging his sword to block an incoming crossbow bolt, and his sleeve was grabbed by someone.