dognovel Chapter 159: All parties are ready to take action
Chapter 159: All parties are ready to take action
Hearing the sudden cooing sound outside the window, the three of them were startled and reacted quickly.
The dwarf was agile and nimble, like an agile monkey. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed to the window, carefully opened the window, and retrieved a carrier pigeon.
He remained highly alert, peeked out a few times, and after confirming that everything was safe, he quickly pulled himself back and closed the window tightly.
Back in the room, they removed a small bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, pried it open with a knife, and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.
Under the dim candlelight, the dwarf slowly unfolded the note. The three of them took a closer look and looked at each other in astonishment.
"What the hell? The Markhan delegation was sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion? This is against the rules!" The middle-aged man spoke first, his tone full of disbelief.
The silver-haired woman frowned and asked, "How could this happen? The difficulty and risk of assassinating someone at the Prime Minister's residence and assassinating someone at a specially arranged post for the envoys are worlds apart!"
"What a despicable Xu Feng!" The dwarf cursed with gritted teeth, obviously extremely dissatisfied with Xu Feng's trick of "diverting the trouble to others".
The middle-aged man echoed, "Xu Feng, that little thief, is truly full of evil. This trick not only allowed him to escape, but also cleverly put the blame on Prime Minister Wang."
The dwarf's face darkened, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Our assassination attempt on the emperor was just a feint, but we didn't expect it to indirectly help this little thief. Now he's hiding in the palace, and cleverly, he's pushed all the responsibility for the diplomatic mission onto Prime Minister Wang."
The silver-haired woman asked anxiously, "So what should we do now?"
The dwarf gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Go! This is a rare opportunity. We can't just sit back and watch the successful alliance between Malkhan and Dashun. We must strike first, kill Sam, and ruin their alliance plan! Otherwise, Jung'erhan will face unprecedented pressure!"
Hearing the dwarf's decision, the middle-aged man and the silver-haired woman looked at each other, saw firmness and determination in each other's eyes, and then nodded in unison.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion, in order to properly accommodate the Malkhan envoys, Prime Minister Wang specially cleared out a spacious and scenic courtyard and made careful security arrangements around it.
He not only mobilized the elite troops of the Jingzhao Prefecture, but also added multiple outposts and patrol routes to ensure the safety of the diplomatic corps and prevent any accidents.
The first night passed peacefully. After arriving, the members of the delegation went to rest and there was no disturbance.
However, the next morning, when the delegation was about to go out for a walk to enjoy the scenery of the Dashun capital, they were politely but firmly stopped by the guards.
They were told that for safety reasons, they could only move around in designated yards.
Sam, the head of the Malkhan delegation, was furious upon hearing the news.
He considered this an insult to the Makhanate and loudly demanded, "Did we, the Makhanate's envoys, come to Dashun just to be imprisoned here? I demand that you immediately inform His Majesty the Emperor of Dashun and ask him why he is treating us this way?"
"Besides, Lord Wang of the Embroidered Uniform Guards clearly told me that we are free to move around here. How could it have turned out like this overnight? We must get a reasonable explanation!"
Prime Minister Wang rushed over after hearing the news. After listening to Sam's accusation, he felt a splitting headache.
He was furious at Xu Feng's unauthorized actions and cursed him dozens of times in secret. But for the sake of the overall situation, he suppressed his anger and ordered his staff to quickly prepare some precious jewels as gifts to appease the envoys.
Afterwards, Prime Minister Wang personally explained to Sam, "Respected Captain Sam, I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. Yesterday, His Majesty was attacked by an assassin. In order to apprehend the murderer as quickly as possible and to ensure your safety, the capital is temporarily under martial law."
"Please understand that we are doing this to avoid any possible misunderstanding or danger. We hope you can stay here peacefully for a few days. Once the situation stabilizes, you and your delegation will be able to resume your free movement. These jewels are a small token of our appreciation, and we hope they will add a touch of comfort to your stay."
Although Sam was still dissatisfied, he had to suppress his anger temporarily and reluctantly accepted the arrangement in the face of Prime Minister Wang's sincere attitude and generous gifts.
Xu Feng's days in the palace were peaceful and regular.
In addition to leading the Jinyiwei on patrol every day, he would accompany the emperor to play chess and drink tea.
At night, he would read and practice martial arts alone in the Qilian Hall, enjoying this rare tranquility and freedom.
Just as he expected, there were no assassinations during this period, which made him curious about the situation of the envoys in the Prime Minister's Mansion. He thought that Prime Minister Wang must be having a headache at the moment. After all, the people in the Western Regions are unruly and will not easily obey the law.
However, Xu Feng also knew that such peace was only temporary.
Once the war in the Western Regions breaks out again, he will surely throw himself into the busy military affairs again.
Just then, a eunuch named Liu Gonggong approached him and respectfully conveyed the emperor's order: "Sir Wang, the evening after tomorrow is Noble Concubine Yi's birthday. His Majesty will personally visit Yifang Palace and host a small celebration. I'm afraid Sir Wang will need to take great care to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Xu Feng understood what he meant after hearing this.
Concubine Yi's position in the harem was extremely important. She only needed to give birth to a prince to be promoted to queen, so her birthday celebration naturally attracted much attention.
Xu Feng smiled and said to Eunuch Liu: "Don't worry, Eunuch Liu, I will dispatch two more teams of Jinyiwei to strengthen the defense and ensure that the celebration is foolproof."
After hearing this, Eunuch Liu praised him repeatedly: "Lord Wang is truly a minister of great caliber. Your Majesty is truly blessed to have such a capable minister as yours as your assistant."
Xu Feng waved his hand modestly. "You are so kind, Eunuch Liu. By the way, since this is a celebration, I'm sure there will be many artists performing in the palace. To ensure safety, please provide a list of performers. I need to review them one by one in advance to prevent any unscrupulous people from sneaking in."
Eunuch Liu nodded in agreement, "Master Wang, this is very thoughtful. I will bring the list to you shortly."
The internal government handled this matter and did a very detailed job.
Not long after, Eunuch Liu sent his men to deliver a detailed list of performers to Qilian Hall and handed it to Xu Feng personally.
Xu Feng took the list and looked through it carefully, scanning each name with sharp eyes. He used a red pen to mark those names that did not sound like Han Chinese, secretly calculating the possible risk points in his mind.
After completing the preliminary screening, Xu Feng summoned a smart and capable Jinyiwei.
He handed him the list with the key points highlighted and instructed him solemnly, "Take this list and go find Honglian and Mr. Zhuge immediately."
"Please ask them to conduct a thorough review of those who will be performing in the palace today, based on the names on this list. If they find any suspicious behavior or people they are concerned about, they must report it to me immediately."