Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 166: Rising from the plain ground

The tranquility at the border is just a moment of peace before the storm.

Just as Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were enjoying the beauty of the peach blossoms in full bloom, a fast horse came galloping over, breaking the tranquility of the mountains. The messenger on the horse turned over and knelt on one knee, saying in a hurried tone: "Report - Report to the prince, the barbarians in the southern border are invading, and the border is in danger!"

The sudden news was like a thunderbolt, shattering the tranquility of the Peach Blossom Spring. The smile on Hu Bugui's face disappeared instantly, replaced by a solemn expression. He took the letter, unfolded it, and his face became even gloomier.

"Taoer, it looks like our honeymoon is over." Hu Bugui handed the letter to Wu Tao with a hint of helplessness and apology in his tone.

Wu Tao took the letter and quickly read it through, his heart tightening. The letter said that the small country in southern Xinjiang was coming with great force, burning, killing and looting, and the people in the border area were suffering.

"Every citizen has a share of responsibility for the rise and fall of a country. You can go now and don't worry about me." Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand with a firm look in his eyes.

Hu Bugui nodded. He knew Wu Tao's strength and the responsibility on his shoulders. He looked at Wu Tao deeply, turned to Li Xiaoyao and the general and said, "Xiaoyao, I'll leave this to you. Please make sure to protect the princess' safety."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will protect the princess till my death!" Li Xiaoyao and the general answered in unison.

Hu Bugui said no more, jumped on his horse, and galloped towards the border with his personal guards.

After seeing Hu Bugui off, Wu Tao's heart was still restless. She knew that war meant separation of life and death, and that countless families would be broken up. Although she was worried, she could only pray silently in her heart, hoping that Hu Bugui would return safely.

However, what Wu Tao didn't know was that danger had quietly approached her.

Ever since Hu Bugui was made the crown prince, the prime minister and his party have hated him to the core and have been looking for an opportunity to take revenge. Now that Hu Bugui has led his troops to the battle, the defenses in Chang'an are empty, which is a good opportunity for them to strike.

That evening, Wu Tao was taking a walk in the garden when suddenly, several men in black descended from the sky and surrounded her.

"Who are you? What do you want to do?" Wu Tao was shocked and shouted harshly.

The man in black did not answer, but moved closer, the sword in his hand shining with a cold light.

Wu Tao knew in her heart that these people were coming for her, and they had bad intentions. She forced herself to calm down, thinking about countermeasures secretly, while looking for a chance to escape...

The men in black were closing in on her, but Wu Tao remained calm. She looked around and saw the rockery and trees in the garden, which might be a cover for her to escape. After a while, she pretended to be panicked and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you break into the palace in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of the law?"

The leader of the black-clothed men sneered and said in a contemptuous tone: "The king's law? Now that the prince is far away at the border, who in Chang'an City would care about the king's law!"

"Are you planning to rebel?!" Wu Tao pretended to be terrified and took a few steps back. "I advise you to leave quickly, otherwise when the prince comes back, you will be in big trouble!"

The men in black obviously didn't take Wu Tao's threat seriously. They exchanged glances and stopped talking. They approached Wu Tao with swords in hand. Wu Tao dodged while looking for a chance to escape.

At this critical moment, several stones flew out from behind the rockery and hit the acupoints of the men in black accurately. Several men in black groaned and fell to the ground.

Before Wu Tao could react to what was happening, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind the rockery: "Don't be afraid, Princess. We are here!"

Li Xiaoyao and the general came out from behind the rockery. They had been protecting Wu Tao secretly, and when they saw her in danger, they rescued her in time.

Wu Tao felt relieved immediately, but she did not let her guard down. She knew that this was just a small episode and a bigger crisis was yet to come.

"Thank you both for saving me." Wu Tao nodded gratefully to Li Xiaoyao and the general, then pointed at the men in black on the ground and asked, "Who are these people and why are they attacking me?"

Li Xiaoyao and the general looked at each other, they were also trying to figure out this problem. Li Xiaoyao took a step forward and used his sword to remove the mask of a man in black, revealing a strange face.

"This person looks unfamiliar, and doesn't look like someone from the underworld." The general carefully identified him and shook his head, "Looking at their skills, they don't look like ordinary assassins."

"Could it be..." Li Xiaoyao hesitated to speak. He remembered some rumors, but was not sure.

"Xiaoyao, just tell me whatever you think." Wu Tao saw Li Xiaoyao's hesitation.

"Princess, I am just guessing. Could these people be the Prime Minister's former subordinates?" Li Xiaoyao lowered his voice and said, "The Prime Minister and his followers hate you to the core. Now that you are leading your troops to war, will they take the opportunity to take revenge?"

Wu Tao was shocked. Li Xiaoyao's guess coincided with hers. She recalled the attacks against Hu Bugui that she had encountered in the palace before, and she became more certain of her judgment.

"We can't take this matter lightly. We must investigate it thoroughly." Wu Tao said calmly, "Xiaoyao, you secretly investigate the identities and backgrounds of these people to see if they are related to the prime minister's party. General, you strengthen the guards of the palace and make sure I am safe."

"Yes, Princess!" Li Xiaoyao and the general took the order and left.

Wu Tao watched them leave, but her heart was filled with worry. She knew that this was just the beginning, and a bigger storm was brewing...

Li Xiaoyao took the order and left, but he felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart. Although the prime minister had been executed, his followers were all over the government and the country, and it was not easy to catch them all. He disguised himself, mingled among the people in the market, and secretly gathered information. After a few days, he really found some clues.

"Princess, I have found out that those men in black are indeed the Prime Minister's former subordinates. They are lurking in Chang'an City, secretly recruiting soldiers and have ill intentions." Li Xiaoyao reported all the information he had obtained in the past few days to Wu Tao.

Wu Tao frowned slightly, feeling uneasy, "The Prime Minister's old subordinates? Are they going to do anything else?"

"Princess, I have also found out that the Prime Minister's former subordinates are colluding with the small border countries and seem to be plotting something." Li Xiaoyao lowered his voice and said solemnly, "The small border countries have repeatedly invaded in the past few days. I am afraid they are related."

"What?!" Wu Tao was shocked. She originally thought that it was just the remnants of the prime minister's old subordinates causing chaos, but she didn't expect that it would involve the safety of the border. Things were more complicated than she had imagined.

"This matter is of great importance and we must inform the prince as soon as possible." Wu Tao acted decisively and immediately wrote a letter and had it delivered to the border by a carrier pigeon.

Li Xiaoyao looked embarrassed, "Princess, the prince's expedition this time is already full of difficulties. If he knew about this, I'm afraid he would be thrown into disarray."

Wu Tao understood this truth, but she knew even more clearly that this matter could not be delayed and must be resolved as soon as possible. She thought for a moment and said to Li Xiaoyao, "Xiaoyao, you continue to investigate secretly and make sure to find out the inside story of the collusion between the prime minister's former subordinates and the small border country."

"As you command!" Li Xiaoyao took the order, turned around and left, continuing to follow the clues.

Wu Taoze found the general and told him about the collusion between the prime minister's former subordinates and the small border country. After hearing this, the general frowned and remained silent.

"General, the war situation on the border is tense now, and this matter is of great importance. What should we do?" Wu Tao asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Princess. I will lead a team of elite soldiers to sneak into the border secretly, find out the truth, and catch those traitors in one fell swoop!" The general's eyes flashed with a gleam, and his tone was firm and powerful.

"Be careful." Wu Tao felt relieved as he watched the general lead a team of elite soldiers, quietly leave the palace and disappear into the night.

It was late at night, but Wu Tao was not sleepy. She stood in front of the window, looking at the dark night sky in the distance, with a lot of thoughts in her mind. Hu Bugui was far away at the border, his life or death was uncertain, and she was in danger, isolated and helpless. But she did not feel desperate because of this, but strengthened her belief. She had to protect herself, protect Hu Bugui, and protect this family.

A few days later, Wu Tao discovered a suspicious place by chance...

A few days later, Wu Tao went out shopping with her maid, and the carriage was driving on the bustling streets of Chang'an. Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead, and the crowd fled in all directions like a school of disturbed fish, with shouts and the sound of horses' hooves mixed together.

"Princess, be careful!" The maid exclaimed and protected Wu Tao, and the carriage stopped suddenly.

Wu Tao lifted the curtain of the car and saw a group of men in black holding sharp blades, chasing a ragged man. The man was agile and dodged in the crowd, but he was outnumbered and had several bloodstains on his body.

Men in black? Wu Tao's heart tightened, and Li Xiaoyao's description immediately emerged in his mind. Could it be the prime minister's old subordinate? !

She looked closely and found that the man being chased was thin with an obvious scar on his face. He was none other than the Prime Minister's former subordinate whom she had heard about in the teahouse a few days ago!

"Quick, catch up!" Wu Tao made a prompt decision and ordered the driver. She wanted to see what these people were going to do.

The carriage shuttled through the crowd, closely following the man in black. They turned many corners and finally entered a secluded alley. Wu Tao ordered the driver to wait at the entrance of the alley, and he followed quietly with his maid.

At the end of the alley was a dilapidated courtyard. The men in black escorted the scarred man into the courtyard. Wu Tao hid in the corner and peered inside through the crack in the door.

There were a dozen men in black standing in the yard in groups of three or four. They all had stern faces and their hands were on the hilts of their knives. They were obviously not good people. The scarred man was surrounded by them and was kneeling on the ground begging for something.

"Have mercy, I really don't know anything..."

"Hmph, you still dare to be stubborn! Tell me, where did you hide the things?" A burly man in black grabbed the scarred man by the collar and asked viciously.

"What? I really don't know what you are talking about..."

"Stop pretending! Who else but you knows about the things the Prime Minister left behind?!"

Something left by the Prime Minister? Wu Tao's heart moved. Could it be that these people were chasing the scarred man in order to find some secret left by the Prime Minister?

She held her breath and pricked up her ears, trying to hear more clearly. However, at this moment, a strange noise suddenly came from the yard, as if someone stepped on a dead branch on the ground.

"Who?!"

The men in black became alert, drew their swords, and looked around vigilantly.

Oops, we've been discovered! Wu Tao thought to himself that this was not good, and he turned around and tried to escape with the maid.

"over there!"

However, it was too late. Several men in black discovered their whereabouts, shouted loudly, and pounced on them.

"Run!" Wu Tao pulled the maid and ran away, but the man in black chased them relentlessly and they were about to be caught up.

"Help! Help!" The maid was so frightened that her face turned pale and she cried for help loudly.

However, this alley is remote and deserted, so how could anyone hear their cries for help?

Just when Wu Tao felt desperate, suddenly, a black shadow fell from the sky and blocked their way.

"Who is it?!" The men in black were startled by this sudden change. They stopped and stared at the person who came vigilantly.

Wu Tao took a closer look and found that the person who came was actually...