The lobby, second and third floors of Zui Furong were already packed with diners.
The aroma of hot pot filled the air, and the chatter and laughter of the diners, the clinking of chopsticks, and the boiling sound of the hot pot intertwined into a lively scene.
However, in this happy atmosphere, there was one person who aroused Wen Boyuan's vigilance.
The man was sitting in the corner, his face half-covered by a bamboo hat, so his true appearance could not be seen clearly.
He did not enjoy the food like other diners, but stared at Zhao Yingluo, as if he was unwilling to look away for even a moment.
Wen Boyuan was suspicious and was about to send someone to investigate, but saw the man suddenly move.
He suddenly took out a firecracker from his sleeve and pointed it at Zhao Yingluo.
Wen Boyuan was shocked and wanted to shout to remind Zhao Yingluo, but it was too late.
There was a loud "bang" sound, and the fire gun sprayed out flames and directly hit Zhao Yingluo.
Zhao Yingluo screamed, her body trembled suddenly, and then she fell to the ground.
There was chaos in the lobby, with diners screaming and running away in panic.
Wen Boyuan's heart tightened and he immediately led people to rush over.
They saw Zhao Yingluo falling to the ground, moaning in pain, her clothes dyed red with blood.
When the man saw that Zhao Yingluo was not dead, he wanted to step forward to finish the attack, but saw Wen Boyuan and his men rushing over.
There was a flash of panic in his eyes, and he turned around and wanted to run away.
However, he underestimated Zhao Yingluo's fanatical scholar fans.
These scholars usually admired Zhao Yingluo, but now they saw her in danger and stepped forward one after another.
Some of them picked up tables, chairs and benches as weapons, while others jumped directly to fight the assassins.
For a time, the hall was in chaos, but the bravery and tenacity of the scholars prevented the assassins from getting away.
Wen Boyuan took the opportunity to lead people to surround the assassins, and a fierce battle began.
Although the assassin was armed with a blunderbuss, he was soon at a disadvantage under the siege of many scholars, Wen Boyuan and others.
In the end, under the joint attack of everyone, the assassin was subdued to the ground.
Wen Boyuan took a step forward, stomped on the assassin's chest and shouted angrily: "Say! Who are you? Why do you want to assassinate Her Highness the Princess?"
A trace of blood spilled from the corner of the assassin's mouth. He looked up at Wen Boyuan and others, his eyes full of resentment and hatred. He gritted his teeth and said, "You dog officials! Don't even think of getting any information from me!"
At this moment, Zhao Yingluo's moans came again. Only then did everyone remember that she was still lying on the ground with her life or death uncertain.
Wen Boyuan hurriedly sent for the imperial doctor, and at the same time carefully carried Zhao Yingluo to the back hall.
Afterwards, Wen Boyuan gave an order to escort the subdued assassin to the secret room to continue the in-depth interrogation and uncover the conspiracy behind it.
At the same time, he also quickly dispatched a group of capable imperial guards to go to Zuixian Tower to capture Qin Hui, so that this assassination incident would be brought to the bottom.
However, at this critical moment, an accident happened again.
The sound of a gunshot suddenly rang out, and the sharp sound piercing the air shook everyone's ears.
Everyone looked up in shock and saw that the escorted assassin was hit in the head by a musket. His face was instantly bloody and bloody. His body went limp and he fell to the ground, dying.
Wen Boyuan's pupils shrank, and a chill surged in his heart.
He looked up and saw a dark shadow flashing past the corner of the roof, and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.
Obviously, the assassin was silenced, and the person who silenced him obviously didn't want them to pursue any more clues. "Bastard!" Wen Boyuan was so angry that his teeth itched. As the commander of the Imperial City Department, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of protecting the royal family members.
However, such an assassination incident occurred on the birthday of Her Royal Highness the Princess, which was undoubtedly a serious dereliction of duty on his part.
He clenched his fists, with anger flashing in his eyes, and ordered his men to catch the silenced black figure.
At the same time, there was also a tense and busy scene in the inner hall.
Zhao Yingluo was lying on the bed, her face as pale as paper and unconscious. After the wife of Emperor Zhao Ji heard the news that his daughter was injured, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot and hurried out of the palace to meet Zui Furong.
When he saw his daughter like this, the grief in his heart was unspeakable, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Wen Boyuan!" Zhao Ji angrily yelled, "How did you protect the princess? You actually let her get hurt under your eyes!"
Wen Boyuan knelt on the ground, bowed his head and confessed: "I have neglected my duty, please punish me."
"Condemned?" Zhao Ji snorted coldly, "What do I want from your head? What I want is the princess' safety!"
At this time, Zhao Zhen, who had witnessed the entire assassination, stepped forward and comforted softly: "Father, please calm down, this is not Wen Boyuan's fault. There were too many people, and the assassin was unexpected, so the princess was injured." "
Zhao Ji calmed down a little after hearing this. He took a deep breath and asked, "Have you found out who instigated it?"
"Back to my father," Zhao Zhen replied, "According to preliminary investigation, it may be Qin Hui."
"Qin Hui?" A cold light flashed in Zhao Ji's eyes, "How dare this old thief be so bold! I will cut him into pieces to vent my hatred! Go and bring him!"
After a while, Qin Hui was escorted to Zui Furong, and Zhao Gou came with him.
"Qin Hui!" Zhao Ji's voice was like thunder, echoing in the secret room, "Do you know your guilt?"
Qin Hui knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, but his tone was extremely firm: "The Emperor understands clearly that the common people know that they have a humble status, but they have always been loyal and devoted themselves to the country of the Song Dynasty. The common people really do not know what happened today, and even more It can’t be the mastermind.”
Zhao Ji sneered: "You don't know? Why was the assassin found in your house? How do you explain all this?"
Qin Hui raised his head slightly, with a hint of cunning in his eyes: "Your Majesty, I am wronged. The assassin was not from my residence, let alone my order. I have been drinking and having fun with my colleagues in Zuixian Tower today until I was killed by the Imperial City Secretary. He was taken away, but he never left. I can swear to God that I will never lie."
"Oh? Really?" Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows, "Are there any witnesses?"
Qin Hui turned to look at Zhao Gou who was standing aside, with a trace of pleading flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Gou understood and immediately stepped forward and said: "Father, I can prove his innocence. Today I was also drinking with Qin Hui and others in Zuixian Tower. During this period, Qin Hui never left our sight, let alone Instructing assassins to assassinate the emperor’s sister.”
Zhao Ji looked at Qin Hui and Zhao Gou in front of him and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
He knew that Qin Hui was cunning, but at this moment his words and expression seemed extremely calm and sincere.
As his son, Zhao Gou would naturally not lie easily.
Could it be said that this assassination incident really had nothing to do with Qin Hui?
However, at this moment, Wen Boyuan stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, I have something I don't know whether to say or not."
"Speak!" Zhao Ji glared at him, "Is there anything else you can't say at this moment?"
Wen Boyuan glanced at Qin Hui and then said: "When I was interrogating the assassin, he mentioned a name - 'Qin Xianggong'. Although he did not directly say it was Qin Hui, I wanted to be known as Qin Hui in the entire Bianjing city. There is only one person named Qin Hui."
Qin Hui's expression changed when he heard this, but he quickly regained his composure: "Wen Boyuan, don't rant! Do you want to convict me based on one-sided words of an assassin? This is too childish!"
Zhao Ji looked at Qin Hui in front of him and couldn't help feeling irritated.
He knew that it was not easy to get the truth from Qin Hui, but this cunning old fox couldn't get away easily!
He took a deep breath, and then said slowly: "Qin Hui! You'd better not let me find any clues, otherwise I will definitely make your life worse than death!"
Qin Hui's body trembled slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted: "The Supreme Emperor is aware that the common people have a clear conscience and are not afraid of threats and intimidation from anyone."
