Assassination, My Life Still Rests in My Wife’s Hands

Simon Sun was just as frustrated...

Simon looked at Dr. Redwater and Dr. Marcus Guile, his face twisted in worry. "If the Crown Prince won't leave, does that mean we can't leave either? The Crown Prince's illness is cured, so there's no point in me staying here. I really want to go back to the Capital."

"Well... didn't we already send word to Ninth Royal Uncle? I think it should be soon." Seeing Simon so unhappy, Dr. Redwater couldn't help but feel sorry for him, wishing he could just kick the Crown Prince out himself.

Honestly, what's the point of moping around? Born to privilege, troubled in mind, he should have died long ago, yet his luck has kept him alive for decades. What more could he want? All day he thinks about things he shouldn't.

"The Crown Prince still hasn't made up his mind. Are you sure he'll leave just because Ninth Royal Uncle says so? If he still refuses, how long am I supposed to wait?" Simon genuinely wanted to cry—he had a ton of questions to ask his master. Stuck at this villa with the Crown Prince, doing nothing all day, was a complete waste of time.

Dr. Redwater couldn't bear to see Simon so upset and tried to suggest, "How about... you go first? You'll have guards to protect you, so nothing will happen. The Crown Prince will have both of us watching over him, and that won't be a problem."

"Is that really okay?" Simon's eyes lit up as he looked at Dr. Marcus Guile and Dr. Redwater.

It wasn't that he was being unreasonable—he'd just been away from home for too long and wanted to go back. Besides, there was nothing to do here. Staying was a total waste of time.

No one could refuse such a 'small' request from Simon Sun. Dr. Marcus Guile nodded and immediately arranged for an escort to take Simon back to the Capital...

Shandong was far from peaceful. Ninth Royal Uncle's departure wasn't ideal timing, but he couldn't afford to waste any more time there. After handing Shandong's affairs over to Vincent Su, Ninth Royal Uncle took Serena Feng and hurried back to the Capital.

Because Serena Feng's shoulder was still injured, Ninth Royal Uncle refused to travel day and night, and even the carriage rolled along at a leisurely pace.

"At this speed, when will we ever reach the Capital?" Serena lay with her head on Ninth Royal Uncle's lap, lazily complaining.

After sitting in the carriage for so long, her bones felt like they were falling apart.

"No rush." Ninth Royal Uncle rested his hand on Serena's back, gently stroking it now and then, as if soothing a cherished pet. Serena played along, yawning in comfort.

"I'm not in a hurry, but I'm worried you are. Hasn't His Majesty been urging you to hurry back?" She knew the Emperor wasn't eager for Nolan himself, but for the Third Prince to arrive. Without seeing the Third Prince, the Emperor wouldn't feel at ease.

"Ignore him." Ninth Royal Uncle replied indifferently. If he were the obedient type who always followed imperial orders, the Emperor wouldn't be scheming so hard to kill him.

"Alright, we'll ignore him. But this road won't be peaceful. At this pace, we're just painting targets on our backs." Whether it was the Empress's faction or the Third Prince's men, none of them would let Nolan and Serena pass unmolested.

Serena had barely finished speaking when the carriage suddenly stopped. The Eight Commanders stepped forward, surrounding the coach: "My lord, we've run into an ambush."

Ninth Royal Uncle glanced down, giving Serena a meaningful look. Her face froze, and she muttered, "Uh... Good omens never work, only bad ones do."

"You're right, it really is uncanny." Ninth Royal Uncle tapped Serena's head lightly, showing no intention of leaving the carriage. He simply ordered the Eight Commanders to guard the carriage behind them.

An ambush inside Shandong almost certainly meant the attackers were after the Third Prince. Ever since Nolan had captured him, ambushes were constant. Now that they were heading back to the Capital, those enemies would never let this chance slip by.

"Yes, sir." The Eight Commanders immediately split up: four stayed to protect Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle, while the other four went to guard the rear carriage—even though they knew it only held a large stone.

With the Third Prince being such a critical asset, there was no way Nolan would parade him openly. That would just invite a kidnapping. If the Third Prince were snatched, Nolan was sure the Emperor would charge him with deceiving the throne.

If anyone wanted to take the Third Prince, they'd have to wait until after the Emperor had seen him.

Just as Nolan predicted, the attackers were after the Third Prince—a hundred skilled fighters, every one of them dangerous.

Their target was the carriage. Even if they couldn't rescue the Third Prince, capturing Nolan or Serena would work too. With either one as a hostage, they could trade for the prince.

Nice plan, but reality was brutal. Nolan's elite guards were no pushovers. Even though most of his extra troops had stayed behind in Shandong, the ones with him now were still a force to be reckoned with.

The attackers couldn't get within a hundred meters of the carriage. But they didn't give up. As one wave fell, another surged forward. After several rounds, even Nolan's close-guards were taking serious losses.

"Go!" The leader saw his men dying but didn't hesitate. He ordered everyone to charge, determined to open a path to the carriage even if it cost every life.

Neither side held back. The attackers were clearly willing to die, pushing forward just to open a route for their leader.

The leader ignored swords and blades, charging straight ahead. He actually broke through the layers of close-guards and reached the carriage...

"Dog Royal Uncle, hand over your life!" The leader leaped forward, both hands gripping his sword, thrusting straight at the carriage.

The guards at the carriage struck at once, but the man didn't dodge. His sword flew forward at terrifying speed, determined to die if he had to.

"Are they here to kill you?" Serena's heart jumped. She quickly pulled out her pistol and thumbed off the safety.

Ninth Royal Uncle didn't move an inch, completely unconcerned by the danger outside. When Serena asked, he just said, "This is normal. Lots of people want me dead. If my Third Royal Brother weren't in my hands, His Majesty might have sent assassins too."

Slash! One of the guards' blades cut deep into the attacker's vital spot—blood sprayed instantly, but the man kept charging. Serena listened to the sounds outside, calculated the angle, and pulled the trigger. With a bang, the bullet flew out of the carriage, hitting the man's heart dead center.

Blood gushed from his chest as he pressed his hand to the wound and collapsed.

"Right in the heart!" someone outside the carriage shouted.

"Very accurate." Ninth Royal Uncle glanced at the still-smoking black barrel, sincerely praising her. Serena blushed and mumbled, "I was aiming for the head."

But she hit his heart instead. So much for her aim...

Ninth Royal Uncle barely held back a laugh, putting on a stern face to scold her: "That aim won't do, wife. My life is in your hands. For my safety alone, you really ought to practice more."

"Who's your wife? Don't call me that." Serena ground her teeth and tossed the pistol onto the seat.

With the road ahead so dangerous, there was no point putting the pistol away...

Ninth Royal Uncle wasn't offended. He just teased, "You know, you're the only wife I'll ever have."