Wei Ji was slapped, causing his head to turn to the side. He was stunned.

Chu Shaoling closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to a nearby guard, "Bandage him up and help him into the carriage."

Wei Ji stared at Chu Shaoling in a daze, then turned to look at the assassins not far away. Chu Shaoling's face was gloomy at this time, his eyes full of ferocity. Wei Ji hesitated for a moment before getting into the carriage.

The number of assassins was far less than the guards of the Cavalry Battalion. Before long, they were all subdued. Fearing that someone might be faking death, Wei Zhan ordered his men to drag the dead assassins into the woods and behead them one by one. He walked up to Chu Shaoling and knelt down to apologize, "This subordinate failed to protect you properly. Please punish me, Crown Prince."

"It's alright, thanks to Commander Wei's alertness." Chu Shaoling ordered Wei Zhan to rise. "Were any guards killed or wounded?"

Wei Zhan shook his head, "A few brothers were injured, but nothing serious." Wei Zhan couldn't help but look into the carriage. It seemed Wei Ji was also injured.

"It's good that there were no serious casualties." Chu Shaoling looked at the dozen or so assassins captured by the guards in the distance and said, "Tie up those assassins, gag their mouths, and don't let anyone commit suicide. Send a hundred men to escort these assassins to the Shuntian government office. Tell the governor to interrogate them immediately for me. I want to see who has the guts to cross me."

Wei Zhan nodded, "Yes."

Most of the accompanying officials were scared half to death. Only now did they come back to their senses. They hurried over to Chu Shaoling's side to inquire about his well-being. The Minister of Rites had turned pale with fright. What was going on? He had hosted the spring ploughing ceremony for so many years and was about to retire. Now this had to happen when they were just a dozen miles away from the designated manor, where receiving officials were already waiting. Should they still go?

The Minister of Rites was trembling as he asked unsteadily, "Your Highness, should we continue as planned or return to the city first?"

"Minister, you must be joking. How can we go back?" Chu Shaoling sneered coldly. "Reward each of the injured guards a hundred taels of silver. Have them return to the city with the team escorting the assassins to recuperate. The rest will rest here for half an hour. We must ensure the people at the imperial estate don't notice anything amiss. The ploughing ceremony is a major event that cannot be delayed by these scoundrels."

The Minister of Rites bowed, "This old official is ashamed that the Crown Prince can consider the bigger picture like this."

The other officials also didn't expect Chu Shaoling to remain so calm. They secretly admired him.

After arranging everything, Chu Shaoling turned to board the carriage. Wei Zhan walked over to assist him. Chu Shaoling asked in a low voice, "Is everything taken care of?"

Wei Zhan nodded imperceptibly and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Your Highness."

Chu Shaoling nodded and entered the carriage.

Inside, Wei Ji had taken off his outer robe. His left arm was already bandaged, with faint bloodstains seeping through the white gauze. Chu Shaoling's anger subsided, replaced by heartache. He asked softly, "How was this bandaged? Was medicine applied?"

Wei Ji had originally felt a bit scared after being hit earlier, afraid that Chu Shaoling would scold him again when he returned. Now seeing that Chu Shaoling was still concerned about him, he couldn't help but feel aggrieved again. Before he could speak, his eyes reddened.

Chu Shaoling's heart ached even more. He sat down and ruffled Wei Ji's hair, sighing, "Do you know why I hit you?"

Wei Ji nodded, "I didn't listen to Your Highness and went to kill the assassins."

"And you still went even knowing that!" Chu Shaoling carefully pulled Wei Ji into his arms, saying fiercely, "I've spoiled you too much? You don't even listen to me anymore and got yourself injured. Are you trying to anger me to death?"

Wei Ji had just been slapped. He originally thought Chu Shaoling no longer liked him and felt miserable. Being held by Chu Shaoling now made him feel much better. Rarely, he carefully raised his hand to hug Chu Shaoling's back, quietly burying his face in Chu Shaoling's shoulder to wipe away his tears. He felt a bit embarrassed to cry at his age.

In fact, Chu Shaoling also regretted it. He had always treated Wei Ji well in front of others. Hitting Wei Ji in front of so many people just now must have hurt the half-grown boy's feelings. How could Chu Shaoling know that Wei Ji was actually more afraid that Chu Shaoling disliked him? He had been worried and upset in the carriage for half a day, his heart all twisted up.

Chu Shaoling's temper had passed and it seemed Wei Ji had learned his lesson. Fearing that Wei Ji would hold a grudge, he coaxed gently after punishing, "I was rash just now. I didn't consider it in the heat of the moment. Does it still hurt? Let me see."

Chu Shaoling had retained some reason even in his fury. His hit was not heavy, not even leaving a mark on Wei Ji's face. It didn't hurt anymore by now. Chu Shaoling examined carefully and kissed the spot he had hit earlier. Wei Ji's originally unaffected face turned red.

Now certain that Chu Shaoling still cherished him, Wei Ji felt much better. He shook his head at the question and said softly, "It didn't hurt. It was this subordinate's fault."

Chu Shaoling's heart ached upon hearing this. Last time when Wei Ming hit Wei Ji, Chu Shaoling had asked Wei Ji if he would dodge if Chu Shaoling hit him. Wei Ji said he wouldn't. At that time, Chu Shaoling had promised to never hit him. But now, just a few months later, he had already broken his word.

Chu Shaoling turned his face to lightly kiss Wei Ji's cheek, whispering, "Let me apologize to you. Don't hold it against me."

Chu Shaoling was not someone who would normally apologize. But for this person, all his principles and temper were gone. He would say any soft words to coax him. Today Wei Ji had been wronged. Chu Shaoling's heart ached for him. He was also afraid - afraid that Wei Ji would resent him and not dare to be close to him anymore.

How could Wei Ji accept Chu Shaoling's apology? He hurriedly said, "This subordinate wouldn't dare hold a grudge, as long as Your Highness still..." Wei Ji pressed his lips together, the rest of his words difficult to say.

Chu Shaoling smiled, "Of course I'll still cherish you like before. Today was my mistake. I shouldn't have hit you. Consider it a lesson for you. In the future, no matter what happens, just focus on staying alive."

Wei Ji was stunned for a moment before saying softly, "This subordinate is Your Highness' guard. How can I only care about my own life?"

Chu Shaoling lowered his head slightly, touching his forehead to Wei Ji's, and said gently, "If I was the one injured today, would you be upset? Wei Ji, are you the only one with a heart?"

Wei Ji turned his head to the side, his eyes instantly reddening. Chu Shaoling smiled and patted Wei Ji's back soothingly, coaxing, "Alright, if you're angry about today, just tell me. But you absolutely cannot do this again next time, understand?"

Wei Ji lowered his head and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, nodding, "This subordinate understands."

Wei Ji took the rare initiative to hug Chu Shaoling, sobbing, carefully resting his head on Chu Shaoling's shoulder. Chu Shaoling laughed and ruffled Wei Ji's hair, coaxing, "Enough, why are you crying? Today we both learned our lesson. In the future, just remember to listen and it will be fine."

Wei Ji nodded, enjoying Chu Shaoling's gentle caress, listening to the tender and doting coaxing that Chu Shaoling only had for him. The grievance in his heart was all gone, leaving only a warm and comforting feeling.

Chu Shaoling closed his eyes and lightly kissed the top of Wei Ji's head, sighing deeply in his heart. No one knew how anxious Chu Shaoling was when he saw Wei Ji charging into the group of assassins as if he didn't want to live.

At that moment, Chu Shaoling seemed to see a glimpse of his previous life, with Wei Ji charging alone at the army on the Heartbreak Cliff.

Soon they arrived at the imperial villa. Chu Shaoling used the excuse of having blood on his body, which was inauspicious, to change clothes. While changing clothes in the temporary palace, Chu Shaoling called the accompanying imperial physician to examine Wei Ji's wound. Fortunately, the wound was not deep. The imperial physician carefully dressed it and respectfully advised to avoid certain foods and so on. Chu Shaoling rewarded the imperial physician and ordered Wei Ji to stay in the villa to recuperate.

Chu Shaoling coaxed Wei Ji for a while longer before coming out. He saw Wei Zhan talking to the imperial physician, presumably concerned about his younger brother's injury. Seeing Chu Shaoling come out, Wei Zhan hurriedly came over. Seeing no one around, he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this subordinate is a bit uneasy about just sending out those dozen or so assassins like this."

Away from Wei Ji, Chu Shaoling's expression gradually cooled down. He said lightly, "It's fine. The cotton balls stuffed in their mouths are all soaked in medicine. These people won't last a day. I've already made arrangements. It's not a problem."

Wei Zhan nodded and said no more. Chu Shaoling turned his head and said softly, "Wei Ji is fine, no need to worry about him." He laughed again and said, "Your younger brother is very loyal. I will naturally protect him. You can rest assured about everything."

Hearing this, Wei Zhan's footsteps paused for a moment. He hesitated for a moment but in the end didn't say anything.

Last time when Wei Ji returned from his break, he brought back two letters from Chu Shaoling. One letter was ambiguous in wording, mentioning their marriage affairs. The other letter to himself mentioned the matter of leaving the palace this time.

Chu Shaoling made it clear in the letter that there would be assassins on the way to the imperial villa, and that these were all people from the Zhen family.

Chu Shaoling had known about this assassination long ago, or rather, this matter was planned by Chu Shaoling. The people Chu Shaoling arranged by Consort Li's side constantly urged and instigated her, saying how good it would be if Chu Shaoling was killed cleanly outside the palace.

Consort Li began to persuade her father Zhen Jiaxin. Consort Li, Chu Shaoruan, and Zhen Jiaxin planned for many days inside and outside the palace before this assassination took place.

Chu Shaoling and Wei Zhan planned even more comprehensively than them. They had to capture the assassins alive, and then on the way to escorting them back to Shuntian Prefecture, they would imperceptibly leave some traces of the Zhen family on the assassins. After returning to the imperial city, the Shuntian prefect naturally wouldn't dare to take on such a big case and would transfer the people to the Supreme Court. Before they could be interrogated, these people would die from the poison, not giving the Zhen family any chance to retract their confessions.

And Wei Zhan would be promoted again for his merit in protecting the emperor and his decisive actions.

Most of this matter was prepared by Chu Shaoling, but Wei Zhan also helped a lot. After this incident, Chu Shaoling valued Wei Zhan even more. At the same age as himself, having this level of scheming was rare. More importantly, he was Wei Ji's older brother. For Wei Ji's sake, Chu Shaoling would not be stingy with any opportunity to promote Wei Zhan.