Across another room, Xie Heng woke up upon hearing the eunuch’s scream.

He jumped out of bed, grabbed the sword hanging by his bedside, and rushed towards the Second Prince’s room.

The black-clad intruder staggered after being pushed by the eunuch, dodged the porcelain pillow thrown by the Second Prince, and then stepped fiercely on the eunuch’s neck.

The eunuch instantly passed out, unsure whether he was dead or alive.

The porcelain pillow fell to the ground, making a loud clanging sound in the quiet night.

The night was silent, and the sound traveled far, quickly drawing the attention of patrolling soldiers, who ran towards the commotion while releasing signal flares.

The black-clad intruder, hearing the flares ascending, knew his time was short, and raised his dagger again, stabbing towards the Second Prince on the bed.

With nowhere to hide on the bed, the Second Prince frantically grabbed the thin blanket to wave at the intruder.

At this moment, the eunuch sleeping in the outer compartment also woke up. Just as he got up, he saw Xie Heng rush in, kicking open the door with a sword in hand.

With only a bamboo curtain separating the compartment from the Second Prince’s bedroom, Xie Heng rushed in and saw the black-clad intruder tear away the thin blanket from the Second Prince’s grasp and thrust his dagger forward.

In his panic, the Second Prince raised his arm in front of his chest as protection.

The intruder’s dagger pierced the Second Prince’s arm, just as Xie Heng’s sword reached him.

It seemed like the intruder had eyes on his back, as he quickly dodged to the side, avoiding Xie Heng’s sword thrust.

At this moment, Xie Heng was extremely anxious, furiously thrusting his sword while shouting at the eunuch who had followed him, "What are you waiting for? Hurry and help!"

The eunuch, in panic, picked up a chair and hurled it at the intruder.

Taking advantage of the intruder’s evasive move, Xie Heng thrust his long sword, hitting the intruder’s shoulder.

Just then, the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers could be heard, getting very close.

The intruder looked unwillingly at the Second Prince, grabbed a chair, and swung it at Xie Heng.

Seizing the moment when Xie Heng was dodging, the intruder leaped out the window and fled swiftly.

Xie Heng couldn’t dodge in time and was hit on the leg by the chair.

At that moment, the patrolling soldiers also rushed in.

The captain raised a lantern, saw the eunuch lying on the ground, the Second Prince with an injured arm on the bed, and Xie Heng sitting on the floor, quickly asking, "Where did the assassin go?"

The eunuch pointed to the window, and several people hurriedly chased after him.

The captain also sent someone to call the Imperial Physician.

In the midst of chaos, the Grand Duke strode in from outside, draped in clothing.

Ever since Lady Wu left, the Grand Duke often found it hard to sleep at night.

Even though the sound of the falling porcelain pillow was distant, he sensed something unusual.

He hurried over, grabbing a piece of clothing.

Upon learning of the events, he instructed the captain, "Release signal flares and gather all off-duty personnel immediately to search the entire traveling palace!"

An assassin infiltrating the traveling palace, this is intolerable!

The Grand Duke ordered the soldiers to quickly bandage the injured Second Prince. He wasn’t worried about the Second Prince; such injuries obviously weren’t fatal. For now, finding the assassin was the priority. Otherwise, the Emperor’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Just as the Grand Duke reached the courtyard, the group that went out to pursue the assassin returned.

The Grand Duke could tell they hadn’t caught anyone and was about to ask, when a soldier presented a sachet, "This was found outside the Second Prince’s bedroom window. I’m not sure if it was dropped by the assassin."

The Grand Duke took the sachet, narrowed his eyes to inspect it, and carried it inside, glancing around, asking Xie Heng on the ground, "Does this sachet belong to any of you?"