Even Prince Lu Wei was greatly surprised. He was awake throughout the operation and was able to witness the suturing process closely. The prince first thought that the process would be painful. However, with the help of acupuncture needle, it was not as painful as he thought.

While Mingyue was st.i.tching the prince's wound, a few soldiers came over from the camp to aid them. When Mingyue said that the prince could not be moved due to his condition, Yang Yun had sent his men to deliver the news to the young general.

The operation lasted for hours and ended before the sky turned dark. The princess' group then departed back to the camp with the soldiers carrying the prince on the stretchers. Once they arrived at a stable path, Prince Lu Wei was then transferred into a carriage and taken back to the camp.

With Jiang Mingyue's treatment, the prince's condition was better. Once they arrived at the camp, the other physicians took over the task to care for the prince.

Jiang Xiao Xian went to visit the prince in his tent once they arrived. As the prince was awake, the young general managed to get a few statements from the prince. There was a deep frown on Xiao Xian's face once he stepped out of the prince's tent. After a while, he gave a few instructions to his men and went to see the Emperor to report the situation.

The Emperor walked back and forth as he watched the young general knelt on the ground with his head bowed low. He was furious when he heard news of the incident. Someone had tried to harm the prince of Qian Rong during the Spring Hunt. It was lucky for them that the prince had survived, or else, he did not know to explain to Qian Rong.

"Your Majesty," Jiang Xiao Xian said. "I was negligent and deserved to be punished."

The Emperor flicked his sleeve and said, "Tell me, what have you found out?"

"Your Majesty, half of the men who went with Prince Lu Wei into the woods, were found dead with their body full of blood. There were signs of animal claw and bite all over their body," Jiang Xiao Xian reported. "The men who were separated from Prince Lu Wei are now in detention."

"Continue to interrogate them," the Emperor said. "Do whatever you can to get something out of them. They dare to leave their post as the prince's guard and let cause something like this to happen. Keep the news of this incident from the other princes. Just say that Prince Lu Wei was injured during hunting and he has to rest. Don't let others visit him. We do not want to create panic among them. The night feast should go on as we planned."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the general bowed. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke, "Your Majesty, we believe that a few men had disguised themselves as our soldiers to harm the prince. And these men were Qian Rong's origin."

The Emperor stared at the general for a long time, then he spoke, "This is a serious accusation. Do you have any proof to back it up?"

"We have nothing but Prince Lu Wei's statement."

The Emperor looked at the young general and raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I've talked to Prince Lu Wei upon their arrival," Jiang Xiao Xian said. "He confirmed that those men were from Qian Rong. According to the prince, those men were sent to a.s.sa.s.sinate him by leading him to the other part of the woods and towards the tiger's area. They were planning to blame Da Cheng if the prince died."

The Emperor looked at the general in surprised.

"Your Majesty, if this is true, then Qian Rong is trying to pull Da Cheng into their political dispute," Jiang Xiao Xian said. "We knew that the newly appointed Crown Prince of Qian Rong did not have a stable standing in their court. Although Prince Lu Wei was born from a concubine, he was no doubt the Qian Rong's Emperor's favorite. It was not a secret that the Crown Prince of Qian Rong and Prince Lu Wei was not in good term."

The Emperor stood in silence before he spoke, "How is the prince now?"

"The physicians had taken care of his wound, and he is now resting in his tent," Xiao Xian reported. "He should recover after a few months."

"I want to meet him."