I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

Recently, the court of Qing Kingdom has been in a state of flux. Outside, the Qin army is eyeing the country covetously, having just experienced a major war; inside, there are spies secretly plotting to disrupt the government. Fortunately, the crown prince and Chen Jue have joined hands to break through the crisis. First, they captured the spy who intended to destroy the imperial city at the celebration banquet, and then obtained many key clues from the spy. Now, a roundup operation against the remaining assassins and the ministers behind them is being prepared in full swing.

Inside the East Palace, candles were lit brightly, and the flickering light and shadows reflected the solemn faces of the prince and Chen Jue. The prince stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright but unable to hide his anxiety. He was wearing a black robe embroidered with gold and a jade crown on his head. The pearls on the jade crown flickered coldly under the candlelight, just like his eyes at the moment. Chen Jue sat on a carved chair beside him, tapping the armrest unconsciously with his fingers, frowning, and lost in thought.

"Duke Chen," the prince was the first to break the silence, his voice low and firm, "the situation is urgent now. These remaining assassins are like poisonous snakes hiding in the dark, and they may hurt people again at any time. The people in the court are in a panic. Now that we have the clues, we must catch them all as soon as possible, restore the court to a clear and bright state, and reassure the officials."

Chen Jue nodded slightly, stood up and bowed, saying: "Your Highness is right, and I am also aware of the importance of this matter. According to the confession of the spy, the remaining assassins are cunning rabbits with three burrows, mostly hiding in remote alleys in the capital, abandoned manors on the outskirts of the city, and some places in the market where all kinds of people are mixed. They act secretly and have inextricable connections with various forces. If we want to capture them in one fell swoop, we must plan carefully and must not alert them."

The prince nodded slightly, walked to the table, and spread out a map of the capital. The candlelight made the lines on the map more and more clear. He pointed to several marks and said, "Duke Chen, look here, here, and here. These are all possible bases where they may be hiding. I think we can divide our troops into several groups and attack at the same time, so that they can't take care of each other."

Chen Jue leaned in to take a closer look, with a hint of admiration in his eyes: "Your Highness is wise. This way, the efficiency of arrest can be greatly improved. I suggest that each team should be composed of elite soldiers, led by a captain who is familiar with the topography of the capital, to ensure that the action is swift and secretive. Furthermore, to prevent accidents, ambushes should be set up in advance at all the main roads out of the city to prevent anyone from escaping."

The prince's eyes sparkled, and he nodded in response, "Duke Chen, you have considered it carefully, so I will do as you say. However, this operation is of great importance. Not only do we need to catch the killer, but the ministers who secretly colluded with him are also a great threat, and we must not let any of them go."

Chen Jue's expression was stern. He continued, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have been secretly paying attention to the movements of officials in the court. Those who have suspicious words and deeds and have close ties with the Qin State are all under our surveillance. Once the arrest operation begins, they can be arrested immediately and imprisoned in the Dali Temple to await trial."

After the discussion, the two began to mobilize troops. Chen Jue relied on the connections he had accumulated over the years in the capital to quickly gather a group of reliable people, including agile heroes and retired veterans who were loyal to the Qing Kingdom. Hearing that they were going to purge the court of evil, they were all eager to try.

Late at night, everything was silent, and the people of the capital were all immersed in sleep, unaware that a storm was about to sweep in. A group of people led by the prince ran towards an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city like ghosts. The moonlight shone on them, reflecting a cold light, and only the sound of horse hooves was deliberately suppressed, quietly echoing in the silent night.

When approaching the manor, the prince pulled the reins and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. He stared at the dark manor with sharp eyes and whispered, "This is an important base of the remaining assassins. Everyone must be careful and follow my orders."

All the soldiers responded in unison, dismounted, held their weapons, crouched, and slowly approached the manor. There was a dead silence in the manor, only the occasional barking of dogs broke the strange silence. The prince was startled, and noticing something was wrong, he raised his hand and gestured, asking everyone to disperse and surround the manor.

Just as they were about to step into the manor, suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the night sky. Then, the manor was brightly lit, and a group of men in black poured out like a tide, each holding a sharp blade and with fierce eyes.

“Humph, I didn’t expect you guys to come after all,” the leading black-clad man sneered, “However, today is the day you die!”

The prince showed no fear, and drew his sword. The cold light of the sword flashed, reflecting his resolute face: "You bold lunatics, today is the day of your destruction! Soldiers, kill!"

Suddenly, shouts of killing rang out, and the two sides were in a melee. The prince was agile and his swordsmanship was sharp. Wherever he went, the men in black fell one after another. While killing the enemies, he shouted loudly: "Don't let any of them go, make sure to annihilate them all!"

At the same time, another group led by Chen Jue also encountered the remnants of the assassins in a remote alley in the capital. The alley was narrow and deep, and the houses on both sides were dilapidated, which made the battle more difficult. Chen Jue held a spear in his hand, his posture was as straight as a pine tree, and he shouted: "Brothers, get rid of the harm for the country, charge!"

He was the first to rush into the enemy camp, wielding his spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, full of vigor and vitality. The soldiers around him were not to be outdone, and fought desperately with the killers. Between the flashes of swords and shadows, blood splattered and screams were heard.

"Duke Chen, this is a tricky idea. It seems they have been prepared for it!" a soldier shouted.

Chen Jue looked around with a stern look in his eyes, and found that the resistance of these assassins was extremely tenacious, and their tactics were coordinated very well. He suddenly realized that there might be a spy inside, which led to the leak of information. But at this moment, the arrow was on the string, and there was no time to think too much.

"Don't be afraid, hold your ground, we will definitely win!" Chen Jue encouraged the soldiers loudly, and wielded the spear in his hand so fiercely that he could defeat ten enemies with one.

In the fierce battle, Chen Jue keenly caught the leader of the assassins. He was a tall, masked man. His moves were fierce and he was particularly conspicuous in the crowd. Chen Jue's eyes focused and he decided to capture the leader first. He flashed and rushed towards the man like a ghost, piercing his throat with his spear.

The man was horrified when he saw this, and quickly raised his knife to block. But Chen Jue's attack was like a storm, and he gradually couldn't hold it back. In panic, he exposed his flaws. Chen Jue seized the opportunity and shot off his mask with a gun. At the same time, the tip of the spear in his hand was against his throat.

"Tell me, who are your accomplices behind the scenes?" Chen Jue shouted sternly.

The man's face was pale, but he clenched his teeth and refused to speak. Chen Jue snorted coldly, exerted a little force on his hand, and the tip of the gun pierced his skin, a trace of blood seeped out: "If you don't say anything, I will send you to the west now!"

The man seemed to be intimidated by Chen Jue's momentum, and finally spoke: "It's... it's Lord Li in the court. He provided us with intelligence and asked us to disrupt the capital at a critical moment..."

Chen Jue was shocked. Lord Li seemed to be honest and loyal in the court, but he was unexpectedly so vicious. He immediately informed the prince of the news and continued to command the battle, striving to wipe out all the remaining assassins along the way.

After receiving the news, the prince was shocked and angry. He accelerated the pace of the attack. With the desperate efforts of the soldiers, the remaining assassins in the suburban village gradually lost and began to flee. However, they were blocked by the ambush set up by the prince in advance, so they could only surrender.

Meanwhile, in the capital, the troops led by Chen Jue also successfully repelled the assassins and captured the remaining remnants. Then, according to the pre-planned plan, the two teams met up and headed towards the residences of the ministers who were in collusion with the assassins.

The sky gradually brightened, and the faint light of the morning sun sprinkled on the streets and alleys of the capital, but it could not dispel the haze that shrouded people's hearts. The prince and Chen Jue led the soldiers and came to the front of Lord Li's mansion in a menacing manner.

"Open the door! We are investigating the case in compliance with your orders!" the prince shouted.

The door of the mansion slowly opened, and Lord Li walked out pretending to be calm, followed by a group of servants. When he saw the Crown Prince and Chen Jue, his face changed slightly, but he forced a smile: "Your Highness, Duke Chen, I wonder what business it is that has troubled you two to come to my humble home so early in the morning?"

The prince stared at him with a sharp gaze and said coldly, "Master Li, you know in your heart what you have done. Now there is irrefutable evidence that you have secretly colluded with the remaining assassins and intended to rebel. Why don't you surrender!"

Lord Li turned pale, and he knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, I am innocent! I am loyal to the Kingdom of Qing, how could I do such a treasonous thing?"

Chen Jue snorted coldly, took a step forward, and laid out the evidence he had obtained from the killer in front of him one by one: "Master Li, at this point, you still dare to quibble? These are all the killer's confessions, how do you explain them?"

Lord Li looked at the evidence and collapsed to the ground, knowing that the situation was hopeless. The prince waved his hand, and the soldiers came forward, tied him up, and took him to the Dali Temple.

Afterwards, the prince and Chen Jue successively searched the residences of several other ministers who were involved with the killer and put all the related people in prison. For a time, the capital was shaken, and the people applauded and praised the prince and Chen Jue for eliminating harm for the people and clearing up the court.

The atmosphere in the Dali Temple was grim. The Crown Prince and Chen Jue sat in the interrogation room and began to interrogate the captured ministers and the remaining assassins. They wanted to pry more information about the Qin conspiracy from these people, completely cut off the chain of interests behind it, and ensure the long-term stability of the Qing Kingdom.

"You'd better tell the truth," the prince said with a stern look, scanning the crowd, "If you conceal anything, you will be severely punished!"

Under the interrogation of the prince and Chen Jue, some people began to confess their crimes, and a huge conspiracy involving Qin, assassins, and treacherous officials in the court gradually surfaced. The prince and Chen Jue successfully protected the court of Qing with their wisdom, courage and decisiveness, and became heroes in the hearts of the people. Their stories were also widely circulated in the land of Qing, inspiring generations of people to protect their country and resist foreign enemies.