Chapter 31 Assassination Attempt Leads to Fall into River, Fate Unknown

After managing to calm down, Cao Jinjin immediately reported to the person behind him and discussed countermeasures with Wang Li.

When the account books went missing, the first people the two suspected were Yuan Yan and his party who came to investigate.

Although Yuan Yan had been feigning incompetence and greed, posing no threat whatsoever, the moment the account books were lost, she and her companions, including Attendant Yang, became the most suspicious individuals.

"If it really was the King of Yue who did this, what should we do?" Cao Jinjin paced back and forth, his heart filled with anxiety.

If Yuan Yan were just an ordinary official, it would be easier to handle; they have plenty of ways to keep him from speaking.

But Yuan Yan happens to be the second princess of the current emperor, and the Prince of Yue, personally appointed by the emperor.

Even if she suspected Yuan Yan was behind it, she wouldn't dare to risk being accused of treason and take action against the King of Yue!

If the King of Yue gets into trouble in Chuzhou, His Majesty will be furious and thoroughly investigate Chuzhou. At that time, no one will survive.

Cao Jinjin was completely at a loss. "Are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die like this...?"

“Things have come to this point, and we can no longer suppress this matter. We must report it to the magistrate and let him make a decision,” Wang Li said.

After the incident, Cao Jinjin also went to test Yuan Yan.

But how could someone as clever as Yuan Yan see through her ruse? Their conversation was so seamless that it only made Cao Jinjin more suspicious and uncertain.

Fortunately, Yuan Yan and Yang Shiguan and others had no intention of returning to the capital, which barely managed to keep the Chuzhou officials in check, and the two sides remained in a stalemate for a short time.

Judging by the days, Xue Lang will be able to deliver the secret report and evidence in a few more days.

Upon learning that everything had gone smoothly, Yuan Yan made a plan in his mind.

She summoned Yu Liu, A Man, and others, and instructed them to select some of the accompanying soldiers to lead them out of the city under the pretext of a hunting trip in the suburbs, in preparation for their escape.

"Yu'er, today you will come with me on a hunting trip."

When Yuan Yan returned to the capital, he didn't forget to bring Yu'er with him, intending to kidnap him and take him away.

Yu'er already knew about the loss of the Chuzhou grain transport ledgers, and he had been sending his men around to search for them.

Suspecting Yuan Yan, Yu'er secretly searched the government office inside and out, but found no trace of the account books.

He wondered if another force had intervened and stolen the ledgers.

This effectively dashed Wu Kingdom's hopes of intercepting the money and grain.

Yu'er was naturally anxious, busy searching for the whereabouts of the account books, and had no mood to play with her. She opened her mouth to refuse, "Your Highness, this lowly captive..."

"Yu'er said last time that she wanted to travel with me. This time I specially brought you along. I hope Yu'er won't say she's not feeling well again."

Yuan Yan, however, seemed to know what he was going to say and cut him off before he could speak.

"That's not the case, Your Highness has misunderstood."

Yu'er's smile froze, and she had no choice but to accompany her onto the carriage leaving the city.

However, not long after, Yu'er noticed that the carriage had veered off course, and something seemed wrong.

"Your Highness, where are we going..." A hint of doubt arose in his heart.

Where else could we go? Of course, we'd go back to the capital with her.

Just as Yuan Yan was about to speak, a cold arrow that shattered the car window grazed his head.

If Yuan Yan hadn't reacted quickly and dodged in time, that arrow would probably have already pierced her head.

[Host, be careful! There are many people hiding in the forest ahead!] the system warned.

At the same time, anxious shouts from Yu Liu and other guards could be heard outside.

The system panicked: [No way, host, where did this assassin come from?!]

Yuan Yan reacted instantly, jumped off the carriage, saw the group of assassins outside, and realized that he had been ambushed.

He immediately grabbed Yu'er and threw him into the arms of the guards.

She drew her longsword and pierced the assassin who approached her with a single blow.

The assassin leader was a man of the Third Princess Yuan Xiao. He was ordered to take Yuan Yan's life while she was inspecting grain in Chuzhou and frame the Chuzhou officials for the crime.

Previously, because Yuan Yan stayed in the city and was always accompanied by a large number of guards and soldiers, he had not found an opportunity to make a move.

So when Yuan Yan left the city this time, seeing that he had far fewer bodyguards, the assassin leader felt that this was a golden opportunity.

Without hesitation, they chose to act here, ordering everyone to mobilize and, following the Third Prince's command, kill the King of Yue in Chuzhou.

Yu Liu slew an assassin and desperately moved closer to Yuan Yan, shouting, "Protect His Highness with all your might!"

Ah Man even used a wheel that fell off the carriage as a weapon, killing several assassins in succession, his body stained with a lot of blood.

She charged into the horde of assassins, relying on her brute strength to take the lead, and actually managed to push back the surrounding assassins a few steps.

All the guards present did their utmost to protect Yuan Yan as he fought the enemy, hoping to carve a bloody path for their master.

However, the enemy was determined to kill Yuan Yan. They had calculated that Yuan Yan's side was outnumbered, and the assassins who came to surround and kill them outnumbered them several times over. Moreover, each of them was a highly skilled martial artist and they were determined to capture Yuan Yan.

Despite Yuan Yan's godlike prowess, slaying assassins and staining his robes with blood, and the valiant efforts of his guards A'man and Yu Liu, they were still unable to reverse the current situation.

Seeing his guards fall one after another, Yuan Yan knew that he would surely die if things continued like this.

As she anticipated, Cao Jinjin and his group shouldn't have the guts to attack her here, so whose people were these assassins...?

The more critical the moment, the calmer Yuan Yan remained.

The assassins fought desperately, each move ruthless, all aimed at Yuan Yan.

Seeing that she was almost forced into the river, the system panicked and loudly warned, "Host, be careful, there's a river behind you!"

Yuan Yan seemed not to hear, and suddenly severed the enemy's arm, blood splattering everywhere, and he was also injured in the process.

When another assassin attacked from the side, Yuan Yan was ultimately unable to dodge and fell into the surging river.

Yu Liu turned around and saw Yuan Yan fall into the river. She cried out in grief, "Your Highness...!"

Aman even jumped into the river, trying to save Yuan Yan.

Did Yuan Yan really fall?

Yu'er, who had fallen to the ground, paused slightly in her breathing.

In the midst of the crisis, Yuan Yan did not abandon him, leaving this insignificant servant to be protected by the guards, while he himself was forced into the river, leaving him with extremely complicated feelings.

Yu'er gazed at the surging river, her eyes unfathomable, her thoughts unreadable.

Upon receiving news of the assassination attempt on the King of Yue, Wang Li and other officials, who finally arrived with their men, nearly fainted upon witnessing the scene.

That's it!

Who exactly did this in Chuzhou? They've really gotten themselves into trouble.

The King of Yue was assassinated in Chuzhou and fell into the river; his fate is unknown. Regardless of who carried out the attack, in His Majesty's eyes, these Chuzhou officials are certainly involved.

"Cao Jinjin, did you do this? You're trying to kill us all!" Wang Li was furious and suspected that it was Cao Jinjin who did it, so he couldn't help but question him.

Cao Jinjin also claimed innocence, "I didn't do it... I know the seriousness of this matter, so why would I do such a thing? Daring to touch the King of Yue is just pushing myself to my death!"

When the Chuzhou officials arrived and the King of Yue, whom their master intended to kill, had already fallen into the river, the assassins quickly retreated. The Chuzhou soldiers fought them off, but only a few survived.

"...Save him! Quick, save him! What are you all standing there for!" Wang Li shouted anxiously to the Chuzhou soldiers beside him.

However, the river was swift, and Yuan Yan was quickly swept away by the river after falling in. The soldiers searched all night but could not find her. They only managed to rescue A Man.

"Keep the salvage operation! Don't stop... His Highness is a lucky man, he will never be harmed here," Yu Liu said with grief and indignation.

"Attendant Cao, if you cannot save His Highness, you can expect your entire clan to be wiped out!" she said hatefully.

...

Xue Lang traveled day and night to present secret memorials and other documents to the emperor.

After reading the secret report, Yuan Hao learned that the officials of Chuzhou were colluding to exploit the people, embezzle grain, line their own pockets, and use the sinking of ships to cover up huge deficits. He was furious.

Just as he was about to issue an edict to have the disgraced officials Wang Li and Cao Jinjing escorted to the capital, he received news that Yuan Yan had been assassinated in Chuzhou and had fallen into the river, his fate unknown.

"Guards, order Guo Xinghuai, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, to take command of the Imperial Guard and all the troops along the route to search for the whereabouts of the Prince of Yue. Escort this guilty official to the capital and immediately hand him over to the Court of Judicial Review for severe interrogation... If anything happens to the Prince of Yue, I will order all those involved to be executed by slow slicing, their entire families wiped out, and to be buried with my imperial daughter!"

When the news spread, the ministers reacted in various ways.

The King of Qi and his faction were secretly delighted.

Some ministers lamented that King Yue had just solved the grain transport case and made a great contribution, only to be murdered by treacherous people, and sighed with regret.

Upon hearing this news, King Yuan Jing of Qi recalled what Yuan Xiao had said earlier, and his first reaction was to call Yuan Xiao to his side for questioning.

"Third Imperial Sister, did you do this?" Yuan Jing stared intently into Yuan Xiao's eyes and asked.

Yuan Xiao felt a sense of relief and joy after succeeding. In her heart, how could Yuan Yan possibly survive falling into the river? But she dared not show it on her face.

Even now, when Yuan Jing questions her, she has no intention of admitting anything.

Yuan Xiao vehemently denied it, "How could that be, Eldest Sister? Although I deeply dislike Yuan Yan, I wouldn't dare do such a thing under Mother Empress's nose!"

“Yuan Yan has always acted recklessly and arrogantly. He may have offended someone and was killed out of hatred.”

"This matter has nothing to do with me. Eldest sister, you can't wrong me without cause."

Yuan Jing was skeptical, but Yuan Xiao was unwilling to admit it, and she had no choice.

Moreover, Yuan Yan's incident would be most advantageous to her, and Yuan Jing secretly didn't want Yuan Xiao to be the culprit. It would be best if someone else did it, so that no matter how much the Empress Dowager investigated, it wouldn't implicate her.

"It's good that it's not your sister... Otherwise, if Mother investigates and the matter is exposed, you will certainly not escape blame, even if others don't say anything."

"Your Majesty, you can rest assured, it really wasn't me," Yuan Xiao said confidently. She had already dealt with the assassination attempt thoroughly; even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't be able to find out.

Now that Yuan Yan is dead, besides the Lin family and the Empress Dowager, who else would investigate her case to the end?

As for the Lin family, they are stationed on the frontier and are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. Even if they wanted to investigate, they would probably be powerless to do so.

However, Yuan Jing still couldn't shake off her unease. After all, Yuan Yan had only disappeared; her body hadn't been found yet. What if Yuan Yan was lucky enough to survive? Wouldn't all her joy have been in vain?

So she secretly summoned her subordinates and ordered them to lead a search party for Yuan Yan, demanding to see him alive or dead. If Yuan Yan was not dead, he must be eliminated before the Empress Dowager found her.

"What?! His Highness the Prince of Yue is in trouble..."

When the news reached the Governor's Office, Lin Tai staggered and collapsed to his seat, tears streaming down his face.

Her younger brother entered the palace for the sake of the Lin family, but died before the Prince of Yue could marry. Now, even her only bloodline has been murdered and its whereabouts are unknown. A hundred years later, how can she face her younger brother in the afterlife?

“Elder sister, His Highness is only missing for now, and there may still be hope for his survival. I don’t trust others, so why don’t we have Huan’er take some people to the Chuzhou area to search for His Highness?”

The Huan'er that Lin Ping mentioned is her eldest daughter, Lin Huan.

Lin Tai sighed, "It's all our fault for being so useless, unable even to seek help when His Highness is in trouble... Then let Huan'er go in our place!"

Meanwhile, at this moment, in the Yue King's Palace...

Lu Lingyue had already learned of Yuan Yan's assassination attempt.

He was playing the zither when he heard the bad news brought by Hengwu, and his heart trembled.

A finger unconsciously plucked the wrong string, snapping the string, cutting the fingertip, and blood gushed out instantly.

A note from the author:

Let me recommend my next story! "My Boyfriend is Super Love-Obsessed (Quick Transmigration)"

In each mission, Meng Nanyin transmigrates into various cannon fodder female supporting characters in different small worlds. They are willful and jealous, delicate and innocent, vulgar and shallow, hypocritical and materialistic... They are blatantly evil and never repent.

However, the male protagonists, who should have hated and loathed her, became increasingly strange, using every means to try and win her attention.

[World One: Selfish and Vicious Girlfriend x Darkened and Vengeful Zombie King (Apocalypse)]

When the apocalypse came, Meng Nanyin pushed her boyfriend, with whom she was deeply in love, to take a knife for her, resulting in his death in the zombie horde.

Her boyfriend, who returned as the Zombie Queen, was determined to seek revenge on her, but she pushed him away once again.

She fell into the same pit twice, and her boyfriend, feeling wronged, had no choice but to forgive her.

"The fact that she only pushed me and not others shows that she still loves me."

[World Two: Spoiled and Willful Young Lady x Melancholy and Insecure Junior Brother (Cultivation)]

As the eldest daughter of a sect, Meng Nanyin was always spoiled and willful. Faced with her gloomy junior brother who was being bullied, she joined the others in laughing at him, teasing him, and calling him a little mute.

Years later, her junior brother, who had risen to become a powerful figure in the sect, not only did not seek revenge, but instead hugged her with a hoarse voice.

“I am your little mute, your little mute all by yourself.”

[World Three: The Weak-Hearted Scheming Female Demon x The Cold-Faced Righteous Hero (Wuxia)]

As a female demon who destroyed several sects, Meng Nanyin is not to be underestimated; she is best at feigning weakness and pitifulness.

They lurk among the main characters, offering advice and clues, but in reality, they deliberately stir up trouble among them, making the heroic male protagonist run around in circles.

When her true colors were revealed, she recklessly revealed her malice. Yet, she was protected by the upright and selfless male protagonist.

“Ayin is the most innocent and kind-hearted person; it’s all because others forced her to be.”

...

Note: 1. The male protagonist is a virgin, but the female protagonist may not be.

2. Immersive quick transmigration, the female lead has no memory, and the character setting fits the role perfectly.

3. No splitting; each world has a different male protagonist. There are more than just a few worlds in the synopsis.

The copy was published on July 16, 2025, and has been saved as evidence via email.