Chapter 95 Startled and Terrified: How could my sister scare me like that?

The guards quickly sent the double who had been assassinated, Yuan Yan, back to the palace and reported the incident.

Along the way, the group made no attempt to conceal their identities, and soon the news of the assassination of the King of Qin spread to everyone.

"Yuan Yan was assassinated?"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Yuan Jing's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is this true?"

"What is Yuan Yan's current condition? Has the assassin wounded any vital organs?" Her tone was somewhat strange when she asked this question, as if it contained a hint of peculiar expectation.

The confidant replied, "The assassin stabbed the King of Qin in the chest right there in the street, and blood gushed out. Many common people even witnessed it. His Majesty has already sent the imperial physicians, and I heard that the King of Qin's injuries are quite severe, and he is still unconscious."

It's not time to wake up properly; it's best if you don't wake up at all.

Yuan Jing felt a sudden sense of relief, and an indescribable joy welled up in his heart.

"Have you found out who did it?"

"Your subordinate is incompetent and has not yet obtained any information," the confidant said, bowing his head.

Indeed, Yuan Yan's actions, including opening up maritime trade routes and revising laws, offended countless people. There were probably many who wanted to kill her behind her back, and her assassination attempt was simply the eruption of pent-up resentment.

Regardless of who orchestrated the assassination, she had to thank that person. If only they could have been ruthless enough to ensure Yuan Yan never woke up again, that would have been even better. Yuan Jing thought to herself.

"Well, Second Princess has really had a lot of troubles lately. I wonder who was so audacious as to attempt an assassination in the street. It seems Mother Empress will have to worry about Second Princess again."

Yuan Jing returned to his gentle demeanor, a faint smile playing on his lips.

...

The Prince of Qin's Mansion.

Yuan Yan lay on the bed, his eyes closed, his face pale, and blood seeping from his wounds.

"Master, something has happened to His Highness!" A servant rushed in to report that Yuan Yan had been assassinated in the street.

"What... Say it again, what's wrong, Your Highness?"

Upon hearing the news, Yang Lingyi felt a sudden dizziness. The buzzing in her head made her vision go black, and she instinctively grabbed the table to avoid falling.

"Master, Master, are you alright?" Several servants quickly helped Yang Lingyi up.

How could His Highness have been suddenly assassinated? Xueji's heart tightened as well.

Yang Lingyi suppressed the dizziness in her head and suddenly found herself unable to understand the meaning of what the other people were saying.

The sounds around him seemed to be muffled and indistinct, unable to reach his ears.

Yang Lingyi was unable to straighten up and had difficulty breathing. She gripped Qinglan's hand tightly and said, "Where is His Highness now... Please help me to see His Highness."

Inside the main courtyard, the imperial physician had already examined the unconscious Yuan Yan.

"How is Your Highness's injury?" Yang Lingyi had been standing by the bedside for a long time. When she saw the imperial physician get up, she immediately asked anxiously.

"His Highness the Prince of Qin was stabbed in the chest, but the wound was three inches off course, just avoiding his heart meridian, so his life has been saved for the time being... However, His Highness's injuries are quite serious, and it is still unknown whether he will wake up. I can only try my best to administer acupuncture," the imperial physician said.

[Host, this fake injury item will cost you 1000 achievement points.] The system deducted points.

"But I'm curious, why did you pretend to be seriously injured in an assassination attempt? Look, Yang Lingyi is almost crying from fright." It asked again, puzzled.

"The reason why Wu Kingdom wants to assassinate me is definitely not just because of their defeat in battle; there must be a bigger scheme behind it."

"Furthermore, now that I have returned to the capital in triumph and am riding high, I have become the most conspicuous target. Countless eyes in the capital are watching me, hoping to bring me down."

“Right now I’m ‘seriously injured,’ which might be a good opportunity to lie low and lure the snake out. Just wait and see, once the news gets out, the real show should begin,” Yuan Yan told it.

When Yang Lingyi heard that Yuan Yan had almost damaged his heart and might not wake up, she subconsciously bit her lip, turning her lower lip bright red.

He couldn't help but sit down on the edge of the bed, wanting to reach out and brush away the strands of hair that were stuck to Yuan Yan's cheek, but a hand from under the covers gently grasped his.

"ah……"

This happened so suddenly. Yang Lingyi's hand was grabbed, and she couldn't help but let out a small "ah".

But the next moment, that hand gently squeezed his hand as if to soothe him, causing Yang Lingyi's startled almond-shaped eyes to widen slightly. As if realizing something, she swallowed back the soft gasp that was on the tip of her tongue.

His heart pounded, but he forced himself to remain calm and ordered the imperial physician to be sent out of the palace.

"You may all leave now. I will stay here to keep His Highness company." Yang Lingyi dismissed all the male servants in the room.

Once everyone had left, Yang Lingyi's composed facade vanished instantly.

"Sister Yan, how are you?" Yang Lingyi gripped the hand that was holding his and asked anxiously.

"Yi'er, don't worry, those injuries are fake, I'm not hurt."

Yuan Yan opened his eyes, and under Yang Lingyi's worried gaze, he pulled back the covers and sat up, gently stroking Yang Lingyi's long hair.

He appeared to be moving freely, showing no signs of injury whatsoever.

As Yang Lingyi watched Yuan Yan's actions, a thin layer of tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

His mouth moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a word for the first few breaths. Tears, like pearls, slid down his cheeks.

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled, and Yang Lingyi threw herself into Yuan Yan's arms.

"Sister Yan, thank goodness you're alright, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do... How could you scare me like that?"

He was clearly still reeling from the emotions he had just experienced; his voice still carried lingering fear and sobs.

"I'm sorry, Yi'er. This time it was an emergency and I didn't have time to tell you in advance. It won't happen again next time."

Yuan Yan looked at Yang Lingyi's almond-shaped eyes, which were wet and his face was pale. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him, so he pulled him into his arms and kissed his tearful eyes.

She roughly told Yang Lingyi the inside story of the assassination attempt in Wuguo, omitting the part about turning Yu'er into a spy, and only said that she planned to lie low for a while while recovering from the assassination attempt, and that she would need the cooperation of Yang Lingyi and others during this period.

"Where did Your Highness get so many strange and unusual ideas? Who did you learn them from?" Yang Lingyi shook her head as she looked at the "injured" spot on Yuan Yan's chest, still feeling lingering fear.

"What happened today was too dangerous. What if those assassins had actually hurt His Highness... Sister, next time, just let the servants do it. You must never take such risks again." Yang Lingyi held Yuan Yan's arm and repeatedly reminded him.

"With Yi'er giving such instructions, I certainly won't do it again next time." Yuan Yan looked into his eyes, smiled, and spoke with a rare gentleness.

"Your Highness!" A voice filled with urgency suddenly broke the silence of the room.

Meanwhile, when news of Yuan Yan's assassination reached the Prince's residence, Shen Lianzhou was listening to the manager of the money shop report on the accounts.

At this moment, someone came over and whispered a few words nervously beside Shen Lianzhou.

Shen Lianzhou trembled, and his calm and composed demeanor vanished instantly.

His lips moved, but his face quickly turned deathly pale, and he couldn't utter a single word.

In the eyes of the servants, Shen Lianzhou had always possessed an air of composure, remaining unfazed even in the face of imminent collapse. The shopkeeper, who had never seen him like this before, was utterly astonished at the sudden sight.

"What's wrong, Master...?"

Ignoring the strange looks from the shopkeeper and servants, Shen Lianzhou didn't bother to say another word.

He abandoned the still-speaking shopkeeper, hurriedly led his men straight to the main courtyard.

On the way, Chen Lianzhou walked so fast, her steps were hurried, as if she were about to run, leaving all the male servants behind.

His mind had completely wandered away, becoming detached from his body. Without realizing it, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"master!"

"Master, be careful, have you fallen and hurt yourself?" Yu Lu and the others finally caught up and quickly helped Chen Lianzhou up, wanting to check if he was injured.

Shen Lianzhou took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and stopped Yu Lu's actions.

"Forget about all that, let's hurry to His Highness's place."

Despite the pain in his leg, Shen Lianzhou knew he might be injured, but he didn't care and just kept urging Yu Lu and the others to hurry up.

How unjust this world is! Why is it that someone as devoted to the country as Your Highness is always targeted for assassination?

When they finally got inside, Chen Lianzhou, with a burst of strength from who knows where, released Yu Lu and collapsed onto the bed.

"Your Highness..." Shen Lianzhou's voice was so hoarse that even he himself felt unfamiliar with it.

When Shen Lianzhou saw the bloodstained clothes that had not yet been taken away by the servants inside the room, she stared at the large patches of blood on them and her mind suddenly snapped.

At this moment, he could no longer see anything else in the room. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and the pain in his legs intensified, almost causing him to collapse. His heart also began to clench inexplicably.

"Shen Shuqing, Shen Shuqing?" Yang Lingyi called out to him.

Shen Lianzhou seemed not to hear, the dizziness before his eyes making it difficult for him to see clearly.

Yang Lingyi frowned and said to the group of male servants in the room, "All of you, get out."

After everyone had left, Yuan Yan stopped pretending to be unconscious and sat up.

"Don't be afraid, Zhou'er, I'm fine."

Seeing that Shen Lianzhou's expression was off, she knew that he was too frightened, so she gently patted Shen Lianzhou's back to help him calm down.

"I, Your Highness..." Shen Lianzhou's breathing quickened, and she subconsciously grabbed Yuan Yan's arm, not knowing what she was saying.

As Shen Lianzhou's eyes reflected Yuan Yan's image, her focus returned, and she slowly calmed down in her warm embrace.

"Lianzhou, don't worry. It's my fault for not telling you about this plan in time."

Seeing Shen Lianzhou's strong reaction, Yuan Yan felt a pang of regret.

She had kept such a secret from even her mother, the Empress, that she couldn't possibly let her servants tell anyone.

Yuan Yan was busy sending Yu'er away and planning things, and had no time to pay attention to the backyard. He planned to tell the two of them later, but Yang Lingyi and Shen Lianzhou reacted more and more strongly than the other.

Judging from Lianzhou's behavior just now, she had completely lost her usual composure and demeanor.

This was the first time Yuan Yan had ever seen the usually strong Shen Lianzhou show such an expression. He tightened his arms around Shen Lianzhou and gently stroked him to comfort him.

After a while, Shen Lianzhou finally calmed down and listened to Yuan Yan recount what had happened. Her clenched heart gradually relaxed.

Once his mind was at peace, he realized that he was being held in Yuan Yan's arms right in front of Yang Lingyi.

His Highness treated him like a child, gently patting his back as he spoke, his movements slow and gentle, inquiring about the situation.

“Your Highness, I am alright now…you may put me down.” Shen Lianzhou looked into Yuan Yan’s eyes, a slight blush rising on her face. She gently patted his arm, signaling Yuan Yan to put him down.