Chapter 32 Shen's Assassination of Su Luoxue

The fireworks in the night sky continued to bloom, pushing the joyous atmosphere to a climax. Su Luoxue completely abandoned her imperial concubine reserve and played with the innocent and carefree Yuwen Hao. She imitated a child, twirling lightly in the snow, her skirt fluttering, pointing to the ever-changing fireworks in the sky, "Hao'er, that's so pretty..." This made Yuwen Hao giggle, chasing after her with his short legs. "Your Majesty...it's beautiful..." The two, one big and one small, were having a wonderful time, the scene warm and beautiful.

Yuwen Che stood not far away, hands behind his back, his dark cloak fluttering slightly in the night breeze. His gaze remained fixed on Su Luoxue, watching the pure, childlike joy on her face. His eyes were filled with an almost overflowing tenderness and love. At this moment, he forgot all about the fate of the nation and the intrigues of the court; his world consisted only of this smile that he was willing to give everything for.

However, this heartwarming scene, seen by Shen, who had just secretly come over, became the most glaring poison! Watching Yuwen Hao and Su Luoxue so close, seeing the tenderness in Yuwen Che's eyes that he had never shown her before, a wicked thought began to fester: His Majesty must want that wretched Su Luoxue to adopt Yuwen Hao! If she had a prince by her side, her ascension to the empress's throne would be even more legitimate! She had begged and pleaded to raise Hao'er but was refused, and now this merchant's daughter was getting the better deal!

"Su Luoxue! You shameless woman who stole someone's husband and son! Die!" Shen could no longer suppress the overwhelming hatred in her heart and rushed out like a madwoman! She gripped a gleaming dagger tightly in her hand and, with all her strength and astonishing speed, stabbed straight into the back of Su Luoxue, who was bent over playing with Yuwen Hao and had her back to her!

"Your Highness, be careful!" a sharp-eyed woman exclaimed in alarm!

Hearing the strange noise and screams behind her, Su Luoxue instinctively turned around and saw Shen Shi charging towards her with a ferocious expression, knife in hand! Her face turned deathly pale, her mind going completely blank! However, her body's instincts outpaced her thoughts—instead of dodging, she abruptly crouched down and pulled the equally terrified Yuwen Hao, who was standing right at her feet, tightly into her arms. "Hao'er, don't be afraid..." she cried, using her slender back to shield him from the deadly dagger! Her first priority was to protect this innocent child!

"Xue'er!"

Everything happened too fast! The moment Yuwen Che saw Shen rush out, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart almost stopped beating! He wanted to rush over, to swing his sword and kill Shen, to kick Shen away, to protect Su Luoxue behind him! But the distance and angle made it impossible for him to draw his sword in time!

He used his inner strength, his figure turning into a blur, and rushed towards Su Luoxue at almost the fastest speed he had ever been!

He was a second too slow! The dagger was about to pierce Su Luoxue's back!

Without thinking, without hesitation! At the last moment, Yuwen Che suddenly stretched out his left arm, precisely and decisively blocking the dagger between Su Luoxue's back and the blade!

"Pfft—!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh.

The dagger pierced deep into Yuwen Che's arm, almost going through it! The intense pain made him groan, but his body remained as steady as a rock, firmly protecting Su Luoxue and Yuwen Hao behind him.

Warm blood immediately gushed out, flowing down his arm, drop by drop, splashing onto the white snow, spreading a dazzling red.

The fireworks in the sky continued to burn brightly, but the joy on the ground had been utterly shattered by the sudden, bloody assassination. Everyone was terrified by this shocking turn of events!

Su Luoxue sensed the movement behind her and heard a muffled groan. She turned around abruptly and saw Yuwen Che's tall back blocking her way, along with the shocking dagger on his arm and the dripping blood!

"Ache—!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

The scene before them stunned everyone, their minds going blank. The emperor, the supreme ruler, had actually shielded a concubine from a knife with his own body?! This was an unprecedented and horrifying event!

After a brief silence, chaos erupted suddenly!

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!!" Li Dehai was terrified, his voice distorted as he screamed, "Catch the assassin! Hurry!!"

The fastest-reacting Dragon Guards appeared like ghosts, and the leader moved with lightning speed, mercilessly kicking Shen Shi in the chest, who was somewhat stunned by the missed attack!

"Pfft—" Shen was sent flying backward by the kick imbued with internal force, crashing heavily onto the snow and spitting out blood. The dagger she was tightly gripping was also pulled out by the force, drawing a string of blood droplets that traced a dazzling arc in the air.

"Ugh..." Yuwen Che let out a suppressed groan as the dagger was pulled out, and the blood from the wound gushed out even more rapidly.

Looking at the man's imposing back, at the deep, bloody wound on his arm, at the blood dripping onto the snow, Su Luoxue felt as if her heart had been pierced by a dagger, the pain so intense she could hardly breathe. "A-Che..."

Consort De stumbled over, almost falling to Su Luoxue's side. Trembling, she took the equally terrified Yuwen Hao from Su Luoxue's arms, crying incoherently, "Thank you... thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for protecting Hao'er! This concubine... this concubine..." She knew in her heart that Shen hated the Emperor, hated Consort Chen, and also hated her and Hao'er! If Consort Chen hadn't instinctively protected Hao'er in the critical moment, given Shen's frenzied actions just now, even if she couldn't kill Consort Chen, she would most likely have killed Hao'er to vent her anger!

Su Luoxue was brought back to her senses by Consort De's thanks. She stood up abruptly, almost snatching the clean handkerchief that Fuling hurriedly handed her. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she pressed them hard against Yuwen Che's hideous wound, trying to stop the continuous bleeding. The warm blood instantly soaked through the handkerchief, staining her hands red.

"Why...why were you so foolish..." She looked up, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam, her voice broken and filled with despair and heartache, "How could you...how could you take a knife for me...If something happened to you...what would I do...what would I do..."

"Yuwen Che, you idiot!"

She couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if something really happened to him. That would terrify her a thousand times more than if she herself were to get hurt.

Yuwen Che's face was pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but looking at Su Luoxue who was crying her eyes out, he endured the pain and gave her a gentle smile, gently wiping away her tears with his uninjured right hand.

"Don't cry, Xue'er... I'm fine, really fine. Don't be afraid..." He even tried to comfort her in a lighthearted tone, "This injury is nothing compared to what I suffered on the battlefield back then. It's just a superficial wound, it'll be fine in a few days."

Seeing her still crying uncontrollably, her tears flowing more fiercely than his blood, Yuwen Che sighed inwardly. He gently pulled her into his arms, avoiding his injured left arm, and lowered his head to whisper in her ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, uttering those earth-shattering yet heartfelt words:

"Besides... Xue'er, if something happens to you today, what use will this vast empire be to me?"

The vast land and its magnificent rivers and mountains were nothing compared to her life in his eyes.

These words, like the heaviest vow, struck Su Luoxue's heart with tremendous force. Through the silent night sky, they also faintly reached the ears of some people nearby, bringing with them an unparalleled shock once again.

Su Luoxue could no longer hold back. She hugged him tightly, buried her face in his blood-stained chest, and burst into tears. "Waaah... A-Che, you scared me to death..." She was filled with lingering fear and heartache.

Yuwen Che let her cry, gently stroking her back with his right hand, but his gaze swept coldly over Shen Shi, who was being held down in the snow by the Dragon Guards, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent. Tonight, some people will have to pay the ultimate price.