She didn't know how much time had passed when Yan Li woke up as if from a nightmare. She sat up, her whole body covered in cold sweat, and it took her a while to recover. She just sat there quietly, even her breathing became shallow.
She listened intently, hearing the light drizzle and the rustling of leaves, but not the sound of another breath.
But she clearly remembered that an unusually hot breath had been sprayed on her ear, neck, and even her face and lips.
Yan Li looked down at her wrist, trying to find some evidence, but there were no suspicious marks on her fair wrist. She looked up and smelled it, but she couldn't smell any suspicious medicine.
No, she remembered that her hands were tied up, and the man, hidden in the darkness, pinched her chin and viciously demanded a kiss from her, giving her no chance to breathe until she fainted from lack of oxygen.
Was it just her imagination?
She couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. She raised her hand to rub her forehead, but then suddenly stopped all movement, her heart tightening.
The bed curtains seemed to have been lowered, and the window had been opened again at some point. A gentle breeze blew through the gray curtains, but it made the person on the bed freeze in place.
She reached out one hand and slowly pulled on one side, while her other hand reached under the pillow and gripped the dagger tightly.
The next moment, Yan Li lifted the bed curtains, stepped barefoot onto the ground, held the gleaming dagger in her right hand, and looked on with full vigilance.
The room was completely empty, with no sign of anyone else.
On the contrary, the window swayed twice in the wind under Yan Li's gaze, as if mocking her suspicions, or as if reminding her that she was overthinking things.
Yan Li stood on the ground, her hand gripping the dagger loosened slightly, she slowly exhaled, and finally squatted down, leaning against the side of the bed, her thoughts drifting away again.
...
That year, she was four years old when she was bought from a child by a richly dressed butler.
"From this day forward, you will be the prince's loyal servant. If he lives, you live; if he dies, you die." In the corner, the steward pointed at Wen Shaoxing, who was no more than ten years old, and said this to her.
Yan Li nodded at that time, but did not keep the matter in mind, nor did she understand Deadpool's meaning. However, after hearing the butler's words, she became more determined to save money.
She wanted to redeem herself, become her own master, no longer be bought and sold by others, and fly far away.
But Yan Li's plans came too early. Whether Deadpool could survive was another matter, not to mention that he would have to take on assassination missions from time to time, and might even fall into the hands of the enemy's secret guards.
For five whole years, Yan Li learned how to kill and survive, including how to escape. Not long after, her direct superior, Liu Xing, assigned her her first mission.
She was tasked with assassinating a corrupt official.
The first time Yan Li attempted murder, the man was taller and stronger than her. He seemed to have a penchant for child abuse and had taken a liking to her, who had disguised herself as a beggar to infiltrate his victory celebration.
Late at night, he tried to tie her up, but she turned the tables and killed him.
Perhaps it was because it was her first time killing someone, her hands kept trembling unnaturally, and she accidentally slipped on his body several times, and even stabbed the thing he cared about most.
His eyes were filled with resentment and anger, and he opened his mouth as if to call someone in.
Unfortunately, she had already cut out his tongue. He had nowhere to turn for help, sobbing and weeping, and he took out a large pile of silver and placed it in front of her.
Are you planning to take all this silver with you?
It's said that you can't take money with you when you're born, and you can't take it with you when you die. So, it's not unreasonable for her to fulfill the victim's dying wish after her first murder.
So she cut open his belly and stuffed all the gold, silver, and jewels he had taken out inside.
In that way, he can take these things with him to hell.
Half a year later, bad news suddenly came from the Prince's mansion: the prince had fallen off his horse and broken his leg. It was originally thought that the bone could be set and he would recover, but who knew that someone had secretly poisoned Wen Shaoxing.
Not long after, the matter was exposed. Although it was discovered in time and Wen Shaoxing's life was saved, his leg was completely ruined.
Those who were involved in this incident were all ordered to be strangled by the emperor in the palace, leaving no survivors. It was clear that this incident was intended to serve as a warning.
The emperor, seemingly out of guilt, began to search far and wide for renowned doctors, but Wen Shaoxing's lameness was already a fact, and no matter how hard he tried, it was to no avail.
However, in the same year, he suddenly fell seriously ill and summoned Wen Shaoxing to the palace. Before his death, he entrusted his young son, Wen Ziyu, to the emperor and appointed him as regent, wanting him to assist him.
Before a large group of ministers, Wen Shaoxing accepted the imperial decree, thus becoming a subject and Wen Ziyu a superior.
Upon closer examination, this emperor was only ten years older than Wen Shaoxing.
As the youngest son of the late emperor, Wen Zixing missed the opportunity to seize the throne. By the time he was old enough to understand things, his elder brother had already successfully ascended to the throne.
Wen Shaoxing was not a threat; he could have lived a carefree life as a prince without any problems. However, he was exceptionally talented and shone brightly in front of the court officials.
The imperial family is the most ruthless. Yan Li couldn't help but think that perhaps half of Wen Zixing's lameness was due to the late emperor, or perhaps it was intentional.
What he feared was that Wen Shaoxing would threaten the throne he sat on.
After ten years of dedicated service, all I received in return was not the young emperor's trust, but endless suspicion.
After all, if Wen Shaoxing hadn't been a cripple, the civil and military officials would have supported him to become the new emperor after the death of the previous emperor. There would have been no way for a child who was still too young to understand to govern the country.
However, there are hardly any "what ifs" in this world.
For a full ten years, Wen Shaoxing held power in place of Wen Ziyu, teaching him how to govern the country. Everyone said he was tyrannical and cruel, and he also cultivated countless secret guards around him, disregarding the law.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
