Chapter 28 Birthday Banquet Qi Yu thought for a moment and said, "The day before yesterday Chun Tao...
Qi Yu did not dodge, but quickly grabbed the servant's wrist holding the knife. The assassin was caught off guard and groaned. The dagger fell to the ground with a clanging sound, which caused a cry of surprise in the hall.
"There's an assassin!" Liu Yeshu shouted.
The hall erupted in an uproar, the guests all stunned and dumbfounded. The clinking of glasses ceased abruptly, replaced by panicked shouts. Upon hearing the news, the guards filed in like a tide, instantly surrounding the assassin.
Liu Yeshu did not dare to advance rashly. Seeing Qi Yuchang and his guards also arriving, he stood behind them.
Qi Yu's expression remained calm. He placed his chopsticks on the table and, with a flick of his wrist, stabbed the assassin's collarbone like a snake emerging from its lair. Then, with a swift slap, a powerful force of wind whistled, sending the assassin flying back several feet. The assassin fell heavily, making a dull thud, but seemed unconscious, like a puppet on a string, before attempting to rise again and attack Qi Yu.
The guards stepped forward, held his shoulders and made him half-kneel on the ground, and tied him tightly with ropes, leaving him no chance to resist.
The assassin was tied up, but his eyes were still red as he stared at Qi Yu, as if he wanted to eat him alive.
Qi Yu looked calm. He stood up and bowed to the guests, saying, "Dear guests, I am deeply sorry for what happened today. My servants will escort you away to avoid frightening you." His words were sincere and his behavior was calm, without any trace of the panic he had just experienced after the assassination.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yeshu immediately gave orders, and the attendants quickly took action, escorting the guests out in an orderly manner. Despite the shock, order was quickly restored under his calm leadership. Although the guests were still frightened, they dared not say much and rose to take their leave.
Qi Yu walked around the desk and slowly approached the assassin. He looked down at the struggling man coldly and said in a voice as cold as ice, "Tell me, who sent you here?"
The assassin had a blank look on his face, lifeless eyes, and remained silent, as if he were idiot.
After a long time, the assassin finally spoke: "Untie me." His voice was hoarse and his tone was strange.
Liu Yeshu, who was standing aside, always felt that the assassin's behavior was not like that of an ordinary person. Before she could observe him carefully, she heard Qi Yu ordering him to be untied.
"The one who sent me here is..."
He suddenly moved his fingertips and took out a small poison pill from his sleeve, with a look of determination in his eyes.
Liu Yeshu stood aside, noticing the assassin's movements with sharp eyes, and felt a chill in his heart.
"He's going to poison himself!" Liu Yeshu cried out, but before she could finish her words, Qi Yu had already keenly sensed the assassin's intentions. His eyes suddenly turned cold, and he quickly stepped forward. His iron-clad hand gripped the assassin's jaw tightly, forcing his mouth to close. The poison fell from the assassin's fingers and rolled all the way to Liu Yeshu's feet.
However, just as Qi Yu was about to completely subdue the assassin, a sly look flashed in the assassin's eyes. Taking advantage of Qi Yu's proximity, he pulled out a dagger from his waist and suddenly stabbed Qi Yu. The dagger's sharp, cold light flashed, like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, heading straight for Qi Yu's chest. The distance was so close that Qi Yu could not avoid it for a moment!
Liu Yeshu looked around, grabbed a basin of boiling soup from the guest table, and rushed forward, pouring it out without hesitation. The assassin was caught off guard and was hit by the boiling soup from behind. Instantly, he let out a shrill scream that shook the whole area.
However, the tip of the dagger had already sunk into Qi Yu's left chest. Qi Yu groaned and covered the wound, blood trickling from his fingers like beads from a broken string. He steadied himself by holding onto the table, his face slightly pale.
The assassin stumbled back in agony, the dagger falling from his grasp. He instinctively scratched at the wound, only to feel the pain grow. His flesh had burned red, and boiling water streamed down his spine, searing him like a raging fire. He writhed on the ground in agony, his struggles shrill, his face a mixture of pain and anger. He tried to resist, but was already powerless. The guards immediately stepped forward, subduing him again and tightening the bonds.
"The general is injured!" exclaimed the guests who had not left yet.
The assassin was tied up, curled up like a stray dog, with only ashes in his eyes.
Liu Yeshu remained calm and said loudly, "Everyone, don't panic! The palace has been fortified. Please return home without worry." Upon hearing this, the guests' nervousness gradually subsided, and they left in an orderly manner, led by the attendants. Liu Yeshu watched the last guest leave before he breathed a sigh of relief.
She returned to the hall and saw Qi Yu, looking normal. The bleeding from the wound on his left chest had stopped. He turned to the attendant and said, "Go spread the word. Say that after the guests left, I was attacked by an assassin and seriously injured. My condition is critical."
Liu Yeshu felt relieved, thinking that the show just now was just for outsiders to see.
She picked up her handkerchief, wrapped up the poison on the ground, and asked in her heart: "Baike, what is this poison made of?"
【The raw material is hemp, and after processing, the purity is extremely high. 】
Liu Yeshu gasped upon hearing this. She thought to herself: No wonder this assassin is acting so strangely. Could it be that the assassination organization is using this kind of drug to control the assassins? There must be a bigger conspiracy behind this.
"Butler Liu." Qi Yu said.
Liu Yeshu quickly came back to his senses: "Yes."
"Give me what you have in your hand." Qi Yu gestured with his hand.
Liu Yeshu respectfully handed it over. The assassin's previously lifeless eyes, upon seeing the poison, suddenly lit up with ecstasy, like a long drought finally ending in a downpour. He struggled mightily, clamoring frantically, "Give me back my bliss! Give me back my bliss!" His voice was hoarse, like a madman.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yu actually agreed.
"Okay." Qi Yu said lightly, placing the poison in his palm.
The attendant stepped forward, his face showing worry: "General, this man is dead, it will be difficult to find out who is behind this."
Qi Yu sneered and asked, "Is this important?"
Like a dog smelling a bone, the assassin knelt and moved forward, snatched the black pill from Qi Yu's hand, and swallowed it eagerly. Everyone held their breath, not knowing what would happen next.
In an instant, the assassin went mad, his eyes wide open and foaming at the mouth. Blood began to flow from all seven orifices, as if an invisible hand were strangling his throat. After a moment's agony, he finally died suddenly. A deathly silence fell over the hall, and everyone witnessed this horrifying scene with shudders of fear.
Liu Yeshu was still thinking about Qi Yu's meaningful question. After a while, she realized that a war was about to begin.
*
Late at night, the General's residence was utterly silent. The moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light filtering through the window lattices and casting a hazy, misty light on the room. Shadows danced around them like ghosts, swaying gently in the breeze. Liu Yeshu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Various scenes from the birthday party kept flashing through his mind like a kaleidoscope, and finally stopped on Qi Yu's calm face.
"I really want to go back to farming..." She murmured to herself, trying to shake off these distracting thoughts, but she was still half asleep and half awake.
In her dream, she saw fields of poppies blooming, gorgeous and enchanting, as if smiling at her in the wind.
"Hoo!" She woke up with a start. The sky outside the window was already slightly blue. Since she couldn't sleep, she got up and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
The morning air was slightly cool, and she rubbed her arms up and down. The kitchen was empty; Chun Xing hadn't arrived yet. Liu Yeshu pushed open the door. All around was quiet, save for the lunch box that had been placed on the counter yesterday. It was a snack Chu Yurou had made herself, and she had been so busy entertaining the guests yesterday that she hadn't had a chance to examine it when it arrived.
She slowly approached and gently opened the lunch box. Inside, several temptingly colored dim sum were neatly arranged. Each was delicate and small, with a regular shape and a light dusting of sesame seeds and powdered sugar. The aroma was fragrant. The dim sum was light yellow and very soft, with a faint hint of red date filling inside.
She touched it lightly with her fingertips and felt a slight coolness. She expertly lit the stove, placed the pastry in the steamer, and steamed it for a while. Steam slowly rose, carrying a faint sweet fragrance that filled the kitchen.
While the snacks were heating up, Liu Yeshu took out a few eggs, beat them into a bowl, stirred them well, and fried them in an iron pan to make golden omelets. She also cut a few slices of vegetables and cooked a pot of light porridge. As the porridge boiled, the aroma of soft and glutinous rice mixed with the fragrance of vegetables filled the kitchen.
After everything was ready, she gently took out the steamed dim sum and placed it on a plate with hot porridge and golden egg pancakes.
Qi Yu was originally reading the bamboo slips when Liu Yeshu came in, placed the daily necessary medicine on the table, and asked, "General, are the injuries you received yesterday still serious?"
Qi Yu shook his head and chuckled: "Yesterday? It was just chicken blood."
Liu Yeshu understood what was going on. She thought that the guests who had not yet left must have spread what they had seen everywhere, and that everyone must believe that General Qi was seriously injured in the mansion.
She placed the porridge, egg pancakes, and steaming red date and walnut snacks on the table one by one, and then said casually, "These snacks were made by Miss Chu herself."
"Which Miss Chu?" Qi Yu frowned slightly.
"That's Miss Chu Yurou, whom the general once saved."
"Try it too."
Liu Yeshu was stunned when she heard this and quickly declined: "General, this was specially prepared for you by Miss Chu. How dare I, a humble girl, overstep my bounds?"
Qi Yu laughed and said, "Didn't you save her life once? How can that be considered an overstepping of authority?"
Seeing the general's insistence, Liu Yeshu had no choice but to comply. She picked up a piece of the dessert and gently bit into it. The moment she took a bite, she felt a delicate sweetness, the flavors of red dates and walnuts blending perfectly. She savored it carefully, nodding to herself—the dessert was indeed delicious, but then she noticed something amiss.
Although this snack tastes good, Qi Yu doesn't like things that are too sweet, so he's afraid it won't suit his taste.
As expected, Qi Yu took only one bite and stopped eating. Instead, he took the porridge and egg pancake prepared by Liu Yeshu and started to eat with relish.
Liu Yeshu was helpless.
"What's the matter?" Qi Yu noticed that Liu Yeshu looked unusual and asked with raised eyebrows.
Liu Yeshu lowered her eyes and said, "Nothing much, I was just thinking that the general doesn't seem to like sweets."
Qi Yu thought for a moment and said, "Chun Tao gave me a piece of rice cake the other day. It was quite delicious. How about you make some more when I come back?"
Liu Yeshu agreed, but the image of Chuntao guarding her food on a daily basis came to her mind. Even Chunxing had to be coaxed repeatedly before she reluctantly promised to share next time... She thought to herself, was it really Chuntao who offered to give it to her?
Suddenly, she realized that there seemed to be something unusual in Qi Yu's words.
Liu Yeshu asked cautiously, "General, are you going on a long journey?"
Qi Yu put down his bowl and chopsticks, the contents empty. He spoke slowly, "Tomorrow I will lead my troops to battle." He paused, then added, "It's harvest time, so you can select a few servants from the mansion to accompany you. While I'm away, all matters in the mansion will be in your care, and your monthly salary will remain the same."
Liu Yeshu was delighted and responded calmly, but then she heard Qi Yu casually ask, "Was there anything special about yesterday's gift?"
"Miss Chu sent me calligraphy and paintings, they must have been painted by her own hands."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu raised his head and stared at Liu Yeshu, with a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Why do you care so much about Miss Chu?"
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