Chapter 112 Taking drastic measures, perhaps, is not a bad idea. ...
Chapter 112
After a brief stalemate, Shen Suining grew restless; she was never one to sit back and reap the rewards without sowing.
The carriage hadn't gone far. She pondered for a moment, then took out a bow and arrow from under the seat, lifted the curtain, and instructed Lingrui, "Take good care of Miss Xu and make sure she's safe."
After saying that, before Ling Rui could react, she jumped onto the roof.
"Young Master!" Ling Rui shouted anxiously, but she couldn't chase after them to stop them, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow Shen Suining's instructions to escort Xu Lan back first.
Shen Suining wasn't stupid. Seeing that the other party was able to hold out against Yan Zhen and the others, she knew that the other party was no ordinary person. So she didn't rush forward. Instead, she hid in the shadows under the eaves, set up her bow and arrow and waited for the right opportunity.
Yan Zhen and Ling Rui, as protectors of Bifeng Hall, are equally skilled in martial arts. However, Yan Zhen's internal strength is slightly superior, while his swordsmanship is not as agile as Ling Rui's. Therefore, he is at a slight disadvantage when facing assassins who rely on agility.
The other party's face was covered, making it difficult to identify them, but Shen Suining observed the other party's swordsmanship. The sword energy and characteristics of the Yushan Sword Sect were gradually forced out by Yan Zhen. Her eyes grew colder and colder. After her doubts were settled, she drew her longbow to its full extent and fired three arrows in succession.
Duan Keji reacted quickly and dodged. When he saw the woman in red on the roof, who was drawing her bow and aiming it at him, he was surprised.
In the instant he lost his focus, Yan Zhen seized the opportunity to counterattack, his sword blade pressing forward. He had no time to retreat, and a huge gash was slashed open on his chest, causing him to groan and stagger backward in pain.
Shen Suining seized the opportunity and shot another arrow, clearly avenging Shen Fengyu's previous sword strike.
However, unlike before, she deliberately avoided Duan Keji's vital points this time, seemingly intending to capture him alive. Yan Zhen realized Shen Suining's intention, and the two worked together to quickly severely injure Duan Keji.
Duan Keji smiled sadly, knowing that he could not complete today's mission. Without lingering, he immediately turned and jumped into the darkness.
Yan Zhen was about to give chase when Shen Suining called out to her, "Yan Zhen! Go and meet up with Ling Rui!"
After saying that, Shen Suining chased after him.
Without Duan Keji, the remaining assassins posed no threat and were quickly captured by the first-level members of Bifeng Hall. Except for a few who were shot by Shen Suining, all of them were spared.
Duan Keji was badly injured and bleeding all the way. He was too weak to run away, so he simply gave up and turned around to remove the mask from his face. He bowed to Shen Suining with difficulty and said, "We meet again, Young Master Shen."
"Stop with your nonsense." Shen Suining slung the longbow behind her back with one hand and gripped the sword at her waist with the other, maintaining a safe distance from Duan Keji.
She saw the blood all over the ground in front of Duan Keji, frowned, took out a small bottle from her bosom and threw it over, saying, "Eat it."
Duan Keji smiled and did as he was told.
Shen Suining: "Aren't you afraid it might be poison?"
Duan Keji shook his head. "Young Master has been chasing me all this way, just to keep me alive so he can interrogate me. Besides, if the poison was given to me by Young Master, I will accept it."
Shen Suining sneered, gripping the sword hilt again, and asked him, "Who paid you to hire me?"
No comment.
"Why are you, a mere commoner from the martial world, meddling in the affairs of the imperial court?"
Duan Keji smiled, "I'm willing to try anything that involves you."
"..." Shen Suining suppressed the urge to stab him to death. She needed to find out from Duan Keji whether the person who hired him was after Xu Lanji or someone else.
If it were solely for Xu Lanji's sake, a weak woman like her wouldn't need the other party to spend such a large sum of money.
After a moment of silence, Duan Keji spoke first, explaining, "That day, I didn't mean to hurt your subordinate."
Shen Suining interrupted him and corrected him: "We're friends."
“Alright, friend,” Duan Keji took a deep breath, “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I have no hostility toward you or Shuyu Manor.”
Shen Suining believed this. She had been observing Duan Keji and Yan Zhen's fight from the shadows and he was clearly very fierce, pushing Yan Zhen to the brink of defeat several times. But after seeing her, Duan Keji stopped, clearly realizing that the person he was fighting was her.
What was Duan Keji doing? He wasn't an immoral person; no matter how high the price, he wouldn't do this job of hunting down a pregnant woman.
After pondering for a moment, just as Shen Suining was about to speak again, she heard the sound of a hidden weapon behind her. Startled, she quickly drew her sword and turned around to block it.
Her gaze slowly rose in the direction of the hidden weapon, and she saw a man in black standing on the roof. He was wearing a heavy cloak, and the ghost mask on his face was terrifying. His fist-sized eyes stared straight at her in the darkness, sending chills down her spine.
The scene of this man stabbing himself with a sword on the winter solstice was still vivid in his mind. As the saying goes, a wise man knows when to yield. Shen Suining took two steps back, turned around and ran almost without hesitation, and disappeared into the night in an instant.
Duan Keji, left standing there: "..."
...
Shen Suining ran for two miles and only after confirming that the masked man was not chasing after her did she finally pat her heart and breathe a sigh of relief.
Her greatest strength is her ability to be flexible and adaptable. If she can't beat someone in a one-on-one fight, she'll run away. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Since the feud is already established, she'll always find a chance to retaliate.
However, after reaching the safe zone, Shen Suining belatedly realized that the masked figure might not have been coming for her.
The last time they fought was in front of the Dali Temple prison. She had disguised herself as Cui Rong, which is why the other party went so far as to kill her. However, when Shen Suining realized that she was not Cui Rong, she could clearly sense that the other party was somewhat surprised.
She was so badly injured at the time that it would have been easy to kill her, but the other party let her go. So the masked man was probably there to kill Cui Rong.
And this time? Who is he targeting? Duan Keji? Or...?
Shen Suining thought of Xu Lanji, and her heart suddenly trembled. She immediately circled back to Linjiang Villa.
Xu Lan had already arrived safely under the escort of Ling Rui and Yan Zhen, and was anxiously waiting for news of Shen Sui Ning. Seeing that she had returned safely, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Lingrui complained to her, "Young Master is still so impulsive. It's a shame that Fengyu so confidently assured her that Young Master is much more composed than before. I think it was all a lie!"
In the past, Shen Suining would have retorted long ago, but having just encountered the masked man, the shadow of being stabbed by Dongzhi was still vivid in her mind, and the wound on her left shoulder, which had already healed, began to ache faintly.
Shen Suining was still feeling lingering fear and a sense of relief at escaping a disaster, so she nodded and agreed wholeheartedly, "You're right, you must stop me next time."
Ling Rui: "?"
After exchanging a glance with Yan Zhen, Ling Rui couldn't help but touch Shen Suining's forehead and then scratch her jawline with her finger. "This isn't someone else impersonating her. Zhenzhen, do you think I'm dreaming? I actually dreamed that the young master said that next time she acts impulsively, I should stop her."
"..." Shen Suining rolled her eyes and slapped away Ling Rui's hand that was groping her face.
After confirming that Xu Lan was alright, Shen Suining felt a little relieved. She then asked Yan Zhen to send a message to Lan Zhu, instructing her to personally bring some more people to guard the vicinity of Linjiang Villa, but not to alert the enemy, just to be on guard.
After the three protectors were all there, Shen Suining returned to the Yong'an Marquis's residence with peace of mind. On the way, she also sent a message to Su Xiyao to check on Shen Fengyu's recovery. After all, the three protectors had gone to guard Xu Lanji, and she couldn't be without someone by her side.
As soon as Shen Suining entered the mansion, He Hansheng immediately came to greet her, pulling her left and right to look her over, then frowning and asking, "Why did you come back alone? Where is Lingrui?"
“I left her at Linjiang Villa,” Shen Suining patted her heart. In front of He Hansheng, she finally stopped putting on airs and revealed a lingering fear. “He Hansheng, I ran into that masked man who hurt me last time. This time, it seems he’s after Xu Lanji.”
In Shen Suining's view, since the masked man would kill Cui Rong, the person who ordered him must be someone from the imperial court, and Duan Keji, being a commoner, could not possibly be his target.
His appearance tonight is probably related to the Xu family's affairs, but Shen Suining is unsure which side he's on, so she has to discuss it with He Hansheng.
But He Hansheng didn't respond for a long time, so Shen Suining asked again, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Seeing that He Hansheng remained silent and his expression was somewhat subtle, Shen Suining assumed that he was still bothered by the fact that she had kept her serious injury a secret from him, so she explained, "Don't worry, I didn't fight him this time. As soon as I saw that mask appear, I ran faster than a rabbit."
He Hansheng coughed lightly, "...It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
"Oh, okay."
Shen Suining obediently followed him into the house.
The first month of the lunar calendar is not yet over. Although the weather has warmed up a bit, it is still cold, especially at night.
The two returned to their bedroom, washed up, and then lay down on the bed.
Shen Suining went to wash up first. After He Hansheng lay down wrapped in a blanket, she couldn't wait to lean over and ask, "So tell me, is that masked man friend or foe? If he's an enemy, does he want this person or her life? Would anyone in Huadu really go to such lengths to deal with a little girl?"
He Hansheng didn't know how to answer her first question. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Ouyang Lan never leaves any room for maneuver in his actions. That day in front of the emperor, the crown prince defended the Xu family a few times, which made him feel that the crown prince still had feelings for Miss Xu, threatening the crown princess. You have been to the Eastern Palace, so you should know that Ouyang Zhiqing's situation in the palace is not good."
Shen Suining recalled that day in the Eastern Palace, where it was mostly Ouyang Lan who was throwing his weight around. Ouyang Zhiqing tried to stop him, but no one listened to her. Clearly, as the Crown Princess and future Empress, her authority was even less than that of her father.
However, Shen Suining was not quite sure what this had to do with the Xu family. After thinking for a while, she asked He Hansheng, "Are you saying that Ouyang Zhiqing is not favored in the Eastern Palace because the Crown Prince still has feelings for Xu Zhen?"
He Hansheng: "From what I understand, yes. Moreover, the Crown Prince has been dissatisfied with Ouyang Lan for a long time, and he also has some prejudice against Ouyang Zhiqing. Compared to the other two, he will only be more resistant to the Ouyang family."
Shen Suining clicked her tongue. "Wasn't that the Crown Princess he chose himself?"
She had heard Luo Jiuxun say that the Crown Prince's initial choice for Crown Princess was Xu Lanji, but after weighing the pros and cons between the Xu family and the Ouyang family, the Crown Prince chose the Ouyang family, which had more power and could be more helpful to him.
It is said that what you can't have is the best. Ouyang Zhiqing is a bit domineering, and with her father-in-law Ouyang Lan constantly causing trouble, the Crown Prince is not only dissatisfied with Ouyang Zhiqing, but also increasingly obsessed with Xu Lan, whom he has not yet obtained. This seems to be a common problem among men.
"From what you're saying, Ouyang Lan is afraid that the Crown Prince might want to take Xu Lanji as a concubine in the future, which would cause Ouyang Zhiqing to completely fall out of favor, so he simply decided to go all the way?" Shen Suining gestured with her neck.
He Hansheng nodded and added, "Besides him, there's also the Empress Dowager. This time, the Empress Dowager is supporting the reorganization of the Xu family."
Shen Suining felt like her head was about to explode.
She had no desire to know why the Empress Dowager and Ouyang Lan were on the same side, nor did she want to understand the intricacies involved. It was only after arriving in Huadu that she realized how petty the businesses that Shuyu Manor had previously engaged in were, and that the real dangers of the martial world lay in the imperial court.
So she said listlessly, "If you ask me, the problem lies with Ouyang Lan. We should just get rid of him and be done with it."
He Hansheng glanced at her, seemingly in agreement.
This immediately perked up Shen Suining. "Really?"
He Hansheng: "It's not impossible to remove the fuel from under the cauldron. Without Ouyang Lan moving around outside, the Empress Dowager will have lost an arm in the court."
Shen Suining laughed twice and poked his shoulder. "Not bad, He Hansheng. You're becoming more and more like the way we at Shuyu Manor do things."
He Hansheng smiled, took her hand, and played with it in his own.
"However, the Ouyang family is very powerful, so we can't be too blatant if we want to take action against Ouyang Lan."
"Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing," Shen Suining assured him confidently. "I've disliked him for a long time. If I wasn't worried about disrupting your schedule, would I have let him stay for the New Year?"
He Hansheng wanted to say that he had already made arrangements for this matter and that she didn't need to do it herself, but Shen Suining obviously wanted to personally vent her anger for Xu Lanji, so he didn't say anything else, only reminding her: Don't get hurt.
Only after Shen Suining repeatedly assured him and agreed to let Shen Fengyu and Bai Yu, who was by He Hansheng's side, follow her did he feel relieved.
After such a long period of cold war, and with little time spent together after the New Year, it was a rare occasion for the two to share a bed and discuss important matters in such harmony.
He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively approached Shen Suining. Seeing that she did not resist, he gently pulled her into his arms, his nose lightly brushing against her temple, greedily inhaling the fragrance of her hair.
"Ningning, I... want to tell you something."
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