18 Stray
◎ Seeing the man in pajamas with black hair cascading down like a waterfall, Lu Jing was also startled.◎
Lu Jing forgot to let go, and Gu Ningxi was stunned for a moment as he held her hand.
His palms were warm, giving people a sense of security.
The fighting stopped, and the wind was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The secret guards came over to dispose of the bodies of the five assassins. Gu Ningxi was startled back to his senses by the noise. He quickly pulled his hand back and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me."
"No need." Seeing that he was still in shock, Lu Jing gestured for him to leave with her. "Let's go. This isn't a place to stay for long."
It was he who brought Yuan Le out of the capital, so of course he had to protect him.
Gu Ningxi nodded silently, followed King Zhao, and involuntarily took a half step closer to him.
The secret guards were checking the bodies. Three of them were killed on the spot, and the other two were still breathing faintly.
The four long arrows pierced through the vital points and were nailed into the ground.
Xie Qian was just consolidating his forces when the assassination attempt came without warning. This place was less than 200 miles from the capital, so who could have imagined the appearance of such a large number of skilled assassins?
He took a break from his busy schedule to come forward and asked Gu Ningxi with concern, "Are you okay?"
Gu Ningxi shook his head, looking utterly lost. Xie Qian could understand. Yuan Le was a civil official, having grown up in a marquisate in Kyoto. Suddenly witnessing such a dangerous scene, how could anyone not be frightened?
In the previous encounter with the assassin, two secret guards had sustained minor injuries, but fortunately, they were not seriously injured. Although the number of personal guards accompanying His Highness this time was small, they were all elite warriors capable of fighting ten enemies at once, and their battlefield-honed reflexes were unmatched by ordinary guards.
In addition, a carriage with Gu Ningxi's belongings inside was missing. The assassins had startled the horses and driven the carriage eastward.
The two servants who followed the Gu Mansion were not affected, but Yin Yue disappeared. It seemed that she must have been in the carriage at that time.
Lu Jing said, "Don't worry, the secret guards caught up with us at that time. The area around us is all plains, there are no mountain roads, so we should be able to find them soon."
He had already asked someone to bring him a set of clothes and said to Gu Ningxi, "Change your clothes first."
Gu Ningxi looked down at her bloodstained clothes, the interweaving of red and green glaring. She hesitated for a moment, then didn't refuse. She whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness."
She went to change clothes in the carriage of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao not far away. After closing the carriage door, the noisy sounds outside subsided a little.
The carriage was very spacious. Gu Ningxi took off his outer robe and found that there were bloodstains on his inner garment as well.
The bra was fine, so Gu Ningxi set her changed clothes aside and quickly put on her new undershirt. It was a poor fit, with the cuffs and trouser legs hanging down considerably, so she had to roll it up carefully.
The jade-white robe she wore almost dragged on the ground, but fortunately her shoes were high enough to barely support the dress.
Gu Ningxi was considered tall for a woman, but somewhat shorter than a man. So her mother had the nanny sew these special boots for her. Wearing them instantly made her nearly two inches taller, and no one could tell.
Gu Ningxi carefully tidied her clothes, but still felt a little weak when she stepped out of the carriage.
Lu Jing handed him the water bag. Xie Qian saw that the same set of clothes looked completely different on Lord Gu.
What happened today was also due to their carelessness. They originally thought that there would be no such danger in the suburbs of Beijing.
The assassins were coming with such force that it was difficult to tell from where they came from just by looking at their moves. After all, Prince Zhao had defeated so many of his men, so who knew which faction was seeking revenge?
Those they defeated on the battlefield were all heroes of their generation and their loyal old subordinates.
In front of Gu Ningxi, Xie Qian did not mention many things.
He went to interrogate the assassin, and only Gu Ningxi and King Zhao were left under the tree.
The breeze blew the jade-white sleeves, changing into King Zhao's clothes and stained with his scent, making Gu Ningxi feel a little uncomfortable.
Although she had worn the pajamas of the person in front of her in her dreams, after all... after all, it was still different from reality.
She gradually gained a sense of reality that she had survived the disaster and found her voice again.
"Your Highness."
"What's wrong?"
Gu Ningxi wanted to thank him again, but felt it was redundant and too understated.
After thinking for a moment, she posed another perplexing question: "Your Highness, if I encounter this situation again next time, where should I run to?"
Not every time she was so lucky and rescued in time, she ran in the right direction and could always buy herself some extra time.
Also, if the assassin hadn't found her, wouldn't it be better for her to find a place to hide?
Lu Jing paused for a long time, looking cautiously asking for advice.
He said, "There won't be a next time."
At least this kind of danger brought by him will no longer exist.
…
It started to rain after nightfall, so the group stayed at the nearest inn.
The sound of raindrops hit the window, and two candles were lit in Gu Ningxi's room.
Yinyue had returned safely, unharmed. When the assassin arrived, she was packing Master Gu's clothes in the carriage, preparing to take them to the stream to wash.
Hearing the sound of "there is an assassin" outside, she panicked for a moment. When she hesitated and hid in the carriage, the horse was suddenly frightened and ran away with her all the way east.
The personal guard from Prince Zhao's palace who had saved her was named Xun Zhou, a timely help. Gu Ningxi heard from Yinyue how Xun Zhou had leaped onto the galloping carriage, dispatched three assassins in quick succession, and then seized the reins. When she was so frightened and unable to stop crying, Xun Zhou had comforted her, assuring her that they were safe.
When talking about Xun Zhou, a red cloud unconsciously appeared behind Yin Yue's ears.
We should repay the life-saving grace, and it is always worth celebrating if we can escape danger.
Gu Ningxi drank half a bowl of the tranquilizing soup. Yinyue had been quite frightened on her trip out of the capital. Upon returning to the Marquis' residence, she would inform the steward and have Yinyue receive an additional three months' salary.
"It's getting late. You should go back to your room and sleep. You don't have to keep watch tonight."
"Thank you, sir." Yinyue bowed gratefully. Master Gu had always been gentle and considerate towards them. Being able to serve in his courtyard was a great honor for her.
Yinyue cleared the bowls and said, "I'll take my leave. If you need anything, please call me again."
Gu Ningxi nodded. The moonlight was very dim tonight and the sky was covered with thick clouds.
She extinguished the candle on the table, leaving only a small lamp by the couch.
In the afternoon, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had dispatched two new teams of secret guards to surround the inn, making it very safe.
Gu Ningxi consoled herself with this, placing her changed robes neatly beside the bed. She lifted the covers and settled herself on the bed.
The room slowly fell into silence.
…
The lights were still on in the house at the deepest part of the corridor.
Several secret guards were guarding the door. Lu Jing asked from inside, "How's the interrogation going?"
"There are some clues, but there is no definite evidence yet."
The assassins were likely former subordinates of King Zhao Jian'an of Xia. Zhao Jian'an valued loyalty and loyalty, and had countless talented generals under his command. Even after Zhao Jian'an was sentenced to death by His Majesty, some of his generals still defected and refused to surrender to the Jin Dynasty.
Lu Jing pondered. He didn't actually agree with killing Zhao Jian'an. It was just that he was still on the battlefield at the time, while Zhao Jian'an had been escorted back to the capital by an imperial envoy from the court. The Prince of Huai said that Zhao Jian'an held great prestige in Hebei, and that if he wasn't killed, there would be endless trouble. His brother also didn't object. His father had been hesitant at first, but after the Prince of Huai and his followers persuaded him, he personally issued the decree to execute Zhao Jian'an.
Xie Qian hesitated to speak. Zhao Jian'an had died, and two of his generals in Hebei had surrendered and then rebelled again. Brother Qin Yu's delay in returning to the capital was due to the need to suppress these small-scale rebellions. He looked serious. The most important question right now wasn't where the assassins came from, but how they had managed to sneak into the suburbs of Beijing without anyone noticing.
It is not difficult to gather dozens of people to assassinate, but to avoid numerous checkpoints and reach the emperor's feet, I am afraid it will require the work of another person.
And being able to do this in Beijing... killing someone with a borrowed knife is truly brilliant, and this is the evidence they are looking for.
"The assassin was able to kill Lord Gu of the Eastern Palace, which shows that he is not aware of his relationship with us." Xie Qian thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the assassin is deliberately creating confusion to clear the Eastern Palace of suspicion."
There was insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion. Lord Gu was innocently implicated by them, but fortunately he escaped unharmed in the end.
Lu Jing said: "Keep searching until you get to the bottom of it."
"I understand." Someone was trying to assassinate him right in front of him, so there was no reason to let him go easily.
Xie Qian was still hesitant: "But the fact that His Highness was assassinated, I'm afraid His Majesty can't keep it a secret."
Such a serious crime has occurred in the suburbs of Beijing. The bodies of the sixty-plus assassins were all taken by the Secret Guards, acting on His Highness's orders, dispatching officers from the neighboring county yamen to dispose of them. I'm afraid the Jingzhao Yinfu will also send someone here soon.
"That's all right. I'll just check yours."
With His Highness's words, Xie Qian became more measured in his work.
After the meeting, Lu Jing returned to his bedroom to rest and saw that the candles in the room opposite had already been extinguished.
He closed the door and dealt with a few important documents. Before retiring, Lu Jing ordered the secret guards to station more personnel across the street. Today's incident must not happen again.
"I understand."
…
The sound of rain gradually faded, but Gu Ningxi was still awake.
She heard the footsteps of King Zhao returning to his room, and the candlelight at the opposite door did not go out for a long time.
The faint light filtering through the cracks of two doors didn't disturb Gu Ningxi's peaceful sleep. She was clearly extremely tired, but even after closing her eyes, she couldn't fall asleep.
The scenes of the day flashed before her eyes like a kaleidoscope: the cold gleam of swords reflected in the water, the sharp arrows piercing the air, his unhesitating figure running towards her, and... the scorching heat coming from his palm.
His mind was in a mess and he didn't know how much time had passed. Only when the candle in the opposite room had been extinguished for a long time did Gu Ningxi fall into a deep sleep.
Tonight's dream is not peaceful either.
Yellow leaves fell all over the ground, and the autumn wind blew up the grass leaves.
Amidst the cries of "There's an assassin" and "Save the emperor", Gu Ningxi hurried away surrounded by his personal guards.
Through the noisy crowd, they seemed to be at the same banquet. Countless nobles and ministers attended the banquet, and Gu Ningxi could recognize several familiar faces.
The table overturned and the food and drinks were scattered all over the floor.
In the chaotic struggle, Gu Ningxi emerged unscathed. A quick glance before leaving revealed a striking tattoo on the assassin's exposed arm.
She tried hard to see the pattern clearly, but her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and the harder she tried, the harder it was to open them.
…
There was a knock on the door. When Gu Ningxi woke up from her dream, the sunlight outside the window was dazzling. She subconsciously blocked the door with her hands.
"Coming," she agreed, put on her shoes, and stood up to answer the door.
When he removed the wooden bolt, opened the door and saw the person behind the door, Gu Ningxi was stunned.
Seeing the person in the room in pajamas with black hair falling like a waterfall, Lu Jing was also stunned.
“…Your Highness.”
Gu Ningxi was originally in a daze, but now he was completely awake.
【Author’s words】
Girl: I dare not open my eyes, I hope it is my hallucination
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