Chapter 329 There is an assassin!
As Zhong Nanyan was talking, she quickly thought of another question, "Wait a minute, if I remember correctly, palace maids can't decide their own marriages, right? Palace maids and guards can't have private interactions either."
"Captain Zhong is right. The palace rules are strict. All women in the palace must avoid associating with men other than His Majesty. But one possibility cannot be ruled out. That is, when a military commander makes meritorious service, His Majesty will be happy and may give the maid to the general. Anyway, I have to confirm the maid's name first."
Qin Shen spoke earnestly, "Although I still don't know if she is interested in me, if not, then it's fine. But if she is, maybe I will have a chance to take her away in the future? No matter what, I must meet her."
"So what are her specific features? What does she look like? How tall is she?"
Zhong Nanyue originally thought that it was not a big deal to help find someone. She was a woman and had no gender barriers with the concubines. She could just find an excuse to go to Xingde Palace.
"Don't bother Captain Zhong with the task of finding someone," Qin Shen whispered. "I have an idea. I just need your cooperation. Others may not be able to do this, but with your ability, you will be able to get away with it."
"Tell me about it."
"that is……"
Not far away, Chu Yuni saw the two men still talking after a fight. She felt inexplicably unhappy, but also quite curious.
These two people obviously don’t know each other very well, so how come they have so much to talk about?
After Qin Shen finished describing his plan, he bowed to Zhong Nanyan and said, "If Captain Zhong is willing to help me, I will definitely repay you."
After thinking about it, Zhong Nanyan agreed, "Okay, I'll help you, but only this time. After it's done, teach me your boxing skills."
"It's a deal! I'll take my leave now."
Seeing Qin Shen leave, Chu Yuni came to Zhong Nanyan and asked curiously, "What were you talking about just now?"
Zhong Nanyan naturally couldn't reveal what Qin Shen had asked her to do, so she just replied, "Nothing. He said he wanted to teach me boxing, the same moves he used to defeat me before. Although I'm good at using long weapons, I'll inevitably encounter all kinds of situations in actual combat. If I don't have a weapon, it would be nice to have a set of boxing that can defeat the enemy."
"That's great, but you two are not familiar with each other. Why would he be so kind to teach you?" Chu Yuni looked at Qin Shen's receding back and felt a little wary.
Zhong Nanyan is a popular figure in the eyes of many military commanders. Firstly, she is the only female lieutenant in the martial arts training field. Not only is she heroic in her every move, but she is also good-looking. With such a spirit, some people will be fascinated by her. Secondly, she has the power of the Ning Wang Mansion behind her.
Zhong Nanyue herself said that she felt that many people’s admiration was not sincere, and perhaps they just admired her because she was Prince Ning’s sister.
So could this be the reason why Qin Shen treats her well?
Thinking of this, Chu Yuni's expression was a little solemn. "Nan Yan, don't think I'm nagging. Although Qin Shen is qualified to be your sparring partner, you must always remember one thing - being nice to someone without any reason is either a chicken crowing or a dog stealing."
"What's this about chicken-stealing and dog-stealing? The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets." Zhong Nanyan glanced at him, "I have my own judgment, so you can put your mind at ease."
"I……"
"Okay, okay, stop nagging and go eat."
…
By evening, the sky was gloomy.
In various places in the palace, lines of Yulin soldiers patrolled back and forth, closely guarding the safety of the palace.
Suddenly, a thin and agile figure flashed past the rockery.
Even though the man was as fast as a ghost, there were still people who noticed him with their sharp eyes.
"Who is it?"
Qin Shen shouted in the direction of the rockery, tightly grasped the sword hanging at his waist, and chased after him.
The people following behind him followed his gaze and saw a figure passing behind the rockery, and they hurriedly followed.
That person is really fast.
Qin Shen chased the figure with all his might, and the people behind him were soon left a long distance behind.
Qin Shen soon lost it, and when the Yulin Army arrived, they could no longer find any trace of the black shadow.
"Over there!" Someone shouted, pointing towards the southeast. Everyone looked over and saw a figure climbing over the wall of Xingde Palace.
"No, that's Concubine De's bedroom!"
Qin Shen immediately took everyone there.
The people guarding the palace gate were shocked when they saw a large number of Yulin soldiers rushing in.
Upon learning that an assassin had sneaked into Xingde Palace, he immediately rushed to report it.
In the bedroom, Concubine De was playing with her beloved cat. She was shocked to learn that an assassin had broken in.
"Hurry up and ask them to search it. Make sure they check it thoroughly."
With Concubine De's permission, the Yulin Army searched everywhere in Xingde Palace.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side hall, "The assassin is there!"
Defei's heart tightened.
She doesn't seem to have offended anyone recently, so why would someone want to assassinate her?
First, excluding her three card-playing friends, the only other people who had any contact with her were the palace maids and eunuchs.
But she had never deducted the palace servants' share of money. Besides, the little money the palace servants had was not enough to hire an assassin.
Rather than guessing that the other party was an assassin, she thought it might be a thief who came to her palace to steal things.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard a palace servant come to report, "Your Majesty, Qin Sijie, who is in charge of the inspection, wants to report the situation to you."
Hearing the three words "Qin Sijie", Defei's heart was shocked.
Seeing that she remained silent, the palace servant subconsciously asked again, "Madam?"
De Fei came back to her senses and quickly responded, "Call him in. I want to know what's going on."
She tried hard to suppress her emotions and make her voice sound calm.
Soon, a familiar figure who had not been seen for a long time appeared outside the door and walked towards her step by step.
"General Qin Shen pays respect to Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort."
Defei looked at the person kneeling in front of her, her hands trembling slightly under her wide sleeves.
She didn't expect that they would meet again under such circumstances.
She thought they would never have the chance to meet again in this life.
With palace servants around, she quickly adjusted her mood and asked expressionlessly, "Did you catch the assassin?"
"To answer your Majesty, that person looked like a ghost. We were incompetent and failed to capture him. However, that person should not be an assassin. She dropped a jewel mirror while escaping. I think she took it from your side hall just now."
While Qin Shen was speaking, he raised his head and looked at the woman in front of him calmly, and presented her with a palm-sized bronze mirror with both hands.
Concubine De moved her feet and wanted to step forward, but before she took a step, she stopped again, then retreated to the coffee table and sat down, just giving a look to her personal maid.
The palace maid understood and walked up to Qin Shen. The moment she took the bronze mirror, her brows moved slightly.
There was a piece of paper under the bronze mirror.
She calmly put the bronze mirror into her wide sleeves and retreated to Concubine De's side.
Qin Shen lowered his head again and said, "I failed to do my job well and failed to catch the thief. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"You all couldn't catch him, which shows that he is very skilled. Anyway, I didn't suffer any loss. You even found the lost jewel mirror. You have done your duty. I have nothing to punish you. You just need to report this matter as soon as possible."
"Your Majesty is kindhearted. I would like to thank you for your forgiveness on behalf of my brothers. I will take my leave now."
After Qin Shen left, Concubine De rested one hand on the coffee table, with a worried look between her brows.
Seeing this, the personal maid said, "I think the queen is tired, you all should leave."
After the palace servants had left, the maid handed the note hidden in her sleeve to Concubine De.
…
The news of the thief breaking into Xingde Palace quickly spread throughout the palace.
Qin Shen lost the thief and although he was not punished by Concubine De, he was still scolded by Chen Yue. Considering that he had just taken office and lacked experience, Chen Yue only punished him with fifteen strokes of the cane as a slight punishment.
"Sir, there is a girl named Zhong outside the door who wants to visit you."
It was noon that day, with drizzles and wind. Qin Shen was resting at home after being punished with a stick. When he heard the servant's report, he knew that Zhong Nanyan had come, and he quickly said, "Please ask her to come in."
Not long after, he saw Zhong Nanyue carrying a few medicine bags into the room. "Here, this is the medicine prescribed by my friend Doctor Jiang, the one from Ruihe Hall. Take it once every morning and evening. It will be good for your injury."
"Thank you, Captain Zhong, for coming to visit me even on a rainy day." Qin Shen thanked him and turned around to let the servant leave.
He had never told Zhong Nanyue his address, but he didn't find it strange that Zhong Nanyue knew it.
This girl is very diligent in learning martial arts.
"No need to thank me, it's just a side trip. I'm just a little sad. You got beaten up, you need to rest for at least ten days. I thought you could learn boxing in these two days, but I didn't expect Chen Yue to punish you anyway."
"It is reasonable for Lord Shen to punish me. Captain Zhong, don't worry. I will definitely do what I promised you."
"I believe this." Zhong Nanyan smiled. "How was it? Did you see the little palace maid you've been thinking about last night? What's her name?"
"I did see her. But... Captain Zhong, please don't ask about her name."
"I know even if you don't tell me." Zhong Nanyan supported her forehead with one hand, a hint of interest on her face, "It's either Chun Ruo or Xia Qiao."
Qin Shen's eyes tightened.
"Don't be nervous. We are the only two here. Let's be frank. You used to be a guest of the Huo family, right? The place you were going to last night happened to be the bedroom of Concubine De, and Concubine De's two personal maids were the maids she brought into the palace from the Huo family as a dowry. They were both very pretty."
Zhong Nanyue said leisurely, "You asked me to pretend to be a thief and go to Xingde Palace in the name of catching a thief. Are you ready to be punished? You are a foolish person. In fact, this matter does not need to be so troublesome. You just need to tell me, is the one you are in love with Chun Ruo or Xia Qiao? I will help you get her out directly, so that you don't have to be sneaky in the future."
"Of course, I have a condition. In addition to being my sparring partner, you must also be loyal to Prince Ning's Mansion. Is my request not too much?"
Qin Shen was speechless for a moment, then said: "Thank you for your kindness, Captain Zhong. Your first request is easy, but if you want me to join Prince Ning's Mansion, I'm sorry I can't agree. As for my personal affairs... I can fight for it myself."
"You have to fight for it yourself. How long will it take? You probably can't even see His Majesty at ordinary times. Besides, you are a man. You can be willing to endure hardships, but how many years can the girls wait for you? Maybe the Empress Defei will find a good family for them one day and marry them off. Then you will have no place to cry."
"If she really marries well, I will bless her." Qin Shen said expressionlessly, "Captain Zhong, there is no need to say anything more."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Zhong Nanyue had to give up.
"I'm just asking. If you don't agree, forget it. When you recover from your injury, remember to fulfill your promise to me."
Zhong Nanyue left this sentence and turned away.
She originally thought that Qin Shen might be prejudiced against Song Yunchu. After all, Song Yunchu had a bad reputation in the past and was even nicknamed a dog thief.
But she thought again and it didn't seem right.
If Qin Shen really disliked Song Yunchu, why did he associate with people from Prince Ning's Mansion? She was Song Yunchu's adopted sister, so Qin Shen should have rejected her as well, but his attitude towards her had always been good.
Besides, the little palace maid that Qin Shen mentioned must be in Qin Shen’s heart, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to meet her and even didn’t mind being beaten with a stick.
So... Qin Shen didn't dislike Prince Ning, and he liked the palace maid very much. He wouldn't suffer any loss if he joined Prince Ning and got the palace maid, but he just didn't want to.
This analysis is somewhat unreasonable.
What could have gone wrong?
Zhong Nanyue thought for a long time, and a guess suddenly flashed through her mind.
She quickly returned to Prince Ning's Mansion.
When I met Song Yunchu, he was sitting in the lobby drinking tea.
Zhong Nanyan drove Bai Zhu away, then turned to ask Song Yunchu, "Brother Song, I have a question. I've always wanted to ask you, but I feel it's a bit offensive."
Song Yunchu raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"You are with His Majesty, are you seeking affection or profit?"
"It's both." Song Yunchu said frankly, "To be precise, I have feelings for him, which he earned through benefits and concessions. Sufficient benefits are a manifestation of affection. This is something we both understand tacitly."
"So... you like him very much too?"
"good."
"Then what is the relationship between him and his four concubines?"
"It's... an unfamiliar cooperative relationship." Song Yunchu paused and said, "When he was still a prince, the families of the four concubines all contributed, and he also made use of these people after he ascended the throne. All the important officials in the past would send their female relatives to the palace. This is the default procedure of every generation of the dynasty. But in fact, your majesty has no emotional exchanges with the four concubines, and the four concubines don't care about him now. It's just that due to various reasons, they have to stay in the palace."
Zhong Nanyan asked again: "Will they be free in the future?"
"It is possible, but it cannot be done rashly. It requires the right opportunity."
"Is that so..." Zhong Nanyue thought.
Song Yunchu was a little confused, "What's wrong with you today? Why are you asking these questions suddenly?"
"I just have some guesses in my mind, but I don't know if they are right. I remember you said before that Qin Shen used to be a retainer of the Huo family, but he made a mistake and was kicked out. What exactly was the mistake he made? Can you investigate it further? I really want to know."
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