Chapter 72 Ajiu's Crisis
"Help! There's an assassin! Help! Catch the assassin!"
In the dead of night, around 1 AM, the Zhao family mansion suddenly erupted in a commotion.
Zhao Zhiheng stood frozen at the foot of the bed, staring in terror at a red-tasseled throwing knife stuck in the headboard.
If that little girl hadn't thrown a stone, the knife would have been stuck in his forehead.
Yes, he saw it. The little girl was crouching on his windowsill, and he didn't know what she wanted to do.
He only saw her throw a pebble at him, and then he heard a soft sound as a flying knife, seemingly out of nowhere, grazed his ear and embedded itself in his pillow.
He couldn't see what the little girl on the windowsill looked like, but he was certain that she was the maidservant of the Dowager Lady of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion.
So, what did she want to do to him when she came over in the middle of the night?
Who was the person who threw the knife at him?
Why did that little girl save him?
But is it really about saving him?
Or were they actually acting? One pretending to kill him, and the other pretending to save him?
What was the purpose of doing this? Was it to intimidate him? Or to win his gratitude?
Zhao Zhiheng was both shocked and frightened, and his mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts.
"I don't know, I didn't see it, I don't know anything."
For reasons unknown, Zhao Zhiheng always gave the same answer no matter who asked him.
Zhao Zhiheng couldn't get any answers from him. The Zhao family servants searched the Zhao mansion from top to bottom but still couldn't catch the assassin. Everyone knew that the assassin had most likely escaped, so they could only order their guard to be increased.
That was the end of the matter.
If it weren't for the small knife stuck in Zhao Zhiheng's bedside, everyone would probably think that this was a farce that Zhao Zhiheng staged himself to avoid leaving the capital.
In the end, it was Grand Secretary Zhao who made the final decision: regardless of whether the assassin was real or fake, or what his purpose was, Zhao Zhiheng should no longer remain in the capital.
Originally, because Zhao Zhiheng was making a fuss about not wanting to go back to his hometown, Zhou also made excuses, saying that she would pack some things to take back and that it would take several more days before she could set off from the capital.
There was no need to delay any longer. Grand Secretary Zhao ordered his men to pack their belongings overnight and arrange carriages and escorts. As soon as the city gates opened at dawn, they would send the mother and child out of the city.
Of course, the number of escorts also doubled.
Surprisingly, this time, Zhao Zhiheng didn't utter a single word of objection and obediently carried out every instruction given by Grand Secretary Zhao.
A few days after seeing off Zhou and her son, Madam Zhao Si, who had taken over the management of the Zhao household, personally visited Min Qiao's house with generous gifts on behalf of the Zhao family to apologize. This was considered to have settled the grudge between Min Qiao and Zhao Zhiheng.
That's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that for now.
Just as the Zhao family was making a big fuss about capturing the assassin, Ajiu was running at top speed through the streets and alleys of the East City.
She had originally planned to teach Zhao Zhiheng a lesson he would never forget tonight, but instead discovered that someone was trying to assassinate him.
Zhao Zhiheng had a falling out with the Grand Madam during the day, and then died at home that night. Anyone who heard this would inevitably have many questions.
Ajiu was afraid that if Zhao Zhiheng really died, it would bring trouble to the Grand Madam, so she saved Zhao Zhiheng's life without thinking.
But she regretted it after she made the move.
Because she recognized the assassin!
And the assassin seemed to recognize her too!
So she began to flee for her life.
The assassin then began a frenzied chase.
She was still a child, while the assassin was an adult.
As the distance between the two people drew closer and closer—fifty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters…—she was almost there. In just a few more breaths, she would be caught by that person!
Ah Jiu felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
At the last moment, she turned the corner and bumped into a neatly dressed military formation.
"Swish, swish, swish..." A series of sounds of swords being drawn rang out. Ajiu was instantly surrounded by a formation of swords.
The armored soldier at the head of the procession rode up to A-Jiu, looked down at her, and coldly demanded, "Who are you?!"
Surrounded by people, Ajiu was not afraid; instead, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She glanced furtively towards the alleyway she had come from, only to find that the person who had been chasing her had already quietly retreated.
She is safe.
We're safe, at least for now.
"I'm asking you a question! Why aren't you answering? Are you mute?" the armored cavalryman said fiercely.
Just then, a servant-looking man stepped off the carriage at the very front of the procession.
The man walked over, his face grim, and asked, "What happened? Why aren't you leaving?"
Upon seeing Ajiu slumped in the middle of the crowd, the man asked in surprise, "Where did this little girl come from in the middle of the night? Don't scare her."
This last sentence was spoken to the soldiers around him who were carrying knives.
The armored cavalryman's lips twitched. They scared this little girl? Ha, it was clearly this little girl who suddenly jumped out and scared them, okay?
Seeing someone easy to talk to, Ajiu quickly asked pitifully, "Can I go now? My grandma is waiting for me to come home."
The servant-like man didn't make things difficult for you; instead, he said warmly, "Where do you live? I'll have someone take you home. It's not safe for a young girl like you to be out so late at night."
Ajiu quickly waved her hand, "No, no need. I can walk by myself."
As he spoke, he glanced at the people around him. Seeing that they all sheathed their swords and made no move to stop him, he realized they were all sheathing their weapons.
He immediately curtsied to the servant and ran off.
Of course, this time Ajiu didn't dare to use her lightness skill like before. Instead, she ran step by step in the opposite direction of the Xuanping Marquis's residence, just like a normal little girl.
Once she was out of sight of that group of people, she made her way back to the Xuanping Marquis's residence through a maze of twists and turns.
However, just as she reached Yongning Lane, where the Marquis of Xuanping's residence was located, she was suddenly startled.
The group of people we encountered earlier actually entered the mansion next to the Marquis of Xuanping's residence!
Ah Jiu had heard Granny Fang and the Grand Madam mention that the house next door used to belong to two officials of the fourth or fifth rank. Those two families suddenly moved away before the New Year.
Afterwards, the two residences were merged into one, renovated, and the plaque of the Earl of Enping was hung up.
Unexpectedly, the group of people turned out to be from the Enping Earl's Mansion.
Since we'll be seeing each other all the time, it's inevitable that people will recognize us.
Ajiu felt a little irritated.
She hid at the corner of the alley, waiting for everyone to enter before slipping back into the Xuanping Marquis's residence.
He climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard with practiced ease, then quietly pushed open the door to his small room. There, Ajiu froze on the spot.
The moment she stepped inside, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.
Slowly turning around, she saw Wei Jia sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a tinderbox in her hand, looking at her with a gloomy gaze.
Ah Jiu thought to herself: It's over!
Those people from the Enping Earl's Mansion are no big deal, and even the acquaintance who's pursuing her can be put aside for now.
Wei Jia is the real crisis facing her!
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