Chapter 35 The Assassin's Origins
Lin Changning didn't sleep well that night. The dead body in the courtyard had been carried out by dawn, but the bloodstains all over the courtyard looked quite frightening.
Shilang was also quite frightened yesterday. After Commander Qi left, he went to Lin Changning's room to ask about the situation before he could rest again.
According to Commander Wen Qi, it seemed as if they frequently encountered assassins, and it appeared that these assassins were from the Duke of Qi's mansion.
I've heard a little about the Duke of Qi. The old Duke of Qi was a brave and fierce warrior who dedicated his life to the country and its people. He guarded the frontier for more than 30 years, but unfortunately, he and his heir died in battle on the frontier more than a decade ago.
After his death, his title was inherited by his two sons born out of wedlock, who are now the Duke of Qi. The old Duke of Qi was a man of strong character and integrity, and his son was also loyal and virtuous. The two were known as the "Twin Tigers of the Qi Family," two tiger generals in one family.
The current Duke of Qi has never been on the battlefield and has been recuperating in the capital.
He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, quite mediocre, but his father and brothers died in battle, bringing honor to the family. The late emperor then granted him a title and gave him a sinecure in the capital.
Qi Rong was the eldest son and legitimate son of the current Duke of Qi. Because of the old Duke of Qi, he was raised in the Chu King's mansion from a young age, living with the Chu King's children.
When he grew a little older, around fifteen or sixteen years old, he inherited the old Duke's ambition and entered officialdom through military means. He was recommended by the King of Chu and assigned to the Daxing Guard. In just four years, he rose from a common soldier to his current position as commander.
While the King of Chu's influence was certainly involved, his own abilities were not to be underestimated. It was truly strange that he was assassinated tonight by someone from the Duke's mansion.
As far as he knew, apart from the Duke holding a sinecure, no one in the Duke's family had entered officialdom. With such an outstanding eldest son, shouldn't he be cherished like the apple of his eye? Why would they repeatedly send people to assassinate him?
That's really hard to believe...
Unable to figure it out, Lin Changning simply stopped thinking about it. He got up and, together with Shilang, cleaned the courtyard before returning to the garrison. He wasn't on duty for the next two days, so he decided to help Old Liu out.
Old Liu has been in the army for nearly 20 years, so he is naturally much more knowledgeable than this newcomer. Perhaps we can get some information from him.
After showing his badge at the entrance, Lin Changning walked straight to the stable. Before even entering, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Old Liu, Old Liu, I'm here to help you with the work."
"Calling, calling, calling back the soul? Stop making noise, it's coming, it's coming."
Old Liu, with two strands of dry grass stuck in his hair, walked out of the stable while cursing.
"What do you want, you brat! Aren't you on duty today?"
Lin Changning deftly picked up the hay and feed and helped Old Liu feed the horses: "What could I possibly be doing? I'm off duty today, so I'll come and help my master with some work."
Old Liu patted his back a couple of times and laughed, "You've got a conscience, kid. I just got two bottles of good wine recently. I'll bring Wan Jin here for a drink tonight."
Lin Changning smiled and replied, "Okay, Master."
After working with Old Liu all morning and not sleeping well the night before, Lin Changning felt dizzy and lightheaded when he suddenly stood up after resting for a while.
Old Liu kicked Lin Changning: "You brat, what were you doing last night? Your eye sockets are all black and blue, like you got punched. You're so young and you're already doing bad things, you deserve a beating!"
Lin Changning rubbed his buttocks: "I'm innocent, Old Liu!"
He gestured for Old Liu to come closer, saying, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
Old Liu, seeing the man's shifty-eyed appearance, kicked him again in annoyance: "What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"
Lin Changning became somewhat agitated: "The commander was assassinated at my house yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Old Liu hurriedly looked around and exclaimed, "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat!"
Lin Changning lowered his voice: "I'm not lying to you. Yesterday, the commander came to ask me for the blueprints, and more than a dozen men in black came to my house. They killed me with every move! If it weren't for the commander and I being exceptionally skilled in combat, you probably wouldn't be seeing me today."
Old Liu frowned and patted Lin Changning's body: "Are you injured?"
Lin Changning looked up: "How could that be? I am a peerless master! The commander and I took down all the assassins together!"
Old Liu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that no one was hurt, and sat down on the haystack, patting it to signal Lin Changning to sit down as well.
"Tell me about it."
Seeing that the man had taken the bait, Lin Changning told Old Liu everything. Old Liu listened but didn't react much, except for a slight frown when he heard that the knife was poisoned.
Seeing that Old Liu didn't seem surprised at all, Lin Changning had some doubts.
"Aren't you surprised, old man?"
Old Liu's wrinkled face remained calm: "What's so surprising about that?"
The fact that he wasn't surprised meant that Old Liu had known about the assassination attempt on the commander for a long time, and perhaps even experienced it more than once. Considering that he had been recommended by Commander Ma and had been promoted, Lin Changning had already thought of Old Liu.
This test revealed that Old Liu knew quite a lot, and it must have been him who recommended her.
"Old man, do you know what happened? Tell me about it."
I won't tell you.
"Old Liu, Liu, good grandpa, tell me, you must know something, tell me, I'll bring you roast chicken tonight."
"Two."
Alright.
Old Liu looked around to make sure no one was watching before lowering his voice:
"Those assassins yesterday were most likely sent by the Duke of Qi's mansion to kill us, but it's hard to say whether it was the Duke or the Duchess."
"What do you mean? Good master?"
Old Liu flicked Lin Changning on the forehead: "You're all sweet talk when you're asking for favors, you brat!"
"Our current commander is not the son of the current Duchess. The current Duchess is his second wife, and she has two sons, neither of whom are good enough."
Our commander is the eldest son of the first wife, who was destined to be the heir apparent from birth.
After the late Madam passed away, she was raised by her aunt, who is now the Princess of Chu.
The old man paused, keeping everyone in suspense, and Lin Changning blurted out, "I know, our commander probably offended that new mistress, which is why he was targeted for assassination."
The old man looked at Lin Changning, then glanced around again before lowering his voice even further: "Perhaps it offended that mistress, but that's not necessarily the case."
Lin Changning tilted his ear: "Why not necessarily?"
The old man glared at her: "Fool! How could the Duchess mobilize the Duke's secret guards without the Duke's tacit approval?"
Moreover, these people keep coming in waves. One wave might have been orchestrated by the Duchess, but with so many times, the Duke surely knows!
Lin Changning felt a chill in his heart, but even tigers don't eat their cubs, so why would the Duke kill his most outstanding son?
I really can't understand it.
Lin Changning asked with slight hesitation, "Or? Has something happened to the Duke? Is he ill? Is he being controlled by the Duchess?"
Old Liu looked at Lin Changning as if he were an idiot: "You kid, you're so clever when you're trying to be smart, how could you come up with such an incredibly stupid idea?"
Lin Changning smiled awkwardly and scratched his head: "Please, please, good grandpa."
Old Liu rolled his eyes: "If the Duke is in trouble, the imperial physicians will treat him, and the mansion also has private guards who are directly under his command."
Not to mention that he had to attend court every day, and could only take leave for a maximum of six months. If he didn't show up for a long time, someone would come to visit him. Besides, the Duke and his entire family were required to participate in the annual festivals. What you're saying is simply impossible!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
