Chapter 346: Dark and Windy Night of Murder
As the sun sets, the surface of the lake is coated with a layer of golden powder.
Lu Jiangnian stepped barefoot on the wooden boat, and with a light push of the bamboo pole, the boat slid deep into the lotus leaves.
Yuan Wanru sat at the bow, her white skirt drooping in the water. She used her fingertips to push aside the layers of lotus leaves, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Look, this lotus pod is so big!"
Lu Jiangnian turned around and saw that half of her body was leaning out, so he quickly reached out to hold her waist: "Be careful not to fall."
Yuan Wanru smiled and plucked the plump lotus pod. She peeled out a few green lotus seeds with her fingertips and stuffed them into his mouth: "Try it. Is it sweet?"
The lotus seeds were sweet and slightly bitter, but Lu Jiangnian only looked at her eyelashes covered with water droplets and whispered, "Sweet."
I don’t know whether it is referring to lotus seeds or people.
Ever since that day when she and Lu Jiangnian picked lotus pods, Yuan Wanru fell in love with this pastime and has been arranging it every afternoon recently.
When she had nothing to do, she would count the rhythm of Lu Jiangnian's rowing: the bamboo pole hit the water three times, and the boat passed through the nine layers of lotus shadows.
Lu Jiangnian liked to watch her leaning over to pick lotus pods: the strands of hair on her temples were lifted by the wind, the tip of her nose was covered with sweat, and occasionally her fingertips were pricked by the lotus stems, so she frowned and let out a soft "hiss", but still refused to stop.
Sometimes when he was in high spirits, he would stop his boat in the deep lotus pond.
She lay over the side of the boat paddling with water, and he took off his outer robe and covered her back with it, while he leaned against the stern and took a nap.
Amidst the lotus fragrance, he suddenly felt a slight itch on his neck. He opened his eyes and saw that she was gently stroking his Adam's apple with the lotus stem, with a cunning light in her eyes.
"My wife is naughty again."
He opened his eyes and looked at her helplessly. She smiled and tried to escape, but he pulled her back.
The wooden boat shook violently, scaring away all the fish in the pond.
In the splashing water, he kissed her fingertips soaked in lotus juice: "My wife is becoming more and more naughty, and I am very happy."
They lived a very carefree life these days.
Every morning, Lu Jiangnian changed his usual behavior and often accompanied her to sleep soundly until noon.
When two people dine together, the dining table may be placed in the house or in the pavilion.
The atmosphere was particularly sweet during the meal.
Moreover, Yuan Wanru could feel that in the villa, not only her, but also Lu Jiangnian felt much more relaxed.
I remember one time, Lu Jiangnian was about to feed her porridge. She opened her mouth, but he turned his wrist and put the porridge into her mouth, smiling brightly, like a young boy full of youth.
In the afternoon, they would go to the bamboo forest behind the villa to spend time.
It was also at this time that she found out that Lu Jiangnian could actually play the piano.
She leaned comfortably on the recliner, watching Lu Jiangnian take out a guqin and pluck it lightly with his fingertips. The sound of the guqin was as clear as running water in a mountain stream.
When she heard it for the first time, her jaw almost dropped.
"You can actually play the piano?"
"I've studied for a while, but my piano skills aren't very good, and I don't like to make a fool of myself in public."
He said calmly, "But it's different when I play it for you, so please don't despise me."
Yuan Wanru smiled with her eyebrows curved: "I can't even play it, how can I dislike you."
She was really a layman when it came to music, but she thought Lu Jiangnian played pretty well anyway.
The sound of the piano was melodious, and the bamboo forest was rustling. Sometimes, she would fall asleep while listening to it.
The happy days passed by in a flash, and seven or eight days had passed since they arrived at the villa.
That day, Yuan Wanru was sitting in the corridor making a wreath: "Today, Wei Weiqing's people came to look for you. Did the emperor come back to the capital to look for you?"
Lu Jiangnian was dancing with a sword nearby. He paused when he heard this. "Yes, the emperor has secretly ordered me to enter the palace tomorrow. I guess something has been discovered at Dalushan, and the emperor wants to summon me for questioning."
Yuan Wanru looked around with some melancholy, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Lu Jiangnian came over and fiddled with the wreath in her hand: "Are you reluctant to leave?"
“A little bit.”
She looked up at him and said, "I thought the Second Prince would be unable to control himself, but I didn't expect him to be so patient."
Lu Jiangnian raised his lips slightly: "It's hard to say anything until the end."
"I have sent a letter back to my mother at noon, telling her that we will return to the capital tomorrow. I am sure that my mother will let Aunt Shen know about this. The Second Prince may not let go of this opportunity."
"The villa is here, and we can't run away. We'll come back next time."
That being said, one could never predict what would happen in the future. Who knows if he would have the time to accompany her again?
"You mean, the Second Prince will take action tonight?"
Lu Jiangnian sheathed his sword and said calmly, "I don't know. I only know that I should be ready at all times and fight whenever someone comes."
Yuan Wanru really liked to see his calm expression: "Well, if the person who comes tonight is a dead man, I will try the 'drowsiness' that I have been working on for a while to see what the effect of the drug is."
Lu Jiangnian's eyes sparkled: "If my wife's medicine works, then the Second Prince won't be able to jump around for much longer."
-
The third watch bell has just struck.
Xuan Ying was like a fallen leaf, silently sticking to the shadow of the eaves. His black clothes blended into the night, and only his hawk-like eyes reflected the faint starlight.
Noticing something unusual, he immediately issued a warning.
In the dormitory, Lu Jiangnian suddenly opened his eyes in his sleep.
Years of experience on the battlefield have ensured that his muscles are ready to explode at any time even when he is asleep.
As expected, he came. Lu Jiangnian sneered silently.
He gently woke up Yuan Wanru beside him, and covered her mouth the moment she woke up: "Shh, Murong Xiao is here to give a gift."
Yuan Wanru's pupils suddenly shrank and she immediately understood.
She was about to get up when Lu Jiangnian pushed her back into the quilt: "You don't have to get up. I'll let Shi Ying accompany you."
As he said this, he quickly stood up and dressed, then took out a small celadon bottle from the secret compartment, "Is this the bottle of medicine?"
Yuan Wanru couldn't sleep any more: "That's right, remember to take the antidote in advance, don't let yourself be enchanted."
Lu Jiangnian laughed. If such an incredible mistake really happened, even if others didn't take their lives, they would have no face to live. It would be too embarrassing.
"Don't worry, the antidote has been distributed in advance. They are not that stupid."
"I'm going out."
As he spoke, he carefully opened the door. Shi Ying was already standing by the door with a sword in hand. Lu Jiangnian said, "Protect the Madam."
Yuan Wanru whispered, "Be careful."
-
I have to say that the second prince picked a good time.
The moonlight was bright a while ago, making it difficult to hide.
Tonight, the night is as dark as ink, the wind stops and the trees are still.
Six black shadows silently climbed over the high wall of the villa, and when they landed on the ground, not even a fallen leaf was disturbed.
The leader was as thin as a bamboo, holding a thin sword in his hand that glowed with a cold blue light. Xuan Qing, who was hiding in the dark, knew at first sight that these six people would not be easy to deal with.
Assassination is not a war. It does not matter how many people there are, but who has better skills.
It was obvious that those people realized that someone was targeting them after taking just two steps. A flying knife as thin as a cicada's wing flew towards Xuan Qing. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been injured again.
"There's an assassin!"
Xuan Qing shouted loudly and threw three hidden weapons with his backhand, but they were all knocked away by the sword tips that stretched out from the darkness with "ding ding ding".
The assassin appeared like a ghost, and his thin sword was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, going straight for Xuanqing's throat!
“Get out of the way!”
Xuanying suddenly rushed from the side and slashed at the opponent's wrist with a sword.
The opponent changed his moves incredibly quickly, and the rapier wrapped around Xuanying's sword like a living thing, and with a "sizzling" sound, a string of sparks was scraped out.
Xuanying realized that this man was very skilled in martial arts and Xuanqing could not deal with him at all.
"You go help them, and I'll leave this man to me."
Xuan Qing didn't dare to delay and immediately jumped away to support others.
His martial arts skills were not bad, but he was obviously no match for them. They could only surround him and trap them.
The prince must have started to take action.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
