Chapter 249 Hidden Arrow
Qiu Heng couldn't hide her excitement either: "Yes, I'm back."
From the Xijiang Royal Palace, where the Xijiang people were everywhere, to the Fuwang Mansion, where the scenery remained unchanged, she did what she wanted to do and brought back the people she wanted to save. How could she not be moved?
Such a reunion deserves a toast.
"Your Highness has lost a lot of weight."
"Aheng has lost weight too. You should still call me Princess, it sounds nicer."
Every "Your Highness" reminded her of the nightmare of being sent to marry a princess for political reasons.
She returned, but she knew the shadow of that nightmare would not disappear.
For example, her father is now even more loving towards her, yet she can't help but doubt the true nature beneath that benevolent father's face.
And her brothers, are they really heartbroken? If so, why did she only meet guards sent by her cousin Lingyun on her way back to the capital, while her three brothers did nothing, even though they knew that their imperial uncle was not happy about her assassination of the King of Xijiang?
She thought that returning home after overcoming countless difficulties would be a relief, a blessing in disguise, but it wasn't.
She was constantly doubting herself and felt like she was going crazy.
Upon seeing Ah Heng, his tormented heart suddenly found peace.
Princess Rongning poured a glass of wine and handed it to Qiuheng: "To all of us who are still alive."
Qiu Heng raised her glass in a toast: "To us all who are alive."
The warm wine dispelled the chill as it went down my throat.
Princess Rongning raised her cup again: "Aheng, this cup is for you."
She didn't offer any toast, and Qiu Heng didn't decline. They clinked their glasses together and drank them down in one gulp.
When Qiu Heng took her leave, Princess Rongning insisted on seeing her off to the gate.
The snow had not stopped, and the eaves and rooftops were covered in white snow, gleaming brightly.
Prince Fu walked towards her, his gaze falling on Qiu Heng's face.
Qiu Heng slightly curtsied: "Greetings, Prince Fu."
"Princess Suiyun has come to visit Rongning. Why don't you stay a little longer?"
"I've been here for quite a while now, and my family will start to worry if I don't go back soon."
"Come often in the future."
After exchanging pleasantries, Prince Fu looked at Princess Rongning and said, "It's cold. After seeing Princess Suiyun off, hurry back to your room so you don't catch a cold."
"knew."
Prince Fu seemed unconcerned by his daughter's cold attitude, smiled helplessly, and walked past the two of them.
Qiu Heng smelled a strong, clear fragrance; it was the agarwood most commonly used in Taoist temples.
"Aheng, what's wrong?"
"Your father just walked by and smelled sandalwood incense; it's of good quality."
Princess Rongning smiled: "I forgot, Ah Heng, you are an expert in incense. My father should have just returned from Lingwei Temple, and his clothes are still covered in the temple's incense."
"The royal Taoist temple is Yuzhao Temple, right? Lingwei Temple seems to be more revered."
“My father used to frequent Yu Zhao Temple, but after Master Miao Qing arrived, he started going to Ling Wei Temple more often. It is said that Master Miao Qing is skilled in alchemy. I don’t pay much attention to these things, but I’ve heard my mother mention them a few times.”
Skilled in alchemy—Qiu Heng's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately thought of Emperor Jingping, who died after taking "miracle drugs" in history.
Could it be that the "miracle drug" that Xue Quan presented to Emperor Jingping was made by the immortal Miaoqing?
Based on the information we have so far, it is clear that not only Prince Fu highly praised Master Miaoqing, but also many other powerful and influential figures in the capital who believed in Taoism.
Is Xue Quan among them?
"Princess, please wait, I'm getting into the carriage."
Princess Rongning stopped, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Aheng, can I invite you to come and play often in the future?"
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Of course."
The reason why Xue Han assassinated Prince Fu is shrouded in mystery. If he could visit Prince Fu's mansion often, it would be something he would be very happy to do.
After getting into the carriage, Qiu Heng closed her eyes and pondered her plans for the New Year.
We must visit the mountain hermitages, Lingwei Temple, and all the other Taoist temples where the Master might be; we must visit them all when we have time…
The carriage, which had been traveling smoothly, suddenly lurched, and with a sharp neigh, it began to veer wildly.
Qiu Heng leaned out of the carriage door and saw that the horse pulling the carriage was galloping wildly, and no matter how hard Zhang Bo pulled on the reins and shouted, it was no use.
Qiu Heng immediately noticed the feathered arrow stuck in the rump of the startled horse.
It wasn't an accident!
A horse-drawn carriage was approaching from the front.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Uncle Zhang shouted hoarsely.
The street was filled with screams and gasps.
The wounded, frightened horse was running rampant in the street; killing it was the quickest way to stop the danger. However, Qiu Heng's most dangerous weapon was that special soft sword, and if it were exposed to the public, trouble would be inevitable.
The only alternative is to leap onto the horse's back and control the frightened steed. Although this would expose his skills, it's better than exposing his soft sword.
As the approaching carriage drew ever closer, Qiu Heng leaped out, only to be beaten to it by a familiar figure.
Xue Han!
Qiu Heng abruptly changed direction, pulling Zhang Bo along as he was thrown to the side of the road.
Xue Han leaped onto the horse's back and swiftly brought down his knife, the sharp blade piercing the startled horse's nape.
The startled horse was almost instantly paralyzed, and the momentum propelled it forward a few steps before it crashed to the ground.
The horses pulling the carriage on the other side were startled, rearing up and neighing, but fortunately the coachman brought them to a stop quickly.
"What happened?" The people in the carriage, still shaken, hurriedly got off the train.
Qiu Heng helped Uncle Zhang up: "Uncle Zhang, are you alright?"
Despite his dizziness, Uncle Zhang hurriedly asked, "Is Sixth Miss alright?"
A voice rang out: "Qiu Heng, it's you!"
Qiu Heng looked over upon hearing the sound.
A young girl alighted from the carriage opposite, helping a noblewoman, and glared at her angrily.
It is Cheng Susu.
"I am so sorry to have disturbed Miss Cheng and your mother."
"An apology is all it takes?" Cheng Susu pointed at the horse carcass lying in a pool of blood. "My mother and I were sitting peacefully in the carriage when we were almost hit by your horse. I think you did it on purpose, spurring your horse to attack us when you saw our carriage coming!"
Those who had stopped to watch the spectacle because of the startled horse began to discuss it amongst themselves upon hearing this.
"It sounds like that Miss Qiu Liu!"
"Which Miss Qiu Liu?"
"And who else, Miss Qiu, who slaughtered the entire royal family of Xijiang and ended up in Dali Temple prison!"
"Hiss—it's that Miss Qiu Liu! Miss Qiu Liu couldn't possibly be riding a horse and committing murder, could she?"
Upon hearing this, the group of people exclaimed in unison, "Impossible!"
Cheng Susu was so angry she almost twisted her mouth.
She and her mother were the victims, so why are these lowly people all siding with Qiu Liu?
"Qiu Liu, you've really got a good plan. You wanted to frighten my daughter and me, but you didn't want to bear the consequences, so you arranged for Xue Han to step in—"
"Why are you being so unreasonable, young lady? Didn't you see there's an arrow stuck in the horse's rump?"
arrow?
Cheng Susu looked at the horse carcass and, sure enough, saw an arrow embedded in its body.
Someone in the crowd said, "I saw that arrow fly by; it was clearly meant to kill Miss Qiu Liu!"
"I saw it too. The horse went berserk as soon as it was hit by the arrow. If it hadn't been killed in time, it might have crashed into a carriage or a tree and caused a fatal accident!"
Xue Han walked over and cupped his hands in greeting to the person who had spoken: "May I ask where you saw the hidden arrow, young brother? Could you take us to see it?"
The boy hesitated for a moment: "Are you Xue Han, the one who killed the royal family of Xijiang?"
"I am Xue Han."
"Okay, I'll take you there."
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