Chapter 29 Assassination Attempt: You'll Get a Terrible Death One Day
As evening approached, the sky began to darken, the afterglow faded, and the once warm air took on a slightly cool feel.
The imperial chefs in Phoenix Dance City became even busier, while the palace maids and eunuchs in the Eastern Palace began setting the tables.
But Jialuolin was nowhere to be found; he had been told she had gone to a banquet, leaving Bailian alone.
This made Bai Lian quite unhappy, but so be it. Before everything was clear, she needed time alone to sort out her thoughts.
But with everything that has happened recently, she hasn't been able to find time to discuss things with Galorin.
Her own deliberate indifference, his nonchalance... Bai Lian sighed deeply, unwilling to think about it anymore.
-
After dinner, Bai Lian sat alone in the garden, using a few bolts of silk as bait to lure Cui Zhu away.
She knew that this little girl had been looking worried about her lately, and she felt a little sorry for her.
A person sits under the cover of night, looking around at the grass and trees. Everything that is so vivid during the day seems to lose its presence at this time.
I bent down, ran my fingertips across the surface of the pool beside me, and watched the ripples spread out in circles, scattering the shimmering starlight across the pool.
It seems like a long time ago, I saw a moon like this, a night like this, with stars twinkling like jewels wrapped in black velvet.
At that time, someone would call out to her repeatedly, "Lian'er, Lian'er," and then tell her with a smile:
"Leng Lian, that's a pretty good name."
Unfortunately, with a single turn, everything vanished into thin air.
Yes, her original name should be Leng Lian...
A young palace maid, who had been waiting nearby, interrupted Bai Lian's thoughts.
She raised her hand that was stirring the water, took the dry towel handed to her by a palace maid, her gaze still fixed on the surface of the pool, and asked, "What is it?"
The young palace maid immediately adopted an anxious expression and read aloud:
"Princess Shuli has sent someone. She hopes Your Highness will return to the Bai residence immediately, saying that there has been some emergency in Your Highness's family."
"Oh?" Bai Lian handed the handkerchief back to the palace maid without even looking up. "Now?"
"Yes, the Bai family's carriage is waiting outside. Someone from the Crown Prince's office has already gone to inform Her Highness that he has given her an imperial token, which allows Her Highness to come and go freely."
"I see. Then you can come with me."
"Your Highness, don't you need to summon Cui...?"
"No need, you seem to care a lot, you can come along tonight."
Bai Lianxin stepped out of the palace and found a carriage waiting for her. However, the driver was unfamiliar and she seemed to have never seen him before.
Bai Lian seemed to heed the advice of the palace maid beside her, claiming that she did not want to reveal her secret departure from the palace. She did not bring many guards with her, but boarded the carriage and hurriedly set off.
-
The carriage successfully left Phoenix Dance City and continued its journey forward.
Bai Lian lifted the curtain and looked out. A slightly chilly wind blew, the city was dimly lit, and the familiar scenery faded away inch by inch, making the surroundings increasingly unfamiliar.
really.
Bai Lian casually asked the young palace maid who was accompanying her in the same carriage:
"This doesn't seem to be the way to the Bai residence, does it?"
"Your Majesty, I have been very rude!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the little palace maid who had been standing to the side with her head down suddenly grabbed a dagger and lunged at Bai Lian.
Bai Lian nimbly dodged the palace maid's first thrust with a sidestep.
The palace maid concealed her surprise, composed herself, and thrust her sword at Bai Lian's face again!
The carriage swayed, and a sharp scream rang out. The coachman tightened the reins and stopped the horse.
Bai Lian pulled the dagger from the palace maid, wiped it clean with her palace dress, lifted her skirt to avoid the bloodstains, stepped out of the carriage, and smiled at the crowd of people looking at each other.
The expressions of the guards and coachmen who had been so confident instantly froze.
She toyed with the dagger in her hand, glancing with a smile at the incredulous faces before her. The moonlight illuminated her features, revealing a seductive allure in her eyes and brows. She said in a deep voice:
"This assassination was planned so unprofessionally."
The four guards with swords exchanged glances and immediately surrounded Bai Lian. Bai Lian did not move an inch, but stood calmly with her hands behind her back.
The guards saw no panic on her face, but instead grew impatient, with the leader already raising his knife and eagerly slashing at Bai Lian.
The blade flashed across the darkness, but only for a moment before a body collapsed heavily to the ground, never to make another sound.
Bai Lian picked up the knife that had fallen to the side, weighed it in her hand, and immediately turned around to block the sneak attack from behind. With a stab and a thrust, she cleanly and swiftly eliminated another person.
The remaining three, including the coachman, were clearly terrified, but two of them still raised their knives and attacked.
But they couldn't withstand two blows from Bai Lian. With a muffled groan, they both withered and fell to the ground.
Bai Lian, carrying a blood-dripping knife, slowly walked towards the last person. He was the smallest and always retreated to the rear when attacking, which had already caught Bai Lian's attention.
The man seemed unable to bear such a bloody scene; he simply collapsed to the ground, trembling as he backed away.
Bai Lian used her knife to remove his hood, and the man's long black hair cascaded down like silk, no longer restrained.
As her face gradually appeared before Bai Lian, a closer look under the cover of night revealed that it was Shangguan Yaohua.
Seeing this, Bai Lian was not too surprised. Her mind had been clear as a mirror since she agreed to go on the trip, and everything that followed was just to prove what she was confused about. Now she felt that she understood everything.
There's no need to ask who orchestrated this; the only question is how sending someone to attack her would help their plans.
She did not yet believe that her death would have much impact on Garo Rin.
Under the White Lotus Blade, Shangguan Yaohua was clearly losing her composure, and in a shrill voice, she shouted urgently:
"You, you kill me! Do you even have the guts! You monster pretending to be a pure lotus, you'll get what's coming to you one day!!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Lian narrowed her eyes, still wanting to press her for answers to her questions.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind Shangguan Yaohua. Before she could stop it, she heard a sticky sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Looking up again, the dark figure had already stepped over Shangguan Yaohua's corpse and stood in front of Bai Lian.
He ripped off his mask, revealing a handsome face with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows, and grinned at Bai Lian, showing his teeth.
"Your Majesty, shall I escort you back to the palace?"
After speaking, he took advantage of Bai Lian's unpreparedness, swiftly lifted her onto the horse without explanation, and firmly secured her to his body.
Bai Lian didn't struggle, but simply asked calmly, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
The man behind him laughed out loud: "I was ordered by Her Majesty the Empress to come here to eliminate the traitor Shangguan Yaohua and her gang, and I also rescued Your Majesty. Why must Your Majesty kill me?"
Bai Lian immediately fell silent upon hearing the question.
What a ruthless Shangguan Yun! To protect herself, she was so heartless as to use her own niece's life to clear her name. Little did anyone know that her plan was so meticulously crafted...
The man spurred his horse onward, and the scenery rushing past seemed even more inky under the cover of darkness.
The wind blowing in her face ruffled Bai Lian's unbound hair, and the person behind her freed a hand to tidy up the wildly flying hair and place it on Bai Lian's shoulder, even letting out a sneer.
Bai Lian paid no attention to his actions, only feeling that this person was so bold that he probably had no other profession more suitable for him than that of an assassin...
-
The early spring night was still slightly cool. No one knew which secluded path he had taken, but he hadn't seen a single person along the way to Fengwu City. While Bai Lian was still wondering, the man had already shown his waist token and entered the imperial city smoothly.
Bai Lian tightened the cloak he had given her earlier, further concealing her face. The Crown Princess, riding away on a tall horse, went unnoticed by anyone.
It's better to avoid trouble. The fewer people who know about tonight's events, the better.
This was Bai Lian's wish, so she deliberately concealed her identity.
As they approached the Danqin Palace, located east of Phoenix Dance City, the man suddenly reined in his horse and said:
"Your Majesty, we have arrived. I cannot escort you on the rest of the way."
Bai Lian refused his help, jumped off her horse on her own, and said coldly:
"Tell your master that if he's so capable, he should fight fair and square."
"Your Majesty, I am only here on orders to eliminate Shangguan Yaohua. Other matters are none of my concern, and it is no use for you to inform me."
After speaking, the man turned to Bai Lian with a serious expression, "However, based on what I just saw, I am quite looking forward to meeting Your Highness again, and then we can settle our differences!"
Bai Lian turned her back without replying, only to hear the man say, "Your Majesty, my name is Ying."
Looking back, the cold wind rustled the willows behind me, and there was no one left.
She frowned slightly. The assassin not only revealed his true appearance but also offered his name to her. This was truly unbelievable.
While pondering, Bai Lian continued walking towards the gate of the East Palace's Danqin Hall.
Shangguan Yun's plan not only destroyed the body and covered up the evidence, but also used the pretext of rescuing the Crown Princess, thus reducing the conclusive evidence of her plotting against him.
And how can one speak recklessly about the mother of a nation if one cannot find fault with her?
Thinking of this, I suddenly felt helpless...
As Bai Lian strolled into the palace gate, she noticed the servants' hesitant and questioning glances. Only then did she realize that she had just been through a fight and was covered in blood, which made her head ache even more.
Just then, a familiar but utterly cold voice came from behind.
Who was that person just now?
As Bai Lian's skirt fluttered slightly, she turned around and was met with Galo Lin's furious face.
He strode towards Bai Lian, arriving at her side so quickly that she didn't even have time to utter a sound.
Galo Lin scanned Bai Lian's clothes from head to toe, and seeing the few shocking bloodstains, she felt even more heartbroken.
Without waiting for her explanation, he grasped her delicate arm, pulled her into his embrace, held her tightly, and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as if trying to dispel all his previous fear and panic.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck and murmured:
"It's alright, it's alright."
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