Chapter 34 Pluck the strings and hand over your life, then I will let them live…
During the Qingming Festival, the sky is like a wronged child, constantly sobbing and drizzling.
Bai Lian sat alone in the pavilion in the garden.
She removed the hairpin from her hair and held it in her palm.
That was a white jade lotus given to her by her mother before her marriage. The exquisitely carved lotus petals were still there, but the longing made them even more lustrous.
"Miss! Miss, how come you still have such leisure and refined tastes!"
Cuizhu, holding an oil-paper umbrella, ran over, her face full of anxiety, her former rosy complexion replaced by paleness.
Bai Lian ignored her, instead resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the drizzle outside the pavilion.
The rain curtain, like a veil, shrouded the flowers and grasses on the ground; how could this world be so unclear?
After Jia Fengtian fell into a coma, Jia Luolin assumed the role of regent.
However, the culprit who poisoned the emperor has not yet been identified.
The unwarranted accusations leveled against Galokrin also fueled discontent among some court officials regarding the Crown Prince's role as regent.
Some members of the secret society, instigated by Shangguan Yun, have even begun to undermine the morale of the people in Fengchao...
Bai Lian smiled helplessly. She hadn't expected that Shangguan Yun, after all his scheming, actually wanted the throne.
"Miss, Master and Madam sent someone to inform you that they hope you can return home immediately." At Bailian's prompting, Cuizhu lowered her voice, but it still carried in the quiet air.
Bai Lian turned her head to look at her, nodded slightly, stood up, and stepped into the rain.
"Miss, umbrella~ umbrella~" Cuizhu hurriedly followed, holding up an umbrella to shield her from the rain.
Bai Lian shook her head, turned back, and smiled.
"Cuizhu, you go back first. I want to be alone for a while longer."
"Miss?" Cuizhu looked at Bailian in confusion.
Cui Zhu looked up and saw Bai Lian's calm, unyielding face. She could only respond and quickly disappear into the rain.
After Cuizhu walked away, Bailian turned around, and a figure was already standing in front of her.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess has a good eye!" Ying said with a grin as she looked at Bai Lian.
"Stop talking nonsense. You've got some nerve, daring to trespass into the East Palace."
"Oh dear, they're all made of wood, aren't they? Speaking of which, it's been so long since we last met. It seems Your Majesty hasn't forgotten me."
Bai Lian frowned and shoved away Ying's face, which was getting closer and closer.
Ying put on a wronged expression, rubbing her cheek.
"Your Majesty, you are as rude as ever."
Bai Lian snorted coldly, "Aren't you afraid I'll call for help right away?"
"No need for trouble. Once I start fighting with the Empress, they'll naturally come, won't they?" Ying smiled slyly, but her tone was chilling.
As she spoke, she struck out with her palm, but Bai Lian dodged and stopped Ying's fist: "I don't want to start a killing spree here."
"But I can't wait any longer." Ying withdrew her hand and swept her leg out. "To die under the peony is to be romantic even as a ghost."
Bai Lian frowned. She was unarmed and could not easily subdue him for the time being.
Ying was agile and her moves were sharp but not vicious, as if she was deliberately testing Bai Lian.
Bai Lian wanted to keep him alive to find out more about his background, so she didn't want to take his life immediately.
For a time, the two fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.
At this moment, several guards ran over upon hearing the noise. Just as they were about to draw their swords and step forward, they were struck in vital areas by several hidden weapons thrown by Ying.
Bai Lian couldn't help but wonder about his earlier bare-handed attack, and turned to look at Ying: "What exactly is your purpose?"
Ying remained silent and used his lightness skill, with Bai Lian following closely behind. In a short while, the two leaped out of the East Palace and arrived at a secluded place.
"The Empress will naturally take your life, but I'm a little reluctant."
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, Bai Lian kicked Ying to the ground and stomped on his chest.
He said bitterly, "It's a pity I was willing to give it up."
Ying, however, used her hand as a pillow, appearing completely at ease, as if she were completely at ease.
"I'm going to meet the King of Hell sooner or later anyway, and I'd be perfectly content to die by your hand!"
Just as Bai Lian was about to crush her limbs, Ying grabbed her ankle with one hand.
"So thin yet so strong, I truly admire you... However, you'd better think carefully before you kill me bit by bit, because our people should already be at the Bai residence!"
Bai Lian opened her eyes wide in surprise, realizing she had fallen into a trap. Her mind wavered, and she unconsciously relaxed her grip, allowing Ying to break free.
However, instead of launching another attack on Bai Lian, he leaped to a high place.
"My beauty, until we meet again!"
Ying blinked her phoenix eyes at Bai Lian, then turned and left.
His black hair and black clothes spread out, the fine rain falling like a stroke of thick ink.
They vanished from Bai Lian's sight in an instant.
Several guards from Danqin Palace arrived at this time.
"Your Majesty..."
Bai Lian gazed into the distance, raised her hand, and gave a calm command:
"Spread the word immediately: the Empress sent assassins to kill the Crown Princess, but they failed. Also, prepare a carriage for me; I'm returning to the Bai residence!"
After thinking for a moment, he added, "If I do not return tonight, I will report this matter to the Crown Prince."
The carriage drove out of Fengwu City and headed towards the Bai Mansion in Luoyang. The sound of hooves seemed to be knocking on Bai Lian's heart, and the calm on the surface could not dispel the anxiety in her heart.
She would occasionally lift the curtain to look outside; the road home seemed so long.
The Bai Mansion, a quiet oasis amidst the bustling city, stands there, utterly silent, with the sound of raindrops pattering against the bricks and tiles almost audible.
Bai Lian got out of the car and hurriedly ran towards the vermilion gate.
There were no guards at the gate, and no steward Wang came to greet them; the Bai residence was as quiet as an empty house.
She withdrew her hand from the door and, in front of the guards accompanying her, kicked open the tightly closed door and slipped inside.
Rain pattered in the Qinglin Pavilion in the courtyard, and the chessboard on the stone table had not yet been removed. Every arrangement was still familiar to Bai Lian.
Right now, Dad should be sitting on the stone bench, looking up and smiling at me.
My older brother would run over, cover his eyes, and call out, "Lian'er, Lian'er, guess who I am?"
Mother was still standing there, smiling at me, and asked what snacks I would like to eat after dinner.
Bai Lian lowered her head, instructed the guards to wait behind her, and walked quickly alone to the tightly closed door.
"Shangguan Yun! Our grudges are between the two of us, but don't hurt my family!"
"Heh, that was true before, but not anymore. Who told you to pick up such a wonderful daughter who's blocking my way!"
The voices of Shangguan Yun and her father could be heard coming from inside the room.
Bai Lian took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The room was in disarray, with the guards' corpses lying haphazardly in a gruesome manner.
Father, his hands bound, looked at himself in despair.
The mother, who had collapsed to the ground, was in tears, shaking her head repeatedly as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Such a familiar scene struck Bai Lian's heart hard, and memories in her mind began to flood back like a tide.
That bitter feeling surged up uncontrollably, leaving her almost frozen in place.
Shangguan Yun took a sip of tea, looked up at Bai Lian, and smiled:
"Heh, it seems that Ying, that good-for-nothing, really hasn't had the heart to deal with you. Your Highness, the Crown Princess, you certainly have quite the charm!"
After speaking, he slammed the teacup down on Changsun Rao'er, and then a series of cries of pain could be heard.
"Rao'er!"
Bai Moyuan struggled to get to Changsun Rao'er's side, but was kicked back by the assassin.
Bai Lian took a step forward, but the two assassins on either side immediately drew their knives and pointed them at her throat.
"Shangguan Yun, are you crazy!" Bai Moyuan straightened up and roared at Shangguan Yun without regard for anything else, but was knocked to the ground by a palm in the next second.
"Then I'm not even half as good as you were back then." Shangguan Yun sneered a few times. "Fine, today I'll let your family reunite. After I've dealt with you, I'll go find that missing young master."
"How dare you!" The knife had already drawn blood on Bai Lian's neck, yet she remained fearless and resentful.
"I'm dealing with a few treacherous officials for His Majesty today, why can't I!"
Bai Lian inwardly cursed. The Emperor was still unconscious, and Jia Luolin's regency was under scrutiny; who knew how many conspiracies she was being implicated in?
Taking advantage of this confusion, Shangguan Yun went on a killing spree? How could I possibly let her have her way?!
Bai Lian gripped the blade tightly with her bare hands, ignoring the pain of her flesh being torn apart, and forcefully pushed the knife away with her palm, pressing it straight into the chest of the assassin beside her.
She swiftly seized the knife with her right hand and immediately killed the two assassins on her left and right.
Shangguan Yun, seeing this, raised an eyebrow and calmly clapped his hands, saying, "Bai Moyuan, the daughter you picked up is truly both scholarly and martial!"
As she was speaking, she gave a signal with her eyes, and a group of masked assassins swarmed forward and surrounded Bai Lian.
Bai Lian raised the blade in her hand, closed her eyes, and focused her mind. Today, she would not allow the tragedy to repeat itself.
"Shangguan Yun, please let my daughter go, please let my daughter go!" Changsun Rao'er cried as she tried to grab Shangguan Yun's skirt, but was kicked away.
"Ha, you didn't beg me when I killed your own daughter, but do you need to go to so much trouble for this adopted one?"
"Shangguan Yun! Our feud from decades ago! Why has it come to this!"
These words confirmed Bai Moyuan's thoughts, but he still couldn't believe it when faced with the murderer who had killed his own daughter, as if he had aged several years in an instant.
"Since you were so heartless back then, don't blame me for being indifferent today!"
Shangguan Yun looked at Bai Moyuan, who was covered in blood, and turned her eyes away. Her heart, like her unrequited love, had grown colder day by day until it froze into ice.
This man she once loved to the point of despair, she had somehow managed to bring him to this point...
Bai Lian was dealing with a group of assassins by herself, but the guards who had been standing outside the door had not come in to help her for a long time, so she was afraid that they had met with misfortune.
Bai Lian endured numerous blows, gritting her teeth and persevering. However, the number of assassins was too great. Even after killing one group, replacements would still break through the windows to fill the gaps, an endless stream of ghosts.
She kept wielding the blade while also keeping an eye on her parents' condition.
For a moment, I only felt an unbearable headache, unaware that the flower bud on my forehead had already begun to unfold and bloom...
Seeing his subordinates dying one after another, and Bai Lian, who was covered in blood but did not fall down, Shangguan Yun secretly felt that he had underestimated Bai Lian's strength.
She frowned, nodded to her attendant, and immediately Changsun Rao'er was grabbed and a knife was placed against her neck, crying out.
Shangguan Yun curled his lips and looked at Bai Lian, saying each word clearly:
"Give me your life, and I will let them live."
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