"This old servant blames his own ignorance for being unable to relieve Your Majesty's worries and for being a freeloader of the royal rations. But no matter what happens, this old servant will risk his old life to support Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not do anything to harm yourself. Even if we take a step back, the people of Yan need... Your Majesty?" As he spoke, Wang Fu noticed that the shadow above his head had dissipated. When he looked up, Ji Yan was nowhere to be seen.
"Your Majesty!" Wang Fu hurriedly lifted his robes and chased after him. "Your Majesty, slow down! Watch your step! Wait for this old servant! I still have a dagger..."
Ji Yan paused, "Throw it as far away as possible. I don't care about the scrap metal she throws away."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Fu held the broken copper and iron inlaid with gold and diamonds, feeling extremely pained.
This dagger is a national treasure, its origins dating back to the time of the founding emperor. It's incredibly valuable; it could buy several three-courtyard houses in the capital city, where land is extremely expensive.
Wang Fu's words of dissuasion were countless, but he dared not utter a single word. No matter how valuable the dagger was, it was not as valuable as his life. As people get older, they are especially afraid of death.
He immediately kicked off the ground, steeled his resolve, closed his eyes, and threw it backwards without a care, muttering to himself: "This is scrap metal, this is scrap metal..."
Behind him, the scribe stared in disbelief at the record book that had been split in two by a sharp weapon, nearly dying on the spot.
...
Unaware of this, Shen Jiao tossed and turned after Ji Yan left, unable to sleep. After much deliberation, she decided to go and retrieve the dagger.
Whether she assassinated the Yan Emperor or not, the dagger was given to her and it was hers. After escaping this dangerous place, she should pawn it. Judging from the glittering jewelry she had, it would have taken her more than ten years of hard work to make it work. She was penniless and too poor.
The main problem was that she discovered the young eunuch had a bad habit of visiting other people's homes without saying a word, and she wouldn't know how to explain it if he asked about the dagger.
To ensure the safety of the Yan Emperor, guards patrolled the courtyard every so often. Only after the guards left did she take the lantern out and wander around for most of the way before finally finding the dagger.
"That's strange, I don't think I threw it in this direction, did I?" Shen Jiao muttered to herself. Could it be that someone picked it up, didn't like it, and then threw it away? What kind of family is this so rich? What should I do? I really want to be friends with this kind of spendthrift kid.
She sighed as she wiped the dust off the dagger.
Suddenly, faint voices could be heard not far away. Shen Jiao immediately turned off the light, shrank into the corner, and remained motionless, quietly becoming a passerby with extremely low presence.
"The envoy sent a secret letter this afternoon, containing information he had recently gathered about the Yan Emperor. He said that the Yan Emperor is extremely fond of drinking contests, but that's not the point. The point is that the Yan Emperor has already chosen one of us. Third brother, you are the best drinker among us. I estimate that the Yan Emperor will definitely choose you. This matter should not be underestimated. You must do everything in your power to deal with it."
Shen Jiao asked in confusion: Hmm? You love wine? What happened to your preference for honey water?
"Although it is rumored that the Emperor of Yan is not interested in women, I believe that seeing is believing and hearing is deceiving. Rumors should not be taken at face value. The Emperor of Yan is still a man. I believe that with our beauty, we will surely win his favor! When we enter the Emperor's harem, I will still be your sister."
Shen Jiao was shocked: Wow, what incredible confidence! He even dares to covet a tyrant like the Yan Emperor. I admire him.
"Success or failure hinges on this moment, everyone must be on your best. Don't falter at this crucial moment. If anything unexpected happens, just follow my lead. In short, there can be no mistakes, understand?"
Shen Jiao realized that the person who was speaking in the dominant position was the head dancer of the Wei Kingdom. The head dancer had a name that was unforgettable, called... what was it again? Anyway, it sounded quite nice, but she forgot.
However, the Wei envoy sent them to seduce the Yan emperor to fill his harem, presumably with the aim of infiltrating the enemy's ranks. But why then did he send them to assassinate the Yan emperor? This is clearly a contradiction, and it's just creating trouble for themselves.
When Shen Jiao got tired of squatting, she simply sat down on the ground. Were the completely different orders from the Wei envoy and the eunuch spy intentional or just a spur-of-the-moment decision? She had a feeling that she had unknowingly fallen into a huge trap.
But there was no need to worry too much. Shen Jiao comforted herself, since she was already prepared to escape Langya Pass, and even if there was a huge conspiracy, it wouldn't have much to do with her.
Voices rose and fell behind the artificial hill. Someone asked, "Sister, what about that person?"
This was clearly referring to her. Shen Jiao straightened her back and listened carefully.
The leader of the dancers sneered, "Why should we care about her? What is she anyway? If it weren't for the seventh brother's mistake, how could this stray dog who came halfway have the chance to be our sister? She's not even worthy of carrying our shoes. She's just a useless piece of trash. Our main target is the Yan Emperor. We don't need to care whether she lives or dies."
“Good sister, I’m just worried… worried that she might make a mistake. After all, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. She’s good for nothing except her face.”
The head dancer scoffed, "You can't say that. It would be a blessing for her to be offered as a beauty lantern to the Yan Emperor."
Shen Jiao: "..." Rebound!
...
The next morning, Shen Jiao woke up feeling great after a good night's sleep, humming a tuneless little tune from Jiangnan.
She cheerfully lifted the curtain, but her expression suddenly froze.
"How can you sleep so soundly? You came here to assassinate the Emperor of Yan, does the Emperor of Yan know? He kills without hesitation, his methods are cruel, he is a complete demon, no one is not afraid of him. How can you sleep on the Emperor of Yan's territory with the purpose of assassinating him?"
The little eunuch's voice was clear, cool, and agitated, sounding both excited and angry, and he had a lot to say about her Buddhist-like attitude.
"Assassinating the Yan Emperor and sleeping are two separate things that don't interfere with each other, okay? How can I have the energy to assassinate someone if I don't sleep well?"
After all, she had no intention of assassinating anyone. She planned to slip away quietly tomorrow while everyone was busy, so she felt no pressure. Why couldn't she sleep?
Furthermore, this little eunuch goes through the main gate at night and climbs through the window during the day; his brain must have been damaged by water.
But his eyes were bloodshot, his eyelids drooped, and he looked listless. His already unhealthy pale complexion looked even more bloodless. He didn't look like he hadn't rested well; he looked more like he was angry and ashamed after being bullied.
Shen Jiao understood.
No wonder she was angry so early in the morning; she must have been punished. Indeed, as a lowly eunuch serving the Yan Emperor, it's hard not to suspect his motives for frequently running off to the enemy country's dancers. She doesn't understand the Yan Kingdom's reward and punishment system and can't guess what kind of torment the eunuch has endured.
She sighed, "If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. I warned you before that you should be careful when working for the Emperor of Yan, especially since you have a clandestine position."
Ji Yan: "???" What nonsense is she talking about? I can't understand her.
Shen Jiao thought that she was about to leave and would never see her again, so she said to the arrogant little eunuch, "It is fate that we met. Listen to my advice: mountains crumble and people run away. You have to rely on yourself. If you continue to do whatever you want because of the emperor's favor, your life will be in danger."
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