"Oh my god, no way, have I encountered a top-tier expert?" Jian Yang was stunned for a moment.
The assassin raised her hand again, and the guards hurriedly dodged. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she darted forward and stood in front of Jian Yang, holding the knife to her neck.
Jian Yang was so frightened that she didn't dare to move, secretly clenching the powder in her sleeve.
Seeing this, the guards and secret agents dared not make any rash moves, staring at the assassin without blinking, for fear that she might impulsively slit Jian Yang's throat.
As the knife drew ever closer to her neck, Jian Yang's heart pounded in her chest.
Just when Jian Yang thought she was about to die here, the assassin stopped. Jian Yang saw a hint of hesitation in her eyes. Without thinking, she grabbed the powder in her hand and threw it at the assassin's face.
Blinded by the powder, the assassin loosened his grip on Jian Yang's hand, and she quickly broke free. The poison in the powder slowly began to spread, and the man became unsteady.
The guards rushed forward, tied her up, and pinned her to the ground. Before Jian Yang could speak, one of the guards ripped off the assassin's mask.
Upon seeing her face clearly, Jian Yang was horrified.
"You may all step back. I will handle this assassin," Jian Yang instructed.
The leading guard hesitated for a moment, but one of them recognized Jian Yang, leaned down and said something to him, and then they withdrew.
"Why did you do this?" Jian Yang asked coldly.
Linglong is Zhou Jingzhi's person, and she has access to many of Zhou Jingzhi's spies. At this critical juncture, her attempt to assassinate him could not possibly be on Zhou Jingzhi's orders. Therefore, the only possibility is that she has betrayed him.
Linglong knelt on the ground without saying a word, just staring at Jian Yang expressionlessly.
Jian Yang pondered for a moment, then prepared to scare her: "I just poisoned you. If you don't tell the truth, I won't give you the antidote."
The drug was actually just a drug that would make people feel weak, and the effects would wear off on their own after a while. Jian Yang always kept it on her person for self-defense.
Hearing Jian Yang say this, Linglong remained silent, only giving Jian Yang a faint smile.
She had failed, and death was the only path awaiting her. What difference did it make whether she died now or later? Linglong thought to herself.
Jian Yang was somewhat confused. Was she planning to die a heroic death?
A guard suddenly jumped out from beside her, startling her. The guard then dislocated Linglong's jaw with a snap and took a pill from under her tongue.
"She wants to commit suicide," the guard explained, then pulled her chin back and stuffed a wad of cotton cloth into Linglong's mouth.
The woman's face turned ashen. Jian Yang squinted at Linglong and said after a moment, "Lock her up first, and we'll make further plans when the Emperor returns."
Meanwhile, Zhou Jingzhi, accompanied by his guards, raced all the way to the mansion mentioned in the letter.
There was no one guarding the courtyard, and Zhou Jingzhi, worried that someone might be lying in ambush, sent a secret guard to investigate.
According to the guard, the courtyard was indeed unguarded, and there was no one in the courtyard. However, it was unknown whether anyone was inside the house.
Zhou Jingzhi led his men over the wall and into the courtyard. The courtyard looked deserted for a long time, and they wandered around for a long time without seeing anyone come.
They searched room by room, but there was no sign of the Empress. There wasn't even a trace of her having been there.
Zhou Jingzhi gritted his teeth, realizing he'd fallen for a trap. What was that woman's purpose in luring him out of the palace?
Zhou Jingzhi thought of Jian Yang, who was still in the palace. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he felt uneasy.
"Return to the palace quickly!" Zhou Jingzhi shouted.
He dared not stop for a moment. No one knew Linglong's skills better than him. The guards he left behind were no match for her. If her target was Jian Yang, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Zhou Jingzhi hurried back to the palace, pushed open the door of the sleeping quarters, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jian Yang sitting in a chair taking a nap.
"You're back," Jian Yang said, rubbing her eyes.
Seeing Zhou Jingzhi's appearance, Jian Yang had a pretty good idea of what was going on, so she decided not to ask him what had happened.
“You just left today, and an assassin came to attack me. The person was actually the Empress. I have already captured her, and Eunuch Zhang is currently watching over her in prison,” Jian Yang added.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi's expression gradually turned cold. How dare she try to assassinate Jian Guanyuan!
"Ayang, come with me." With that, he led Jianyang toward the prison cell, telling her about the day's events as they walked.
Inside the cell, Linglong was still bound and leaning against the wall.
When Zhou Jingzhi arrived, Linglong gave a bitter smile.
"Why did you try to assassinate A Yang? Wasn't what I promised you enough?" Zhou Jingzhi suppressed his anger and asked, forcing himself to remain calm.
Linglong remained silent, seemingly determined to keep everything to herself. Since she was going to die anyway, she saw no point in struggling anymore.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Jingzhi's eyes suddenly turned icy cold. If she refused to reveal who was behind her, A Yang would always be in danger, and no one knew when they would suddenly make their move from the shadows.
"Put on the torture instruments," Zhou Jingzhi gave a wink to the guards and ordered.
The guards opened the door at the back of the cell, revealing a jumble of all sorts of tools inside, which made Jian Yang somewhat alarmed.
Zhou Jingzhi sneered: "If you don't speak, I will pry your mouth open little by little."
As Jian Yang looked at the instruments of torture, the image of Linglong being tortured flashed through her mind. After being subjected to these tortures, how could she possibly survive?
Thinking back to when she was kidnapped, Jian Yang felt a pang of pity. She had the chance to kill her, but hesitated and was captured instead.
She shook her head at Zhou Jingzhi and said, "Wait a minute, let me try."
Zhou Jingzhi did not stop her. Jian Yang walked up to Linglong and said to her, "You didn't hurt me just now, which proves that you still have good intentions. I know you may have had your own reasons."
Upon hearing this, Linglong's eyes flickered, but she still didn't speak.
Jian Yang continued, "If you're willing to tell us why you're doing this, maybe I can help you break this deadlock. Anyway, it's a dead end now, doing this might give you a glimmer of hope."
Linglong seemed to be considering the truthfulness of her words, and after a moment she finally spoke: "Can you guarantee that my life is not in danger?"
Jian Yang looked at Zhou Jingzhi and nodded when she saw that he had no objections.
“I’m not targeting you, but I need the position of Empress. Only if I remain Empress can I live a peaceful life,” Linglong said, frowning.
She knew from the beginning that the position of Empress did not belong to her, but she had no choice but to accept it. Thinking of this, Linglong looked at Jian Yang with a slight apology.
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