Chapter 186 A Dog's Mission
Cao Dongyang studied diligently for over twenty years, but repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.
After failing his final scientific expedition, he was penniless and homeless.
That day, a cold rain was falling in the capital. He had his last two copper coins in his pocket, and he squatted by the moat, even contemplating jumping in.
He was too ashamed to go back to his hometown.
The old father's illness was getting worse, but he still worked hard in the fields, hoping that his son would make something of himself.
He had no money to take the exam, so his fellow villagers chipped in to pay for his travel expenses and sent him to the capital.
But in the end, he was still a useless good-for-nothing, failing to live up to everyone's expectations.
Just when he was feeling disheartened, a fellow villager who had failed the imperial examinations told him that the Third Princess had established a government office and was recruiting talented people from all over the country, and suggested that he give it a try.
He went there with his last hope, but to his surprise, the third princess actually kept him there.
Not only that, they also secured him an official position.
Although it was just a minor official position, it was the position he had dreamed of for many years of studying.
Later, when her father was critically ill, it was the Third Princess who generously donated money to save his life.
From that moment on, he vowed to follow the Third Princess wholeheartedly, even if it meant going through fire and water.
Therefore, even though the Third Princess's ambitions grew larger and larger, and she was no longer satisfied with her status as a princess, she wanted to stand in a higher position.
He followed her wholeheartedly, acting as her most loyal and useful dog, managing the affairs of the household, contacting officials in the court, and training assassins.
Even when the Third Princess later said she wanted to assassinate the Eldest Princess, he did not hesitate for a moment and personally led the team to do so.
He knew this was a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family, but he would do it as long as it was what the Third Princess wanted.
At that moment, amidst the excruciating pain of the arrow piercing his chest, he felt a strange sense of relief.
Now, his dog's mission has finally come to an end.
Blood oozed from the corner of his lips. He took one last look at the woman who had given him dignity and hope, and slowly closed his eyes.
To die for you would be the greatest honor for a lowly person like me.
Li Yuanshu stared blankly at Cao Dongyang's corpse on the ground, warm blood slowly soaking through her skirt.
She never expected that Li Yuanzhao would actually try to kill her.
If Cao Dongyang hadn't risked his life to block that arrow, it would have been her lying on the ground right now.
Her eyes were wide open, her lips were trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Li Yuanzhao had already drawn his bowstring taut again, the arrow tip aimed at her.
This time, Li Yuanshu neither retreated nor struggled.
She slowly closed her eyes, straightened her back, and prepared to calmly accept her fate.
Isn't this the path to seizing the throne?
It's a fight to the death, we won't give up!
From the moment she decided to send someone to assassinate Li Yuanzhao, she should have foreseen this outcome.
Dying at the hands of Li Yuanzhao was perhaps her destiny.
The next moment, with a "whoosh," the arrowhead pierced her body, and a sharp pain shot through her.
Li Yuanshu suddenly opened his eyes and looked down in disbelief.
The arrow did not pierce her heart, but instead pierced her right arm precisely.
Fresh blood gushed out, staining his sleeves red.
Li Yuanzhao slowly approached, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "What's the point of dying so easily? You might as well wait and see when I'll come back to take your life again?"
After saying this, she casually tossed the short bow on the ground, stepped over the corpses and bloodstains, and gracefully departed.
Which is more terrifying: to send someone to their immediate death, or to let them live in the shadow of death forever?
It is likely that Li Yuanshu will be able to feel it every day and night from now on.
Besides, she wouldn't actually let her die before bringing down the Cui family.
She didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble and ruin the "grand show" that Prime Minister Cui and Consort Cui had prepared for her.
After everyone left, Li Yuanshu's legs went weak, and she collapsed heavily into the bloodstains.
She was the only living person left in the huge main hall, surrounded by cold corpses all over the floor.
These advisors... these loyal followers... all her efforts and all her resources during this time have been reduced to ashes.
The wound on her right arm was still bleeding, and the excruciating pain made her tremble uncontrollably.
But what's more piercing than the wounds is the fear of being shrouded in the shadow of death.
She knew perfectly well that from this moment on, her life would be forever trapped in endless fear and suspicion.
Every night, he wondered if Li Yuanzhao would suddenly make a move; every morning, he feared whether today was his death day.
Inside the Princess's residence, Li Yuanzhao sat upright beside the table, slowly removing the right half of her robe, letting Xiao Lingdang treat her wound.
Her face was calm, her skin was pale, and her exposed right arm had firm muscles and smooth lines.
A gruesome wound ran across it, the flesh was already a mess, and blood was still seeping out, making it look particularly shocking.
Besides Xiao Lingdang, who was applying medicine, Ru Mo, Su Qingci, and Pei Huaijin were standing in the room.
Pei Huaijin felt he had been impolite upon seeing this, so he lowered his head, his ear tips turning slightly red.
Su Qingci was heartbroken and couldn't help but step forward, "How did it get so serious? What are the guards doing? Your Highness, are you in pain?"
Little Bell looked at the wound, her brows furrowed tightly, and said with a frown, "Your Highness, I need to remove the rotten flesh outside before I can apply medicine. If it hurts, you can cry out to feel better. You don't have to bear it."
However, Li Yuanzhao did not cry out, or rather, she didn't even breathe abnormally from beginning to end, letting Xiao Lingdang cut her flesh, remove her sores, and apply medicine.
Ru Mo stood to the side and silently handed over a clean cloth.
Su Qingci turned her face away, unable to bear looking any longer.
After the last bandage was wrapped, Li Yuanzhao slowly dressed before speaking, his voice still steady, "Tell me, what's the situation in the capital lately?"
After everyone had finished reporting, Li Yuanzhao suddenly took out a secret letter from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table. "This is a secret letter that my men intercepted and sent to Prime Minister Cui. Take a look."
The group exchanged glances, and Su Qingci was the first to take the letter and begin reading it.
The contents of the letter were simply unbelievable and appalling.
The letter claimed that the princess was not of royal blood but was an illegitimate child who had been switched at birth. It further threatened to expose her true identity at the New Year's Eve banquet, ruining her reputation and ensuring she could never recover!
After reading it, Su Qingci looked up in disbelief: "Nonsense! This is clearly someone deliberately slandering Your Highness! So many people in the palace were watching when the late Empress gave birth, how could there have been an opportunity to switch the babies..."
Pei Huaijin took the letter and quickly glanced at it, his usually composed face showing surprise.
"Your Highness, who delivered this letter? Has its origin been traced? The most urgent task is to find out who wrote it and find out who is behind it! Otherwise, if they really cause trouble at the New Year's Eve banquet, even if it's just a rumor, it will ruin your reputation!"
Although Xiaolingdang was tidying up the medicine box, she couldn't help but look up when she heard their conversation.
Of the group, only Ru Mo already knew the truth.
However, she did not expect that the Imperial Concubine would use such a simple and direct method to expose the prince's identity, and even notified them in advance. What exactly was her intention?
After taking a sip of tea, Li Yuanzhao looked up at everyone and slowly said, "What if what's said in this letter... is true?"
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