Chapter 9
Zhao Congyun did not answer.
In Yue Mingming's view, this means tacit consent.
She couldn't describe her feelings: disappointment, anger, sadness, disgust... a real mixture of all sorts.
Unfortunately, she didn't have time to sort out her thoughts before the sword arrived.
Zhao Congyun did not move this time. He acted as if it had nothing to do with him and stood there coldly.
Yue Mingming thought, this guy is such a jerk...
The acting is really good too!
The emotional drama that had just unfolded with so many twists and turns was so measured that everyone, including her, foolishly believed it.
She actually thought that he cared about her a little!
So embarrassing...
She closed her eyes in shame, awaiting her miserable fate of being dressed as a hedgehog in the game and becoming brain dead in reality.
But nothing happened.
Crisp collision sounds rang out in the darkness, and someone threw out a hidden arrow from above the pleasure boat, accurately knocking down the long swords one by one.
The assassins paused and seemed to rush forward, but another group of people emerged from the water and surrounded the assassins in an instant!
"The wind is strong! Retreat!" someone among the assassins shouted.
"Don't let any of them out!" Zhao Congyun's voice was colder than the edge of a sword.
"Understood!" Uncle Dong whispered, suddenly appearing from the air, his figure floating like a ghost. Yue Mingming realized that it was him who had just hidden on the beam!
While she was still in a daze, Zhao Congyun suddenly grabbed her collar and said, "Still standing there like an idiot! Aren't you afraid of death?"
After surviving the disaster, Yue Mingming's knees were weak and he could only let him carry him as he stumbled onto the deck.
"You...let me go!" Yue Mingming, realizing he couldn't die, became furious again: "You're so funny! Now you care about my life or death?"
Zhao Congyun had originally thought she looked pitiful and wanted to help her, but upon hearing this, he immediately let go: "Who cares about you?"
Yue Mingming lost her balance and fell flat on her face. Too weak to get up, she simply rolled over and laid on the ground, saying stubbornly, "I'm no longer of any use to you, so you don't have to act anymore! Our cooperation ends here!"
"Don't expect me to trust you again!"
Zhao Congyun glanced at her coldly, then turned his head, his eyes fixed on the bright moon in the center of the lake, and he didn't speak for a long time.
The piano is still playing.
The piece played was "Ambush from All Sides". When the piece ended, the fight in the pleasure boat also ended.
Uncle Dong came out and reported: "There were seven people in total, one died, and six were captured alive."
Zhao Congyun: "Detain the leader, and hand the others over to the patrol battalion later."
Uncle Dong paused. "One more thing... Earlier, the secret guards ran into two people in the lake, one old and one young, both dressed as assassins. They only captured the old one and let the young one escape. I wonder if they are accomplices of the group on the boat?"
Zhao Congyun's eyes narrowed: "What do you think?"
Uncle Dong: "Judging from their skills, clothing, and weapons, they don't seem to be from the same group. I wonder what their intention is in hiding in the lake."
"Bring them all back to the mansion. We'll continue to track down the one who ran away."
"Yes." Uncle Dong accepted the order and looked at Yue Mingming with a hint of apology: "Madam Yue, this way..."
Zhao Congyun said calmly, "Her mission tonight hasn't finished yet."
Yue Mingming: “…”
The assassin has been caught, why do we still need her?
Before she could think about it, Zhao Congyun suddenly leaned over, grabbed her tightly, and took her... into the lake.
*
Yue Mingming had a look of despair on his face. He sat in the carriage, soaking wet and shivering silently.
She has lost her temper...
Zhao Congyun was always unexpected. When she thought she couldn't get any angrier, he would silently add fuel to the fire.
After climbing out of the lake, Zhao Congyun explained that he needed to show the guests and the patrol battalion the seriousness of the matter... If they were neatly dressed and unharmed, how could they prove that the situation was critical when they were assassinated?
It was a self-torture tactic... Yue Mingming certainly understood, but why was she the only one who suffered?!
Zhao Congyun sat next to her.
She was also soaked and looked like a drowned dog, but he still had a straight back and a calm expression, without a trace of embarrassment.
He caught a glimpse of her staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Zhao Congyun took out an outer robe from somewhere and threw it on Yue Mingming without saying anything.
"I won't wear your stinky clothes!" Yue Mingming tore off his clothes and said angrily, "If I couldn't swim, you would have taken the opportunity to drown me!"
Zhao Congyun's expression finally changed.
He picked up his outer robe, put it to his nose and sniffed carefully: "Where does it stink?"
…
Is that the point?!
Zhao Congyun frowned. "I don't know what's wrong with you. Don't you know what kind of person your father is? You're his biological daughter. Why should I trust you?"
He sneered and continued, "Let's not even talk about how you got that grain transport record... a weak woman managed to escape pursuit, kidnap a criminal and bring him to the capital. Every detail of this is beyond comprehension. And you still expect me to be honest with you?"
"Are you naive, or do you think I'm stupid?"
Yue Mingming opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.
What he said was indeed difficult to explain, so she could only defend herself: "But you repeatedly used me..."
"Didn't you take advantage of me?"
Anger suddenly flared in Zhao Congyun's eyes. "You insisted on staying in the palace, you provoked Li Pingru, you rescued the dangerous maid, and even tonight you rescued Li Si... Was any of this done for me?"
"You're right! I've achieved my goal. You're no longer useful to me... Our casual flirtation ends here!"
Inside the carriage, the two men glared at each other, and it was hard to tell whose expression was uglier.
"Your Highness..." Uncle Dong heard the quarrel and called out softly, "The patrol camp is here. Do you want to see them?"
"Who's coming?" A corner of the car curtain was lifted.
"...Deputy Commander of the Third Guard, Shen Zongwu."
Yue Mingming peeked through the corner of the curtain and saw a group of fully armed cavalrymen lined up in front of him. The young man in the lead was wearing a silver helmet and silver armor, and he looked very majestic. He was like a sword out of its sheath, standing out from the crowd.
Yue Mingming wanted to take a closer look, but the curtain suddenly fell, the pearls swayed, the bells jingled, and Zhao Congyun's cold voice mixed in: "No! Go back home!"
For some reason, Yue Mingming felt that Zhao Congyun seemed even angrier after seeing this person.
*
After returning to the mansion, Yue Mingming didn't even look at Zhao Congyun and went straight back to the house.
After lying in bed for a while, Xing'er's weak voice rang out from outside the door: "Madam, I heard that you just fell into the lake. I have prepared hot water. Please get up and take a bath to avoid catching a cold."
Yue Mingming jumped up. She really needed a hot bath at this moment!
The air was filled with mist and the fragrance of flowers. Yue Mingming, who was soaking in the bathtub, finally found his soul and spirit that had been scared away by the assassin.
She expressed her gratitude to Xing'er, who was adding water, "You're so kind to me! You don't know what I went through tonight! I was almost killed by Zhao...your Prince and Uncle Dong!"
Xing'er smiled and said, "My lady, you may not know that this hot soup was prepared for you by Uncle Dong."
She pulled out an exquisite porcelain bottle from her sleeve. "And this, Uncle Dong also asked me to give it to you. He said your face was injured by the sword energy, and applying this won't leave scars."
Yue Mingming was stunned for a moment: "...I didn't expect that Uncle Dong is so considerate."
She actually understood that she was Zhao Congyun's concubine after all. If it weren't for Zhao Congyun's instructions, how could Dong Shu, a man from outside the family, dare to go beyond the arrangements for preparing hot water and ointment?
"Have you calmed down?" Xing'er asked with a smile.
Yue Mingming snorted, "A slap in the face and a sweet date... I'm not that cheap."
Although he said this, the anger that had been accumulating in him slowly evaporated.
As Yue Mingming soaked in the hot water, her mind gradually calmed down. She called out to Xing'er, "I'm not used to being waited on by others. You go and rest. I'll add the water myself."
Xing'er responded softly, handed the porcelain bottle to Yue Mingming, and went out tactfully.
Yue Mingming held the porcelain bottle tightly, and his heart softened slightly.
Thinking of the "biological father" who kept trying to kill her, compared to him, Zhao Congyun was just using her. What right did she have to blame him?
He grew up in an imperial family. Whether in the court or at home, his mind and eyes were filled with calculations. He actually asked for trust from such a person without any reason...
It was indeed as he said, she was naive.
She shouldn't expect Zhao Congyun's protection as he deserves. Even if they cooperate, she needs to prove that she is valuable and worth his care.
Yue Mingming slapped her forehead in annoyance. How come after traveling to ancient times, even her thinking became feudal... She wanted to be an independent woman who was a hero, not a weak concubine!
After learning from his mistakes, Yue Mingming felt that it was necessary to change his status of living a life of idleness and waiting to die.
She needs to do something to protect herself and to be more confident when negotiating with Zhao Congyun in the future.
Thinking of this, she suddenly asked, "System, why couldn't my Fei Yan Zou Jing Wall and Xing Yun Palm be used in the critical moment just now?"
“Even though you’ve ‘learned’ the skills, if you’re not familiar with the operation, you may not be able to apply them in actual combat.”
Yue Mingming understood that it was like the combo coordination on the keyboard and controller. If you couldn't remember the sequence of buttons, it would be useless in front of the boss.
She dove into the water, ignoring the burning pain on her face, and a clear goal gradually emerged in her mind -
She is going to start learning Kung Fu seriously!
Thinking about the day when she majestically unleashed her ultimate move, the expressions on Zhao Congyun, Li Pingru and her father's faces... Yue Mingming curled up the corners of his lips and laughed so hard that bubbles appeared under the water.
*
Zhao Congyun hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed to interrogate the two assassins.
Time is running out. If they wait until the other party notices, they will lose the initiative and this drama tonight will be in vain!
After two interrogations, the sky in the east was already getting bright.
Fortunately, a lot was gained that night. The assassins sent by Yue Mingming's father could not withstand the torture and soon died. However, the old man with unknown purpose was very stubborn and refused to say anything.
Uncle Dong saw that Zhao Congyun looked exhausted and advised, "You have to go to court later. I'm afraid there will be another fierce battle in the court today. You should go and rest!"
Zhao Congyun rubbed his sore eyes and said self-deprecatingly, "I am a little tired... I've been acting so endlessly that I almost don't know whether it's real or not."
Uncle Dong sighed softly, "But the planning of the past few days has finally paid off... Don't worry, we can find a way to get something out of that old man."
Zhao Congyun: "There's no rush for this matter. Let's catch the younger one first... I always feel that this old man is not simple."
Uncle Dong nodded, then hesitated and asked, "How much have you learned from Madam Yue this time?"
Zhao Congyun's eyes flickered. "Her father really did want to kill her to silence her, and she doesn't know any martial arts, so she can't even dodge... If she wasn't acting, then she wasn't lying."
"So... you believe her?"
Zhao Congyun didn't answer. Instead, he raised his deep eyes and asked, "Why do you keep trusting her? Her words and actions are completely unpredictable..."
Uncle Dong smiled slightly. "You've been in the capital for a long time, and everyone around you is smart. Everything they say and do has a purpose. You can't understand people like Madam Yue's nonsense."
"I was reminded of my early experiences hunting rabbits in the mountains... A trapped rabbit can easily become so frightened that it forgets where its burrow is and runs around aimlessly, making it impossible to tell where it's going... Some even bump into trees. I've come to believe that sometimes, waiting for a rabbit to appear is easier than trying to guess its intentions."
Zhao Congyun seemed to be lost in thought: "You want me to... just wait and see?"
He lowered his eyes and said slowly, "But what if she's not a rabbit, but a frozen snake?"
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