Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Bizarre Assassination
The smoke in the East Hall grew thicker and thicker, wisps of it floating in the air. A dense mass of heads thronged around, their faces overlapping, fragmented, and constantly shifting. Then, amidst this fragmentation, a person gradually emerged, of average height and unremarkable features, the only thing that stood out was the thin, three-inch-long cloth bundle he held in his hand.
The cloth bag was shaken open, revealing a faint glint of cold light, and a sudden gust of cold wind rose.
The noise suddenly grew louder, mixed with screams of "Ahhh!"
Without hesitation, Ruan Bi rushed towards Old Madam Shen, but after only one step, her arm was grabbed. She turned around and saw that it was the Second Young Lady holding her. Her mouth was opening and closing, but the sound was drowned out by the surrounding noise. Ruan Bi couldn't hear it, but she understood her expression, which clearly said: No matter what you do, I will ruin it.
Looking back at the assassin, he had completely unwrapped the cloth bundle, revealing a thin, gleaming longsword. The worshippers, pregnant women, and their families around him scattered in all directions, scrambling and rolling, some of the pregnant women even more agile than monkeys. Old Madam Shen stood there dumbfounded, while her maids and servants, including Shen Ye, were also stunned, frozen in place.
The assassin twirled his sword, looked around, and seeing no one rushing towards Madam Shen, reluctantly twirled his sword again.
The opportunity was fleeting, and Ruan Bi dared not delay. She raised her foot and stomped heavily on the second girl's foot. The second girl cried out "Ouch!" and released her grip, then quickly reached out to grab Ruan Bi again. At that moment, a pebble flew through the air with a whooshing sound, striking her directly on the forehead. She was hit squarely, cried out "Ouch!" again, and leaned back, her hand reaching out in the air to rip off the veil worn by Ruan Bi.
At this moment, Ruan Bi was only three steps away from Madam Shen.
The assassin had already spotted her. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly executed a beautiful sword flourish, thrusting his longsword towards Old Madam Shen. The movement wasn't fast, but everyone around was terrified. A few collapsed to the ground, while most trembled unsteadily, including Old Madam Shen. Seeing the sword approaching, she could only widen her eyes, open her mouth, and let out a hoarse, guttural scream.
At this moment, Ruan Bi was two steps away from Old Madam Shen. One more step, and she would pounce, piercing the assassin's shoulder with his sword, completing her self-inflicted injury scheme. No matter how stubborn or unwilling the Shen family was, they would have to accept it; otherwise, how could the "Number One Family on Zhuque Street" set an example for the world?
But suddenly she couldn't run anymore; something had wrapped around her arm. Ruan Bi turned her head and saw a horsewhip that had appeared out of nowhere, wrapped around her arm, the handle gripping... Before she could even look up, Gu Xiaobai had already leaped in front of her and shouted, "Are you crazy? Where are you running to? Go hide in the back!" As he spoke, he released the horsewhip and pushed her towards Old Madam Ruan.
He used a lot of force, and Ruan Bi staggered a few steps, lost her balance, and fell directly to the ground, landing on top of the second young lady who had just gotten up. The second young lady felt a sharp pain in her chest and abdomen, tears and snot streaming down her face, and curled up on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.
By the time Ruan Bi managed to scramble to her feet, the scene had already changed.
The people who had been gathered in the hall just moments before either rushed out the doors, stood against the walls, or crawled under tables to hide. The middle of the hall was now empty, with only a few shoes and a winnowing basket on the floor. Gu Xiaobai and the assassin were locked in combat, dodging and weaving, exchanging blows. One held a horsewhip, lashing it out powerfully, while the other wielded a three-inch sword, occasionally thrusting it forward, but mostly just twirling it around.
Meanwhile, Madam Shen was surrounded by servants and retreated towards the back door of the East Hall.
The old lady Ruan, who had been stunned, finally came to her senses. Grabbing Ruan Bi's arm, she said in a panic, "Fifth girl, hurry, hurry, let's go too." She never knew that Ruan Bi was so strong, and her grip made Ruan Bi's arm ache.
The servants of the Ruan household, regaining their senses, pulled the second young lady, who was lying on the ground with snot and tears streaming down her face. Her veil had fallen off, revealing a bright red, egg-sized lump on her forehead. Her appearance was disheveled and all her former charm was gone. However, no one had time to pay attention to her appearance; they escorted the old lady out. Ruan Bi didn't want to go, but the old lady gripped her arm tightly, and the servants pushed her forward involuntarily.
Although the Shen family moved first, they were a bit far from the back door, while the Ruan family moved later but were closer to the back door. As a result, the two groups bumped into each other at the door. Neither would give way to the other, and they both rushed to squeeze out, but neither could get through. They were stuck together, shouting and cursing at each other.
In the midst of the chaos, Chen glanced back at Gu Xiaobai, who was standing in the middle of the East Hall, brandishing his riding whip with great vigor.
In the midst of the chaos, Ruan Bi turned to look at the doorway. Prince Jin was still standing there, staring intently at her, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. Her heart skipped a beat, and suddenly her nose stung with tears.
When the second young lady saw her turn around, she also turned around and looked at the bearded man at the door.
The Shen family, with their superior numbers, finally managed to push the ten members of the Ruan family aside and were the first to leave.
The Ruan family members followed closely behind and went out.
Ruan Bi's arm was gripped by the old lady, and her body was pushed by a group of servants, involuntarily leading her out. She still turned her head to look at Prince Jin, filled with resentment, indignation, and deep regret. How could she have missed such a good opportunity? She had wasted his painstaking efforts. She was unwilling, truly unwilling.
The servants escorted her forward, while he remained standing, watching her. The disappointment deep in his eyes had been replaced by a gentle smile, as if to say it was alright, there would be another chance. But she suddenly had a strange feeling that this scene was like her future with him—although she didn't want to leave, she would be pushed away from him by external forces, further and further away... until he completely disappeared from her sight, even from her life.
Tears welled up, and all I could see was a blur of water; I couldn't see the road ahead.
Surrounded by servants, Ruan Bi left Tianqing Temple like a walking corpse, stumbling along.
As for the outcome of this assassination attempt, there was no need to inquire, as the news spread throughout the capital that very afternoon, causing a sensation throughout the court and among the common people, young and old. It was said that after several rounds of fighting with Gu Xiaobai, the assassin laughed heartily, twirled his sword a few times, then sliced Gu Xiaobai's riding whip in half with a single stroke, kicked him, and then, carrying his longsword, walked out of the East Hall and vanished into the distance. No one could say for sure how he vanished. He simply appeared out of the crowd and then disappeared back into it, like a drop of water leaping from the ocean and then falling back into it.
This assassination attempt alarmed the emperor, who was furious that someone dared to assassinate "the mother of Minister Shen." Besides dispatching imperial physicians to the Shen residence and sending several cartloads of precious medicinal herbs, he ordered the prefect of Kaifeng to solve the case as soon as possible, sparing no effort in manpower and resources to capture the assassin. He even mobilized top-tier imperial guards. However, after nearly a year of investigation, the mysterious assassin remained elusive. The people nicknamed him the "Sword Flower Assassin" because in his brief appearance, within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he leisurely performed over a dozen sword flourishes. He was clearly there to assassinate Madam Shen, but he spent his time performing sword flourishes, and his only effective assassination attempt was slow and deliberate, as if it were child's play. If he lacked the skill, it wouldn't matter, but later, he severed Gu Xiaobai's riding whip with a single sword strike—a move as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder—proving his exceptional swordsmanship and extraordinary strength.
Many doubted his true intentions in assassinating Old Madam Shen, as the time it took him to perform ten or so sword flourishes was enough to kill her dozens of times over. Some believed he was there to fulfill Gu Xiaobai's wishes, as the young master Gu's reputation was previously poor; he had a history of horseback riding that resulted in injuries and street brawls, earning him the nickname "Little Tyrant Gu" among the capital's residents, though no one dared to use it seriously out of respect for Princess Huiwen and the Duke of Dingguo. However, after this incident, Gu Xiaobai suddenly became a righteous and courageous young man, the talk of the town among the noble ladies of the capital. Others speculated that this assassination attempt was orchestrated by Gu Xiaobai to win the favor of a beautiful woman—after all, the Shen family possessed a jewel of the capital. An old gambler even placed bets on a marriage alliance between the Gu and Shen families, but he went bankrupt as a result.
In this widely publicized assassination attempt, apart from the Second Miss, no one noticed Ruan Bi repeatedly running towards Old Madam Shen. However, many remembered the fleeting glance she gave as she left the East Palace; her spring-like eyes held a hint of helplessness and deep reluctance, an indescribable beauty. Most men assumed she was looking at them, a few with more self-awareness thought she was looking at Gu Xiaobai, but only the Second Miss knew she was looking at the bearded man at the door, thus embarking on a long and arduous journey to uncover his true identity.
From that day on, the fifth daughter of the Ruan family became a concern for the young men. Everyone regretted not being in the East Hall of Tianqing Temple on the first day of the ninth month. Her good reputation reached the ears of the King of Han, who was eating bird's nest. He choked and said, "What kind of taste do you have! I saw it with my own eyes."
The subordinate flattered, "Those commoners have never seen a true beauty. They are astonished as if they were gods when they see someone with decent looks."
King Han nodded in deep agreement and ordered his subordinates to quickly find the assassin. He wanted to skin him alive and tear out his tendons. He had finally managed to trick seventeen or eighteen pregnant women into begging Old Madam Shen to touch his hand. Regardless of whether she agreed or not, the censor submitted a memorial: "The Hong family of Shenmen, a first-rank imperial consort, is arrogant and conceited, worships gods, and fools the people..." His carefully planned scheme was ruined by this assassin who suddenly appeared. How could he swallow this insult?
This assassination attempt became a legendary tale told endlessly in the teahouse, and was even recorded in unofficial histories, ranking first among the ten most bizarre cases of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No matter how much it was talked about and how mysterious it became, apart from the parties involved who remained silent, no one knew that it was originally related to Ruan Bi.
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