Chapter 15 "The Princess Consort thinks I'm a bad person..."
==Chapter Fifteen: The Assassin==
Outside the room, swords flashed and the moonlight reflected a large pool of blood on the ground. The masked man in black fought fiercely against the guards in the courtyard, his attacks swift and ruthless, each strike fatal. The ground was littered with corpses lying on their backs.
These masked men in black are not simple people at all, nor do they seem to be江湖人士 (jianghu figures).
Su Wanyue's words did not deter the masked men in black at all. Seeing that one of the men in black had already kidnapped Qin Sisi, Su Wanyue felt a chill in her heart.
The woman's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the sword in the hand of the masked, buzz-cut man in the center. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the leader of the group of men in black.
Perhaps sensing Su Wanyue's gaze, the man with the buzz cut and covered by a black cloth turned around. Perhaps guessing Su Wanyue's status as a princess, his gaze quickly changed from fierce to triumphant, his eyes flashing with excitement. He turned his sword sheath and charged straight at Su Wanyue.
Su Wanyue sidestepped and blocked, the scabbard grazing her cheek. The man with the buzz cut didn't expect her to dodge so well. He twisted his fingertips, and just as the scabbard was about to pass through the woman's chin, Su Wanyue twisted her wrist, and the scabbard fell to the ground with the speed of the wind.
Immediately afterwards, Su Wanyue flipped her sleeves again, trying to capture the man with the buzz cut, but the man with the buzz cut was no pushover either. He raised his ten fingers, and dozens of silver needles pierced straight towards Su Wanyue's heart.
At the critical moment, a dark robe with gold patterns swept in, and a sword pierced the throat of the black-masked man from behind. Another man in white blocked dozens of silver needles with a folding fan. The man with the buzz cut rolled his eyes back, his enlarged pupils still staring intently at Su Wanyue, as if he had died with his eyes open.
Su Wanyue wasn't afraid of these things, but she was a little worried about Qin Sisi. Xiao Yu frowned, put his long arm around Su Wanyue's waist, and led her to the stone steps. "Take good care of the princess."
With their leader dead, the remaining masked men in black were at a loss. Seeing no hope of breaking through and the possibility of more soldiers coming from behind, one of them viciously grabbed Qin Sisi by the neck and pressed his sword against her chest, yelling, "You all get back, or I'll kill her!"
Qin Sisi was just a young lady from a sheltered family, and she had never seen such a scene before. She was so frightened that she trembled and cried out, "Cousin, save me!"
The men in black thought, "It's all settled," but Xiao Yu's expression remained unchanged as he stared at the group of men in black with his hands behind his back. The men in black panicked and pulled Qin Sisi back, saying, "Brothers, let's go."
They can come and go freely, but it's not as easy as you might imagine.
Xiao Yu raised his hand, and the guards surged forward, engaging the man in black in a fierce struggle. Xie Cheng, receiving the signal, stepped forward and struck the man in black who was binding Qin Sisi with a palm strike. After several rounds, the man in black was at his wit's end. Xie Cheng, expressionless, carried Qin Sisi down. Qin Sisi was terrified, completely exhausted, and threw herself into the arms of the little maid, sobbing softly.
A short while later, the Prefect of the Capital arrived with a thousand personal guards and surrounded the courtyard. The stench of blood quickly filled the entire courtyard, and more and more corpses lay on the ground. The man in black was fighting like a cornered beast. A gentle breeze blew by, and Xiao Yu's eyes turned fierce as he coldly said, "Leave one alive."
The last survivor was the last man in black. The soldiers handcuffed and shackled him and led him out of the temple. What happened tonight, whether it was aimed at the Imperial Concubine or the Princess Consort, was no small matter. The Prefect of the Capital sighed inwardly and clasped his hands in a gesture of fear and trepidation. “Your Highness and the Princess Consort are late in coming to the rescue. Please forgive me. I will escort the prisoner back to the capital immediately for a thorough interrogation and then report this matter to His Majesty. Please rest assured, Your Highness and the Princess Consort.”
The Imperial Concubine is the Emperor's favorite concubine. If something were to happen to her today, countless people would be buried with her.
"Then I urge Lord Zhu to investigate this matter thoroughly and without favoritism."
Upon hearing Prince Cheng's reminder, the Prefect of the Capital felt a pang of anxiety. Could it be that Prince Cheng knew who was behind these men in black and was afraid that he would be bribed after returning to the capital, so he openly hired assassins to kill a noble consort and the current princess? Surely it couldn't be the Crown Prince.
In a split second, the Prefect of the Capital broke out in a cold sweat. He pledged his loyalty to Prince Cheng, saying, "Your Highness, I will certainly distinguish between public and private matters. Please rest assured."
The bodies in the courtyard were carried out one by one. Qin Sisi watched, her face turning pale again, and her stomach churned. Seeing this, Su Wanyue quickly said, "Help my cousin go down and rest. Go and fetch some hot water."
Qin Sisi looked up at her. Was she not afraid at all in this situation? And her cousin and this young master Xie, there was not a trace of fear or panic in their eyes.
As night fell, everything settled down.
Seeing that everything was alright, Xie Cheng moved his slender body and cupped his hands to Xiao Yu, "Then I will take my leave. The Imperial Concubine must have been frightened tonight. I will come to visit her with my mother tomorrow."
The courtyard fell completely silent. Su Wanyue asked softly, "Why did Your Highness come here?"
He shouldn't be here at this hour.
Xiao Yu glanced at her and explained gently, "Tomorrow is a day off, so I came over."
Just then, the door to the room where Consort Qin was staying was opened, and Zhang Mama came out bowing, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Consort, Her Highness invites you in."
The couple stopped talking and went inside to visit Consort Qin, who was already sitting on a wooden bench. "Mother, how are you?" they asked.
"What haven't I seen?" Consort Qin's lips curled into a mocking smile, her peach blossom eyes gleaming upwards. "But this assassination attempt is the first I've ever witnessed. Yu'er, who do you think was behind tonight's events?"
"Your subject is not yet certain."
"They're either after me or Weiyang, and they even dare to assassinate me at Guimin Temple. They're not afraid of Buddha's wrath at all."
The Eighth Prince had just made a mistake recently, and the chances of the Crown Prince making a mistake now were slim. This made Consort Qin suspect that tonight's events were orchestrated by their magnificent Empress. In order for His Highness the Crown Prince to secure his position as heir apparent, the Empress had a lot of blood on her hands. If that were the case, then she had to return to the palace as soon as possible, so that she could at least gain some sympathy from the Emperor, or at the very least, some remorse and compensation.
At present, no matter how big a mistake the Empress and the Crown Prince make, the Emperor will forgive them.
Having figured this out, Consort Qin's expression improved noticeably. "Weiyang was frightened by what happened tonight. Yu'er, please accompany Weiyang to rest."
After Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue returned to their room, Consort Qin's expression turned completely cold. She slammed her teacup down on the wooden table. Zhang Mama, observing her expression, asked tentatively, "Your Highness, do you suspect..."
Consort Qin glanced at her and made a gesture at the corner of her lips. Zhang Mama understood the implication; she was worried that someone might be overheard.
"Don't you think Yu'er has changed?"
"Your Highness is referring to His Highness's unauthorized visit to Guimin Temple to see the Princess, isn't she?" Zhang Mama smiled. "His Highness and the Princess are newlyweds, so it's normal that His Highness can't bear to be apart from the Princess. Perhaps it's because His Highness wasn't very interested in women before that Your Highness finds it strange."
“What you said makes sense.” These words were exactly what Consort Qin was thinking. Consort Qin smiled and said, “Rest now. In a little while, you will go and see Sisi on my behalf.”
"This old servant obeys."
"This old monk greets Your Highness Prince Cheng and Your Highness the Princess Consort." No sooner had Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue left than the abbot immediately led a group of people to greet them, their faces and steps extremely flustered. "Your Highness and Your Highness the Princess Consort, are you alright? This old monk heard that thieves entered the west wing and caused a death. It was this old monk's negligence that allowed these thieves to enter the west wing and disturb Your Highness and the Imperial Consort. I deserve to die, and I beg Your Highness to punish me."
"What happened tonight must have been deliberately orchestrated. If the investigation requires my assistance, I will certainly not refuse."
Xiao Yuxu helped the abbot up and said calmly, "I know the abbot's sincerity. Tonight's events have nothing to do with Guimin Temple, so the abbot need not blame himself."
The abbot finally breathed a sigh of relief, put his hands together, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Cheng."
Fortunately, no members of the royal family were injured tonight, otherwise Guimin Temple would have been truly finished. The abbot felt both fear and relief.
In the side room, Su Wanyue poured Xiao Yu a cup of tea.
Xiao Yu did not immediately take the tea from her hand, but instead asked cryptically, "Did Your Highness learn self-defense techniques in Nanqiong?"
Most women wouldn't have been able to remain so calm in that situation, let alone a pampered princess protected in the palace.
From their wedding night until now, the woman before him has brought him many surprises. Moreover, apart from her appearance, many aspects of her are different from what the Nanqiong envoy described when the two countries arranged the marriage, without her noticing.
Su Wanyue's heart skipped a beat, her eyelashes drooping like palm-leaf fans. "I am not in good health and have only learned a few self-defense moves from my two brothers. They are hardly suitable for formal occasions."
Xiao Yu remained noncommittal.
"Your Highness is too modest. When you come back, I will teach you a few more self-defense moves."
Su Wanyue nodded shyly, her eyes filled with affection.
Who do you think did what happened tonight?
When the conversation turned to serious matters, Su Wanyue immediately became interested. She perked up and began to think about what would happen tonight.
Last month, His Majesty imprisoned the Eighth Prince because of the salt smuggling incident. Currently, the two people at odds with her nominal husband are the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince is still in Fuzhou, so his reach shouldn't be that far. Therefore, the most likely person to secretly assassinate him is the Crown Prince. However, tonight at Guimin Temple, it wasn't her and Xiao Yu who were there, but her and the Imperial Concubine. Does the Crown Prince have the guts to harm a palace concubine? If His Majesty finds out about this, his position as Crown Prince will definitely be in jeopardy. What is his purpose in doing this? Su Wanyue couldn't figure it out.
But there is another possibility: the notes of the Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong that Su Wanyue read when she was young. In them, there was an empress who used a scheme to become the successor empress. Her scheme was to put herself in the game and risk her life to win the emperor's heart.
This kind of tactic is called "self-directed and self-acted".
"Why is Your Highness looking at me like that?" Xiao Yu chuckled softly, lightly grasping Su Wanyue's wrist, his words piercing her thoughts without revealing his true feelings. "Does Your Highness think I'm a bad person?"
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