Chapter 33 Assassin
Huifangxie is located in a corner of Tangyuan and is named after the stream that bends and winds here.
When Prince Yuzhang was still alive, this was where he met guests in Tangyuan. Sima Jun also liked this place and whenever he came to meet guests, he would only go through the side door leading to the street next to Huifangxie.
After the door opened, the servant boy saw that it was Sima Jun and bowed quickly.
Sima Jun said nothing, walked through the bamboo forest, crossed the stone bridge, and arrived at the small pavilion where Chu Yue had tea last time.
There is a stream surrounding this place, where you can enjoy the garden and fish.
Chu Yue loved this place and would come here every time. Sima Jun let him do what he wanted, and whenever he met with him, it would be in this small pavilion.
After sitting for a while, the servant came to report that Chu Yue had arrived.
Soon, Chu Yue appeared at the door. Following him was a young man who, like Sima Jun, was dressed in mourning clothes.
"Changxuan," Chu Yue said to Xie Xiao with a smile after they met, "Prince Yuzhang, you must have met him before."
Xie Xiao immediately bowed to Sima Jun and said, "Xiao greets the Crown Prince."
Sima Jun helped him up and said, "Young General, there's no need to be so polite." After that, he looked at Xie Xiao and said, "I've heard of your name a long time ago, but never had the chance to meet you. Today, General Chu introduces me to you. I'm very lucky."
Xie Xiao bowed again, a little shy and reserved, and said, "Your Excellency is too kind."
Chu Yue smiled and said, "I see Changxuan has been busy with funeral arrangements these days and has lost a lot of weight. The weather is nice today, so I decided to bring him out for some fresh air. The Crown Prince and he are both in mourning, so the etiquette and taboos are the same. It's just right for him to sit here without worrying about violating the rules."
Sima Jun also smiled: "That's quite true."
After saying this, he and the two of them sat down as host and guest.
Chu Yue was a talkative person, and Sima Jun was naturally natural in his dealings with others. The two of them chatted about trivial matters among friends, feeling quite relaxed.
But Xie Xiao just responded without saying much.
"Old Marquis Changyang has been to Tang Garden before," Sima Jun said to Xie Xiao. "My father and he both enjoyed gardening, and we once discussed gardening techniques here. Now that I think about it, that was only last year. Now that we meet today, things have changed."
Xie Xiao's eyes moved, then calmed down again.
"Your Highness is right." He said in a calm voice, "Life is unpredictable. Please accept my condolences."
Sima Jun knew that Xie Xiao's family had just encountered an accident, and the reason why he was willing to come to see him was actually to test him.
The Xie family's position was shaky due to the death of Xie Kun, Marquis of Changyang, in battle. As Xie Xiao's only son, he must have been worried. Sima Jun, the soon-to-be-throne Prince of Yuzhang and a key figure in the imperial court, naturally held a crucial position regarding the Xie family. However, given Sima Jun's first meeting with him, he was unsure of his true intentions and understandably wary.
Sima Jun smiled slightly and said, "So does the general."
As they were talking, servants came in one after another, set out snacks and served tea.
Sima Jun glanced at Xie Xiao and suddenly found that the servant who was serving tea to Xie Xiao had a very unfamiliar face.
Just as I was about to think about it, suddenly, I heard a burst of hurried footsteps outside.
A woman in plain clothes rushed in. The white flowers in her bun and her face made Sima Jun stunned.
"There's poison in the tea!" she shouted.
Everyone was shocked.
Sima Jun saw a flash of cold light between the servant's sleeves and thought something was wrong. Just as he stood up, someone rushed forward and knocked the servant to the ground.
Aju held the assassin down tightly. When he landed, his hand hit the ground heavily. With a "clang", the dagger in his sleeve rolled out.
Everything happened so fast, both Chu Yue and Xie Xiao looked pale.
Sima Jun grabbed the assassin and pinched his jaw to prevent him from biting his tongue.
"Search your body!" He shouted to Deng Lian, the Sima of the palace, who rushed in after hearing the news.
Deng Lian said nothing, but immediately stepped forward and expertly searched the assassin's body. Soon, he found a number of items, including a bottle of poison.
"This dagger is also poisoned." Chu Yue looked at the dagger, then turned to Xie Xiao and said meaningfully, "There are indeed many people who want Chang Xuan's life."
Xie Xiao's face turned pale and he was speechless.
"Who sent you here?" Deng Lian shouted at the assassin.
The assassin just closed his eyes and said nothing, as if he was ready to be dealt with.
"Take him away and interrogate him carefully." Sima Jun ordered, standing up.
Then, he looked at Sun Wei beside him.
Their eyes met, sharp as blades, and Sun Wei's heart shuddered.
"When I came here today, I felt that the evil spirit here was very strong, so I couldn't help but do some calculations." Sun Wei calmed herself down and then looked at Xie Xiao calmly. "If I am not mistaken, this must be General Xie Xiao, the son of the Marquis of Changyang. Before the general left today, he saw a white rainbow in the sky, is that correct?"
There was silence again.
All eyes fell on Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao looked at Sun Wei in surprise and said, "That's right. When I saw the white rainbow, my family said it was a bad omen and wanted to consult a fortune teller. But since the appointment with the prince was imminent, I didn't care and came out."
Sun smiled and bowed politely, "So, this is God's will to save you, General. I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission."
——
After a false alarm, Sima Jun sealed off the entire Tang Garden.
The assassin refused to speak, and Sima Jun was not in a hurry to torture him. He only summoned the manager of Tangyuan.
"This assassin looked unfamiliar to me the moment I saw him," he said. "Tangyuan has always been cautious in hiring people. Where did this man come from?"
The steward had already turned pale with fear. He kowtowed several times and said tremblingly, "Your Highness, this man was not originally a servant in Tang Garden. A few days ago, Old Zhang fell into the water after drinking and passed away. The palace transferred this man to fill the vacancy."
"Oh?" Sima Jun asked, "Who did it?"
"It's He Lang, the palace steward."
Sima Jun immediately said to Deng Lian, "Call He Lang."
Deng Lian agreed and went out to pass on the order.
Then, Sima Jun looked at Xie Xiao.
He sat for a while and was obviously calmer, but his brows were still furrowed.
"What happened today was caused by my failure to manage my family properly. The general is frightened." Sima Jun said.
Xie Xiao looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, "It's not the prince's fault. To be honest, prince, since my father passed away, I have been assassinated three times. Today is the fourth time."
Sima Jun looked surprised: "Oh?"
After Xie Xiao finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Sun Wei and bowed deeply to her.
"If it weren't for my wife, I'd be dead," he said. "I've heard a lot about your talent. Seeing you today, I'm filled with admiration. I'm completely overwhelmed."
Sun Wei bowed slightly and said gently, "General, you are too kind."
Sima Jun remained calm and continued to ask Xie Xiao, "General, do you know who ordered those assassins?"
Xie Xiao smiled bitterly and said, "None of those assassins left anyone alive. But our Xie family is a thorn in the eyes and flesh of many people. I think there are more than one family that wants to kill me."
Sima Jun nodded: "I will investigate today's matter and give the general an explanation no matter what."
Xie Xiao bowed: "Thank you, Prince."
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