Sending off on the ninth day of the lunar month
The main gate of the Shen Mansion.
On the ninth day, we waited for Su Jing to return.
Old Mo suddenly ran over in a panic and whispered in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Chu Jiu's expression changed drastically. He wanted to report to Shen Congyun immediately, but as he took a step, he paused, reminding himself that his master was dealing with the驸马 (imperial son-in-law) Yuan Jie'e.
This concerns Princess Pingyang; the master will not pay attention to anyone or anything, and rashly seeking instructions would be a dead end.
There are times of urgency, so Chu Jiu dared not delay and instructed Lao Mo to stay behind and make sure Su Jinggui was detained.
Old Mo was puzzled, but dared not hesitate. He immediately accepted the order and sent a servant to take "Ninth Master" there.
On the ninth day, he moved with lightning speed, rushing to a pavilion near the left side of the main hall.
The main hall was filled with the sounds of singing and dancing, and the wafting music drifted over. Three guards stood in the pavilion, and upon seeing Chu Jiu, they stepped aside.
On the ninth day, upon closer inspection, a bamboo arrow was found stuck in the pavilion pillar, with a stack of white paper tied to it.
“Ninth Master,” the guard bowed and clasped his hands, quickly explaining the situation: “This arrow appeared half an hour ago. We have thoroughly searched the manor and there are no suspicious persons.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Jiu did not reach out to touch it. Instead, he squatted behind the beam and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come.
The arrow's tail pointed directly at a golden osmanthus tree outside the mansion gate, a distance of three hundred paces. Chu Jiu was startled, confirming that it was the assassin who had tried to kill Minister Zhao and had come to his door.
First, they killed Minister Zhao, and now they've come to the Shen residence. Who exactly is the murderer? And why have they targeted the Shen residence?
At this moment, a family banquet was being held, with half of the court officials gathered here, including Princess Pingyang. Chu Jiu had no idea who the other party was after.
He desperately wanted to find Shen Congyun, yet dared not go. Looking at the faint handwriting on the white paper, he knew there were clues hidden within, and opening it would reveal the truth.
The main hall was just a dozen steps away. Chu Jiu looked around and realized that the secret passage could not be delayed.
It is inappropriate for court officials and their families to come and enjoy the scenery. If this arrow is discovered, and it is mistakenly believed that the Shen family is related to the theft case of Minister Zhao of the Ministry of War, it would cause an upheaval.
The Imperial City Guard, the Imperial Guards, Qin Luo, and Lin Cuiyue. The thought of attracting them sent a jolt of fear through Chu Jiu.
The situation was extremely urgent, and there was no time to think. After a quick inspection and confirming that there was nothing wrong with the arrow, he reached out to pull it out.
However, the moment they made contact, Chu Jiu suddenly frowned, and the guards were shocked. They all assumed a fighting stance, but the bamboo arrow was in Chu Jiu's palm, and the force was so strong that he couldn't stop. He still pulled out the arrow and opened his palm.
A line of blood slowly emerged and pierced through the palm of his hand.
Chu Jiu was given a rude awakening, and only then did he notice the barbs on the arrow. The barbs were small and extremely sharp, piercing through the calluses on his palm.
Chu Jiu was careless, because Zhao Shangshu was shot through the throat with an arrow. The murderer's archery skills were beyond imagination. Chu Jiu never expected that the other party would resort to such a dirty trick.
Worried that it might be poisonous, he squeezed the wound hard, feeling that his heartbeat and pulse were normal and the wound had stopped bleeding. Only then did he abandon this little trick and remove the white paper.
The paper, folded into a tofu block, was light and thin, with a smooth feel. When Chu Jiu unfolded it, the guards all gasped in shock—the paper clearly showed Chen Zaiyuan's portrait, and crucially, there was a red dot right in the center of his throat, clearly indicating the manner of Zhao Shangshu's death!
A death warrant!
They're after Second Master!
Chu Jiu immediately thought of how Shen Zaiyuan had been trembling with fear last night, confessing to his master that he had embezzled disaster relief funds, was being hunted down by disaster victims and righteous men, and that a petition written in blood by ten thousand people was on its way to the capital.
Oh no, we've been targeted.
Threat? Warning? Or a harbinger?
Chu Jiu had a bad feeling, so he clenched the portrait in his palm and rushed to the main hall.
At the same time, a carriage slowly approached the gate of the Shen Mansion.
Old Mo glanced at it, remembered Chu Jiu's instructions, and silently looked up at the blue sky.
——
Main hall.
Lin Huaiyin's head was tilted to one side on the food counter.
Madam Shen called out several times, but received no response. She assumed that Lin Huaiyin was newly pregnant and exhausted, and wanted to send someone back to Qingyin Pavilion. But then she thought: There are many people in the mansion now, and it is quite chaotic. It is safest for her to keep her grandson under her nose.
Chu Jiu rushed over, and before he even entered the door, he saw the two old servants he had ordered to take Lin Huaiyin away.
He glanced at the unconscious Lin Huaiyin, his anger rising. His brows furrowed, and the maidservant stammered, "Ninth Master, please calm down. The Third Miss is performing a dance. This servant dares not disturb her. Once the dance is over, this servant will immediately take Madam to rest."
Upon hearing this, Chu Jiu immediately lost his temper.
Shen Lanyan was a domineering person. When she performed a dance, anyone who dared to leave would be punished. No wonder the two old women couldn't afford to offend her.
Lin Huaiyin has already fainted, and Lao Mo will also take down Su Jinggui.
Chu Jiu put this matter aside, thinking that nothing could go wrong, and focused all his attention on Chen Zaiyuan.
He was alert to his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over every guest, occasionally glancing back at the door, before slowly walking up behind Chen Zaiyuan to protect him closely.
The enemy is in the shadows, while we are in the light. In times like these, it's best to blend in with the banquet; it will be good cover should something happen.
Chu Jiu quietly guarded the scene, feeling a little anxious and sweaty. His palms gradually became damp, and small, scattered wounds began to ooze a clear yellow liquid. The portrait of Chen Zaiyuan, which he held in his hand, was unknowingly melting.
The portrait was made of glutinous rice paper steamed by Yu Li herself. It cannot get wet or be heated. Once it melts, the substances mixed in with it will violently pour into the body through the wound.
This was Lin Huaiyin's perverse sense of humor. She had Yu Li coat the spikes of the arrows with Five Poisons Powder, and the glutinous rice paper also contained Five Poisons Powder, but mixed with half a bottle of aphrodisiac.
In her past life, she was caught in bed with another man, and Yu Li and Xie Ao died as a result.
Fourth Sister Lin Mianfeng was brutally murdered by Chu Jiu simply because she cared about her and was spying on Shen Congyun's treacherous schemes.
Three lives lost, a blood debt accumulating, and Su Jinggui and his son were also innocently implicated.
The wicked are ruthless and their blood feud is irreconcilable. There is no reason not to repay them in kind in this lifetime.
Gradually, the glutinous rice paper formed a ball, Chu Jiu's face turned red and hot, his eyes were red and restless, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
The more he looked at Shen Lanyan dancing gracefully in the hall, the more he found her features charming and delicate.
Her waist is so slim, I want to hug her.
Shen Lanyan danced with great effort.
This dance was something she volunteered for and insisted on doing herself.
Although she was the future Crown Princess and Empress, Old Madam Shen was very unwilling for her to lower herself to perform in public.
However, Lin Huaiyin praised her that day, saying she was bright and lively, far better than those dull and vulgar people in the capital. Shen Lanyan held onto this thought and insisted on it.
Her dance was unlike the rigid and formal dance of women in the capital. It was a free, unrestrained, and incomparably lively and natural dance that she performed on the outskirts of the vast imperial mausoleum, between the sky and the woods, amidst the streams and the songs of birds.
She was confident that after the dance, Princess Pingyang would look at her with new eyes and discover her rare qualities that set her apart from ordinary women.
She deserves the title of Crown Princess; she is His Highness the Crown Prince's one and only perfect match.
She will use her vibrant life force to adorn His Highness the Crown Prince's Golden Palace.
The dance was indeed beautiful.
It is breathtakingly beautiful.
The men and women in the hall were all holding their breath, completely absorbed in the moment.
Princess Pingyang sat firmly on the high platform, her eyes sparkling, praising her repeatedly, but also feeling truly sorry for her: Lan'er was so beautiful, like a fairy floating in the heavens and earth, yet she only wanted to strip herself naked, wrap herself in a quilt, and send herself to a man's bed.
My father and brother rule the world by strangling all the women and forcing them to degrade themselves in this way.
Men have been sitting still for far too long in this world.
Princess Pingyang summoned two maids to help her up. She lazily rose, not even glancing at the Shen family mother and daughter, and left her seat.
Such an action is terrifyingly appalling.
The princess showed no respect whatsoever, which was tantamount to slapping the Shen family across the face.
The drums and music suddenly went silent.
Apart from Lin Huaiyin remaining unconscious, the faces of Old Madam Shen, Shen Zaiyuan, court officials, their families, and everyone present changed drastically. They rose, bowed respectfully, and saw her off mechanically and stiffly, their minds blank as they watched Princess Pingyang's skirts step out the door, unaware of what had happened.
The noisy atmosphere suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
Madam Shen was filled with remorse—why did she have to perform this dance? She was the princess's savior; to show herself like this was to lose face. How could the princess possibly ask for her help now?
Shen Lanyan was dancing beautifully when she saw the princess leave. Her smile vanished, her heart clenched, and she lost her senses, spinning and leaping like a ghost. Just as she landed, a gray shadow pounced on her—
Chu Jiu hugged Shen Lanyan tightly, pinched her slender waist, buried his face in her neck, and tore at her sleeves.
"Tear—"
The clothes were torn to shreds.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The pieces of clothing fluttered into the sky.
Shen Lanyan cried out sadly.
The courtiers were terrified, shouting "This is an insult to civility!" as they looked away. The women covered their eyes, screaming as they surged toward the door, blocking it like a school of fish, unable to enter or leave, trampling each other in the process.
When Shen Zaiyuan turned around and didn't see his brother, he hurriedly stepped in to take control of the situation.
Even with all the guards and servants of the Shen family joining in, they couldn't pull Chu Jiu away no matter what they did.
Shen Lanyan cried her heart out.
The guests, unable to bear the sound, fled in panic.
The chairs at the dining table were knocked over and damaged in an unknown number of places.
The shouts, footsteps, and breaking sounds in the hall were all mixed up in a chaotic mess.
The once glamorous Shen family banquet turned into a farcical farce in the blink of an eye.
The bleak scene and chaotic situation struck Old Madam Shen like frost. She stood frozen in place, unable to believe what was happening before her eyes. Her Lan'er, her daughter who was the Crown Princess and the Empress, was ruined just like that...
No! No, no, no!
Old Madam Shen composed herself. "I still have my grandson. Lan'er is gone, but I still have my daughter-in-law." She hurriedly tried to wake Lin Huaiyin, but was surprised to find that no matter how she shook her, she couldn't wake her up. Her precious daughter-in-law had fainted!
Heavens above!
Shen Lanyan's screams were incessant. Old Madam Shen felt a sharp pain in her chest, her eyes wide open to their limit. She wanted to see through this illusion. Yes, this absurd scene was not real, it was an illusion! It was a nightmare!
Old Madam Shen swayed unsteadily, barely able to be supported by those around her. Her eyes ached, and she stared desperately at the gate, her gaze piercing through it all. She seemed to see male and female guests pouring out of the Shen family, and the whole capital would hear that the princess had rejected the Shen family and that Lan'er had been humiliated. The Shen family was going to become the laughingstock of the entire capital, a huge joke!
A devastating disaster! Her beautiful dream was shattered. Old Madam Shen's face twitched as she stared at the fleeing guests. Her pupils suddenly widened in shock as she saw them abruptly freeze.
The clamor suddenly vanished, and a black wave silently surged in. Upon closer inspection, one could see male and female guests crawling backward, their heads hitting the ground one by one.
In an instant, only Chu Jiu remained standing in the hall, entangled with Shen Lanyan, along with the servants and guards pulling on either side.
Madam Shen stood there, stunned.
"call out!"
The sound pierced the air, and silver light burst forth.
A dagger pierced Chu Jiu's throat and then embedded itself in a pillar in the hall.
On the ninth day, blood gushed from his neck, covering the ground in crimson. He collapsed, his limbs twitching, his death a gruesome sight.
Shen Lanyan was finally rescued. The crowd hurriedly dragged away Chu Jiu's body and shielded her tightly. Outside the door, a deafening roar erupted—
"Your Highness, we pay our respects!"
"Long live Your Highness!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com