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Meanwhile, Yu Yadan received a message from the assassins asking, "Did you personally confirm that she was dead?"
The man kept his head down and didn't say anything.
Yu Yadan's face was ashen, and she exuded a faint aura of gloom. She stood up abruptly: "Useless! A bunch of useless trash! Didn't I say I wanted her dead? So many of you can't even catch one woman?"
"Please calm down, young lady. That cliff is a hundred or eighty feet high. If you fall off, you will be smashed to pieces." The man who spoke was Sun Chi, the son of Yu Yadan's wet nurse. He was the one who contacted the assassin who was meant to kill Fu Zhiqiao.
Even so, Yu Yadan couldn't rest easy until she found Fu Zhiqiao's body. Suppressing her anger, she said, "So what if she fell off a cliff? Where is her body? How can you be sure she's dead? Did you send people down to search?"
"We searched, but when my men went to search, they encountered the elite cavalry. We were afraid of being discovered, so we had to leave. However, falling from such a high cliff would surely result in serious injury or death, so the woman is unlikely to survive."
"The Valiant Cavalry? The Crown Prince is back?" Yu Yadan swayed, asking, "Didn't they say the Crown Prince wouldn't be back for a few more days? Why is he back so soon?"
"This... I don't know." Sun Chi lowered his head even further.
Yu Yadan was furious when she encountered Fu Zhiqiao at Qin Xiyu's birthday banquet and immediately decided to teach her a lesson. From that day on, she had people keep an eye on Fu Zhiqiao's whereabouts. When she learned that Fu Zhiqiao was going to hold a makeover party at Fuyun Pavilion, she knew her chance had come.
Moreover, she knew that Xie Zhuo had gone to the Southern Xinjiang region a few days ago. It was over a thousand miles from the capital to the Southern Xinjiang region, which was enough time for her to get rid of Fu Zhi Qiao.
But now, the assassins she hired from Zhongjin have failed, how could she not be angry? Most importantly, Xie Zhuo is back.
Yu Yadan originally planned to eliminate Fu Zhiqiao completely during Xie Zhuo's absence to prevent future troubles, which is why she dared to take direct action against Fu Zhiqiao. However, she did not expect Xie Zhuo to return so quickly, which disrupted her plans.
Xie Zhuo's return means she can no longer act rashly. If he finds out that she hired someone to assassinate Fu Zhi Qiao, she will face a fierce storm, and the situation will be difficult to control.
Yu Yadan's face turned grim as she pressed, "You weren't discovered, were you?"
"No, I hired assassins from the Soul-Snatching Sect, and they have already cleaned up all the traces."
The Soul-Snatching Sect is infamous in the martial arts world. The assassins in the sect are a group of desperate and ruthless people. They are known for their ability to kill anyone who is willing to pay them. Most importantly, they have never betrayed their employers.
When the assassin in black returned to report the news, he startled the contact, whose expression changed drastically: "The elite cavalry?" The contact immediately contacted Sun Chi, "Didn't you say you were just dealing with an ordinary woman with no background? How did the elite cavalry get involved?"
The contact's face was even more unpleasant than if he had swallowed a fly. He questioned Sun Chi: "You said you were going to get rid of an illegitimate daughter for your master, but you didn't say she had any connection with the cavalry. Just who is this woman?"
Faced with such questioning, Sun Chi could only force a smile: "Master Song, please don't be angry. This matter must be a coincidence. This woman is my master's illegitimate daughter. Her existence has always been a thorn in my wife's side... As far as I know, the cavalry went outside the city to catch thieves, but they just happened to run into our Soul-Snatching Sect's experts. They were definitely not coming for us."
Sun Chi was explaining why he hired someone to kill someone. After hearing this, Master Song muttered, "Hmph, I wouldn't have taken this job if it weren't for your high price. The assassin has already been sent out, and the money is not being refunded."
Master Song was somewhat dissatisfied. When Sun Chi approached the Soul-Snatching Sect, he claimed he wanted to get rid of a concubine's daughter that his wife disliked, and Song only agreed because the price was high. He thought it would be a simple business deal, but he didn't expect it to provoke the Valiant Cavalry. If the Valiant Cavalry were to pursue this matter, it would be a very troublesome affair for the Soul-Snatching Sect.
The reason why the Soul-Snatching Sect, a sect that flirts with the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty, has been able to exist for so many years is that they never take on business related to the imperial court, and they avoid any people or things related to the court or officials.
The martial world is the martial world, and the imperial court is the imperial court.
The Soul-Snatching Sect did not want to confront the Valiant Cavalry. What Hall Master Song meant was that the assassination attempt had already alerted the Valiant Cavalry, and regardless of whether Fu Zhiqiao was dead or not, the Soul-Snatching Sect would not seek trouble to clean up the mess.
"The Soul-Snatching Sect never associates with the imperial court. Your case has already made an exception for us, so don't contact me for the time being. It would be best if you left the capital and hid for a while."
"Understood, understood." Sun Chi expressed his understanding and reported the information he obtained from the Soul-Snatching Gate to Yu Yadan.
The money went wrong and attracted the attention of the elite cavalry. Yu Yadan was left feeling anxious and uneasy, her anger hanging in the balance. Moreover, Xie Zhuo had even mobilized the elite cavalry, showing he truly cared about Fu Zhiqiao. Yu Yadan was both anxious and angry, and asked, "Have all the traces related to us been dealt with?"
"It's all taken care of. The Soul-Snatching Sect has been bribed, and they definitely won't find out. When I went to talk to them, I was disguised, and they didn't know my true identity."
Sun Chi was the matchmaker between her and the Soul-Snatching Sect. To be on the safe side, Yu Yadan decided to let him leave the city to avoid trouble for the time being. Sun Chi agreed and packed his bags that day, leaving the city before the gates closed.
*
As Sun Chi left the city, the elite cavalry also found Fu Zhiqiao before the sun completely set.
When the cavalry found her, Fu Zhiqiao was stuck in a clump of water plants while holding onto a piece of wood.
The river that Fu Zhiqiao fell into is called Panshan River, which, as the name suggests, is a river that winds around the mountains. Because of the continuous mountain range, Panshan River has several sharp bends, making the upper reaches of the river particularly winding. It is not until the middle and lower reaches that the river gradually widens and the current becomes gentle.
Fu Zhiqiao clung to the driftwood and drifted downstream. Luckily, the clump of water plants entangled her, otherwise she didn't know how far she would have drifted in the water.
She regained consciousness midway through the rafting trip, but due to her injuries and exhaustion, she was not fully conscious. As her body temperature gradually dropped, she could feel her life slipping away bit by bit...
"Quickly report to the general that the person has been found!"
The person has been found, but the problem is how to rescue her. This young woman belongs to the general; she's not someone they can touch casually. What if they accidentally touch her during the rescue?
The cavalry dared not touch Fu Zhiqiao directly, so they sent one person to hold onto the driftwood. The people on the shore took out two ropes and threw them out, one to lasso the person and the other to lasso the driftwood, and then slowly pulled the person back to the shore.
Xie Zhuo rushed over as soon as Fu Zhi Qiao was pulled ashore.
The river water was already quite cold in early autumn. Fu Zhiqiao had been soaking in the river for a long time, and when she got out of the river, the cold wind made her body shiver reflexively.
She was soaked to the bone, her clothes clinging to her body, revealing her beautiful curves.
Do not look at what is improper! Do not look at what is improper!
The cavalry soldiers present all turned their backs, lowered their heads, and dared not look at her.
Xie Zhuo took off his outer garment and covered her with it. He squatted down and felt her pulse. Although he didn't say much, anyone could see the tenderness in his actions.
The other soldiers exchanged glances, and just as Miss Fu was being pulled ashore, they turned their backs.
"Reporting to the general, when I found Miss Fu, she was floating on the water, clinging to a piece of wood."
Seeing Fu Zhi Qiao's closed eyes and pale lips, Xie Zhuo frowned deeply. His pulse was still beating but very weak, and his condition was critical. He ordered, "Return to Wen Yuan Villa. Wang Qianxin, go and fetch Physician Jing!"
"Yes!" Wang Qianxin accepted the order and left.
Xie Zhuo tried to pry her hands off the driftwood, but couldn't.
When Fu Zhi Qiao fainted, she clung to the driftwood as a lifeline, using all her strength to hold onto it tightly. Because he was afraid of hurting her, Xie Zhuo didn't dare to use brute force. He leaned close to her ear and said, "Qiao, it's me. I'm here. Please let go."
Fu Zhiqiao still had a sliver of consciousness left. "I want to sleep for a while, just a little while..."
"Don't sleep! Qiao, can you talk to me for a bit?" Xie Zhuo was worried that she would fall asleep and never wake up, so he called her name several times, but Fu Zhi Qiao did not respond.
Only her faint breathing indicated that she was still alive.
Xie Zhuo pulled her into his arms, and as soon as she came into contact with the heat source, Fu Zhi Qiao unconsciously leaned closer to him. Xie Zhuo noticed her movement and held her even tighter.
On the way back, Xie Zhuo didn't say a word the whole time. His face was frighteningly dark. Sensing the raging anger burning within him, the accompanying cavalry soldiers deliberately held their breath.
They rode at breakneck speed, and Xie Zhuo brought them directly back to Wenyuan Villa. When the servants saw that the two of them were soaking wet, they hurriedly went to get hot water for them to bathe.
After the hot water was prepared, Xie Zhuo carried Fu Zhi Qiao into the wooden tub to warm her up, and instructed the maid, "Take good care of her."
The maid removed Fu Zhi Qiao's wet clothes and carefully helped her take a bath, also applying ointment to the abrasions on her body.
While Fu Zhiqiao was taking a bath, the servants had already lit a stove in the room. The burning wood made a crackling sound and quickly warmed the entire room.
Xie Zhuo quickly took a shower and changed his clothes, then rushed to Fu Zhi Qiao's room to wait. The maid guarding the door clenched her clothes tightly, trying her best to minimize her presence.
"Your Highness, Miss Fu has finished her bath."
Xie Zhuo pushed open the door and entered. The maid who was in charge of bathing and washing Fu Zhi Qiao reported on her injuries one by one: "Miss Fu has no other wounds except for a sprained ankle and some abrasions on her body."
Xie Zhuo nodded. The absence of external injuries did not mean the absence of internal injuries. He still needed to ask the imperial physician to come and examine him before he could feel at ease.
Just then, there was a knock on the door: "Your Highness, Physician Jing has arrived."
"Please let him in."
Mingbo led in an elderly doctor with white hair and a weathered face. Xie Zhuo made way for him and urged, "Imperial Physician Jing, please come and take a look at me quickly."
Physician Jing was a retired imperial physician who chose to spend his retirement years in his old house outside the city after retiring. He tended to two acres of medicinal herb fields and also treated the local people.
After hearing Xie Zhuo's urging, Physician Jing put on a handkerchief and began to take the pulse. He didn't withdraw his hand until about half a cup of tea's time had passed.
Seeing that he remained silent, Xie Zhuo couldn't help but worry: "Imperial Physician Jing, what is her condition?"
On the way here, Physician Jing had already briefly inquired about the situation. It seemed that the girl had fallen from a height. The higher the fall, the greater the impact on the body, and the more likely the person would be injured.
Physician Jing stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Has this young lady vomited blood?"
Xie Zhuo thought for a moment: "No."
"No blood vomiting..." Physician Jing had a general idea of what was going on: "This girl's condition seems dangerous, but it's not actually that serious. Falling from a height can cause damage to the internal organs. The fact that she didn't vomit blood means that her injuries aren't too severe. I'll prescribe some medicine for her, and she'll recover completely after half a month of rest. Your Highness can rest assured."
Compared to internal organ injuries, the sprained ankle and abrasions were insignificant. Hearing Physician Jing say that Fu Zhi Qiao was alright, Xie Zhuo's expression finally softened.
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