Something happened
Fu Zhi Qiao was suddenly kidnapped back to the capital by Xie Zhuo. Cheng Ye Xuan was not by her side to protect her. In other words, she didn't even have a capable fighter by her side. She could only obediently follow Xie Zhuo's arrangements.
Moreover, she was also aware of her own limitations. At present, she was not capable of directly facing the pressure from the Prince Duan's Mansion and the Minister of Rites. Although she held the title of County Lady, she had no room to resist such absolute power.
Fu Zhi Qiao's thoughts kept wandering. Was it really worth losing her life for love?
"Actually, breaking up is the best choice for us."
"Impossible! Don't even think about breaking up." Xie Zhuo stared into Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes, every word uttered with unwavering conviction. He wouldn't allow her to back down in the slightest!
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded helplessly. Compared to the danger to her life, being cooped up in the villa for a while was not a big deal.
The next day, she clearly felt that there were more guards in the villa, and even several more guards in front of her courtyard gate, ostensibly to protect her safety.
Fu Zhiqiao held her cheeks in her hands and sighed deeply, "When will this ever end!"
Meanwhile, Zuo Murui was preparing the gift list at the Prince's Mansion.
The betrothal gift list is a detailed list of the types and quantities of betrothal gifts.
Xie Zhuo's betrothal gift list was sent to the Yu family when the marriage certificate was exchanged. Now, Zuo Murui's task is to find all the items on the gift list and send them to the Yu family when the formal betrothal ceremony is held.
The betrothal ceremony is the last grand ceremony before the formal marriage.
Xie Zhuo's wedding was the most important event in the Prince's Mansion. Apart from Xie Heshan's birthday celebration, the mansion had not held such a grand event for several years. In order to make it solemn and respectable, Zuo Murui dared not be careless in the slightest and did everything herself. She directed the maids and servants to open the storeroom and select all the rare and precious items listed on the gift list.
The gift list represents the face of the Prince's Mansion, and the betrothal gifts prepared by Zuo Murui are extremely diverse, including not only ten thousand taels of gold, but also gold, silver and jade artifacts, silks and satins, century-old ginseng, and top-grade lingzhi mushrooms...
The gift list was densely packed, spanning over a dozen pages. It included many heirloom treasures such as a gold and jewel-encrusted dragon and phoenix bracelet and a sandalwood and jade-inlaid ruyi, revealing the rich heritage of a noble family.
After working in the storeroom for most of the day, Zuo Murui had finally finished preparing the items on the betrothal gift list. She had just returned to the main hall and picked up her teacup, but before she could even take a sip, she heard the steward rush in to report: "Your Highness, the young master is injured and unconscious!"
"What?"
Zuo Murui didn't even have time to drink her tea before rushing to Xie Zhuo's courtyard.
Xie Zhuo was slashed by the assailant during the struggle. The wound was on his left shoulder, and the bright red blood seeped through his clothes, staining his chest red. It looked very dangerous.
"Wang Qianxin, tell me what exactly happened." Prince Duan, Xie Chi, said with an unfriendly expression.
Wang Qianxin knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, the young master spotted a group of thieves who appeared to be beggars on the street today. He charged ahead first, and when I led my men to the outskirts of the city, the young master was fighting with several men in black..."
"Useless! Are you all useless? Why did you let the young master charge ahead alone?" Xie Chi vented his anger, his heart heavy, and asked, "Have the men in black been caught?"
Wang Qianxin lowered his head even further, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead: "Your subordinate is incompetent; the investigation is still ongoing."
*
On the day of the incident, Xie Zhuo was returning home after his shift as usual when he saw two men carrying a little girl, hurrying towards the outskirts of the city.
He sensed something was wrong; the two men appeared to be child traffickers. He quietly followed them and discovered they were about to sell the girl. He stepped forward and shouted, "Stop!"
The two kidnappers were frightened and ran away. Xie Zhuo followed them all the way to the outskirts of the city.
The two ran off in different directions in the woods. Xie Zhuo could only keep an eye on one of them. Guai Zi was very agile and disappeared into the woods in a few moments.
A gust of wind blew by, and the rustling leaves masked the sound of footsteps.
Xie Zhuo instinctively sensed danger, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, a group of men in black emerged from the surrounding woods and surrounded him. Some of the men in black were carrying bows and arrows, while others were wielding swords and knives, and they looked menacing.
The men in black had been tailing "Sun Yuanming" for two or three days, but hadn't found an opportunity to stalk him. Today, they finally got their chance.
"Sun Yuanming?"
Xie Zhuo took two steps back, feigning a slightly panicked expression, and asked, "Who are you?"
"They're the ones who want you dead!" Without further ado, the assassins charged forward.
The assassins of the Soul-Snatching Sect were all highly skilled, their eyes flashing with a fierce light, and their knife-wielding movements were swift and ruthless.
The assassins moved quickly, but Xie Zhuo was even faster. He drew his sword, twisted his wrist, and deflected the assassin's knife. The knife-wielder took two steps back, his hand numb from the impact.
The remaining assassins exchanged glances. This kid had some skill; they needed to give it their all.
The long sword was sharp, and the blade was nimble; sparks flew every time they clashed.
Xie Zhuo was outnumbered and gradually lost ground. When he was caught in the crossfire, he was slashed. Xie Zhuo clutched his injured shoulder, on high alert, and stared intently at the men in black.
Knowing he was outmatched, he was about to retreat when he heard the sound of horses' hooves and shouts from not far away.
"Young Master? Young Master, where are you?"
Xie Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he seized the opportunity to shout, "I'm here!"
Wang Qianxin, disguised as a servant, rushed over, shouting, "Who are you? Why are you hurting my young master?"
He roared at the assassin in black, "Brothers, charge! Avenge our young master!"
The assassins in black exchanged glances; the situation was dire. They had initially outnumbered Sun Yuanming, but the tide had suddenly turned. They were there to kill Sun Yuanming and wouldn't easily give up the opportunity. The men in black exchanged further glances and drew their knives to meet him.
After a fierce battle, both sides sustained injuries.
The "brothers" that Wang Qianxin brought were elites from the elite cavalry in disguise, and their combat strength was certainly not weak.
Gradually, the assassins were at a disadvantage. The leader of the black-clad assassins immediately took out a smoke bomb from his pocket and threw it on the ground. Thick white smoke quickly spread out, obscuring the view.
When the smoke cleared, the assassins were nowhere to be seen.
Wang Qianxin went over to check Xie Zhuo's injuries: "Your Highness?"
Xie Zhuo endured the pain and popped a pill into his mouth. "It's alright, the plan will proceed as scheduled."
*
It must be said that Wang Qianxin's acting skills are quite good.
These assassins in black were part of Xie Zhuo's plan, and even the thieves who took pictures of flowers were arranged by him in advance.
Let's go back to the first half of the month.
After issuing the bounty, Sheng An contacted the informant of the Soul-Slaying Sect at the HSBC Casino. Sheng An paid the commission at the HSBC Casino and then successfully met with the Soul-Slaying Sect's contact person in the capital - Master Song.
At Xie Zhuo's behest, Sheng An turned the tables and paid the Soul-Snatching Sect to kill for him.
In Sheng An's description, his name is Wu Hai, a self-made man with some wealth who led his family to a prosperous life. After a period of happiness, his wife became dissatisfied and wanted a more extravagant lifestyle. Unable to resist temptation, she was seduced by an even wealthier man. He was furious and wanted to take revenge on the man who seduced his wife—Sun Yuanming.
Who is Sun Yuanming?
Master Song tapped the table twice with his index finger unintentionally, and immediately someone presented him with details about Sun Yuanming.
Sun Yuanming, a native of the capital, is the son of Sun Baoping, a landlord who owns thousands of acres of fertile land. He currently runs a silk and tea business in the capital. Relying on Sun Baoping's wealth, Sun Yuanming has a history of womanizing.
“This Sun Yuanming is the nephew of a wealthy merchant, and he is surrounded by servants and maids. It will not be an easy task to get rid of him without anyone noticing.”
Sheng An frowned: "Master Song, are you afraid of the Sun family's power?"
Master Song chuckled, “Brother Wu, what are you saying? It’s not that we, the Soul-Seizing Sect, dare not do it, but the cost is…” He made a gesture of counting money.
"Money is no object." Sheng An feigned indignation: "No matter the cost, I will kill him! Even if it means going bankrupt, I will make him pay!"
"Brother Wu, I understand your pain." After listening to his story, Master Song expressed his understanding. For a man, being cuckolded is indeed a great humiliation.
This isn't the first time the vengeful spirits that have driven people to seek revenge have taken on such cases.
Before accepting the order, Master Song asked Sheng An for his address and the number of people in his family. Sheng An hesitated and said, "This...this isn't a good idea."
"Brother Wu, you know the reputation of our Soul-Snatching Sect. We would never leak our employer's information. Asking for your address and family details is to verify that you're not lying. If you lie and we find out, hehe..."
The word "hehe" carries a strong warning meaning.
The reason Master Song asked such detailed questions was because he had unexpectedly encountered the elite cavalry during his previous job, which not only resulted in the failure of the mission but also brought him considerable trouble. To be on the safe side, Master Song was more cautious this time, thoroughly investigating the backgrounds of both the employer and the target of the assassination, and only accepted the job after confirming that they were not related to government officials.
Sheng An reminded him, "By the way, I saw that pretty boy carrying a sword. Since you've taken so much money from me, you should send a couple more assassins to make sure you eliminate him completely."
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Master Song chuckled and said, "Brother Wu, there's no need to worry. We, the Soul-Seizing Sect, always keep our word. Just relax!"
Seeing that the Death Gate had accepted his order, Sheng An smiled and walked out of the HSBC Casino, passing through two streets and three alleys, and after many twists and turns, returned to his "home".
After witnessing Sheng An push open the door and go inside, the Soul-Snatching Gate informant who was following behind him went back to report to Hall Master Song that Wu Hai was indeed from the capital and did have a two-courtyard house in Wunan Alley in the west of the city, which could be considered a moderately wealthy family.
After realizing that the little tail behind him had left, Sheng An tore off the human skin mask from his face. Fabricating an identity was a piece of cake for him.
Thus, Sheng An disguised himself as Wu Hai to issue the assassination order, while Xie Zhuo disguised himself as Sun Yuanming and became the next assassination target of the Soul-Snatching Sect.
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