Chapter 36 The assassination blade pierced him.
That day, Shi Wan woke up and asked Hua Hui to find some new paper and pen, intending to write a letter to Jiang Xu.
It is now nearly mid-August, but there is still no news. Shi Wan's pen hovered in the air several times, but she did not write a single word for a long time. After a while, she finally wrote the words "To His Majesty".
"Miss, here's some new satin. Take a look." Ever since Shi Wan entrusted her with this important task, Hua Hui has been in exceptionally good spirits these past few days. She quickly carried in bolts of fabric and laid them out one by one.
Shi Wan looked at it carefully before nodding.
"I'd like to mix some silver fox fur into the winter clothes I'm making for His Majesty, so they'll be warmer." She gazed at the several bolts of fabric of different colors in front of her, tapped them lightly twice, and said slowly, "I've never seen His Majesty wear these two colors before, so I guess he doesn't find them appealing. Why were they sent over?"
"Alright, I'll take the green one and make some small items for him. Let's return the other one."
"Yes, Miss." Hua Hui responded and put it away. Seeing Shi Wan hesitate, she quietly took two steps closer and whispered, "Miss, is something bothering you again?"
"No... it's just that I thought His Majesty usually likes to wear all black, so I wanted to wear something similar to him."
“That way, people can tell from a distance that I’m family.” Shi Wan smiled shyly. “But, I’m a bit too old-fashioned and dull in this black, I’m afraid it won’t look very good on me.”
"What are you saying, young lady! Your beauty is as pure as snow. It's just a piece of clothing. It's always been a matter of whether the clothing matches your appearance." Hua Hui had been given an important position, so her tone was naturally more respectful and intimate. These past few days, the young lady had her serve her closely every day, while Hua Lan was asked to do some trivial chores outside. Hua Hui couldn't help but feel very pleased.
Seeing that Shi Wan was still worried and looked unsure of herself, she tentatively suggested, "As the saying goes, black and white go well together, so why don't you try making a similar dress out of this moon-white fabric?"
"This servant thinks it suits you very well."
Shi Wan waited and waited, and when she saw that Hua Hui finally got to the point after her prompting, she went along with it, pretending to think for a few moments before saying, "You're right. When it snows, the white will be like being in a snow scene, which is very beautiful."
......
After that, several days passed quietly. Shi Wan would only make clothes in the morning and find a quiet place to read in the afternoon.
When the weather began to cool down, the clothes were finally mostly finished and sent to the embroidery room for completion. It was mid-September, the autumn air was crisp and clear, and the heat outside the tent quickly disappeared, turning into a cool breeze at night.
It was at this moment that Shi Wan received news from Jiang Xu. The letter contained only a few words, which was considered a report that he was safe. Compared to his previous deliberate behavior, this time, it seemed that he was revealing some of his true nature.
The last time she escaped, she was practically lifted high and then gently dropped. Those emotions seemed to have been buried deep in her heart with the passage of time, but only Shi Wan herself knew that these hurts had indeed existed.
If she still had her notebook with her, she would probably have crossed out most of Jiang Xu's good points.
This time, the messenger was an unfamiliar guard, and Shi Wan quickly inquired about Jiang Xu's situation from him, "Brother, may I ask your name?"
Unexpectedly, he was completely unresponsive, only lowering his head and muttering, "This subordinate dares not accept such a compliment. Please give me your orders, Madam." From then on, no matter how she tried to get closer to him, he always declined to answer.
Frustrated, Shi Wan could only try to influence Jiang Xu. "Brother, although I have never met you, I know that the King sent you to deliver a message, which means you must be someone he trusts very much."
"I've been worried day and night, and I've finally been waiting for this. I just want to know how the King is doing at the front, and whether he's been injured?"
She sneered inwardly, and seeing that the guard remained silent, her heart grew colder.
Could it be that there really is an assassin like the one in her dream? Or has Jiang Xu discovered something else?
However, Shi Wan quickly dismissed this idea. Jiang Xu was nearly a hundred miles away, and even if he had extraordinary abilities, he would be unable to be in two places at once. Besides, she hadn't done anything out of line recently.
After she had thought it over carefully, she saw the guard change the subject and ask Shi Wan if she had any messages for him to convey. Only then did she hurriedly hand over the few letters she had written earlier, thus putting the matter aside.
After a while, once everyone had left, Hua Lan quietly came to report to Shi Wan, "Miss, the matter you asked me to inquire about has been resolved. The other three trusted men under the King are not here. The one currently managing these affairs is a guard surnamed Wan, named Wan Hou Fu Lin."
“This surname is quite rare.” Shi Wan led her people toward the shade of the trees. The weather was quite cool and quiet here. The two women, mistress and servant, huddled close together like sisters. Hua Lan deliberately lowered her voice and continued, “I heard that this person is a relative of Wan Houyi, the king’s most trusted confidant. He made great contributions in battle two years ago, but was injured and has since retired to the second line.”
"The last time this person came to see you, he said that the weather was getting cold and he had found a house and wanted to ask you to move there."
"However, you are kind-hearted and have spared me this ordeal."
Speaking of this, Shi Wan did have some recollection of it. Staying in that shabby courtyard made it too easy to be targeted, so when she finally got outside, she naturally denied it outright.
“The soldiers are still stationed here. It would be too much for me to run around like this…” She smiled. “Besides, Hua Lan, you surely understand me. When the King returns, I want him to see me as soon as possible.”
Wan Houyi was someone Shi Wan had inquired about before. She had met the remaining three before her last expedition, and this person was the only one who didn't quite fit the bill.
With her thoughts returning to normal, Shi Wan sighed deeply, then took Hua Lan's hand and continued sincerely, "Hua Lan, thanks to you, my intuition was right."
"You are the person I trust most here."
Hua Lan, who came from a poor background, had never been entrusted with such an important task by her master, let alone sincerely thanked her. Immediately, her little face flushed slightly, and she even stammered, "Miss, this is what I should do!"
"For you, my lady, I would gladly go through fire and water without complaint or regret!"
......
*
After several battles, the two armies reached a strange balance.
This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Ashnarge's decision to garrison here was a well-thought-out one, but the frequency of battles has become increasingly frequent.
With temperatures plummeting and the temperature difference between day and night widening, even the bravest warriors become as powerless and insignificant as ants in the face of such natural disasters.
Inside the tent of the Turkic king.
On one side of the table, the still-damp bloodstains on the sheepskin map spread along the fang patterns of the wolf totem, drawing a strange pattern. A moment later, someone outside the tent announced that the Grand Marshal's men had arrived and there was important business to discuss. Ashinaerge then composed himself and became somewhat impatient, raising his voice: "Let him in!"
But when people actually got closer, he was utterly astonished.
This person... he remembered that he was a staff member specially sent by the Grand Marshal of Youzhou.
The man in front of them was extremely tall, almost the same height as the Turks. If he were to blend into the group, he would look no different from anyone else at first glance.
Ashnarag stared at him with a gloomy look in his eyes. "So this is the one you said had important matters to discuss?" He chuckled softly. "I thought that after the defeat last time, there was no need to discuss matters with you anymore."
Hearing the blatant sarcasm in his tone, He Chuyun's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he lowered his head and said, "The Grand Marshal trusts you and has specially sent his subordinates to help you, naturally hoping that you can achieve a great victory over the Jingbei Army."
"In recent years, the Grand Marshal has also suffered some losses at the hands of the Prince of Jingbei."
Some losses? Ashnarge suddenly burst into laughter twice. "Some? That's a lot, isn't it? You Central Plains people are really subtle in your choice of words."
The Grand Marshal of Youzhou is of the same generation as his father, and they are both old. Helping him now is only to use his strength to stop the Jingbei Army. However, since the enemy is the same, the process is not so important.
Ashnarag asked in a calm tone, "What are you here to discuss this time?"
"The weather is getting colder, and this battle will surely end before winter." Seeing that his mood had improved, He Chuyun said leisurely, "Although I am a staff officer, I am also skilled in martial arts. In particular, the Grand Marshal specially ordered someone to make a special dagger for me before I came here."
He didn't say much, but met the other's hesitant gaze and smiled, "Tonight's battle might be able to lend the prince a hand."
"If you pass, you will no longer need to worry about this matter."
This man spoke with complete confidence, as if he had been prepared for this for a long time. But why bring this up only after the two armies had been fighting for more than a month? Besides, a dagger, in the end, is just an assassination.
Ashinaerge muttered to himself, but he didn't ask any further questions. After all, they were people from the Central Plains, and they would kill each other. If he succeeded, it would be a case of winning big with a small investment; if he failed, it would still be a case of them killing each other.
He benefits from both sides.
After a long while, he finally nodded and began to discuss the details with him.
*
As night fell, in the inky darkness, the thunderous drums of the two armies abruptly ceased, and the crisp sounds of clashing weapons rang out one after another.
After a stalemate of more than a month, it's common for the fighting to change tactics.
As the battle drew to a close, the Jingbei army appeared to have the upper hand.
Jiang Xu killed another person and tossed the corpse to the ground. Around him, several other corpses were scattered about. As he breathed heavily, his dark eyes remained fixed on the group, constantly searching.
Suddenly snapping back to his senses, he thrust his spear diagonally backward. Instantly, the sound of the spear tip piercing flesh rang out. He withdrew his spear and subconsciously glanced to his side again.
This time, however, I had a gut feeling that something was off...
Without realizing it, the crowd around me seemed to be getting more and more crowded.
It was as if they had completely surrounded him.
Almost immediately after he finished the assassination, there was a whooshing sound. Jiang Xu suddenly turned the reins, and in the next instant, the arrow grazed his ear.
Before he could think any further, he suddenly heard another soft sound, and a person suddenly sprang up, holding a sharp blade with dark patterns on the blade like the scales of a venomous snake, and thrust straight at him, one thrust after another, almost perfectly timed.
Jiang Xu felt a chill on his neck and instinctively dodged, holding his spear to try and knock the assassin away. However, his left and right sides had also anticipated this, and he didn't need to turn his head to know that there were weapons blocking his way.
In a flash, as if he had thought of something, he reached back to grab the blade and slashed the assassin's cheek.
Under the moonlight, the distance of that slash was extremely precise, landing exactly on the scar on the assassin's lower left eyelid.
In an instant, blood gushed out, spraying bright red blood onto Jiang Xu's chin. Only then did he get a clear look at the dagger: a strange phosphorescent light with a faint green hue.
The dagger pierced his left chest.
Instantly, a jet of warm blood splattered onto the ground, tracing a strange arc.
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Author's Note: Transitional Chapter in progress
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