"Why did you come only now? I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while." A middle-aged man’s voice came, deliberately muffled, but not difficult for Little Firewood to hear.
Little Firewood had exceptional skills in martial arts and had been taught by Xin He very diligently, resulting in highly-trained senses. Therefore, Little Firewood became incredibly sensitive. As his internal force improved, it was much simpler for him to eavesdrop on unknown secrets.
"How can I come and go as I please? If any hint of this gets out, both our lives would be at stake, let alone dealing with King Yu, even the princess always knows the risks," Liu Man said.
Upon hearing these words, Little Firewood’s face became more serious, tightly pursing his lips. Indeed, this person had problems, and they even had something to do with the Royal Mansion. Perhaps the Royal Mansion was in trouble. If it was directed at Mu Houchu, that would be fine, but if it was directed at Xin He...
Although the middle-aged man’s face was ugly, he still snorted coldly: "I really thought that you, as a young man, had climbed up to the princess’s side, and I was planning to marry her personal maid, so I was thinking of showing off my tail!"
Liu Man bowed again and again, saying: "I dare not, I dare not. My loyalty lies with His Majesty. How dare I act rebelliously?"
"As long as you know your identity, that’s fine." The middle-aged man snorted coldly: "Without His Majesty, you Liu Man would be nothing. Not to mention your current status as a scholar, you wouldn’t even be worthy of carrying someone’s shoes! People above you can give you everything, but they can also take it away immediately. You better weigh things carefully."
"Yes, yes, I have always known that," Liu Man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Have you finished what I asked you to do? Our people have already set up an ambush, and this time, we used all of His Majesty’s available dark lines in Yu State, totaling only more than ten people. If we succeed, we will win, but if we fail, you and I won’t be able to bear the consequences!"
"Don’t worry, as per your instructions, I have made the preparations. When the time comes, the princess will be poisoned and weak, and by that time, more than ten people will already be enough."
Little Firewood’s face suddenly changed, and his eyes became colder in an instant.
However, the middle-aged man nodded: "That’s good, the Royal Concubine Yu is very skilled; if she’s awake or unharmed, it’s not easy for our more than ten people to capture her. We can only hope for her to be unable to fight and thus have a better chance."
"Yes, the princess has already left, she is accompanied by two personal maids and a small county princess. In addition, there are two young men who drive the carriage. After my investigation, they are not ordinary coachmen. They should be secret guards raised by King Yu, experts, not easy to deal with," Liu Man said.
"Ha! Mu Houchu is indeed a bit too arrogant, does he really think that his Yu State is airtight against weapons? There are only two experts. With ten of us attacking together, as long as we hold them down for a moment, we can capture the Royal Concubine Yu. That’s our goal this time! Remember this clearly? If we can capture her alive, we capture her alive, and if not, we would rather kill her than let her go!" The middle-aged man said, with a fierce look in his eyes.
Liu Man bowed and said: "I understand."
Secretly alarmed, Little Firewood sensed it was already time to take action!
From Lian’an Town to the Prefecture City, since the distance is short, there’s no need to take the main road, and some remote sections are inevitable. If Xin He were previously poisoned and unable to fight, it would be difficult to withstand the opponent’s onslaught!
Little Firewood clenched the sword in his sleeve and gritted his teeth, but after all, he held back and did not rush in. Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to hesitate!
Turning around, Little Firewood walked out of the tavern, found a horse, and galloped out of the city.
——
Xin He leaned against the carriage wall, feeling very sleepy. Suddenly, the carriage bumped, and she woke up.
"This road isn’t very smooth, and the princess must have been startled," Xiaoyu said.
Xin He shook her head and gently touched Ah Guai, who was sleeping sweetly on her lap. At first, Ah Guai was all excited and chirped nonstop before going out. After playing for a while, she gradually fell asleep, and she’s now sleeping soundly.
"Princess, sleep a little longer. It will still take half an hour to arrive," Xiaoyu whispered.
Xin He softly replied, intending to close her eyes and sleep again. However, she suddenly felt that she smelled something unusual and frowned.
"What’s wrong, Princess?" Shulan asked anxiously.
Xin He looked at the incense burner, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: "What kind of incense is this?"
Xiaoyu hesitated before replying: "This incense? It’s orchid fragrance. The princess usually uses it when she goes out in the carriage. Does the princess think it smells bad now?"
However, Xin He shook her head, and her face became stranger: "No, it isn’t the smell of orchid fragrance; there’s another scent."
Xiaoyu couldn’t smell it, but Xin He always had a strong ability to distinguish scents. She didn’t dare say more and hurriedly took out the incense from the burner to show Xin He. "This is the orchid fragrance incense. We just bought it at the beginning of the month. It’s top-quality. Is there something wrong with it, Princess?"
Xin He sniffed the unburned incense and looked puzzled: "It’s an orchid fragrance."
"Then..."
Xin He wondered: "Why is the smell different when it’s burned? It seems... there’s something extra."
She felt her mind a bit muddled, not knowing if it was because she was too sleepy. She couldn’t think clearly and felt confused all over.
Shulan frowned uncertainly and asked, "What extra thing? This is orchid fragrance."
Xin He shook her head vigorously, then grabbed a cup of cold tea and drank a large gulp, feeling slightly less sleepy. Her face darkened: "Something’s wrong; there’s indeed an extra smell."
"What’s wrong with the princess?" Shulan hurriedly handed Xin He a handkerchief.
Xin He took the handkerchief from Shulan’s hand, and her eyes immediately fell on a fragrance pouch tied to her waist. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly: "This fragrance pouch..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw a feather arrow piercing the sky and directly entering the carriage.
Xin He, protecting Ah Guai, quickly dodged to the side. Her face immediately became cold: "Who is that?!"
The coachman outside shouted: "Not good, there’s an assassin!"
Xin He’s eyes widened. How could there be assassins in Yu State?!
As the noise outside grew louder, Ah Guai showed no sign of waking. Xin He gently patted her back: "Ah Guai, wake up! Ah Guai?!"
With no response from Ah Guai, Xin He’s heart instantly chilled: "There’s a problem with the incense, after all!"
Shulan panicked: "How could this happen? We’ve been using orchid fragrance all along. How could it be...?"
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