Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 83
After exchanging pleasantries with Shen Haoyu, Marquis Qiyun personally rode his horse to escort Shen Haoyu out of the city, showing him great respect.
Looking at the heavily armored Imperial Guards surrounding me, I finally couldn't help but whisper to Shen Haoyu, "Do they all listen to the young prince?"
Shen Haoyu smiled faintly and remained silent. Zi Nuo explained to me softly that not everyone knew the emperor's purpose. These imperial guards were simply following the orders of their commander, but unfortunately, their commander had been killed in the chaos of the first attack and could not be given any other orders. Naturally, they believed that their mission was to protect Shen Haoyu.
I sighed inwardly. Aren't they pitiful too? They didn't even know what they should do. Emperor Youjing must be helpless as well, since his intentions couldn't be revealed to the world yet.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 67 of the main text.
Chapter word count: 3837 Update time: 09-08-18 14:49
On the second day after leaving Pingcheng, we were ambushed. Of the five hundred Imperial Guards who had accompanied Shen Haoyu, less than three hundred remained. Although the Imperial Guards outnumbered us, they were no match for the highly skilled assassins. If they knew that their emperor was the one trying to kill them, I wonder what their reaction would be. Of course, if their commander were still alive, he probably wouldn't be fighting the assassins now, but would be joining them in attacking us.
After leaving Pingcheng, Shen Haoyu disguised himself as a guard again, while Zhao Ming and the others closely guarded the guard who was playing Shen Haoyu. Mr. Qi and his men remained hidden in the shadows, and I only saw him twice at the villa.
When the assassins appeared, even the sensitive horses sensed something was wrong and neighed uneasily. The assassins were few in number, only a few dozen, yet they swiftly and decisively cut down the Imperial Guards as if slicing radishes. Although I had experienced two assassination attempts, this was the first time I had witnessed one on such a large scale. Moreover, the Imperial Guards' skills were far inferior to the assassins'; it was as if they were being sent to their blades for slaughter.
I glanced at Shen Haoyu, only to see him sitting motionless on his horse. Of course, if the emperor wanted to kill him, he'd use the emperor's own troops as a shield first. Seeing that the Imperial Guards had suffered considerable casualties, the Prince's guards finally joined the battle against the assassins. With the guards' help, the assassins were less effective, and the battle reached a stalemate. Eventually, the Prince's side, with its superior numbers, gradually pushed the assassins to the back foot, but they didn't retreat until the last man fell, ending the fight.
The emperor is ruthless enough; if he arranges several more assassinations like this, even Shen Haoyu's large force will eventually be worn down. I took a deep breath, and the air I inhaled suddenly smelled strongly of blood, making me want to vomit. Zi Nuo looked at me with some concern and handed me a water bottle, but I shook my head and didn't take it.
This is only the first battle I've experienced. How many more have Zinuo and the others gone through along the way? And that time that severely damaged their strength, the battle was so brutal that I can't even imagine it.
This is still broad daylight; what will it be like at night?
As evening fell, they reached the outskirts of a small town. Realizing that their large numbers would leave little room for lodging, the imposter Shen Haoyu ordered his men to set up camp outside the town. The several hundred people spent the night in an open area outside the town. The imposter Shen Haoyu shared a tent with Zhao Ming and his men, while Shen Haoyu shared a tent with us. After removing their heavy raincoats, Yin Yan helped Shen Haoyu lie down on a makeshift bed. Zinuo and I went out and brought in some hot soup and rice to eat together. Afterward, we lit a small fire, and everyone gathered around Shen Haoyu's bedside, wrapping themselves in blankets and lying down. Gan Lin volunteered to stand guard outside the tent.
The return journey was even more arduous than the journey there.
Having experienced that day, I couldn't sleep well at all that night. I was almost too scared to fall asleep, fearing that I would be killed while I was still asleep. But I didn't regret coming here.
Judging from their voices, Zinuo and Yinyan didn't seem to be asleep either. I couldn't help but ask softly, "Zinuo, you haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time, have you?" I already knew that Zinuo and the others had a hard journey, but after experiencing it myself, I felt even more sorry for them, realizing how difficult it must have been for them to live such a long time in fear.
"You'll get used to it. It's much better to not be able to sleep than to sleep forever." Perhaps to relieve her tension and anxiety, Zi Nuo even cracked a little joke.
I chuckled softly and didn't say anything more, quietly listening to the sounds outside.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I clearly heard the sound of weapons clashing, so close to us. By the firelight, I saw Zinuo leap up almost at the same time as me, then I saw the tent slashed open, and several men in black rushed in, immediately raising their swords to strike me without a word.
I was startled and hurriedly dodged, but Zi Nuo skillfully intercepted them with her sword. They seemed unwilling to linger with Zi Nuo and kept heading towards me. Hearing the noise, Yin Yan also woke up and instinctively drew her sword to protect Shen Haoyu's bedside. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to realize it was inappropriate and also stabbed towards the men in black.
Zi Nuo clearly noticed the men in black's intentions and said to me, "Sister, their target is you. You need to get out of here quickly."
"Go outside. Isn't Gan Lin outside? Where did he go?" I saw firelight and many figures fighting outside the tent, but I didn't see Gan Lin's familiar white coat. A chill ran through me. Was I wrong after all?
What good would it do me to run out alone? There's no one outside to come to my rescue. I rushed into the tent, only to see Shen Haoyu already up, fighting a man in black. His movements were far less agile than usual due to his long illness, and he was struggling to defend himself. Yin Yan was anxious, but she couldn't reveal Shen Haoyu's identity, and she was also unable to get away for the moment. Zi Nuo single-handedly held off three men in black, a sight that dazzled me. I wasn't sure if he could hold his own, so I finally decided to go to Shen Haoyu's side.
With my help, Shen Haoyu seemed much more relaxed, and his moves gradually became more unrestrained and ruthless. Before I could even see clearly, I heard the assassin groan and then fall heavily to the ground, while Shen Haoyu also collapsed, panting heavily. I quickly helped Shen Haoyu to sit on the bed, but I kept wondering to myself, "Did I really attract these assassins? What important person have I offended this time?"
Thinking of what Gan Lin said about how many people chased after me and Yin Yan when we arrived, and how several groups of people secretly rescued us, I can't help but believe his words a little now. But why has he disappeared at this time?
Zinuo had already taken care of two people. The remaining one saw that the situation was not good and tried to take the opportunity to escape, but Zinuo stopped him. He was different from the group of assassins during the day. Could it be that they were not sent by the same person? A thought struck me, and I said to Zinuo, "Leave him alive."
Zi Nuo immediately understood and pressed the man in black relentlessly, finally slicing the long sword out of his hand. With another flick of his wrist, Zi Nuo's sword was already pressed against the man's neck, and the man stopped moving.
Seeing that his companions were either dead or subdued, the man in black who was entangled with Yin Yan made a few feints and then escaped in a moment of inattention. Even if I had been careful, I might not have been able to stop him, so I wisely refrained from giving chase.
With the immediate crisis temporarily averted, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Yin Yan sheathed her sword and turned to look at Shen Haoyu, while Zinuo, holding the man in black back, led him closer to the fire. Lifting his mask, they saw a young and handsome face, his head bowed, devoid of any expression.
"Who sent you?" I asked as I walked up to him.
The man in black suddenly looked up and laughed, "If it weren't for the man in white's lightning-fast attack, which killed several of us in one go, you might not be alive."
The man in white? Does that refer to Gan Lin? Where is he now? He paused, then hissed, "Don't change the subject. Who sent you?"
The man in black then shut his mouth and remained silent.
Zi Nuo, impatient, struck his injured hand hard. He groaned in pain and said in a hoarse voice, "Master said to kill you if you can, and run away if you can't. I can only blame myself for not being skilled enough. Now that you've caught me, you can do whatever you want with me. But it's impossible for me to betray Master."
This is clearly not the emperor's style. So who is it? Is it just someone trying to kill me...? The target isn't even Shen Haoyu.
I smiled bitterly to myself, realizing I had inexplicably become a sucker.
Seeing that we couldn't get anything out of the man, and knowing that torture wasn't something we could do, we found a rope and had Zinuo tie him up. Zinuo put his hands behind his back and pushed him towards the door, intending to have him guarded. But then I noticed a large, grid-like scar on his left palm and wrist. Suspicious, I called out, "Did Marquis Qiyun send you?"
Upon hearing this, the man in black immediately stopped moving. I slowly walked forward and said to Zinuo, "Let's go outside the tent."
Looking back at Yin Yan and Shen Haoyu, one was sitting on the bed and the other was squatting on the ground, both looking at me with some surprise. I smiled and said, "If you want to interrogate him, don't disturb the young prince."
Zi Nuo led the man outside. Seeing that no one was paying attention to us for the time being, I took the torch and went closer to examine the man's left hand carefully. It was indeed a familiar scar... Zi Nuo seemed to understand something, glanced at me, and then looked at the man in black.
I untied the ropes binding the man's hands. He looked at me with disbelief, perhaps knowing he couldn't beat Zinuo, but he didn't seem to have any intention of running away. It turns out that everyone still can't bring themselves to be the bad guy.
"Can you tell me who ordered Marquis Qiyun to send someone to kill me?" Knowing he was from Marquis Qiyun's household, how could I not know that the person sent by Marquis Qiyun was sent by him? But if Marquis Qiyun didn't even know who I was, why would he kill me? If he did know who I was, why kill only me and not Zinuo? Don't tell me he cares about his son's life but not his daughter's. Zinuo has never held a special place in his heart. Besides, if he only killed me, would Zinuo forgive him? In the end, Marquis Qiyun was just doing someone else's bidding. There are probably only two people in this world who can get Marquis Qiyun to do things for them, which makes me even more puzzled. I am indeed in Prince Qing's mansion, but I am not the only one in Prince Qing's mansion. Why am I being treated with such special "care"?
The man remained standing there without saying a word, and I had to sigh: "Do I really have to call you by your name, Brother Tianqi?"
Tianqi stared at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised. Zinuo was also somewhat surprised, but looked at Tianqi instead: "You're Tianqi?" Zinuo naturally remembered Tianqi. Back then, Shen Zexuan, who was still Mu Shaoting, always had Tianqi escort me back to Hongxiu Residence. Tianqi would often linger at Hongxiu Residence to play with Zinuo. At that time, it was just Tianqi and me who often played with Zinuo; Shen Tingxuan only came over occasionally. I never expected that our reunion after so many years would be like this.
"You are...you guys?" Tianqi still looked at Zinuo and me with suspicion.
I smiled wryly, "The scar on your palm hasn't hurt for a long time, has it? I felt guilty about it for ages." That winter, I mentioned wanting barbecue, and Shen Tingxuan had someone make the kind of iron rack I wanted. He put charcoal inside, placed an iron grill on the fire, and put the food on the grill to grill—so convenient! Unlike before, we didn't have to hold it with our hands the whole time. We were having a great time in the garden, and were planning to grill extra for Zinuo and my aunt to take back, but things always seem to turn out badly. A maid accidentally kicked the iron rack, causing it to tip over. The grill broke off and hit me on the head. I was only a little tall then! Shen Tingxuan was terrified. Tianqi was close by and, in his haste, reached out to block it. The red-hot iron rack seared into Tianqi's hand, saving me from disfigurement. That time, Tianqi's hand was badly injured, and it took more than two months to heal. The scar left behind could never be removed. How could I forget the scar he got for saving me...
Upon hearing my words, Tianqi's face showed a mixture of surprise and sorrow. After a long pause, he hesitated and asked, "Third Miss?"
I nodded slightly: "Brother Tianqi, there was a lot of misunderstanding today that hurt you. You should go back as soon as possible. Don't forget to ask Marquis Qiyun who wants to kill me. Don't let him do something that will be punished by heaven."
Tianqi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zinuo and me, saying, "Miss, Young Master, take care!" Watching Tianqi leave, Zinuo and I remained rooted to the spot, unable to move. We could only sigh at the cruel twist of fate. The person who had once saved me was now trying to kill me, and we had narrowly escaped killing our former benefactor. If Tianqi had died today, I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life. If I hadn't run fast enough last time and had been killed by Shen Tingxuan, what would have happened to him…?