Eternal Night - Chapter 92
"Do you think the State of Chen is stupid? Would they kill someone at their own doorstep? I've heard the assassin is the world-renowned master Feng Yangxi!"
Consort Duan, inside the sedan chair, vaguely heard the discussions outside and couldn't help but burst into tears again.
A letter from Chen State reports that Feng Yangxi broke into the post station at night, killed Yongye's cavalry, set fire to the Misty Rain Pavilion, and kidnapped Yongye. A month has passed, and Feng Yangxi and Yongye are still missing. An inventory of their bodies reveals that only Yihong and Commandant Lin are missing. The court is shocked and has sent a letter to Qi State, now mobilizing the combined forces of the three kingdoms to capture Feng Yangxi.
However, after returning to his residence from the palace, Prince Duan said that things were not so simple. The eldest prince, Li Tianyou, also secretly entered Prince Duan's residence that night and had a private conversation with him. This time, no matter how the princess questioned him, Prince Duan only said that everything had been fine throughout the night.
She had always trusted Prince Duan, but this time, the anxiety in his eyes made her very uneasy. Such anxiety was rarely seen on Prince Duan's face. The Princess insisted on coming to Kaibao Temple to pray for Yongye and fulfill her vow. Prince Duan couldn't dissuade her, so he had no choice but to accompany her personally.
When the sedan chair entered Kaibao Temple, Prince Duan stopped his soldiers from sealing off the temple, saying that there were many worshippers and it would be inconvenient to disturb their enjoyment.
As the princess stepped out of her sedan chair, Prince Duan noticed the tear stains on her face. His heart ached, and he took her to offer incense. Yongye was indeed missing. He could only reassure the princess; however, until he saw Yongye's body, he still refused to believe that the clever and resourceful Yongye had perished in the fire. Others might not know, but he knew in his heart that Yongye was also skilled in martial arts. As for the claim that Feng Yangxi was an assassin, he understood after Prince You explained it at the palace. However, at this moment, it was impossible to get entangled with the Chen Kingdom for Yongye's sake.
Kaibao Temple is a U-shaped building, with the central main hall being a tall and majestic nine-ridged, multi-tiered structure. The front and rear halls, along with the left and right protective walls, enclose the temple. Although Prince Duan did not seal off Kaibao Temple, his soldiers surrounded the main hall so that the princess could have a quiet place to worship Buddha.
Ascending the steps, the abbot greeted them with his hands clasped in prayer at the main hall.
The princess smiled gently at the abbot: "Thank you, Master! Every time I come to the temple, the smell of lamp oil and incense brings me peace of mind."
"Amitabha! Did the Princess come to offer incense and draw lots this time?"
"No need, just light some incense." The princess was afraid of drawing an unfavorable fortune stick, so she simply didn't bother. She accepted the incense and bowed gracefully.
Prince Duan did not believe in Buddhism. He had committed too many killings in his life and felt that even a clay and gilded Bodhisattva could not forgive him. Every time he accompanied the princess, he would not even enter the palace, but would only stand on the stone steps at the entrance to wait.
He turned to look at the Princess with his hands behind his back, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The situation in Anguo was becoming increasingly tense; the Emperor was seriously ill, and the palace was under strict guard. However, the Crown Prince was extremely distrustful of the Six Guards of the Capital Region and the Imperial Guards under his command. In the past month, he had been assassinated no less than twenty times. Even knowing that the assassins were from the Empress and the Crown Prince's palaces, he could only kill them to end the matter. The assassins from Youli Valley had not yet appeared. Would they come to offer incense today? It was said that all the assassins in the world came from Youli Valley. Li Gu smiled; he was actually quite eager to witness the methods of Youli Valley himself.
The incense smoke rose, and the princess had only bowed twice when her body went limp and she collapsed onto the prayer mat. Prince Duan's thoughts were instantly interrupted, and he was shocked. He shouted, "Assassin!" He held his breath and rushed in, reaching out to pull the princess out.
Guards rushed in from outside the hall to protect Prince Duan and his wife. In an instant, numerous soldiers appeared inside and outside Kaibao Temple, and the worshippers were so frightened that they fled in droves. The front and back halls of the temple were quickly sealed off, and the worshippers were confined to the spacious courtyard inside the temple.
Prince Duan's face was ashen, inwardly cursing the cunning villains who had always thought he was the target. He never imagined they would poison the Princess's incense. He shouted in a deep voice, "Return to the palace!" He then picked up the Princess and, surrounded by soldiers, prepared to leave Kaibao Temple.
"Your Highness, please wait!" A figure suddenly emerged from among the worshippers.
Prince Duan glanced down at his wife and saw that her face was pale, indicating that she had been poisoned. He then looked up at the newcomer and asked in a cold voice, "Who are you?"
"The princess refused the antidote; she can only live for an hour. I was entrusted to deliver the antidote to Your Highness." The man, around forty years old, with an unremarkable appearance, wore a very ordinary blue cloth robe and answered calmly.
The fact that he remained calm and composed despite being surrounded by hundreds of soldiers aroused Prince Duan's suspicion. He couldn't return to the capital in an hour. He beckoned, and his guards quickly brought over a bamboo couch.
Prince Duan carefully placed the princess on the couch, looked at her intently, and asked, "What are the conditions?"
The newcomer chuckled, stroking his long beard, and said, "The prince's life! Is it not fair to exchange the prince's life for the princess's life?"
The soldiers around him shouted angrily, but Prince Duan laughed: "So that's how it is. It is indeed fair."
"Your Highness, it's useless to capture me. The antidote is certainly not on me. I am a warrior willing to die, and I have long since disregarded life and death." After saying this, a dagger suddenly appeared in the man's hand. He lightly stroked the blade and said, "Your Highness, remember, you only have one hour. I have fulfilled my mission." With that, he smiled and plunged the dagger into his chest.
Kaibao Temple fell silent instantly. Everyone was stunned.
Using a human life to convey a message reveals the assassin's cunning and meticulousness. They even wanted Prince Duan to commit suicide to save the princess, refusing even an ambush.
Prince Duan squinted at the sky, then sighed, realizing his opponent was no ordinary person. He glanced down at his princess, his face growing even more pale. He took her hand and said, as if no one else was around, "If I save you and then die, will you live on alone?"
"Your Highness!" The soldiers were shocked, fearing that Prince Duan might do something drastic. They were filled with grief and indignation, having not even had a chance to act.
"Heh heh, am I, Li Gu, so easily subdued?!" Prince Duan laughed, glancing back at the pale-faced abbot and ordering, "Since the abbot is unharmed, then set up a mourning hall here for the Princess! There aren't many worshippers today, but there aren't few either. The incense at Kaibao Temple was poisoned, and the monks there are also implicated. If the Princess dies, they will all be buried with her!"
These words terrified the surrounding pilgrims, causing them to tremble before the monks of Kaibao Temple. Some of the more timid ones even began to cry. Amidst the commotion, a laugh rang out from outside the temple gate: "The prince is indeed no ordinary man."
The soldiers at the temple gate, their long swords pointed, halted the intruder. Prince Duan glanced at the trembling kneeling people; from a distance, he saw that the man wore the same blue cloth robe as the one who had just faced death, and had the same unremarkable face. Prince Duan said in a deep voice, "Who goes there?"
The newcomer ignored the soldier's pointed blade, but instead carried a box in his hand. He respectfully walked down the stone steps in front of the hall and stood there: "The Princess's antidote is here."
Prince Duan looked at him coldly.
The visitor smiled and said, “Your Highness, you can rest assured. My lord is kind-hearted and does not wish to harm the innocent. To threaten Your Highness with the Princess’s life is to underestimate you. I have prepared a swordsman for Your Highness to fight. Even if Your Highness dies at the hands of the swordsman, it will not tarnish Your Highness’s reputation.”
"Where is the swordsman?" Prince Duan asked calmly.
"It is I. Please, Your Highness, first detoxify the Princess." The man said, carrying the box as he walked forward.
The guards who were originally protecting Prince Duan and his wife instinctively let him step onto the stone steps.
Prince Duan looked down at him, his heart filled with doubt and uncertainty. Did the other party truly intend to fight fairly? Just as he was pondering this, the man stepped up the stairs and was already within a foot of him.
Everyone stared at the newcomer, feeling as if they had fallen into the clouds.
The newcomer smiled slightly and reached to open the wooden box. In that instant, a flash of silver light appeared, and something suddenly appeared in the newcomer's throat. The throwing knife had already entered his throat, and blood slowly seeped out.
"Protect the Prince!" The guards around Prince Duan surrounded him in a swift movement.
The wooden box fell to the ground and a burst of silver needles shot out. Several guards who were nearby were unable to dodge in time and were hit and fell to the ground, their faces suddenly turning black.
"What a vicious thought!" Prince Duan said through gritted teeth.
The other party first seduced the princess, then used assassins as a warning, and then offered a fair fight. All of this was in order to get close to him and assassinate him.
Prince Duan stared blankly at the silver glint in the man's throat. He waved his hand, and a guard ran forward, retrieved the hidden weapon from the man's throat, and handed it to Prince Duan.
A willow-leaf throwing knife, one inch long and one-tenth of an inch wide.
His heart trembled, a sudden surge of excitement mixed with a sense of powerlessness. Prince Duan turned and took the princess's hand, opening his mouth to speak, but seeing her face growing increasingly pale and her still unconscious, he closed his mouth. He had killed the intruder to save him, and he would surely save her too. Prince Duan looked around, his gaze filled with urgency, joy, and a touch of helplessness. The veins on the back of his hand, gripping the princess's hand tightly, were bulging. What was he so anxious about?
With a "whoosh," another throwing knife flew towards the open space in the courtyard, gleaming in the sunlight. Something seemed to be tied to the hilt.
A guard stepped forward and took the knife. Seeing that the hilt was tied with a cloth, he quickly removed it and presented it to Prince Duan. Upon unfolding it, a red pill rolled out, and the cloth simply read: "Antidote."