As dawn approached, it became clear that nothing could be kept secret.
However, just when they were about to go crazy with worry, Hailin finally returned.
Upon seeing her return, Du Caiyue and Yanzhi burst into tears, both relieved that she was alright.
"Mother, Mother, what's wrong?"
"Ling'er, I was so scared just now, so scared that you were... were..."
She was really afraid that Hailin had been captured by some bad people and would harm her.
Thinking of this, the two women cried even harder, sobbing like children.
Hailin, afraid of disturbing others, quickly comforted the two: "Alright, I'm fine, don't cry. If you disturb others, it will be troublesome. You must not let anyone know about what happened tonight."
"Yes, we know."
This time, Du Caiyue and Yanzhi both agreed at the same time. They knew that the people watching them were hoping something would happen to them so they could use it as an excuse to cause trouble, so they naturally couldn't let anyone know.
"Ling'er, who exactly took you away?"
After calming down from her initial sadness, Du Caiyue asked Hailing for advice.
Hai Ling didn't want to tell Du Caiyue and Yan Zhi about what happened tonight, as that would only make them more worried. So she smiled and explained, "Actually, someone was playing a joke on me. He took me out to remind me to be more careful in the future."
"Who? General Bai?"
Rouge quickly interjected. She had already figured out that General Bai had feelings for their young lady. It must have been General Bai who took their young lady out so late at night. He should at least have told them.
Hai Ling's face darkened slightly. She didn't say anything; the more she said, the more trouble she would cause. It was better to say nothing at all. She nodded and then yawned.
"I'm so sleepy, I can't even keep my eyes open."
She was genuinely tired and didn't want to discuss tonight's events with her mother, fearing it might arouse their suspicion.
"Then you should go to sleep, Rouge. Help Miss to her room to sleep."
"Yes, madam."
Rouge responded, and the two women finally felt relieved. They were worried sick whenever they couldn't see Hailing, and they would only feel at ease when they saw that she was alright.
Hailin and Yanzhi went back to their room to rest. Although it was almost dawn, they didn't want to deal with anything and went to sleep immediately.
The following days were peaceful, and nothing else happened.
Bai Ye was injured and was recuperating in the General's Mansion, where he was not to be disturbed by outsiders.
The Crown Prince was busy worrying about the marriage alliance between the two countries. After Princess Chang Le left the palace, Consort Yun Shu in the palace sent her daughter Feng Yao to the Northern Dynasty for a marriage alliance.
Officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty immediately began to praise Consort Yun, saying that she was sensible and had the big picture in mind.
Consort Yun is still the mother of Prince Ning, and her power is not to be underestimated. She is the only concubine in the palace who can rival the Empress. Therefore, her son was enfeoffed as Prince Ning at a very young age. Prince Ning has always lived in his fiefdom. This time, when the Emperor was seriously ill, Prince Ning and his wife were summoned back to the capital to accompany the Emperor.
The marriage alliance between the two countries was quickly finalized, and after the Crown Prince's wedding, Princess Fengyao was sent to the Northern Kingdom for a political marriage.
Ji Shaocheng, a general of the Northern Dynasty, immediately returned to the Northern Dynasty and reported to the emperor.
Before leaving, he sent someone with a letter, respectfully saying that they would meet again.
Hai Ling smiled and thought, "This man is quite interesting. I got his precious chess piece, but he's not angry at all. Instead, he's being so polite to me."
Seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye, and in about ten days, it would be her wedding day with the Crown Prince.
That morning, a sense of oppression hung over the entire capital. The Crown Prince had been stabbed by an assassin the previous night, and two assassins had been captured and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice and the Minister of War, among others, were ordered by the Empress to re-examine the assassin overnight. Unable to withstand the torture in prison, the assassin finally revealed the mastermind behind the attack, who turned out to be Jiang Batian of the Jiang family.
When this matter was reported to the palace, the Empress was at a loss. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Feng Zixiao had already woken up and immediately ordered the Nine Yaoyu Guards, who were guarding the capital, to surround the Jiang residence, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. In addition, Jiang Batian and his second son, Jiang Wenhao, were arrested and imprisoned for interrogation.
The entire city of Kyoto was silent and still, as if it were a dead city.
The Jiang family mansion was in complete chaos.
Qin Fang Yuan was the last to know the news. Hai Ling was reading in her room when she heard Yan Zhi shouting, "Miss, something bad has happened! Something bad has happened!"
Hailing raised her eyebrows and looked at the anxious girl with a puzzled expression: "What happened?"
"Last night, the Crown Prince was assassinated. Two assassins were captured. Now the assassins have confessed that the General sent people to assassinate the Crown Prince. Therefore, Her Majesty the Empress ordered the Nine Yao Feather Guards to surround the Jiang residence. Now the General and the Second Young Master have been arrested and imprisoned. The entire residence is in chaos."
"ah?"
Hai Ling was startled and put down the book in her hand, never expecting such a thing to happen.
Even if Jiang Batian were stupid, he wouldn't be so foolish as to send out such an inexperienced assassin who failed to kill the Crown Prince and ended up getting himself into trouble. And Feng Zixiao wasn't stupid either, so how could he believe it?
Hai Ling smiled. Clearly, the Crown Prince knew about this, but he wanted to eliminate the Jiang family, so he used this assassin to take the opportunity to get rid of Jiang Batian.
"Miss, what do we do now?"
She never expected things to turn out this way. She wasn't going to be foolish enough to just wait to die, so it was best to leave the Jiang residence that very night.
"We left the Jiang residence under cover of night."
Hai Ling's lips curled into a determined smile, her eyes gleaming; she wasn't worried about them not being able to get out.
"Miss, I'll go pack my things."
Rouge had complete trust in her mistress; she believed that whatever her mistress said, she would surely find a way.
Hailing nodded, watching Yanzhi walk away, a smile spreading across her face.