"You're too kind, benefactor!" Master Yan Hui clasped his hands together and bowed deeply. Thinking of the assassination attempt that had occurred in the temple, he sighed inwardly. How could such a sacred Buddhist place be so prone to such killings? What a sin!
"Prepare the carriage to return to the palace!" The eunuch's distinctive high-pitched voice rang out, and palace servants escorted the emperor out of the pavilion and onto the bluestone path leading out of the temple.
Shen Lixue raised her lips. Her cousin Lin Yan was seriously injured while saving the emperor. The emperor waited for him to recover before returning. Although he didn't say anything polite, he was very loyal and righteous.
"Master, is it possible for Cousin Yan to come down the mountain now?" Xiangguo Temple has difficult conditions and is not suitable for recuperating, so Shen Lixue wants him to return to the mansion to rest.
Master Yan Hui nodded: "That's fine, but the road must be smooth. Excessive bumps will cause his wounds to reopen!"
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "Thank you, Master!"
Xiangguo Temple was not far from the capital. Several guards were summoned and carried Lin Yan down the mountain. Then, someone was ordered to ride back to the capital at full speed and order a sedan chair. Lin Yan waited for a short while after descending the mountain, and the sedan chair arrived. Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng got into the carriage, and the group rushed back to the capital.
"Just now, did you deliberately send Lin Yan to rescue the emperor?" Dongfang Heng had keen insight. He didn't see the assassin, but he noticed the subtle movements between Shen Lixue and Lin Yan.
“You are the God of War of Azure Flame, with outstanding military achievements. Nangong Xiao is the heir of the King of Yunnan, so there is no need to elevate his status further. I am the adopted daughter of the King of War, the Princess of Azure Flame. At most, I will be rewarded with some gold and silver jewelry for my merits. Only Cousin Yan is a Minister. If he saves the emperor, he can be promoted!” Knowing that she could not hide the matter from Dongfang Heng, Shen Lixue spoke frankly.
"You want Lin Yan to be promoted?" Dongfang Heng frowned.
"I just hope he can restore the glory of the time when he was Duke Wu!" Shen Lixue's eyes dimmed: "My maternal grandfather passed away, my uncle was demoted to the border, and my cousin Yan has no relatives in the capital. Although he has you and some good friends, he does not have a deeply rooted family, and he has a hard time moving forward in the court!"
If the Duke of Wugong's mansion were still at its peak, and Lin Yan had a grandfather who was the Duke of Wugong, Zhuang Weicheng wouldn't dare to provoke him, and Grand Commandant Lei and Minister Zhuang wouldn't dare to scheme against him...
A tight embrace tightened around her waist as Dongfang Heng pulled her into a full hug: "Don't worry, Lin Yan will stay in the capital. The tragedy of fifteen years ago will not happen again!"
Shen Lixue nodded: "Do you know what kind of poison Yan was poisoned with?" The moment he was poisoned, the poison gas flowed through his bloodstream throughout his body, and it took effect in just a few minutes. It was definitely not an ordinary poison.
Dongfang Heng's gaze darkened: "Master Yan Hui said it is a highly potent poison from the Southern Frontier."
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "That assassin was from Southern Xinjiang?"
"I don't know!" Dongfang Heng shook his head: "Qin Ruoyan is a smart woman. If she wanted to assassinate the Emperor, she would definitely have made thorough preparations. She would never send just one person, and she certainly wouldn't have the interest to enjoy male beauty halfway up the mountain!"
When Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue reached the mountainside, Qin Ruoyan had just begun to strip the commoner of his clothes. According to her nature, she would torture him severely before enjoying him, and it would take her an hour or two to finish.
They arrived at Xiangguo Temple and found the emperor in less than half an hour, which shows that Qin Ruoyan had no intention of assassinating the emperor: "Dongfang Heng, do you still remember what Dongfang Zhan said about trustworthy family members?"
There were only a dozen or so family members, mostly elderly, weak, women and children. They knew each other well, which is why Dongfang Zhan did not expel them from Xiangguo Temple. When the emperor offered incense and worshipped Buddha, they stayed quietly in their respective rooms. Only after the bell rang and the emperor left did they dare to go out.
"You mean Lei Hong's family!" Dongfang Heng's brows furrowed slightly.
“That’s right!” Shen Lixue nodded. After Lei Cong became a eunuch, his mother, Madam Lei, came to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense and worship Buddha. Lei Hong would occasionally send some supplies over. It was normal and coincidental that he appeared at Xiangguo Temple, but was it really just a coincidence?
A gentle breeze blew by, and Shen Lixue's cool gaze pierced through the half-open carriage curtain, spotting a familiar figure walking in the crowd: "Dongfang Heng, look at that person."
"That's... Lei Yarong?" Dongfang Heng narrowed his eyes. The figure was alone, walking along the side, looking around from time to time. Her movements were extremely careful and cautious, making her very conspicuous in the natural crowd.
“She’s not going to the Grand Commandant’s residence, nor does she seem to be going back to the Prime Minister’s residence!” Shen Lixue frowned. Lei Yarong was very particular about her status and was always surrounded by many maids when she went out. Her nanny rode in a luxurious carriage. Now, she didn’t even bring a maid. She was walking alone on the street, acting suspiciously. Where was she going?
Suddenly, Lei Yarong looked around to make sure no one was there, then quickly turned into a small alley, her slender figure disappearing from sight.
Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Secret Guards, follow Lei Yarong and see what she's up to."
"Yes!" came a reply from the air, followed by the sound of wind breaking and then quickly fading away.
The carriage arrived at the Minister's residence. Shen Lixue ordered the guards to carefully help Lin Yan out. The poison had been neutralized, and Lin Yan regained consciousness. His face was very pale. Looking at Shen Lixue's concerned gaze, he smiled gently and said, "It's just a minor injury. There's no need to worry!"
"Even minor injuries require proper rest. You go inside and rest first, I'll come see you again tomorrow!" Shen Lixue carefully instructed the servants on what to pay attention to. After giving them her instructions, she turned around and looked at the empty carriage: "Where's Nangong Xiao?"
"Go back to the hospital and torment Qin Ruoyan!" Dongfang Heng replied indifferently, taking a sip of tea.
Shen Lixue's forehead was covered in cold sweat. She couldn't wait to go back and torture the person she had caught. Nangong Xiao really was vengeful: "Go to Nangong Xiao's villa. Qin Ruoyan can't die yet!"
Grand Commandant's Office
Enraged, Lei Hong punched the wall with gritted teeth, punching a hole through the solid wall. He roared, "Shen Lixue, Lin Yan, it's those two bitches again who ruined our entire plan!"
His trusted confidants stood guard outside the door, and he wasn't worried about others overhearing his treasonous words.
Grand Commandant Lei frowned as he looked at the enraged Lei Hong: "The assassin has already committed suicide, so I doubt even the Emperor will be able to find anything!"
"The Emperor indeed couldn't find anything, but our plan has failed!" Lei Hong said through gritted teeth, slamming his hand hard on the table, which shattered instantly.
When Minister Zhuang passed away, Lin Yan seized the position of Minister Zhuang by claiming to have saved the emperor. He went to great lengths to arrange an assassination attempt to save the emperor and gain merit, but Lin Yan thwarted it. Not only that, Lin Yan also saved the emperor and gained merit. Soon, he will probably be promoted again, climbing up the ladder by stepping on the results of his plan. Lin Yan is truly shameless.
Commander Lei stared at the sharp edge of the broken table, his piercing eyes filled with a chilling light: "Don't worry, there will be other opportunities in the future!"
"We can't use the same method twice, otherwise it will definitely arouse suspicion." Lei Hong sighed heavily. "Perhaps even the Emperor is already suspicious!"
Among his many family members, he was the only man. Although he had gone to Xiangguo Temple to deliver something a few days ago, it was hard to guarantee that the emperor wouldn't suddenly suspect him.
Commander Lei's gaze was grave: "The assassin's arrow was coated with a deadly poison from the Southern Frontier. No matter how we investigate, we can't trace it back to us." The Crown Prince and Princess of the Southern Frontier are both in the capital. If the Emperor suspects something, he will start by investigating them.
"Don't worry, just continue attending court as usual during this period, and don't show any abnormality!"
"I know!" Lei Hong tried to calm the anger in his chest. Thinking of Lin Yan's smug smile before he fell unconscious, and Shen Lixue's all-knowing gaze, he felt a chill in his heart for no reason. These two people were a menace, his nemesis. He had to find a way to get rid of them as soon as possible.
The water dungeon in the secluded courtyard was dark, damp, and reeked of a foul odor. Qin Ruoyan was bound to a stool, her brows furrowed tightly. The overwhelming stench almost suffocated her: "Nangong Xiao, why does this water dungeon smell so bad?"
"This water dungeon has never been used to imprison anyone since it was built. It has always been a burial ground for various animals. What you smell is probably the stench of decaying corpses!" Surrounded by various gleaming instruments of torture, Nangong Xiao stood in front of them, picking up this one, touching that one, fiddling with them back and forth, answering casually.
Animal carcasses! Upon hearing this, Qin Ruoyan nearly vomited: "How disgusting!"
"Qin Ruoyan, smell yourself! You smell so bad it could knock someone out! You smell worse than an animal carcass!" Nangong Xiao picked up several instruments of torture and waved them in front of Qin Ruoyan. "I didn't expect you to have these instruments custom-made. You haven't used them yet, have you? How about I let you try them out first..."
Qin Ruoyan snorted coldly: "Nangong Xiao, if you're not afraid of death, then go ahead and make your move. My brother's injuries have mostly healed. Once he finds I'm not here, he'll definitely come looking for me. And when he sees me so badly injured, hmph!"
Nangong Xiao sneered: "Qin Ruoyan, this is Qingyan, not Southern Border. It won't be so easy for Qin Junhao to find you!"