Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде - Глава 34
"That's strange," Yun Ruo thought, tilting her head.
Why is that? I'm wondering the same thing. A problem that had been bothering me for a long time, which I thought I had figured out, is now puzzling me again.
Thinking back to the way Shen Haoyu looked at Zinuo, was they plotting something against us? But we're just two orphans. Holding Zinuo while pressing me down, what was their intention?
These are things I definitely can't ask Shen Haoyu. Our relationship is only superficially harmonious; I can't be so naive as to actually believe that the high and mighty young prince has any genuine feelings for me. Since that's the case, then he must have some scheme I'm unaware of.
In the blink of an eye, a gust of wind rushed towards me. Before I could react, a flash of silver light appeared, followed by a crisp sound.
It turned out that Shen Haoyu had taken a sword for me while holding the scabbard.
"Are you going to be distracted in a situation like this?" Shen Haoyu growled in exasperation. "Your duty is to protect the master, but now it's the other way around—the master is protecting you!"
I looked up at him in surprise.
"Let's finish this quickly and prepare to return home," Shen Haoyu coldly remarked.
I glanced at the battlefield. Most of the assassins lay dead on the ground, covered in blood, their condition unknown. A dozen or so remained, locked in a final, desperate struggle. Song Zhixuan and the others also had bloodstains on their clothes, whether their own or someone else's, I couldn't tell.
Seeing that victory was hopeless, the man in fine clothes said "retreat," and the rest of the people fled. The woman with the gardenia flower had already fallen to the ground at some unknown time.
"Young Prince, shall we pursue him?" Zhao Ming asked.
"No need," Shen Haoyu waved his hand and said, then walked over to the woman with the gardenia and squatted down, touching her face a few times.
I frowned in disgust.
"I thought it was the First Prince, but I didn't expect it to be the Second Prince's man," Shen Haoyu snorted softly.
I looked at him, only to find that the woman with the gardenia was gone, and a different, delicate face was lying on the ground.
The legendary art of disguise?
Zi Nuo walked up to me and asked, "Brother, are you alright?"
I shook my head, raised his arm, spun it around twice, and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Zinuo smiled and said, "No."
"Did he kill someone?" I asked through gritted teeth.
Zi Nuo's expression changed slightly: "I won't kill anyone, but someone else will kill me."
I smiled at him: "Better than being killed."
"I can't bear to kill anyone. If anyone tries to hurt you in the future, just stand next to me, and I'll take your place," Zinuo said sincerely to me.
It was supposed to be me protecting Zinuo, but now the roles have reversed?
In this era, is the only choice between killing and being killed?
After surveying the scene, Song Zhixuan and the others gathered around. I looked at Yin Yan and Yu Ying, surprised to learn that they were also skilled in martial arts. Everyone had sustained some injuries; they washed their wounds and gave them simple bandages by the water before packing their things to head down the mountain.
On the way, Zhao Ming finally couldn't help but ask, "Did the young prince know all along that there would be assassins today?"
Shen Haoyu smiled and said, "I'm not entirely sure. It would be best if you had some so you could practice."
Are human lives so cheap? My own life is still in his hands.
Song Zhixuan said, "Isn't it rather inappropriate for the young prince to put himself in such a dangerous situation?"
"Do you think I would only bring a few people if I knew there might be assassins? There are others lying in wait, ready to come to our rescue if we are outmatched," Shen Haoyu said coldly.
Why does Shen Haoyu seem to have a strong prejudice against Song Zhixuan today?
"Were the assassins sent by the Second Prince?" Zhao Ming asked again.
Shen Haoyu said, "That woman is from the Second Prince's residence. If we hadn't discovered her disguise, we probably would have thought she was from the First Prince's household."
"I unintentionally obtained some evidence of the First Prince's crimes a few days ago. I thought the assassins who came today were the First Prince's men, but I never expected that it was the Second Prince who found out. He probably took this action to blackmail or win over the First Prince."
"But if the First Prince knew the evidence was in our hands, why didn't he act? And how did the Second Prince find out? Or have they already formed an alliance? If so, the situation will be difficult to balance."
Shen Haoyu frowned, deep in thought.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 25
Chapter word count: 3633 Update time: 09-07-28 14:18
Back at the Prince's residence, Shen Haoyu took me to Yunshang and Yunruo's residence. Finally, Shen Haoyu asked them if they would dare to go out with him again in the future.
Yun Ruo widened her eyes and said, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as you're willing to take me! Even if we encounter bad guys, they can't hurt me. Those guards aren't just sitting around doing nothing."
Yunshang, stroking her sleeve, said, "Brother, do you always deliberately create opportunities for bad people when you go out?"
I watched with schadenfreude as Shen Haoyu looked on with a dark expression. This must be one of the reasons he took them out today, hoping to use this opportunity to discourage them from wanting to go out and play. Little did I know that the girls were not to be trifled with.
I chuckled to myself as Shen Haoyu bid them farewell in a sullen manner and didn't go in to see the princess.
In Qiufeng Garden, Zi Nuo had already bandaged Song Zhixuan and the others' wounds. Fortunately, most of them were just superficial injuries. Lin Zhao was in a worse state, having been slashed twice while saving Song Zhixuan, sustaining two deeper wounds. Shen Haoyu told them to rest early, and then took Zi Nuo and me back to Yixinzhai.
Inside the study, Mr. Qi was waiting. Shen Haoyu gave a brief account of the assassination incident that had occurred in Yaoshan.
After listening, Mr. Qi stroked his beard and said, "It is unlikely that the eldest prince and the second prince will join forces. Even if they do, it will only be temporary. What is more worrying now is that the emperor seems to favor the second prince and is intentionally or unintentionally helping him to cultivate his power."
Shen Haoyu said, "That's not entirely true. Apart from the Second Prince, the maternal families of the other three princes are all quite powerful. Only the Second Prince's mother has no powerful maternal family, and due to years of illness, she has not made any achievements in the court. If the Emperor is cultivating the Second Prince's power, it may be to maintain a balance."