Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Unknowingly, it had reached the deep, tranquil hours of the night.

Only a few scattered lights remained in the entire estate.

At this moment, the Xuan Yin monitor knelt on one knee, addressing Ying Changchuan:

"Your Majesty, after investigation, it has been confirmed that Tai Pu Luo Qirong indeed perished in the flood, and his body has been found. The location of his carriage has also been determined, and it is expected to be salvaged in two days."

"What about the mansion?"

"We took control of the Tai Pu mansion at the earliest after the incident, and are currently conducting a thorough search of the property, including finances and account books."

At this point, the tone of the Xuan Yin Monitor also became unsettled.

Man's plans are no match for those made by heaven!

The Xuan Yin Monitor had long discovered Luo Qirong's deep connections with the Listening Heaven Pavilion.

But acting rashly would mean he or his subordinates would immediately destroy the ledgers and evidence, alerting the bigger fish behind the scenes.

With the Xuan Yin Monitor biding his time, Luo Qirong grew increasingly bold.

This time he even dared to sneak out at night for a secret meeting with the chief diviner!

...After the incident, the Xuan Yin Monitor, who had been following from a distance, immediately rushed back to Zhao Du, and before Luo Qirong's subordinates and family could realize what had happened, took control of his entire mansion.

By now, they had already uncovered quite a few useful items.

As the words fell, the Xuan Yin Monitor sent the list of items they had found to the imperial presence, adding, "Additionally, the road to the imperial villa has also been cleared."

"Hmm."

...Hmm?

The Xuan Yin Monitor couldn't help but sneak a glance up, slightly puzzled as he looked at Ying Changchuan... Strange, isn't His Majesty in a hurry to return to the palace?

His slight movement didn't escape the emperor's eyes: "Is there anything else?"

"No, nothing."

The Xuan Yin Monitor immediately bowed and exited the room, breaking out in a cold sweat in just a few moments.

-

Having not rested properly for several days, Jiang Yuxun unusually slept without dreams, waking up naturally.

The morning sunlight was somewhat glaring.

The still groggy young man instinctively wanted to block the light, but his hand barely lifted ten centimeters before a wave of soreness interrupted him.

"Hiss..."

Jiang Yuxun involuntarily gasped in a breath of cold air, his eyes snapping open.

It hurts so much!

How did I end up sleeping sitting up all night?

The events of the previous night flooded into Jiang Yuxun's mind in an instant.

Like a thunderclap, pinning him in place.

—The floodwaters were dirtier than what meets the eye.

Jiang Yuxun had soaked in the water for quite a while, and took an exceptionally long bath.

Only when the cold, damp feeling had completely dissipated and the water in the tub was about to turn cold did he leave the bathhouse.

When he went to report on the river affairs to Ying Changchuan, there was still an official in front of him.

Jiang Yuxun asked Eunuch Sang to relay a message that he would come back in half an hour, then turned to return to his room... and dozed off sitting at the desk.

Little did he know that this doze would last all night.

Realizing this, Jiang Yuxun instantly became fully alert.

Oh no, did I just stand up Ying Changchuan?

...Jiang Yuxun, oh Jiang Yuxun, it seems you really don’t care about your own life.

Just as the young man was feeling utterly hopeless, Eunuch Sang suddenly appeared at the door.

He knocked and asked with a smile, "Lord Jiang, would you like to prepare water for washing now?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward to help Jiang Yuxun up with great care: "Be careful, don’t hurt yourself."

Jiang Yuxun dared to stand up the Emperor, yet not only did he see the sun the next day, but he also didn’t receive any punishment!

As a sly and astute person.

Eunuch Sang didn’t hesitate for a second before completely changing his attitude and going with the flow.

"No need to trouble yourself," Jiang Yuxun, unaccustomed to being waited on, quietly stepped back half a step, "I can manage on my own."

"Then I won’t disturb you further," said Eunuch Sang, stepping back towards the door. He stopped after a few steps, as if remembering something, and added, "The official road was cleared yesterday, so you can return to Xianyou Palace later."

"Alright."

Finally, Eunuch Sang left, and Jiang Yuxun's eyes gradually adjusted to the light.

He couldn’t help but look up at the sky.

At this moment, the sun was already high in the sky, appearing to be around nine o’clock.

...Was the official road cleared yesterday?

A ridiculous idea suddenly popped into Jiang Yuxun's mind, which he immediately suppressed.

No, no, no, don’t think nonsense!

Logic told him it was impossible, but when he stepped outside and saw the fully prepared imperial guards and the Imperial Seal Inspector ready to leave, Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but doubt for a moment—

Could it be that Ying Changchuan was waiting for him, until now?

-

The official road, cleared overnight, was still somewhat wet and slippery.

Jiang Yuxun held the reins tightly, riding his horse cautiously.

The group continued to inspect the riverbanks while progressing, which inadvertently slowed down their pace even more.

Between the sounds of horse hooves, Jiang Yuxun faintly heard someone approaching Ying Changchuan, saying, "Your Majesty, the left division of the Imperial Seal Inspector has returned to Zhaodu and is expected to bring the Mayor of Jingzhao to the retreat palace by tomorrow..."

After his ascension to the throne, Ying Changchuan insisted on leading expeditions and campaigns in person.

He spent more than half of each year away from Zhaodu.

As the Imperial Water Commissioner, Tong Hailin prepared reinforcement strategies based on the annual water conditions and submitted them to the Emperor.

However, the follow-up construction work was somewhat unclear.

Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but recall... multiple sections of the Yi River embankment were damaged by insects, ants, snakes, and rodents, hardly looking like they had been repaired.

The Mayor of Jingzhao is responsible for governing Zhaodu and the surrounding areas and had been staying in Zhaodu in recent days.

This section of the Yi River embankment was under his supervision for reinforcement.

Hearing this, Jiang Yuxun immediately understood: Ying Changchuan was planning to settle scores after the autumn harvest!

Xianyou Palace is situated on high ground, quite far from the Yi River.

As he walked, the scenery around him changed from riverside to forest, leaving only the sound of the river crashing against the shore echoing in his ears.

Although it was noon, Jiang Yuxun inexplicably felt a chill.

"Neigh—"

Lost in thought, the white horse he was riding suddenly neighed and began to pace restlessly.

Just as he was about to lean down to calm the horse, he noticed the entire troop becoming alert and tense.

What’s happening?

Instinctively, Jiang Yuxun looked towards the nearby woods.

Before he could detect anything unusual, suddenly an arrow whizzed through the air, aiming straight for Ying Changchuan in the center of the crowd, shattering the silence by the riverside in an instant.

Assassination!

Jiang Yuxun instantly understood what was happening.

Historically, Ying Changchuan had been the target of multiple assassination attempts, which later inspired the creation of numerous operas and novels.

It’s just that... Jiang Yuxun never imagined he would witness such an event in person.

A sharp "clang" sound brought his thoughts back to the present.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred figures in black emerged from the woods, encircling them.

...Such a large-scale attack, even if not directly by the Listening Heaven Platform, must be related to them!

The Imperial Seal Inspector and the imperial guards quickly gathered, protecting the accompanying officials.

But hindered by the wet and slippery terrain, their movements were inevitably a bit slow.

The horses, startled, reared up and dashed about chaotically.

Jiang Yuxun gripped the reins tightly, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

In the chaos, he heard a black-clothed assassin shouting, "That's Jiang Yuxun! Forget the other officials! Kill him and the Emperor first—"

As soon as the words were spoken, about twenty people swiftly closed in on Jiang Yuxun's position.

The remaining assassins converged on Ying Changchuan.

The Imperial Seal Inspector then shouted loudly:

"Protect Lord Jiang!"

"Yes—"

The startled white horse gradually became uncontrollable, and assassins wielding swords surrounded Jiang Yuxun, making the scene before his eyes feel ironically surreal.

To the north of the Great Zhou, in the grasslands and deserts, lived a foreign tribe known as the 'Zherou', covetously eyeing the Central Plains.

Had they not suffered a defeat at Ying Changchuan’s hands years ago, they would have brazenly invaded the south by now!

In history, Ying Changchuan was injured in the last battle against the Zherou and passed away shortly after.

Now, the great war had not yet begun.

The Zherou tribe had not been vanquished and still posed a threat that required Ying Changchuan's deterrence.

But some were already too impatient to wait.

...They were more crazed than he had imagined.

If the assassination succeeded, it would only hasten the onset of chaos across the land.

Even... under the conquest of the foreign tribes, the turmoil would be even more brutal than recorded in history!

Jiang Yuxun gradually tightened his grip on the reins.

A large number of the Imperial Seal Inspectors were converging on this location.

Everyone thought he could only stay on the horseback, waiting for rescue.

But at this moment, the young man suddenly turned back and shouted, "Is there a knife?"

He refused to be a burden, just waiting for others to save him!

The Imperial Seal Inspector hesitated for a moment, then quickly took off his spare knife and threw it towards Jiang Yuxun.

"Lord, catch!"

It was a ring-pommel knife.

The blade was slender, straight, and narrow, with the characters "Imperial Seal" engraved in shadow on it.

Jiang Yuxun was not unfamiliar with such swords.

—In a thousand years, it would become a treasured artifact in the museums of Huaguo.

But now, it was in his hands.

The young man gripped the long sword tighter, swiftly raising his arm to block the blade aimed at his neck.

"Bang!"

The sword, glinting coldly, clashed directly with the attacker's weapon, sparking brightly.

Jiang Yuxun's arm tingled with numbness from the impact.

The assassin was startled, apparently not expecting Jiang Yuxun to fight back.

Not only that, seizing the assassin's momentary distraction, Jiang Yuxun raised his hand and heavily slapped the flat of the blade against the assassin's chest.

"Ah!" Forced back, the assassin regained his footing and roared furiously, brandishing his sword and charging at Jiang Yuxun.

His eyes, red with rage, were filled with murderous intent.

He was a desperado through and through.

The startled horse reared up, flailing uneasily.

The assassin missed his stab, then, gritting his teeth, threw his sword aside and lunged, grabbing the blade of the ring-pommel knife with both hands, pulling the young man off the horse with all his might.

Jiang Yuxun felt a sharp pain in his arm.

Mud splattered everywhere, the smell of earth filling the air.

Chaos reigned on the official road; the frightened horse could trample on his vulnerable neck at any moment.

Yet Jiang Yuxun knelt motionless on the ground, trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Ying Changchuan immediately furrowed his brows and gestured for the Imperial Seal Inspector nearby to go forward and assist.

Although Jiang Yuxun was the son of a great general, he had never been on a battlefield and seemed to have been frightened.

—The Imperial Seal Inspector understood this well.

Yet before they could move, the young man, fighting against his trembling, thrust his sword forcefully into the assassin's chest.

The sharp blade, capable of slicing through iron, pierced through skin and bone.

The tremor from the impact traveled up the sword to Jiang Yuxun's fingertips and heart.

The young man's chest heaved violently, his face deathly pale.

But he didn't blink or falter.

Instead, he gripped the long sword firmly, pinning the assassin to the ground bit by bit.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The arriving Imperial Seal Inspector exchanged looks of shock and admiration with each other.

After the dam breach incident, Jiang Yuxun's reputation for kindness had spread throughout the Yi River plains.

...Everyone thought the young man would not dare to swing a sword.

It was only at this moment that everyone realized that kindness does not equate to cowardice.

He could be braver than anyone.

……

"Lord Jiang, get up quickly!"

"Watch out for the horse behind you—"

Assassins were converging on their location, blood mingling with mud flying around, and horse hooves chaotically nearing Jiang Yuxun’s neck...

The young man instinctively closed his eyes.

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside his ear: "Get on the horse—"

Before Jiang Yuxun could react, that dark figure bent down and swiftly hoisted him onto the horseback.

Their bodies pressed closely together in an instant.

The warmth from the other's body seeped through the thin summer garment, causing a slight tingling sensation on Jiang Yuxun’s back.

"Hold on."

Without time to think, as the horse reared up, another assassin attacked from the other side.

In that instant!

Just as Ying Changchuan was about to strike, a flash of cold light beat him to it, cutting down the attacker.

Blood rained down like petals, scattering from mid-air.

Jiang Yuxun, trembling, let out a long breath and said through clenched teeth, "Your Majesty, don't treat me as a burden."

Ying Changchuan's eyes momentarily darkened.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

Everyone knows the beauty of jade, yet they don't realize it can also transform into a sharp blade, piercing through one's chest.