Chapter 226 Assassination Attempt

Chapter 226: Attempted Assassination

Xie Liuzheng was most likely testing the waters. After being able to touch Luo Qingge, he wondered if his condition had improved, so he took her to the brothel that had the most women.

It was precisely because of that visit that he realized his illness hadn't actually improved—he simply could only touch Luo Qingge.

Luo Sinian finally caught on. He exclaimed in surprise, “Could it be that the man Heir Xie dragged away to elope at Flower Tower that day was actually Qingge disguised as a man?”

Ji Yuntang looked at him with interest. “You’re not completely stupid.”

“They really hit it off through a fight. Heir Xie can only be with Qingge, but Qingge isn’t limited to just Heir Xie. It seems Heir Xie has a long road ahead!”

Luo Sinian also smiled and said, “So that’s how it is. If they can actually end up together, it would be a wonderful match.”

“However, if my good friend wants to win Qingge over, he will likely have to endure some hardship.”

The two of them were chatting at Prince Ye’s residence, unaware that in the carriage, Luo Qingge and Xie Liuzheng had nearly come to blows.

They had been arguing for a full quarter-hour over which came first, the chicken or the egg, and still hadn’t reached a conclusion.

Luo Qingge pouted. “It must be the chicken first. Eggs are laid by chickens. Without a chicken, how can there be an egg?”

Xie Liuzheng narrowed his black eyes and snorted confidently. “Your logic is wrong. It must be the egg first. Chickens hatch from eggs. Without an egg, how can there be a chicken?”

Luo Qingge’s beautiful eyes widened in anger. “Eggs come from chickens, so chicken comes first!”

Xie Liuzheng retorted obstinately, “Then tell me, how did the chicken come about? It couldn’t have just popped out of a stone crack, could it?”

They both spoke at once: Luo Qingge said “Chicken first!” and Xie Liuzheng said “Egg first!”

As they argued, they nearly came to blows.

Just then, the moving carriage suddenly came to a screeching halt.

By inertia, Luo Qingge fell directly into Xie Liuzheng’s arms, her hand pressing against his chest.

Xie Liuzheng let out a soft laugh, his eyes with a lazy, amused smile.

“Princess Jiu, since you can’t beat me in the argument, are you going to resort to using force against me?”

Luo Qingge: “…” Luo Qingge: “!!!”

She wanted to throttle Xie Liuzheng.

Blushing bright red, she still insisted stubbornly, “If you can’t speak properly, then shut up. This princess would rather attack a dog than lay my hands on you!”

Luo Qingge had just stood up when the carriage gave another violent lurch, even more intense than before.

Losing her balance, Luo Qingge fell into Xie Liuzheng’s arms again.

“I…” Embarrassed, she wanted to explain, but then felt that any explanation would be superfluous.

After all, she had just declared she wouldn’t use force on Xie Liuzheng, yet she had repeatedly thrown herself into his arms.

At this moment, Xie Liuzheng was in no mood for bickering with Luo Qingge, because he keenly sensed the killing intent surging from outside, mixed with the clash of blades.

Just then, Jian Lan’s panicked voice rang out from outside.

“Princess Jiu, be careful! There are assassins!”

No sooner had she spoken than an arrow shot from the distance, flying straight into the carriage.

Xie Liuzheng reacted swiftly. He reached out, pulled her, rolled over, and pinned Luo Qingge beneath him, dodging the arrow.

But after that arrow, a hail of arrows flew toward the carriage.

Xie Liuzheng held Luo Qingge tightly, one large hand threading through her hair and cradling her head, shielding her entire body.

It was the first time Luo Qingge had been pinned beneath a man, and she was completely stunned.

Being a princess who seldom left the palace, she had never been in such intimate contact with a man. Now she could only stare at Xie Liuzheng with helpless, watery eyes.

Xie Liuzheng thought she was just terrified. He gently stroked her hair and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. With this heir here, I won’t let them hurt you.”

The man’s gaze was incredibly tender, treating her as if she were a precious treasure cradled in his palm, cared for with utmost devotion.

Luo Qingge was used to Xie Liuzheng’s unreliability, but now seeing his expression full of seriousness and tenderness, the tips of her ears, hidden beneath her black hair, flushed red.

Of course, Xie Liuzheng couldn’t see that.

By now, it was late, and the moon had hidden behind clouds. Outside, the clashing of weapons rose and fell.

“Protect Princess Jiu!”

Luo Qingge knew that her shadow guards were engaging the assassins. These eight people had been stationed by the Empress to secretly protect her.

If she weren’t in danger, they wouldn’t easily reveal themselves.

Seeing that no more arrows were flying in, Xie Liuzheng knew the carriage was temporarily safe. He casually pulled out a few arrows stuck in the carriage window and hurled them outward, felling two black-clad assassins.

Taking advantage of the gap, Luo Qingge peeked outside and couldn’t help widening her eyes.

“How are there so many assassins?”

There were at least a hundred assassins outside. Although Meng Fan and the eight shadow guards were fighting back and had already killed over a dozen, their numbers were overwhelming. Nine people simply couldn’t hold them off.

They were currently in an alley where few people passed by at night.

Xie Liuzheng knew that if this continued, they would all die here. These people were clearly intent on fighting to the death.

He pursed his lips and said to Luo Qingge very seriously, “You stay in the carriage. This heir will go out and deal with them.”

Luo Qingge’s heart tightened. She reached out to grab Xie Liuzheng’s robe, but the fabric slipped through her fingers.

Xie Liuzheng jumped off the carriage without hesitation.

The driver in front was dead. Xie Liuzheng kicked him aside.

Just as he was about to draw his sword and rush forward, he unexpectedly noticed Linglan lying on the ground, having already fainted from fright.

Xie Liuzheng pulled Linglan up and sent her into the carriage, then picked up a bloodstained sword from the ground and tossed it to Luo Qingge.

"Take this sword for self-defense. Without me, the heir, by your side, keep your wits about you."

Luo Qingge wanted to say, "Be careful," but what came out was, "Xie Liuzheng, if you die, I, the princess, won't come to collect your corpse."

Xie Liuzheng let out a careless chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't give you the chance to collect my corpse."

With that, he leaped into the air, sword in hand, and joined the fray.

Xie Liuzheng was highly skilled in martial arts, especially swordsmanship. His long sword swept with nimble grace and precision, each strike aimed at the assassins' vital points.

A flash of murderous intent, and an assassin's head hit the ground.

Meng Fan, facing five assassins alone, gradually began to tire. Just as he was about to be killed, Xie Liuzheng thrust his sword through the heart of the assassin attacking him from behind.

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