Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The words had barely left his mouth when a sudden sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the hall, accompanied by the eunuch's high-pitched announcement:

"His Majesty is here—!"

Everyone instantly fell silent, turning and bowing toward the direction of the hall's entrance.

Li Sheng walked in, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, his steps steady.

His gaze swept calmly over the bowed heads. "My dear ministers, no need for formalities."

His eyes finally rested on Elder Su, and his tone softened: "Elder Su, please take your seat."

The crowd rose. Only after Li Sheng was firmly seated on the dragon throne did the palace attendants step forward to pour his wine.

Li Sheng held his wine cup, slowly scanning the hall. He sat upright, his authority perfectly measured, though a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, maintaining the royal grace.

"Tonight is New Year's Eve," he announced. "No court business, no official duties. Let us only celebrate the festival together. So enjoy yourselves, my ministers."

Even so, the atmosphere didn't loosen up much. Attendants immediately stepped forward with wine flasks, refilling each table. The wine poured into celadon cups, releasing a faint, fragrant aroma.

Ji Ye was the first to raise his cup, a smile on his face: "Your Majesty's kindness to us ministers is our great fortune. We wish Your Majesty good health and peace, year after year!"

The others followed suit, raising their cups and chanting "Long live Your Majesty" in unison, easing the previously tense mood.

Cui Jidao leaned over to Nan Wuxie, cup in hand, and clinked his glass: "Since we're here, we've gotta play the part, right? Show some support?"

Nan Wuxie looked up and saw Li Sheng's gaze sweeping toward him. He then picked up his cup, rose slowly, and raised it toward the dragon throne: "Your servant wishes Your Majesty a peaceful New Year's Eve."

With that, he took a light sip.

The blessing sounded a bit odd—"peace on New Year's Eve"?

Just as the young emperor on his high throne looked down to scrutinize the composed Nan Wuxie, Elder Su seized the moment, lifted his cup, and stood up shakily.

"This old man also raises his cup to toast Your Majesty. Though this winter's cold cuts to the bone, this old man's heart is with the state. I pray that in the coming year, the seasons are harmonious, the rains come on time, the people live in peace, and the whole realm is calm."

Su Zhanyu rose with him, just as steady. He only followed softly: "Your servant humbly raises this cup, wishing Your Majesty a peaceful New Year's Eve and good health."

His voice was clear and cold, no extra words.

Li Sheng looked at the crowd with their cups raised. The coldness in his face softened a bit. Elder Su had timed it perfectly, deflecting the emperor's attention from Nan Wuxie. But whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, Li Sheng couldn't tell.

"You ministers are truly thoughtful," he said, poker-faced, as he signaled the attendants to serve the dishes. "Taste the imperial cuisine. The kitchen made these special. See if they're to your liking."

At his signal, attendants filed in two rows with trays, placing exquisite dishes on each table. The aroma immediately filled the hall.

Slowly, the murmurs of conversation picked up again. But beneath the renewed warmth, few were really relaxed.

Chao Yunping kept patrolling the hall, his eyes occasionally sweeping the entrance and corners. His ears remained alert to the sounds around him, a sharp edge in his eyes, afraid even the smallest slip might let someone take advantage.

Nan Wuxie took a bite of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. The sweet-and-sour flavor was pretty refreshing.

He glanced around and noticed Su Zhanyu had only touched the greens in front of him, leaving the fish untouched. Nan Wuxie found that even more interesting.

This young Master Su had this "above-it-all" vibe even while eating—pretty intriguing.

Just as laughter started filling the hall, a sharp scream from a palace maid cut through from outside, like a needle popping the newly relaxed atmosphere.

Everyone who'd been talking instantly shut up. Hands holding wine cups froze mid-air, and all eyes turned to the entrance. Smiles stiffened, replaced by panic.

Li Sheng, though, kept eating. He just lifted his eyes a bit to glance at the door, looking impatient—or like he'd already expected this disruption: "What is the commotion?"

Before he'd even finished, Chao Yunping couldn't hold back anymore. He yanked out his sword and strode toward the entrance, barking orders to the Imperial Guards as he walked: "Go check what's going on outside! Tighten the perimeter! No one gets near!"

The officials and noble scions inside looked even more rattled, but Nan Wuxie stayed seated, still holding his wine cup. The liquid rippled gently inside.

When the scream came, he just raised an eyebrow, glancing at the entrance from the corner of his eye. Then he lowered his eyes and let out a soft chuckle.

Wen Buchi also didn't move. He kept his eyes downcast, his long lashes hiding the emotions beneath. The hand holding his wine cup remained steady, but his ears twitched slightly as he carefully listened to the sounds outside.

Elder Su tightened his grip on his walking stick and looked at his grandson beside him. Su Zhanyu remained as cool and aloof as ever, slightly lowering his head without speaking, though his gaze had already shifted toward the entrance. He moved his teacup closer to himself with steady, unhurried motions, showing no sign of panic.

In just a few moments, the Imperial Guard who had gone to investigate returned quickly, kneeling on one knee to report: "Your Majesty, it was a palace maid who found a hedgehog scurrying out near the corridor outside the hall. She was startled and cried out. There is nothing abnormal."

"A hedgehog?" Li Sheng repeated, his gaze lingering on the guard's face. Seeing the man's honest expression, he nodded slowly. "Since there's nothing unusual, let the maid withdraw. Inform those outside not to panic and disturb the palace feast."

"Yes!" The guard acknowledged and withdrew.

Everyone in the hall sighed in relief, their hearts settling. Some even joked: "So it was just a little hedgehog—it gave us quite a scare!" and "Looks like we were all too tense. With His Majesty here, what could possibly happen?"

The atmosphere warmed again. Nan Wuxie couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. He shook his head and downed his wine in one gulp.

Just a hedgehog? A palace maid who had served for years would be that frightened over just a hedgehog?

And Li Sheng's reaction was also unusual. At the assassination attempt during the previous welcoming banquet, he had been furious. Today, he was remarkably calm.

As he was lost in thought, a flash of cold light suddenly shot from outside the hall, catching the corner of his eye!

It was a half-broken arrow—no fletching, just the sharp arrowhead. Its speed was so great it nearly whistled through the air, heading straight for Li Sheng on the dragon throne.

No one inside had time to react. All they saw was a streak of silver light. The broken arrow was too fast for even screams to escape their throats. Smiles that had lingered moments earlier were instantly replaced by terror. The scene froze in stark stillness.

Nan Wuxie moved almost instinctively. His hand had already reached for the teacup on his table, his eyes fixed on the broken arrow. The usual laziness in his demeanor vanished, replaced by a sharp alertness.

With his accuracy, a well-thrown teacup would surely deflect the arrow.

But just as the teacup was about to leave his hand, his peripheral vision caught Li Sheng's face: the young emperor's usually gloomy eyes were filled with genuine panic, and even the hand holding his wine cup trembled slightly. This was definitely not an act.

Not his scheme? The thought flashed through Nan Wuxie's mind. His action abruptly halted.

If this assassination was real, and Li Sheng was truly unaware, then if he acted now…

At the same time, Wen Buchi also sprang into motion. He leaned forward half an inch, his hand already reaching for the short blade concealed at his waist.

With his skill, throwing the short blade would not be slower than the arrow.

But something felt off. More importantly, if he revealed his martial arts now, his carefully built facade of a "frail civil official" would be shattered. Not only would future covert actions become much more difficult, but he might also be accused of deceiving the emperor.

In his hesitation, his movement faltered by a fraction. The hand hanging by his side clenched slightly, his eyes fixed on the arrow's trajectory, filled with inner conflict. He wanted to seize the opportunity to save the emperor and earn merit, but he feared that acting rashly would bring trouble.

No one was more anxious than Chao Yunping.

He watched the broken arrow fly straight toward Li Sheng. His mind held only one thought: if the emperor was harmed, he, as the Imperial Guard Commander, would bear a guilt beyond redemption.

Fear couldn't keep up with instinct. His sword left its scabbard, his arm shot forward, and the long blade flew like a bolt of lightning, crossing from Li Sheng's right side through the air.

"Clang!"

A sharp clang made everyone's eardrums ache; as sword met arrow, the tip of the broken arrow was less than two inches from Li Sheng's nose.

Chao Yunping's long sword precisely struck the arrowhead vertically, the immense force sending the broken arrow off course.

Immediately after, with a "clang," the long sword embedded itself, along with the broken arrow, into the golden pillar carved with coiling dragons beside the dragon throne.

The whole process lasted only an instant, so fast that no one made a sound, their breaths caught in their throats.

"The assassin is on the opposite palace wall!"

Suddenly, a steady voice came from a corner of the hall.

Before the voice died down, the imperial guards on duty rushed out like arrows from a bowstring, their footsteps chaotic yet orderly, the cold gleam of their halberds glinting as they headed straight toward the palace wall.

Chao Cheyun stood in a corner, his eyes followed the guards outside for a moment before he calmly looked away, still maintaining his composed demeanor.

Li Sheng broke into a cold sweat, his hand tightened abruptly on the wine cup, spilling most of the wine, which dripped onto his bright yellow dragon robe, glaringly obvious.

Staring at the broken arrow on the golden pillar, his face instantly darkened; the emperor's dignity was thoroughly offended as he instinctively bellowed, "Chao Yunping!"

"I am here, Your Majesty!" Chao Yunping was already kneeling on one knee, his voice trembling with lingering fear. "Your servant failed to protect Your Majesty properly; please punish me!"

The hall fell silent; all noise ceased. All officials and noble scions lowered their heads, not daring to breathe. Ji Ye's hands clutched his clothing tightly, his face pale. He Xing's eyes swept the outside of the hall, as if searching for the assassin's trail. Elder Su supported himself on his cane, his expression solemn. Su Zhanyu also set aside his aloof demeanor, his eyes taking on a scrutinizing look as he stared at the broken arrow on the pillar, lost in thought.

Nan Wuxie slowly set down his wine cup, tapping it lightly on the table's edge. He looked at Li Sheng's genuine anger, then glanced at the kneeling Chao Yunping, his thoughts darkened.

It seemed this assassination was real. So who had shot this broken arrow? Was it aimed at Li Sheng? Or at Chao Yunping? Or... another target?

Wen Buchi also quietly stepped back, returning to his corner, his eyes downcast to hide his emotions.

Although he had not acted earlier, he had observed everyone's reactions: Nan Wuxie's hesitation, Li Sheng's panic, Chao Yunping's fear...

Li Sheng's furious shout made everyone's knees go weak. He stared at Chao Yunping prostrate on the ground, his chest heaving violently.

Having sat firmly on the dragon throne for years, when had the emperor ever been so frightened from a direct assassination attempt?

What weighed more heavily on his mind was that an assassin could shoot a broken arrow into the heavily guarded Changle Hall? This was utterly preposterous! A blatant provocation against imperial power!

Chao Yunping knelt on the ground, his back drenched in cold sweat. He could clearly feel Li Sheng's anger, his fingers tightening slightly, not daring to breathe too heavily, waiting only for the emperor's punishment.

The air in the hall seemed frozen. The officials and nobles dared not even raise their heads. Only Nan Wuxie remained seated in his original spot, though his fingers had stopped tapping the table edge. His eyes roved between Li Sheng and Chao Yunping, his gaze deepening.

He naturally understood the principle that "whoever acts fastest is most suspicious," which was why he had deliberately held back earlier. Li Sheng's anger at this moment was probably not only because of the assassination, but also because of the scheming hidden behind this chaos.

He knew Chao Yunping well; he knew that with Chao Yunping's cunning, he would never devise such a scheme just to gain merit. But Li Sheng was paranoid and, still shaken from the incident, Chao Yunping's reaction had been too fast, so fast it seemed planned.

Wen Buchi also quietly lifted his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chao Yunping's trembling shoulders before quickly lowering them again.

He was also pondering: Chao Yunping's sword had arrived too opportunely—so opportunely that it brought trouble upon himself.

At that moment, Li Sheng took a few deep breaths, relaxing his clenched molars slightly, though his voice remained cold and hard, with a restrained, gritted-teeth tone: "Minister Chao... your meritorious service in protecting the throne."

At these words, everyone in the hall was stunned.

Chao Yunping even jerked his head up, his eyes full of disbelief.

Li Sheng did not look at him; his gaze swept over the kneeling crowd in the hall, his tone heavy as lead: "Merely the tricks of petty villains—they cannot frighten me, nor can they frighten the civil and military officials of Great Jing."

Though his words were steady, the knuckles of his hand gripping the dragon throne armrest were still white. "This arrow... well shot, leave it there, do not pull it out, keep it until the night banquet ends."

Chao Yunping was startled for a moment, then quickly kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty... Your servant... your servant will surely find the assassin's trail and give Your Majesty an account!"

His tone was agitated, but he did not notice the complex gleam that flashed in Li Sheng's eyes—anger, suspicion, and a measure of cold scrutiny.

Li Sheng waved his hand, signaling him to rise: "This matter is to be handled entirely by the Celestial Inspectorate, with assistance from the Listening Terrace."

He took a deep breath and looked down at Chao Yunping: "Minister Chao has been working hard lately; he should take a good rest."

"Your servant... Your servant obeys!" Chao Yunping quickly accepted the order. As he stood up, his legs were still weak, but he forced himself to straighten his back.

The people in the hall gradually came back to their senses, the shock still lingering on their faces. No one dared to laugh or joke anymore; even the hands holding wine cups trembled slightly.

Ji Ye quietly tugged at Ji Zhou's sleeve and said in a low voice: "This matter is not simple. Let's say little and avoid drawing trouble upon ourselves."

Ji Zhou smiled at his own father and nodded lightly.

His expression still revealed nothing, but his gaze instinctively avoided Li Sheng's direction.