Chapter 77: Assassination During a Secret Meeting
Why would the Crown Prince appear here?
Xiao Zhao and Ru Yi exchanged a look as if they had seen a ghost, their faces unable to hide their surprise.
Xue Sui, however, appeared extremely calm and gave a slight bow.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet carried a hint of distance.
It was as if the two were truly not acquainted.
Li Zhao narrowed his eyes.
Looking at Xue Liu’s appearance, her complexion was rosy, her spirit radiant, and her demeanor natural. There was not the slightest sign of being afflicted by the “Love Silk Gu.” Let alone being poisoned by a gu, even a young lady raised in seclusion would appear weaker than her.
“Sixth Miss has considerable skill.”
Li Zhao leaped down from the bluestone. Perhaps the movement was too sudden, and the guards beside him were startled, instinctively moving to protect him.
Xue Sui’s expression remained unchanged.
She quietly watched Li Zhao approach and said in a flat tone:
“Although the back mountain is secluded, it is not inaccessible.”
Her implication was to remind Li Zhao not to be seen, lest it cause trouble.
Unexpectedly, Li Zhao was unconcerned, a slight smile curving his lips.
“You and I are not wild mandarin ducks meeting secretly in the bamboo forest, why should we be afraid?”
Hearing his words, it was clear he had witnessed Xue Yue Man and Guo Zhaoxuan’s clandestine meeting.
Xue Sui smiled faintly and did not reply.
Li Zhao stood tall, his gaze falling upon Xue Sui’s fair and rosy cheek.
Xue Liu didn’t look like this before, did she?
The mountain peach blossom blooming at the foot of Pu Ji Temple seemed less tender and vibrant than she was today.
Li Zhao’s heart stirred, as if a formless hand had caressed it. An inexplicable wave of emotion surged in his chest, hot and intense, his heart beating faster uncontrollably…
He subconsciously turned his face, and his gaze met the delicate and vibrantSpring Drunken Begonia on her sleeve cuff.
The petals were layered, lifelike, as if blooming before his eyes…
He took a deep breath, calming the turmoil within him.
“Looking at your complexion, there are no signs of poisoning?”
Xue Sui: “The gu is still small.”
Li Zhao said: “Mine is bigger?”
Xue Sui: “…”
The two were less than three feet apart. Xue Sui was momentarily unsure how to answer, falling into a slight silence. Her gaze met his, neither avoiding nor shy, as composed as an old monk who had cultivated for many years at Pu Ji Temple, her heart like still water.
This composure, in turn, made Li Zhao seem less detached, his thoughts like a runaway horse, somewhat beyond his control.
He had wanted to ask if her body had been abnormal recently, and if the residual poison of the Love Silk Lure would also make her restless at night. But the words, when they reached his lips, felt too abrupt.
So, he said unhurriedly, “Sixth Miss is determined to marry into Prince Duan’s Mansion, won’t you consider the two Love Silk Gu? If you are separated, what if you have thoughts of eloping?”
He then smiled gently.
“If you come begging me then, I might not agree.”
“The Mother Gu is docile and will not act up easily,” Xue Sui’s tone remained flat.
Li Zhao sneered, “You are fearless? Could it be that Sixth Miss Xue has a method to resolve the gu poison?”
Xue Sui tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and observed the surging undercurrent in Li Zhao’s calm eyes.
Thinking of something, she pursed her lips slightly.
“I’ve heard of a rare flower in the Western Regions called the Love Silk Flower. This flower needs to be planted in specially prepared medicinal soil, watered with water from a spring without roots, and carefully nurtured. Once it blooms and bears fruit, its fruit can be harvested to make medicine that can suppress the Love Silk Gu poison. Your Highness, would you like to try?”
Li Zhao curled his lips slightly, “Where does the flower come from?”
Xue Sui said: “If Your Highness needs it, I can ask my fellow disciples at Old Mausoleum Swamp to help find it. However, the seeds cost a hundred taels of gold each. To be clear, the Love Silk Flower seeds have extremely demanding growth requirements; if the climate or soil is slightly unsuitable, they will be difficult to survive…”
Li Zhao’s expression changed slightly.
Then he chuckled.
“Sixth Miss Xue, are you trying a new trick to trick me again?”
Xue Sui gave a slight bow and said, “Sixth Miss would not dare.”
Li Zhao looked at her silently for a moment, then suddenly called out, “Lai Fu.”
Lai Fu stepped forward and replied with his head bowed, “Your Highness, I am here…”
Li Zhao looked into Xue Sui’s eyes and instructed him:
“Upon returning to the capital, give Sixth Miss Xue three hundred taels of gold.”
Lai Fu almost choked.
He watched the Crown Prince agree to such an absurd matter, helpless.
This Sixth Miss Xue is truly bold and ruthless, holding the Crown Prince in her grasp and doing as she pleases. Is she not afraid of falling one day and being drowned by the rising floodwaters…
“I understand.”
Unexpectedly, Li Zhao continued, “Two hundred taels to buy seeds, and the remaining one hundred taels…”
Xue Sui looked at him.
Li Zhao did the same.
Their eyes met.
Only Lai Fu stared blankly at his master, then suddenly grinned and said:
“As dowry for Sixth Miss.”
Xue Sui gave him a slight bow, her eyes curving upwards, a slight upward arc appearing at the corner of her lips, like a fish gently flicking its tail in a calm lake, creating ripples that stirred within one’s heart.
“Crown Prince is benevolent and charitable, his virtue spreads in all directions. May he live a long life.”
No one would dislike having more money. Since Li Zhao was so “generous,” she was naturally happy to accept.
“If Your Highness has nothing else, then Sixth Miss will take her leave…”
Li Zhao gazed intently.
Without a word.
Lai Fu watched the slender, graceful figure turn and leave, feeling a pang in his heart.
The Crown Prince’s vital point has been grasped!
If this continues, what is to be done?
Lai Fu opened his mouth several times to call out to Sixth Miss, and indeed, he heard a voice.
“Sixth Miss Xue, wait!”
Lai Fu was startled.
He heard his inner thoughts spoken by the Crown Prince.
The voice was cold and sharp.
Li Zhao strode forward in two or three steps, grasping Xue Sui’s hand and squeezing it tightly in his palm, as if holding a hot potato. Sweat broke out on his brow, and his eyes were filled with agitation.
“Just leaving like this?”
Xue Sui frowned slightly, looking at him calmly, not pushing him away.
Li Zhao examined Xue Sui’s face, his expression growing colder.
Did this woman have no feeling for physical contact?
Upon touching her warm skin, the Love Silk Gu within him became restless. Why was she so unfazed?
Xue Sui spoke, “Your Highness, is that enough?”
Li Zhao’s hand on her wrist slowly loosened slightly.
“I was just testing if the gu worm would react…”
Xue Sui asked, “What do you feel, Your Highness?”
Li Zhao frowned slightly, “Displeasure.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed drastically.
Their eyes, locked in a gaze, flashed with cold light almost simultaneously.
In a flash, he felt a spiritual connection with Xue Liu, a piercing shriek of approaching danger, cutting through his eardrums. Without the slightest hesitation, his body moved like lightning. The moment Xue Sui sidestepped to avoid it, he swiftly extended his long arm, accurately and powerfully grabbing her hand and pulling her into his embrace.
“Whoosh—”
An arrow, carrying a sharp gust of wind, whizzed past their eyes.
With the force of breaking wind, it directly embedded itself into the trunk of a thick tree not far away, emitting a buzzing tremor.
If such a mighty ancient tree could be penetrated, the consequences of it hitting a person would be unimaginable.
Xue Sui released the hand she had been holding in her sleeve and, seeing the surging ferocity in Li Zhao’s eyes, retreated slightly.
“Your Highness is being followed.”
Li Zhao smiled down at her, his eyebrows and eyes as clear and handsome as the bright moon in the mountains.
“Or perhaps they are following Sixth Miss.”
Xue Sui’s expression was composed: “I never leave tails behind me, unless I want to.”
Seeing her so confident and calm, Li Zhao couldn’t help but smile.
“Sixth Miss Xue, rest assured, he cannot escape this forest. He will not let anyone spread rumors about you and I meeting privately, thus tarnishing your reputation.”
Xue Sui did not reply, her gaze falling on his sleeve.
“Your Highness is injured.”
On the sleeve, there was a trace of crimson blood.
Li Zhao looked down at the cuff embroidered with a coiling dragon among clouds and casually folded it, blocking her view.
“Just a scratch, it’s nothing serious.”
It was only because he was too eager to block the arrow just now.
Actually, he didn’t have to.
Because Xue Sui’s reaction was fast enough, no less than his.
But in that moment, he instinctively reached out, without any reason.
“Guan Ya.”
Li Zhao suddenly called out.
The voice was so cold it sent shivers down one’s spine, completely different from the tone he used when calling “Sixth Miss Xue.”
“Leave no survivors!”
When the arrow was shot, the hidden guards in the forest had already pursued.
Since Li Zhao dared to converse with Xue Sui here, there were naturally more than just the few guards led by Guan Ya.
It was just that none of them had expected the opponent to be so audacious and cautious, hiding in the dense treetops early on, concealed extremely well.
Xue Sui stood quietly to the side, watching him order the guards to capture the person, without the slightest hint of panic.
“Your Highness should be more careful when going out in the future.”
Li Zhao said, “You protect yourself…”
After speaking, he felt something was amiss and tapped her with his slender finger.
“Sixth Miss Xue’s life belongs to me.”
If she dies, he will surely perish.
This was what Xue Sui herself had said when planting the Love Silk Gu.
Xue Sui smiled faintly.
“Does the Crown Prince know who attacked?”
Li Zhao said, “There are many who want me dead, how can I know which one?”
His tone was light and smiling, but Xue Sui heard a sense of helpless melancholy.
The position of Crown Prince was coveted by many. The Eastern Palace was like a sea of knives and flames, fraught with danger.
But that was not her concern.
So Xue Sui gave a slight bow, bid farewell to Li Zhao, and then let Xiao Zhao help the pale and frightened Ru Yi, slowly walking towards the mountain path they had come from…
The world was filled with vibrant spring scenery, with bright red spring flowers blooming to their fullest amidst the green leaves.
Her figure receded further and further…
Li Zhao stood in place, his black hair and fine robes, letting the mountain wind blow, like a lone wolf that had strayed into a field of flowers.
Lai Fu stepped forward, bracing himself, “Your Highness, why didn’t you keep Sixth Miss…”
Li Zhao smiled, “Keep what?”
Lai Fu looked up at his cold face and said softly, “I inquired, her wedding date is set for the twelfth of April, Prince Duan’s birthday.”
Li Zhao said, “That day is not auspicious.”
Lai Fu looked at his cold face and cold words, and a sense of regret and heartache suddenly arose in his heart.
Their master, from childhood to adulthood, was said to be the most handsome and heroic of the Emperor’s five imperial princes. No matter how biased His Majesty was, everyone around the Crown Prince, without exception, doted on and respected him. If he truly fancied a woman, wouldn’t that be her fortune?
He was the current Crown Prince.
If Sixth Miss rejected him coldly once or twice, even if His Highness had feelings, how could he express them? He would not try to keep that lady anymore.
Of course, this was just Lai Fu’s momentary feeling.
Li Zhao was actually quite calm and did not have so many thoughts.
He was thinking, why was the Love Silk Gu so potent?
It could truly bewitch people’s hearts.
Facing Xue Liu, he was no longer as composed as before.
Upon returning to the palace this time, he would have Zhang Huaicheng find a way to find two exotic people from the Southern Border to investigate…
He absolutely could not let Xue Liu manipulate him from now on.
In less than a moment, Guan Ya swiftly returned from the depths of the forest, fresh blood still on his hands.
He walked up to Li Zhao and cupped his hands in salute.
“Your Highness. That person committed suicide out of fear of punishment!”
He paused and then asked, “How should the body be handled?”
Li Zhao curled his lips slightly, “Weren’t there two wild mandarin ducks meeting secretly here just now? Then let the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion and the Minister’s Mansion clean up this mess.”
The second update is still at dinner time, mwah~
