Chapter 292: Serial Bloody Cases
Wen Jia’s heart tightened, and a chill shot up her spine.
She instinctively pulled the three children behind her and turned back in a hurry.
She saw several burly men, their faces covered with black cloth, pouncing from the shadows like ghosts…
“Hide behind Mother!”
She almost screamed, her voice changing due to extreme terror.
Without time to think, her body moved faster than her thoughts. Instinctively, she pushed the stunned Niu Niu behind her, then spread her arms like a mother eagle protecting her chicks, throwing herself in front of Tong Tong and Guan Chen…
“You’re asking for death!”
The leader’s eyes flashed with ferocity, and his blade, carrying the sound of breaking wind, slashed directly at Wen Jia’s wrist…
“Mother…”
Niu Niu was terrified.
Her heart-wrenching cries pierced the silence.
“Assassins! Help!” Guan Chen reacted quickly, grabbing the tightly shut gatekeeper and pounding on the door with his small fists, shouting for help.
At this critical moment…
“Villains, how dare you!”
A sharp cry, like a thunderclap, exploded.
A figure, like a swallow, swooped down. A black short whip in her hand whistled through the air, and with a crack, it struck the man’s wrist holding the saber…
“Ah!” The man cried out in pain.
The short blade clattered to the ground.
Seeing this, another man immediately abandoned his target, turned, and swung his saber.
“Xiao Zhao!” Wen Jia was both surprised and delighted, her voice filled with the exhaustion of surviving a near-death experience. “How could it be you?”
“Your Highness, do not fear! The Young Lady ordered me to protect you.”
Xiao Zhao replied verbally, but her hands did not stop.
Her whip danced, her movements agile, like a dense net, quickly blocking several strong men who tried to pounce on the children…
The strong men cursed as they were forced into a frenzy by her, unable to get close…
At the same time, the Lu Mansion’s gate creaked open—
A group of guards, armed with water-and-fire clubs and carrying sabers, poured out from within.
“Damn it, retreat!”
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the assassins glared hatefully at Xiao Zhao, let out a short whistle, and without hesitation, turned and fled in haste towards the depths of the dark alley…
“We can’t let them escape!”
Xiao Zhao’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, and she was about to give chase, but Wen Jia stopped her.
“Don’t pursue a cornered enemy…”
Wen Jia’s face was pale, one hand covering her profusely bleeding shoulder, the other tightly hugging the trembling Niu Niu, her voice weak but urgent.
“Young Lady Xiao Zhao, your own safety is paramount. They are many, and you cannot afford another mishap…”
Xiao Zhao glanced at the several children who were still shaken and nodded.
“Alright. I will return to Shui Yue Nunnery to report to the Young Lady. Your Highness, take care!”
She arrived quickly and left just as fast.
After giving her instructions, her figure flickered, and with a few leaps, she disappeared at the end of the rain-soaked alley as dusk settled.
The Lu Mansion’s steward watched, dumbfounded, thinking his old eyes were deceiving him.
“The maidservant of that Sixth Miss Xue is actually so… so skilled…”
Wen Jia did not explain Xiao Zhao’s origins. Enduring the stinging pain and dizziness in her shoulder, she forced a smile.
“Today, I am fortunate that Young Lady Xiao Zhao intervened in time. Otherwise, if the villains had harmed Tong Tong and Guan Chen, even with ten thousand deaths, I could not atone for my guilt…”
“Your Highness is too kind. You risked your life to shield the young masters; this is a great kindness. Please enter the mansion quickly to treat your injuries. The Master and Madam will be here shortly…”
The Lu steward was a sensible man. He quickly directed the maidservants to carefully help Wen Jia and called the wet nurse to take good care of the children, hurrying them into the mansion.
Old Duke Lu and Old Madam Lu rushed over upon hearing the news,
Seeing the bloodstains on Wen Jia and the two children safe and sound, Old Duke Lu was filled with lingering fear and repeatedly thanked Wen Jia.
“Your Highness risked your life to protect my grandchildren. The Lu family will never forget this great kindness.”
Wen Jia weakly shook her head and returned the bow.
“Old Duke, you are too kind. I am the children’s aunt; this is what I should do, it’s nothing worth mentioning.”
Old Duke Lu, who had served as Prime Minister in the imperial court and seen through many intrigues, understood the implications.
He stroked his white beard, and a look of doubt appeared in his eyes.
“I wonder what kind of fierce criminals dared to attack the children in broad daylight…”
–
Shui Yue Nunnery.
The east wing monastic room.
A single lamp on the desk cast its light on the curtains rustling in the cold wind.
Xue Sui’s slender figure sat by the window, writing, her small regular script elegant and refined.
“Young Lady.”
Xiao Zhao lightly lifted the curtain and entered, like a cat, bringing with her the chill of the outdoors.
“As you instructed, I followed those scoundrels to the Yongfeng Back Alley grain depot in the west city. I saw them go in and not come out. I took advantage of the night to sneak in and found them all inside, drinking heavily…”
Saying this, she rolled up her sleeve and shook out a hidden weapon.
“I stole this from one of the drunkards…”
The triangular bone-penetrating nail gleamed coldly in the dim light.
It was identical to the hidden weapon used in the assassination attempt at the West Mountain Imperial Palace last time.
A cold glint flashed in Xue Sui’s eyes.
Yongfeng Grain Depot…
According to Tianshu’s Marsh Collection Post, it was an establishment owned by a distant relative of the Xiao family, Xiao Ping, who dealt in grain. Relying on the Xiao family’s protection in the capital, it prospered…
The assassins’ hiding place overlapped with the Xiao family’s den.
They attacked the children from the outset; what was their intention?
“Ping Le.”
Xue Sui put down her brush and, without hesitation, stated the name decisively.
The candlelight flickered.
Her clear, cold eyes reflected a chilling murderous intent.
“Besides her, no one would risk attacking the Lu family’s two children…”
Xiao Zhao’s breathing steadied, and she looked surprised.
“Young Lady, wasn’t Princess Ping Le stripped of her title by His Majesty and exiled to the Shuozhou Ruined Garden? The scouts reported that she went mad before reaching Shuozhou. How could she command desperate individuals in the capital?”
“Exile does not mean death. The madness is just a trick she often uses to cover her tracks…”
The corners of her lips curled as she looked out at the dark night.
“Ping Le has always been ambitious. She used wealth and beauty to win people over and worked in the Imperial Court for many years. How could she not have a few loyal remnants willing to die for her?”
Jinshu’s face showed concern. “Young Lady, your insight is keen. Princess Ping Le’s intentions this time are likely malicious.”
Xue Sui smiled, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. “The Lu family’s children are her own flesh and blood, and also her most valuable chips and hope. She will not be content to languish and grow old in Shuozhou, nor will she let any opportunity to regain her position pass her by… The closer Wen Jia is to the Lu family and the more genuinely she cares for their children, the more she will resent Wen Jia for usurping her place, thus driving her to desperation…”
Xiao Zhao clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with ferocity.
“If I had known she was so persistent, we should have eliminated her completely back then…”
Xue Sui slowly shook her head, her gaze profound.
Ping Le’s goal was far more than just snatching children or seeking revenge.
Having reached such a dangerous point, why would she expose her hand for personal grudges?
She pondered for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Xiao Zhao.
“Are you injured?”
“No. How could mere petty thieves injure me?”
Xiao Zhao grinned carelessly. “Young Lady, what should we do next? We can’t just sit by and let Ping Le cause trouble, can we? How about I go to Shuozhou and just… cut her throat…”
She made a throat-slitting gesture.
Xue Sui chuckled softly and lightly tapped her head with a finger.
“Silly girl, Ping Le is cunning and must have defenses. You’re willing to risk it, but I’m not willing to let you venture into such a dangerous place.”
Saying this, she returned to her desk, spread out a plain paper, and began to write.
After a while, she straightened up slightly, blew on the still-wet ink of the secret letter, carefully folded it, placed it in a specially made thin bamboo tube, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Jinshu.
“Send this to the Eastern Palace immediately. Ensure it reaches the Crown Prince.”
Jinshu nodded silently.
Half an hour later, a snow-white carrier pigeon flapped its wings and flew out of Shui Yue Nunnery, silently merging into the night, flying rapidly towards the Imperial City…
The next morning, even more shocking news exploded in the capital city.
Wang Qinian, Director of the Ministry of Works’ Agricultural Division, and Ma Yuankui, Director of the Ministry of Revenue’s Granary Division, were attacked by unidentified assassins in their respective mansions.
Ma Yuankui was severely wounded and on the verge of death, while Wang Qinian was killed on the spot.
Furthermore, on the same day, assassins committed evil deeds in front of Old Prime Minister Lu’s mansion, attempting to abduct the two children of General Lu You’an. Fortunately, Princess Wen Jia shielded them, preventing the villains from succeeding…
–
In the winter, Shangjing City’s wind cut like a knife.
Heavy clouds pressed down on the palace eaves, and the palace walls exuded a somber atmosphere.
In the Zichen Hall, Emperor Chong Zhao sat on the Dragon Throne with a dark expression, holding a memorial in his hand, his eyelids half-closed, his old face ashen.
Wang Chengxi stood at his side, not daring to breathe.
The dead silence of the inner hall was chilling.
“Crack!”
The memorial fell.
His cloudy gaze, like knives, swept over his two sons kneeling before His Majesty.
“Xue Qinglian, Zhang Minda… Ma Yuankui, Wang Qinian… all died suddenly, without warning… You tell me, what is going on? Is my Shangjing Imperial City a den of thieves, or a slaughterhouse?”
Li Huan raised his eyes, fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
“Imperial Father, please calm your anger. Your son only learned of this news just now and is currently investigating.”
“Investigating?” Emperor Chong Zhao sneered, his eyes full of suspicion and dissatisfaction. “I entrusted you with overseeing the Ministry of Justice and managing the capital region’s security, and this is the result. How can you expect me to calm down?”
“Your son is negligent, but this matter is truly strange. The assassins’ methods are ruthless, their targets clear, specifically striking Masters Ma and Wang. It is likely not a common vendetta… it is likely a premeditated silencing…”
“Silencing?” Emperor Chong Zhao let out a cold laugh.
“If I recall correctly, both of these men were your confidants, deeply trusted by you? You also defended them extensively in this matter involving military supplies? Prince Duan, how can I trust you? Or perhaps… you intended to use the assassins to clear your own house?”
