The First Jasmine - Chapter 83
Chapter 83: The Trace of Xu Qingchen
Ye Li carried a volume of poetry back to her room, sitting down with peace of mind to read. Princess Anxi was not an idiotic princess lacking brains to become the Crown Princess of Nanzhao; at least the people she sent to monitor her exercised proper discretion and would not make a guest feel offended. Ye Li thus couldn't be bothered to say much about it. If Princess Anxi had truly believed her completely, she would have had to question the intelligence of this Nanzhao Crown Princess.
"Miss, Princess Anxi has left the estate," An Er entered and said in a low voice.
Ye Li nodded and said softly, "That princess is no simple character; do not get too close to her lest there be misunderstandings." An Er frowned, looked out the door, and said, "She doesn't believe us at all. If that's the case, won't our staying here be completely useless and instead make it harder for us to get away?" Ye Li shook her head. "Princess Anxi certainly knows where Big Brother went. Even if she cannot find Big Brother right now, it is clear she isn't worried about his safety. What has Big Brother been doing ever since he entered Nanzhao? Can it be investigated?" An Er nodded. "Before tomorrow, this subordinate will present it to the Miss." Ye Li nodded, frowning as she stared at the book in her hand, her mind already flying far away. Big Brother obviously wasn't captured; he had gone somewhere of his own accord. But after going, he hadn't returned by the time agreed upon with Princess Anxi. Big Brother had no vested interests or enemies of his own in Nanzhao, so he could only have gone for Princess Anxi's sake. Even so... following Big Brother's temperament of inheriting Grand Uncle's foolproof meticulousness, he shouldn't have left without a trace. The clue... where on earth was it?
Laying a sheet of Xuan paper flat on the table, Ye Li took out her customary charcoal pencil and began rapidly writing and drawing on the paper. In her mind, she continuously conjured the complex information regarding the Southern Border sent by the shadow guards that she had stayed up late reading last night, quickly sketching out a structural distribution chart of the Southern Border's factions, an analysis of the various power relations in the Nanzhao capital, and so on. Before long, a sizable sheet of Xuan paper was densely covered with various simple symbols and strange scripts. An Er looked somewhat strangely at the completely incomprehensible things on it, choosing not to ask aloud. Ye Li lowered her brush, gazing at what she had written on the paper with a momentary daze. It wasn't that she deliberately wanted to guard against anyone—what was written on this paper wasn't really a secret, but merely her own re-categorization of the data she had seen last night. Looking at the fluid paper containing at least four nations' scripts mixed together, Ye Li couldn't help a helpless smile in her heart. Did she truly keep yearning for the life of her past life? She could have remained a quiet, perfect Princess Consort, but she simply didn't like it. Therefore, after leaving the capital, she had deliberately avoided Mo Xiuyao's protection and chosen to travel in a more dangerous manner.
Setting aside the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Ye Li stared at the paper spread out on the table for a long time before frowning and asking, "Why is there no news of the Southern Border Saintess?" The clear diagram before her eyes indicated that they were severely lacking in information regarding the Saintess of the Southern Border, a figure of paramount importance in the region. Even if there was any, it was mentioned in just a few sparse words. It was all the most basic content, virtually identical to what she had known back in the capital; even her age, name, and physical appearance remained unknown. If the Southern Border Saintess was currently locked in a power struggle with the Crown Princess to usurp authority, it was impossible for there to be so little data.
An Er stated, "The Southern Border Saintess is hailed as the guardian deity of all the Southern Border tribes, enshrined within the Saintess Palace located five li outside the Nanzhao capital. Except for major events and festivals, the Saintess never leaves the Saintess Palace, and the only people normally permitted near her are the thirty-six temple maidens selected to serve her. The current Saintess, Shu Manlin, succeeded to the position at the age of fifteen, and in the past eight years, she has left the Saint Palace fewer than ten times—yet every single time, she wore a mask. It is said that throughout all of Nanzhao, aside from the former Saintess who entered the Southern Border Holy Land, absolutely no one knows what she looks like." Ye Li shook her head. "That is fundamentally impossible. The reigning Saintess does not have the right to educate the next Saintess, so who taught the Saintess, and who raised her in her childhood? Who were her parents? Furthermore... if truly no one has ever seen the Saintess's true face, then... who can dare affirm that the person beneath that mask is the genuine Southern Border Saintess?"
"This..." An Er frowned with hesitation. Ye Li picked up her brush and heavily wrote several lines of words on the paper. "Investigate the news of the Nanzhao royal family and the Southern Border Saintess again, very thoroughly. Do not miss any minute detail or clue."
An Er acknowledged, "Understood, this subordinate will immediately have people look into it. Does the Miss suspect... the Southern Border Saintess..."
Ye Li twirled the charcoal pencil in her hand and smiled faintly. "If the Southern Border Saintess truly almost never leaves the Saint Palace, how could she have gotten mixed up with Prince Li? Several years ago when Prince Li visited the Southern Border as an envoy, the Southern Border Saintess did not appear at all. Then..." An Er's eyes lit up as he said, "They met in private. Forming an alliance with the Southern Border is too significant a matter for Prince Li to have simply dispatched subordinates to negotiate, and besides, the Southern Border Saintess is not someone easily seen." Ye Li nodded, leaning back into her chair to ponder. "The Saintess... what a bizarre status. Suddenly elevating a young girl of unknown identity, origin, and ability to one of the most revered positions in the entire Southern Border. Are the people of the Southern Border truly that gullible?" An Er shook his head and shrugged. "If we randomly pulled someone out in our Great Chu and proclaimed them Crown Prince, even with the Emperor's imperial decree, I'm afraid it wouldn't win public submission."
"The Saintess system of the Southern Border seems to have existed for as long as the history of the Nanzhao Kingdom itself?"
"Not quite that long; before the founding of Nanzhao, the various tribes governed themselves without any such thing as a Saintess. It was indeed established right after the founding of Nanzhao, when the grand tutor of that era—who was also the sacrificial priest of the Nanzhao royal family—selected the very first Saintess," An Er recalled, lowering his head. Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like the functions of the grand tutor and the Saintess were largely identical, which is why after the Saintess appeared, Nanzhao never used the title of grand tutor again." An Er nodded, meditating for a moment before saying, "The grand tutor's movements weren't as strictly confined as the Saintess's, and the duties they needed to fulfill were roughly similar. However, in the minds of the Southern Border people, the Saintess is clearly far more worthy of devotion than a grand tutor."
"Compared to an old codger wandering everywhere, ordinary people generally prefer a mysterious, beautiful young maiden," Ye Li agreed.
Early in the morning, after finishing the breakfast delivered by the maid, Ye Li prepared to head out with An Er, only to run into Princess Anxi at the doorway, who also appeared to be heading out. "Miss Chu, are you heading out?" Ye Li greeted her with a hopeful yet slightly timid smile, asking, "Princess Sister, is there any news of Qingchen-gege?" Princess Anxi shook her head with regret. "Apologies, Miss Chu. There is still no news of Young Master Qingchen." Ye Li lowered her head in disappointment, saying softly, "It's alright, Qingchen-gege will definitely be fine. Lin Han and I are also going out to look for Qingchen-gege; we will surely find him soon."
"Miss Chu has just arrived in Nanzhao and is unfamiliar with the place; where do you intend to look?"
Ye Li helplessly twiddled her fingers and whispered, "I... I'll just look around everywhere. Perhaps, perhaps I'll find him." Princess Anxi couldn't help but chuckle softly. "If Miss Chu feels bored, you can walk around the capital. If there's anywhere you wish to go, you can have someone from the estate act as your guide. However, there are many dangerous places in the Southern Border, so Miss Chu must never venture into danger alone, lest you cause Young Master Qingchen to worry." Ye Li nodded and said, "I understand, thank you Princess Sister. You will find Qingchen-gege quickly, won't you? Otherwise, otherwise I shall write a letter to Elder Xu. Qingchen-gege said Elder Xu is the smartest person in the world, and he will certainly have a way to find Qingchen-gege."
"Master Hongyu?" Princess Anxi was startled, speaking in a soft voice.
Ye Li nodded heavily and smiled. "Princess Sister knows Elder Xu as well? Did Qingchen-gege tell you?"
Princess Anxi nodded faintly, smiling. "Miss Chu may rest assured, I guarantee we will find Young Master Qingchen very soon. The journey across the Southern Border is arduous, so let us not worry Master Hongyu. Otherwise, if Young Master Qingchen found out, he would feel uneasy in his heart, wouldn't he?" Ye Li blinked her eyes, gazing at Princess Anxi with a slightly bewildered expression for a long moment before nodding. "Princess Sister is right."
Watching Princess Anxi depart, Ye Li followed closely behind with a gentle smile as she stepped out of the grand gates of the Princess's estate. "Have someone follow Princess Anxi."
"Understood."
Inside the inn, Han Mingxi walked down into the main lobby looking thoroughly satisfied and newly woken. His lazy, elegant demeanor—possessing a captivating charm distinct from the people of the Southern Border—instantly attracted the gaze of everyone in the inn. Naturally, Han Mingxi didn't care about others staring at him as he strolled lazily over, beckoning the passing waiter to ask, "Have you seen the two young gentlemen who were with me?" The waiter felt his head spin from looking at him, and hurriedly replied, "Replying to the young master, those two young gentlemen went out early this morning. Right, there is also a letter left for you, young master." The waiter scampered over to the counter to retrieve the letter from the proprietor and delivered it into Han Mingxi's hands. Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow, took the letter, glanced over it, and couldn't help frowning. "Junwei is truly lacking in sportsmanship; how could he leave me behind and run off? Humph, there is no one in this world that this young master cannot find." Casually crumpling the letter into a ball, he raised his hand to toss it, then hesitated, pulled it back, and tucked it into his sleeve pocket. He walked out in a huff, leaving behind a lobby full of patrons who had yet to recover their wits.
At that moment, in a private dining room of a restaurant across the street run by a Great Chu native, Ye Li sat leisurely by the window in men's attire, drinking tea. The person accompanying her had been switched from An Er to An San. Looking out the window, she happened to see Han Mingxi walking out into the crowd, muttering with a trace of lingering grievance. Ye Li watched with amusement as Han Mingxi vanished into the distance among the throng, and asked, "What did Han Mingxi do yesterday?" An San spoke in a low voice, "Young Master Han went out the night before last in the middle of the night and did not return until nearly midnight last night. He should have gone to Tianyi Pavilion's stronghold in Nanzhao. Tianyi Pavilion and we have always minded our own business and not interfered with each other. Young Master... do you need it investigated?" Ye Li shook her head. "No need, as long as he doesn't obstruct us. Pay attention to the news from An Si's end; let's make sure Han Mingyue doesn't show up at our doorstep without us even knowing."
An San nodded. "Strictly speaking, Young Master didn't scheme against Tianyi Pavilion for anything, and Young Master Han followed us to the Southern Border of his own accord. The master of Tianyi Pavilion shouldn't come looking for trouble with us."
"That may not be certain. Does Tianyi Pavilion send its intelligence reports on a regular schedule?" Ye Li asked.
"Yes, this subordinate compared the information obtained from Tianyi Pavilion with our own intelligence, and the discrepancies are minimal," An San replied. Ye Li nodded with satisfaction. "That's good... If there is still someone capable of simultaneously evading the shadow guards and Tianyi Pavilion, then even if we were tricked, we wouldn't be wronged. Later, ask Tianyi Pavilion for information regarding the Southern Border Saintess. I already told Han Mingxi I wanted the Azure-Falling Flower; asking for news on the Southern Border Saintess now won't arouse Han Mingxi's suspicion."
"Understood. Young master, there is also news from the Sick Scholar's side. Old Master Liang is unlikely to hold out much longer. Are you...?"
Ye Li frowned in annoyance. She hadn't expected that the moment she arrived in Nanzhao she would receive the news of Big Brother's disappearance, resulting in her now not only being unable to obtain any advice or assistance from Xu Qingchen, but also having to track down Xu Qingchen's whereabouts in the shortest possible time. It left her stretched thin, but the Sick Scholar's side absolutely could not be ignored either. "Old Master Liang is ultimately not a martial artist, let alone the Sick Scholar's methods—even a trained martial artist wouldn't be able to hold out for long." Previously, the Sick Scholar was afraid that if he killed Old Master Liang, he would lose all clues completely; now that the token was in his hands, even if Old Master Liang refused to speak, putting in a bit more effort would eventually unearth a lead. Furthermore, without the token, Old Master Liang himself wouldn't be able to answer for it.
"Where are they?"
"Outside the city."
Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "Finding Big Brother takes priority. Have the shadow guards keep a close eye on them. If worst comes to worst, helping those Luoyi Tribe members rescue that Old Master Liang will do. You must absolutely not let him tell the Sick Scholar the method to obtain the Azure-Falling Flower. At least not until we free up our hands. If all else fails, we can only seize it by force; if we can't seize it, destroy the Azure-Falling Flower! We must never let the Sick Scholar get it."
An San hesitated and said, "The Azure-Falling Flower might potentially cure Your Lordship's illness. If it's destroyed..."
"That's why we must try our utmost to get it. But if we truly cannot obtain it, we cannot let the Sick Scholar have it either. Who do you think is the first person he would want to deal with once he gets the Azure-Falling Flower?" Ye Li asked with a smile.
"Your Lordship?"
Ye Li looked out the window and smiled faintly. "The Sick Scholar is the Third Master of the Yama Pavilion. Whatever he wants to do, he can completely send his Yama Pavilion subordinates to handle it, yet this time he traveled alone to the Southern Border and didn't mobilize the Yama Pavilion's influence at all—what was that for? It must be because the other two masters of the Yama Pavilion disagreed. Back then, the Sick Scholar was heavily wounded and nearly lost his life, and even now he is dragging half a life along. How could he not resent it? But the Yama Pavilion has an agreement with the Dingguo Estate never to interfere with each other. Therefore, he can only rely on himself..." Recalling the resentful, venomous look in the Sick Scholar's eyes when he mentioned the Azure-Falling Springs, Ye Li couldn't help a flutter of palpitations. It even briefly sparked the thought of whether she should strike first and kill the Sick Scholar, though that thought flashed by and vanished. Regardless of whether it was due to the Sick Scholar's identity or other reasons, he could not be killed right now—at least, he could not die at the hands of the Princess Consort of the Dingguo Estate.
"This subordinate understands. I will absolutely not let the Sick Scholar get the Azure-Falling Flower."
Inside a secret palace somewhere in Nanzhao, the marble floors and pillars were carved with exquisite patterns, and countless luminous pearls replaced candlelight to provide radiance, accompanied by precious gems inlaid in fine gold decorative utensils. The finest Furong gauze of the Southern Border billowed in layers. Behind the gauze screens, a handsome and ethereal man in white sat quietly reading a book. Under the soft glow of the luminous pearls, the man's perfect profile cast a faint radiance, making him appear even more serene and tranquil.
The heavy stone door was pushed open from the outside, and a tall, slender woman stepped leisurely inside. Unlike traditional Southern Border attire, the woman wore a wide, bright yellow outer robe embroidered with phoenix patterns, the hem trailing gracefully upon the ground. A cascade of dark hair was casually coiled up, adorned with gorgeous colorful gem ornaments, and an exquisite golden mask covered her entire face. The delicate mask carried a bizarre allure, making the eyes beneath it appear even more mesmerizing. The woman paced forward gracefully, looking at the man in white and saying with a low laugh, "Qingchen, do you really not want to take a look at me? As long as you nod, I will remove my mask and let you see."
Xu Qingchen set down the book in his hands, let out a soft sigh, and looked up to ask, "Are you... more beautiful than those ladies in the Chu Capital's Portrait of National Beauties?"
This seemed to be the first time Xu Qingchen had given a reaction to this question, and the woman was somewhat surprised. "You like women from Great Chu? I've heard of the Chu Capital National Beauties as well; which one do you prefer? Is it the one known as the number one beauty of Great Chu, Su Zuidie? Didn't she seem to have died already?" Xu Qingchen smiled indifferently. "Su Zuidie... is indeed a not-bad beauty. If you aren't even as good-looking as her, then there's no need to look."
"You!" A trace of annoyance flashed in the woman's eyes, but she quickly calmed down, chuckling, "Qingchen is far too picky. From what I know, your little fiancée does indeed look quite nice, but... she doesn't seem to have reached the level of a peerless beauty." Xu Qingchen lowered his gaze, faintly concealing the unusual look in his eyes. The woman, however, assumed Xu Qingchen was acquiescing, and snorted lightly. "Speaking of which, that Miss Chu is truly deeply affectionate toward you, running all the way to the Southern Border with only a single guard. Just for that, Miss Chu really doesn't seem much like a Central Plains woman."
"Where is she?" Xu Qingchen asked.
"Heh, yesterday she made quite a grand ruckus storming into our Crown Princess Anxi's estate. Since Crown Princess Anxi and you are good friends, I suppose she will properly entertain your fiancée," the woman covered her mouth and smiled. "Qingchen, really won't consider my proposal? Once it's accomplished... you and I can share the world together." Xu Qingchen's expression remained calm as he said softly, "If I am not mistaken, three years ago you also made the promise of sharing the world with Prince Li of Great Chu." The woman waved her sleeve dismissively with disdain and laughed, "Mo Jingli? How can he compare to you? No... I believe that apart from the Prince of Dingguo, no one in this world can compare to you. It's just a pity... the Prince of Dingguo has already been crippled, and you are the most perfect man in this world, as well as the most fitting match for me."
Xu Qingchen shook his head. "My apologies. The Xu family rules state that marrying a wife requires virtue, and the descendants of the Xu family must not covet beauty, wealth, or power. To marry one person in this lifetime is enough for me. Lady, keeping me locked up like this probably won't do much good either; the Nanzhao capital is not that large, and being found here is only a matter of time." The woman half-leaned against a marble pillar and chuckled merrily. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you? Over the past half year, how many bad ideas have you given Anxi, ruining how many of my plans? Don't you like Central Plains women? Am I not more like a Central Plains woman than Anxi?" Xu Qingchen shook his head, lowering his gaze to continue reading his book as he said, "If you wanted to kill me, you would have already killed me. Besides... what good would killing me do you?"
"That's true." The woman sighed helplessly. "Killing you brings an endless amount of trouble. The Xu family of the Central Plains, and perhaps even the Dingguo Estate, would come looking for trouble with me. And there's also our Crown Princess, who would surely fight me to the death. However... hehe, while I cannot kill you, I can lock you right here. That way you won't be able to ruin my plans. Without you spoiling things, it won't be long before that arrogant, obnoxious woman Anxi dies a very ugly death. Of course... along with your cute fiancée."
"You are not allowed to touch her!" Xu Qingchen seemed provoked, warning her in a cold voice.
"Oh? You actually care about her?" The woman looked at Xu Qingchen with some curiosity and said, "How can you care for a little girl who clearly hasn't grown up yet?" Xu Qingchen said flatly, "As long as she is my fiancée, I will naturally care." The woman stared at him and said, "You mean no matter what kind of person she is, as long as she is your fiancée, you'll care about her?" Xu Qingchen smiled. "Isn't that the most natural thing in the world? Since she is my future wife, if I don't care about her, who should I care about?"
"You... fine, this lady is just going to touch her and show you!" the woman sneered, glared hatefully at Xu Qingchen, and swept her sleeves as she left.
Hearing the heavy stone door close once more, Xu Qingchen slowly laid down the book in his hands. His clear and handsome eyes lowered softly. "Fiancée... Miss Chu... Lier..."
Late at night, Princess Anxi's estate was shrouded in tranquility. Only the study still held a faint glimmer of light. Princess Anxi's delicate, heroic face carried a trace of exhaustion, her slender brows furrowed as she looked at the person before her. "Is there still no news from Qingchen?" The man shook his head and said in a low voice, "None." Princess Anxi said with a hint of agitation, "What is going on? Could it be she still doesn't believe us and genuinely thinks Qingchen has disappeared?"
The man nodded. "It's entirely possible. Although we dispatched people to search everywhere for Young Master Qingchen, she might still very well believe that we are conspiring with Young Master Qingchen to put on an act for her."
"I just hope Qingchen doesn't meet with any trouble." Princess Anxi closed her eyes in exhaustion, massaging her aching temples as she said, "We expended so much effort and finally made the situation improve somewhat. If we fall short of success now, I'm afraid... my father's side..." The man frowned and said, "His Majesty still does not trust the Princess?" Princess Anxi smiled bitterly. "Father has just turned forty and is in the prime of his life. Even if he believed us, he wouldn't give us his support; he needs another faction to keep me, the Crown Princess, in check." If it weren't for her father's covert partiality, how could they have failed time and time again over the past half year, always having their target escape just as they were about to catch her tail? "Now even the military tally has fallen into her hands. If we cannot take back the military tally, nothing we do will be of any use."
Princess Anxi truly didn't understand why her usually wise father insisted on favoring that woman. Yet she could not stand by and watch her attempt to subvert Nanzhao. This was her responsibility as both a Nanzhao princess and the Crown Princess.
"Can we find out where Young Master Qingchen is currently located?" Princess Anxi asked. "If push comes to shove, please ask Qingchen to withdraw first. This is Nanzhao's own affair and we cannot implicate him."
The man shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not. Although we can occasionally receive messages sent out by Young Master Qingchen, they are always delivered through his contacts. We fundamentally have no way of pinpointing where Young Master Qingchen actually is."
"Damnable!" Princess Anxi cursed under her breath.
"There's an assassin!" A cry rang out from outside the courtyard. Princess Anxi stood up abruptly, and the man beside her instantly drew his sheathed saber, retreated to open the door, and then quickly stepped back inside, frowning. "They are heading toward the guest courtyard." Princess Anxi said, "There is only Miss Chu in the guest courtyard; what would an assassin want with her? Quickly, let's go take a look." With that, she stepped out the door first and rushed toward the guest courtyard. The man quickly closed the door and sprinted after her. The window in a corner of the quiet study twitched slightly, and then a black-robed figure was pushed open, swiftly vaulting inside. Beneath the black veil, a pair of bright, clear eyes were revealed. The black-robed figure walked rapidly to the desk and began rifling through the dossiers on top. After going through them once and finding nothing of note, she proceeded to search the bookshelves behind her. Princess Anxi's study did not hold many books; most of them were various official documents and dossiers, predominantly written in Southern Border script. After a good while of searching, a dossier hidden in the most inconspicuous corner of the bookshelf caught the black-robed figure's eye. What caught her attention wasn't the dossier itself, but the fact that its sealing wax bore a sunflower-shaped imprint. Her gaze flickering, a thin blade appeared at the black-robed figure's fingertips, swiftly cutting open the sealed dossier. Scanning the contents ten lines at a glance, her clear eyes revealed a faint smile. After resealing the dossier and restoring the study to its original state, she vaulted out through the window.
In the guest courtyard, the moment Princess Anxi arrived with her guards, she was immediately blocked at the entrance by An Er. An Er looked at the group with a gloomy face and said, "Princess, what is the meaning of this at such a late hour?" Princess Anxi stated, "An assassin just broke into the guest courtyard. Is Miss Chu alright?"
"An assassin?" An Er frowned. "This subordinate has been keeping watch outside the whole time, and no assassin came in."
Princess Anxi was stunned; the guards of her own estate would certainly not lie. Furthermore, she had indeed seen several black shadows enter the guest courtyard from afar just now; why was this Miss Chu's guard flatly denying it? "Guard Lin, Miss Chu is Young Master Qingchen's fiancée. If she suffers any harm, I will have a hard time answering to Young Master Qingchen. Did truly no one break into the guest courtyard?" An Er's expression was unpleasantly grim as he said in a low voice, "When the commotion started outside just now, a few dark figures did approach, but they were frightened off by my hidden projectiles, and several of them should have been injured. However, they definitely did not enter the guest courtyard. The Miss's reputation is of utmost importance, so I must ask the Princess to weigh her words carefully."
Seeing An Er's gloomy and stern expression, Princess Anxi finally understood why this guard insisted the assassin hadn't entered. Central Plains women were indeed far more rigid regarding their reputation than those in the Southern Border.
"Apologies, Guard Lin. It was this majesty who misspoke." Waving her hand to signal the guards behind her to withdraw and continue searching for the assassin, she turned back to say to An Er, "Might the commotion just now have frightened Miss Chu? Why haven't I seen Miss Chu come out?" An Er replied coldly, "The Miss is staying in the inner courtyard; perhaps she didn't hear the commotion outside." Princess Anxi frowned slightly and said, "Since Guard Lin finds it inconvenient, I had better go check on Miss Chu personally. If she gets frightened, it won't be good either..."
"No—"
"Princess Sister, what happened?" Just as An Er was about to refuse, Ye Li's voice came from behind. Ye Li was draped in a wide cloak, her dark hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes still carrying a trace of sleepiness and confusion. Beside her holding a lamp was the very maid Princess Anxi had assigned to serve her. Princess Anxi smiled and said, "Nothing much, a few petty thieves just broke in. Did it disturb Miss Chu?" Ye Li tilted her head, her smile serene and pretty. "I'm not scared, Lin Han's martial arts are very formidable. He's protected me all the way here. Lin Han, isn't that right?" An Er lowered his head respectfully and said, "Indeed, Miss, please rest assured. The assassins didn't come in just now and have already been driven away by this subordinate."
Princess Anxi looked at Ye Li and saw nothing out of the ordinary, so she nodded and said, "In that case, Miss Chu, please rest well. I'll have people check other areas to avoid any remaining escapees."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Princess Sister." Ye Li smiled cutely. Watching Princess Anxi depart, the smile on Ye Li's face gradually faded, and she turned to the maid beside her, saying, "Let's go back as well." The maid nodded in acknowledgment and followed Ye Li toward the inner courtyard. Just as she stepped into the room, she felt a numbness behind her and collapsed softly onto the floor. An Er quietly appeared at the doorway. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, looking at him to ask, "What was going on with the assassin?" An Er spoke in a low voice, "There were indeed assassins; they should have been targeting the Miss. They came in a group of three, but they were too overconfident and were discovered by the Princess's estate guards. After being injured by my hidden projectiles, they fled immediately. This one was the most heavily injured, so I captured him."
Ye Li squatted down to inspect the person on the ground, who had typical Southern Border features. Although clad in black night-attire, he hadn't concealed his native traits. "They shouldn't be Princess Anxi's people. Chu Liuyun shouldn't have any enemies in Nanzhao. Who would dare specially track us to the Princess's estate to provoke us?" An Er frowned. "Could our identities have been exposed to others?"
Ye Li shook her head. "No. If our identities had truly been exposed, I'm afraid it wouldn't just be these third-rate assassins. Tonight's affair looks more like a show of force or... a provocation toward Princess Anxi."
"A show of force... a provocation against Princess Anxi? Because of Young Master Qingchen?" An Er guessed. Ye Li nodded thoughtfully. "I think so too. In Nanzhao, the only person connected to the identity of Chu Liuyun is Big Brother. However, what use is this kind of provocation if it doesn't even inflict physical harm? By comparison, capturing me to threaten Big Brother would be much more useful... if Big Brother was actually in their hands."
"Judging by the capabilities of these assassins, even if this subordinate wasn't around, they wouldn't have been able to abduct anyone from the Princess's estate." They hadn't even touched the guest courtyard before alerting the estate guards; such assassins couldn't even kill people, let alone kidnap a living person. "Can the Miss guess who did this?"
Ye Li smiled faintly. "I didn't know before, but now I have a pretty good idea. Tomorrow, let's test your interrogation skills and verify my theory at the same time."