Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 159
Chapter 159 - Violating the Rules
Chu Yi's gaze landed on Yun Chu's face.
In the pitch-black night, her face seemed to glow against the darkness, and her two eyes were like black jewels that made it impossible for anyone to look away.
In truth, he could have delivered this weapon at any time, or if he truly could not spare the moment, he could have simply had a servant send it to the Xie residence.
Yet he had deliberately chosen such an hour, chosen such a place, and asked her to come meet him in the middle of the night.
His feelings had long since become impossible to conceal.
Even so, he had to guard them well.
"Take a look—right on the right side of the short sword, is there a small protruding dot?"
Beneath the moonlight, Yun Chu indeed spotted that tiny dot, crafted from a single grain of red jade. She pressed against it, feeling as though it could be depressed.
She raised her head. "Your Highness, what happens if I press it?"
Chu Yi clearly saw her reflection mirrored deep within her eyes.
This sensation filled him with quiet delight.
The corners of his lips inevitably curved upward.
He took two steps forward until he stood side-by-side with Yun Chu, both of them facing the tranquil expanse of the lake.
He reached out, his hand resting over the hilt of the sword.
When the man's burning, broad palm reached over, Yun Chu couldn't help but start slightly.
She suddenly realized that the two of them were standing far too close together.
This violated the rules of propriety.
Before she could even make a move, the man's low, raspy voice sounded right beside her ear: "In this exact direction—press."
As he spoke, his heated breath brushed against Yun Chu's cheek. Her breath hitched, and she pressed her thumb downward. With a faint swish, a silver, hidden dart about the length of a small finger suddenly shot out from the very tip of the short sword.
The tiny arrow plunged instantly into the water, and within moments, a dead fish floated up to the surface of the lake.
Yun Chu was utterly astonished. "How many times can it be pressed?"
Chu Yi answered, "Three times."
The moment he spoke, his breath brushed against her ear once more, making Yun Chu feel thoroughly ill at ease.
She hurried to take a few steps to the side, found a clear angle, and tested it again. A second hidden dart immediately flew from the tip of the short sword, embedding itself deep into a nearby tree trunk.
Yun Chu walked over, intending to pull the hidden dart out, but it had penetrated two-thirds of the way in—far too deeply for her to budge it at all.
"I've had a whole case of these hidden darts forged; I'll have them delivered to the Yun residence in a few days." Chu Yi walked over, easily pulled the dart out of the tree trunk, reset it with smooth, deliberate movements, and handed the weapon back into her hands. "I hope you never have to use them."
Yun Chu accepted the weapon, once again unable to suppress her gratitude. "Many thanks, Your Highness."
Coming from a prominent military family, she had encountered countless weapons from childhood onward, yet this was the first time she had ever laid eyes on such an ingeniously crafted short sword.
Generally speaking, short swords were used for self-defense and primarily served close-quarters combat. By secretly incorporating such an ingenious mechanism, the Prince of Pingxi allowed for ranged attacks in addition to melee combat, specializing in catching opponents off guard and easily seizing the upper hand during a standoff.
"I wonder what Your Highness might be lacking?"
She felt a twinge of regret; she should have kept more of that raw jade last time, as she might have been able to craft something to gift him in return.
Chu Yi coughed softly. "If Lady Yun truly wishes to express her gratitude, then I must ask you to look after the two children over the next few days. If I'm not mistaken, Yu'er and Changsheng will likely sneak over to your tent tonight."
Yun Chu wasn't surprised by this prospect in the least.
That little scamp Yu'er had coaxed the Empress into inviting her to Yanshan precisely because he wanted to cling to her every single day.
Besides, there were only a few days left of the trip, and an unfortunate incident was bound to occur; keeping the children with her would allow her to provide better protection.
Just as she was about to nod in agreement, Chengxu and Qiutong suddenly came rushing over from the distance.
"Your Highness, there are assassins!"
"Madam, this servant will escort you back to the encampment first!"
Yun Chu's heart sank heavily.
She hadn't expected that this event from her past life would actually transpire on the very first night of the hunt.
"Chengxu, escort Lady Xie."
Chu Yi left his most capable personal guard behind before swiftly surging off in the direction of the assassins.
Chengxu and Qiutong escorted Yun Chu back to the main encampment at top speed.
Chaos had already erupted around the tents, with numerous noble ladies and young misses pale with fright while senior ministers of court clustered tightly around the members of the imperial family, encircled by a dense ring of Imperial Guards.
Seeing the two children cowering safely beside Consort Yin under the watchful eye of an elderly matron, Yun Chu finally allowed her tense heart to settle.
"Chuchu, where on earth did you go just now?" Lady Lin clutched Yun Chu's hand tightly. "You scared me half to death—I thought you had been carried off by assassins."
"The tent felt a bit stuffy, so I went out to clear my mind," Yun Chu replied. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Mother."
Amidst the terrified stillness of the night, everyone waited in suspense for roughly half an hour before the squads of guards sent out in pursuit of the assassins finally began to trickle back.
At their head was the Prince of Pingxi, Chu Yi.
He reined in his horse before the crowd, dismounted with fluid grace, and strode up before the Emperor. "Your Majesty, this subject has captured three assassins alive—bring them forward!"
The guards in the rear dragged forward three men dressed entirely in black who were tightly bound hand and foot, flinging them roughly onto the ground.
"Audacious assassins, how dare you attempt to assassinate the reigning Emperor!" The historically virtuous and dignified Empress was consumed with fury, snatching up a teacup and hurling it straight at the head of the lead assassin. "Speak! Who on earth ordered you to do this?!"
If not for a quick-witted young eunuch who had caught the sound of approaching movement in the nick of time, the Emperor might very well have lost his life right here on Yanshan Mountain.
Though his life had been spared, his arm had been grazed by an assassin's blade. For the Son of Heaven to shed blood boded ill for the prosperity of the nation—which explained why the Empress was flying into such a towering rage.
The assassins kept their jaws locked tight, refusing to utter a single word.
The Prince of Gongxi stepped forward, patted down the garments of one of the assassins, fished out a token, and presented it with both hands. "Imperial Father, please take a look."
The moment his eyes landed on the token, the Emperor's expression shifted drastically. "Isn't this Fourth Older Brother's token? Where is he? Where is he right now?"
"Your Majesty, Fourth Older Brother also followed the Prince of Pingxi to pursue the assassins just a moment ago," Noble Consort De said, disbelief lacing her tone. "How could Fourth Older Brother's token have fallen into the hands of an assassin? Something must have happened to him! Your Majesty, quickly dispatch men to search for Fourth Older Brother!"
"Is that so?" the Prince of Gongxi chimed in. "Ever since nightfall, I haven't laid eyes on Fourth Older Brother's shadow at all. Fourth Sister-in-law, do you happen to know where Fourth Older Brother went?"
Xie Ping required a moment to process the words before realizing that the "Fourth Sister-in-law" the Prince of Gongxi referred to was none other than herself.
She hurried out from the crowd and blurted out without a second thought, "His Highness left the encampment right after the hunt concluded."
She had only learned from her personal maid that His Highness had rushed off in a hurry; she had no clue where he had gone or what he had set out to do. As a primary consort, she was proving a dismal failure.
Lifting her gaze slightly, she locked eyes with Noble Consort De's smoldering glare of wrath.
A delayed realization washed over her. She had just said the wrong thing.
Noble Consort De had claimed that His Highness had gone off to chase assassins, yet she had inadvertently revealed that His Highness had already departed long before...
Cupping his fists in a salute toward the highest seat, the Prince of Gongxi addressed the Emperor. "Imperial Father, our most pressing priority is to locate Fourth Older Brother immediately."
With a dark, gloomy expression, the Crown Prince declared, "Imperial Father, please grant this son permission to personally interrogate these assassins."
No extra emotion could be read across the Emperor's face.
Only the Empress knew that the Emperor had been driven to the absolute zenith of rage.
Ever since the Emperor had ascended the throne several decades ago, he had never once encountered an attempted assassination. Being uninjured would have been one thing, but once blood was shed, this matter could never simply be brushed aside lightly.
Leading his men, Chu Yi scoured the entire mountain range in search of Prince Anjing's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Gongxi interrogated the three captured assassins under the watchful gaze of the assembled multitude.
One of the assassins bit down and severed his own tongue on the spot; if not for the Prince of Gongxi's swift reflexes, the remaining two would have managed to commit suicide as well.
"You have committed capital crimes, so death is indeed your due—but you won't be dying quite so easily."
The Crown Prince clapped his hands twice, and the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace stepped forward, standing ready to await his commands.