Inside the room, the wild mandarin ducks were as thick as thieves, and speaking of outside, Princess Anping walked out of the courtyard with a cold expression on her face, only to see Huai Yu holding a stick of candied hawthorn. Seeing her come out, she pinched the candy hawthorn stick and stepped forward, "Here."
There were sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the candied hawthorn, which clung to the crystal-clear candy chunks, looking incredibly delightful. Thinking of the sweet and sour taste of the candied hawthorn, Yan Wanqing couldn’t help but drool.
"You must’ve had a hard time today, the banquet mainly featured greasy dishes," Huai Yu sighed lightly.
Yan Wanqing took a bite of the candied hawthorn, where the sweetness mixed with the aroma of sesame exploded on her taste buds, and she couldn’t help but let out a comfortable sigh, "You really understand me, I was almost smothered to death. Just looking at those meat dishes made me feel seasick in the stomach."
"Has the Empress retired to rest?" Huai Yu, recalling the expression she saw when she came out, asked thoughtfully, "What happened? You didn’t look very good just now."
Yan Wanqing thought of the scene just now and shook her head helplessly, "Just a minor issue, it’ll be dealt with soon. It won’t affect our future."
As she spoke, her gaze dropped, and her cool eyes were filled with grim determination.
"That’s good." Seeing she was unwilling to elaborate, Huai Yu didn’t press further. Remembering what had happened in the front hall, she said, "That third young lady from the Li Family, she just had a fight with Miss Zhang Family."
"Not surprising; Li Chengyuan is stubborn, and Zhang Nian is aggressive. With their clashing personalities, it’s normal for them to quarrel," Yan Wanqing waved her hand dismissively, "Leave them be; let’s pretend we don’t know about it."
"They’re both fine, but I pity the one who tried to break it up," Huai Yu couldn’t help but click her tongue, recalling the scene.
Yan Wanqing asked curiously, "And who was breaking up the fight?"
"Li Chengyuan’s brother-in-law, of course. That guy who looks so fair and delicate, he got his hair pulled and face scratched by those two, and in the end, was pushed into the river."
Yan Wanqing frowned, "Into the river again? Is the river that popular today?"
Huai Yu continued to sigh, "Every family has its own troubles. With so many dignitaries attending today’s banquet, the way Li Chengyuan and Zhang Nian carried on, it will be difficult for them to get married off in the future."
"Perhaps they simply don’t want to get married," Yan Wanqing took another bite of the candied hawthorn and mumbled unclearly, "Just a funny story to listen to. Has everyone left the banquet now? I’m tired and would like to rest a bit."
"You should go ahead. Leave everything to me," Huai Yu said, pushing Yan Wanqing towards her own courtyard to rest, as she took the remaining half of the candied hawthorn that Yan Wanqing didn’t want and started eating it without any reservations.
Just as Yan Wanqing was about to rest, a knock sounded on the door, causing her to instinctively feel a twinge in her heart.
An anxious voice from Cong Ge came from outside, "Miss, the Young Marquis has been assassinated!"
"What?!" How could Huai Yu have been assassinated in just the short time since they’d parted?
She hurriedly put down the chess piece in her hand, stood up, and walked out.
Xiao Hongshen crushed a teacup in his palm.
He turned to Mo Shan, "Exactly how did you warn Yan An about this matter?"
Mo Shan also didn’t expect that hard on the heels of his warning to Yan An about this matter, Yan An would send someone to assassinate the Young Marquis within the Princess Residence.
Facing Xiao Hongshen’s reproval, Mo Shan could only kneel on the ground, "I have failed in my duties, please punish me, Your Highness."
"Punishment? What good will that do!" Xiao Hongshen took a deep breath as shards from the broken cup pierced his palm, blood seeping out slowly. He seemed oblivious, his eyes filled with darkness, "Has the assassin been caught?"
"Not yet. After the assassination attempt, the assailant took poison and hanged himself."
Xiao Hongshen’s mood improved slightly after hearing this, "Not too stupid, then."
Mo Shan watched the blood dripping onto the floor in front of him, her expression slightly tense, and she hesitated for a moment, "... My lord, the blood."
Xiao Hongshen glanced at the blood on his palm, then at Mo Shan kneeling before him, his expression unclear, "This isn’t something you should concern yourself with."
"Please punish me, Your Highness!" Mo Shan tensed up instantly.
But today, Xiao Hongshen seemed weary, and he waved his hand, "Stand down. I don’t want to see you right now. If there’s a next time, go into the Snake Den yourself."
"...Yes!" Without any hesitation, Mo Shan immediately got up and left.
Only when she stepped outside and the sunlight fell on her did she realize there was a cold sweat on her back.
As a member of the Hidden Guard, she shouldn’t exhibit any emotions, for showing them would mean she lost the qualification to be His Highness’s right-hand.
Mo Shan raised her hand and slapped herself fiercely, the sound loud and muffled, as a bright red handprint quickly surfaced on her cheek.
Yet, as if she felt nothing, she looked at her palm that was numbing and pursed her lips.
From now on, she must remember not to make the same mistake again.
Someone like her should always live in the dark, foul ditches. Being able to stand in front of others with His Highness was already an enormous grace. How could she dare to covet other things that didn’t belong to her?
You’re just a puppet that resembles a person.
You’ll never be able to become a true human being.
With eyes as lifeless as stagnant water, she stood outside the door, yet it was as if she had merged with nature, plain and unremarkable, devoid of any presence.
The scene shifts back to the Princess Residence.
Huai Yu, clutching her abdomen with one hand, had worn a treasured blue robe today. By now, the blood had gradually turned the garment black.
In front of her lay a man in a gray robe, his face covered with a black cloth. When the cloth was torn off, a face full of scars was revealed, making it impossible to discern his original appearance.
She had been sending guests off at the entrance, and just as the last one was about to leave so she could close the door and rest back in her quarters,
this man walked by the entrance hawking rice cakes carried in a yoke.
Thinking that Yan Wanqing might like them, Huai Yu called him over. She had just picked two pieces with red dates and was about to pay with silver when the man took advantage of the moment he was making change to pull a dagger from under the yoke and stab straight at her!
If it weren’t for her martial skills, that stab would have gone straight into her heart, and she, Huai Yu, would have perished on the spot!
Such a malicious intent!
With her lips pressed together, Huai Yu’s eyes were now filled with frost, "Investigate."
She gestured and the servants of the Princess Residence went out swiftly to begin their search.
"Young Marquis, your injury!" One of the guests who hadn’t left yet cried out in shock at her wound, "You must call a doctor right away."
After hearing this, unease flashed in Huai Yu’s eyes. She covered her wound and squeezed out a forced smile, "No need, it’s just a minor injury."
"How can this be a minor injury? You’ve lost so much blood!" Suddenly, a gentle female voice arose from the side. A woman in a goose-yellow silk dress emerged, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and with moist eyes, "It’s better to call the doctor quickly. Human life is paramount; Young Marquis can’t be careless."
The speaker was Miss Wang from the Wang Family, Wang Keren, who had been at today’s noon banquet.
She looked genuinely alarmed and immediately went to support the wavering Huai Yu. As Huai Yu tried to avoid her but failed, she was steadied by Wang Keren. Just as she was about to speak, a cold voice interrupted.
"What are you doing!"