As soon as Lady Lü made a move, he rushed forward to support her, “The ground is slippery, Old Madam, please go slowly… Ah, why have you fainted? Ah, Old Madam? Old Madam?” He supported Lady Lü, looking up at the Emperor with a bewildered expression, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, Old Madam Lü was worried about her grandchildren and fainted.”
Noble Consort Jing opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Murong Yi’s sugar-coated cannonball had already bombarded her, “Your Highness! Your Highness! Please move quickly! The Old Madam has fainted!”
Noble Consort Jing, startled by his urgent call, became confused and immediately felt that since her mother had fainted, she as a daughter should naturally go forward to show concern, otherwise what if the censors impeached her for being unfilial? She hurriedly stepped forward to check. Nanny Qin, who had escaped from the water with injuries, was very perceptive and led a group of Noble Consort Jing’s palace maids to immediately escort the two women to a nearby carriage to rest, their feet barely touching the ground.
As Noble Consort Jing was being ushered away, her confused mind wondered: Who is this beauty? Is she the dancer from last time? A lowly dancer – how can she command like a master in such a situation? Why aren’t His Majesty and His Highness angry? They even seem quite pleased…
Of course, with her pea-sized brain, she really couldn’t figure out the answer to this question. Soon she and Lady Lü were stuffed into the carriage, the carriage door slammed shut, and Nanny Qin stood guard at the door like a gatekeeper, determined not to let her mistress come out again.
When a group of women came out crying and making a scene, what were His Majesty and His Highness supposed to do? If they saved them, they’d let the assassins go; if they didn’t save them, the Censorate could immediately pile impeachment memorials on the dragon desk, and it would also cause public criticism, giving political enemies another opportunity to attack His Highness.
One Imperial Consort was troublesome enough, and now a whole family had come!
Lady Wang hadn’t reacted yet when the battlefield was suddenly left with only her as the remaining soldier. She wanted to pull Second Master’s wife as support, but the Second Master and his wife frowned at their daughter, thinking this girl was very unlucky. Originally they had wanted to ask the Imperial Consort to find their daughter a good marriage in the capital, but now with this incident, being kidnapped had already damaged her reputation, and the girl had said such stupid things in public!
She said it would have been fine to find His Highness, but she insisted on saying she went to find “that man” – how could she still be married off now!
The Second Master and his wife were furious and couldn’t be bothered to speak anymore. Anyway, wasn’t the eldest brother’s son also kidnapped? If they were going to save the eldest brother’s family, they would naturally save his family too.
Lady Wang, isolated and helpless, could only cry and beg Tie Ci again. Before her cries could reach her throat, Murong Yi had already walked to her side and whispered, “Shut up. Agree to one condition, and I guarantee to save your son.”
Lady Wang instinctively looked toward Tie Ci. Before her eyes could turn, Murong Yi was already impatiently saying, “No need to look. I said she would definitely agree.”
Lady Wang choked, thinking: Who are you? Would the Crown Princess listen to you?
However, when she looked, Tie Ci smiled with a slightly helpless expression, but clearly not the kind of unwilling helplessness.
Lady Wang had a sudden realization and whispered, “Please speak.”
“Your whole family will get out and go back to your hometown today, and never be allowed to come again,” Murong Yi said. “Whoever steps foot in the imperial capital, I’ll kill them.”
Lady Wang stared wide-eyed at this madman who openly threatened imperial relatives in front of the Emperor and Crown Princess, then turned to look at the Emperor and Crown Princess.
As a result, one of them turned away as if he hadn’t heard, and the other was even better – she nodded and smiled at her.
Others watching thought the Crown Princess was comforting her.
Lady Wang shivered, “As long as…”
“Say one more word, and Xizhou’s Wanqian Bank will recall all the low-interest loans given to your family.”
Lady Wang was even more shocked, then understood something, her face changing dramatically, “You are…”
Murong Yi didn’t answer.
The assassins across had grown impatient and shouted, “How about it, Your Majesty the Emperor and Crown Princess, do you truly not care about your own relatives!”
His subordinates applied force, and blood lines immediately appeared on Tan Dunzhi and Tan Xiuyue’s necks. Tan Dunzhi screamed loudly while Tan Xiuyue whimpered and cried.
Lady Wang hurriedly said, “I agree!”
Murong Yi laughed heartily, “Good!”
His voice was extremely loud, audible for miles around. The assassins across thought he was agreeing to their conditions and were just getting excited when they suddenly heard explosions behind them.
Several trees behind them suddenly burst open simultaneously, blade light bright as splashed snow, pouring toward the assassins’ backs.
Several screams rang out as the assassins fell. Tan Dunzhi and Tan Xiuyue rolled away and were immediately caught by rushing guards.
Among the fallen assassins, some weren’t dead yet and struggled to get up, swaying as they tried to escape. Countless people chased after them.
One of the two men had only run a few steps when he suddenly exploded with a bang.
This scene was so shocking that many noble ladies watching from afar screamed and fainted.
The other man, seeing his companion’s body explode, instantly understood something and let out a mournful cry. He threw something out, then immediately slit his throat.
Thus, all the assassins were dead.
Tie Ci remained silent.
They were all death warriors, or rather, all pre-arranged death warriors.
Whether they succeeded or failed, no one would be left alive.
Logically, all signs pointed to Yannan, and the motive was obvious, but if it really was them, why make it so absolute?
All the corpses were collected and taken back for examination. The Emperor ordered a return to camp, and after returning to camp, they would go directly back to the imperial capital.
That night, those young masters who had returned home in shock, wrapped in blankets and sneezing, received an imperial edict to depart for Yannan as scheduled in three days.
The young masters could only tearfully express their gratitude.
Also submitting memorials of gratitude were those originally very angry old ministers – they had to thank the Crown Princess for saving their lives.
This journey and rescue also made some originally firm-minded ministers very awkward.
After all, having received the Crown Princess’s favor, interactions among the group became more awkward. This was itself a kind of invisible but open discord, and it was irresistible.
As time slowly passed, some things would always show changes.
Xia Houchun soon reported back to Tie Ci. All the corpses had no traces or markings. Even the poisonous insects in the river that day had vanished without a trace afterward. Only the last assassin who committed suicide left behind one thing, which Xia Houchun collected and presented to the Crown Princess’s desk.
The object looked like a bone carving ornament, a small square piece with a rabbit carved on it. The carving was crude and the knife marks shallow, like a child’s handiwork. It was strung with red cord, also like a child’s toy.
Tie Ci held it in her hand and shook it, hearing clear collision sounds inside. This seemingly solid bone carving actually had something inside.
But Tie Ci searched the entire bone carving and couldn’t see where there were seams or openings that could hold something.
How did the thing inside the bone carving get in there?
Tie Ci listened to what sounded like beads and was quite puzzled by this question.
Since it was something the assassin had thrown out with hatred before dying, it must be important to the other party at the very least. After Tie Ci confirmed the object wasn’t poisonous, she put it in her personal sachet.
Then Little Bug came to report that Tan Dunzhi requested an audience.
Lady Wang had originally promised Murong Yi to return home immediately, but the others hadn’t yet enjoyed the prosperity of the imperial capital and the pursuit of crowds. How could they be willing to leave just after arriving? Even Noble Consort Jing earnestly urged them to stay, hoping to spend more time with family. However, when Lady Wang thought about how Murong Yi was actually the behind-the-scenes boss who had recently supported their family business, she couldn’t help but be terrified. After repeated persuasion, the Tan family was ultimately afraid of losing the business backer they had just found, so they reluctantly agreed.
However, when Tie Ci heard they were going home, she said that Xizhou was not far from Yannan, so they could travel with the main force initially. She wasn’t trying to get mixed up with these relatives – it was just that the Tan family were troublemakers with sensitive identities. If they went home alone and were used by others or something happened, it would ultimately affect the imperial family. It was better to keep them in her own group and send them back early to be done with it.
At this moment, when Tan Dunzhi requested an audience, she thought of this scholarly gentleman cousin’s wordy and awkward speech and got a headache. She was about to refuse when she heard Little Bug say, “Scholar Tan says that when he was previously held hostage, he discovered something unusual about the assassins and wants to explain it to the Crown Princess.”
Tie Ci then summoned him. This time Tan Dunzhi was much more honest, keeping his eyes down and not daring to look at her. He sat to one side and said, “Being kidnapped that day caused trouble for Your Highness.”
Tie Ci said flatly, “Cousin Tan, please remember in the future to value your own safety and not venture carelessly into dangerous places, as there won’t always be experts to rescue you.”
Tan Dunzhi hung his head even lower and responded quietly.
This Imperial Highness cousin didn’t show even a trace of friendly politeness toward him, treating him worse than ordinary servants.
This made him feel humiliated, but he also understood that his mother’s scheming had probably been seen through by this noble cousin.
He felt insulted, but he also somewhat knew that some things were just wishful thinking, and he understood even more that imperial waters ran deep – not something a scholar from a remote small county like himself could meddle in.
When the Emperor was attacked on the river that day, he was trapped in the woods across the river, gagged, watching the black water churning, countless assassins emerging from the water, blade light and blood, heads rolling, corpses floating on the river surface.
That scene was unforgettable, and he’d had nightmares for many days.
Great wealth came with great danger – he didn’t dare take the risk.
Tie Ci glanced at him coldly, not intending to say much.
After all, Tan Dunzhi was just a common type of overconfident man – insufficient insight and knowledge leading to some arrogance and pride, some petty greed and selfishness. But precisely because his world was only so big, the imperial family’s overwhelming prosperity attracted him, and the imperial family’s surging crises also frightened him.
When he felt there was hope, he fantasized; when he felt threatened, he retreated. It couldn’t be called bad character, but he wasn’t worth her looking at twice.
Tan Dunzhi fumbled in his sleeve and pulled out a strip of cloth, placing it on the eunuch’s tray. “When this commoner was kidnapped that day, the opposing assassin was already injured with torn sleeves. In my panic, I grabbed the opponent’s sleeve and inadvertently tore off a strip of cloth. I kept it clutched in my hand until I was rescued… The assassin’s outer garment was ordinary, but what I tore off was from an undergarment sleeve. The fabric looked somewhat different, so I wanted to present it to the Crown Princess for examination.”
The eunuch brought the tray forward. Tie Ci looked at the fabric, which was indeed special. It didn’t look like cloth but rather seemed woven from some special fiber, somewhat like rattan but finer and more densely woven, though quite roughly. It felt smooth to the touch, and when she lowered her head to smell it, there was a faint, astringent herbal fragrance.
She had someone bring water and fire basins. When thrown in water, it floated lightly without sinking, and water droplets rolled off – it was waterproof.
When brought near the fire basin, it could burn but slowly – somewhat fire-resistant too.
It was quite a good material.
Tie Ci also collected this strip of cloth and smiled, “Thank you, Cousin Tan.”
Tan Dunzhi wanted to say something more, but Tie Ci had already picked up a memorial to read. He could only quietly bid farewell to Tie Ci, who didn’t look up and just waved her hand.
Tan Dunzhi retreated. As he stepped out of the palace door, he looked back to see the woman sitting sideways in the depths of the hall, her manner relaxed, casually turning pages with her fingertips – matters that could shake the world.
So close, yet so far.
…
Finally, the imperial garden assassination case was closed with the suicide of one Middle Army Commander’s Office Guard Thousand-Household, two Imperial Capital Guard Hundred-Households, and one palace-stationed eunuch.
Xia Houchun reported to Tie Ci that all leads had been cut off almost completely on the day of the assassination. Only after exhausting all means of investigation did they vaguely trace it to these few people, but they died quickly too.
The three guard leaders were respectively responsible for leading thousand-man teams to search and clear the mountains beforehand, and leading hundred-man teams to patrol nearby during the hunt. They indeed could have provided information to the assassins, coordinating from inside and outside to help them hide in the river. But to organize two successive assassinations, especially the second one targeting noble sons, the Crown Princess, and the Emperor separately – getting so many assassins in and hiding them in various places – this was absolutely not something these few people could accomplish.
The eunuch was reported for suspicious behavior, having lingered near the tree full of wild fruit. He was suspected of placing poisonous insects under that tree, causing Pingzong to lose combat ability. If Pingzong had been there that day, at least the guards around the Emperor wouldn’t have died so many.
According to what Feng Huan and the others said, the two guards who spoke behind the tree to lure them into the forest were not among those who committed suicide. The ones who committed suicide were all older, while the guards who spoke were clearly young.
Those participating in the hunt that day, including inner and outer protection, numbered nearly ten thousand, not to mention they might not even be among these ten thousand.
The investigation had to continue, but it couldn’t delay the itinerary. Tie Ci didn’t delay the Yannan trip by even a day.
She left Tian Wu behind, who entered the Crown Princess’s Nine Guards, starting as a squad leader. He would first follow Xia Houchun, who remained in the capital, to investigate cases and run errands, which would also facilitate his further business development.
Rong Pu had already departed for Yueli Academy. Yang Yixiu had also accompanied him to Ziyang yesterday. Qi Yuansi would later follow the Vice Minister of Public Works and a group of officials skilled in water conservancy and agriculture to conduct early terrain surveys in the Hanli Khan Desert. After confirming that the Hanli Khan Desert could indeed be developed, subsequent work would include prisoner transport, organizing and arranging materials and equipment, formulating population relocation policies, and a series of other affairs.
Xiao Wu was assigned as county magistrate of Guishan County in Xizhou, which was where the Tan family was located. This place bordered Yannan Prefecture – on one hand, it was to plant a nail to monitor Yannan’s movements as support for this trip; on the other hand, it was to look after and watch the Tan family. After all, as power gradually returned to the imperial family and Tie Ci’s status rose, the Tan family would inevitably enter various people’s sights. To prevent any trouble, it was better to keep them guarded.
The other students who passed this spring’s imperial examination were also departing for various places in these few days, basically all important counties in various states – either belonging to military passes, or located in the nation’s granaries, or situated in prosperous areas, or as sources of cultural education. Like inconspicuous seeds, they scattered lightly from Tie Ci’s palm. Whether these people could take firm root and flourish in the next ten years, or whether they couldn’t hold on and would be scattered by wind and rain, would depend on each person’s fortune.
Tie Ci had been quite busy these past few days, but Noble Consort Jing still wanted to find her to discuss important matters. Tie Ci guessed what it was about and didn’t want to go initially, but she had to bid farewell to her mother consort before traveling far anyway, so she went.
When she entered, she gave Chi Xue a look, and Chi Xue understood, quietly withdrawing.
Sure enough, not long after sitting down, Noble Consort Jing hesitantly began talking about how she hadn’t seen her relatives for many years, and now that they were reunited for just a few days, she really couldn’t bear to part with them.
Before Tie Ci could say anything, she heard that Old Madam Lü and others were requesting an audience.
Noble Consort Jing hurriedly ordered them to be admitted, and Tie Ci chuckled silently to herself.
Sure enough, when that family entered and saw her, after performing their greetings, they began their bombardment in turns.
Master Tan the Elder put on his uncle’s airs, staring at her solemnly and asking in a stern voice, “Your Highness, Uncle and the others haven’t seen your mother consort for many years and haven’t had time for detailed family conversation, yet they’re to be sent back to their home prefecture. Your Highness treats blood relatives so coldly – aren’t you afraid of criticism from scholars and a reputation for being unfilial?”
Master Tan the Second laughed dryly while smoothing things over, “Elder brother, your words are too harsh. Surely His Highness doesn’t know the details. It’s just that sister-in-law was forced by villains that day and agreed to this expedient measure to save Dunzhi. His Highness is meeting us for the first time and would be too delighted to part with us. How could she bear to send us away? Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
Lady Liu also quickly nodded, her eyes roving over the furnishings in the hall. Last time she had only gotten about a thousand taels of silver from the Imperial Consort, which wasn’t enough to fill the business losses. If they left now, there would be no chance.
Lady Wang looked aggrieved, wiping her eyes, “Dunzhi and Xiuyue were frightened and caught cold, and they haven’t fully recovered from their illness…”
Even Lady Lü came over to take Tie Ci’s hand, lowering her eyes and saying hesitantly, “Your Highness, grandmother can’t bear to part with you…”
A group of people surrounded Tie Ci, talking all at once. Outside the crowd, Noble Consort Jing looked on eagerly.
Tie Ci calmly withdrew her hand from Lady Lü’s grasp and picked up her tea. Dan Shuang stepped forward and directly blocked Lady Lü and Lady Liu, who was moving closer. Both women, suddenly aware of their impropriety, awkwardly retreated.
Only then did Tie Ci say calmly, “Throughout history, for Da Qian’s palace dependents, family members entering the palace have had regulations – entering the palace in the afternoon, never staying overnight as a rule. Those from distant ancestral homes cannot enter the capital without summons. Grandmother’s entry to the capital this time was already by Father Emperor’s special grace, staying for several days and having military escort home – this has already been more than appropriate treatment.”
Before the various people with different expressions could speak, she continued, “If Grandmother and Uncle and Aunts wish to stay, it’s not impossible…”
Everyone showed delight.
“…It’s just that I must explain clearly to Grandmother and Uncle and Aunts – the hunting ground incident the other day was by no means an isolated case. After all, court struggles have been going on for a long time, as you must have heard. Since childhood, I have encountered no fewer than eight hundred assassinations, if not a thousand. Grandmother and Uncle and Aunts are my blood relatives, so I’m afraid you won’t be spared from such incidents either.” Tie Ci looked with satisfaction at everyone’s changed expressions. “Grandmother and Uncle and Aunts care so much for me, you would naturally be willing to share weal and woe with me. Of course, I will try my best to assign people to protect you all. Guards…”
Lady Wang, Lady Liu, and Master Tan the Elder all said in unison, “Wait!”