“It’s not you who decide to leave or not.” All of a sudden, a high-pitched voice came from behind Leng Changxi and Elder Princess. Leng Changxi turned his head vigilantly. It turned out that the one was nobody else but Eunuch Meng, who had been following Jing Yuanchu and helping him.
Eunuch Meng hadn’t seen Leng Changxi before, but he had sent people to ask about him. He knew that the man wearing a silver mask beside Elder Princess was Leng Changxi, the first Great General of Qi as well as the bastard son of Jing Donghua and Elder Princess.
“He is good at martial arts. Be careful,” Eunuch Meng told several master-hands who had been lurking on the wall. Having already felt the constant, secret flow of much genuine energy around them, Leng Changxi guessed that there were many master-hands ambushing in the surrounding. He quickly judged that two of them mastered Qigong, three of them mastered out-fight and one of them was good at using a sword. It seemed that Jing Yuanchu had invited many talents for this ambush.
Leng Changxi protected Elder Princess behind him. However, the coachman waiting at the entrance of the palace far away was hit by a dart and died immediately. Those master-hands jumped off the wall. Leng Changxi put his hand on his waist where the dagger was hidden subconsciously.
“Eunuch Meng, you’re really in a good mood,” Leng Changxi sidled with provoking eyes, “Are you taking so many masters in the mansion of Thirteenth Prince to this remote path of the palace just for a drill?”
“It’s not for a drill,” Eunuch Meng took out the pink handkerchief to wipe his lips and nodded slightly, “I merely come to catch the assassin according to my master’s order.”
“Assassin?” Leng Changxi raised the corners of his eyes, “Me?”
Eunuch Meng didn’t speak but stepped backward. With his hand waving, those master-hands jumped off the wall immediately. They took out their own weapons and approached Leng Changxi and Elder Princess step by step in the form of a circle. Leng Changxi had held the dagger in his hand, “I don’t want to kill people in the palace. You’d better back off.”
However, those assassins were not kind people. Having killed so many people for Jing Yuanchu from high officials to plain folks, how could they be afraid of Leng Changxi’s a few words?
Leng Changxi mobilized his energy in secret. His genuine energy met the ones of the two Qigong masters, fighting with two people at one time. Suddenly, the two Qigong masters made a gesture of pause.
“This man is powerful. We can’t beat him.” One of the Qigong masters was the leader of the six assassins.
“Big Brother, don’t be scared. We have six people in all.”
“I mean, even when all of us attack him at the same time, we won’t be able to beat him.” The leading assassin felt cold in his heart. He had never seen anyone with such thick inner Qi, which was not only thick but also hard like the 1000-year-old iceberg in the North Pole, which couldn’t be built in a short time. Were it not for Leng Changxi’s young appearance, he wouldn’t believe that there could be a young man with this inner Qi when he was alive.
It seemed that this time the Thirteenth Prince had given them a hard task.
Seeing no motion in this direction, Eunuch Meng urged, “What are you waiting for? His Royal Highness is waiting for my report of finishing the task.”
“Eunuch Meng, what task is it?” All of a sudden, an enchanting voice came from behind Eunuch Meng, whose back felt chilling immediately. The woman’s voice was easy to identify. Just to hear her sneeze, Eunuch Meng could know precisely that the woman was exactly the most favored imperial concubine in the Royal Palace of West Xia, Imperial Concubine Lian.
Leng Changxi looked to the direction where the voice came. He saw a sedan chair carried by 28 people coming from afar. 28 people! According to the rule in the Royal Palace of Qi, only Imperial Concubine and the empress could sit on the chair carried by so many people. It seemed that the coming woman was really in a high position in the palace.
Two ties of scarlet yarn hang from the silver-made roof. Inside there was a vague figure of a woman. Just from the good-shaped shadow, it would be enough to arouse much imagination. Leng Changxi turned his head and found that the moment Eunuch Meng saw this woman, he acted as if he had seen his ancestor. He hurried to trot forward enthusiastically and curtseyed, “My greetings, Your Grace. Why do you come to this remote yard to relieve boredom?”
“Oh, how dare you,” although the words were spoken with a smile, the way the woman said it was frightening, “Do I ever need to report to you, a eunuch, about where I want to go?”
“I dare not. I dare not.” Eunuch Meng kneeled down in a hurry. The people who could make Eunuch Meng, who was arrogant most of the time, act so humbly were nobody else but Jing Yuanchu and Imperial Concubine Lian. Leng Changxi thought with his instinct that the reason Eunuch Meng was extremely polite to Imperial Concubine Lian was not merely because of her status.
A hand, white and exquisite as if it were made of jade, slowly put aside the hanging car curtain. A face, delicate as if it belonged to one of the ladies in the painting, was half-hidden behind the scarlet yarn. Her anger and happiness all made men crazy. No wonder why she was the most favored imperial concubine in the Royal Palace. Such great beauty could only be had by the emperor.
“Eunuch Meng,” the beauty in the sedan chair put down the car curtain again after the short appearance, “In my opinion, they are no more than a woman and a man wearing a mask. They are not likely to be the assassin you said. You’d better let them go.”
“Well, I dare not,” Eunuch Meng said in a flattering voice, “It’s the order of His Royal Highness. I can’t disobey him.”
“I said let them go. That’s my order. As for Thirteen Prince, I will speak to him.” Imperial Concubine Lian’s attitude was rather obvious. Leng Changxi was a little surprised. He had never met her before. Why would she help them? He never believed that there could be any sympathy or compassion in the palace. There were only eternal interests in the palace.
“Won’t you let them go?”
Eunuch Meng was in a pickle. He winked at the little disciple behind him, who immediately left, preparing to report Jing Yuanchu. Eunuch Meng said politely, “Your Grace, now that you’ve said, of course, I’ll listen to you. All of you, come back.”
Eunuch Meng called the assassins to come back again. The leading assassin was relieved. He even dared not to look at Leng Changxi directly. This man was too dangerous.
“Now that things are clear now, why don’t you leave?” Imperial Concubine Lian leaned back, looking relaxed.
“Yes. Your Grace, I leave now.” Eunuch Meng quickly took people away, whose pace was rapid. He should discuss with Thirteenth Prince as soon as possible, telling him that the spy he went great length to train and put into the palace seemed to oppose him.
Just when the tense atmosphere at the entrance to the lane began to loosen, another weird atmosphere began to arise. Leng Changxi said coldly, “Your Grace, thank you…”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Imperial Concubine Lian looked a little distracted. Saving Leng Changxi was as easy as stamping on the ant to her, “There are only eternal interests in the palace. You should remember you owe me. That’s enough.”
The sedan chair carried by 28 people left along with the way they came. Elder Princess didn’t speak from the beginning to the end. Leng Changxi patted her shoulder. The carriage for them to leave the palace was still waiting at the end. There was no coachman, but it was alright. Leng Changxi was familiar with the way out.
“Yunuan was still in the palace,” Elder Princess came back to earth. She had been remembering that Qin Yunuan was kind to her when she lost her mind. What was more, Qin Yunuan was Leng Changxi’s legal wife. Clever and pious as Qin Yunuan was, it was natural for Elder Princess to take her as her own family.
“She herself can find a way out. Mother, you needn’t worry about her.” Leng Changxi led Elder Princess to take on the carriage. When Elder Princess sat steadily, Leng Changxi turned his head to say, “Mother, now that you don’t want to leave West Xia, we won’t leave here. We will stay where you would like to stay. I’ll always accompany you.”
The wheels of the carriage rolled slowly. At the same time, at the Tongming Gate, a carriage with red signs on the roof was questioned by the guards. As soon as the guards saw the red sign, they became extremely humble. They even ignored the check of the coach and let the carriage pass directly.
“It’s the carriage of Prince Shun’s Mansion,” the leading guard murmured, “But today there are so many carriages coming from Prince Shun’s Mansion! It’s already the third one.”
Inside the carriage, Mu Qingyu and Qin Yunuan sat opposite each other. Both of them didn’t speak. The atmosphere was heavy. The carriage met a small bump. As Qin Yunuan was weak, she nearly fell to her feet. Mu Qingyu hurried to support her and asked softly, “Madam Leng, are you all right?”
Qin Yunuan shook her head, “Nothing wrong with me. Your Royal Highness, thank you.”
The servant girl outside immediately rebuked the coachman, “How are you driving? If Her Royal Highness felt hurt because of the bump, can you bear the consequence?”
“It’s my fault. But I don’t know why there are so many stones on the road. What if we switch to another road which is farther?”
“No need for that,” Mu Qingyu glanced at Qin Yunuan, “This road is the shortest one to return to Prince Shun’s Mansion. We don’t know the situation of other roads. Go along the original one.”
“OK. Your Royal Highness, please sit steadily. We’ll meet many bumps on the way,” the coachman suggested and drove the horse carefully on the road, which was full of sharp stones, but there were so many of them that the carriage shook violently.
Qin Yunuan looked up at Mu Qingyu, whose face looked calm. She leaned on the soft pillow and closed her eyes to have a rest.
Qin Yunuan couldn’t bear her curiosity. She asked, “Your Royal Highness, why do you insist on going on this way?” It was obvious that someone had tampered with this flagstone road, or how could so many stones have been spilled on it without anyone’s care?
“It’s all the same whichever road we choose,” Mu Qingyu opened her eyes, “With such an obvious intention to harm me, if I choose another road, he must ambush us. So I’d better come back along the same road. At least on this road, I can break even with the man.”
Just when she finished her words, the sound of fighting, killing, and clashing of weapons came from ahead. Before long, it was quiet. A rapid footstep came closer and closer. Someone knocked three times outside the carriage, which was a secret signal. Mu Qingyu smiled and said to Qin Yunuan, “Obstacles have been removed. Even though he sends so many people to attack, I also have master-hands. I’ll never bear insult.”
“Your Royal Highness, you said ‘he’. Do you know who wants to attack you?” Qin Yunuan asked curiously.
Mu Qingyu looked at Qin Yunuan and said, “Firstly, of course, I know who he is. Secondly, the one he wants to kill is not me but you.”
