Chapter 344
**Chapter 342: The True Target of Assassination**
With a fierce kick to Li Yuanli's leg, he stood like a pillar of steel and concrete, unmoving. Li Yuanjing, with his injured right hand, easily gripped Shen Wei's arm.
Shen Wei struggled with all her might, trying to break free from Li Yuanli's hold. But even with his right hand injured, Li Yuanli's strength was still astonishing.
Frustration bubbled within Shen Wei as she plotted how to kill him later. Meanwhile, Li Yuanli observed her face with great interest, relishing every flicker of her vibrant emotions.
“Whoosh—”
A sound sliced through the air.
A sharp arrow shot straight toward Li Yuanli's face. He tilted his head just in time, effortlessly dodging it.
Looking up, he saw Li Yuanjing galloping toward him.
With a tone of resignation, Li Yuanli called out, “Second Brother, stop shooting arrows at random. It’s fine if you hurt me, but hurting her would be a different matter.”
Draped in a black gold robe that fluttered in the wind, Li Yuanjing tightened his grip on his ebony longbow. “Let her go, and I’ll grant you a complete corpse.”
Li Yuanli replied defiantly, “I won’t let her go.”
Li Yuanjing’s gaze darkened, as if he were looking at a corpse.
The two brothers faced off in silence, the wind rustling through the valley. Suddenly, a small boat miraculously drifted into view on the rushing river. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yuanli grabbed Shen Wei's slender arm and leaped onto the boat in a few swift steps. Shen Wei felt the world spin around her, the wind howling in her ears, and before she knew it, they had landed on the small vessel.
The boat rocked gently as it floated downstream.
The current was swift, and Shen Wei was bewildered. “Are you kidnapping me?”
Li Yuanli smirked, “How about I take you back to Nanchu?”
Shen Wei’s head buzzed; she couldn’t fathom this man’s intentions. All she knew was that she could not leave Daqing. After years of hard work, she had yet to touch the retirement life she longed for, and she couldn’t allow herself to be taken to a foreign land.
“Outside Yanjing, beneath the Emperor’s feet, don’t drag me down with you to your doom,” Shen Wei warned coldly.
Li Yuanli countered softly, “How can you call it seeking your own doom—”
Before he could finish, the boat rocked again, and Li Yuanjing had somehow reached the bow.
The river rushed beneath them, with Li Yuanjing, the Emperor of Qing, at the front, and Li Yuanli, the Emperor of Nanchu, at the back, leaving Shen Wei caught in the middle, looking utterly bewildered.
The boat was small, and one misstep could send them plunging into the icy waters of spring. Shen Wei clung tightly to the only small mast on the boat, casting a pleading glance at Li Yuanjing.
Once he confirmed that Shen Wei was temporarily safe, Li Yuanjing let out a small sigh of relief. He warned Li Yuanli, “You have no way out; surrender today.”
Li Yuanli raised an eyebrow. “Second Brother, you can’t really think I traveled all this way to Yanjing just to kill you?”
Killing Li Yuanjing would be far too difficult.
The target Li Yuanli truly wanted to eliminate had never been Li Yuanjing.
...
...
In the imperial harem of the Qing Kingdom.
Due to preparations for the Qinci Ceremony (a ceremony for silkworm rearing) and the Qingeng Ceremony (a ceremony for plowing), most of the palace guards and city defense troops had been reassigned. Spring had barely begun, and the palace was already filled with the scent of blooming flowers. In the courtyard of Cining Palace, several young princesses and princes busied themselves in the flower hall.
Leyou followed her older sisters, learning to brew tea.
Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou, dressed in neat short outfits, practiced wrestling in the garden, their small fists flying with vigor. The weather was warm, and soon both brothers were drenched in sweat.
“Let’s take a break,” Li Chengtai said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Li Chengyou took the bowl of water offered by a palace maid and gulped down half of it. The courtyard was eerily quiet; the flowers swayed in the breeze, and there were no birds singing. Li Chengyou looked around suspiciously. “Brother, it’s unusually quiet in the palace today.”
After spring arrived, the palace was usually filled with the cheerful chirping of birds. Today, however, it was strange that not a single bird could be heard within the towering walls of the imperial city.
It was as silent as a grave.
Li Chengtai, hearing his brother’s observation, perked up his ears and listened for a moment. “It is quite strange.”
Footsteps echoed at the entrance of Cining Palace, and Caiping rushed in from Yongning Palace, her face pale. She whispered urgently to the head matron of Cining Palace, who looked grave and quickly turned to head to the back courtyard.
“Caiping, what’s going on?” Li Chengyou asked, craning his neck.
Caiping replied succinctly, “Assassins are attacking, Your Highnesses. I’m taking you to the cellar to hide.”
Beneath the back courtyard of Cining Palace, a deep tunnel had been dug leading to a refuge cellar. Last year, Shen Wei had arranged for it to be excavated as a precaution against emergencies.
Shen Wei always prepared for the worst.
Cining Palace housed the esteemed Empress Dowager, as well as the most favored princess and princes of Daqing. In case of an emergency, the cellar would serve as their sanctuary.
Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou’s faces turned pale, but the brothers remained calm, not crying or making a fuss, and quickly ran to the back courtyard. The cellar was hidden, spacious, and stocked with drinking water and food, with three luminous pearls embedded in the walls, casting a faint glow.
The Empress Dowager, accustomed to storms and tempests, remained composed in the face of the sudden crisis. Holding Leyou in her arms, she gently reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, Leyou. This crisis will pass soon.”
Leyou’s eyes were red-rimmed, worried not only for her beloved grandmother and her siblings but also for her parents outside the city.
She silently clutched the Empress Dowager’s sleeve, murmuring, “Leyou isn’t afraid.”
The cellar was spacious, furnished comfortably, almost like a small chamber.
Faintly, they could hear footsteps and the clashing of swords from outside.
Li Chengyou gripped a wooden sword, standing guard at the entrance of the cellar like a little hero. He turned back to the Empress Dowager and his sisters, saying, “Don’t be afraid. My sword skills are excellent; I won’t let the bad guys hurt you.”
A small frame, but with great courage.
Li Chengtai also held a short sword, his brow furrowed as he pondered, “Father left the palace and reassigned most of the palace guards... This isn’t like him.”
Li Chengtai often accompanied his father to review memorials. Through their long interactions, he had witnessed his father’s decisive methods in handling state affairs and his careful planning.
His father was an absolutely competent ruler; if the harem were under attack, he would never leave them without a backup plan.
Li Chengtai fell into deep thought.
Bang—
The tightly shut cellar door was suddenly burst open, and a fierce blaze illuminated the dim space. A dozen assassins dressed in gray eunuch robes stormed in, tossing torches against the wall, flooding the cellar with light.
Shadows danced on the walls in the flickering firelight.
In the narrow tunnel, footsteps echoed. Soon, a slender figure appeared, illuminated by the fiery glow. Lu Yun’s beautiful face emerged, and she smiled at the Empress Dowager. “Empress Dowager, you expelled me from the palace, and now I’ve returned.”
Lu Yun’s lips curled into a smile, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
The Empress Dowager shielded Leyou in her arms, her voice icy. “What a fine Lu family; are you planning a rebellion?”
Lu Yun replied cheerfully, “The Lu family is too weak to rebel. I’ve barged into the palace today simply to take your life, Empress Dowager.”
Li Yuanli had recklessly infiltrated the Qing Kingdom, disguising himself as a court official, deliberately leaving traces to create the illusion of wanting to assassinate the Qing Emperor. Li Yuanjing had dispatched the most elite palace guards and Tiger Guards to the Qinci Ceremony, leaving the defenses of the harem weakened.
With the harem so vulnerable, the lurking assassins could easily infiltrate.
The true target of Li Yuanli’s assassination was the Empress Dowager.
Table of Contents
