Kill someone?
Rong Zhi pricked up her ears.
At the banquet, a group of officials stared at Li Wenxuan, who lay on the ground with a gaping wound in his neck, still in shock.
Just moments ago, Li Wenxuan had simply been toasting Xia Yunting. Xia Yunting had suddenly slashed his throat, terrifying everyone present.
Someone reacted first, pointing at Xia Yunting and cursing, "Xia Yunting! Li Wenxuan is this year's top scholar. Even if you are a great general, you cannot trample on people's lives like this!"
"That's right, General Xia. Do you think you can do whatever you want after fighting on the frontier for a few years? I will report you to the Emperor and accuse you of murder!"
"Yes, report to the Emperor!"
A crowd began to chime in. If not for the numerous guards surrounding them, they probably would have acted themselves.
Everyone glared at Xia Yunting with displeasure.
Xia Yunting remained expressionless. He stepped forward, picked up the corpse from the ground with one hand, and, under everyone's watchful eyes, grabbed its face.
"The man is dead, what more do you want... How could this be!"
The accusation was cut short as the corpse's face contorted. Xia Yunting tore off a mask.
This Li Wenxuan was a disguise!
At almost the same moment, Zhang Can returned with a person who was on the verge of death. It was the real Li Wenxuan, who had been missing.
Li Wenxuan had likely been knocked unconscious. There was a bruise on his forehead, and he was still in a daze.
Zhang Can helped him sit down, offered him water, and fanned him. The man slowly woke up.
"How did I get here..."
Mid-sentence, Li Wenxuan suddenly saw Xia Yunting, and his eyes widened.
"General Xia, someone knocked me out and impersonated me to come here. Are you alright?"
A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
Who dared to be so audacious as to impersonate the top scholar and infiltrate the General's mansion?
Xia Yunting's expression was grim.
"Lord Li came to my wedding banquet and encountered such an incident. It is my failing as a host. I hope you can forgive me."
"General, you are too kind. If not for your men arriving in time, I might have suffocated to death in that dark room."
Those who had been accusing him fell silent. Xia Yunting looked at the crowd, his words resonating powerfully.
"Everyone, today is my wedding day. I did not expect someone to disguise themselves as a guest and infiltrate to assassinate me! I cannot guarantee that there are no other assassins present. For everyone's safety, I hope you will cooperate with a body search."
"What? A body search?"
"We are officials under the Emperor's direct rule. To search us like this, where does that leave our dignity?"
"Is dignity more important than your life? If the person next to you is an assassin, your fate will be even worse than mine," Li Wenxuan glared at the crowd.
"Pedantic!"
The crowd was left speechless.
Soon, someone began the body search.
Although displeased, the guests dared not speak out, intimidated by the guards who towered over them.
"Wait a moment, my son-in-law. I am your father-in-law, after all. Do I have to be searched too?"
Xing Jie was furious. During the wedding ceremony, Xia Yunting had maintained a stern face, as if marrying into the Prime Minister's mansion had wronged him.
He was a Prime Minister, while Xia Yunting was merely a soldier who had fought for a few years and was now a general, losing all sense of proportion. He was determined to assert his authority on this occasion.
"I cannot guarantee that you are the real Prime Minister at this moment."
Xing Jie was momentarily silenced. Moments later, someone approached to search him.
This was simply a grave insult!
Xing Jie's face turned green with anger.
As the search continued, an anomaly was discovered. Several individuals dressed as servants were found to be carrying daggers. After being discovered, they immediately engaged the guards in a fight, but they were no match and were brought before Xia Yunting.
"Those are people from the Prime Minister's mansion!"
Someone recognized them and looked at Xing Jie. Xing Jie's eyes darted nervously. "How did they get in? Son-in-law, this..."
"Swish!" Before Xing Jie could finish speaking, Xia Yunting drew his saber and beheaded one of them. The air instantly filled with the scent of blood.
Everyone present froze.
Before they could react, Xia Yunting made several more swift strikes, killing the remaining ones and leaving no survivors.
"Strengthen the defenses. Do not allow any suspicious individuals to slip in."
Xia Yunting looked at Xing Jie and said coldly, "Prime Minister, so many assassins infiltrated from the Prime Minister's mansion. You need to discipline your subordinates properly!"
Xing Jie's face was ashen.
"They were disguised..."
At this moment, Zhang Can personally examined everyone's faces. There were no signs of disguise.
Xing Jie fell silent, his face turning even greener than before.
The guests' gazes towards Xing Jie also shifted.
Rumor had it that the Prime Minister's mansion and the General's mansion had long harbored animosity. Xia Yunting's father had been impeached by Xing Jie numerous times when he was alive. To think that he would cause trouble even at a wedding banquet bestowed by the Emperor...
Xia Yunting had only killed these servants and not pursued the matter further. This was truly magnanimous.
The atmosphere in the hall soon returned to its lively state, but with several deaths that day, there was a lingering unease.
Rong Zhi had not heard clearly what happened earlier. Seeing the guards outside the bridal chamber, she grew increasingly uneasy.
Xia Yunting had just returned and was attacked. Now, with so many people at the wedding, it was the perfect time for subterfuge. Who knew how many more people might be involved...
She should go out and see. She had gone to so much trouble to infiltrate, and if Xia Yunting were killed, her efforts would be in vain.
Rong Zhi looked around. There were no knives in the bridal chamber, not even any sharp objects. How could she cut through these ropes?
Madam Gu had not returned, she must have been detained.
Rong Zhi took a deep breath and kicked the bed frame twice with force.
A guard soon arrived outside. "Madam, is something wrong?"
As he spoke, he pulled the gag from her mouth.
Rong Zhi's mouth was sore. She moved it around before saying, "I need to go to the outhouse."
The guard left without a change of expression. After a while, he returned with a chamber pot, placed it on the ground, and then untied Rong Zhi. He then closed the door from the outside, continuing his guard duty.
The entire process was fluid and natural.
Rong Zhi's lips twitched. Did they often hold people captive, to be so skilled at it?
Ensuring that he wouldn't peek, Rong Zhi poured the entire pot of tea from the table into the chamber pot. Then, from her inner garment, she took out a sachet, extracted a small pill, and tossed it in. The pill quickly dissolved.
Rong Zhi covered her nose and retreated to the bed. "Take it away!"
The guard re-entered, picked up the chamber pot, and after taking only a few steps, began to sway.
Rong Zhi counted behind him.
"Three, two, one..."
*Bang!*
The guard fell to the ground.
Rong Zhi curved her lips.
"Drunken Celestial" was colorless and odorless. A small amount could induce sleep for three days and three nights. Sleep well!
"What's going on?"
The guards outside heard the commotion and rushed in. Before they could get a clear view of the situation, their steps became unsteady, and soon they all collapsed.
Seeing that there was no one outside, Rong Zhi quietly slipped out, her figure concealed in the darkness.
The night deepened, and the guests had dispersed. There was no one to celebrate the wedding. Apart from the red silk hanging all around, it was impossible to tell it was a wedding; it felt more like an imprisonment.
Rong Zhi dodged the guards as she searched for Xia Yunting.
In a room in the back courtyard, a lamp burned brightly, and the sound of rummaging through drawers could be heard.
Rong Zhi walked over curiously and peeked through the window. Several men in black were rummaging through large chests.
They were from the Prime Minister's mansion's dowry. However, instead of gold and jewels, the chests were filled with something dark and murky.
It was... gunpowder!
Twenty large chests, all filled with gunpowder! Once ignited, not only this room, but the entire General's mansion would become an inferno.
The men were acting suspiciously, scattering gunpowder and looking around. They were clearly up to no good.
They intended to blow up the General's mansion!
Rong Zhi couldn't help but sigh. The great general was truly plagued by misfortune. He had barely entered the capital and was attacked, and even on his wedding night, he was being schemed against. Who knew how many more assassinations were lurking in the shadows.
She did not confront the assassins directly. Firstly, she was unsure of their strength. Secondly, she feared provoking them and causing the gunpowder to ignite, which would make things worse.
It was best to inform Xia Yunting quickly and let him escape.
Rong Zhi quietly left.
She found Xia Yunting in the front courtyard.
He was still in his wedding attire, bathed in moonlight, with his hands clasped behind his back.
Zhang Can knelt beside him. "Your subordinate is useless. I was unable to find the mastermind behind the assassin for so long. Please punish me, General."
"It has nothing to do with you. Looking at the situation, they must have been ambushing in the capital for a long time. If someone is intentionally shielding them, it is understandable that you could not find them."
His voice was calm, as if he had already anticipated this outcome.
"Does the General mean... the Prime Minister's mansion?"
Talking at a time like this?
Rong Zhi immediately rushed out, shouting, "Xia Yunting, someone is going to blow up the General's mansion with gunpowder! Run quickly!"
Xia Yunting and Zhang Can turned their heads sharply, their gazes falling on Rong Zhi. One was grave, the other confused.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Can drew his sword in a flash and held it to Rong Zhi's neck.
Rong Zhi did not resist, continuing, "I mean no harm. I saw it with my own eyes just now. The dowry chests are filled with gunpowder. There's no saving this place, so we must run!"
Zhang Can was startled. "General, I'll go and see."
"Wait a moment," Xia Yunting stopped Zhang Can.
He looked at Rong Zhi, his gaze sharp. "The back courtyard is heavily guarded. How could someone place gunpowder there? I have already had people inspect it. The dowry is fine. Who are you, and what are you trying to do by infiltrating the General's mansion?"
Zhang Can also realized this and looked at Rong Zhi vigilantly.
That's right, how did this girl get in?
Rong Zhi's eyes widened. Why did he seem to be seeing her for the first time?
Did this general have a bad memory?
Xia Yunting picked up an oil lamp from the stone table, illuminating Rong Zhi's face.
He asked Zhang Can, "Have you seen her before?"
Zhang Can looked closely and shook his head. "Never. She doesn't seem to be with those assassins either."
Xia Yunting's gaze deepened, and a hint of murderous intent flashed across his face.
Rong Zhi's brow furrowed. Was he going to kill her?
"Tie her up. I will interrogate her myself."
"Yes!"
Zhang Can found a rope and approached her.
Rong Zhi sighed deeply.
What a thankless act!
Just as Zhang Can was getting close, Rong Zhi's sleeve shot out a silver needle, intending to subdue Zhang Can and escape.
Before she could act, there was a sudden loud "boom!" A pillar of red fire shot up from the back courtyard, and a wave of heat surged towards the front courtyard.
Almost instantly, cries for help erupted from the back courtyard.
"It's on fire!"
Xia Yunting and Zhang Can exchanged glances.
There really was gunpowder!
"See? What did I tell you?"
Rong Zhi retracted her silver needle, her expression grave as she looked at Xia Yunting.
"General, I'll go and see."
Zhang Can hurried towards the back courtyard.
Xia Yunting was also preparing to go, but Rong Zhi grabbed him. "Why are you still going? With such a huge fire, going there is suicide!"
"Why save me?"
"I have a favor to ask of you!" Rong Zhi raised her voice. "You cannot die! If you must die, you have to help me with my business first."
Xia Yunting's expression was complicated. Suddenly, as if making a decision, he grabbed Rong Zhi and, with two swift leaps, arrived at the back courtyard.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Rong Zhi closed her eyes tightly. She... was afraid of heights!
In the blink of an eye, they had landed.
The stable had not yet caught fire, but thick smoke billowed. A tall, sturdy, and gleaming black horse pawed the ground restlessly.
Xia Yunting led out the black horse and said to Rong Zhi, "If you really want to help me, go to the outskirts with Xiao Hei and wait for me."
After speaking, he handed her a token.
Xiao Hei?
Was that the horse's name?
Rong Zhi looked at the "Xia" character written in flowing script on the token, and hesitated. Could she trust Xia Yunting?
Xia Yunting added, "The gunpowder was arranged by me."