Chapter 128: A New Discovery

In the sweltering heat of midday, cicadas shrieked incessantly from the trees. Yuwen Lingxi lay motionless against a trunk like a hunting leopard, waiting silently for any sign of his prey.

This was a test of patience. For elite assassins, the one who moves first exposes their life to the enemy; a single twitch could mean death. Both Yuwen Lingxi and Steward Guan possessed impeccable endurance, but as time dragged on without a sound from the ambushers, it became clear their opponents were no mere novices. Yuwen Lingxi even wondered if his father, Yuwen Mo, had sent another squad to serve as whetstones. Aside from the twisted, brutal elimination methods of the Rakshasa Hall, no other organization could produce such high-caliber killers. Still, compared to Yuwen Lingxi, these assassins were slightly lacking.

When a faint breeze brushed past his ear, Yuwen Lingxi remained perfectly still. Under his unwavering gaze, a glint of cold light finally erupted from the patch of tall grass he had been tracking, streaking toward his position. A flash of green followed in its wake. Had anyone else been distracted by the projectile, they would have missed that subtle movement.

Yuwen Lingxi did not. With a phantom-like grace, he dodged the blade, leaped from his perch, and used the foliage to mask his descent toward the green shadow. His sword slid from its sheath without a sound. A whisper of cold air passed, and the green figure stumbled, crashing into the grass.

Steward Guan ended his own battle with equal efficiency. He had been waiting only so as not to interfere with Yuwen Lingxi; the moment the boy struck, Guan made his move, felling his opponent with a single blow. He tossed the body aside, retrieved the other from the grass, and laid them together.

They wore identical tight-fitting green suits, designed to blend into the grass and thick canopy. Guan pulled back their masks to reveal eyes bulging with shock—they had never expected to die so quickly. Yuwen Lingxi frowned slightly; he had expected a master and had struck with full force, only to find that Steward Guan had dispatched his target just as easily.

A quick search revealed no identification on the bodies. Aside from their swords and three throwing daggers each, they carried poison hidden in their teeth. The conclusion was obvious: these were death-sworn soldiers.

Steward Guan turned the corpses over. "These two were not stationed here just today. Judging by the scent and the bloodshot eyes, they have been lying in wait for at least three days."

Yuwen Lingxi nodded in agreement. He let out a sharp whistle, and moments later, their two horses came galloping back. Guan sprinkled a powder over the remains, which caused the bodies to dissolve rapidly. Lingxi watched the process, his eyes darkening. "Let’s go."

The two mounted their horses and vanished into the distance.

***

As night fell, the Prince of Nanping’s estate was unusually lively. Upon returning that afternoon, the Prince had apologized to Zhou Man and the others, though he offered no explanation for his absence from the docks that morning. Fortunately, he was exceptionally attentive to Lianyu, which eased some of Lianyue’s frustration, though her attitude toward him remained cold; after all, Lianyu’s suffering was the direct result of his failure to protect her.

If it were just the siblings, a simple family dinner would have sufficed. But with guests from the Zhou and Yuwen families present, the occasion required more formality. The estate hosted a banquet to welcome the visitors. Given the relatively open social customs of the Nishang Empire, men and women dined together. The Prince’s entire inner circle was in attendance, including Zhong Yufei and a woman named Nan Xiangmo. The other concubines would not normally have been permitted to attend, but with Lianyue’s intervention, it was not an issue.

Zhong Yufei, however, was clearly displeased, casting daggers at Lianyue with her eyes. Lianyue knew the woman was beautiful but dim-witted; she hadn't expected such blatant insolence. Lianyue was seated beside the Princess Consort, Lianyu, yet Zhong Yufei acted as if the head wife did not exist. The guests were no fools, and many made mental notes of her behavior. Given the influence of the families present, her father, the Great General, would hardly be enough to protect her.

Lianyue had a specific reason for forcing their attendance. Earlier that day, she had questioned Xiangju and learned that Lianyu had been well for the first two months of her pregnancy, only for symptoms to emerge in the third. The imperial physicians had dismissed them as normal, until one night, after taking a tonic, she suffered severe abdominal pain and hemorrhaging. When the Prince investigated, the dregs of the medicine had mysteriously vanished.

Lianyue had secretly obtained a copy of the prescription and shown it to Yuwen Lingxi. His medical expertise far surpassed that of the palace physicians. He identified two herbs that were safe individually but, when combined, created a mixture that induced miscarriage—a fact discovered by his master, the Medicine Elder.

Lianyue, Yuwen Lingxi, and several others—including Yue Lingjun and Meng Chuchen—confronted the Prince with this information. They discovered that the prescription was a standard tonic used in the palace, and the physician who had prescribed it had already died of natural causes. The Prince, sensing a conspiracy, immediately dispatched his guard, Wei Quan, to the Western Capital to record every pulse chart and prescription list involving this formula from the Imperial Academy.

At the Prince’s request, they kept the truth from Lianyu to protect her fragile health. He also asked Yuwen Lingxi to check her pulse, revealing that Lianyu had been exposed to a rare, subtle form of musk. Since the women of the estate were the only ones who used such perfumes, the banquet was the perfect opportunity for Yuwen Lingxi to identify the culprit.

Lianyue decided to provoke Zhong Yufei. "This lady in red," she called out, feigning grievance. "Have I offended you? Or are you simply jealous of my looks? Why do you keep staring at me like that?" As Zhong Yufei’s face darkened, Lianyue continued, "Don't look at me like that—I'm talking to you! Who else here is wearing red? Oh, wait, it’s not true red, is it? My mistake. Regardless, the color really doesn't suit you."

Zhong Yufei looked to the Prince for support, but he only delivered a blow to her pride: "She is right. That color does not suit you. Do not wear it again."