Сhарter 22: As Long аs It Dоesn’t Kill, Вeat It tо Dеаth
Тhе сoасhmаn immеdiatelу screamed in tеrrоr.
“Ahhh!!! Аssаssins!!”
А blасk-clаd mаn grinnеd coldlу аnd swiftly сut down the cоaсhman with a single strоke оf his bladе.
Тhe othеr black-clаd mеn соopеrаtеd sеamlesslу, quicklу killing all the guаrds surrounding the сarriagе.
One of thе blасk-clаd mеn agilely lеaреd onto thе carriаge аnd fоrсefullу pulled оpen thе сurtаin.
Under the cold moonlight, he clеаrly saw—
The ехquisite carriаgе interior was completely empty!
Not a single person was inside!
He sensed something was wrong and abruptly turned around.
Only to discover that on the hillside where they had originally lain in ambush, a large group of soldiers now stood densely packed.
Their numbers were imposing, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure, and the cold glint of their drawn swords was terrifying.
The black-clad men immediately formed a tight circle, attempting to break through the encirclement.
But by then, it was already too late…
At an inn in the capital.
Xiao Yun sat by the window on the second floor, gazing blankly at the lit lanterns outside.
She had sneaked out of the mansion again today, all for the sake of the Third Prince.
But to her surprise, she had waited all day in front of the Third Prince’s residence without catching a glimpse of him.
Even the guards at the gate refused to relay her message!
Anger flickered in Xiao Yun’s eyes.
Once the Third Prince fell in love with her, she would definitely teach these snobbish lowlifes a lesson!
But…
How could she make the Third Prince notice her now and become utterly devoted to her?
Xiao Yun gloomily downed the wine in her cup in one gulp.
Just then, a conversation from the neighboring table reached her ears.
“Have you heard? Just now, there was an assassination attempt outside the city gates! A group of bandits tried to ambush the First Prince’s carriage!”
“Heavens! Right at the city gates—these bandits are truly audacious.”
“Exactly. Fortunately, the city defense troops arrived in time, so the bandits failed and have all been captured!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yun’s hand holding the wine cup trembled.
The plan to assassinate Master Yunxing had actually failed…
Those city defense troops must have been lying in wait outside the city all along.
Xiao Yun’s mind raced.
No wonder that sickly Shangguan Jue had been leaving early and returning late recently, barely even showing his face.
So he had already grown suspicious.
Thank goodness she had come out today.
No, she couldn’t return to the First Prince’s mansion anymore.
She needed to find another way to survive.
At the Marquis Zhenbei’s residence.
“My lord, what should we do now? All the men we sent out have been captured, not a single one returned…”
Marchioness Zhenbei sat on a chair, her face filled with worry.
Marquis Zhenbei did not reply. With his eyes slightly lowered, his mind began to race.
After a long while, he slowly said, “The worst outcome is that those men confess and reveal that I attempted to murder Master Yunxing.”
“But that’s not a problem. I can simply claim it was due to a personal grudge against Master Yunxing and that I wanted revenge.”
“Very few people know about our secret poisoning of the First Prince, so we’ll definitely be safe.”
Hearing this, Marchioness Zhenbei also let out a long sigh of relief.
“That’s good, that’s good.”
However, at that moment, a servant rushed into the hall in a panic, sweat beading on his forehead, his tone urgent.
“My lord! It’s terrible, my lord! The First Prince has brought men to raid our mansion!”
Marquis Zhenbei abruptly stood up from his chair in alarm.
“What?!”
Outside the Marquis Zhenbei’s residence.
Shangguan Jue’s handsome face remained calm and unperturbed.
Behind him stood numerous soldiers clad in armor, their presence imposing and formidable.Marquis Zhenbei nearly jogged all the way to the entrance.
“Your Highness, the First Prince, what is the meaning of this?”
Shangguan Jue’s voice was icy. “Marquis Zhenbei plotted to harm me and sent assassins to kill Master Yunxing. The evidence, both testimonial and material, is conclusive!”
“By the Emperor’s command, I am here to confiscate your property!”
As he spoke, he produced a bright yellow scroll from his sleeve.
Marquis Zhenbei’s breath hitched. He forced himself to gather his wits, wanting to defend himself.
But Shangguan Jue gave him no opportunity at all.
With a wave of his hand, two soldiers immediately stepped forward and firmly restrained Marquis Zhenbei.
Shangguan Jue strode ahead, leading the soldiers behind him straight toward the main courtyard.
Soon, he found a hidden chamber in Marquis Zhenbei’s study.
Shangguan Jue opened the door.
Inside, he indeed discovered seven or eight dragon robes!
Shangguan Jue let out a cold laugh.
Just as the Emperor had said!
The assassins in black who targeted Yunxing had indeed confessed that it was Marquis Zhenbei.
But they did not know about the secret poisoning plot involving Marquis Zhenbei and Consort Xian.
However, it didn’t matter; this was merely a pretext.
A pretext to confiscate Marquis Zhenbei’s property.
The real goal was to find these dragon robes.
Only this could seal Marquis Zhenbei’s death sentence!
The prison.
“Marquis Zhenbei, do you confess your crimes?”
Shangguan Jue sat on a chair.
Marquis Zhenbei’s long hair was disheveled, and he was bound in chains, none of his former imposing demeanor remaining.
A grating, low laugh escaped his throat.
“The victor is king, the vanquished a bandit. I have nothing to say…
“But I want to know, where exactly did I slip up?”
Marquis Zhenbei looked up, his tone sharp.
“Whether it was poisoning you or secretly making the dragon robes, I planned everything with utmost secrecy!”
“Even my wife didn’t know about the dragon robes! How did you find out?!”
Shangguan Jue sat in the chair, his slender fingers lightly tapping the armrest.
He had learned about the poisoning and the dragon robes by overhearing Suisui’s inner thoughts.
But who would believe it if he said so?
Seeing him remain silent, Marquis Zhenbei grew even more agitated, struggling incessantly and rattling the chains loudly.
He simply couldn’t understand—he had schemed for most of his life!
How had he been discovered?!
Shangguan Jue snorted coldly.
He would never tell Marquis Zhenbei that he had learned all this by overhearing his fifth sister’s inner thoughts.
Marquis Zhenbei stared at him and, seeing his silence, let out a low sigh.
“Fine, if you won’t say, then so be it. At least on the road to the Yellow Springs, I’ll have your company…”
Marquis Zhenbei revealed a smug smile.
“I know why you personally came to interrogate me. You just want to know where the antidote is, don’t you?”
Shangguan Jue raised his eyes. The flickering torchlight in the prison cast a shadow in the hollows of his eyes.
Seeing his reaction, Marquis Zhenbei laughed even more wildly.
“I wanted you dead without a doubt, so this poison has no antidote at all.”
“What I feared most was someone being captured, unable to withstand torture, and handing over the antidote. That’s why, from the very beginning, I sought a slow-acting poison with no antidote!”
“You’ve been drinking this poison for a year!”
“I may die, but taking you with me is no loss!”
Marquis Zhenbei laughed with sinister glee.
Shangguan Jue’s jaw tightened.
He stood up directly from the chair and turned to leave the dark, damp prison cell.
He knew Marquis Zhenbei was telling the truth.
Since Marquis Zhenbei had prepared to rebel, he had left himself no way out.
But before leaving, he still gave an order to the jailer.”Leave him with a breath, the rest is up to you.”
The implication was clear—
As long as he isn’t beaten to death, beat him to the brink of death.
Shangguan Jue returned to the First Prince’s residence.
Just as he stepped down from the carriage, he saw Tang Xing rushing toward him with great urgency.
“Your Highness, it’s terrible! Xiao Yun has escaped!”