Chapter 60: Murder (Part Two)

No matter how certain Yan Xi was that Lu Zhi was the mastermind behind the surnamed man stirring up trouble, she still lacked substantive evidence.

This time, however, it was different. His assassins being right near her residence was undeniable proof.

For the past twenty days or so, everything that happened around her was likely crystal clear to him.

To think she had even gone to confront him during the daytime, and he had feigned ignorance of the whole affair.

He truly was full of malice, entirely devoid of principles, and would stop at nothing!

Her body could no longer support her, and her consciousness grew increasingly chaotic. After how long, Yan Xi finally lost consciousness...

*******

Deep in the night, at the Commissioner's Residence.

After bathing, Lu Zhi sat before a low table in a white undergarment, his robe open at the chest, drinking alone.

At this moment, footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

The female assassin was led into the room by Dongfu, stopping behind the ink-colored pearl curtains, and bowed in report:

"Reporting to the master, an unexpected incident occurred at the little madam's place. Song Lian took a fancy to the little madam and brought men overnight with the intent to forcibly take her. The little madam suffered immense shock and has lost consciousness..."

"!!"

Lu Zhi had been expressionless, his eyes obscure and deep, his movements unhurried and composed. But upon hearing the assassin's report, his placid eyes changed abruptly, instantly turning bloodshot and ferocious.

The man stood up without a word, grabbed his outer robe, and rushed out.

********

The chaos in the small courtyard quickly subsided after the successive arrival of the three female assassins.

Over twenty thugs, including the Fifth Young Master Song Lian, were all bound.

Wails filled the air.

Song Lian was naturally the one clamoring the loudest.

He was forced to kneel on one knee with his hands tied behind him, yet he still maintained an arrogant posture, his tiger eyes wide open and filled with disdain.

"Whose people are you? You dare to tie up your grandfather? Do you know who this young master is?"

"This young master's surname is Song, and I am the son of Second Master Song! I don't care who you belong to, release me immediately, or I'll make you and your master pay dearly!"

Bearing the surname of Song, so arrogant and overbearing, and looking like a pampered, high-born prodigy, even without him announcing his background, they could easily guess he was closely related to the Song family, one of the three major households of Huaainan: Jia, Zhao, and Song.

Yet the three assassins completely ignored him.

Before the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, the sound of thudding hooves rang out from outside.

Song Lian remained utterly fearless, continuing to curse the heavens and earth. Hearing the approaching noise and observing the reactions of the black-clad women, he guessed their master had arrived.

He wanted to see just who their master was.

In these Thirteen Prefectures of Huaainan, no one dared disrespect the Song family.

As he was pondering this, a long, piercing neigh of a horse finally pierced the air, and he saw: one of the black-clad women immediately put away her blade and ran to open the courtyard gates.

With a creak, the vermilion gates swung open, and under the dark night, a man in black robes with his hair bound by a jade crown came into view. Behind him followed forty or fifty cavalrymen.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd surrounded the entire courtyard.

Song Lian's eyes widened sharply, his gaze fixed straight on the face of the leading man.

As luck would have it, though he was hardly worthy, he had actually laid eyes upon the newly appointed Commissioner of Huaainan once, three months prior.

Song Lian never dreamed that these women who had ruined his plans were actually the subordinates of Commissioner Lu Zhi!

He was also painfully aware of Lu Zhi's family background, knowing that he had once been the Emperor's favorite, and even more aware that he was the heir of the Lu clan, the foremost noble family of Great Yong, and that his father was Lu Boling!

His arrogant aura vanished instantly without a trace. A ingratiating smile immediately plastered itself across Song Lian's face.

"Lu, Lord Lu..."

"This humble person did not know these female guards were Lord Lu's people..."

"Nor did I know that beau—"

He had wanted to say he didn't know that beauty was connected to Lord Lu...

The words never left his mouth, for no other reason than he watched with his own eyes as Lu Zhi dismounted.

While his own tone had been flattering and his face wreathed in smiles, the other man was the exact opposite, carrying not a trace of a smile.

What replaced it was ferocity, killing intent, and bloodlust...

Song Lian instantly shrank back further, his entire body trembling involuntarily. Shivering and quaking, he smiled ingratiatingly:

"Lord Lu, Lord Lu..."

Amidst these stammering words, the tall, imposing figure was already right before him, leaning down to pinch his chin.

Then, Song Lian saw the man reach into his robe and pull out a small silver dagger.

Under the dark night, the blade gleamed with an even more dazzling and piercing light.

Song Lian's eyes dilated instantly, shaking like a sieve as he realized the worst—something he never could have anticipated—was happening.

Lowering his voice with a pale mouth and a pale face, he hurriedly bargained and smiled imploringly:

"There's no need for this, no need for this, Lord Lu, please calm your anger. I didn't touch her, not a single strand of hair. She's just... just a woman... Lord Lu, n-no, there's no need... really no need. I... my father is Second Master Song, I am his most beloved son... Everyone, everyone in Yangzhou knows, hehe... Even if Lord Lu doesn't hold my father in high regard... there, there is still another person: my, my uncle, the Marquis of Huaiyin in Chang'an, the Prince Consort... My uncle, my own uncle, Lord Lu must know him, hehe... Come to think of it, we, we are family! If Lord Lu spares me this once, I will... I will find an even more beautiful beauty for Lord Lu... an even more beautiful beauty..."

He shook all over, his teeth chattering as he babbled on with a fawning, trembling smile.

Yet the man's expression did not change at all. Aside from listening to his words, there was not the slightest intention of leaving him a way out, nor even a split second of hesitation or thought. With a deep, ruthless voice, the man uttered only a single sentence:

"Do you know who she is?"

With that, his hand swept across, and the blade slashed across the throat.

Song Lian's pupils dilated, his eyes wide open as a stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Lu... Zhi... My... father... will not... let you..."

Before he could finish, his breath faded.

Beneath the dark night, wind and clouds surged, and heavy storm clouds gathered.

Lu Zhi slowly stood up, methodically taking out a handkerchief from his robe, shaking it open, and wiping the blood-stained blade.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning split the sky behind him, illuminating the dark night for a fraction of a second before plunging it back into darkness. Standing amidst the shadows with his back to the light, his face was obscured...

Shortly after, torrential rain poured down, and the sound of thunder briefly drowned out the wails of the dozen thugs in the courtyard...

*******

Deep in the night, the storm poured down in sheets, heavy rain spilling across the earth with occasional rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning.

The room was luxuriously furnished, brightly lit with candles.

Yan Xi lay upon the bed, her eyes half-closed, surrounded by cascading gauze curtains.

Inside the bedchamber, besides Qinglian and Taohong, four other maidservants attended her.

The physician had departed about half an hour prior. She had taken a calming draught, yet she had not yet regained consciousness.

Taohong looked somewhat anxious. "Didn't they say there was no major harm? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Qinglian was equally worried, wishing her young miss would wake up immediately, but she comforted Taohong, "It should be soon..."

Just as her voice trailed off, she noticed the young miss's fingers twitch slightly.

Both maidservants caught sight of it and rejoiced, stepping closer.

"Young Miss..."

The voice at her ear was ethereal, her consciousness still chaotic and blurred. Gradually, the events from earlier slowly surfaced in her mind; the voice and figure of that "Fifth Young Master" drawing close materialized once more in her ears and before her eyes.

With a startled gasp, Yan Xi abruptly opened her eyes, sitting up covered in sweat.

"Young Miss!"

"Young Miss, don't be afraid. It's alright now, it's alright..."

Yan Xi's thoughts were in disarray. She looked at Qinglian, then at Taohong, taking quite a while to finally collect her wits.

Yet the moment her thoughts cleared, she realized where she was...

*******

In Lu Zhi's chamber.

Upon hearing the maidservant from Tinglan Pavilion report that the little madam had woken up, Dongfu immediately went to inform the heir.

When he arrived, several assassins were standing inside Lu Zhi's room.

All of them were men.

He kept over thirty assassins under his command, both male and female.

The women were mostly used for tasks and were rarely assigned assassination missions.

However, the appearance of men almost always meant death.

Dongfu did not enter immediately, nor did he linger to eavesdrop; instead, he walked quite a distance away.

Only after those assassins had departed did Dongfu return, bowing as he entered.

"Your Grace, the little madam has awakened..."

Lu Zhi stood with his back to him, facing a pot of thriving violets.

With scissors in hand, he had been pruning the branches and leaves of the bonsai, but upon hearing the report, he paused. Without turning around, he asked,

"What was her reaction?"

Dongfu replied, "The maidservant who came said that her initial reaction was quite intense, but she quickly calmed down. Her two personal maids likely explained the full story."

Lu Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, then asked further, "Did she mention anything about the wrong medicine?"

Dongfu answered, "The maid did not mention it."

Lu Zhi flicked his fingers twice, dismissing him.

He stood in place, lowering his gaze to the potted plant, and continued pruning after a moment, choosing not to go see her for now.

********

Listening to her maids chatter back and forth, Yan Xi's delicate body trembled slightly, her pale face betraying her fright.

It was only then that she learned the identity of the Fifth Young Master, and likewise, that Lu Zhi had killed him.

Although she recognized that Song Lian was a bully, hardly a good person, and clearly had done such things before—making him someone who deserved death—she also knew that Lu Zhi really shouldn't have killed him.

Killing him would likely invite trouble.

For behind the Song family stood the Marquis of Huaiyin in Chang'an, the Prince Consort—Song Yu.

Behind closed doors, the mistress and her maids spoke in hushed tones.

Qinglian said, "He killed him so decisively, without a shred of hesitation. Yet after listening to Song Lian's words, he remained completely calm and collected, not like someone acting on impulse..."

Taohong nodded repeatedly, her voice minuscule. "I don't understand why he was so resolute..."

Yan Xi glanced from one to the other, her delicate fingers nervously twisting the quilt, looking timid and silent.

She had always been terrified of murder. After calming down a bit and considering her current predicament, perhaps this was simply the will of heaven.

Not only had she failed to leave, but she was also brought back, and because of this incident, leaving was no longer possible.

The three exchanged glances, and Qinglian, understanding what was in her young miss's heart, comforted her, "Then let us wait for two months..."

Yan Xi slowly nodded; things having come to this, there was nothing else she could do.

With this thought, her mind drifted back to the three female assassins who had suddenly appeared.

Yan Xi was gripped by lingering fear. Fortunately, she had been thorough; for the past twenty days or so, she had barely spoken to Qinglian and Taohong about the "second letter," and even when it was mentioned, the three of them tacitly kept things ambiguous, nor had they rushed to find the gardener to inquire about the matter just because they had gained temporary freedom.

Now thinking on it, had she slipped up even slightly, those female assassins might have discovered the truth...

At most, two months now.

If Uncle Xie had sent the letter the moment he arrived in Chang'an, and Uncle Lu had dispatched someone upon reading it, at the very least she might only need to wait half a month...

Just as she finished these thoughts, Qinglian suddenly interjected, steering the topic back to the fact that that wretch had killed Song Lian.

"It wasn't an impulse, nor was it hesitation. Even though that man was heinous, the fact of the matter was only that he frightened the young miss, and purely because he frightened the young miss..."

"...If it were some insignificant person, such as Nanny Song's son Fulu, that would be one thing. But this Song Lian is said to be Second Master Song's most beloved son. Will they let this rest? The heir might have brought trouble upon himself..."

Taohong chimed in, "I've been pondering this too. I never saw him care about the young miss on ordinary days! If we talk about frightening the young miss, who has frightened her more than Lu Zhi himself... His actions are ruthless! He..."

The maid was about to continue when Yan Xi interrupted her.

The young girl placed her index finger to her lips, signaling Taohong to stop.

The topic was thus cut short.

She merely thought on it briefly before dismissing it, unwilling to dwell on it, nor wishing to think deeply.

First, no matter what kind of trouble arose, he would be able to handle it.

Second, and most crucially, her heart and mind now held only that single letter...