EWRN - Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Assassination
The magnificent dance costumes were torn open, and the large white steamed buns used to pad their figures rolled from their chests to the floor. Several assassins in black, holding swords in their right hands, launched several hidden weapons at Huo Jinyu with their left.
Huo Jinyu had long since keenly sensed something unusual about these "dancers" and had secretly been on guard. Seeing the Second Prince and Hou Yuwen exchanging glances, she grew even more vigilant. Now, seeing unidentified objects flying toward her, she immediately grabbed the sword at her side and blocked them one by one. Shielding Yan Xi, Huo Jinyu took a step forward to meet the three assassins.
Only then did the court officials understand what was happening. Some of the older ministers cried out in fear, "Assassins! There are assassins!"
"Catch the assassins!"
"Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!"
For a moment, Xuanyi Palace was thrown into chaos. The ministers wanted to step forward but feared that swords had no eyes and they might carelessly get a large hole poked in them. The ministers scrambled to their feet, shouting incessantly, and the main hall was filled with a clamor. The cries for help were drowned out by all sorts of chaotic noises; the officials never imagined they would actually be a hindrance.
Huo Jinyu fought the three assassins from the stage down to the floor below. The dancers and delicate female officials, terrified, rushed out of the hall. This finally caught the attention of the guards stationed at the hall. The captain of the guards hastily inquired about the situation before urgently leading a troop of guards back into the great hall.
Huo Jinye saw that reinforcements had arrived, yet the three assassins had failed to harm Huo Jinyu in the slightest. He was displeased and initiated plan B on the spot.
Huo Jinye pretended to stand up in a panic. His sleeve brushed a wine cup on the table, which fell to the floor, splashing wine far and wide. Several men in black hidden in the shadows received the signal and rushed out. They engaged the guards who were rushing into the hall, delaying the troop's steps to rescue the emperor.
In the main hall, the two groups fought fiercely. The ministers cowered to the side. As thoroughbred scholars, they knew no martial arts and could not participate in such violent affairs.
A few generals, however, picked up chairs and charged forward, managing to join the fray. Because they had to be searched before entering the palace, no weapons or blades of any kind were allowed inside. Therefore, even though the generals were skilled in martial arts, fighting with chairs missing legs and arms was still quite difficult.
Huo Jinyu gradually gained the upper hand. The three men in black were ultimately not skilled enough. They couldn't get near Huo Jinyu, and instead ended up with numerous cuts themselves.
Huo Jinyu executed a flourish with her sword, severing the tendons in two of the men's hands. The men cried out in pain, their swords clattering to the ground. Huo Jinyu parried the third man's sword and kicked the other two, sending them flying. The men clutched their stomachs, unable to get up for a long while.
With only one man in black left, Huo Jinyu fought with ease. But out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two suspicious dancers supporting each other, feigning fear with soft cries as they moved toward the main dais.
Below the stage, in the main hall, the blood of assassins and guards pooled on the floor. Di An had grown up in a brothel; when had she ever seen such a scene? She was already pale with fright. Hua Ying quickly pulled Di An's head into her embrace, gently covering her eyes with her sleeve.
Hua Ying didn't notice the dancers drawing ever closer to them, but Huo Jinyu did!
Just as the dancers were about to strike! In the main hall, the clash of weapons rang out like thunder. A verbal warning was already too late! Huo Jinyu leaped up, kicked the last man in black away fiercely, then turned and lunged toward the two dancers who had already drawn their sharp blades, covering the distance in a few great strides.
A wave of sword energy stirred a cool breeze. Feeling this light wind, Hua Ying belatedly grew alert. She snapped her head up. The dancer was only a few steps away! The sharp blade in the dancer's hand glinted with white light, and her eyes revealed a vicious, malevolent glare! Her face was somewhat twisted with effort, startling Hua Ying. The dancer charged straight at her. Hua Ying had no time for any further resistance! She decisively took a step forward, turned, and shielded Di An with her body, determined to protect her even at the cost of her own life!
The blade stopped abruptly.
The sword energy dissipated.
It was Huo Jinyu. She had arrived just in time. With a powerful swing of her right hand, she slit the throats of the two vicious dancers. In this emergency, there was no chance to leave them alive.
Huo Jinyu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a cold sensation in her left shoulder, immediately followed by a sharp, intense pain. She looked down to see a sword piercing through her shoulder!
Hua Ying's face was also filled with shock, the joy of having just survived vanishing completely. The moment she came to her senses, she saw a man in black thrusting a sword into Huo Jinyu's left shoulder. The man had likely intended to stab Huo Jinyu's heart, but unexpectedly, she had great luck and shifted her body at the last second, allowing the sword to just barely miss her heart.
Seeing that his strike had missed its mark, the man in black violently pulled the sword out. Huo Jinyu stumbled back several steps with the sword's movement. As the blade left her body, blood gushed out like a bursting dam. Huo Jinyu reached up to press the wound on the front of her left shoulder, the sensation of pain making her grimace slightly.
The man in black raised his sword high, about to slash down at Huo Jinyu, whose back was turned to him!
At that critical moment, Yan Xi appeared like a phantom behind the man, holding a chair, and smashed it violently against his head. The man's body went limp, and he fell down stiffly. The sword's edge, just inches from Huo Jinyu, fell to the ground with its master and rolled to the side. Blood pooled on the floor from the back of the man's head. He was clearly not going to survive.
Soon, the men in black fighting the guards were also subdued. But before the guards could dislocate their jaws, they committed suicide by taking poison. With that, the sudden assassination attempt came to a temporary end. But all the assassins were dead, leaving no one to testify. The Second Prince looked at the corpses littering the floor, his face pale and his spirit shaken. He was furious that this group of useless killers had failed to take Huo Jinyu's life, but also relieved that these foolish, worthless assassins were all dead. Otherwise, he feared he would have had to forfeit his own life.
The matter concluded in a matter of breaths. But the sword wound on Huo Jinyu's shoulder had already bled profusely, staining the bright yellow dragon robe a dark red. A look of intense heartache flashed in Yan Xi's eyes. She shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Summon the imperial physicians! Summon the imperial physicians!"
Only then did the officials react, hastily echoing the call, "Quick, summon the imperial physicians!"
Huo Jinyu's face was already deathly pale, but she forced herself to stand tall. At this critical juncture, she absolutely could not let her identity be exposed. "All of you, silence!" Her gloomy gaze swept fiercely over the crowd of ministers who were useless when trouble arose and only caused more chaos afterward. In a low voice, she said, "Everyone, disperse. Tomorrow, We will investigate this matter thoroughly! Stop this clamoring, it is undignified! We will handle this Ourselves! No one is to speak of what happened today. If We find out who has a loose tongue, they will be severely punished!" Seeing blood at the Rite of Heaven banquet was surely an inauspicious omen! If word of this got out, it would certainly stir unrest among the people and would surely be exploited by those with ulterior motives.
After speaking, Huo Jinyu hastily left through a side hall with Eunuch Wang. Seeing this, Yan Xi quickly followed. Hua Ying, anxious about Huo Jinyu's injury and her identity, pulled the badly frightened Di An along and hurried after them as well.
Huo Jinyu pressed down hard on her wound, but blood still flowed out ceaselessly. The group followed the slightly staggering Huo Jinyu and soon arrived at the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon. Huo Jinyu stopped at the entrance to the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon. Looking at the group behind her, she frowned in annoyance. "Eunuch Wang, escort the noble consorts back to their own palaces to rest well. Everyone has been frightened tonight. Go back and get some proper rest. Hua Ying, you stay." Eunuch Wang accepted the order and was about to lead Yan Xi and Di An away.
But Yan Xi said worriedly, "Your Majesty, why not summon the imperial physicians to treat your wound? Your Majesty's injury cannot be delayed!"
But Huo Jinyu acted as if she hadn't heard, saying loudly, "Eunuch Wang! Escort the Noble Consort away!" This was clearly an order to leave.
Yan Xi felt a sting in her heart. She had shown concern out of kindness, only to be rebuked for no reason.
Yan Xi said no more. In silence, she and Di An followed Eunuch Wang away from the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon.
"Elder Sister, don't worry. Hua Ying's medical skills are superb. His Majesty will surely be fine!" On the way, Di An saw Yan Xi's worried expression and offered words of comfort.
"Younger Sister is right. This one was just a little worried," Yan Xi replied faintly. But in her heart, she found it strange. Why would Jinyu use a woman from the jianghu instead of the old imperial physicians who had practiced in the palace for many years? Could it be… could it be that the old physicians were also untrustworthy?
The thought that Huo Jinyu would rather be alone in a room with a woman of unknown origins than accept the concern of her, the principal wife, made her heart ache.
Di An's heart also felt a bit sour. She knew Hua Ying was going to treat Huo Jinyu's wound, yet her chest felt tight, as if she had lost something indescribable. The two of them, each with a heavy heart, returned to their respective bedchambers.
Over there, Huo Jinyu forced herself to wait until Yan Xi and the others had left before entering the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon. Hua Ying hurried in after her. Huo Jinyu dismissed the palace maids in the hall. Once Hua Ying had closed the door, Huo Jinyu could no longer hold on and suddenly slumped downward. Hua Ying rushed forward to support Huo Jinyu, helping her into a chair. Knowing that time was of the essence, she asked Huo Jinyu where the medical kit was and immediately retrieved it. She used a knife to cut open the dragon robe that was stuck to the bloody flesh, pulling it to either side to fully expose the through-and-through shoulder wound. Looking at the gruesome wound and the nearly semi-conscious woman before her, a flash of guilt and pity for this woman crossed Hua Ying's face.
Though her heart ached, her hands moved deftly. She used medicinal powder to stop the bleeding, then skillfully bandaged the wound. Only then was the task complete. Hua Ying wiped the cold sweat that had beaded on her forehead from anxiety and breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, Huo Jinyu slowly regained consciousness.
She opened her eyes to see Hua Ying kneeling before her. Hua Ying said, "This is the second time Hua Ying has been aided by my benefactor. This time, benefactor saved both my life and An'er's! Hua Ying will never forget such a kindness for the rest of my life! This time, benefactor suffered such a grave injury for my sake and nearly exposed your identity. Hua Ying is truly… truly sorry! Today, Hua Ying makes a solemn oath! As long as I live, I will do everything in my power to repay my benefactor. Whatever benefactor asks, as long as it is within my ability to do so, Hua Ying will never refuse!" She was the Young Mistress of Minghua Pavilion! This promise was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold! Hua Ying herself knew that the two "dancers" today had been targeting her. She feared it was the same group of people who had been hunting her before. To think they had found their way into the imperial palace! They were truly like pests she couldn't shake off!
Huo Jinyu faintly acknowledged it, which was as good as accepting the favor.
After all, who knew what the future held?
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