Nan Yun watched the Ninth Prince’s retreating figure, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. Even clever people did foolish things sometimes.
Had he openly summoned a doctor to the estate, he might have lived a few more days. But once he left the county yamen, he wouldn’t last another day.
The Ninth Prince clearly didn’t see it that way. As soon as he left the yamen, he headed straight for a narrow alley in the south of the city.
Inside an unremarkable little courtyard in the alley, more than a dozen people were gathered in a room, discussing something.
A series of knocks sounded at the gate.
The leader, a man dressed in black, stiffened. “Who could it be at this hour? His Highness shouldn’t be coming to see us so soon.”
“Not necessarily. Perhaps His Highness has something else to tell us,” another man said.
The black-clad man considered this and nodded to him. “All right, Xiao Wu. Go open the gate, but be careful.”
“Don’t worry. If anything seems wrong, I’ll give you a signal.” With that, Xiao Wu headed for the courtyard gate.
The moment he opened it and saw the pale-faced man standing outside, shock filled his eyes. “Your Highness! What happened to you?”
He saw blood seeping through the Ninth Prince’s chest and could hardly believe his eyes.
The Ninth Prince glared at him, his face dark. “Stop wasting time. Help me inside. I can’t hold on much longer.”
His wound had been bleeding since he woke that morning. Even bandaging it hadn’t helped. If he hadn’t trained in martial arts and built up a strong constitution, he never would have made it here.
Xiao Wu hurriedly helped him inside, calling toward the room, “Big Brother, come out! Something’s happened!”
At his words, everyone inside blanched and rushed into the courtyard.
Seeing his men all there, the Ninth Prince let out a breath of relief. He immediately ordered the black-clad leader, “Get a doctor here. Several of them. I was hit by a hidden weapon, and it’s poisoned. Don’t let anyone find out.”
The black-clad man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He knew how skilled the Ninth Prince was at moving swiftly and silently. There were very few people capable of hitting him with a hidden weapon.
By now, the Ninth Prince’s face had grown even paler than it had been at the county yamen.
Hidden in the shadows, Nightshadow was delighted. This was a rare opportunity.
Prince Kang had ordered him to kill the Ninth Prince and frame Xi Qingyue. He had been keeping watch over this courtyard and its occupants, waiting for a chance. And now, one had fallen right into his lap.
Just as the black-clad man sent someone to fetch a doctor, Nightshadow suddenly appeared. With a single swing of his sword, he cut down the man who was about to leave the courtyard.
“Who’s there? Protect His Highness!”
The black-clad man stared at the sudden intruder in shock. To have hidden right under their noses and then killed one of his men with a single stroke meant his martial skills were far beyond any of theirs.
The Ninth Prince cursed inwardly. What on earth had happened to him these past two days? Had his luck really turned so bad?
The others shielded the Ninth Prince. Nightshadow gave them a disdainful sneer. “You think you can stop me?”
He flicked his long sword, shaking the blood from its blade. Then he lunged forward, sweeping his sword at them.
The courtyard rang with the clash of blades, and the Ninth Prince was so furious he nearly spat blood.
“Who sent you to kill me? I am the Ninth Prince. Killing me will bring you endless trouble. Put down your sword, and I’ll pay you double whatever they offered—or name your price. I’ll also let this assassination attempt go. How does that sound?”
Nightshadow ignored him completely and cut down another man with his sword. He let out a cold scoff. “The Ninth Prince is exactly who I was sent to kill. Besides, once you’re dead, who will know I was the one who killed you? Everyone will think Commandery Princess Cenyue did it. They’ll have no choice but to believe it was the princess. What does that have to do with me?”
At those words, Xi Qingyue’s eyes turned icy.
She had indeed come to kill someone, but she absolutely could not tolerate someone else killing the Ninth Prince and framing her for it.
Lu Jinshuang frowned slightly beside her. “Who in Xin’an City could possibly be bold enough to kill a prince and frame the commandery princess, while also knowing so much about the Ninth Prince? It doesn’t seem like the work of those aristocratic families.”
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “It isn’t them. Nan Yun has always had people watching the major clans. They’ve made a few small moves, but they wouldn’t dare take things this far. This looks more like the work of someone who knows the Ninth Prince personally.”
The moment she heard the words “someone he knows,” an image suddenly surfaced in Lu Jinshuang’s mind. “Could it be Prince Kang? Judging from Guangling Pavilion, they should be working together, so they must know each other well. But why would he want to kill him?”
The two of them continued discussing the matter without any intention of intervening. If the others killed the Ninth Prince, they could dig out the bullets afterward and create a few wounds on his body. What better cover could there be?
Xi Qingyue watched the slaughter below and smiled in satisfaction. “This is perfect. I won’t even have to lift a finger.”
Nightshadow’s martial prowess surpassed even the Ninth Prince’s. More than a dozen men were utterly outmatched before him, falling as easily as vegetables beneath a cleaver. Before long, more than a dozen corpses lay scattered across the ground.
The Ninth Prince’s face was filled with despair and indignation. He was a prince of the realm, a charming and handsome man with exceptional martial skills, yet he had been reduced to standing helplessly by and waiting to be slaughtered. What bitter irony.
If only he had known, he would have stayed in his room last night. Then he would not have come out today to treat his wounds.
“Who exactly are you? At least let me know who wants me dead before I die.” The Ninth Prince glared at Nightshadow, his voice full of hatred.
Nightshadow’s expression remained cold, and his tone was even more mocking. “Why, Prince Kang, of course. Did you truly think His Highness knew nothing of your ambitions? Anyone who dares contend with His Highness for the throne deserves to die. Once you’re dead, the blame can be placed on Commandery Princess Cenyue, giving His Highness a pretext to launch his campaign. The commandery princess was appointed by the emperor, after all. ‘Purge the court of corrupt officials in the emperor’s name’—that sounds like a fine slogan.”
The Ninth Prince burst into laughter, his laughter mocking and desolate. “What wonderful brothers you are. The royal family truly has no familial affection. Kill me, and he’ll have a perfectly legitimate reason to send troops here, claiming that he’s avenging my death. He can even put on a show of brotherly devotion while he’s at it. What a masterful scheme.”
After learning that Nightshadow was Prince Kang’s man, the Ninth Prince lost all hope of survival. His inner strength was gone, and he had already lost too much blood. There was no way he could defeat the man before him.
Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well make his death count. Seeing Nightshadow raise his sword, he sighed. “Ah, so be it. If Big Brother wants me dead, then I’ll do as he wishes. Pass along a message for me: Commandery Princess Cenyue has discovered that Big Brother sent people to kill her mother. He’d better deal with her as soon as possible.”
Nightshadow froze, suspicion written all over his face. “Since when have you been so kind?”
The Ninth Prince was on the verge of death, yet he claimed he was doing Prince Kang a favor. It sounded false no matter how you looked at it.
The Ninth Prince closed his eyes, looking ready to accept his fate, and spoke slowly. “I’m a dead man anyway. Of all my brothers, I’ve always been closest to Big Brother. Better he take the throne than any of the others. Then I can die without regrets. Besides, I’ve investigated the county office. They have only a limited supply of hidden weapons, and once they’ve used them all, that’s it. Big Brother can rest easy; there’s no need to worry.”
Xi Qingyue stood high above them, her expression icy. She had only just learned that the original owner’s mother had been murdered. It seemed that snake hadn’t appeared out of nowhere after all.
Lu Jinshuang was equally astonished. She could already see how things would end for Prince Kang.
Nightshadow swept his sword forward in a graceful arc, and the Ninth Prince crumpled to the ground, a faint smile still on his face.
Just as Nightshadow leapt away to escape, Xi Qingyue shouted, “Where do you think you’re going, assassin? You won’t get away!”
