Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
In the dead of the night, during the chou hour, the flying eaves and corbel brackets were shrouded in darkness. The surroundings were dim, and a rustling desolation filled the air.
A slender dark figure leaped down from under the eaves, lightly pushed open the folding door, and quickly slipped inside.
The quiet room was pitch-black, making it difficult to see. Ying Xiu took off his golden outer robe and lightly hung it on the ivory rack.
The prefect had probably gotten wind of something and was holed up at home, refusing to go out. Dozens of soldiers were hidden in his bedroom, and hundreds of private guards were lurking in the corridor outside.
Ying Xiu returned empty-handed and could only wait for the right moment to act.
This trip wasn’t a complete waste, as he at least learned that in a few days, the prefect would be attending an elegant gathering hosted by the Xi family of Gaoping.
With a large, mixed crowd, that would be the best time for him to strike.
After taking off his outer robe, Ying Xiu was left with only his undergarment. He tiptoed around the screen and finally felt relieved when he saw the sleeping figure in the bed.
Last time, he was caught red-handed by Xie Zhou, and his heart pounded with fright. This time, he had been clever and made sure to change his clothes before returning. He had even put his Heart’s Question Sword behind a roof-beast.
If he had run into Xie Zhou upon his return, he could have feigned that he was simply up at night, and what could Xie Zhou do about it?
He reached out and lifted the silk curtain. Ying Xiu leaned down, bent his knees, and carefully climbed into the bed.
Because he was afraid of the dark, Xie Zhou always slept on the outer side, and he slept on the inner side. To quietly climb back to the inner side, he had to go past Xie Zhou.
Looking at the young man sleeping soundly in front of him, Ying Xiu was at a loss. He slightly bent his waist, knelt on the edge of the bed with his calves suspended, his knees awkwardly touching Xie Zhou’s waist. His fingertips trembled, and for a moment, he didn’t know where to put his hands.
After thinking about it, he decided to straddle him. He stretched out his arms, bracing his hands on the inner side of the bed. His waist was like an arching bridge, suspended over Xie Zhou’s body.
Taking the plunge, Ying Xiu quietly moved his left leg, trying to get past Xie Zhou. From the corner of his eye, he saw the white-robed retainer’s dark, beautiful eyelashes trembling slightly, looking as if he were on the verge of waking up.
Ying Xiu shuddered. Half of his body knelt on Xie Zhou, and his waist collapsed, putting him in a strange position.
…Why did this feel a bit like an intimate action? Was this how martial arts were practiced?
Ying Xiu was momentarily stunned. He quickly crawled over before the person below him woke up, curled up on the inner side, and slowly lay down.
As soon as he lay down, many chaotic thoughts came flooding in.
One thought uncontrollably surfaced in Ying Xiu’s mind—was Xie Zhou really asleep?
Ying Xiu couldn’t help it. He opened his eyes, turned over to face Xie Zhou, and began to observe the retainer’s sleeping face.
The retainer slept very neatly, lying on his back with his hands folded. His eyes were closed, so Ying Xiu couldn’t see his soul-stirring pupils, but the smooth, beautiful shape of his eyes was especially clear.
The moonlight shone through the snow-white silk curtain onto his cold, handsome face, giving him a compassionate, divine quality.
Ying Xiu leaned in and kissed his eyes. He took Xie Zhou’s hand, their fingers intertwined, closed his eyes, and fell asleep with peace of mind.
The next moment, the retainer opened his eyes, which were as black and deep as a bottomless pool, and completely clear.
He slowly turned his head, lowered his eyelids, and stared at Ying Xiu sleeping beside him. There was no smell of bl00d on his body. He was wearing a soft undergarment, his collar hiding his pale collarbone. His dark hair was spread out, and he was curled up, holding his arm, sleeping soundly.
Assassinating the prefect would earn him thirty guan (a unit of currency).
For these thirty guan, Ying Xiu didn’t hesitate to leave in the middle of the night.
He was very short on money, but he refused to use Xie Zhou’s.
Xie Zhou was a little puzzled. He habitually reached out and covered Ying Xiu with the quilt, wrapping the youth up and holding him in his arms.
Holding Ying Xiu tightly, Xie Zhou finally closed his eyes.
Ying Xiu was completely unaware. He instinctively snuggled against the cold body pressed against him. He nuzzled his fuzzy head and hugged the big block of ice in his dream with his hands and feet, sleeping soundly.
He slept until daybreak. Ying Xiu groggily opened his eyes, wanting to tell Xie Zhou that he had a dream about a big, solid block of ice that was very comfortable to hold, though a bit hard.
The space in front of him was empty, with only the messy quilts left. The retainer was nowhere to be seen.
The sound of water echoed from not far away, as if someone was bathing. Ying Xiu was still a little dazed from just waking up. He sat up and instinctively walked towards the sound.
Through the wet silk screen, he could vaguely see a tall figure bathing inside. A large, snow-white robe was draped over an ivory rack.
The youth stood outside with his hair down and his feet bare, staring blankly for a while.
The folding door of the washroom suddenly opened in front of him. Cold, desolate steam hit his face, and the retainer, wrapped in a large robe, walked out.
“Y-You… why are you bathing so early?” Ying Xiu looked at him, his face flushing red as he stammered.
And he was taking a cold bath! Even though Ning Province wasn’t cold, it was still winter. What if he got sick?
Ying Xiu couldn’t help but want to scold him, but the retainer had already walked in front of him, and the low-hanging shadow completely enveloped him, as if his entire being was being circled in the other’s arms.
The youth suddenly remembered that he was only wearing a thin undergarment, which was loosely draped over his body, making him feel a head shorter than Xie Zhou.
For some reason, he was a little afraid. His eyes darted away, and he didn’t dare to look at Xie Zhou again. He quickly turned around and climbed back into bed, not forgetting to pull the bed curtains closed and burrow into the quilt.
The retainer was left standing in place, with the cold steam swirling in the air, a biting chill.
He glanced at the lump under the bed curtain and said nothing.
…
The opportunity to assassinate the prefect came quickly. Since the Xi family’s elegant gathering was held during the day, Ying Xiu was worried about how to hide it from Xie Zhou. He came up with a list of excuses, but none of them were needed.
It turned out that Xie Zhou also had to go out today. He could quietly slip away after Xie Zhou left.
“Stay at home. If you want anything, just tell them,” Xie Zhou instructed Ying Xiu before he left.
Ying Xiu nodded vigorously, sitting obediently on the silk stool, looking like he would do exactly as he was told.
As soon as Xie Zhou left, Ying Xiu quickly closed the folding door, opened the window of the side room, used his qinggong to leap onto the roof ridge, and retrieved the Heart’s Question Sword hidden behind the roof-beast, all in one smooth motion.
After changing his clothes back in the room, the assassin took his sword and went out, walking along the roof ridges connected by the railings. From a distance, the cold, silvery-white mask reflected a chilling light, a mixture of elegance and killing intent.
The Imperial Guards lurking in the shadows: “…”
What a cool assassin! Just looking at him made their hands itch.
The Xi family’s elegant gathering was held at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, a fortress once built by the King of Wei during the Eastern Han dynasty. Originally a stronghold for military defense, from its vantage point, one could look out over the vast world.
Years later, it had become a place for the aristocratic families of the Southern Dynasty to hold scholarly discussions and banquets.
The aristocratic families of Ning Province were already seated at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, but the main seat was still empty. The clan members of the Xi family of Gaoping had not yet arrived.
A few aristocratic families on the platform whispered among themselves:
“…Chief Minister Xi asked to retire from the court, and His Majesty sent him back to his hometown. He must have received great honor along the way. The Xi family is truly blessed with the emperor’s favor.”
“But why did Chief Minister Xi suddenly retire when his career was going so well?”
“Don’t you know? Chief Minister Xi’s only grandson died recently. His hair turned white overnight. Oh… Fortune and misfortune are so unpredictable.”
Ying Xiu, dressed in black, sat alone on the eaves of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. An owl crouched on his shoulder. One person and one bird listened quietly to the commotion below.
He didn’t have much of an impression of Chief Minister Xi, only that he was very fond of Xi An.
Xi An had inexplicably drowned, but the old man hadn’t made a fuss, which seemed fishy.
From a distance, a group of people, including his assassination target today—the prefect who was so good at hiding—crowded around Chief Minister Xi as he ascended the platform.
Seeing that everyone was seated, Ying Xiu stood up and walked along the roof ridge, following his target.
The prefect remained in the crowd, making it difficult to strike. It seemed that the Heart’s Question Sword would be useless.
Ying Xiu slowly crouched down, his chin almost touching the rough red tiles of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. His soft, high ponytail hung over his shoulder and neck. He didn’t mind. He slightly adjusted the sleeve-arrow on his wrist, and the sharp arrow, coated in a chilling light, was ready to be fired.
At the crucial moment, the prefect turned his head and went directly behind another attendant, completely shielding himself.
Ying Xiu’s thumb was on the trigger. His fingers were taut, and he waited patiently.
A young servant stumbled over, shouting something loudly. The crowd on the platform below suddenly burst into an uproar, their faces showing shock.
Inside the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, a coffin lay quietly on the ground. The corpse inside was a ghastly sight. Chief Minister Xi’s hair was completely white, and tears streamed down his face as he knelt in a corner of the coffin and sobbed.
“Xi and I accompanied the late emperor when he crossed the Yangtze River, preserving the Han dynasty! But now, His Majesty treats the lives of my Xi family like grass! This is my only grandson. Although he was a bit mischievous, his heart wasn’t bad. He went to Jiang Province and ended up with his body separated from his head!”
The Xi family members exchanged glances. This was a plan they had already made. They would pretend to mourn Xi An to dispel the emperor’s suspicions about the Xi family of Gaoping. Then, they would use the elegant gathering at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace to incite the people and demand justice for Xi An.
After all, forty percent of the civil officials in the world came from the nineteen prefectures of Ning Province. Their verbal and written attacks could cause some trouble for the tyrant.
All the guests at the banquet on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace were officials and nobles supported by the Xi family of Gaoping. Hearing this, they were all stunned.
Listening to Chief Minister Xi’s veiled insults against the emperor, no one dared to agree. Some even quietly took a step back.
The four sides were filled with a clamor.
The prefect stood in place, looking up at the high roof ridge, feeling as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
Under the crescent moon, the masked assassin on the high roof ridge tilted his head slightly, as if smiling at him from a distance.
A line of cold light shot out from the assassin’s black robe, flying through the air—
Thump.
The prefect’s body went stiff, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The people remaining on the platform stared blankly at the fallen prefect, then looked up at the bright moon.
The assassin stood in front of the moon, dressed in black, with a cold, silvery-white mask. A beautiful sword was strapped to his back.
A bright yellow silk ribbon for tying hair flowed gracefully in the air, beautiful and exquisite.
This scene was not of the human world.
The few aristocratic families held their breath. For a moment, they forgot to call for help and to help the prefect. They could only stare dumbfounded at the figure of the young assassin.
“This is terrible! Terrible, Chief Minister!” The young servant stumbled in, his voice filled with panic. “There’s an assassin!”