Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 48
Chapter 48
The wick trimmer closed softly, and the room was plunged into a dim yellow.
Yu An retracted his hand, putting down the trimmers, and sat in the darkness. He seemed to be reminiscing, and even his eyes became distant.
“Conspiring with the enemy and plotting a rebellion?” He muttered the words, a sharp, mocking smile appearing on his aged face. “Anyone in this country could conspire with the enemy, but your father was the least likely to.”
“Of the entire Southern Dynasty, only he and your mother truly and genuinely wanted to sweep away the barbarians and reclaim the land. As for the others,” Yu An sneered, “they were content to hide in Jiangzuo, feasting and enjoying their so-called peace.”
“I advised them not to start a war, because only the common people would get hurt. He didn’t listen to me. Now look, this is the end they got.”
…
Ying Xiu listened quietly on the side. Slowly, the truth began to emerge before him.
At that time, the Qiang tribal chief Yao had invaded the South. The northern aristocrats and imperial family had fled the capital, Chang’an, overnight, leaving the common people in a state of panic.
His father, Yu Ming, was a general who had led a northern expedition. He had originally been a refugee who led the Wing Province refugees across the river to defend Shou Chun and protect Jiankang, establishing fortresses to resist the barbarians.
Yu Ming and his wife were determined to reclaim their homeland and were in perfect agreement with the former emperor. However, the noble families of the Southern Dynasty worried that his refugee background, military power, and the high regard he was held in by the emperor would shake their own positions.
Thus, just as they led their army to reclaim the land and returned triumphantly, a conspiracy against them began.
Ying Xiu’s eyelashes didn’t move. In a daze, he seemed to see the candle wax, its wick trimmed, silently melting and flowing. A layer of mist appeared before his eyes.
He blinked, and a drop of water fell.
Is it raining?
Ying Xiu was in a daze.
He heard Yu An’s voice from the side. “The former emperor was led to believe that your parents coveted his throne. He issued an edict to have the entire Yu family executed. After the Yu family was destroyed, the reclaimed land was lost once more.”
“The Yin family are not good people. They are cruel, incompetent, and cowardly…”
Yin was the current imperial surname.
Ying Xiu had never thought that he would have such a connection to the emperor of the Southern Dynasty. The former emperor who had issued the edict to seize his family’s property had already passed away, and the noble families who had plotted against his family were now untraceable.
The past events and old grievances had vanished like smoke.
After recounting the past, Yu An closed his eyes and returned to his usual appearance, pointing with an air of a seasoned old man. “All that is in the past. It’s fine for you to be close with the retainer, but you must be careful of those noble families and aristocrats.”
The higher their position, the more ruthless they were.
Ying Xiu nodded heavily. Xie Zhou was different from those people. Xie Zhou was a very good person. “Dad, I’ll take you to meet him.”
He remembered something and reminded him, “Oh, by the way, Dad, Xie Zhou is kind, doesn’t talk much, and is a little clingy. Please don’t be offended.”
Yu An paused, lit a candle, and held up a mirror. He began to cough loudly in front of the mirror, turning into a sickly old man once more.
While looking at himself in the mirror, he turned his head and asked Ying Xiu, “Is this good? I definitely won’t scare your Xie Zhou.”
Ying Xiu said, “…That’s not necessary.”
He was still worried about the bloodstains on his father from when they first met. He had wanted to ask a doctor to check on his father, but his father just said it wasn’t his own bl00d and refused to see a doctor.
Ying Xiu argued with him for a long time but was defeated and had to let him have his way.
Since he was in Guangling, Ying Xiu found some time to ask about his family’s origin. He had originally wanted to find the eldest son of the Wang clan, but was told he had gone to Jiankang and would not be returning anytime soon.
It was at this time that a pageboy suddenly called for him to go to Qionghua Terrace.
At Qionghua Terrace, Ying Xiu met with the head of the Wang clan of Langya. After a full fifteen minutes, he finally walked out of Qionghua Terrace.
A hint of confusion remained on the youth’s face. The master had told him that leaving the Wang clan of Langya was not impossible. As long as he killed a certain person, whether he succeeded or not, he would be given his freedom.
“Who is that person?” the young assassin asked.
“The current emperor,” the master’s voice came from behind the screen.
He had no other choice.
He had no room for refusal. Once he refused, there was only one outcome: he and everyone around him would die.
Ying Xiu walked out slowly, countless faces flashing through his mind. His friends he met in Jiang Province, the common people and the mother and daughter from Jianxia Square, his nine-foot-tall father…
Finally, his mind stopped on a snow-white figure. The retainer stood behind the open folding door of the quiet room, waiting for him to return.
This assassination was extremely dangerous. To avoid implicating Xie Zhou, he had to cut ties with him in time.
Fortunately, he still had some time. The master had said that before the assassination, the assassins would have to undergo special training in the capital. After the training was over, they would have to wait for the right moment.
In short, it shouldn’t be too soon.
Ying Xiu suppressed the unease in his heart and decided to rush back to meet up with Xie Zhou first.
The boat that Xie Zhou had arranged was already waiting at the ferry. The pageboy on the boat saw that Ying Xiu had brought back a Qiang old man, but he didn’t ask anything. He quickly prepared a place for Yu An to stay and invited him to board the boat.
Quiet and thoughtful, the pageboy by Xie Zhou’s side was exactly like him.
Ying Xiu let out a sigh of relief. This way, he didn’t have to explain his father’s background anymore.
The large boat traveled south for several days on the canal, and they happened to meet up with Xie Zhou in Jiang Province.
Even though they had only been separated for a little over ten days, Ying Xiu felt that these days were exceptionally long, longer than several years. He could hardly contain his joy at finally being able to see him, so he used his light-foot technique to fly down the gangway.
The pageboys on the boat couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety, fearing that the young master would get hurt. However, the old man the young master brought seemed used to it. He ignored it and walked down slowly and steadily.
The ferry was bustling with people. A low-profile carriage was parked not far away. Ying Xiu recognized the coachman on the carriage at a glance. He waved at him and quickly walked to the carriage.
“Xie Zhou! I’m back!”
The youth excitedly pulled open the curtain and climbed inside, which made Yu An, who was behind him, raise an eyebrow. Is this child meeting a friend or a lover?
He was about to follow and take a look when a discreetly dressed pageboy appeared in front of him. With a smile, he said politely, “Please come with me.”
Yu An pretended to stumble, using the opportunity to grab the other person’s hand. He concentrated his energy and put force into his palm, but the pageboy’s expression didn’t change as he helped him up with a smile.
The old man’s heart sank. What kind of people are these?
It seemed that Ying Xiu had gotten involved with someone extraordinary.
As soon as Ying Xiu climbed into the carriage, he met the gaze of the retainer inside. The retainer was sitting upright in the carriage, wearing a white robe, slowly brewing tea.
The tea’s aroma swirled, creating a misty haze that blurred Xie Zhou’s cold, beautiful face. He was like jade, like porcelain, unlike a regular person.
No matter how many times he saw him, Ying Xiu still felt as nervous as if it were the first time. His heart inexplicably beat faster, like someone had put a small drum in his chest, thumping loudly and violently.
With a flushed face, the youth sat down next to Xie Zhou. He lifted his long eyelashes, unable to stop looking at the person in front of him.
Xie Zhou found it a little funny. He pushed a cup of tea with the perfect temperature toward Ying Xiu and asked softly, “Did you find your father?”
“Mm!” Ying Xiu carefully held the teacup and took a sip. It was sweet, with the taste of green tea. Xie Zhou still remembered what he liked to drink.
He drank the tea in one gulp, still holding the empty cup in his hand. His eyes were moist and dark from the steam, and there seemed to be a hint of tears. “It’s so sweet!”
With that, Ying Xiu lowered his head and blinked hard when Xie Zhou wasn’t looking.
Plop. A single drop of water appeared in the empty cup.
Ying Xiu stared at the teacup for a moment, then looked up. He nonchalantly put the cup down, catching a glimpse of the retainer calmly staring at him from the corner of his eye, as if he had seen everything.
He had a silent understanding.
Ying Xiu was startled by his own thought. He decided he was just overthinking it and tried to break the awkward atmosphere. “I’m going to Jiankang in a few days.”
Xie Zhou didn’t ask anything. He just nodded, indicating that he knew. Ying Xiu wanted to say something more to liven up the mood, but he suddenly heard a voice from above:
“Why were you crying just now?”
It was calm, probing, and emotionless.
As if it were a casual question.
Ying Xiu froze. There was no mirror in the carriage, so he couldn’t see that his nose was red and his eyelids were red. His clear eyes were still wet, and he tried to lie. “I wasn’t, why would I cry?”
The retainer wanted to laugh, the kind of laughter that’s born of exasperation.
It was always like this. He would never tell him about anything that happened.
“Ying Xiu,” Xie Zhou called his name in a low voice. “Are you really going to Jiankang? Why?”
The reason didn’t really matter. Whether Ying Xiu was willing or not, he would eventually go to Jiankang, to the capital, and to his side.
Ying Xiu lowered his head, not daring to let Xie Zhou see his expression. He had never been good at acting, and his face was probably full of guilt right now.
He couldn’t possibly say that he was going to the capital, Jiankang, to assassinate the emperor, could he?
If he said that, given the tyrant’s nature, not only would he die, but Xie Zhou would also be implicated.
He couldn’t say a word.
“I…” Ying Xiu racked his brain and finally came up with a plausible explanation. “I’ve never been to the capital before. I want to see how prosperous it is.”
Xie Zhou listened quietly to his lie.
Ying Xiu was truly bad at lying. Every time he lied, his soft cheeks and the tips of his ears would turn red.
After finally finishing his lie, Ying Xiu was incredibly nervous, afraid that Xie Zhou would expose him. If Xie Zhou didn’t let him go to Jiankang or suspected he was lying, then—
He didn’t know what to do. Maybe he could only part with Xie Zhou early…
“I’ll go with you,” the retainer said calmly.
The youth suddenly froze, stunned for a long time. He lifted his long eyelashes and looked at him.
After confirming that he hadn’t misheard, Ying Xiu was both happy and worried. He was happy that he would have more time with Xie Zhou, but he was worried about implicating him.
I just have to not reveal my identity.
Ying Xiu thought that if the assassination failed, he would find a way to disfigure his own face before he died. That way, no one would recognize him, not even Xie Zhou.
He could be with Xie Zhou for a little while longer, just a little bit.
…
Will Ying Xiu succeed in his mission, or will the emperor uncover his true purpose?