Chapter 146: Xu Qing Chen's Whereabouts (83.3)
Translator: asa.s.sin
This night, Princess An Xi's manor stood in silence with only the lantern in the study still burning.
Princess An Xi's handsome face wore a trace of tiredness as she looked at the man in front of her with a frown. “Is there no news from Qing Chen?”
The man shook his head and answered in a heavy tone: “No.”
Princess An Xi said a bit irritated: “What's going on? Does she still not believe we think Qing Chen is missing?”
The man nodded. “Very likely. Though we've sent men looking for Mr. Qing Chen everywhere, she might think it is just a show put up for her by Mr. Qing Chen and us.”
“I hope Qing Chen is fine.” She closed her eyes, exhausted and rubbed her forehead as she said: “We've gone through so much difficulty in order to turn the situation for the better. If we fall short of success for lack of a final effort, I'm afraid… my father…”
The man frowned and said: “Does His Grace still not trust you, My Lady?”
Princess An Xi said with a bitter laugh: “Father just had his 40th birthday. He is in his prime years. Even if he believes me, he won't give me any help. He needs another power to suppress me.”
If it wasn't her father who protected her enemy secretly in the past half a year, she couldn't have failed repeatedly. Every time she was about to have evidence against her enemy, it slipped from her hand.
“Now that she has the military tally, we'll be fighting for nothing if we don't have it back.”
Princess An Xi didn't understand why her father who had always been wise would protect that woman. However, she herself can't stand aside when that woman harmed Nan Zhao. It was her responsibility as the inheritress of Nan Zhao.
“Can you get Mr. Qing Chen's whereabouts?” Asked Princess An Xi. “If we can't succeed, bring him out of there first. I don't want to get him into trouble because of our internal affairs.”
The man shook his head as he said: “I'm afraid not. Though we have news from Mr. Qing Chen sometimes, it comes from people who is sent by him so we don't know where he is.”
“d.a.m.n!” She cursed below her breath.
“a.s.sa.s.sins!” A shout went up in the yard.
Princess An Xi stood up immediately.
The man beside her pulled out his blade and pushed the door open. However, he stepped back quickly and said with a frown: “They left for the guest yard.”
Princess An Xi said: “There's only Miss Chu in the guest yard. What do those a.s.sa.s.sins want from her? Let's go and have a look.”
Then she left first and rushed towards the guest yard. The man hurriedly closed the door behind him and followed.
The study went back to quietness when a window at its corner moved a bit as a black figure flew inside. Under the black mask was a pair of pretty eyes. The one in black walked to the desk in a flash and started to go through the records on it. Not having found what she was looking for, she went to the bookshelves for a search. There weren't many books in Princess An Xi's study. Most of them were records in Nan Zhao language. After a great effort, the one in black saw a record hidden at the most unremarkable corner of the bookshelf. It wasn't the record itself that attracted her attention, instead, it was the sunflower seal on it. Her eyes moved. A light and thin blade appeared at her fingertip and she opened the record in no time. Taking in ten lines at a glance, her eyes smiled faintly. Then she sealed it back and restored the study to its old look before she left from the same window that she came in.
In the guest yard, when Princess An Xi arrived with her guards, they were stopped at the door by Secret Guard No.2. He looked at all the people in front of him as he said: “My Lady, it's very late now. What's the matter?”
Princess An Xi said: “There were a.s.sa.s.sins who headed for the guest yard. Is everything all right with Miss Chu?”
“a.s.sa.s.sins?” Said Secret Guard No.2 with a frown: “I've been keeping guard here all night and haven't seen any a.s.sa.s.sins.”
Princess An Xi paused since her guards would never lie. Besides, she did see a few dark figures enter the guest yard from afar. Why did Miss Chu's guard deny it?“Guard Lin, Miss Chu is Mr. Qing Chen's fiancée. If she is harmed, I can't account it to him. Was there n.o.body here?”
Secret Guard No.2's expression was dark as he said in a serious tone: “There were a few men here when a shout went up but they were scared away by my concealed weapons. I think there were men who were wounded. But none of them entered this yard. My Lady's good name is at the first place. Please speak cautiously.”
Seeing Secret Guard No.2's solemn expression, Princess An Xi finally realized why this guard insisted that no a.s.sa.s.sin entered the yard since Great Chu attached more importance to a woman's reputation than Nan Zhao did.
“Sorry, Guard Lin. I've made an indiscreet remark.” She waved at her guards to keep looking for the a.s.sa.s.sins before she turned back to Secret Guard No.2 and said: “Did it frighten Miss Chu? Why doesn't she come out?”
Secret Guard No.2 answered calmly: “She lives in the inner yard and probably didn't hear it.”
Princess An Xi frowned as she said: “Guard Lin, if it isn't convenient for you, I might as well check on her myself. It won't be good if she is frightened…”
“No…”
“Sister princess, what's going on?”
Secret Guard No.2 was about to refuse when Ye Li's voice rose from behind.
With a big cloak over her and her hair loose on her shoulder, she looked sleepy and confused. Following her with a lantern was a maid sent to wait on her by Princess An Xi.
Princess An Xi smiled: “It was nothing. A few thieves broke in just now. Did they wake you up, Miss Chu?”
c.o.c.king her head, Ye Li gave her a pretty smile. “I'm not afraid of them. Lin Han is good at martial arts. He has protected me all the way here. Haven't you, Lin Han?”
Secret Guard No.2 answered in respect with his head lowered: “Yes, please don't worry about it, Miss. I've chased them away before they entered this yard.”
Having seen that nothing happened to Ye Li, Princess An Xi nodded and said: “Well, have a good sleep, Miss Chu. I'll send my men to investigate if there is any a.s.sa.s.sins who has run away.”
“All right, thank you very much, sister princess.” Ye Li said with a meek smile. Watching Princess An Xi leave, Ye Li's smile faded slowly. She turned to the maid and said: “Let's go back too.”
The maid nodded and followed Ye Li. However, when she stepped in the room, she only felt her back become numb and collapsed.
Secret Guard No.2 appeared by the door quietly.
Ye Li looked at him with arched brows as she asked: “What's about those a.s.sa.s.sins?”
Secret Guard No.2 answered in a serious tone: “There were a.s.sa.s.sins. I think they came for you, Miss.” He walked into the room. Crouching down, he pulled a man in black out from under the bed. “There were three of them. They underestimated the guards here and were found out. Then they left after being wounded by me. I caught him since he was severely wounded.”
Bending down, Ye Li watched the man lying on the ground with typical appearance of men of Nan Zhao. Though he was in a black suit, he didn't cover up his characteristics. “I don't think they worked for Princess An Xi. Besides, Chu Liu Yun isn't supposed to have any enemies here. Who would dare to come here just to provoke me?”
Secret Guard No.2 said with a frown: “Is it possible that we are exposed?”
She shook her head. “No. If we are, we might be faced with much more than a few a.s.sa.s.sins who aren't good at what they do. It's more like a demonstration of power… a provocation to Princess An Xi.”
“A demonstration of power… a provocation to Princess An Xi? Because of Mr. Qing Chen?” Secret Guard No.2 speculated.
Ye Li nodded and said pensively: “I think so. The only connection Chu Liu Yun has here is big brother. But what use is a provocation that hurts n.o.body? In comparison, it will be more useful to have me in order to threaten big brother, if they have big brother, too.”
“Those a.s.sa.s.sins didn't have the ability to take a person away even without me here.” Having drawn the attention of the guards before they were in the guest yard. They would in no way take a person away. “Miss, do you have any idea who did it?”
Ye Li smiled thinly. “I didn't know at first. Now I think I have a lead. Tomorrow, I want to see your inquisition ability and verify my theory.”