Chapter 21 (1/2)

Chapter Twenty-One

The following morning Yan Shi Ning woke up refreshed.

In contrast Pei Jin woke up frustrated. Yan Shi Ning was smiling mockingly at him and his frustrations calmed.

‘Wife, you can hide at the start of a month but you’ll be caught before the middle of a month,’ Pei Jin said.

Yan Shi Ning didn’t refute Pei Jin’s words. Instead she glanced in all four directions. She was satisfied they were alone and spoke softly. ‘Big brother, who do you think sent the assassins?’

‘Wife, you’re home,’ Pei Jin said. ‘You don’t need to be weary at home.’

Yan Shi Ning remembered everyone inside Pei Jin’s manor were within control of his palm, she realised she worried pointlessly. ‘Big brother, what do you think?’

‘Wife, what do you think?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘Anyone is possible,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

‘Why?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘The assassins attacked the emperor and the princes,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘It looks like they wanted to kill the Dian Kingdom’s emperor and heirs and cause chaos throughout the Dian Kingdom. If that’s true then who are the Dian Kingdom’s strongest enemies?’

Pei Jin nodded in agreement. ‘That’s a possibility.’

‘But there’s a flaw in that logic,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Diplomats from Dian Kingdom’s strongest enemy kingdoms attended the banquet. If they sent the assassins then there’s no reason for them to risk sending their most talented ministers and warriors.’

‘Um, you’re right,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Besides imperial father wouldn’t allow diplomats from enemy kingdoms to enter the palace without having them followed to find out if they were planning an ambush.’

Yan Shi Ning glanced in all directions and she smiled. ‘You and your father share that same trait.’

‘Of course, we’re father and son after all,’ Pei Jin said. ‘If they won’t sent by an enemy kingdom then who do you think is the culprit?’

Yan Shi Ning shook her head. ‘I’m not certain. But I think that anyone else is a possibility.’

‘Who else?’ Pei Jin said.

Yan Shi Ning thought Pei Jin looked like he was in deep thought. ‘Big brother, I think you know who the suspects are.’

Pei Jin nodded his head. ‘But I want to hear your thoughts since my little lion loves to solve mysteries the most.’

‘I think the first suspect is seventh prince,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Even if he saved the emperor, who can be certain it’s not a ruse to escape suspicion? He and the crown prince are the strongest candidate to become emperor. If he saves the emperor then his bond with the emperor would be stronger than the emperor’s bond with the crown prince. Also, the assassins attacked the emperor, the crown prince and big brother. But the assassins didn’t attack him. It’s possible he wants to earn the emperor’s gratitude and if the crown prince and big brother died during the attack then he’ll have less threats.’

Pei Jin poured tea into two cups. ‘Indeed seventh brother is a suspect. But if they were sent by seventh brother, he wouldn’t leave a trail to trace back to him.’

‘I thought about that too,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘It’s also a possibility someone wants to frame seventh prince.’

‘Alternately, he purposely ordered them not to attack him to make him less suspicious,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Mixing truths and lies together is a tactic seventh brother likes to use to fool others.’

Yan Shi Ning remembered when she attended her first banquet in the palace, she wasn’t familiar with the surroundings and accidently bumped into Pei Zhang. He looked at her condescendingly and his cold arrogance made him hateful.

Pei Jin noticed Yan Shi Ning was frowning while he drank tea. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘I don’t like Pei Zhang,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘I think he’s a dangerous person.’

‘More dangerous than me?’ Pei Jin teased.

‘No, big brother is a lot more dangerous than him,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

Yan Shi Ning spoke truthfully. Although Pei Zhang was cold hearted and wasn’t someone a person could easily befriend, Pei Zhang wasn’t as dangerous as Pei Jin. Because Pei Jin’s gentle and kind act allowed other people to dare to come closer to Pei Jin with their guards down.