29 Eve of Change II (1/2)
Yun Hen turned his head and glared at Meng Fuyao, harshly slapping her hand away. A fire was burning in his eyes, as though he could burst into action at any time.
Meng Fuyao was taken aback by his abrupt change in attitude. When she saw that he was about to jump forward and take them on his own, she had simply wanted to stop him from committing suicide. ”Why is he so angry?”
Meng Fuyao bit her lips, not wanting to quarrel with him at this point in time. She made a quick hand gesture, asking him to turn.
Doubt flashed across his face but because Meng Fuyao looked certain Yun Hen gave in.
Upon taking a step back, Meng Fuyao broke off a branch from a nearby tree. She held it in her hand and pared it meticulously, turning it into a long, cylindrical object. She measured it with her hand before slotting it into her sleeve.
The sky had darkened, but that wasn't enough to cover the sudden, suspicious flash of redness across her face.
That object stuck out from her sleeve, partly fitting into the hollow of her palm. It was round, thick and long, and was rubbing against her fingers. Meng Fuyao's face started heating up as she curled her lips and let out a helpless smile.
'Into the muddy water I go... darn, my reputation has been soiled and will forever be buried in this cursed palace.'
...
It was almost evening, and candlelight filled the Qianan Palace Hall's interior.
Qi Xunyi was yakking about the excellent skills present in Huai Zuo's first sideshow, Martial Family, generously spilling his saliva everywhere.
He extended a hand toward the crown prince to gain his attention, to which the latter reciprocated by walking over. Qi Xunyi started, in a low voice. ”There's a beautiful virgin in that troupe, with a slim waist like no other... there are no words to describe her charm...”
”Oh?” the crown prince exclaimed, before commenting in a similar tone, ”How would third younger brother know how slim her waist is if she's still a virgin? Or...”
They exchanged a look before erupting in laughter.
...
At four in the evening in the Qianan Palace Hall's garrison house...
Assistant Commander Tie was getting ready for his patrol when someone brushed the door curtain aside and entered. It was his superior, Yan Lie.
”I'll join you.”
They proceeded together, and Tie Cangmo caught a slender shadow on the ground in front of them. He looked up to see Princess Pei advancing with a winsome smile.
At this ”chance encounter”, he quickly paid his respect, and the princess supported him up.
A sword appeared in her hand as she helped him up. In the next second, she had plunged it into the assistant commander's chest.
Naturally, he tried to retaliate, and Yan Lie simply smiled, sweeping his sleeve forward the next moment and trapping the assistant commander's slanted body under his armpit. The victim struggled hard, aggravating his wound and losing a lot of blood in the process.
Yan Lie smiled and twisted his arm.
Tie Cangmo's head instantly turned crooked, his bones creaking and cracking amid the eerie silence.
Upon tossing the dead body to the ground, Pei Yuan and Yan Lie exchanged smirks.
...
At four in the evening, at the three gates of the Imperial City...
The wind was as cold as steel and the moon, in contrast to the pieces of red decoration, deathly pale. Before the gates stood guards, armed with javelins. They were standing still with their black shadows covering the ground.
The silence was broken by a fast, clattering wave of hooves. The horsemen were dressed in embroidered gowns and were quickly revealed to be Yan Lie and Yan Jingchen.
”His Majesty has ordered for a change of guards stationed at the Changning, Guangan and Changxin gates!”
Cold light rays reflected off the weapons as the clanking of metals overtook the silence. Clouds shifted overhead, piling like layers of fish scales and crowding over the Imperial City.
Yan Lie remained on his horse, indifferently waiting for the garrison to be relieved. The garrison leader of the Changxin gate, Tie Cangmo's trusted aide, hesitantly reached his hand out to request for an edict.
Yan Lie smiled. ”Sure!”
At that, he whipped a severed head from his back and smashed it against the garrison leader's head. Fresh blood, mixed with brain juice, flowed down and along the veined path, creating an outline of an eerie massacre map.
The tumbling head stained the street, but a trained soldier speedily wiped the trace away.
...