Chapter 73

Chapter 73: The Strike Misses Its Mark After Ling Jiayue instructed Lingxue to finish everything, she told Danyun to wake Ling Yuwan. Thinking of how malicious Ling Yuwan’s intentions toward Ling Jiayue had been, Danyun used considerable force and pinched the philtrum beneath Ling Yuwan’s nose hard. Seeing how forcefully Danyun had acted, Lingxue found her plain and adorable, and liked her even more. Just then, Ling Yuwan let out a cry of pain and woke up. Holding her aching philtrum, Ling Yuwan said, “Sister, it hurts so much.” Seeing that Ling Yuwan had been pinched awake by Danyun, Ling Jiayue found it amusing, but pretended to comfort her. “It’s all right. You were knocked unconscious by the assassin’s concealed weapon just now, so I had Danyun pinch your philtrum. I suppose this girl didn’t know her own strength, but it shouldn’t be anything serious.” Ling Yuwan cursed inwardly: Damn that Danyun girl! She used such force. Once Ling Jiayue is dealt with, I’ll make sure to teach her a proper lesson! Only then did Ling Yuwan notice that her clothes had been changed. She was wearing a riding outfit. Confused, she asked, “Sister, I wasn’t wearing these clothes before I fainted. Why am I wearing a riding outfit now?” Ling Jiayue smiled faintly. “You don’t know this, little sister, but that assassin was extremely brazen. When he saw you unconscious, he actually tried to violate you and tore away most of your clothes. Danyun drove the assassin off, and only then were we able to change you into these clothes.” When Ling Yuwan heard that the assassin had tried to violate her, she was startled, and tears welled in her eyes. She choked out, “Thank you, Sister. If not for you, I fear I would have lost my chastity today.” Ling Jiayue consoled her, “As long as nothing happened, that’s all that matters.” Danyun and Lingxue nearly burst out laughing at Ling Jiayue’s straight-faced nonsense. But Ling Yuwan was too frightened to pay any attention to them. Suddenly recalling the sachet, Ling Yuwan probed, “Thank you, Sister. Oh, right—just now, I was about to put the sachet on you when the assassin appeared. Since it’s the peach-blossom banquet today, Sister, you should still wear it.” Danyun was straightforward by nature, and rolled her eyes openly at those words. Lingxue, having received proper training, managed to force down the urge to do the same. Ever since discovering Ling Yuwan’s intention to harm her, Ling Jiayue had naturally become extremely vigilant around her. She no longer regarded Ling Yuwan as a gentle and kind little sister. Ling Jiayue said, “Thank you for still thinking of your elder sister. Since you specially prayed for this sachet for me, of course I’ll wear it.” As she spoke, Ling Jiayue even showed Ling Yuwan the sachet hanging from her body. Seeing that the sachet she had given Ling Jiayue was still there, Ling Yuwan relaxed. She thought to herself: Even being attacked by an assassin was worth it. When the horse racing begins, I’ll make sure Ling Jiayue suffers. The calculating look in Ling Yuwan’s eyes escaped none of the three women. They merely found it amusing. Ling Jiayue said, “All right, little sister. We’ve been away long enough. We should return to the banquet. Otherwise, Mother and the concubines will start worrying.” “Sister is right. Let’s go back.” Ling Yuwan put on a gentle, kindly expression. Thus, Ling Yuwan and Ling Jiayue returned to the banquet together. By then, Feng Yan had already returned to Mu Yuheng’s side. After reporting the entire situation, he added, “Master, the first assassin’s martial arts style was unfamiliar to me, but the second one clearly knew the imperial palace well.” Mu Yuheng asked, “You said you wounded the first one’s left arm?” “Yes, Master.” “And the second one managed to escape despite you and Danyun joining forces?” “Reporting to Master, it wasn’t because his martial arts were superior. It was because he knew the imperial palace’s layout. We were caught off guard, and that was how he managed to get away.” Feng Yan spoke earnestly. Little girl, just how many people have you offended? Why are so many trying to harm you? Still, no matter how many there are, I’ll protect you. Mu Yuheng quietly instructed Feng Yan, “Activate the hidden agents embedded in the palace. No matter the cost, protect Miss Ling at the peach-blossom banquet.” “Master, those hidden agents are the result of years of your painstaking effort!” Feng Yan was stunned. “Go. Stop making such a fuss.” Mu Yuheng shot him a sideways glance, and Feng Yan obediently went to carry out the order. At that moment, Ling Jiayue and Ling Yuwan also returned to their seats. When Madam Liu saw Ling Jiayue come back, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that something had happened to her, or that she might have offended some important person. In the men’s section, Ling Jiaxuan also relaxed when he saw that Ling Jiayue had finally returned. Madam Chen likewise let out a relieved breath when Ling Yuwan came back. Ling Yuwan gave Madam Chen a slight nod, signaling that she had accomplished what she set out to do. Madam Chen felt the heavy burden in her heart lift completely. However, the exchange between Madam Chen and Ling Yuwan did not escape Ling Jiayue’s eyes. “Yue’er, why did it take you so long to change? Did something happen?” Madam Liu asked with concern. Ling Jiayue naturally had no intention of telling Madam Liu that she had encountered two groups of assassins while changing clothes—and that the smiling and cheerful Ling Yuwan beside her had also wanted her dead. She merely said, “I went to change into a riding outfit. Ling Yuwan is still young at heart, and when she saw that I had changed, she wanted to change as well. I accompanied her to choose an outfit, which is why we were late coming back.” When Madam Liu saw that Ling Yuwan had also changed into a riding outfit, she believed Ling Jiayue’s explanation. At that moment, everyone at the banquet was raising cups and drinking, and the atmosphere was lively. Seeing Ling Jiayue return, Madam Liu relaxed and continued drinking with the madams. In the men’s section, Ling Jiaxuan and Ling Pingzhang were also chatting happily with the eligible young men around them. The entire banquet appeared to be a scene of hosts and guests enjoying themselves. However, Murong Xi and the Third Prince glared at Ling Jiayue with bitter hatred. There was no other reason than that they had never expected Ling Jiayue to have such powerful forces protecting her. Their first strike had failed, and it would be difficult to kill Ling Jiayue during the rest of the peach-blossom banquet. Murong Xi angrily drained a mouthful of wine. He realized that Chu Chaoci had already discovered Ling Jiayue’s existence. It would now be even more difficult to make a move against her. The Third Prince’s personal guard also reported the situation to him, and the Third Prince’s gaze grew increasingly cold. He had never expected the Seventh Prince to step in and protect Ling Jiayue. It seemed the relationship between those two required careful investigation. But since he had failed to kill Ling Jiayue this time, he would definitely kill her the next time! Thinking this, the Third Prince tightened his grip around the wine cup. Unable to withstand the force of his grip, the cup shattered in his hand. The shards pierced his palm, cutting it open and drawing a great deal of blood.