HLnovel Chapter 215 Closing the Door to Catch the Murderer
Chapter 215 Closing the Door to Catch the Murderer
Jiang Ruoyi was scared, closed her eyes, and pushed the dark figure away.
"Do the work first, then fulfill the promises."
“Miss Jiang, I’m not one of those fools outside.” The shadowy figure didn’t mind Jiang Ruoyi’s push earlier and said coldly, “If I fail to escape unscathed, wouldn’t I be at a loss? Or, if I escape unscathed, will Miss Jiang kill me to silence me when I try to fulfill my promise to her?”
Jiang Ruoyi looked somewhat embarrassed after her thoughts were guessed.
The shadowy figure continued, "Don't feel embarrassed about being exposed by me. Miss Jiang is smart, and I'm not stupid either. It's all out in the open, so why hide it? I've already stated my conditions. You only get one chance, so Miss Jiang can consider it."
Jiang Ruoyi clutched the blanket, and seeing the dark figure about to leave, she said in a low voice, "Hurry up, I don't want to be discovered."
"Quickly? I can't be quick." The dark figure returned to the bedside and grabbed Jiang Ruoyi's hand: "The night is long, I have to serve Miss Jiang well so that Miss Jiang won't have the heart to discard me after I've served my purpose."
Jiang Ruoyi had never heard such bold words before. Her face turned red and she dared not look at the dark figure again.
The night was long, and the conversation between the shadowy figure and Jiang Ruoyi could be faintly heard.
Jiang Ruoyi: "Don't forget your promise."
The shadowy figure: "Okay!"
Jiang Ruoyi added, "After tonight, we'll be even."
The shadowy figure said, "I'm afraid that after tonight, Miss Jiang will be reluctant to part with me."
She was indeed reluctant to part with him, but unfortunately, she would definitely kill him after he completed his mission. Compared to the positions of Crown Princess and Empress, what was a man? Once she sat on that throne, would she be afraid of not having men who could please her and be more easily controlled?
Jiang Ruoyi curled her lips. As long as Lu Zhiyuan was eliminated, everything else would be easy to handle.
In Ronghua Palace, Lu Zhiyuan flicked her finger, extinguishing the candlelight. Lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Was she really going to marry the Crown Prince? Was she really going to move into the Eastern Palace? If the Crown Prince inherited the throne after the wedding, would she really become the Empress? What if the Crown Prince changed his mind, forbidding her from leaving the capital, or even threatening her with the Xie family? What would she do then?
Her second uncle was right; there's a difference between being a crown prince and being an emperor. There's also a difference between before and after the wedding. She can't gamble with the crown prince's character. If she doesn't marry him and fakes her death to escape, what will happen to the crown prince's heartbreak? He's already made many concessions for her; she can't let her momentary assumptions prevent her from trusting him.
Feeling extremely annoyed, I tossed and turned on the bed and heard a strange sound.
Because of the original owner's illness, her five senses had deteriorated considerably. To prevent anyone from suddenly breaking in, she set up multiple traps in Ronghua Palace. One of them, called the Spider Silk Array, was made of special silk threads with specially made bells hanging at the ends. The silk threads would break upon being touched, and the bells would emit a low-frequency sound that only she and Lu Yun could hear.
My ears twitched, and I didn't miss the slightest sound outside.
The intruders had already approached her bedchamber.
Close your eyes, adjust your breathing, and pretend to fall asleep.
The door latch was gently loosened, and a dark figure slipped into the room. What the figure saw surprised them. The furnishings in the bedchamber were strange and unusual, unlike those of a Crown Princess about to move into the Eastern Palace; they seemed more like those of a mischievous child.
He's just a child, a sickly one who's been pampered by the Xie family.
He crept into the inner room, walked to the bedside, and heard even breathing. His dark eyes flashed, he drew a dagger, lifted the bed curtains, and thrust the knife at Lu Zhiyuan on the bed.
The person who had been fast asleep suddenly kicked away the dark figure's hand holding the dagger. The dagger struck the bedpost with a loud bang, particularly jarring in the silent night. The dark figure was startled and held his breath, only to find that the person on the bed hadn't woken up, as if the whole incident was just due to an awkward sleeping position that had resulted in a kick.
He raised an eyebrow beneath the black cloth, gripped the dagger tightly, and thrust it towards a vital spot. This time, he was determined to take Lu Zhiyuan's life.
Just as the dagger was about to pierce Lu Zhiyuan, something soft wrapped around the shadowy figure's wrist. Upon closer inspection, it was a small snake. Without time to wonder where it came from, the figure quickly shook it off and prepared to continue the attack, only to unexpectedly meet a pair of beautiful eyes.
Those eyes were as clear as a blue lake, making him forget what he was supposed to do for a moment.
The room was silent, with only the sound of two people breathing.
"You're an assassin? Is your organization's standard that low?" Lu Zhiyuan gripped his wrist, stood up, and knelt on the bed, staring at him intently. "The killing intent on you is very faint; you haven't killed anyone in at least two years. There's the smell of coffins, incense, and paper money. Do you run a funeral parlor? So, you've already retired from the life of a killer."
Lu Zhiyuan wrinkled her nose and sniffed.
"The scent of cosmetics, it's a familiar scent. I've only ever smelled this fragrance on one person. You've been to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and seen the person who lives there. Jiang Ruoyi, was it Jiang Ruoyi who sent you to kill me?"
The shadowy figure's eyes narrowed instantly.
This little girl is terrifying. She only sniffed him a few times, yet she accurately described so many details. No wonder Jiang Ruoyi wanted to kill her. His calloused hands gripped the dagger tightly, his exposed eyes as deep and unfathomable as a still pool. A flash of silver light appeared in his eyes as he swung the dagger towards Lu Zhiyuan.
Lu Zhiyuan did not move, but the shadowy figure's knife fell to the ground.
The area where the small snake had coiled around him was pitch black; not only were his wrists and fingers numb, but his entire arm was numb as well. But he hadn't been bitten by the snake, so it was impossible for him to have been venomed.
Before anyone could react, the bedroom door was flung open with a bang. The night wind, carrying moonlight, filled the entire room, and a white figure darted in, robes fluttering in the wind. He pointed his sword at the shadowy figure, aiming straight for his throat.
The shadowy figure tried to dodge, but its entire body was numb, rendering it unable to move. Seeing that it was about to die, Lu Zhiyuan flicked her wrist, deflecting the sword in Lu Yun's hand slightly: "I still have questions for him!"
Lu Yun sheathed his sword and stood beside Lu Zhiyuan.
Lu Zhiyuan got up, picked up the outer robe hanging on the screen, and put it on.
A sharp, tingling pain shot through his feet, and the dark figure grimaced as he sat down on the ground. Not far from him lay a small, motionless, emerald-green snake. Seeing him staring at the snake, Lu Yun curled his lip and said, "It's fake. My young lady made it to amuse children."
The shadowy figure gave a wry smile and asked Lu Zhiyuan, "How did you do that?"
"Your wrist!" Lu Zhiyuan reminded him, "The snake isn't poisonous; it just distracted you. The poison is in the silver needle. When you flung the snake away, I pricked your wrist with the silver needle. The poison travels through your bloodstream; the more you move, the faster it travels. Normally, you should only feel numbness in your hand right now."
"You know poison?"
“Poison doctors and physicians are not separate entities. I am a renowned physician in the capital. What’s so strange about me knowing how to use poison? But you, an assassin, how did you get involved with the eldest daughter of the Jiang family?” Lu Zhiyuan walked up to him and said, “As far as I know, Jiang Ruoyi is just a pretty face. She has no money and can’t afford to hire a professional assassin.”
"She saved me!" the shadowy figure said. "She's just repaying a debt of gratitude! You can make your move now."