Su Xiaoqi stood on the periphery, but because she had previously positioned herself discreetly to observe the assassination on the high platform, the assassins had not yet discovered her.
Seeing the Old Madam step forward to save someone, she and Zhang Yu also began to rescue those being chased by assassins. Her movements were agile, weaving through the crowd and saving several people. She settled them together and looked towards the awning where the Old Madam was. She now had to find a way to get them there, but the path was filled with gathering and pursuing black-clad figures.
They seemed to be playing a game, not for the purpose of killing more people, but to toy with them, like a cat playing with a mouse, not eating it immediately but keeping it in its paws. Su Xiaoqi frowned, suspecting that the mastermind behind these assassins was likely a high-level pervert, one who disregarded human life as if it were mere dust. She could not tolerate this.
Just then, she suddenly heard a terrified scream: "Ah... Ah, no, don't come, don't kill me, he, did you see him, he, he is the son of the Crown Prince, Liang Jingyu..." Su Xiaoqi found the voice familiar, and she had also heard the name mentioned. She looked up towards the source of the sound and saw Liang Jingning, who had fallen to the ground and was trembling. He must have been separated from his guards, appearing very frightened, his voice quivering, his face smeared with tears and snot. His hands were stained with blood, and as he wiped his tears, he smeared blood streaks across his face. He retreated backward, fearing death.
In front of him stood a black-clad figure wielding a large saber, cackling. Blood from the saber dripped onto his head, soaking his hair. The wet, bloody sensation was terrifying. Liang Jingning's teeth chattered incessantly. In contrast, Liang Jingyu, who sat beside him and appeared frail, was much calmer. However, a flicker of displeasure crossed his face at Liang Jingning revealing his identity to the assassin, and his delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly. Impatiently, he pushed away Liang Jingning, who was trying to cling to him, and said resentfully, "Get lost, you coward, you're disgracing Grandfather." As he spoke, he pointed towards the high platform, indicating Liang Jingchen, who was engaged in a fierce sword fight with an assassin. "You are the Crown Prince, he is your younger brother, look at him..."
The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring applied in the royal family as well. Looking at the brothers, one was more afraid of death than a woman, while the other was incredibly brave. Liang Jingyu felt that his imperial uncle was truly blind, bestowing the title of Crown Prince upon this good-for-nothing. And this person still wanted to contend with his father?
The assassin didn't have the luxury of listening to the two cousins accuse each other. He was overjoyed, as the two who had revealed their identities were the Crown Prince's eldest legitimate son and the new noble Prince Duan's heir – two significant catches. According to higher orders, they were to be captured alive, not killed. He immediately bound Liang Jingning and then moved to bind Liang Jingyu, but Liang Jingyu twisted his body and dodged. "Damn it, still playing tricks on me," the assassin roared. He clapped his hands, intending to knock Liang Jingyu unconscious.
But then, a whistling sound pierced the air, "Pa..." The sound was dreadful. The assassin's ears stung, his face turned pale, and then quickly flushed red. This was because the whip had struck him precisely on the face. The barbs on it had ripped his flesh, leaving it bloody and mangled. "Ah... Who is it, who is it..." he raged, dropping the two royal scions and charging towards the person wielding the whip. It was a woman. She was dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, her face adorned with a cold, stern smile.
The assassin, disregarding everything, his pain fueling his fury, charged forward fearlessly, only to receive more lashes. Du Yiyi had initially been intimidated by his ferocity, but seeing that he was no match, she unleashed all her skills and methods, whipping his clothes to shreds and tearing his flesh. The only drawback of the whip was that it couldn't kill quickly; it only inflicted pain. Thus, the assassin was whipped until he had no good flesh left on his body, yet he remained resolute. "Ah, Brother Hu Zi, hurry and retreat, I'm coming to save you." Other assassins noticed the situation and rushed over. Su Xiaoqi, seeing Du Yiyi surrounded, quickly instructed Zhang Yu to help. She herself took out a sharp dagger from her sleeve and held it in front of her for self-defense. Zhang Yu flicked her sword and rushed forward. Those following behind her watched in stunned silence. These two women could actually kill assassins. They were indeed rough... not brave!
The assassins appeared reckless, but Su Xiaoqi could tell they were valuing their lives. When they realized they couldn't defeat Zhang Yu and Du Yiyi, they quickly retreated. With too many "tails" to protect behind them, they couldn't afford to prolong the fight and had to let them go. The three of them, with a group of followers, carved a bloody path towards the awning of Duke Yu's mansion and merged with the others. Along the way, they picked up more people who had been scared witless by the pursuit. Among them were Chang Wanqing and Xi Jianzhi, whom Su Xiaoqi recognized, as well as other ladies and young ladies she had or had not met before. Some were even members of her Liuyuan establishment.
As they neared the embankment in front of the awning, they encountered a young woman, protected by her maids, who had retreated to the riverbank and had nowhere else to go. She held two girls in her arms, both crying their hearts out. Su Xiaoqi recognized them immediately. This was Wen Ruohua, the legitimate wife of He Qiunian, the elder brother of He Qiulei. Previously, when the Huang family aunt and niece had caused trouble for her before entering the awning, it was Wen Ruohua who had spoken up for her. Su Xiaoqi remembered her kindness. The girls in her arms were her two daughters, as pure and lovely as jade. When they had met before, they would sweetly call her Aunt Su. Su Xiaoqi quickly asked Zhang Yu to step forward, kill the assassin, and called out, "Madam He, Yuxue, Yufei, hurry over."
Wen Ruohua, a delicate woman, had been pushed to the brink and had considered jumping into the river with her two daughters. She never expected Su Xiaoqi to come to her rescue. Overcome with emotion, she pulled her children and rushed forward. Su Xiaoqi nodded at her and continued to lead everyone forward, fighting their way to the awning of Duke Yu's mansion to rejoin the others. The outside was becoming increasingly chaotic. The Divine Machine Battalion and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been dispatched. The fight on the high platform was drawing to a close.
And at some point, the previously valiant Prince Duan had been injured and fallen to the ground. The Princess, lying on the ground, wept uncontrollably, wiping her eyes. Su Xiaoqi narrowed her eyes, recalling what the Princess had told her before, and thought that this might be their stratagem. With Prince Duan injured, the Crown Prince would no longer be able to shift the blame for this assassination onto him. This was an excellent act of self-harm. Although he would suffer some physical pain, his life would not be in danger. Thinking this, Su Xiaoqi's worry subsided.
With the arrival of the powerful Divine Machine Battalion and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the situation outside was largely under control. Many assassins were captured, but some managed to escape through the river due to their superior swimming skills. The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ji Chenggang, was directing the skilled swimmers of the guard in pursuit. Whether alive or dead, they had to be found. They would not allow those who killed people within the capital to escape smoothly. As for those captured, they were all taken to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's imperial prison – a place from which no one ever emerged alive. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, usually known for their ferocity, had now done a good deed, rescuing everyone from the fire and water.
Su Xiaoqi felt a sense of relief, finding it all to be somewhat inexplicable in its beginning and even more so in its ending. She frowned, a certain place in her heart suddenly tightening; she felt that something was not quite right. She looked around at the crowd, which comprised hundreds of people. Women and children were inside, while men and guards were outside. Recalling how the assassins had shed their outer civilian clothes and revealed their black tunics, Su Xiaoqi's heart trembled, and she seemed to grasp something. She suddenly gripped Du Yiyi's hand and quickly scanned the scene. Suddenly, she saw a stranger's face next to Bao Ge'er. "Not good..." Su Xiaoqi muttered, giving Du Yiyi and Zhang Yu a look, and quietly moved closer to Bao Ge'er.