Chapter 854 - 856 Midnight Ambush Part 1
Bai Ruozhu struggled for a moment, indicating that she wanted Jiang Yichun to put her down, but the fellow held on tightly and simply wouldn’t let her go. Second Brother seemed a bit dazed as he watched them, making her face burn with heat.
"What’s wrong with Ruozhu?" coming back to his senses, Bai Zepei asked with concern.
"She fainted from exhaustion. I was afraid she’d fall," Jiang Yichun answered coolly, but his tone and demeanor were very composed, as if to say, ’My wife, I’ll hold her if I want to, who cares.’
Bai Zepei felt a sting in his heart, which made him unnaturally awkward.
"I was trying to coax Dengdeng to sleep and didn’t want to disturb Qin Kaichang, so I came over to your side. Now that everything is fine, I’ll go back," he said and started to walk outside.
"Second Brother, thank you," Bai Ruozhu, being held by Jiang Yichun and unable to struggle free, felt extremely embarrassed to even call out to Second Brother.
Bai Zepei didn’t turn around, "What’s there to thank, I am Dengdeng’s uncle."
After Bai Zepei had walked away, Bai Ruozhu, angry, raised her head and hit Jiang Yichun, saying, "What are you playing at, making me lose face in front of Second Brother."
Only then did Jiang Yichun put her down, smiling, "What does it matter? Maybe after watching us, your Second Brother will start thinking about finding a wife."
Bai Ruozhu glared at him and didn’t continue the banter, truly exhausted. Jiang Yichun was also extremely tired, and after simply freshening up, they both went to bed to rest.
However, as soon as her body touched the bed, Bai Ruozhu lost the urge to sleep, probably due to excessive tension before.
Soon, she heard the even and prolonged breathing of Jiang Yichun beside her; he had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Her mind was in disarray, thinking about the discoveries of the day. Jiang Yichun was the Emperor’s newly appointed inspector to the Northwest Main Camp, his confidant. If Tu Bai, the sole son of Tu Lie, died under Jiang Yichun’s leadership, it could be framed as Jiang Yichun intentionally harming Tu Bai, especially given Jiang Yichun’s previous conflicts with Tu Lie.
At this time, with the pain of losing his son, Tu Lie may act rashly and attack the King, who in turn could use the opportunity to win over other major generals in the Northwest, followed by a rebellion. Even if they were treacherous traitors, as long as they seized the imperial power, wouldn’t history favour the victor?
But now that the plan had failed and Tu Bai had survived, would the King’s plans be put on hold for the time being?
Bai Ruozhu’s mind was in chaos. She felt that if the Northwest rebelled, many would be captured. Jiang Yichun was the Emperor’s confidant, her husband, and she feared that even her family could be arrested. The Meng Residence was in even greater danger, and the old mistress of the Meng family might not be able to escape this disaster.
Thinking of this, she felt a chill all over. In modern times, at least one wouldn’t encounter such a transition of royal power, but in ancient times, it was inevitable.
The more she thought about it, the less she could sleep, so she quietly got up, planning to check on Tu Bai’s room. He had preserved his life, but the first night was still somewhat perilous.
She had just gotten out of bed when Jiang Yichun suddenly caught hold of her arm, asking groggily, "What’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing, I’m going to check on Tu Bai. You keep sleeping," Bai Ruozhu said, patting the back of his hand in a soothing manner.
Jiang Yichun mumbled a sound of agreement and let go of her hand to continue sleeping.
Bai Ruozhu dressed in her outer robe and quietly opened the door, heading towards Tu Bai’s room.
Tu Bai had sustained severe injuries and was arranged to stay in a room alone, while Tu Ying, worried for her brother, had stayed to watch over him through the night.
Bai Ruozhu tapped gently on the room door, whispering, "Tu Ying, it’s me."
Tu Ying unlatched the door and let Bai Ruozhu into the room.
Bai Ruozhu saw her red, swollen eyes filled with bloodshot vessels and knew she was both exhausted and had just been crying.
With a heart full of pity, she patted Tu Ying’s shoulder and said, "Don’t wear yourself out. Your brother still needs your care."
Tu Ying’s eyes reddened again, "Ruozhu, thank you."
Bai Ruozhu smiled at her, walked over to take Tu Bai’s pulse, and quickly withdrew her hand, saying, "Your brother has a strong constitution. He will be fine."
Tu Ying hesitated before speaking, "Ruozhu, those people today seemed to be targeting my brother and me. I’m afraid we have brought trouble upon everyone. I had advised my brother not to join the delegation."
"It seems you understand the situation. I won’t say much more. Find time to write a letter to your family, so nobody takes advantage of this incident. Don’t let your parents be used by others again. What comes next might truly cause a storm of blood and fishy wind," Bai Ruozhu said.
Tu Ying showed a look of shock, "Are you saying that Prince Duan is making his move?"
Bai Ruozhu quickly made a shushing gesture and then nodded, "I can only think of this possibility now."
"I have already sent a message to my family explaining today’s situation," said Tu Ying.
After thinking it over, Bai Ruozhu said, "Write another letter, I’ll have someone from the Commerce Association deliver it to your parents. You might be ambushed if you go through the post station."
Upon hearing this, Tu Ying immediately went to fetch paper and ink and sat down to write.
Bai Ruozhu also sat down nearby to wait when suddenly, her ears perked up; there was an almost imperceptible noise outside the window.
Glancing with her peripheral vision, she saw a thin bamboo stick poke through the aperture of the window, followed by a wisp of smoke that silently drifted inside.
Bai Ruozhu flared her nostrils slightly and detected the scent of drugs meant to cause unconsciousness. She sent a thought to her Space, took out the antidote, dabbed it on her fingertip, and casually flicked the drug powder in front of Tu Ying.
"There’s a mistake here in your letter," Bai Ruozhu interrupted Tu Ying, pointing at her letter. Tu Ying, puzzled for a moment, saw no mistake.
Then, she noticed Bai Ruozhu gesturing lightly with her finger on the paper while saying, "This character is on the ’gold’ radical side."
Upon close inspection, Tu Ying realized Bai Ruozhu’s hands were tracing several characters on the paper: Pretend to faint.
As Tu Ying was sitting with her back to the window, she was unaware of the situation unfolding, but when she saw Bai Ruozhu hold her head as if she were extremely tired and dizzy, she understood and immediately did as instructed. After Bai Ruozhu feigned collapsing, Tu Ying also pretended to faint onto the desk.
Sure enough, someone soon quietly jumped in from the window, at which point Bai Ruozhu sprang into action, shooting a white light at the incoming person who fell to the ground without even having the chance to cry out.
Bai Ruozhu quickly rushed over to support the fallen person, afraid he would make too much noise, while Tu Ying swiftly followed and pressed his acupuncture points in a matter of seconds.
Bai Ruozhu discreetly put the little furry ball away. Not everyone could accept the existence of a Poisonous Insect, and she couldn’t afford to be mistaken for a Demon Woman by accident.
"If you hadn’t come tonight, I would have certainly been in trouble," Tu Ying said after noticing the thin bamboo stick at the window and the faint smell in the air, a hint of fear in her voice.
"I didn’t expect it to be unsafe here as well. I’ll send more guards to watch over your Room," said Bai Ruozhu as she reached to pull off the intruder’s mask. But the sight startled her.
Tu Ying also jumped in alarm, "What happened to this person’s face?"
The intruder’s face was covered in scars, burns that looked like they were caused by open flames, with swollen, raised, bug-like lines, exceptionally hideous to behold.