eurekapd Chapter 127 Mysterious Assassin
Chapter 127 Mysterious Assassin
In her panic, Chu Qingyin grabbed a vine, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her eyes filled with terror: "Your Majesty!! Your Majesty, save me!"
She gripped the slender vine with all her might, but the assassin, though pierced through the back by an arrow, still retained a sliver of ferocity and with a final, powerful strike, severed the vine.
"Qiao Qingyin!"
As she plummeted, Lu Zhiheng rushed over without hesitation, his muscles tense, and instantly grabbed the falling vine.
In an instant, most of the man's body was hanging upside down in mid-air, with only his ankles forcibly clinging to the cliff face.
"help me……"
Chu Qingyin no longer cared about past grudges. She clung tightly to the rock wall with both hands, treating the vine in her hands as a lifeline, and pleaded with the man in front of her with tearful eyes, "Lu... Lu Zhiheng... save me..."
Lu Zhiheng naturally saw the weakness and pleading in her eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Hold on, don't let go."
He gathered his strength and tried to reach out to pull her, but the distance between them only grew further and further apart.
Pei Yuanling was the first to rush out to save people, but he was stopped by his personal guards.
"Your Majesty!"
The guard looked flustered, fearing that something might happen to him again. "The cliff is steep, you must take care of your health."
Pei Yuanling was stunned for a moment. After seeing Lu Zhiheng grab the person, he looked dazed for a second, then shouted angrily, "What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and save the person!"
The guards then seemed to wake from a dream and rushed forward to save them, but they were still a step too late.
Lu Zhiheng's single leg could not support the weight of the two people. Just a second before the guards arrived, the vine snapped with a "rip".
"what--"
With a woman's scream, the two figures on the cliff edge plummeted one after the other like kites with broken strings.
This turn of events happened so fast that no one had time to react. By the time Pei Yuanling pushed aside the guards and rushed to the edge of the cliff, there was no one left.
"Yinyin!!!"
Pei Yuanling lay prone on the edge of the cliff, the man's heart-wrenching screams echoing through the empty precipice, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot and his gaze almost bursting.
why!
He finally found her again, so why did she disappear from his sight once more?
The head eunuch, Chen Zhongliang, had no horse and had to travel alone through the dense forest. His clothes were torn by thorns, and the wounds on his body were shocking. He hurried and rushed, and finally managed to reach this place.
Seeing the corpses of assassins scattered all over the ground, and all the guards kneeling on the ground, Chen Zhongliang was both shocked and frightened.
Looking around and not seeing Consort Qiao anywhere, he immediately guessed what had happened and rushed to the edge of the cliff to plead, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance..."
"Who was it that stopped me just now!"
Pei Yuanling's chest heaved violently, his anger still simmering. He stood up, his face terribly grim. He picked up the longsword that had fallen to the ground and roared, "Who is blocking my way!"
If someone hadn't stopped him!
Perhaps if Yinyin still had a sliver of hope, she wouldn't have fallen off the cliff like this!
"Your Majesty's anger! Your Majesty's anger!"
Chen Zhongliang was startled by his appearance and fell to the ground. He hurriedly got up and knelt down, saying, "The most urgent thing is to go down the mountain to find Consort Qiao. Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. Consort Qiao is blessed and will surely be alright."
Pei Yuanling's mind kept replaying what had just happened. His brows furrowed, and he roared, "Where are the guards at the cliff edge?! Where have they all gone? Are they all dead?!"
To prevent people from falling off the cliff, a number of guards were stationed here from the beginning. They would dissuade anyone who approached to avoid danger.
But with such a commotion here, not a single guard came!
"Your Majesty, we've found it!"
A servant who had gone to search the mountain rushed over, carrying a corpse on his back. It was the mountain protector, whose chest had been pierced by an arrow and who was already dead.
"Behind a cliff on the west side, all the bodies of the mountain guards are hidden there!" The young guard knelt on the ground, panting heavily, both shocked and terrified.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Pei Yuanling gritted his teeth, slamming his longsword to the ground, still feeling unsatisfied. His broad chest heaved violently. "So many guards, and they couldn't even protect a few people! Issue my decree: thoroughly investigate this matter, and not a single person involved shall be let off the hook!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the guards replied in unison.
Pei Yuanling took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
But when his gaze fell upon the bottomless cliff, it felt as if an invisible giant hand was gripping his heart tightly, making it hard to breathe.
Despite the intense pain in his chest, he hoarsely ordered, "Chen Zhongliang, immediately send men down the mountain to search for Yinyin. I must find her, alive or dead!"
"Yes!" Chen Zhongliang replied.
Just as he turned to leave, someone behind him said, "Wait. Lu Zhiheng too… Lu Zhiheng must be searched as well!"
Chen Zhongliang was taken aback. Why was there something to do with Chief Minister Lu?
Upon realizing that Lu Zhiheng had fallen off the cliff with Chu Qingyin, Chen Zhongliang became even more terrified.
Below this cliff lies a deep, untouched forest; if one were to fall, there would be almost no chance of survival.
Unless, a miracle happens.
Good heavens! Who is this assassin? He managed to take down His Majesty's right-hand man and his beloved in one fell swoop!
Without a second thought, Chen Zhongliang accepted the order and hurriedly organized a team to search down the mountain.
"The rest of you, come back with me!"
Now is not the time to be sad; the most urgent task is to find the mastermind behind this!
"Yes!" The guards escorted the assassins who hadn't had time to commit suicide back.
Because the incident happened so suddenly, all the hunters in the forest had returned to the training ground, and the entire training ground was filled with an atmosphere of anxiety and terror.
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, a sense of unease spreading through them.
Empress Wang was both surprised and frightened to see Pei Yuanling return safely. She quickly stepped forward and asked, "Is Your Majesty injured?"
Before Pei Yuanling could answer, her gaze fell on his arm, which had been cut by a sharp blade. She was instantly filled with heartache and turned to shout at the maids behind her, "Where is the imperial physician! Where is the imperial physician! Someone come and bandage His Majesty's wound!"
Upon receiving the order, the imperial physician, who had been waiting, hurriedly stepped forward.
Wang Jingyi, the young lady of the Wang family who was originally with Lu Zhiheng, was also found and brought back. Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in dust, and a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks with sweat. She had countless abrasions all over her body and looked quite disheveled.
Upon seeing Empress Wang in the distance, she instantly relaxed, and tears fell like pearls, "Sister..."
Wang Jingyi tightened the cloak draped over her body and staggered over, as if she had been greatly shocked. "Jingyi almost thought she would never see you again."
Having just survived an assassination attempt, she disregarded all formalities and threw herself into Empress Wang's arms.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's all over now." Empress Wang rarely showed a hint of pity.
Knowing she was safe, Wang Jingyi wiped away her tears and sobbed, "Lord Lu...Lord Lu fell off a cliff together while trying to save Consort Qiao..."
"What?" Empress Wang exclaimed in surprise, her expression freezing instantly, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Consort Qiao actually fell off a cliff. She clearly only instructed Lin Qing to tamper with Qiao Qingyin's horse, causing her to fall off and be disfigured. Where did these assassins come from?
And if it were just Qiao Qingyin falling off the cliff, that would be one thing, but why did Lu Zhiheng also fall down?
A mere concubine's death is insignificant. But Lu Zhiheng is the Grand Secretary, a man of extraordinary talent. If he were to perish like this, it would surely cause a huge upheaval in the court!
Upon thinking of this, Empress Wang's heart skipped a beat.
After taking a few deep breaths, she cautiously glanced at the young emperor sitting on the bench. He had half an arm exposed, and the wound that had just been bandaged was oozing blood again, showing how deep the wound was.
"Your Majesty... Consort Qiao, she..."
Her expression was complicated. No matter how much she wanted Qiao Qingyin to die, she dared not presume to kill her in front of the emperor.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. His Majesty has already sent people down the mountain to search for you. I believe nothing will happen," Chen Zhongliang replied, bowing respectfully.
Pei Yuanling's face was grim. After the imperial physician finished bandaging him, he said sternly, "Bring those assassins to me!"