Eastern Palace Chapter 21

I have argued with him before, however it wasn't this fierce. Although I was scared, however I courageously said in a loud voice to the a.s.sa.s.sin: "If we are talking about honorable people, then I am more of a honorable person than these two men, even though one of them is the Emperor and one of them is the Crown Prince, however based on importance, they can't be compared to me. Since you're an a.s.sa.s.sin, you probably know that I am not only a Crown Princess, but also the princess of Western Liang, I only married Li Cheng Yin for the peace of the two countries. Although you have the Emperor in your hands, however the Emperor's temper is tough, so he will not be affected, of course forcing the Crown Prince and the Shen Wu army will result in your body being dismembered, even if you kill the Emperor, the worst that can happen is for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, asides from death, you don't have any other options. Even if you take the Crown Prince as hostage, the Emperor have other sons, so he certainly wouldn't be affected by you. However I am different, I am not only the Crown Princess, but also the princess of Western Liang, if I were to die, Western Liang would turn upside down, both countries will start a war, people would be in a terrible position, so the Emperor and the Crown Prince will definitely not allow me to die, if you take me as hostage, I will guarantee that you will be safe and sound and have the chance to escape."

       "Nonsense!" Li Cheng Yin was very angry: "We are facing a strong opponent, what are you trying to say? Someone come! Bring her back to the Eastern Palace!"

        I don't know if what I had just said had persuaded the a.s.sa.s.sin, after some time have pa.s.sed, he suddenly slowly nodded his head.

        I was surprised by the unexpected response, said: "Let go of the Emperor, I will follow you!"

        The a.s.sa.s.sin had stared at me coldly, finally opened his mouth and said: "You come here first." The way he speaks was extremely odd, like the times when I first learned Central Plain's bureaucratic language, the tone of speech kept moving up and down, an indescribable unpleasantness to hear. However the situation right now was very urgent, I don't have much time to overthink, so I tried to persuade the a.s.sa.s.sin: "You let go of the Emperor first."
　　
        The a.s.sa.s.sin did not say anything anymore, moving the sword a bit as if he was about to cut open the Emperor's throat, I shouted: "Don't move, I will come over first."

        Li Cheng Yin rushed to the front to stop me, however I 'shua' pointed the sword towards him, he didn't have a choice, but to move his body sideways to dodge. I have already ran towards the a.s.sa.s.sin. The a.s.sa.s.sin grabbed me with one hand, while loosening his other hand, at this moment I don't know where the 'whoos.h.i.+ng' sound was coming from, arrows were shot from an elevated place towards the a.s.sa.s.sin. The a.s.sa.s.sin reached out his hand that was holding the sword, twisting it at a certain angle, then chopping all the arrows being shot towards him. The Emperor took advantage of this opportunity to loosen his control, I lifted the sword to stab the a.s.sa.s.sin, however he was quite fast like a demon, 'shua' the sword had already fell to the ground, I rushed forward and used all my strength to push the Emperor away.

        My push had caused the Emperor to move a few steps back, Zeng Xian immediately grabbed the Emperor's arm, pulling him away from a.s.sa.s.sin's sword. The a.s.sa.s.sin's ice cold fingers were grasping onto my throat, his sword that was colder than his hand was being pressed against my neck.

       "Xiao Feng!"

        I could hear Li Cheng Yin calling me, I turned my head, only able to see his face, and the expression in his eyes.
　　
        I think I will forever remember his face, even if I die. I know that the Emperor and him will definitely not let the a.s.sa.s.sin go, I am not that important, Western Liang was also not that important. The words I had just said, he and I understands, those words were just to trick people.

        The Shen Wu army were coming here to protect the Emperor and Li Cheng Yin, I looked at Li Cheng Yin and smiled, although I know my smile was hard to look at, however I tried my best to force a smile, even if it's the last time, I would definitely not cry, I want him to remember the way I smile.

        I mouthed out: "Shoot the arrows."

        I know that the Shen Wu army has surrounded the area with arrows in their hands, if they were to shoot the arrows in a uniform motion, then the a.s.sa.s.sin would turn into a hedgehog. This person with exceptional martial arts skills, killed many people, taken the Emperor as hostage, if we don't immediately eliminate, then it will definitely cause great danger.

        Li Cheng Yin seemed as though he did not see the movement of my lips, the Emperor said: "Don't take reckless actions!"

        I never thought that the Emperor would give this order, the a.s.sa.s.sin's cold sword was placed near my throat, Li Cheng Yin grabbed a feather arrow from Zeng Xian's hands, said: "If you dare to hurt my wife even a little bit, I Li Cheng Yin will use all my strength to cut you into pieces so that you can die! You immediately let her go, I will allow you to safely leave, my words will suit my action, like this arrow!" When Li Cheng Yin had finished talking, he snapped the arrow into two pieces, threw the arrow to the a.s.sa.s.sin's feet, shouted: "Let her go!"

        The a.s.sa.s.sin coldly laughed, afterwards he turned around the sword hilt, fiercely strike the back of my head, all I can see was pitch-black, then I fainted.

        When I woke up, I felt very cold and hungry, also my hands were tied, even if I move I couldn't move. After some time has pa.s.sed, I finally remembered the situation, the a.s.sa.s.sin had taken me as  hostage, Li Cheng Yin had broke the arrow to demand him to release me. Then where am I now?
　　
        Right now the sky is bright, when I opened my eyes I could see tree branches, thick pine trees covering the blue sky, I don't know how long I had fainted, I also don't know where the a.s.sa.s.sin went, and where is this place.
　
        The sound of running water can be heard, a chilliness can be felt when the wind had blown in this direction, although I couldn't move, however I was able to move my eyes, seeing withered gra.s.s on the left side, a pile of stones on the right side. I couldn't see anything further, I was hungry, inevitably my visions would be blurry, the Capital is a very big place, even if the Shen Wu army did a big search, it will still take a few days until they come here. If I was unable to wait for the Shen Wu army to come here, then I will probably starve to death, that would be very pitiful.
　

         As I was thinking about this, suddenly a corner of a gown can be seen on my left side, I looked at that direction, recognized that it was the gown that the masked a.s.sa.s.sin was wearing last night, I was surprised that he didn't bring me to a faraway place to escape. Perhaps maybe because the nine city gates were being searched heavily by the Shen Wu and Yu Lin armies, so he brought me with him as a s.h.i.+eld of protection. This person with exceptional martial arts skills, killing people as if their lives weren't important, but also forcing the Emperor, it's obvious that he was a runaway criminal. Right now I have fell into his hands, don't know how he will torture me, I felt this indescribable scariness when thinking about this. However being afraid was being afraid, I understand that there was no use in being afraid,  I can only deceive myself by closing my eyes, if he wants to kill or torture me in anyway then so be it.

        For quite some time there wasn't any movement, however suddenly I could smell an attractive aroma, originally I had wanted to keep my eyes closed, however this aroma was indeed captivating, so I secretly opened my eyes. Apparently there was a bag of lamb meat with astragalus[1] roots right beside me, this type of food, don't mention about Eastern Palace, even on the streets this is an ordinary type of food, however I slept the whole day yesterday, and I didn't eat anything, today I didn't know how long I had fainted, so my stomach was feeling very hungry. This bag of lamb meat beside me, the burst of arom going straight into my nose, really was difficult to resist.

        My stomach was betraying me, making 'gulu gulu' sound.

        However my hands were tied, if I have to beg the a.s.sa.s.sin.......Hmph! We Western Liang women will never lose face in front of our enemies.
　
         I never thought that without waiting for me to beg him, the a.s.sa.s.sin would suddenly break the rope that was used to tie my hands, I struggled to get up, looking at the a.s.sa.s.sin from head to toe. His face was still covered, sitting below the tree, holding the sword while coldly staring at me.

        This place seem to be by the river, because I could hear the sound of running water. The area surrounded by withered gra.s.ses, in a far away distance the sound of birds chirping can be heard, wind blowing through the forest, giving a chilly feeling. When I saw the bag of lamb meat, I kept on swallowing my saliva, slowly moving wrist, thinking how I could escape this place. This a.s.sa.s.sin giving me food to eat, maybe he doesn't want to kill me yet, maybe he fears of something. Thinking of how I can escape from him, his exceptional martial arts skills, only afraid that A'Du is no match for him as well.

       This a.s.sa.s.sin must have know what I was thinking, said: "Run away, cut leg tendon." He's a man of few words, with a flat tone of voice, hearing it seemed odd, however I understood what he was saying. He was trying to say, if I tried to run away, then he would cut my leg tendon. I am not afraid, I looked at him and made a funny face. How can I say this, life and death and wealth is predestined by heaven, if it is like this, why don't I just eat the lamb meat first, or else I would die of hunger before anyone would be able to rescue me.

        The moment I thought about this, I started to eat the lamb meat. Don't know if I was hungry, but the lamb meat was very delicious as if it was cooked by the chefs in the Imperial Palace, delicious, very delicious! When a person is hungry, anything would be delicious, even lamb meat with astragalus roots. I was eating with pleasure, that a.s.sa.s.sin couldn't help but to laugh coldly.

       I ate the lamb meat while saying: "I know what you are laughing about......You are just laughing at the Crown Princess, eating in a disgusting way. Even if I look disgusting when I am eating, what does it have to do with you? We Western Liang women don't care about manners. You brought me here, even if you give me lamb meat it doesn't mean I forgive you, I am telling you, you have caused great trouble. You don't know who is my father, if the Western Liang men knew you kidnapped me, they will come here with their horses and use it to step on you until you turn into meat sauce. If you want to survive, then you should stay inside the Yumen gate for the rest of your life, the moment you step into Western Liang, ten thousand horses will step on you until you die. Even if you don't cross the Yumen gate, you still will not survive, because the moment the Emperor gets angry, a million people will die, creating a large stream of blood flowing, you had to make the Emperor angry of all people. Also my husband Li Cheng Yin, he is the Crown Prince, you know what is the Crown Prince? He will be the future Emperor. If he gets angry, although it wouldn't cause as much of a disaster as when the Emperor would get angry, however he can still easily smash you into meat sauce...."

        While I was eating the lamb meat, I kept on saying things to scare him, talking nonstop for quite some time, this a.s.sa.s.sin did not respond back, when I had finished eating the lamb meat, he still didn't say anything, not fun. Seeing him wear an ordinary gown, holding a sword without any symbols marked, I could not identify his ident.i.ty, I don't know why he would take the Emperor as hostage. Thinking about this, I suddenly thought of something else.

       Before Sun Er was causing trouble, afterwards an a.s.sa.s.sin had taken the Emperor as hostage, if someone tells me that these two situations were not related, I would definitely not believe it. This Sun Er is a rascal, how can he know someone with exceptional martial arts skills?....... I rolled my eyes, thinking hard whether there were any clues in between. The a.s.sa.s.sin's eyes were coldly staring at me, I wasn't afraid even if he was staring at me, what kind of talented people does the Emperor not have? Li Cheng Yin was not stupid, he would definitely be able to track down the a.s.sa.s.sin through Sun Er just by thinking about the whole situation.

        The a.s.sa.s.sin with exceptional martial arts skills, unknown ident.i.ty, would be difficult to track down. However Sun Er is well known, all his family members lives in the Capital, he can run but he can't hide, if we are able to grab hold of Sun Er, there will be some clues left behind. With these clues, it will allow me to escape from the devil's hands.

        This a.s.sa.s.sin single-handedly fought against Shen Wu army's skilled fighters, powerful enough as if he is unrivaled in this world, he must have some sort of great background. Before taking action, he deliberately sent Sun Er to cause trouble to the divert the attention, so that Li Cheng Yin and I would be distracted. If at that moment we had stayed in the room, would we be killed by the a.s.sa.s.sin?.......I s.h.i.+vered thinking about this, suddenly I felt that living peacefully up until now was not easy. If A'Du didn't protect me, however A'Du........I jumped up, glared at the a.s.sa.s.sin, "Did you kill A'Du?"

        The a.s.sa.s.sin did not respond, only coldly staring at me.

        Although I am not a strong person, however if he really did kill A'Du, I will fight him no matter what happens. I fiercely glared at him, I know that A'Du's martial arts skills was good, although the a.s.sa.s.sin's martial arts skills was better, however if he did kill her, there must be some kind of wound on his body.  A'Du was just like me, we will destroy the other person if we were to die, leaving wounds on their body. If his body is perfectly fine, then A'Du did not die. I felt that this was poor reasoning, but then again if I were to guess the a.s.sa.s.sin's personality, honestly in such a short moment, I wouldn't be able to figure it out. I felt anxious, only thinking about A'Du.

        At this moment the a.s.sa.s.sin used the sword to point at me, faintly said: "Since you are full, then be on your way."
　　
         Apparently the lamb meat was going to be my last meal, like the food that the prisoner eats before being beheaded, allowing the prisoner to have a full stomach. I suddenly wasn't afraid, because I know begging for mercy was no use. I raised my chest, said: "Kill me if you want, anyways my father will help me take revenge. Also the Emperor, also Li Cheng Yin.......also A'Du, if A'Du is still alive, she'll chop off your head, and then send your skull to my father as a wine bowl."

        The a.s.sa.s.sin was coldly staring at me, I suddenly thought of another person, said: "Also I know a person with exceptional martial arts skills, if you kill me, I guarantee that in this lifetime he will not forgive you. He has better martial arts skills than you, very fast like lightning, he can cut your head off at any time, you just wait!"

        This a.s.sa.s.sin did not get swayed by my words, still moved his sword. I sighed, eating until one's full before death is still considered dying without regrets, however unfortunately before death I still didn't know the whereabouts of A'Du.

        Hearing me sigh, the a.s.sa.s.sin asked: "Do you have any last words?"
　　
        "No last words." I couldn't help but sigh, "Kill me quickly if you want to kill me."

        The a.s.sa.s.sin's ice cold eyes did not show any expressions, said: "You are willing to die for your husband, affectionate and righteous woman, don't worry, I will do it very quickly."

        I couldn't help but shouted: "Who said I was dying for my husband?! There's a big difference! You tried to seize the Emperor, he is not my husband! As for my husband........I owe him, so I am doing this to give back to him."

        This a.s.sa.s.sin moved his wrist as if he was about to take out his long sword, I suddenly shouted: "Wait."
　　
         The a.s.sa.s.sin was coldly staring at me, I said: "I will have to die anyways, can you remove the cloth and allow me to see what you look like? Even after death, I don't want to turn into a ghost that doesn't know who had killed me."

        I was just talking nonsense, the a.s.sa.s.sin seemed impatient, moving his sword again. I shouted: "Wait! Before facing my death, can you let me use the flute to play a song? We Western Liang people, if we don't get a chance to play a song before death, then we would not be able to be reincarnated in the future."
　
        I did not expect for him to believe my nonsense, he suddenly nodded his head.
　　
        My mind was in a disordered state, couldn't think of any idea of how to escape, I could only delay some time, I was pretending to search for the flute in my sleeves, I suddenly pulled out something in my sleeves, and sprinkled it onto the a.s.sa.s.sin's face. The item I took out was blush powder, the light powder being blown by the wind towards the a.s.sa.s.sin's face. The blush powder had an odd scent, the a.s.sa.s.sin must have thought it was some kind of poisonous powder, the moment he waved his hand, the gush of wind created by his sleeve have already blown the powder far away. Don't mention about non-poisonous drugs, even any type of poison wouldn't be able to touch his body. However I took advantage of the situation, grabbed an arrowhead and shot it to the sky, creating a sharp whistle sound.

        However I wasn't deceiving him, I really know someone who have exceptional martial arts skills, although I don't remember how we've met. He gave me an arrowhead, I only used it once to save A'Du. Right now I am in a dangerous situation, of course I have to use it, to allow him to rescue me.

        It's been a long time since I had last seen Gu Jian, not sure if he would be able to rush here, I was so anxious that my vest was soaked in sweat, however the a.s.sa.s.sin did not pay much attention to the arrowhead shot into the sky, but rather he reached out his hand to grab my belt, lifting my whole body. Although I didn't have a plump body, however I am still a person, the a.s.sa.s.sin was lifting me as if I was a baby. He exerted his strength in his left hand, suddenly tossing me into the distance.

        I was like a kite with a thread that was about to snap, drawing an arc in the sky, I kept on falling without any control, I was fl.u.s.tered that I wanted to grab something, however there was only wind. Before I was able to react, a 'plop' sound can be heard, ice cold water rus.h.i.+ng through, apparently the a.s.sa.s.sin had tossed me into the river.

Note:
[1]黄耆 Astragalus- type of plant commonly used in food

                                                                                                                 Chapter 22>