Jinting Han people

The snowstorm came quite suddenly, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.

After all, it was November, and the sky had been overcast for a long time. Even during the day, the sky was as dark as if it were a solar eclipse, let alone at night. The thick winter clouds obscured the starlight, making the firelight on the ground too bright to look at directly. Walking on the frozen, hard earth, it was impossible to distinguish the boundary between heaven and earth, as if people had returned to the chaotic world before the creation of the world in ancient times.

Liu Xian, carrying a torch, groped his way through the darkness. Snowflakes fell on him, initially feeling weightless, but after a while, a thin layer of snow accumulated on his shoulders, the cold seeping through and causing his shoulders to tremble involuntarily. However, Liu Xian had no time to pay attention to this, because his heart was trembling as well.

This was quite a rare occurrence. Since his time on the battlefield, Liu Xian hadn't felt nervous in a long time. But at this moment, he couldn't help but be nervous, because what he was about to do, though seemingly just about one person's life or death, was related to the fate of an entire country, and even the survival of tens of millions of people.

But this wasn't the first time Liu Xian had encountered such pressure; he already had a familiar way of coping. While walking, he relaxed his breathing, felt his heartbeat, and simultaneously isolated his thoughts for visualization. Gradually, he felt himself merge with the wind and snow, and the various aspects of the world seemed to drift away from him.

Liu Xian thought that it wasn't actually that complicated. The chaos was already predetermined, and all the characters were already in place on the stage. His task today was simply to be the one to unveil the curtain for this grand drama.

He and Zhuge Yan took a long detour, going from the eastern suburbs of the city to the northern suburbs, and then to the western suburbs. It took them almost two hours before they finally saw the canal that led to the Golden Valley Garden. This meant that they were only about two miles away from their destination.

Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, and a layer of sleet had already accumulated on the ground, reaching above ankle height. Liu Xian extinguished his torch and led his horse, the Feathered Steed, into the reeds. Due to the cold weather, the river had just frozen over, but the ice on the riverbank was very thin, making a crackling sound when stepped on. After walking on the thin, broken ice for a while, they could vaguely see a dark shadow in the distance, along with one or two torches patrolling back and forth; they must be getting close.

Liu Xian asked Zhuge Yan to sit down first. The two drank some water and ate some steamed buns they had tucked into their robes, resting for a while. Liu Xian tested the thickness of the river ice and found that the ice in the middle was frozen solid enough for horses to ride on. He then led the Flying Feather Horse to the other side of the river and tied it to a poplar tree root. After confirming that the reeds could conceal the horse, he slowly walked back and made final preparations for the assassination with Zhuge Yan.

The two walked forward about thirty or forty paces, roughly a hundred paces from the tree-lined path, and then began loading their crossbows for assassination. They had two crossbows, each with an effective range of two hundred paces, and carried about fifty specially made, poisoned arrows. However, Liu Xian knew he only had two chances; if he failed, he wouldn't be able to load a second time.

After confirming the distance and location, the two sat down on the wetland, placing their cocked crossbows beside them, and waited for dawn amidst the weeds. The wind had stopped, but the snow continued; soon, another layer of snow accumulated on their heads, blending with the snowflakes on the reeds to form a natural camouflage. It was incredibly cold, and combined with the dampness of the canal water, Liu Xian and Zhuge Yan felt chilled to the bone, each day feeling like an eternity. But they had to hold out there until Jia Mo came into their sight.

After an unknown amount of time, dawn broke, and a light mist drifted up from the ice, rising gently to both banks of the canal. There were no people on the shady path; as the sky began to lighten, the world was completely white. Beneath the cold snow, the reeds were covered in a layer of frost, and even Liu Xian's clothes were frozen stiff.

The cold was the hardest test to endure. Liu Xian tucked his hands into his sleeves and rubbed them against his thighs to keep them warm. But the cold in his feet was unbearable, and he could only grit his teeth and bear it. The sky gradually brightened, but the fog also grew thicker, completely obscuring both banks of the canal and rising continuously, making visibility extremely poor.

Zhuge Yan was in a half-asleep, half-awake state when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance. He jolted awake and looked up to see Liu Xian, covered in white frost, staring blankly at the white mist and path in the distance. Zhuge Yan felt his throat was frozen and hoarse. He asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, with such thick fog, we can't even see each other. Can we still succeed?"

Liu Xian hurriedly raised his hand to stop them. When the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and then faded away, he slowly said, "Don't panic. It's only just dawn. Those who passed by were people coming to attend the meeting. The people we're waiting for won't arrive until at least noon. Even if the fog is thick, it will dissipate by noon."

As Liu Xian had expected, before long, the sounds of carriages and horses could be heard again on the path. Liu Xian could even hear people greeting each other and talking loudly, among which were some familiar voices.

But soon, the sounds disappeared again. The camouflage was very successful; with the heavy snow and white fog, no one noticed Liu Xian's hiding place. Liu Xian thought to himself, "Now it's up to Lu Ji."

To be honest, what worried him most was Lu Ji's actions. With so many people and eyes in the Golden Valley Garden, could he successfully hang up the yellow silk without revealing himself? Deceiving Jia Mi wouldn't be difficult; the challenge was deceiving Shi Chong and Pan Yue. But Liu Xian quickly reassured himself that the Lu family's deepest tradition was cultivation and shrewdness. If Lu Ji couldn't do it, he really didn't know who could.

Time passed quietly, the thick fog gradually dissipated, and before long, the snow overhead had stopped. Liu Xian looked out through the gaps in the reeds and could see that the willow branches on the bank were covered with a layer of frost, like pear blossoms in full bloom. Once the view opened up, he could see that apart from the gloomy sky, everything in the world was pure white. The treetops, reeds, river ice, and roads were all covered by snow, as if all the strife in the world had been concealed.

A few wisps of smoke gradually rose from the Golden Valley Garden, indicating that it was close to noon, and the fog had completely dissipated. Liu Xian was slightly thirsty, so he grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, put it in his mouth, and chewed it. The earthy taste and the icy snow made his mind even clearer.

Just then, he saw a man emerge from a side path and speak to the guards at the pass. The guards immediately panicked and rushed into the palace. The man who emerged rode a horse and galloped eastward along the snow-covered path.

Liu Xian's spirits lifted: This must be a messenger sent to inform Jia Mo that Lu Ji has succeeded in the garden!

He quickly tugged at Zhuge Yan beside him and whispered, "Take a break while you can. Someone might come out to search later. From now on, no one is allowed to speak. It will take at least an hour, or at most three hours, before we have to start preparing to do something!"

"When Jia Mo arrives, watch my hand gestures. Do you still remember his portrait and the hand gestures we agreed on?"

Zhuge Yan nodded. He remembered it clearly: when Liu Xian pressed his hand down, it meant he was waiting; when he raised his hand, it meant he was ready to act; and when he waved his hand, it meant he was going to kill.

Liu Xian nodded, breathed a puff of white air onto his hands, and continued to observe the situation outside the reeds.

Soon after, dozens more people emerged from the garden and began searching along the roadside. These people, however, seemed carefree and didn't take the search seriously. After all, any trace was highly conspicuous under the snow, and since Liu Xian and Zhuge Yan had arrived early, the snow had already piled up to two inches high, making it impossible for anyone to suspect that two living people were lurking beneath. They merely glanced around, brushed the snow off the reeds, and lost interest in continuing the search. However, they didn't return to the garden but stood at the crossroads, chatting amongst themselves, seemingly killing time and waiting for something. Liu Xian surmised that they were probably still tasked with receiving Jia Mo.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly. Liu Xian could hear his own heartbeat, and he counted by his heartbeats, from one to one hundred, then back to one. He repeated this cycle until the sky, which had been at its brightest, slowly darkened again, and he felt his body becoming stiff. Even the guards waiting at the crossroads were growing impatient.

But all waiting eventually comes to an end. Finally, a commotion gradually came from the east. Liu Xian looked towards the source of the sound and could see oxcarts approaching Jin Gu Garden, but it wasn't just oxcarts. Surrounding the oxcarts were about a dozen armored soldiers on horseback. They were fully armed and carried swords. The sound of horses' hooves and ox hooves hitting the snow made a sound similar to a wooden door closing, which stirred Liu Xian's heart.

As the oxcart approached, Liu Xian could clearly see the haggard and numb face of Attendant-in-Ordinary Jia Mo. He was wearing a mink vest and a fox fur cloak, his head bowed, seemingly deep in thought, completely unaware that someone was watching him from a distance of ten feet.

Zhuge Yan saw it too, and he made a move to attack, but Liu Xian reached out and stopped him, signaling him to wait. Because the distance was too close, even if he succeeded in attacking, he wouldn't be able to escape.

After a moment, the oxcart and riders arrived at the crossroads. The guards at the crossroads rushed forward, their faces beaming with smiles as they tried to curry favor with their protégé, the prime minister. Liu Xian, however, stared intently at his location, slowly raising his hand to signal Zhuge Yan to raise his crossbow and wait for Jia Mo to reach the crossroads.

However, the plan still went slightly wrong. Liu Xian suddenly realized that there were too many guards. From their angle, Jia Mo's body was mostly blocked by the armored soldiers in front and behind him. Even if he reached the intersection, only a small part of his shoulder would probably be visible, which greatly increased the difficulty of hitting him.

Liu Xian was somewhat uneasy. What should he do? Should he trust Zhuge Yan's archery skills? He turned to look at Zhuge Yan and found him biting his lip, his eyes wavering. He had spoken so casually beforehand, but now it seemed he wasn't entirely confident of hitting the target. He needed to find a solution.

While he was pondering, Jia Mo had already walked towards the intersection.

There was no time to think! Liu Xian raised his crossbow, and with a flick of his wrist, fired straight at Jia Mo's back. After a sharp, piercing sound that seemed to cut through the air, the scene fell silent.

To everyone's astonishment, the arrow struck the neck of one of Jia Mo's guards, who immediately fell backward the moment he was hit.

At that moment, everyone froze, unsure of what had happened. They seemed frozen in place, even Jia Mo instinctively turned to look. In that instant, Liu Xian decisively waved his hand and shouted, "Release the arrows!"

Zhuge Yan gritted his teeth, pulled the trigger of the crossbow at the target, and another arrow flew out. Then, almost without even checking the result of the arrow, the two, as planned, grabbed their crossbows, leaped out of the reeds on the south bank, and galloped towards the horse hiding place on the north bank. In a short while, the sound of horses neighing came from the reeds, and they galloped across the snow like black light.

The guards on the road were startled and shouted, "There's someone in the river!"

Some people said, "The Imperial Attendant has been shot with an arrow! Quickly, call for a doctor!"

The scene became noisy and chaotic, like a bustling marketplace, with no order whatsoever.

But some quick-thinking riders reacted immediately. They spurred their horses, trampling down the reeds, and galloped along the river towards the source of the neighing. While one horse could manage on the frozen river, nearly a dozen horses on the ice were struggling under the weight. After a series of sharp, cracking sounds, a gap suddenly appeared in the hooves, and one rider fell into the icy water. The riders behind him didn't have time to rein in their horses and followed suit, tumbling into the river like dumplings.

The river ice continued to break apart like an avalanche. In just a few breaths, large waves surged out of the ice, completely cutting off the pursuit. The knights in the water shivered, struggling up and down with the waves, watching helplessly as the black horse rode away and finally disappeared into the vast white snow.

Liu Xian knew there were no pursuers behind him, but to be on the safe side, he didn't immediately return to Luoyang. Instead, he took a detour and rested near Chen Shou's tomb in the Beiman Mountains. The thatched hut from years ago was still there. After arriving, Liu Xian lit a fire, changed his clothes, ate some hot food, and rested properly. He then used a brush to thoroughly wash his beloved horse, removing all the black ink and restoring it to its original appearance.

After resting for a day, Liu Xian leisurely returned to Luoyang.

Compared to Liu Xian's composure, Zhuge Yan appeared extremely excited. This was the first major event he had ever accomplished in his life, and he was unable to calm down. He thought he was having an unbelievable dream and repeatedly asked Liu Xian, "Did you see that? Did I hit the target?"

Liu Xian laughed and said, "We'll know once we get back to Luoyang."

Upon returning to Luoyang, everything seemed normal. After Liu Xian and Zhuge Yan quietly returned to the General's Mansion, the streets remained remarkably calm, as if the struggle between the Empress and the Crown Prince had never occurred. However, Liu Xian keenly sensed that this calm was excessive; it was as if all the Empress's faction had ceased their activities. Moreover, walking through the streets, it was easy to see that the residences of high-ranking officials were heavily guarded and monitored, and they were always surrounded by attendants, not daring to linger on the streets.

After nearly ten days of news blackout, on the Jiazi day of the twelfth lunar month, the Duke of Lu's mansion finally held a formal funeral, announcing the death of Attendant-in-Ordinary Jia Mo to Luoyang. They claimed that Attendant-in-Ordinary Jia died suddenly from an unexplained illness, but this obviously could not silence the gossip, and rumors of an assassination attempt on him at the Golden Valley Garden quietly began to circulate in official circles. (End of this chapter)