Her guards

Chapter 188 caught people off guard
Those outside the palace were persuaded to return, and the imperial guards stood watch outside the palace.

The hall was noisy and bustling, with discussions taking place everywhere.

"They say there are assassins."

"Did we just happen to stumble upon Miss Yang's place? How unlucky!"

"A palace maid died."

"Fortunately, Wei Jiao was there and saved Miss Yang."

"But I heard that... Wei Jiao had a relapse."

"...So Wei Jiao killed the palace maid and then threw Miss Yang into the lake?"

"Alright, stop guessing!"

As the woman's voice rebuked them, the ladies accompanying the princess in the reading room fell silent instantly.

Princess Heisei walked back from outside the palace.

When the assassin's shouts were heard, the princesses were immediately escorted away from the main hall.

Princess Heisei has unexpectedly returned.

She looked at the girls who accompanied her, her expression slightly somber, and then said, "Seeing is not necessarily believing, let alone seeing it. Don't make wild guesses."

The young ladies quickly responded, "Yes."

Princess Heisei's expression softened.

"Don't worry, everyone. This is the capital city; there's no danger," she said. "I'll wait with you all for the investigation results."

Being with the princess meant they were safe, and the young ladies-in-waiting breathed a sigh of relief, happily sitting down around her.

After calming down the young ladies who were accompanying her, Princess Heisei breathed a slight sigh of relief. She was actually quite eager to find out what had happened.

A palace maid was murdered, and Miss Yang fell into the water?

Was there really an assassin?

Or did a conflict arise between the palace maid and Miss Yang?

Probably not.

She instructed them to drive Miss Yang away from the banquet...

However, Miss Yang's domineering nature led to a conflict with the palace maids.
Princess Heisei clenched her hands, which were resting on her knees.

But that's okay.

Those palace maids won't betray her; she's a princess, the mistress of the palace maids.

Even if it were revealed that she was the one who ordered it, the Emperor and Empress would not be angry.

After all, it was Miss Yang who offended her first.

Princess Heisei raised her wine cup and smiled at her companions, saying, "Let's all have a drink to calm our nerves."

The ladies-in-waiting all busied themselves raising their wine glasses to drink with the princess.

But after drinking the wine, Jiang Rui couldn't suppress her anxiety and looked anxiously outside the hall.

Zhu Yunxiao was not in the hall.

Where did he go?
……

……

"Miss, Miss, I need to see my mistress—"

Yang Luo rushed toward the side hall, but was blocked by layers of guards outside the door. As she approached, the guards drew their weapons.

"His Majesty has ordered that no one is to approach!"

Zhu Yunxiao quickly reached out and pulled her back.

“I am Zhu Yunxiao, the heir of the Marquis of Yongwu,” he said. “Please announce that this is Miss Yang’s maid.”

The guard glanced at him, then at the maid.

“Eunuch Huang, who serves His Majesty, knows me,” Yang Luo said hurriedly. “Go and tell him I want to see Miss.”

Whether it was the title of the Earl of Yongwu or the title of Eunuch Huang, the guard nodded.

“Wait here,” he said, turning and heading toward the palace.

Zhu Yunxiao pulled the maid aside, saying, "Please calm down."

Yang Luo shook off his hand: "It's all because of you. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have seen my young lady!"

“If you rush over there, you’ll never see your young lady again,” Zhu Yunxiao said, frowning. “If I had slowed down and pulled you back, you would have died on the spot.”

When the incident occurred, three of the eunuchs and palace maids who rushed over first were not good people either. She and Zhu Yunxiao were closest to the palace, and those people also attacked them.

Zhu Yunxiao pulled her back and kicked away the eunuchs who were rushing towards her. The imperial guards arrived and killed the three of them.

Then they were also dispersed to the rear.

If you try to come back now, you'll be blocked outside.

He did intend to run away, but he didn't abandon her. Yang Luo lowered her eyes and said calmly, "What's the use of you saving me? You said you would help my young lady, but when something happened, you turned around and ran away. Why didn't you go to save my young lady?"

Zhu Yunxiao said calmly, "I can only help if I'm alive. If something happens to your young lady, I can avenge her."

Yang Luo chuckled. Very well, this guy always has something to say.

She turned her head away and ignored him.

"That ungrateful maid!" Zhu Yunxiao turned his head away and remained silent, his face grim.

He certainly wouldn't risk his life for Miss Yang.

He helps others for his own benefit, not at the risk of his life.

In such a critical moment, he didn't even care about the pampered young ladies, let alone the maids.

But why did he stop and protect the maid?

What does the life or death of a maid have to do with him!
Why are his eyes looking at her!
He could get hurt if he's not careful!

How could he get hurt for the sake of a maid!
What a hell!
"Miss Asheng!"

The guards who had gone in earlier returned quickly, accompanied by a palace attendant.

He was the chief eunuch in the emperor's service.

"Eunuch Huang, my young lady—" Yang Luo hurried over, her voice choked with emotion.

The head eunuch hurriedly said, "Miss Yang is alright, she just choked on water and is still unconscious. The imperial physicians are all here, Miss Asheng, come with me quickly—"

Yang Luo followed him and hurried forward, while Zhu Yunxiao grabbed her arm from behind.

“You—” Yang Luo turned around and glared at him.

"I was a witness at least," Zhu Yunxiao said through gritted teeth. "Doesn't Your Majesty need to inquire about the details?"

Yang Luo shook off his hand.

“This is the heir of the Marquis of Yongwu,” she said to the chief eunuch. “He just fought with the villains.”

The head eunuch glanced at Zhu Yunxiao and said, "Oh dear, then hurry and see His Majesty. He is questioning us."

Zhu Yunxiao responded with a yes and followed Yang Luo.

Since he did a good deed, he should get some benefits in return!

……

.......
"Your Majesty, Miss Asheng is alright and has been sent to Miss Yang's place."

"Your Majesty, this is the heir of the Marquis of Yongwu. He was also attacked just now." As the chief eunuch introduced him, Zhu Yunxiao stood in the side hall and bowed, his eyes glancing at the several corpses lying on the ground.

There were eunuchs and palace maids. One of the palace maids died in a bizarre manner. Her head was twisted back, and her eyes were still open, which was extremely horrifying.

Was he twisted to death? Such a brutal method, Zhu Yunxiao felt a chill in his heart.

He remembered that this must be the palace maid who had entered the room with incense and attacked Miss Yang.

So, this palace maid was killed by Miss Yang?
impossible.

It should be Wei Jiao.

So even though Wei Jiao was supposed to be sent away, she didn't actually leave; she stayed close to Miss Yang, which is why she was able to save her at the moment of the attack...

"Zhu Yunxiao, which thug did you encounter?"

The emperor's inquiry came from above.

Zhu Yunxiao gathered his thoughts, raised his head, and pointed to one of the eunuchs: "This one."

After saying that, he went on to describe it in detail.

"I was outside the palace sobering up when I saw my maid, Ah Sheng, walk by. She had some dealings with Miss Yang before..."

He glanced at Marquis Yichun as he spoke.

Marquis Yichun raised his eyes and asked, "Does Your Highness mean that I am also involved with Miss Yang?"

Zhu Yunxiao quickly bowed and said, "That's not what I meant."

Marquis Yichun gave a soft snort and said nothing more.

Upon hearing this, the emperor, seated above, recalled that it was Prince Zhu who had stopped Miss Chai during the earlier conflict between Miss Yang and Miss Chai.

Then she remembered that it was this Prince Zhu who brought the maid over during the hunt.

He brought his fallen petals with him.

His gaze softened slightly.

"Prince Zhu, tell me what happened," the emperor said.

Zhu Yunxiao greeted the emperor with a solemn "Yes."

"I then went with Ah Sheng to see Miss Yang. When we were almost there, we saw two palace maids coming from the southeast."

Then, the appearance of the two palace maids was described in detail.

One of them was lying inside the hall, and the other...

The head of the Imperial Guards said from the side, "The Commandant of the Guards said that another thug jumped into the lake and escaped. He was injured and had to save Miss Yang, so he couldn't catch him..."

Wei Jiao did not come over at this time. He was pulled out of the lake, changed his clothes briefly, and told her what had happened. After seeing that Miss Yang's life was not in danger, he also fainted and fell down next to her. The imperial physicians did not allow him to be moved.

The emperor waved his hand impatiently: "No need for this nonsense, I'm not going to punish him!"

After saying that, he pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"Have you found out who it is?"

Several palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground, looking terrified. "These are not people from the palace." "We have never seen them before."

The emperor sneered, "Could it be from outside the palace? Has my imperial city fallen into such a dilapidated and drafty state?"

The guards on duty knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

Marquis Yichun rose and bowed: "It's all because of this old minister. Your Majesty held a banquet, and the thieves found an opportunity to sneak in."

The emperor quickly said, "This has nothing to do with you, Marquis."

"Your Majesty, the capital is already under search and interrogation. Even if the culprit managed to infiltrate, he will surely not escape," the Empress said from the side. "As for the culprit, we should ask Miss Yang, since only she has seen him..."

Before he could finish speaking, the emperor stood up and said, "Yes, yes." He then asked, "Has Miss Yang woken up?"

Miss Yang was pulled out of the lake by Wei Jiao. She was out of danger, but because she had been in the water for too long, she was still unconscious. The imperial physicians said she needed time to recover.

Without waiting for an answer, the emperor walked outside after asking his question.

"These useless bastards," he cursed. "I will go see for myself."

He took a few steps and then stopped, looking at the Empress and the Marquis of Yichun.

"It was meant as a token of my appreciation for the Marquis, but this has happened at the banquet." He sighed. "Empress, I'll trouble you to continue presiding over the banquet."

He gave a cold laugh as he spoke.

"I will never allow a villain to ruin this joyous occasion."

The Empress responded, "Yes."

Marquis Yichun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart; these are all minor matters."

The emperor nodded without saying anything more, and hurried out with the chief eunuch.

The emperor left, and the empress also stepped forward, saying, "Let's go, let's continue our feast."

Both Marquis Yichun and Zhu Yunxiao responded that it was true. The Empress went outside first, and Marquis Yichun followed behind. When they passed Zhu Yunxiao, Marquis Yichun stopped.

Zhu Yunxiao looked at him and said, "My lord, this thug really caught us off guard."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, looking at Marquis Yichun with a meaningful gaze.

Marquis Yichun understood that this was a question asking whether he had arranged the attack.

“Yes,” he said. “Things in this world are always so unpredictable and unpredictable.”

Does that mean it wasn't his arrangement? Zhu Yunxiao frowned slightly.

"Father, let's go quickly." The Empress stopped and turned around. "His Majesty should investigate this matter. Let's not get involved."

"Yes, His Majesty is probably suspicious of them," Marquis Yichun smiled and said, "Then let His Majesty worry about it."

Zhu Yunxiao bowed and said, "Please, Your Excellency."

……

.......
Faint sounds of singing and dancing could be heard.

Wei Jiao was somewhat dazed. Long ago, in this imperial city, he could always hear singing and dancing all night long while lying in the cold doghouse.

The next moment, he saw a girl lying on the bed next to him.

His unfocused gaze sharpened.

This is not like before, when he was all alone.

Wei Jiao turned her gaze to the bed. The girl's face was pale, her lips were bloodless, and she looked so fragile that she seemed to break at the slightest touch.

She really exists, doesn't she?

Wei Jiao slowly reached out and carefully touched the girl's cheek; it was smooth and warm.
it is true.

She really exists.

The singing and dancing gradually faded away, and voices could be heard coming from outside.

"...Are you okay?"

"...Your Majesty, it's alright, don't worry."

The emperor has arrived.

Wei Jiao turned her head slightly. The door to the inner room was closed, blocking her view, but she could tell that it was the emperor and the maid talking.

"...That really scared me to death...Sigh, you need to drink this calming soup quickly..."

The emperor was indeed frightened; his voice trembled, and he seemed about to cry. Wei Jiao thought to himself, "But why isn't His Majesty coming in if he cares so much about his child?"

What's wrong? You've been talking to the maid outside the whole time?
(End of this chapter)