Film and Television: The Collector Who Rampages Across the Heavens

Chapter 77 If you are willing, I will take you as my concubine!

The snow fell in large, feathery flakes, making it impossible to see anything. Sparse lights could be faintly seen on the houses on both sides of the road.

Xia Dong, accompanied by two guards, rode his horse through the heavy snow towards the imperial city.

With such heavy snow, even the patrol battalion stopped patrolling, and there was no sign of anyone on the roads.

Only the north wind howled, cold and biting, stinging your face and making it hard to open your eyes.

The two guards following behind exchanged a glance, both seeing the dissatisfaction and complaints in each other's eyes.

"With such heavy snow, couldn't we have continued our journey later? Why did we have to rush now?"

"Yeah, never mind, as long as we get to the capital."

"What are you two whispering about? Hurry up and get on with it!"

Xia Dong spoke up, her cheerful female voice clearly reaching their ears.

"Yes, coming, coming!"

High up in the ancient tiled houses, military crossbows loaded with gleaming arrowheads silently aimed at the three men.

Huh, huh, huh!

A series of soft whooshing sounds cut through the snow and hurtled towards the three of them. Xia Dong was the first to react, drawing his longsword from his waist to parry.

"There's an assassin!"

The two weaker guards behind him were not so lucky; they cried out in pain as they were struck by arrows and fell to the ground.

Crimson blood spread from beneath them, seeping into the snow.

Xia Dong's eyes narrowed, and he swiftly deflected the incoming arrow. With a quick spur of his long, lithe legs, he spurred his horse to break free from the attack range.

Little did they know, a tripwire had been raised by two black-clad assassins lying in ambush ahead.

"Herodhi!"

Xia Dong quickly grabbed the reins of the horse and stood up on its hind legs. However, because the snow was very slippery, the horse, relying only on its two legs for support, was caught off guard and fell to its side.

Fortunately, Xia Dong jumped down before being pinned down.

Her beautiful legs, clad in boots, stood in the snow, and a streak of fire shot from her hand, soaring into the sky.

A warning firework from the Suspended Mirror Division entered the air and gently exploded under the snow curtain, creating a dazzling display of fireworks.

"Damn it, with this much snow, probably not many people can see it."

Xia Dong, holding a long sword and wearing a black robe, stood in the snow with her long, flowing hair blowing in the cold wind, watching the black-clad assassins surrounding her from all sides.

There were six people in total, each holding a different weapon, including scimitars, spears, swords, and clubs.

Without exception, these people were all surrounded by a thick aura of death, clearly indicating that they were experts.

Xia Dong frowned her beautiful brows, bit her lip, and asked coldly, "What kind of petty thieves dare to attack the head of the Great Liang Mirror Bureau? Do you intend to commit treason?"

The black-clad leader, wielding a long sword, clearly had no intention of communicating with her. He pointed his sword at Xia Dong and issued a command in a hoarse voice.

"Kill her!"

The other five assassins immediately surrounded them. Amidst the flashing blades and clashing weapons, the six exchanged more than a dozen blows in the blink of an eye.

These people were all experts, and they cooperated perfectly. In just two or three breaths, Xia Dong was forced to defend.

She let out a painful groan; it turned out that the black-clad assassin's curved blade had grazed her lower back, and the scalding heat soaked her robes.

"The knife is poisoned—"

Feeling a tingling sensation in her waist, Xia Dong was startled. She dodged the spear's thrust and took out a pill from her bosom, pouring it directly into her mouth without even looking at it.

The black-clad leader, gripping his sword, said in an icy voice, "Lord Xia, stop struggling. With snow this heavy, no one can save you. Surrender and I'll give you a quick death."

"Delusion!"

Xia Dong gritted her teeth and breathed heavily, her whole body soaked in sweat, and the pain from her wounds stimulating her senses.

"You traitors, don't you know that attacking the Mirror Master is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of your entire family?"

The leader in black showed no emotion, coldly saying, "Don't let this guy waste time, kill her now."

Xia Dong instantly felt immense pressure as the assassins began to tighten their encirclement, unleashing a barrage of weapons.

She could defend against one or two wounds, but she couldn't stop them all. Two breaths later, her delicate body had two or three more wounds.

"ah----"

The black-clad assassin, wielding a club, struck her heavily on the lower back, and Xia Dong finally collapsed to the ground, spitting blood that stained a large patch of snow red.

The longsword in her hand slipped two or three meters away—

"It's over!"

As the black-clad assassins surrounded her, Xia Dong's vision grew increasingly dark; she knew it was a consequence of the poison taking effect.

"Give me an answer before you die: Who sent you—who sent you?"

"You should ask the King of Hell about that."

The assassin in black acted swiftly and decisively, showing no intention of answering her.

The arc of the blade was reflected in Xia Dong's pupils just as it was about to fall.

A whooshing sound tore through the air, pierced through the swirling snow, and pierced the assassin's arm, the residual force sending him flying more than a meter away.

"Who committed the murders in Nanjing?"

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed through the snow, and several cavalrymen galloped through the snow, constantly firing arrows from their bows.

The assassins swung their weapons to parry, but as the cavalry drew ever closer, the black-clad, sword-wielding leader, realizing the situation was hopeless, uttered a word of retreat and quickly led his companions away from the cavalry's sight.

"Are we saved?!"

The last thing Xia Dong saw was a handsome young man riding a tall horse, wearing a blood-red cloak, and slowly approaching with a longbow in his hand.

"Ling Wang————"

After Xia Dong softly uttered the word, she fainted on the snow.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she slowly woke up. A ray of bright light appeared before her eyes, and what came into view was a room with carved beams and painted rafters, brocade quilts and screens, and the warm, spring-like atmosphere filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

The maid, who was lying on the bed, heard the sound and saw that she had woken up, so she quickly came over.

"Lord Xia, Lord Xia, you're awake! Wait a moment—this servant will go and call His Highness right away."

Seeing the maid hurriedly leave the room, Xia Dong finally had time to check herself.

She didn't know until she saw it, and the sight made her blush instantly. Her body was covered by soft bedding, and there was absolutely nothing underneath.

She doesn't expose herself like this when she sleeps!

Xia Dong felt embarrassed and annoyed. She wondered who had done this, so she applied medicine to the injured area and wrapped it with white cloth.

"Oh well, it's already a miracle that I survived."

She still felt a faint pain in her body; there were seven or eight wounds in total, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly with pain whenever she moved even slightly.

"It was Prince Ling who saved me."

Lying in bed, looking at the screen, Xia Dong recalled the assassination attempt that happened last night.

If the other party hadn't arrived in time, she probably would have been killed.

"Who is targeting me?"

Xia Dong never imagined that, as the head of the Suspended Mirror Bureau, she had offended far too many people, and any faction could potentially assassinate her.

This kind of thing has happened before.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Su Li quickly came into view. Xia Dong wanted to raise her hand to greet him, but her arms were too weak to move.

She could only smile wryly and say, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I am injured and cannot bow to Your Highness."

"It's alright, just focus on recovering. The Suspended Mirror Bureau and Father Emperor already know about last night's assassination attempt, as do the Dali Temple..."

The Ministry of Justice, along with your senior brothers Xia Chun and Xia Qiu, are working tirelessly to solve this case. If they catch the murderer, they will definitely avenge you.

Su Li looked at the pale-faced woman and reached out to tuck the blanket around her.

A blush crept onto Xia Dong's pale face, and she asked, her eyes darting around uncertainly, "Any clues?"

Su Li shook her head, her eyes calm: "Not yet. The group that attacked you retreated quite quickly. They clearly planned this in advance. Apart from knowing the weapons they used, we know nothing else."

"Yeah?"

Xia Dong wasn't surprised. The other party's style was concise and experienced, clearly a veteran. If it was premeditated, they wouldn't have left any clues.

Even if it remains, it could potentially affect others.

"Thank you for what happened last night, Your Highness. You saved my life." Xia Dong bit her lip and thanked you softly.

Su Li sat by the bed, nodded, and deliberately put on a troubled expression.

"There is something I need to tell Lord Xia."

Seeing the expression on Prince Ling's face, Xia Dong felt a bad premonition and softly opened her mouth: "Your Highness, please speak—"

"You know that the weapons those thugs were carrying were poisoned. In that critical situation, I used a drug-removal therapy," Su Li said slowly, deliberately feigning a calm demeanor.

After hearing the last words, Xia Dong felt a buzzing in her head, her whole body became hot and burning, and her cheeks turned so red they blushed.

The concept of drug therapy is, as the name suggests, to suck out the toxic blood with your mouth.

She had seven or eight wounds on her body, both front and back, top and bottom, which meant that this Prince Ling had seen her body completely.

Even with her chivalrous spirit, she was overcome with shyness.

Zhen lowered his head, lowered his voice, and said in a muffled tone, "The situation was urgent at the time, so I don't blame you, Your Highness."

Su Li's handsome face softened slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Although there are reasons for this, the reputation of you women is important. If Lord Xia has any psychological burden, I can ask my father to take you as a concubine."

I will marry you in a grand and honorable way.

"My concubine, will you marry me?"

Xia Dong's slender body trembled slightly; she hadn't expected the other person to say that.

A concubine is considered a high-ranking official in the Prince's mansion. Apart from the principal wife, she wields considerable influence within the mansion.

Moreover, given the prince's status as a prince, if he were to take a concubine, the least desirable would be a young lady from a prominent family.

Although she was the head of the Suspended Mirror Bureau and had made many contributions to the emperor, she was still not worthy of the position.

Xia Dong raised her bright eyes, looked at the young prince in front of her, and shook her head: "I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but I am already engaged. Besides, Your Highness is of noble status and cannot marry a woman like me."

Upon hearing this, Su Li immediately grasped her exposed hand. Due to her frequent practice of martial arts and swordsmanship, this hand was not slender but rather calloused.

"Sister Dong, don't belittle yourself like that. In my opinion, you are better than any other woman, no less than Princess Nihuang or the young ladies of noble families. If you just nod your head, I will go to the palace right now to ask Father Emperor for a decree."

Hearing his words, Xia Dong's body trembled slightly as a surge of emotion welled up in her heart, and her heart pounded wildly.

How long has it been since she felt this kind of affection and care from a man?

It wasn't the kind of care and protection a senior brother would show to a junior sister, but rather the kind of affection and concern he showed.

She had just gotten married when Nie Feng died on the border. She has been alone all these years. Has she never thought of finding someone to accompany her again?

Looking into Su Li's sincere eyes, Xia Dong's red lips moved, and she said dryly, "Your Highness's kindness is appreciated, but there is a difference in rank. I am now a member of the Nie family—"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Li interrupted her, saying, "Sister Dong, you don't need to reject me now. We have plenty of time. It's not too late to make a decision after we've gotten to know each other better."

You're not feeling well right now, let's talk another day.

"I have many servants in my palace; please feel free to ask for anything you need."

After saying that, Su Li squeezed the woman's hand tightly and walked out of the house.

Although he had no experience dealing with this kind of chivalrous woman, his past exploits as a playboy were no joke.

Good women are easily swayed by persistent advances, especially when there is a mismatch in status and men are superior to women. In the future, if we invite Xia Dong out for a stroll, practice martial arts, and catch some petty thieves together, we won't be far from reaping the rewards.

The assassination attempt on Xia Dong brought an even colder chill to Nanjing.

Emperor Liang was truly enraged this time. The imperial guards were killed, the palace was set on fire, and even the chief investigator he had secretly arranged was assassinated.

The killer acted without restraint, which completely crossed his line.

He flew into a rage at the morning court assembly, severely reprimanding Xie Yu, who was in charge of the city's security. And upon returning to the inner palace—

They summoned the Crown Prince, Prince Yu, Prince Jing, and Su Li.

"Recently, petty criminals have been running rampant, carrying out a series of attacks and murders. Who do you think is responsible?"

Emperor Liang's gaze swept over the four people, his tone calm yet indifferent.

The Crown Prince didn't speak up immediately; he was also completely baffled by Xia Dong's stabbing.

After discussing it with Xie Yu, they guessed that someone might be taking advantage of the situation, or perhaps it was purely for revenge.

Prince Yu stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Father, I believe it is very likely the work of people from an enemy country, whose purpose is to disrupt the court of our Great Liang and cause discord between the emperor and his ministers."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince agreed, saying, "I think so too. The numerous assassination attempts have caused a public outcry in the Great Liang and terrified the officials. If the culprit cannot be caught for a long time, the tense atmosphere will only intensify."

If this continues, the states of Southern Chu and Northern Yan will believe that with prolonged peace, our Great Liang has lost its fighting strength.

Prince Jing also said, "Father, the most urgent task is to capture the murderer as soon as possible. I beg you to grant me the authority to mobilize troops so as to relieve the burden on the court."

The security of Jinling City was the responsibility of the patrol battalion. No other princes or nobles had the authority to mobilize troops. Even the personal guards in their mansions could only be used within their own residences.

Su Li chimed in, "Father, Seventh Brother is right. The most important thing now is to catch the murderer. Jinling City is so big that even the Imperial Guards and the patrol battalions can't find half of them. And the assassin is highly skilled, so ordinary soldiers are no match for him."

The repeated deaths of Imperial Guards and the escape of assassins could indeed lead outsiders to believe that the Imperial Guards were ineffective!