Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Princess Jianing said coldly, "Go and tell him my terms now."

The maid had no choice but to agree.

But Zong Xian had already left.

He only sat for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea during his visit, and the General of the North personally saw him off at the door.

The maid found General Zhenbei and relayed Princess Jianing's conditions to him truthfully.

Inside the hall, Princess Jianing's three elder brothers were all present.

After hearing the conditions relayed by the maid, everyone realized that the price to appease the younger sister and make her feel at ease marrying into the clan was the sacrifice of an innocent woman's life.

After a moment of silence, Murong Shu, who ranked second, slowly raised his eyes and decisively said, "Leave this matter to me. I will resolve it within three days."

The General of the North, seated at the head of the table, had a somber expression and simply said, "Make sure it's done cleanly, so he doesn't notice."

Zong Xian is currently at the height of his power in the court, and he holds a very important place in the emperor's heart. Naturally, the General's Mansion does not want to offend him.

...

Murong Shu was most skilled at disguise.

He disguised himself as a servant and easily infiltrated the Zong family mansion.

This person was extremely patient, quietly lying in wait for two days, moving freely within the clan's residence.

To avoid attracting attention and revealing his identity, he never inquired about information from anyone.

Simply observe with a detached eye and wait for the right opportunity.

...

Earlier, Mingyi tried on the wedding dress, and it was a little loose around the waist, so Aqing rushed it to the embroidery shop for alterations.

It was just returned today and is currently stacked in Tingshui Pavilion of Songhe Garden, not yet put into a box.

Chu Lianyue overheard this matter overheard by the maids in their idle chatter, and her heart stirred. She found a moment to quietly come to Tingshui Pavilion.

Looking around, she saw no one in the courtyard, so she tiptoed in through the door.

Passing around the carved screen, one can immediately see the bright red wedding dress neatly laid out on the soft couch.

The brocade shimmered with light, its intricate phoenix patterns embroidered with gold thread, dazzling the eye. A seductive voice seemed to echo within her, subtly beckoning her.

I could no longer hold back.

Chu Lianyue changed into her wedding dress.

She walked slowly to the bronze mirror, gazing at the person in the mirror dressed in dazzling red, a satisfied smile slowly spreading across her beautiful face.

In a daze, she had a strange feeling that the person who was about to wear a wedding dress and enter the mansion to serve Zong Xian was not Ji Mingyi, but Chu Lianyue.

Her fingertips delicately traced the exquisite embroidery on her dress. The woman in the mirror, her eyes filled with longing, was lost in this stolen dream. Completely unaware, murder was imminent!

A piercing scream suddenly erupted from Tingshui Pavilion.

But when the guards arrived, only Chu Lianyue, dressed in her wedding gown, was inside.

"There's an assassin! He escaped through the window!" Chu Lianyue clutched her shoulder wound in pain and pointed to the window.

Ah Qing rushed over and was shocked to see that she was wearing the wedding dress prepared for Mingyi. Her brows furrowed tightly.

However, catching the assassin was the most urgent task, and there was no time to worry about these things.

...

Murong Shu did not expect Chu Lianyue to possess martial arts skills. Not only did he fail to assassinate her, but he also completely exposed his whereabouts, which made him extremely angry.

At this point, he still hadn't realized that he had contacted the wrong person.

The Zong family is now searching for him everywhere, so he had no choice but to flee all the way to the weakly defended West Courtyard.

Frosty Garden.

The maid extinguished the lamp, and Mingyi was lying on the couch, trying to fall asleep, when she suddenly sensed danger approaching.

But by the time she realized it, it was too late.

A sharp knife was pressed against her throat, and in the darkness, a pair of cold, sinister eyes stared at her.

"Don't make a sound, or I'll kill you right now!"

Mingyi stared wide-eyed at the other person, her eyes filled with terror.

Having survived several brushes with death, she naturally cherished her life and dared not move or call for help rashly.

By the dim moonlight, she could tell that the other person was dressed as a servant in the manor, with an ordinary appearance, the kind of person who would be easily lost in a crowd.

But his eyes, sharp and ruthless like those of a prairie eagle, seemed completely out of place with his face.

She knew in her heart that the other party had obviously disguised himself; this was not his original appearance.

Mingyi lowered her eyes without showing any emotion, pretending to be calm, and slowly climbed off the bed, while her left hand was very carefully groping for something and hiding it in her sleeve.

Murong Shu's attention was mostly focused on the outside world. He didn't pay attention to the weak woman in front of him, nor did he notice her little actions.

"Hurry up!" he hissed.

Mingyi shuddered, and as she lifted her foot from the bed, she pretended to stumble because her legs were weak, and bumped into him.

A delicate fragrance wafted over.

Murong Shu impatiently pushed her away, and at the same time used the moonlight to see the girl's face clearly.

He then asked in a deep voice, "What is your relationship with the main family?"

Mingyi said timidly, "My daughter is... a distant relative who is staying in the manor."

Murong Shu had no suspicions.

If she were truly an important person, or a concubine in the household, why would she live in such a remote place?

But Murong Shu soon stopped thinking about it.

Upon venturing outside, Murong Shu discovered he was surrounded, not by ordinary guards, but by well-trained, stoic assassins.

Countless, encircling layer upon layer, a net stretching to the heavens and the earth.

"Release her, and you'll be left with a whole corpse."

Zong Xian, dressed in a crimson brocade robe, stood under the lantern, his face as cold as frost, looking at him coldly.

Murong Shu's heart sank. Knowing he couldn't escape, he steeled himself and shouted at Zong Xian, "Within five breaths, have all your men retreat, including the archers above, or I'll kill her immediately and take her down with me!"

Murong Shu stared intently at Zong Xian. "Do you think your men are faster, or my blade?"

Mingyi thought this person was too naive, and whispered to him, "He won't be threatened by you."

This assassin was most likely sent by a political enemy as leverage; murdering a high-ranking official of the imperial court was an extremely serious crime.

How could Zong Xian let go of the opportunity to capture the assassin for her sake?

Murong Shu completely ignored her advice. In order to prove to that person that he was not just making empty threats, he slightly tightened his wrist and the tip of the knife pierced into the delicate skin of Mingyi's neck.

Blood immediately seeped out, and Mingyi's face turned pale, showing signs of pain.

Zong Xian's expression changed. "Stop!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand, signaling all the guards to step back.

Seeing this, Murong Shu loosened his grip and whispered a sinister laugh in Mingyi's ear, "Looks like I made the right bet. You're very important to him. In that case, I can't let you go even more!"

Mingyi pursed her lips and remained silent.

Murong Shu just wanted to get away as quickly as possible, so he shouted to Zong Xian, "Prepare a horse for me and let me out of the city. I'll release her once we're outside!"

Zong Xian must never find out that he is from the General's Mansion.

But who would have thought that he risked his life to come here only to kill a woman?

And this woman was already at his mercy, under the hilt of his knife!

It's quite a miracle. He thought he had messed things up, but unexpectedly, he found his real goal by sheer luck. It was truly a stroke of luck!

Zong Xian's face was grim and terrifying, his fists clenched tightly.

If you drive a dog into a dead end, it will surely jump over the wall in desperation. He dared not risk Mingyi's life and could only retreat for the time being.

Murong Shu successfully left the Zong Mansion, took Mingyi hostage, mounted his horse, and kept the blade close to her neck.

"drive!"

Squeeze the horse's flanks and head towards the city gate.

He knew perfectly well that Zong Xian would have laid a heavy ambush outside the city in advance, but his move was nothing more than a smokescreen.

Murong Shu had no intention of leaving the city and was determined to kill Ji Mingyi on the way, dispose of her body, and then quietly return to the General's Mansion.

The night was deep and the wind and dew were chilly.

Zong Xian's eyes were cold and deep: "Stay close to him, find an opportunity to kill him, and leave no survivors."

"yes!"

Chang Sui's figure flashed through the air like a ghost, instantly passing over everyone's heads, and stealthily pursued them under the cover of night.