After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

The guards immediately held Xu Shi down and forcefully pried open his mouth. Xu Shi frowned tightly, blood gushing from his mouth. His head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.

"He's dead!" Liang Yuheng exclaimed in surprise. "He bit off his tongue and committed suicide!"

"Traitors and rebels deserve to die," Xiao Jinghan said calmly. "If they're dead, just carry them out."

The guards placed Xu Shi on a stretcher and carried him out of the main hall of the Three Judicial Offices. Jin Gongzheng stared at the blood on the ground for a long time with a grim face, and said, "He's dead, Lord Xiao. What are we going to do now?"

Xiao Jinghan smiled calmly, "Lord Jin, don't be in such a hurry. I've interrogated Xu Shi. He's just a brainless, uncultured guy. He does whatever he's told to do. He has no cunning or scheming, and he's not of any use to us. Once he's dead, we can arrest someone else."

"Arrest someone else? Who are you going to arrest?"

Jin Gongzheng turned around and stared at Xiao Jinghan with his pale, emotionless eyes.

Xiao Jinghan, who was fiddling with the broken ring in his hand, looked up upon hearing this and said seriously, "Didn't Lord Jin want to arrest Jiang Feng?"

"Yes," Jin Gongzheng replied. "His Majesty has ordered me to investigate the criminals who kidnapped Lu Wei. If I cannot find the four assassins in time, I fear I will be in grave danger."

"Lord Jin, what are you saying!" Xiao Jinghan said. "Lord Jin is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor and is also a first-rate detective. It would be a piece of cake for him to arrest those four scoundrels."

"Lord Zhao, a servant from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion requests an audience with Lord Xiao!"

Just as Xiao Jinghan was patiently playing along with Jin Gongzheng, a guard suddenly walked in and reported.

Zhao Hongjun raised his hand and said, "Let him in."

Because it was someone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, everyone in the hall looked towards Xiao Jinghan. Xiao Jinghan, however, was staring at the door. Seeing that it was the steward Zhou Yu rushing in, he sat up straight and said, "You've come? What happened?"

Zhou Yu first bowed to Lord Zhao and the others, then cupped his hands to Xiao Jinghan and said, "Young Master, you should go back quickly! The Old Madam's carriage encountered assassins on its way back to the capital, and the Third Young Mistress has been kidnapped!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghan immediately stood up. "Where did this assassin come from?"

"The guards said they claimed to be former subordinates of Crown Prince Qingyuan, and that they had come to settle scores with him because he had executed many traitors from Yutong Academy!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghan's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Lord Zhao, "My lord, this humble servant..."

"No need to say anything more, go quickly," Zhao Hongjun said.

"Yes, thank you, sir!"

Xiao Jinghan flicked his sleeves and left the main hall of the Three Judicial Offices without looking back.

-

The horse galloped swiftly southward.

As the morning light shone on the earth, the assassin, who had been riding on horseback all night, finally stopped and led Liu Yuansheng up to a high platform located halfway up the mountain.

Liu Yuansheng hadn't slept a wink all night and had suffered greatly from the bumpy ride. She was barely clinging to life and couldn't possibly climb the mountain. But the assassins showed her no mercy and dragged her all the way from the foot of the mountain to the halfway point.

After climbing halfway up the mountain, Liu Yuansheng was completely unable to move. She felt dizzy and nauseous, but her stomach was already empty, not even bile remained. The familiar smell of blood filled her chest, reminding her that her heart ailment had flared up again.

"This woman is half-dead, will she die before Xiao Jinghan arrives?" said an assassin with a scar on his head as he re-tied the ropes around Liu Yuansheng's hands.

"I'm not worried about her dying, I'm worried that that brat surnamed Xiao won't show up," said one of the assassins sharpening his knife. "He killed my brother! I need to stab him a few times to vent my anger!"

The lead assassin stood on the high platform and looked into the distance. "Don't worry, he'll come. That corrupt official may be ruthless, but he's not a coward."

The assassin with the scar on his head nodded. "That's right, this woman is so beautiful, Xiao Jinghan would definitely be interested!"

"A beautiful face and delicate features, yet such a tragic fate." The lead assassin strolled up to Liu Yuansheng, a gloating look on his face. "You're about to see your husband. Have you prepared your last words for him?"

Liu Yuansheng leaned against a cold, large rock, closed her eyes, and didn't even look at him.

The lead assassin grinned maliciously, "Don't worry, we only want to kill Xiao Jinghan, we won't hurt you. So, cooperate well later, and we'll let you go after it's done."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng slowly opened her eyes and looked at the person in front of her.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was frighteningly pale. The hairpins and ornaments in her hair had long since fallen out of sight, and her hair was scattered by the wind, falling onto her chest.

The red string on her wrist was nowhere to be found, and her skirt was covered in mud, making her look quite disheveled.

But her eyes were clear and bright, and when she looked at the assassin, there was even a hint of pity in them. The lead assassin was taken aback by her gaze. "Aren't you afraid? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Liu Yuansheng stopped looking at him and instead looked at the surrounding mountains, the distant water, and the weeds swaying in the wind.

Her calm and composed demeanor surprised the assassins. "Is this woman crazy?" said the assassin with the scar on his head. "She's not even begging for mercy."

"She's terrified, isn't she?" another assassin said. "She's worried that Xiao Jinghan won't come to save her."

Xiao Jinghan's repeated calls pulled Liu Yuansheng back to reality.

She was indeed exhausted and scared, but she wasn't worried that Xiao Jinghan wouldn't come to save her.

She only hoped that the old lady and Ying'er would be alright; as for herself, she didn't care what happened to her.

Her will to live had never been strong, and at this moment, she had long since disregarded life and death. She didn't want to pay attention to anyone; she just wanted to breathe in some fresh air and bask in the warm morning sunlight.

"You're not afraid of me? Fine!"

Seeing that Liu Yuansheng remained listless and silent, seemingly looking down on him, the lead assassin suddenly became enraged. He pressed his long sword against Liu Yuansheng's neck and said, "Are you afraid of this sword? Do you believe I can cut your throat right now?!"

The knife moved forward half an inch, but Liu Yuansheng remained motionless, staring intently at the lead assassin. "Why should I be afraid of you?"

The lead assassin was taken aback. "Because I can kill you!"

"Then go ahead and kill," Liu Yuansheng said. "This place is beautiful."

The lead assassin was completely stunned.

He stared at Liu Yuansheng in surprise, his heart filled with incomprehension. These people were all forced to risk their lives. If they could be born into a peaceful world, who wouldn't want to live a good life?

But this woman, of noble birth and the principal wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, was not afraid of death at all, and even had a hint of pious longing for it.

Why is that?

The lead assassin was still thinking when suddenly, the sound of arrows whistling through the air echoed through the forest. Before he could react, a long arrow pierced his shoulder and struck the longsword in his hand with a clang.

With a flick of his longsword, he aimed for Liu Yuansheng's neck. The lead assassin quickly moved the blade aside, turned, and stared at the area below the Wind Offering Altar, asking, "Who is it?"

"Big Brother! Xiao Jinghan! It's Xiao Jinghan! He's leading a large number of government troops up here!"

"What?!" The lead assassin grabbed Liu Yuansheng by the hair. "I'll kill her right now!"