Chapter 112: Suppression Before Exaltation
Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Suppression Before Exaltation
The Imperial Guard quickly subdued the Palace Attendant.
Gao Qian was caught off guard by a shove and nearly fell, but Zhou Yun steadied him.
"What is going on!" Gao Qian’s expression was grim.
Zhou Yun was also completely bewildered.
Just as Liang Wan was about to turn, she saw a sharp glint flash in Lu Xiu’s eyes. In an instant, he struck the heavily injured assassin with his palm, knocking her unconscious.
Everyone watched in amazement.
Only then did Lu Xiu say calmly, "She has poison hidden under her tongue."
Hearing this, a nearby imperial guard hurried to pry open the assassin’s mouth and, sure enough, retrieved a tiny pill from under her tongue.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the imperial guard presented the pill to Gao Qian.
Gao Qian picked up the pill and examined it, an inscrutable light flickering in his eyes. "Since you knew she was the one who used the poison, why didn’t you say so when I asked?"
Lu Xiu calmly denied it. "I was not aware of this. I only saw Liang Ji stab the Palace Attendant just now and surmised that there was something wrong with her."
Gao Qian looked up at him. Lu Xiu’s expression was as cold and detached as ever, showing nothing out of the ordinary.
Gao Qian gave a slight nod, then looked at Liang Wan. "Since you knew she was an assassin, why didn’t you tell Me sooner?"
Liang Wan answered honestly, "I didn’t notice anything unusual at first. It was only when the Palace Attendant knelt beside me that the dagger in her sleeve accidentally brushed against my arm. I then recalled she had been attending to Your Majesty just moments before, and that was when I grew suspicious.
"I wasn’t completely certain, so I didn’t dare act rashly and tip her off. My only option was to let the assassin lower her guard, making her think she hadn’t been discovered, and then strike back when she least expected it."
Gao Qian pondered for a moment before giving a slight nod. He glanced sideways at the blood and bodies covering the floor, his voice filled with regret. "It is a pity that so many innocent people have died. I cannot bear it—"
Liang Wan shook her head, her voice cool. "To die for Your Majesty is a worthy death."
Gao Qian was taken aback. He stared at Liang Wan for a moment, then burst out laughing. "A worthy death, indeed!"
Liang Wan lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
Gao Qian looked at Lu Xiu with admiration. "As expected of someone under the Grand Commandant’s tutelage."
Lu Xiu remained expressionless. "Your Majesty has a keen eye. I dare not take the credit."
A smile touched Gao Qian’s lips as he slowly swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes chillingly cold. "Now, who sent this assassin?"
Remembering how he had just killed a person after asking a single question, everyone shrank back, not daring to make a sound.
Gao Qian was very pleased to see their terror. His gaze returned to Lu Xiu’s face. "Since it was the Grand Commandant’s own who discovered the assassin, this matter shall be handed over to the Grand Commandant for investigation!"
In that instant, it was as if the entire hall breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Lu Xiu showed no hint of surprise, his eyes calm and placid as he casually replied, "Yes."
With the matter of the assassin dealt with, Gao Qian was greatly relieved. He shouted at the eunuch cowering in a corner, "Hurry and get someone to clean this place up! I wish to continue drinking and celebrating with my ministers!"
The eunuch crawled out, still terrified, dragging two little eunuchs with him. He hissed, "Didn’t you hear His Majesty’s command? Get to it!"
Gao Qian chuckled and strode away, leaving everyone in the hall still shaken amidst the thick stench of blood.
Zhou Yun wanted to go and ask what was going on, but he saw Lu Xiu walk unhurriedly back to his seat and sit down quietly, just as he had been when he first arrived.
Zhou Yun then looked at Liang Wan. She merely glanced back at him before lowering her head and following Lu Xiu to her seat.
In the great hall, some carried bodies, some scrubbed the floors, and some wept softly.
By the time Gao Qian returned, the hall was mostly clean. Only the smell of blood in the air refused to dissipate. The seated crowd no longer chatted and laughed as before; the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Gao Qian had washed up and changed into fresh clothes. His features were handsome, his posture tall and straight.
With his arm around a beautiful woman, he looked at the silent, sullen crowd and couldn’t help but laugh. "It is My birthday, why is every one of you so dejected?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Palace Attendants from the Music Department filed into the hall, singing and dancing as loud music from drums and instruments filled the air.
Before long, people were raising their cups, offering congratulations with smiles and laughter...
The hour of their departure was quite late. Inside the dark, gloomy carriage, Liang Wan’s body, stiff from the cold, finally began to relax. ’Just now, my life was truly hanging by a thread.’
Lu Xiu hadn’t said a single word since leaving Chunhua Hall. His eyes were downcast, lost in thought, and he didn’t even ask about what had happened in the hall. She couldn’t resist raising her eyes to look at him.
Unexpectedly, she met his gaze directly. Even in the dim carriage, she could see the faint smile at the corners of his lips, like a ray of sunshine on a frozen lake.
"Come sit closer." He held out his hand.
Liang Wan took it. His palm was warm.
She sat beside him, turning to look at him with an inexplicable touch of smugness. "Husband, did you think I was the one who used the poison?"
A faint smile surfaced in Lu Xiu’s eyes. "You wouldn’t."
Her smugness crumbled. "Why not?"
Lu Xiu didn’t say a word.
Liang Wan said, "You didn’t let me enter the palace before, Husband, because my eyes revealed too much."
’If I’m not mistaken,’ she thought, ’Lu Xiu agreed to bring me to the palace to test me. I just never expected to run right into a poisoning plot.’
’During my time making poisons, I’ve discovered that blindly pursuing high toxicity, fast-acting effects, and undetectability only leads to disappointment.’
’Besides, an occasion like today’s is the least suitable for making a move. The more you want to succeed, the more patient you must be.’
’If you truly want to kill Gao Qian, you can’t arouse any suspicion. You have to make him believe you are completely loyal.’
Lu Xiu leaned back lazily against a soft cushion, watching her with a smile. "How did you know that Palace Attendant was an assassin?"
Liang Wan couldn’t help but be surprised.
Lu Xiu laughed. "And don’t give me that story about the dagger in her sleeve."
Liang Wan was startled. ’Sure enough, I couldn’t hide it from him.’ So she answered honestly:
"When I left the hall earlier, I came face to face with that Palace Attendant. There was a hint of panic in her expression. But that wasn’t why I suspected her; it was just evidence that confirmed my guess."
Lu Xiu said, "Go on."
Liang Wan said, "His Majesty has seen countless women. He is not a man to be swayed by a single beauty, yet he summoned her to his side just for playing the pipa. That showed she was different in some way.
"From my observation, compared to the other musicians playing the Nanyin pipa, she could only imitate the form, not capture the spirit. This was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it made her stand out. On the other, it made me question her identity.
"But I don’t think this was intentional. She was playing the pipa merely as a cover for her true identity.
"His Majesty, although... inept—is extremely skilled in music. To him, her awkward playing would have just looked like a deliberate attempt to catch his eye!"
Lu Xiu glanced at her sideways. "You seem to know quite a lot about His Majesty."
"It’s not that I tried to learn about him on purpose, it’s just... from before—"
Liang Wan laughed awkwardly. "’Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.’"
Lu Xiu didn’t press the topic, instead stroking her hair with a smile. "You did very well today."
Only then did Liang Wan sense something was off. "Don’t tell me... you arranged all this?"