Chapter 624: Chapter 407: Serial Poisoning Plots

Over ten guards infiltrated the grove from both sides, rapidly closing in on the loft.

The people inside the loft noticed the guards, and some panicked. Their arrows scattered, and they seemed prepared to flee. One guard, protecting Liu Pinrang’s servant, hurriedly fled toward them. The rest of the guards were busy rescuing the students from the Imperial College.

Ran Yan withdrew her gaze, watching the limping approach of two men. A memory flashed through her mind — under the shade of a tree, Sun Zhen knelt on a mat, his fingers gently rubbing the pattern on the fabric, saying, “I heard that Lady Xianliang is acquainted with Assistant Minister Liu from the Eastern Palace, recently appointed?”

…

Today I learned that Assistant Minister Liu has been missing for days.

…

Does Lady Xianliang know anyone close to him? Servants included?

…

If not for this incident, Ran Yan would have thought that Sun Zhen was merely laboring over a case. However, merely moments later, they were ambushed. Looking back, every word probed, every sentence was a trap.

This was all just a series of plots! To assassinate Zhang Xuanzhu, to draw Xiao Song into the bullock cart. There were many critical points she couldn’t fathom, but the facts were right before her eyes!

Sun Zhen… he was such an upright official! Liu Qingsong also seemed quite familiar with him. Although Liu Qingsong was a bit frivolous, he had a knack for understanding people, so how could he not see his duplicity?

Most likely, Sun Zhen was inherently an honest man, just “forced” or “enticed” into this situation for some reason.

This was the sort of person who could most deceive Xiao Song…

These thoughts flashed through Ran Yan’s mind like lightning, and she suddenly pointed to Liu Pinrang’s servant, sternly ordering, “Kill him!”

The guard holding him didn’t react at first, momentarily stunned.

“Kill him now!” Ran Yan demanded sharply.

By the time the guard reacted, the “servant” beside him had already drawn a short knife from his sleeve and viciously stabbed it toward his belly.

The guards beside Ran Yan immediately drew their swords to protect her, but dared not leave her side by even half a step.

“Ah!” The guard, caught unawares, was easily overpowered by the servant; the knife plunged into his belly, blood gushed out instantly.

Ran Yan was slightly shocked. The guards were all wearing armor, yet this man, without even looking, stabbed through the gap on the side—clearly, he was an experienced assassin!

At the foot of the Imperial City, the close-range guards that Ran Yan had brought only carried swords; they had no long-range weapons. They also dared not leave Ran Yan and had to shout to the other guards still helping the students, “Protect the Lady!”

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately ran over with their swords ready.

The man scrambled to his feet and, somehow, had acquired a sleeve arrow. Lifting his hand, he triggered the mechanism, and three arrows, whistling through the air like lightning, rapidly approached Ran Yan.

The arrows were so short that they were not even as long as a finger; the guards had no chance to knock them down with their swords. Gritting his teeth, one guard flung himself forward, intending to shield Ran Yan from the arrows.

At that moment, Ran Yan’s mind was chillingly clear, the heat of the summer seemingly pushed back several degrees. Seeing the guard flung himself forward, she understood his intention and promptly pulled him, causing both of them to fall off the horse. The three short arrows barely grazed Ran Yan’s thigh and passed by.

The best course of action now was to kill the assassin, and another guard, without regard for his own safety, charged directly at him on horse.

Seeing his first strike miss, the assassin immediately fired a second time. Again, three arrows were shot in rapid succession, but with the guards already close at hand, his aim faltered.

Ran Yan saw that the assassin’s hand wielding the sleeve arrow was knocked down, and urgently said to the guard protecting her, “Hurry, go for help; my husband might be in danger.”

“Lady, where shall I go for help? There are not many people left in the house to mobilize!” the guard said.

The household guards and her private Secret Guards couldn’t be moved carelessly; there were still three young ones at home, too young to withstand any mishaps… but Xiao Song must not come to harm!

Seeing Sun Zhen earlier, he was commanding people to move troops to search for the assassin, who knows if he would take the opportunity to harm Xiao Song?

The current situation looked chaotic, as if the Crown Prince was about to stage a mutiny. Not to mention if it was the right time for that, even if he were to stage a mutiny, why target her and Xiao Song?

The guard saw her distracted and couldn’t help but ask again, “Lady? Where should I mobilize troops from?”

Yes, where to mobilize troops? The Army of the Great Tang couldn’t just be mobilized on a whim, could it?

“The old residence!” Ran Yan suddenly thought, didn’t she still have a sister-in-law who was a princess? There were no less than eighty guards around the princess, plus the guards left in the old residence from when Duke Song was still alive. There should be plenty of people available.

“Yes!” the guard accepted the order, called two others to protect Ran Yan, and immediately mounted a horse.

Ran Yan turned to instruct another guard, “Go into the city and find out if there is any unusual movement among the various defense armies.”

“Yes!”

Another guard took the command and left.

The battle at the attic had ceased, and over a dozen guards rushed over. Seeing escape hopeless, the assassin here committed suicide during the fight by taking poison.

People from the Government Office hurried over; seeing the scene, they immediately went pale with shock and quickly ordered the injured students to be carried into the city for medical treatment.

Ran Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief, since the people from the Government Office were still able to come—it probably wasn’t as severe as a full mutiny. But… Xiao Song was still in grave danger. If Sun Zhen took the opportunity to attack Xiao Song while searching for the assassin, he could later shirk responsibility by claiming the assassin killed him…

This made Ran Yan overly concerned. Just like the chaotic scene just now, if there had been a traitor who really shot an arrow at her, who could say definitively whether it was not a wound inflicted in an ambush?

“How many of the guards were killed or injured?” Ran Yan asked.

“Reporting to the Lady, seven were injured by arrows, none fatally,” replied the head of the guards.

Ran Yan looked over; nearly every person was wounded. The injuries they referred to were likely serious enough to prevent movement.

“Let the seven stay behind; although the people from the Government Office have returned to receive treatment, assist in the investigation, the rest come with me,” Ran Yan couldn’t wait another moment. She couldn’t bear to think about what her life would be like if something really happened to Xiao Song.

Ran Yan ordered two people to stay behind, waiting for the reinforcements from the old residence, and directed them to meet at the attic where Zhang Xuanzhu was attacked.

This incident made Ran Yan suddenly feel that people could really not be trusted!

Just like in her previous life, her assistant, who was cultivated and polite, modest and eager to learn, yet he turned out to be a murderous maniac! Similarly, He Sizheng, who appeared upright and eager to help, yet could stab you in the back at the turn of a head, and Sun Zhen—Ran Yan didn’t know him well, only having met him a few times, but she had heard from others that this man was as righteous and adept at solving cases as Xiao Song, yet now he was also involved in this matter, aiming for her life.

Enemies in the dark are indeed impossible to guard against completely.

Ran Yan raced back to the place, where there were still many people guarding. Dismounting her horse, she hurried over and grabbed someone to ask, “Have you seen Assistant Minister Xiao?”

The man looked at Ran Yan, recognized her as Xiao Song’s lady, and bowed, saying, “Assistant Minister Xiao and Junior Minister Sun have gone to catch the suspect.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket, monthly ticket; your support is my greatest motivation.)