"Don't drink!"
Her voice was like a sharp sword, filled with bloodlust, interrupting the joyous atmosphere of the banquet.
The unforeseen event happened at this moment.
Ying Yue, who was standing beside Xiao Jue, was holding a jug of wine in her hands. She had poured wine into the jug and did not have time to take it back. He Yan's voice fell, as if she had received some kind of signal, a dagger appeared under the jug of wine and without hesitation, stabbed towards Xiao Jue.
The young man's expression was calm and did not show any signs of panic. The jade cup in his hand flew out and collided with the dagger in the air, shattering into pieces and stopping the tip of the dagger.
In a split second, the wind blew from all directions. The beautiful women who had just finished dancing and dancing did not all retreat. They stood to the left and right and immediately rushed towards Xiao Jue. This was a carefully planned assassination.
"Uncle!" He Yan called out. The young man slammed the table and a long sword appeared in his hand. He was surrounded by more than ten people and coldly ordered, "Hide further away!"
Sun Xiangfu was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He was so scared that he covered his head and hid under the table. He did not forget to shout, "Someone, someone come quickly — —"
He Yan was paying attention to the bodyguard behind Yuan Baozhen. She had thought that since this person was He Rufei's man, there must be a reason for him to follow behind Yuan Baozhen. However, in her anger, she only cared about the wine on the table and did not think that the women around her were assassins. Yuan Baozhen was protected by the bodyguard behind him and retreated a few steps. He looked panicked.
The bodyguard did not make a move.
Could it be that today's assassins were just a coincidence? He Yan thought in her heart. She looked at Xiao Jue who was surrounded and almost exploded in anger.
The assassins were all women. Whether it was the women who had just danced or the women who had played the zither, each of them had light bodies. They looked gentle and soft, but their attacks were vicious. Hidden in their sleeves were hidden arrows. With a wave of their sleeves, the hidden weapons flew towards Xiao Jue.
In such a big banquet, Xiao Jue was the only one who could fight against ten people. No matter if it was He Yan's previous life on the battlefield or this life in the Martial Arts Practice Field, he had always been open and aboveboard. When had he ever seen such underhanded methods? For a moment, he was filled with righteous indignation. Seeing the small knife used to cut the roasted venison on the table, he grabbed it and rushed into the crowd.
"Uncle, I'll help you!"
He Yan was halfway through her words when she suddenly remembered that she was "Cheng Li Su". how could the useless young master of the Shuo capital know martial arts? She was afraid that she would not be able to openly show her martial arts skills. she shouted her heart, she shouted, "Why are these people's sleeves so long? "She's,'s's's's's, cut '''s's''s's''s....
The water sleeves instantly turned into short sleeves. When he used the concealed weapon again, his movements were very obvious. Just like that, He Yan shouted as she circled around the crowd. Her figure was light and graceful, as slippery as a loach. Everyone wanted to catch her, but they couldn't. The young man was screaming and cursing at the same time, making the scene somewhat comical.
Xiao Jue swung her sword to block the knife of the woman in front of her. She turned her head and glanced at her.
He Yan was still shouting, "Help! Murder!" She blocked a dart in front of her and kicked the face of the woman next to her.
Xiao Jue's mouth twitched.
The target of the singing girls was Xiao Jue. All their sinister methods and hidden weapons were aimed at Xiao Jue. Now that a young man had suddenly appeared, everything was disrupted. Ying Yue's face was ashen. She clenched her fist and said hatefully, "Despicable!" She chopped at He Yan's head.
He Yan shouted, "Aiya!" and hid behind Xiao Jue. "Uncle, save me!" She was shocked.
These ten or so women were all very skilled. It was not something that could be trained overnight. This kind of technique was more like a death squad that was specially trained to kill people.
Who did Xiao Jue offend? Why would they use such a method to kill him?
Among this group of women, Ying Yue was the most skilled. But it was not the most skilled. She had countless hidden weapons. Date Seed Arrows, Plum Blossom Needles, Emei Thorns, Iron Lotus … He Yan did not know how she could store so many hidden weapons in her sleeves. However, Xiao Jue did not seem to want to take the man's life. The tip of her sword avoided the vital points.
He Yan knew that when he was young, his sword skills were outstanding. Now that they met again, this was the first time he saw him in action. The assassin could not get close. He was injured by the Autumn Sword and fell to the ground. He pulled Ying Yue's sleeve. Ying Yue was pulled forward. In the next moment, the tip of his sword was pointed at Ying Yue's throat.
The young man's voice was low. It was more pleasant than the sound of the zither. It contained an unconcealable murderous intent.
"Who sent you?"
He Yan could not help but look at the bodyguard behind Yuan Baozhen.
The bodyguard was standing in front of Yuan Baozhen. His face, which was hidden in the dark, was now revealed. His expression was also very flustered, as if he didn't expect this to happen and couldn't see any clues. However, He Yan saw that his index finger slowly bent into a semicircle.
No one would pay attention to a bodyguard at this time. The movement of his finger was extremely small. If He Yan had not been paying attention to him, he would have missed it.
Her intuition, which had been cultivated for many years, made her subconsciously turn around to look. She saw the manservant, who had been hiding at the door, pouncing towards Xiao Jue.
"Be careful!"
Xiao Jue was pointing at Ying Yue. He Yan did not care about anything else. He pushed Xiao Jue away. The man who had pounced in front of Xiao Jue was stabbed in the throat by Xiao Jue.
The assassins had always been women. Who would pay attention to this manservant? Moreover, from the very first moment of the incident, this person had been hiding under the short table like any other weak servant. Who would have thought that he would be the last chess piece?
"What's the matter?" Xiao Jue frowned and asked her.
He Yan shook his head.
Ying Yue, who was on the ground, suddenly laughed.
In the dead silence, her laughter was particularly ear-piercing. He Yan turned his head to look. The beauty's lips were bleeding, but her expression was ruthless.
He Yan took a step forward and asked, "Who are you? Why do you want to harm my uncle? "
Ying Yue looked at He Yan with a fierce expression, "If you did not come out to mess things up, this would not have happened! You'll never know who my Master is … "
She coughed up more and more blood. The blood that flowed out was an abnormal black color. He looked at the women around her and saw that they were all the same. He Yan understood. She was indeed a death warrior. Once the assassination failed, she would commit suicide.
"Is that so?" Xiao Jue looked at Ying Yue and suddenly smiled. His eyes were full of ridicule as he said, "There are countless people in the world who want to kill me. But there is only one person who is so impatient. "
"I'll accept your master's gift. I hope that your master can accept my gift in return. "
Ying Yue's expression changed greatly. But she had already taken the poison. In just a moment, her face turned ashen. Like the other ten women, she died and no longer breathed.
Xiao Jue stepped over her body and stood in the middle of the hall. He looked at Sun Xiangfu, who was hiding under the low table and trembling in fear. He reprimanded, "Magistrate Sun, why don't you explain why the servants in your residence tried to assassinate me during your banquet? Are you deliberately trying to harm me? "
Sun Xiangfu had long been so scared that his mind was in a mess. When he heard this, he almost cried. Seeing that the assassin was gone, he dared to stand up from the short table and hurriedly explained, "Commander in chief, I really didn't know, I really didn't know! Even if I had ten times the courage, I would not dare to harm you! I only brought these singers back to the residence half a month ago. I … I didn't know they were assassins! Magistrate Yuan, Magistrate Yuan, please help me explain. I, I really don't know what is going on! "
Yuan Baozhen, who had been silent all this time, also came back to his senses. He patted his chest and said with lingering fear, "Magistrate Sun, this is not a matter of whether you know or not. These singers are all people in your residence. If something really happened to Military Governor Xiao today, you will not be able to escape responsibility. I think this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Let's clean up this place first and ask a coroner to see where these people came from and what their identities are. "
He then looked at Xiao Jue, "Military Governor Xiao is also frightened. Why don't you clean up first and change to another place. Let Magistrate Sun explain what is going on. I think these singers have come prepared. "
Xiao Jue looked at him with a smile that was not a smile, and said, "Okay."
The banquet came to an abrupt end in the middle of the night, but at this moment, no one was in the mood to continue. The hall was a mess. The coroner and bailiffs quickly came over and carried the bodies of the singers away. Yuan Baozhen asked, "Do you want to search their bodies to see if they have any keepsakes?"
"Since they have been in the Sun residence for half a month, the keepsakes should have been hidden well. Why would they leave it on their bodies for people to search? If they really do have it, I'm afraid they are trying to frame someone else. "Xiao Jue stared at Yuan Baozhen and said lightly," Magistrate Yuan, don't fall into their trap. "
Yuan Baozhen's scalp tightened.
Xiao Jue did not pay attention to him anymore. He turned his head and saw He Yan standing there in a daze. He suddenly remembered that she seemed to have not said anything since just now.
Was she frightened?
"Why are you standing there in a daze? Let's go." He said to He Yan. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his sleeve being pulled.
"Uncle." The young man raised his head. The smile on his face was gone, and there was a rare trace of nervousness. His gaze was also blank. It fell on his face, as if he was not looking at him. He said, "Just now when the servant rushed over, I pushed you away. He scattered a handful of things on my face. My eyes hurt a little." His voice was small, and it was not as arrogant as before. He was a little flustered, "I think I can't see."
The doctors went in one by one and quickly came out. They all looked terrified. Everyone shook their heads and sighed.
Xiao Jue's face became more and more gloomy.
Sun Xiangfu watched from the side with fear. Who would have thought that Xiao Jue's nephew, the young man who always followed Xiao Jue, would have his eyes injured by an assassin? The doctors could only open his eyelids to take a look. The young man only said that he could not see. There were no godly doctors in Liangzhou City, and all the doctors that could be found were all useless.
The powder on the ground had long been blown away by the wind, leaving no trace behind. They did not even know what kind of poison it was, so how could they treat it? Fortunately, only the young man's eyes were injured. The rest of his body was fine. Otherwise, if his life was threatened, the Governor would be furious.
"Governor." Sun Xiangfu said, "This official will go and find another doctor. The Young Master is a good person, and he will be fine."
Xiao Jue said, "Get lost."
Everyone could hear the anger in his words. Sun Xiangfu did not dare to anger Xiao Jue at this juncture. He hurriedly said a few words, and hurriedly left as if he was running for his life.
Xiao Jue stood outside the room. He paused for a moment, and then walked in. He happened to pass by the last doctor. He saw the young man sitting on the bed with a calm expression. He did not know what he was thinking. After a moment, he used his hands to gesture in front of his face, as if he could not believe that he could not see.
Because she had cried out in pain, the doctor did not dare to use any medicine. He only found some soothing and cooling herbs and applied them on a clean cloth. He used the cloth to cover her eyes.
He Yan had always been cheerful. Sometimes he was smart, sometimes he was stupid. As for whether he was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid, no one knew. His eyes were very clever. They were clear and bright. When he stared, he looked a little silly. When he curved his eyes, they were full of vitality and slyness. Now that the cloth covered her eyes, the young man's face became unfamiliar in an instant. Even his previous lively expressions seemed to be blurred.
Xiao Jue suddenly remembered that during the banquet, when Ying Yue and the others tried to assassinate him, He Yan did not waver when he rushed over. Even if He Yan did not mention it, he would not drink the wine poured by Ying Yue. However, the fear and anger in the young man's voice did not seem to be fake.
It even made people's hearts tremble.
He walked in and stopped in front of He Yan's bed.
He Yan seemed to feel something, but he was not sure. He tilted his head and asked carefully, "Is someone here?"
Xiao Jue did not say anything.
"Is there no one?" She whispered again and turned her head to the side to be quiet.
On the way to Liangzhou City, He Yan was very talkative. Xiao Jue did not talk to her, so she went to look for Fei Nu. Fei Nu did not talk much. Song Taotao, who appeared later, took over this vacancy. When a person who was always chattering suddenly became quiet, people would not be used to it.
This young man was only sixteen years old, but he was different from ordinary people. When he found out that he could not see, he was a little flustered. However, he did not wail or cry. It was as if he quickly accepted this fact. However, when he sat quietly, it made people feel a little sorry for him.
It was probably because he was too thin and weak. Looking at him like this, he looked very pitiful.
Xiao Jue asked, "How do you feel?"
"All … Uncle?" He Yan was surprised for a moment, then said, "I'm just not used to it." She reached out as if she wanted to touch her eyes, but what she touched was a piece of cloth. She immediately retracted her hand and said, "Are my eyes really blind?"
Even when he asked this, his tone was calm.
Xiao Jue should have said "yes", but at this moment, he actually could not say it.
This young man with extraordinary skills was at the prime of his life. With his talent, he would definitely be promoted in a few years in the Liangzhou City Guards. A pearl in a puddle of muddy water would not be buried no matter what. However, losing a pair of eyes was a different situation. Not to mention the impact it would have on the future, it would take courage for him to get used to these dark days.
After all, it was not as if he could not see from the moment he was born. Having something and then losing it was much more unbearable than not having it in the first place.
"Uncle, you're not sad for me, are you?" He Yan suddenly asked. Although his eyes were covered by a piece of cloth, the tone in which she said this made one imagine that if it were any other time, her eyes would be wide open and filled with mischief and ridicule.
"Maybe you're still blaming yourself?" She smiled and said, "Actually, you don't have to blame yourself for me. You should praise me. Maybe if you praise me, I'll think that everything I've done was worth it."
"Praise you for what?" Xiao Jue said indifferently.
"Of course you're praising me for being amazing." The young man's voice was a little surprised, but also a little proud. "If I didn't remind you not to drink just now, this assassination attempt would not have happened. I'm your savior, am I not amazing? "
She still had the heart to think about these things at a time like this? Xiao Jue was speechless. He did not know whether to say that this young man was careless or that he really did not care.
"You don't seem to be sad." Xiao Jue said, "You can't see. Maybe you'll never be able to see again."
As soon as she said this, the young man's fingers curled up. Although it was very subtle, Xiao Jue still caught it.
He was afraid, and it was not as easy as he made it seem.
"God won't be so bad to me, right?" He Yan said, "I've never done anything bad in my life. Why are you treating me like this? If … if you really want to treat me like this, then I can't do anything. There are many kinds of blind people. I'm so good, so I'll be the best of them all. "
Xiao Jue was slightly startled. This sentence sounded strangely familiar, as if he had heard it a long time ago.
"But uncle, are you going to give up so early? I think you should find me a few more doctors to take a look at me. Maybe I can be cured. Why do you say it as if it's incurable? "He asked.
Xiao Jue looked at him. Although the young man tried his best to appear normal, he was still a little tired. He said, "Have a good rest." Then he turned and left.
Xiao Jue left the room, and the room returned to its original calm. Because there might be assassins in the house, all the servants in the house were evacuated. Only Fei Nu, one of Xiao Jue's own men, remained in the courtyard.
He Yan stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to untie the knot in his head. After a while, he put down his hand and did not continue.
She lowered her head and muttered, "Ding Yi."
Yuan Baozhen's bodyguard, He Rufei's former servant, the person who personally gave her a bowl of poison in her previous life. She heard Yuan Baozhen call his name. His name was Ding Yi.
In the study, Sun Xiangfu's face was scrunched up. He was about to cry.
The person sitting in front of him was Yuan Baozhen. Yuan Baozhen said, "Magistrate Sun, I can't help you with this."
"Magistrate Yuan, you can't leave me in the lurch! Right now, the only person who can help me is you. "Sun Xiangfu said with a sad face," I really don't know what happened to those assassins today. Now that the commander-in-chief is angry and Young Master Cheng can't see, Commander-In-Chief Xiao will definitely vent his anger on this lowly official. I'm just a county magistrate, how can I bear the anger of General Feng Yun! "
Sun Xiangfu had personally witnessed the close relationship between Xiao Jue and Cheng Lisu, this pair of uncle and nephew. When Cheng Li Su and Sun Ling got into an argument, Xiao Jue rushed over to protect Cheng Li Su. It was truly frightening. At that time, it was just a small argument. Now that Cheng Li Su was blind, wouldn't Xiao Jue pay with her life? Sun Xiangfu thought of this and began to tremble.
"I don't think Military Governor Xiao is such an unreasonable person." Yuan Baozhen comforted.
As the two were talking, Xiao Jue arrived.
Sun Xiangfu didn't have time to beg Yuan Baozhen. He lifted his robe and knelt in front of Xiao Jue.
"What is the meaning of this?" Xiao Jue looked at him coldly and asked.
"Governor, I really don't know what is going on right now. I was also tricked by them! Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare to harm you! "Sun Xiangfu began to cry out his innocence.
"Stand up." Xiao Jue glanced at him as if she didn't like his actions. She walked in and sat down on the chair at the head of the table. She looked at him and said, "Tell me how you met them." She paused and then added, "Those assassins."
This … she believed that he wasn't the mastermind? When Sun Xiangfu noticed this, he was overjoyed. Yuan Baozhen's eyes flashed but he didn't make a sound.
Sun Xiangfu hurriedly stood up. He didn't even brush off the dust on his robe and retreated to a lower chair to sit down. In this way, he and Yuan Baozhen sat in a position where Xiao Jue was the leader. Sun Xiangfu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Actually, they have only been in the fu for half a month. At first, there was a new opera troupe in the city …"
The leader of this opera troupe was an old woman. She brought a group of beautiful girls to the city. She said that there was a drought in the place where they lived and there was no way to survive, so they moved to Liangzhou City. They set up a stage in the east of Liangzhou City and performed three times a day.
In the beginning, only commoners came to take a look. Not only were these girls beautiful, but they also sang very well. They were very eye-catching, and gradually became famous. Many nobles also came to know about them. After a while, the news reached Sun Ling's ears.
Sun Ling had touched all the beautiful girls in Liangzhou City. The night Sun Ling watched the show, he asked someone to buy the group of girls to perform in the fu. The leader of the troupe, the old woman, refused and was injured by Sun Ling's servants. When she was about to be beaten to death, Ying Yue stood up and said that she was willing to persuade her sisters to enter the fu. She only hoped that Sun Ling would let their leader go.
Sun Ling generously did as he was told. Ying Yue really managed to persuade the group of girls. After entering the fu, they were very gentle. After entering the Sun fu, Sun Ling found that this group of girls not only knew how to sing, but were also proficient in the four arts. Among them, Ying Yue was the most outstanding.
Sun Xiangfu also knew about Ying Yue.
Sun Xiangfu was different from Sun Ling. Sun Ling only knew how to eat, drink, and play, but Sun Xiangfu was a bit ambitious. Being the county magistrate of Liangzhou City was good, but what if he could go further? Even if he didn't take another step forward, the position of county magistrate wasn't really stable. He had to bribe people from top to bottom. He had to maintain good relations with both familiar and unfamiliar people. For example, he wasn't very familiar with the new commander of the Liang Province Guards.
Sun Xiangfu asked Ying Yue to come. He had Ying Yue hold a banquet in the fu to liven things up for the guests. In any case, there were two guests, Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen and Right Army Commander Xiao Jue. As long as he got on the good side of one of them, he could rest easy.
Although Sun Ling was a bit dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do. In the days that followed, Ying Yue seriously brought her sisters to practice dancing and singing. Every time Sun Xiangfu went over to watch, he was very satisfied. This servant was also very smart. When she entered the fu for the leader of the troupe, she was a bit unwilling. After experiencing the extravagance of the Sun fu, she became even more clever. Sometimes, when Sun Xiangfu talked to her, he could feel her desire for power.
That's right. People walk to higher places while water flows to lower places. This was the case for everyone, men and women alike.
Up until tonight's incident at the banquet, Sun Xiangfu still thought this way.
When he talked about these things, probably because he was embarrassed, he added a bit of embellishment. However, without those unimportant embellishments, it was just one thing. Sun Ling was lustful, but who knew that he would pick up a poisonous snake.
"I really didn't think that they were assassins. Women … how can women be assassins? "Sun Xiangfu said. It wasn't clear whether he was saying this to Xiao Jue or to himself. To the father and son of the Sun family, women had always been playthings, or things that were sent to win the favor of their superiors. Now that he had been played by a woman, it was hard to describe his feelings at the moment.
"These assassins entered the fu half a month ago?" Xiao Jue asked.
Sun Xiangfu nodded, "That's right. This is all my fault. I didn't carefully check their identities. I only thought that they were women who had no relatives in the city and were weak and pitiful, so …"
He tried his best to say that he took pity on their weakness and brought them into the fu, but Xiao Jue didn't pay any attention to him. She only played with the teacup in her hand and said lightly, "Half a month ago, Magistrate Sun didn't send me an invitation to the fu."
Sun Xiangfu paused.
"But half a month ago, Official Yuan should have known that you would arrive in Liangzhou." He tilted his head and looked at Yuan Baozhen with a half smile.
Hearing this, Yuan Baozhen replied with a smile, "What does Governor mean? Are you suspecting me? Governor, why don't you think about it? If I really arranged for these women, how could I be sure that Magistrate Sun would take them back to the fu? I can't predict things like a god. "
"Of course you can't predict things like a god," Xiao Jue's lips curved slightly and said unhurriedly, "You only need to write a letter to Magistrate Sun."
She was saying that Yuan Baozhen and Sun Xiangfu had set this up together.
Sun Xiangfu finally thought that he had cleared himself of suspicion, but Xiao Jue's words immediately made him sweat profusely. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no! Governor, I really didn't. I don't know what's going on. I also didn't receive a letter from Official Yuan! "
Yuan Baozhen also stopped smiling. He looked at Xiao Jue and said seriously, "Governor, with just one sentence, you have convicted me and Magistrate Sun, but you don't even have evidence. It really makes one's heart cold. I don't have any deep enmity with you, and this is the first time I've eaten with you. How could I harm you? "
He was born with a kind face, and his words were very sincere, but there was also a hint of sadness at being misunderstood.
Xiao Jue stared at him for a while. After a moment, he smiled and said indifferently, "It's just a joke. Official Yuan doesn't need to take it seriously."
He withdrew his smile and became cold again. He was like a knife that was about to be unsheathed, hiding the fierceness of a mountain storm.
"However, there are many suspicious points in this matter. Before I figure it out, I'm afraid I'll have to disturb you for a few days," he said.
"Governor … you're going to live here?"
After the assassination attempt, normal people would only feel that this place was not safe and would leave as soon as possible to avoid being schemed against again. Why was he still staying here?
"Yes," the young Governor put down his teacup and stood up. He was tall and slender, and his eyes were slightly cold, "Live here and catch the thief."
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