Chapter 1388

Daha Lu let out a puffed laugh, Hu Xiaotian glared fiercely at this guy—really a mood killer. In fact, apart from Zhan Peng, no one else knew that Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan were old acquaintances; they thought Hu Xiaotian approached her because he found this female general beautiful.

Murong Feiyan said: "I am the Deputy Commander of the Phoenix Feather Guard of the Tianxiang Kingdom, Rong Feiyan! Are you satisfied?" After saying that, she told the people behind her: "Fish the corpses out of the water, the rest of you spread out to search; under no circumstances let any assassin escape!"

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the icy Murong Feiyan, sighing inwardly, "Satisfied? How could I be satisfied?" But seeing Murong Feiyan ignore him completely, he knew that even if he thickened his skin and went over to talk to her, she probably wouldn't pay him any attention, so he could only suppress his longing and choose to leave for now.

After experiencing the bridgehead assassination, He'er Dan's mood was naturally greatly affected; the original plan to have another drink with Hu Xiaotian had to be cancelled on the spot. He thanked Hu Xiaotian for his recent rescue and bade him farewell. Although the weather was hot, his clothes were completely soaked from falling into the water, making him look like a drowned rat, and he didn't want to appear in such a sorry state.

Hu Xiaotian then returned to Cui Garden together with Zhan Peng, who had previously told Hu Xiaotian about Murong Feiyan. Seeing Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan meet but not actually encounter each other tonight, he assumed Hu Xiaotian's mood must be affected, so he didn't dare to ask him directly.

When they arrived in front of Cui Garden, Hu Xiaotian dismounted, sighed, and said: "She said her name is Rong Feiyan!"

Zhan Peng nodded, looking at Hu Xiaotian with some sympathy, and said: "I don't know what happened to Miss Murong; she seems to have completely forgotten us."

Hu Xiaotian lifted his head to gaze at the gradually full moon in the sky, pondering, and said: "Some things, some people, can never be forgotten."

Zhan Peng said: "My lord, are you saying she deliberately refuses to acknowledge us?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, not answering Zhan Peng's question, because he didn't know the answer either.

Hearing of Hu Xiaotian's experience on the road, Zhao Wusheng also felt secretly alarmed. However, fortunately this assassination was aimed at Shajia Prince He'er Dan; Hu Xiaotian probably just happened to be traveling with He'er Dan when he encountered this accident, and he wasn't injured. For them, this served as an advance warning—applying to be a consort of the Tianxiang Kingdom didn't seem as pleasant as it appeared on the surface; there might even be a threat to their lives.

Zhao Wusheng, following orders to tail Xie Tianqiong today, also made a discovery. Xie Tianqiong is vigilant; midway he seemed to have sensed something. Zhao Wusheng originally thought he himself had been discovered, but later learned that Xie Tianqiong had actually noticed another person tailing him, and Xie Tianqiong deliberately led that person to a secluded spot and killed him with a single sword strike.

Hu Xiaotian was also startled upon hearing this: "Do you know who is tailing him?"

Zhao Wusheng shook his head and said: "I'm not sure either. After Xie Tianqiong killed that person, three others met up with him. Worried about being detected, I didn't dare get too close, but I faintly heard their conversation; it sounded like they had taken on several jobs—to kill the people on the list."

Hu Xiaotian pondered: "So does that mean Xie Tianqiong is a professional assassin, making a living from bounties on kills?"

Zhao Wusheng said: "What does it matter? As long as he doesn't endanger the lord's safety, we can't be bothered to meddle in his affairs."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; Zhao Wusheng's words made sense. He and Xie Tianqiong were merely passing acquaintances; at the time he also admired Xie Tianqiong's swordsmanship. That's why he intervened to save him, but they hardly had any friendship—why bother with his affairs?

At this moment, Liang Yinghao, who had been gathering information in the city, also returned after a day of running around. Parched, he first poured himself a bowl of water, then said: "Something happened—three people were killed in Fragrant City tonight, and they were all applicants for the consort position."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Who were the dead?"

Liang Yinghao said: "It doesn't seem to be anyone important; I heard even the Shajia prince was ambushed on the way." Upon saying this, he noticed several people's expressions change, suddenly realized something, and asked anxiously: "My lord, did you run into any trouble tonight?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "When He'er Dan was assassinated, I happened to be on the scene. It seems that even before the ninth day of the ninth month, someone couldn't wait and wanted to eliminate the competition first."

Zhao Wusheng said: "Those who come from afar are guests; if the Tianxiang Kingdom cannot guarantee the safety of these guests, it will surely be laughed at by the world."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It looks like someone intends to take advantage of this moment to create chaos."

Zhan Peng said: "Could it be the dowager empress of the Tianxiang Kingdom?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "Impossible; the idea of selecting consorts from all under heaven was hers—how could she possibly shoot herself in the foot?"

Liang Yinghao said: "Could it be the Fu Prince? He's on bad terms with Long Xuanjiao, so he'd surely seize any opportunity to oppose her."

Hu Xiaotian thought for a moment, then shook his head again: "Although I don't rule out that possibility, creating such an incident wouldn't benefit him much, and it might also expose him too early. The Fu Prince is a person who can hold his breath; logically he wouldn't take such a risk lightly." He paused and continued: "Everyone can see Long Xuanjiao's intentions clearly—she wants to use the consort selection to find the most advantageous ally, ultimately to join forces against Dakang; perhaps the Dakang side won't remain indifferent."

Zhao Wusheng said: "The Double Ninth Festival is still far off; I don't think this period will stay peaceful."

Liang Yinghao said: "My lord, you must be extra careful."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "If you do no wrong, you need not fear ghosts knocking at your door; whoever wishes to harm me must be tired of living."

The news of the guests' assassinations spread throughout Fragrant City overnight; the Tianxiang side obviously heightened its vigilance. With only one day left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, these assassinations have dampened the festive harmony considerably, and guests from all directions who came to apply for the consort position have begun to feel insecure.

Word came from the Tianxiang Kingdom palace that the deadline for consort applications had been moved up by one day—that is, starting now, no further applications will be accepted.

King Yang Longjing of the Tianxiang Kingdom also convened his first court assembly after returning from the hunt, with Dowager Empress Long Xuanjiao, as customary, listening to politics from behind the pearl curtain.

Yang Longjing hadn't slept well the previous night either; sitting on the throne, he yawned twice in a row, rubbed his eyes, glanced over the officials, and said: "Esteemed ministers, what matters do you have to report?" He inwardly despised such lethargic court sessions and wished they would end immediately.

The Minister of Rites, Wang Qiezhi, stepped out from the civil officials' ranks, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, the list of consort applicants has been fully registered; a total of ten thousand one hundred twenty-five people preliminarily meet the qualifications."

Yang Longjing showed no interest, lazily replying: "I know."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind the pearl curtain—the Dowager Empress Long Xuanjiao: "Shouldn't it be ten thousand one hundred twenty-eight? Three people were killed last night!"

Wang Qiezhi broke out in a sweat on his forehead and whispered: "Your perceptiveness, Empress..."

Long Xuanjiao's voice suddenly turned stern: "Has this list been leaked?"

Wang Qiezhi, terrified, fell to his knees with a thud and trembled: "Empress, I stake my life on it—this list was only just finalized last night; we dare not leak even a single word of it to the outside."

Yang Longjing stared in shock: "People died? Three people were killed? Why?"

The civil and military officials exchanged glances, many unable to hide their disappointment. As the ruler of a nation, how could he be so perfunctory? He pays no attention to state affairs, and he didn't even know about last night's major incident. If it weren't for the Dowager Empress behind the pearl curtain presiding over court affairs, who knows what the Tianxiang Kingdom would have become.

Long Xuanjiao felt her face flush because of her son's reaction; this boy is truly useless—saying such a thing in front of the ministers merely displays his mediocrity for all to see, making it impossible for her to feel at ease entrusting all power to him. She ordered: "Summon Rong Feiyan!"

Not long after, the Deputy Commander of the Phoenix Feather Guard, Rong Feiyan, entered the court, paid her respects to the king and the dowager empress, and then recounted in full detail what had happened the previous night and the investigation's findings.

After listening, Long Xuanjiao nodded and said: "It is now certain that someone intends to exploit this consort selection to sow chaos; the three who died last night were all on the preliminary shortlist. I only hope the problem is not internal." Her gaze turned cold as she looked at Wang Qiezhi: "The final list must be kept strictly confidential; the several rounds of screening must be expedited, and during this period, the screening results must not be leaked to the outside in the slightest."

Wang Qiezhi trembled: "Rest assured, Empress; I will faithfully fulfill my duties and guard the secret."

Long Xuanjiao added: "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival; from then until the ninth day of the ninth month next month, there are still more than twenty days, and within this period we must ensure that no similar incidents occur."

After the court dispersed, Long Xuanjiao again kept Rong Feiyan alone. To her, the deaths of three people were actually nothing—after all, the three who died last night lacked any powerful background—what truly shocked her was the ambush of the Shajia prince en route.

Rong Feiyan then informed Long Xuanjiao of the investigation's findings: "Your Empress, the identities of the several corpses found at the scene have been preliminarily ascertained."

Long Xuanjiao blinked, her eyes lighting up with relief: "Who are those assassins?"

Rong Feiyan replied: "It can be preliminarily determined that they are all Shajia nationals."

Long Xuanjiao exclaimed in shock: "What? Shajia nationals actually assassinated their own prince?"

Rong Feiyan said: "There are two possibilities: either these Shajia nationals resent their royal family and seek to take this opportunity to assassinate He'er Dan, or else He'er Dan staged the whole thing himself."

Long Xuanjiao frowned slightly: "Without evidence, don't jump to conclusions."

Yes!

Long Xuanjiao sighed: "I only wanted to facilitate a good thing, but I never expected there to be so many scheming people in this world." After a pause she asked: "Has your master emerged from seclusion?"

Rong Feiyan replied: "No, he should emerge from seclusion in September."

Long Xuanjiao nodded: "Feiyan, you've really worked hard during this period." (To be continued~^~)