Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 112. Assassination
112. Assassination
After hearing Mo Xiuyao’s words, Ye Li remained silent for a while before saying leisurely, "Doesn’t marrying into the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion prove my courage enough? Any other girl, having just been rejected by Prince Li and then betrothed to Prince Ding, would probably have hanged herself with a white silk scarf. The fact that I’m still here is proof enough of my courage, isn’t it?"
"AH—" A child’s cry came from a distance. Princess Changle, startled, suddenly exclaimed, "It’s Zhenning! Princess Consort Ding..." Mo Xiuyao, sitting to one side, waved his hand. Two shadow guards stealthily retreated from the battlefield and rushed towards the source of the cry. Ye Li glanced at Noble Consort Liu, who was sitting next to the Emperor, her brow furrowed. They too had heard Princess Zhenning’s cry, and Ye Li found it impossible to believe that Noble Consort Liu hadn’t. Yet, Noble Consort Liu remained as calm as ever. Even the Empress had frowned and glanced in that direction a few times, while Liu, the mother, seemed as if she hadn’t heard a thing. Previously, Ye Li had only thought of Noble Consort Liu as cold and aloof, but now she couldn’t help but feel a chill. What on earth was a woman who didn’t even care about her own daughter’s safety thinking?
Surrounded by layers of guards, the Empress, her face grim, said a few words to Mo Jing. Mo Jing raised his head and looked toward them. Seeing Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sitting calmly to the side, his gaze darkened slightly. He then said aloud, "Prince Ding, be so kind as to bring back my second daughter." Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, stood up, and with a smile at Ye Li, he swiftly made his way out of the pavilion. Given Mo Xiuyao’s status, it wouldn’t have mattered much if he hadn’t made a move. But if the Emperor himself gave an order and he didn’t act, it would be unacceptable. The Empress was clearly taken aback; she hadn’t expected Mo Jing to ask Mo Xiuyao to rescue anyone. Stunned for a moment, she looked towards Ye Li, her brow furrowing in worry. Princess Consort Ding was one thing, but her own daughter was still young. How could she be at ease without Prince Ding protecting her? Glancing at Noble Consort Liu, who sat calmly to the side, the Empress frowned at her for the first time. "Princess Zhenning has been kidnapped by assassins, Noble Consort Liu. Aren’t you worried at all?"
Noble Consort Liu casually averted her gaze from the pavilion’s exterior and stated calmly, "With so many guards in the palace, they will naturally bring Zhenning back safely. You needn’t worry, Your Highness."
The Empress felt a surge of anger but held her tongue, merely snorting coldly and saying no more. Her attention remained fixed on Ye Li and Princess Changle on the other side. Given the Emperor’s temper, he would never agree to her sending someone to bring Changle over, even if the girl in the midst of chaos was his own daughter.
As soon as Mo Xiuyao left, the assassins’ attack on their position intensified. Obviously, they had been holding back before because Mo Xiuyao hadn’t yet made a move. Now that Mo Xiuyao was gone, they naturally seized the opportunity to eliminate their current enemies before his return. A black-clothed assassin was thrown at Ye Li’s feet. At the sight of his ferocious face, Princess Changle couldn’t help but scream. Ye Li furrowed her brow, stood up, and said, "Darky Two, Qingluan, take two men and protect Princess Changle." Darky Two looked at Ye Li disapprovingly, and Princess Changle clung tightly to Ye Li’s hem, refusing to let go. Although young, her intuition, honed from growing up in the palace, surpassed that of ordinary people; being near Princess Consort Ding made her feel exceptionally safe. Ye Li gently pulled her hand away and said softly, "Good girl, it’s dangerous around me. Follow these two to a safe place." Princess Changle blinked at her. "Princess Consort Ding, come with me..."
Ye Li shook her head with a faint smile, glancing at Yelv Ye, who was fighting with ease nearby. As long as she moved, Yelv Ye would definitely lead the assassins toward her. In that case, it was better to stand here and meet all changes with constancy. "You must behave, Princess. Don’t let your mother worry, understand?" Princess Changle hesitated, glanced at the Empress nervously watching her from a distance, and finally nodded obediently.
Amidst the fight, Yelv Ye looked back at Ye Li, still standing not far away, raised his sword-like eyebrows with a smile, and said, "The Princess Consort is indeed remarkably brave and astute."
Ye Li leaned against a pillar and said lightly, "I would be happier if Prince Yelv didn’t lead people this way. Actually, my legs are so weak from fright that I can’t move."
Confronted so openly about his intentions, Yelv Ye didn’t show the slightest embarrassment. He laughed, "I see the Princess Consort has discovered my plan. To be honest, I simply wanted an opportunity to play the hero rescuing the damsel. I trust the Princess Consort won’t blame me, will she?" Hearing this, Darky Three, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow, grabbed an assassin lying with a saber, and shoved him forward. The gleaming blade flashed as it thrust straight towards Yelv Ye. Hearing the whoosh of air, Yelv Ye nimbly turned and kicked the out-of-control assassin away. "You there... be a bit more careful."
Darky Three raised his hand expressionlessly and offered an insincere apology, "A slip of the hand, Prince. Please forgive me."
Yelv Ye arched an eyebrow and laughed, "The Princess Consort indeed has a wealth of capable people around her. This Prince, of course, won’t take offense."
"Yelv Ye! Die!" It seemed their seemingly casual fighting had finally wounded the assassins’ pride. With a ferocious roar, several black-clothed men simultaneously threw caution to the wind and lunged at Yelv Ye, their ferocious attack startling. Yelv Ye finally began to take the situation seriously. Ye Li, leaning against a pillar and surveying the surrounding chaos, felt utter contempt for Mo Jing, who was closely surrounded by a multitude of guards. Ministers were being slaughtered by assassins, yet the monarch was hogging half the guards, neither moving himself nor allowing them to leave his side to deal with the attackers. He was said to be skilled at manipulating people’s hearts, but it seemed that in the face of a life-or-death situation, he forgot everything—even though it hadn’t truly reached that critical point yet.
With a few sharp WHOOSHES, several more men in black charged into the pavilion from outside. Ye Li couldn’t help but furrow her brows. How adept must these assassins be to infiltrate the palace in such large numbers, given the stringent security? And the palace guards... it had been nearly a quarter of an hour, yet not a single one had arrived! Sensing that something was amiss, Ye Li began to move discreetly towards the pavilion exit. A strange odor wafted through the air. Ye Li narrowed her eyes and yelled sternly, "Quick, run! They’re going to set fire to the pavilion!" As soon as her words fell, Darky Two, in a corner, had already grabbed Princess Changle and flown out. Behind them, Qingluan nodded at Ye Li and followed. Darky Three, by Ye Li’s side, repelled an assassin with a palm strike, grabbed Ye Li, and leaped out of the Starry Pavilion.
Amidst a volley of arrows, they quickly found cover upon landing. By the time they looked back, the first and second floors of the Starry Pavilion were already ablaze. Clearly, some of the arrows had been fire arrows, and the strange odor Ye Li had smelled upstairs was indeed some kind of accelerant. Moreover, it was early June, and the Starry Pavilion, constructed entirely of wood and coated with lacquer, was highly flammable. With everyone on the third floor, the outbreak of fire plunged the already chaotic Starry Pavilion into even greater pandemonium, filled with incessant screams and cries for help. "Darky Three, save them!"
"Princess Consort, we didn’t bring many men into the palace," Darky Three said, frowning.
Ye Li said in a low, firm voice, "Don’t worry about me. Save the others first." Those qualified to ascend the Starry Pavilion today were all key officials of the court. Forget about most of them being injured or killed; even if just a few were hurt, it would spell significant trouble.
Reluctantly, Darky Three waved his hand, ordering the few shadow guards who had followed them out to go upstairs and rescue people. Soon, Mo Jing and the imperial consorts were brought down one by one by the guards. The guards who had previously been idly surrounding Mo Jing immediately engaged the assassins outside. In the darkness, no one knew exactly how many assassins there were. High-ranking imperial consorts, princes, and princesses were somewhat safer, as they all had people protecting them; as for some of the unranked or lesser-known imperial consorts, it was feared no one would even notice if they died. As soon as the Empress landed, she anxiously scanned her surroundings. Catching sight of Ye Li, she rushed over without a second thought. "Princess Consort... Changle..." Ye Li said, "Your Highness, don’t worry. Princess Changle has been taken to a safe place." The Empress heaved a sigh of relief and smiled faintly. "Thank you..."
"Watch out!" Ye Li swiftly pulled the Empress aside, pushing her towards an approaching guard. Tilting her head, Ye Li dodged a slashing blade and skillfully slipped past the assassin. The assassin, who had been confident of his strike, suddenly felt a chill in his chest. He stared down blankly, only to see blood gushing from the wound. Ye Li turned back to the guard. "Take Her Highness the Empress to a safe place." The golden phoenix embroidered on the Empress’s clothes was too conspicuous; she had barely landed when two arrows had been aimed in her direction. Having instructed the guard, Ye Li’s figure flickered and merged back into the darkness, her eyes clear and calm as she scrutinized everything before her.
"Princess Consort Ding is indeed swift and nimble. This humble Prince is impressed." A voice tinged with mockery sounded beside her.
Ye Li narrowed her eyes and lashed out with an elbow strike at the person who had suddenly appeared. The newcomer was clearly no pushover, raising a hand to grab her arm. A cold smile touched Ye Li’s lips. She quickly sidestepped, and a dagger slid from her sleeve, swiping towards him. The man grunted, "Heh," and dodged. In the blink of an eye, Ye Li had launched a flying kick, clearly seeing that her opponent was Yelv Ye, who had vanished somewhere in the chaos. Yelv Ye raised his hand to parry but quickly withdrew it as Ye Li’s dagger thrust forward. Spinning to evade, Yelv Ye said with a helpless smile, "Princess Consort Ding, with a great enemy before us, must we engage in internal strife?" He had met many women skilled in martial arts; in Beirong, every woman, young or old, knew a few moves. But this was the first time he had encountered a woman with such lethally precise techniques, not in the least inferior to specially trained assassins. Yelv Ye finally realized this wasn’t a good time to provoke her. If they fought and an enemy took advantage of the situation, that would truly be a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice bait.
Ye Li leaped back, pushing him away, and watched him coldly. "Internal strife? Prince Yelv, your choice of words is flawed. It must be due to your unfamiliarity with the language of Great Chu."
Yelv Ye rubbed his nose and chuckled. "At least for now, we’re on the same side, aren’t we? I only intended to protect the Princess Consort, but it seems that’s unnecessary." With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Ye Li told him coolly, "Protection won’t be necessary. Prince Yelv, you’d best keep your distance from me, lest you get accidentally injured." Yelv Ye watched as Ye Li, with unerring precision, used her dagger to sever the carotid artery of someone attempting a sneak attack. He couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his own neck. So this was Great Chu’s Princess Consort Ding? Truly as ferocious as the legendary Prince Ding. However... a woman like this was indeed interesting...
"Protect the Emperor!" The palace’s Imperial Army finally arrived, though belatedly. A large contingent flooded in, and the assassins, who had previously held the advantage in the darkness, were immediately put on the back foot. Ye Li glanced back at the scene, which was increasingly tilting in their favor, and without hesitation, turned and headed deeper into the palace. Yelv Ye, who had been watching her all along, rubbed his chin and followed, intrigued.
