Chapter 72: The Task Given to Him

The lead assassin wielded a sword, attacking Yan Ziqi with lethal intent. Akkin hesitated, torn between joining the fight or potentially disrupting his lord’s plans. Meanwhile, Yan Ziqi was already locked in combat.

Outnumbered, Yan Ziqi soon sustained a cut on his arm as he fought the well-trained, ruthless attackers. Seeing this, Akkin finally joined the fray. Though he seemed to be helping, he occasionally left an opening, tempting the assassins to strike Yan Ziqi.

Fortunately, Yan Ziqi managed to seize a sword, eliminating two attackers. Seeing the city guards approaching, the remaining assassins quickly retreated. Yan Ziqi clutched his injured arm as the guards arrived. Their leader asked, “What happened here?”

Conveniently, one of the assassins had left behind a military insignia from Northern Yue, intentionally or otherwise. A guard happened to step on it and handed it to his superior.

The squad leader scrutinized it closely. “Young Master Yan, was it Northern Yue that sent assassins after you?”

Yan Ziqi glanced at Akkin before replying, “Not necessarily. Take this to Lord Qiu.” As head of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Qiu had a reputation for impartiality, making him an ideal candidate to investigate the case.

Only then did Akkin realize that someone was deliberately framing Northern Yue. His lord would never have made such a glaring mistake.

With newfound confidence, Akkin straightened his posture. “Your Daqi isn’t as safe as it seems, it appears! Someone dared to assassinate in broad daylight and even attempt to frame my Northern Yue. Outrageous!”

Akkin demanded justice for Northern Yue. Yan Ziqi handed the sword to the guards. “It might not be Northern Yue, but perhaps one of your men acting independently, Prince Akkin.” He held up the insignia. “This is an item from the army. It’s not something common people could easily counterfeit.”

Yan Ziqi indeed suspected Northern Yue, though he reasoned they’d have no incentive to sabotage themselves. If anything were to happen to him, the Daqi court wouldn’t rest until there was retribution.

The city guards immediately sealed off the scene, sending for the Court of Judicial Review to take over the investigation.

Yan Ziqi then found a nearby clinic for treatment, while Akkin decided to return to the Honglu Embassy. When Yan Ziqi returned to the Duke of Xiang’s manor, the steward was alarmed to see him injured.

“What happened, Young Master? Did you and Prince Akkin have a conflict?” The steward was already worried, repeatedly reminding everyone to avoid clashing with their guests.

The steward continued in a panic, “Will His Majesty be furious? Where did it happen? Were the bodies taken care of?”

He even started wondering if they’d need to flee. Killing a Northern Yue prince was no small offense!

Yan Ziqi interrupted the steward’s rambling. “It was an attempted street assassination. Two of them are dead; the rest fled.” He then instructed Qingyan to discreetly investigate this group through Zui Chun Pavilion. The possession of a Northern Yue insignia made them a formidable foe.

Qingyan nodded and left through the back gate.

The steward, still concerned, suggested, “Please, take some guards with you in the future.”

He paused, eyeing the direction of Princess Ning’an’s quarters. “Shall we inform Princess Ning’an?”

The princess had been staying at the manor for several days now, and rumors had begun to spread about her attempts to seduce Yan Ziqi, hoping to share his bed and prompt him to request an imperial marriage decree. The rumors also hinted that it was in line with an agreement she’d made with the Emperor on the Dragon Boat Festival.

The steward couldn’t make sense of why the Emperor hadn’t sent for her if he were truly in favor of this match.

“No need,” Yan Ziqi replied. “Did she go out today?”

The steward shook his head. “No, but she sent someone to deliver a message to Grand Tutor Wen’s estate, summoning young Master Wen Di.”

“Wen Di?” Yan Ziqi’s eyes flashed with curiosity. What could she want with him?

Changing into fresh clothes, Yan Ziqi headed toward Princess Ning’an’s courtyard. As he approached, he overheard Wen Di’s voice.

“You want me to offend people on your behalf!” Wen Di’s tone was exasperated. “I’m not your lackey, Li Ning’an. Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean anything. If Yan Ziqi doesn’t want you, maybe he’s aiming to become a monk instead of being with a beauty like you!”

Yan Ziqi pushed open the door and saw Wen Di in a light pink robe, sporting a green jade hairpin. Despite the room being warm from the charcoal fire, Wen Di was still holding an elegant folding fan painted with a lady adorned with flowers, a peculiar yet oddly fitting sight.

“How could I compare to a shameless fox like you?” Wen Di shot back, standing up and playfully pulling Yan Ziqi as if to start a fight, though he knew he couldn’t actually best him. Unintentionally, he grabbed Yan Ziqi’s injured arm, causing him to wince slightly.

Wen Di was surprised. “Did I actually manage to hurt you?”

Li Ning’an, munching on a plum pastry Wen Di had brought, noticed Yan Ziqi’s reaction and asked, “Are you injured?”

Unable to hide it any longer, Yan Ziqi admitted to being hurt and explained the ambush on the street.

“Northern Yue wouldn’t be that foolish,” Li Ning’an mused. They already had unresolved matters; to stir up such trouble now would only prompt a thorough investigation by Daqi.

“At least it opens a path to verifying General Tong’s true identity.”

Wen Di, feeling left out of the discussion, grumbled, “What are you two even talking about?” He felt frustrated that he’d been called over only to be assigned a troublesome task without so much as a proper thank-you.

Realizing Wen Di hadn’t been fully informed, Li Ning’an and Yan Ziqi filled him in, leaving Wen Di in on the scheme.

“That fool Tong Lian can’t even recognize his own father,” Wen Di laughed heartily. “What a buffoon!”

Li Ning’an and Yan Ziqi simultaneously reminded him, “Don’t let this slip to him.” Wen Di, though disappointed, agreed to keep the secret, secretly regretting he couldn’t taunt Tong Lian.

After a moment, Wen Di turned serious. “An assassination attempt like this? It won’t just stay within the Court of Judicial Review. This might call for a three-branch trial—Lord Qiu, Minister Guo from the Ministry of Justice, and an official from the Censorate.”

Although seasoned Elder Ji likely wouldn’t participate, Wen Di surmised it could be someone else from the Ji family or even an unrelated official from the Censorate.

“Oh, and I heard you and that brat from the Guo family got into a scuffle at Duke Dingguo’s estate?” Wen Di asked with curiosity, viewing both Guo Zhou and Tong Lian as Daqi’s resident fools, basking in family connections as if it bestowed any real talent on them.

Yan Ziqi hadn’t seen Guo Zhou in a while, but the mention of Qiu Li, Lord Qiu’s daughter, crossed Li Ning’an’s mind. Qiu Li was coming of age and had her heart set on Li Ning’an’s fourth brother. Would Lord Qiu remain uninvolved, then?

“Wen Di, are you going to help or not?” Li Ning’an grabbed Wen Di’s fan, tossing it into the fire with Yan Ziqi present as backup. It was a useless thing anyway; he could always get a new one.

Wen Di, unbothered, replied, “Fine, fine. I’ll go and tell them it was under Princess Ning’an’s orders.”

“Use my title however you like,” Li Ning’an replied. “But if you act against my wishes, I’ll have Yan Ziqi rough you up.”

Wen Di appealed to Yan Ziqi. “You’re a rank-six lieutenant now; aren’t you a bit overqualified to be her enforcer?”

Yan Ziqi spread his hands in surrender. “I may be the heir to the Duke of Xiang, but I’ve always been her enforcer.”

After finalizing the details, they parted ways.

Later that night, as Yan Ziqi was drifting to sleep, he sensed movement. Someone was sneaking in through his window.

He quietly reached for the dagger under his pillow.