Chapter 47

Tan Hanchi suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, then a wave of weakness and stiffness slowly spread throughout his body.

His heart suddenly startled, a drug!?

Although he was suspicious, Tan Hanchi managed to maintain a sense of calm.

His legs weakened as he kept stepping back, but he calmly fell towards where the table and chairs were.

As his waist hit the edge of the table, he bit his tongue hard and, with his last bit of strength, lifted the water kettle from the table and poured it all over his head.

The night air was chilly, and with this pot of cold water pouring down, Tan Hanchi instantly became much more awake.

He gathered his energy and shouted loudly, “There’s a thief!”

“Oh no! This guy can still resist the effects of the drug!”

“Doesn’t matter, get the money, finish him off!”

Two tall and burly figures suddenly broke through the window, the cold blade under the moonlight sending chills down one’s spine.

Tan Hanchi’s face changed suddenly. He saw himself calling for help, but still, no one came. A sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

Since entering the capital, he had been staying in a low-grade room at the other end of the inn, as the innkeeper had asked him to move to this room temporarily, citing the need to exterminate mites.

This room was adjacent to the kitchen and warehouse, with no other guest rooms nearby…

It was all planned in advance!

At this moment, Tan Hanchi’s brain could still barely function, but he couldn’t understand who in the capital wanted to kill him.

Seeing the blade approaching, Tan Hanchi suddenly overturned the table, stumbled to open the door, and fled.

“Don’t run!”

A shout came from behind. The cold night wind gave Tan Hanchi a surge of energy.

He had to escape!

Studying hard for decades, he hadn’t fulfilled his ambitions yet; he couldn’t die here!

Clutching his palms tightly, stumbling along the way, he saw the back door of the inn and pushed it open without hesitation.

At this moment, in his desperate attempt to flee, he couldn’t even react to the fact that the back door of the inn was wide open at night.

Bang!

The sound of the door slamming against the wall made Tan Hanchi’s forehead tighten, a moment of confusion appearing on his face.

Where could he go?

Where in the capital could he find peace?

At this moment, without any hesitation, two words emerged in his mind — Qiao Mansion.

Yes, find Brother Qiao!

Tan Hanchi gritted his teeth, even biting his lips to stay awake, and rushed into the alley behind the inn. But his legs felt as heavy as lead.

Even such a clever person as he, at this moment, had no thoughts to spare on why those two strong assassins couldn’t catch up to him, a scholar who had been drugged.

His breathing grew heavier, and the cold and pain couldn’t suppress the overwhelming dizziness.

Tan Hanchi couldn’t help but lean against the wall, but the next moment, everything went black, and he collapsed at the mouth of the alley.

“Bro,Brother Tan fainted.”

A low voice suddenly sounded, and a handsome face emerged from the darkness — it was Qiao Diyi!

“Quick, take him back to Qiao Mansion!”

Qiao Tianjing solemnly bent down to help Tan Hanchi up and put him on Qiao Diyi’s back.

If the Second Prince found out, it would be bad!

“Alright, let’s go!”

Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi hastily made their way through the route of the Jinwu Guards’ night patrol, disappearing into the darkness in an instant.

As for those two assassins who rushed into the inn, they had already been taken care of by the Qiao family’s hidden guards, who were lying in ambush in the courtyard.

This is called mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

As for the back door of the inn, it was also deliberately left open for Tan Hanchi by the Qiao family’s hidden guards.

In less than half an hour after everything was handled, several dark figures landed in the alley behind the inn.

“Zhufeng, didn’t you say you found out that Sheng Mingcheng would make a move tonight?”

The voice was clear but carried a chill, and the handsome face under the moonlight was stunning, it was the male lead, Shen Yuanbai!

“Master, I indeed heard the arrangement made by Sheng Mingcheng myself tonight, that’s why I dared to report it to you. There’s absolutely no mistake!” A shadow bowed before Shen Yuanbai, his voice tinged with fear.

Shen Yuanbai’s brow furrowed suddenly. “Go inside and take a look.”

A few people crossed the inn’s back wall and entered the lower room where Tan Hanchi was. Apart from a puddle of water on the ground that hadn’t dried yet, everything was the same, showing no signs of disturbance.

Zhufeng grew increasingly anxious. “Master, let me go out and check!”

Shen Yuanbai stood in the room, his eyes deep.

“No need, someone has acted faster than us.”

The puddle on the ground proved that something had happened in the room just now, but since the tables and chairs were not disturbed in the slightest, someone must have cleaned up after.

Zhufeng couldn’t help but look shocked at the words. “We’ve been lurking around Sheng Mingcheng for months before we got this information, who could be faster than us?”

A glint of ferocity flashed in Shen Yuanbai’s eyes, murmuring to himself, “Yes, I’m curious too. Who has such great abilities…”

To catch the Duke of Qing’s handle and make him useful, he had been planning for nearly half a year.

Who exactly is opposing him!

—–

The next day at noon, Tan Hanchi woke up groggily, feeling a splitting headache!

“Hiss—”

He slowly sat up, rubbing his head forcefully, and when he saw the unfamiliar decorations in front of him, the terror of last night suddenly rushed into his heart.

“Oh no!”

Tan Hanchi was about to shout in alarm when he heard a baby’s cry.

He turned his head abruptly, only to see Qiao Zhongguo holding Qiao Jiaojiao, with Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi standing beside him.

“Brother Qiao! General Qiao!”

Tan Hanchi stood up suddenly, but almost stumbled again because of dizziness.

“Brother Tan, be careful, don’t rush, you’re safe now.”

Qiao Tianjing hurried forward to support Tan Hanchi, who tightly grasped Qiao Tianjing’s arm.

“Brother Qiao, look at the sun, has the list been posted? Did… Did I pass?”

Qiao Tianjing’s expression darkened slightly at his words. Tan Hanchi noticed the change and couldn’t help but close his eyes slightly, unable to conceal his disappointment.

“Oh, I see…”

Qiao Jiaojiao, seeing Tan Hanchi’s appearance, became anxious and began to babble.

[Tan Hanchi, don’t be disappointed! You don’t know, your paper was ranked first! Someone impersonated your article!]

Tan Hanchi sat back on the couch slowly. He knew he should greet General Qiao first, but his mind was in chaos, and he couldn’t stand steady.

Qiao Zhongguo valued talent greatly. He had already learned from Qiao Jiaojiao that Tan Hanchi was an exceptional talent, so he took the initiative to speak:

“You fainted in the alley last night and were found by someone. Tianjing happened to be inviting you to see the list early this morning and brought you back. What happened to you?”

Tan Hanchi watched as Qiao Zhongguo seemed to be taking charge for him, feeling grateful in his heart. He immediately recounted everything that happened last night.

After hearing this, Qiao Zhongguo pondered for a moment before speaking, “Have you ever considered who might want to kill you?”

Tan Hanchi looked bewildered at his words. “General Qiao, I really can’t think of anyone I’ve offended in the capital.”

Qiao Zhongguo’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, his voice deep as he said, “Is it possible because of the Spring Examinations?”