Chapter 73 – Be Careful When Going Out in the Future, Bring More People

When Duke Wu’an and Madam Liu arrived at the outer courtyard’s guards’ rest room, the guards had just woken up. The servants moved chairs for the Duke and Madam Liu to sit on, but the seriously injured guard could only lie down.

“Quickly tell me, what happened? Who hurt you?” Duke Wu’an asked with a dark face.

The guard barely turned his head and glanced at Madam Liu without speaking.

Madam Liu, anxious in her heart, had the servants leave before sternly commanding, “Tell me, who hurt Ke’er?”

The guard looked at Duke Wu’an but stammered, unwilling to speak.

“Smack!” Duke Wu’an slapped the armrest of the chair with force and shouted angrily, “Speak! What happened?”

Madam Liu was so scared that she clutched her chest and frowned at the guard, “How can you still hide the truth at a time like this? The Duke is not an outsider!”

The guard hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said, “Young Master sneaked out to play and ended up near Yu Pin Xuan. A group of people suddenly rushed out and attacked us. Later, we found out that they mistook the Fourth Young Master for the heir.”

Duke Wu’an furrowed his brow. Mistaking the person in an assassination? “You’re saying they were trying to attack the heir?”

“Was it someone sent by the heir?” Madam Liu also picked up on something wrong and signaled the guard with her eyes.

The guard avoided their gaze. “Yes, later we heard them say they mistook the person, and that’s how we survived.”

Duke Wu’an’s expression darkened. There was something off here. Who would make such a mistake in an assassination? He continued pressing the guard, “You still won’t tell me the truth? Someone, throw him out to the dogs!”

“Please spare me, Lord, I’ll tell you, “The guard begged, realizing Duke Wu’an had caught on. “It was the Young Master who ordered an attack on the heir, but somehow, that group mistook the Young Master for the heir.”

Madam Liu, upon hearing the guard’s confession, collapsed to the ground in shock.

She thought to herself – It’s over. This time, it’s truly over.

This rebellious child, I told him not to interfere, but he wouldn’t listen. Now he’s brought this trouble to the Duke’s doorstep. What should I do from here?

Duke Wu’an was momentarily stunned. How could Shen Ke, whom he thought was on good terms with Shen Nian, now be involved in a plot to kill him? How did things escalate to this point where they were at odds with each other?

Unable to accept the idea of his two sons fighting to the death, Duke Wu’an’s anger flared. He grabbed Madam Liu by the collar and lifted her, his eyes filled with rage as he demanded, “Tell me, was this you, that poisonous woman behind this? Ke’er is so young, how could he have done such a thing?”

Madam Liu, crying, tried to explain, “It wasn’t me, truly. No matter how heartless I am, I would never harm Nian’er! It must be the guards’ fault for not protecting Ke’er properly, and they’re trying to shift the blame onto him.”

“Hmph, still trying to deceive me? Do you think the guards are that bold? I wondered why Nian’er disliked you so much, the poison on him must have been ordered by you. I even believed your lies and let you frame that lowly maid,” Duke Wu’an said, now connecting the dots and recalling past suspicions.

Madam Liu was crying uncontrollably, “It wasn’t me, I swear, please believe me, Duke.”

Duke Wu’an suddenly felt exhausted. He threw Madam Liu to the ground and left without looking at the guard, heading straight out the door.

Once Duke Wu’an left, Madam Liu struggled to get up, then staggered back to Hua Rui Hall.

Duke Wu’an returned to his study and called his guards inside. “Go check what the heir and the Fourth Young Master were doing yesterday.”

When the guard left, he called another one in to investigate the group that tried to assassinate the Fourth Young Master.

Once everyone had left, Duke Wu’an collapsed into his chair, rubbing his temples, his face full of fatigue.

The night passed, and the injured guard eventually succumbed to his wounds.

When Duke Wu’an heard the news, he fell silent for a moment before ordering that the guard and the three other guards be given a proper burial and their families compensated.

Madam Liu, who was guarding Shen Ke’s bed, sighed in relief upon hearing that the guard had died. Now, there would be no evidence to contradict her.

Meanwhile, Shen Nian heard about the incident but merely snorted coldly, then carried on with his duties. Xia Tian continued to send people to closely monitor Madam Liu’s movements.

The next day, just before noon, the guards Duke Wu’an had sent to investigate the movements of Shen Ke and Shen Nian returned with their report.

“Yesterday afternoon, after the banquet, Young Master Shen Nian went on duty. On the way, he ran into the Fifth Young Master of the Marquis of Yi’s estate, and they agreed to dine at Yu Pin Xuan after their shifts.”

“After his shift, Young Master Shen Nian went straight to Yu Pin Xuan by carriage. He didn’t linger outside and returned to the estate immediately after finishing the meal.”

The Fifth Young Master of the Marquis of Yi’s estate, Yi Lan, was the deputy commander of the Wucheng Army.

“And what about the Fourth Young Master?”

“After leaving home, the Fourth Young Master went to the academy. About an hour before class ended, he sneaked out and went straight to the area near Yu Pin Xuan, where he was attacked.”

After the guard reported, Duke Wu’an thought for a moment before instructing that when Shen Nian returned from his shift, he should come to the study.

By the afternoon, another guard returned from investigating the group of assailants, but they found nothing, likely because the perpetrators had already left the capital.

Although no suspects were found, they discovered that Shen Ke had exchanged a thousand taels of silver at the Qianfeng Silver Exchange five days ago, but the reason for the transaction remained unclear.

Duke Wu’an understood this was just as the injured guard had said – Shen Ke had ordered an assassination of Shen Nian, but the hired men had mistakenly attacked the wrong person.

He wondered whether there was someone bigger behind the scenes orchestrating this, because how could such a ridiculous mistake happen?

In the evening, when Shen Nian returned, he went straight to Duke Wu’an’s study.

Duke Wu’an didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked, “Do you know about the assassination attempt on Shen Ke yesterday? How did you end up at Yu Pin Xuan?”

“I heard about it. I went to Yu Pin Xuan because I had an appointment with Yi Lan,” Shen Nian answered nonchalantly.

“How convenient! Just as Yi Lan was looking for you. What was the matter?” Duke Wu’an was still skeptical of such a coincidence.

“It was about his sister, Yi Jin,” Shen Nian replied.

“Yi Jin?” Duke Wu’an paused, thinking. The only person who might have a connection to Shen Nian recently was Yi Jin, the young lady from the Marquis of Yi’s estate. He knew the two families were trying to matchmake them.

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Yi Lan wanted to discuss Yi Jin with Shen Nian, Duke Wu’an’s stern expression softened.

He looked at his eldest son, whom he hadn’t really noticed for a while. Shen Nian seemed to have matured, though Duke Wu’an couldn’t remember when their closeness had started to fade.

A wave of guilt swept over him. How long had it been since he had truly cared about this son?

“One of the guards near the Fourth Young Master said that the attackers were after you but mistakenly identified the Fourth Young Master instead.”

“Attack me?” Shen Nian was momentarily surprised.

Duke Wu’an, observing his eldest son’s reaction, seemed to believe it wasn’t a lie. His voice softened with concern, “Yes, be more careful when you go out in the future. Bring more people with you.”

After a pause, Duke Wu’an, with a sense of resolve, added, “Also, watch out for Madam Liu and the Fourth Young Master.”

Shen Nian’s lips pressed tightly together, and his hands clenched beneath his sleeves. After a long pause, he finally said, “I understand.”

When Xia Tian heard that Shen Nian had been summoned by Duke Wu’an, he grew nervous. He skipped dinner and anxiously waited for Shen Nian to return.