Chapter 193: Repercussions

The Great Uncle was stunned. He had been so concerned about scaring Ah Bao that he hadn’t looked closely. After inquiring with the steward, he confirmed Concubine Xin’s observation.

The steward had wanted to clarify this earlier, but the Great Uncle was so angry that he hadn’t given him a chance to speak.

“Unbelievable, a maid dares to attempt to assassinate the Little Princess?” The Great Uncle couldn’t believe it. This was Ah Bao’s third visit to the Duke’s residence. The first was for a charity event, the second was when she was sold, and both times she had only stayed briefly. It had been three months since her last visit. How could she have provoked anyone in the residence?

It seemed someone had learned that Ah Bao was out of the palace and had come to the Great Uncle’s residence specifically to assassinate her!

The Great Uncle was shaken!

He suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders increase significantly. Someone wanted to harm Ah Bao?!

“Increase security and protect the Tenth Princess properly. If she loses even a hair, you will all be held responsible!” The Great Uncle ordered, and all the guards and maids quickly surrounded Ah Bao.

Ah Bao looked at the crowd surrounding her and sighed silently.

[Sigh, it seems Uncle’s residence won’t be able to keep me safe.]

Huh?

Back in the room, Concubine Xin walked anxiously back and forth. “Master, I must confess, I heard Jiaoyang’s thoughts earlier.”

The Great Uncle sighed, “The divine protection is truly powerful.”

“Master, I didn’t mean that. I’m saying we should consider sending the Princess back to the palace.”

The Great Uncle chuckled. “To be honest, I brought Ah Bao here today to… find out some idle gossip. You understand what I mean, right?”

Concubine Xin gave him a sidelong glance. “You just want to gossip. No need for all the fancy talk. You’re an old hand; no need to use flowery language with me.

But I increasingly feel that Ah Bao is in danger at our residence. Did you hear Ah Bao say that our residence isn’t peaceful? Then the east wing caught fire, and now she says our house won’t be able to keep her safe. What do you think… will happen next? How can it be unsafe?”

The Great Uncle reassured her, “My dear, you’re overthinking it. This was just an accident.”

Concubine Xin expressed her concern, “Master, you’re trying to extract information from Ah Bao. Isn’t that just trying to take advantage? Master, taking small advantages often leads to big losses!”

The Great Uncle scratched his head in confusion. Since Ah Bao arrived at his residence, he hadn’t managed to get any gossip at all.

“Ah, our residence has many rooms. Losing one or two isn’t a big deal. It’ll be fine.”

He had gone to great lengths to persuade Ah Bao to come.

Little did he know that inviting a deity was easier than sending one away. As he begged the little ancestor to return to the palace, he was filled with regret.

Concubine Xin sighed. For some reason, she felt a growing sense of unease, as if something big was about to happen!

Ah Bao was so clever; she clearly wasn’t someone who would easily be taken advantage of!

—

On the other side, at the Prince Han’s residence.

Di Hongluan was sitting on a swing in the courtyard, swaying back and forth, when a figure in black scaled the wall and approached. “Young Mistress.”

Di Hongluan rubbed her temples. “Didn’t I tell you to come see me after dark? It’s still daylight. Why are you here now? If my father or mother finds out, I’ll have you killed!”

The figure in black trembled with fear. The ten-year-old girl before him seemed nothing like a child—her demeanor was too forceful.

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Di Hongluan: …

“Come back!” she snapped, gritting her teeth. “Since you’re here, you’d better finish what you came to say. Who has time to wait around for you every day?”

Di Hongluan cursed the figure in black under her breath. If it weren’t for her young age limiting her actions, she wouldn’t have ended up with such an inept person under her command.

The figure in black, now somewhat resigned, reported, “The plan failed.”

Di Hongluan’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. “You couldn’t even handle a one-year-old? What good are you?”

Indeed, the assassins sent to the Great Uncle’s residence were her doing.

Di Jiaoyang had repeatedly caused trouble for her, provoking her beyond her limits.

She needed to find a chance to teach Di Jiaoyang a lesson, make her bleed, and suffer, so she would understand that not everything in this world would bend to her will.

But she could hardly believe the outcome. Were people of this era so incompetent?

If only she were older and more capable, she wouldn’t have hired such a stupid person who couldn’t deal with even a child.

“Didn’t I already tell you the plan beforehand? Did you not follow my instructions?”

“I did follow your instructions. The person went to the Great Uncle’s residence today, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It should have succeeded, but the assassin died. I was on-site too. When the assassin died, they still had the knife in their hand, obviously having failed to stab anyone. Then the room caught fire and they couldn’t escape. The assassin died. The Little Princess was unharmed.”

The figure in black was also puzzled!

Why were the assassins so incompetent?

But the Little Princess’s luck was truly remarkable.

Di Hongluan sat on the swing, her lips pressed tightly together, her expression icy, as if she had just returned from hell. “Get out.”

The figure in black hesitated and stammered, “Mistress, the… the time for the antidote is up. You haven’t given it to me yet.”

They had agreed to provide the antidote on the fifteenth of each month.

Now it was the eighteenth, and if he didn’t get the antidote soon, he feared he would die from the poison.

Di Hongluan, irritated, took a white porcelain bottle from a nearby bag and handed it to the figure in black. “Do you know what to do next?”

The figure in black took the white porcelain bottle, which contained only a single black pill, and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, Mistress, don’t worry. I will continue to follow the plan.”

“If you fail the mission, you know the consequences.”

The figure in black felt a surge of fear, quickly took the antidote, and ran off.

As he scaled the wall, he spat in disdain. If it weren’t for the monthly antidote, he wouldn’t serve a ten-year-old girl.

Di Hongluan was the most vicious child he had ever seen.

At just ten years old, she was already plotting against a child. Tsk, some people are just born bad seeds?

Di Hongluan’s mood dropped to freezing point. She had no desire to swing anymore. On her way back to her room, something suddenly flew out from halfway. Di Hongluan, lost in thought, was caught off guard. By the time she realized it, the object was almost upon her.

A knife!

Di Hongluan instinctively tried to dodge, but her movements were slow. As she turned and ran, the knife ‘sliced’ into her back!

Di Hongluan let out a muffled groan, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she collapsed to the ground.

The Princess Han arrived with her entourage and saw the scene, screaming in horror, “Luan’er!”

The Princess Han cradled Di Hongluan in her arms. Di Hongluan’s small face had already lost all color. The dagger had pierced her shoulder blade, making her head spin with pain. “Mother… save me… save me!”

“Get someone! Quick, get someone! Someone’s trying to assassinate the Little Princess!” The Princess Han, in a panic, called for a large number of guards and maids. “Hurry and find a doctor. Get the best physician in the capital.”

Di Hongluan’s injury wasn’t fatal, but it was extremely painful. Damn it!

She silently cursed whoever had attempted to kill her.

—