Chapter 3 The princess lay on her back, eyes closed, uncertain of life or death.
An arrow pierced her left chest accurately. The arrow shaft sank into the flesh and bones, and the black arrow feathers trembled violently, like a poisonous snake spitting a message.
And more than ten steps away from the princess, there was an assassin hanging upside down from the roof beam.
The assassin was wearing night clothes and his face was covered with black He's intrusion did not disrupt his plan. He quickly pulled out an arrow and put it on the bow string, aiming it at Jiang He.
Without any hesitation, Jiang He grabbed the sharp blade and rushed to fight the assassin, but to hide behind the pillar closest to her.
I don't know if the assassin was shocked by Jiang He's sudden approach, but there was a moment of hesitation in his at this moment, another arrow suddenly flew from behind Jiang He, carrying the sound of rapid wind, and shot towards the assassin.
Suddenly someone came, and it was a master. The assassin hurriedly retracted his body, climbed onto the roof, and quickly disappeared into the night like a crow.
Although the assassin left, Jiang He had no time to breathe a sigh of relief.
The shouts here have not alerted the guards of the Qi State Mission.
But who was the person who just forced the assassin away?
A man had stopped and was looking down at the princess of Qi who had been hit by an arrow.
He is very tall, with broad shoulders and waist. He is meticulously dressed in a dark-colored robe with a large front and narrow sleeves, and a leather belt with jade hooks hanging around his from his attire, he should be a noble from the Yong Kingdom.
This man's appearance was nothing more than 21 or [-], but his tough face as cut from the wind and snow had a pair of deep was a bit of cold light in his eyes, like a sharp Longquan sword piercing the ice, sending chills down one's spine.
"She's dead."
The man's voice was cold and low. As soon as he finished speaking, he held the princess's feet with both hands and dragged her into the blood stains left long traces on the smooth floor tiles. Just as Jiang He was about to speak, the man suddenly ordered her: "Wipe it clean."
Jiang He was certain of two things. One was that the murderer was not this man, and the other was that the Yong nobles also did not want the news that the Qi princess died in the capital to spread.
She immediately stepped forward to wipe the floor clean, followed the man into the temple, and carefully closed the door.
What to do now?Would you please invite the chief and deputy envoys of the wedding mission to come over and discuss it carefully?Because of such mistakes, Yong Guo first asked Qi Guo to forgive him, and then released Qi Guo's hostage to express his sincerity.
But how to explain...
The man had already seen the body of the guard captain in the palace.
His thick black eyebrows frowned slightly, his eyes passed over the horrifying corpse, and then he glanced sideways at Jiang He, who was covered in blood and holding a sharp knife in his hand. His dark eyes showed some surprise: "Did you kill him?"
"Yes, but it's just because he wants to treat me..."
The man did not wait for Jiang He to explain clearly. He interrupted her and said, "You are a maid from Qi State. What is your name?"
"Jiang He." Jiang He didn't explain anything else this time.
Some people only care about what they want to know. As for what they don’t want to know, it’s all nonsense that wastes time.
The man lifted up his robe and sat in front of the food table. His every move was as calm as a mountain but could not be noticed. He raised his head and stared at Jiang He's face.
"Do you know who the assassin is?" he asked.
Who is it?They encountered many assassinations along the way, and Jiang He concluded that they were from an enemy country that did not want Qi Yong to marry.
"Is it Chu State?" she asked.
Nowadays, only Chu State has the ability to compete with Yong State.
The man shook his head and said with a calm expression: "He is a spy from my country, Dayong. So I will wait here to see who is the first one to break in and ask."
It turned out to be the case.
This man may have heard some rumors, so he suddenly broke into the palace to save the life of Princess Qi.
Although he failed to save the princess because he arrived late, he didn't seem to be depressed. He just sat here with a stone heart to see who would be the first to come to confirm whether the Princess of Qi was dead.
That man cannot escape suspicion of assassination.
Is it true that the assassin is from the Yong Kingdom? Judging from the man's determined and calm look, it seemed that this was an unquestionable answer.
"Since it was the people of Yong who made the mistake," Jiang He raised his head and asked, "will you ask the new king to release Qi's hostage?"
The man's lips twitched and smiled, as if this question was ridiculous and childish.
"I think there is a better solution. For example, you can prove that the princess was killed by Wei assassins, and then Yong and Qi will join forces to destroy Wei."
"I won't!" Jiang He once again clenched the knife in his hand.
Unexpectedly, the savior who suddenly appeared turned out to be a vicious Yong counselor.
"You will," the man tapped his fingers on the food table twice, his sharp edge showing, "for example, for the safety of his family."
"I have no family anymore." Jiang He took a step back.
The man's pupils shrank slightly and he squinted this moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the dormitory.
The voice of the envoy of the Qi State's pro-envoy was the first to sound.
He seemed to be blocking someone.
"It's already late at night, so it's best not to disturb Her Royal Highness the Princess. Even if there are traces of assassins, Lieutenant General, please calm down for a while." The envoy's voice was full of worry and anxiety.
The lieutenant general is the official responsible for the defense and security of the Yong Kingdom's Gyeonggi region.
He must have known that the princess had retreated from the defenses in front and back of the bedroom, and he was worried that the princess would not want to be disturbed when dealing with her private affairs, which was why he was so nervous.
However, the general was obviously extremely anxious. Without any explanation, he walked outside the princess's bedroom and said loudly: "An assassin has entered the embassy. For safety reasons, please ask Your Highness to get up and allow me to enter the palace to search."
Jiang He looked at the Yongguo man sitting in the room.
The man's eyes were cold and he was thinking carefully. He suddenly picked up the bow and arrow that was placed on the dining table, pointed it at Jiang He and said, "Jiang He, you deal with it and let them go."
The people outside the house were waiting with bated breath for the princess's response.
And inside the house, the sound of the bowstring being pulled back was as subtle as a poisonous snake stalking through the grass.
Jiang He had no way to retreat.
time is limited.
It's important to survive first.
Jiang He quickly walked to the princess's body and took out the gold jewelry stuck in the princess's hair.
This gold ornament is six inches wide and ten inches high. It is inlaid with coral pearls and has a unique shape. It is the princess's favorite hair put the gold jewelry on her head, adjusted the position in front of the mirror, and then asked muffledly: "Who is it?"
The princess's voice was shriller than she was in Qi State, the princess was tired of dealing with envoys from various countries, so she asked Jiang He to cover her face with fine gauze and pretended to be He was able to learn the nine-point likeness of the princess's voice, but he didn't expect to use it here.
Sure enough, after hearing these words, the bride-to-be was relieved. He repeatedly apologized outside and persuaded Lieutenant General Yong Guo to leave.
However, the lieutenant general refused to give up. He repeatedly requested to enter the palace to check, saying that he was worried that the assassin was hiding in places like the roof beams, and he had to check before he could rest He walked up to the candle and bent his knees slightly to make himself the same height as the princess.
The candlelight reflected her shadow on the fine gauze of the window lattice, the gold ornaments swayed slightly above her head, and a gorgeous aura hit her face.
Jiang He cursed loudly: "Drink the bear! Just leave as soon as you tell Xie! Do you want me to use the eight-wheeled windlass to slap you out?"
These are the curse words of Qi State.
On weekdays, if the nanny who follows the princess to teach her is not around, the princess will also curse like this.
Lieutenant General Yong Guo outside was obviously shocked by these words. Although he didn't understand it, he knew that it was not meant to praise him for his hard envoy of Qi State took advantage of the fact that the general lieutenant was scolded and was in a daze. He pushed and pulled the general and retreated with him.
Jiang He took off his headgear and turned around, seeing the man beside the food table slowly putting down his bow and don't know if it was Jiang He's imagination, but the corners of his lips were higher than before, as if he had just smiled.
The bow and arrow were placed on the food table again, not far from the Yongguo man's finger. A gust of wind came in from nowhere, blowing away the smell of blood. Slowly, another aroma slowly flowed in the room.
That was the old duck porridge in the three-legged fish-patterned tripod on the dining table.
Because it was summer, the porridge was not yet cold, and the smell of blood had previously covered up the aroma of the porridge. Now the smell of blood had subsided, and the aroma of porridge spread in the dormitory late at night, making people suddenly feel a bit out of place in this desperate situation where flesh and blood were everywhere. The smell of fireworks in the world.
The Fish Pattern Cauldron was very close to the man from the Yong Kingdom. He obviously smelled the soup and porridge. He raised his head and said to Jiang He, "Did you make it?"
Jiang He nodded in agreement.
"There are two ways," the man said thoughtfully, staring at Jiang He carefully. After a long time, he said slowly, "either die, or marry into the Yong Kingdom and become his queen."
"Why?" Jiang He took a step closer and asked, "You already know who the spies of Yong are. Even if Dayong and Qi cannot marry, Yong can avoid war by releasing the protons."
Da Qi's biggest purpose in marrying a princess was to hope that Yong would release the prince who was held hostage by Qi in are two or three countries between Yong and Daqi, so they will not easily start a war because of this.
"The spy is not a lieutenant general," the man said. "He is being used."
It turns out that this is the case, so he wants to pretend that the princess of Qi is not dead and the wedding is held normally, so as to find out the spy.
But what does it matter to her?
Jiang He barely suppressed her anger. She recalled the time it took for the man to pick up the bow and arrow and aim. She judged whether if she ran out with all her strength, she could run to the corridor outside before she was shot.
After what happened just now, Master Zhengshi must have set up defenses not far long as she ran out, she would survive.
But the man leaned over and picked up a letter.
"Dear Jiang He," he read the words on the envelope. "It turns out that although you have no family, you still have people you care about."
Jiang He sneered: "He's not here, so you can't do anything to him."
"What about Qi State? Don't you have any feelings for your mother country? Let's make a deal. When Yong State finds out the spies, I will let you go."
Jiang He looked slightly moved and remained silent.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the letters stained with blood on the ground, wondering if she still had the life to read these letters.
The young man's snow-white clothes appeared in front of his eyes. He carried her on his back in the heavy snow. His voice was nervous and soft: "Jiang He, leave quickly. Only by walking can you survive."
But now if she wants to live, she has to take a path that she hates.
The man from the Yong Kingdom made his final condition: "Stay alive, keep your hostage, and don't kill the person who wrote to you. In exchange for your short-term marriage to the Yong Kingdom, the king of the Yong Kingdom will not touch you."
Don't touch it? This counselor of the Yong Kingdom really understands people's hearts.
He knew what was most important in Jiang He's heart.
Like a fishhook that he couldn't refuse, Jiang He had to bite it in exchange for a moment of survival even though he knew there was something dangerous and dangerous behind it.
"Will the King of Yong agree to what you said?" Jiang He looked into his eyes, catching any subtle expression on his face that might indicate he was lying.
"Don't worry." The man turned his head lazily, sat down in a comfortable position, pulled the fish-patterned tripod containing the old duck porridge in front of him, and picked up the wooden spoon.
"Next," he said calmly, "my people will come to clean up this place."
Sure enough, someone came not long after. They put the bodies of the princess and the captain of the guard into wooden boxes and took them away. Others came to clean up the blood stains and change the dirty curtains and He was originally worried about being discovered by people from the mission, but when she saw the wedding envoy and his people waiting outside the palace gate, she finally realized that it turned out that Da Qi's wedding envoy was Yong Yong who was hiding in Qi State. National spy.
Jiang He thought to himself.
If there is a chance, the true identity of the envoy must be told to the Emperor of Qi.
The old duck soup had been eaten by the Yongguo man. He took out a white silk handkerchief and wiped the corners of his lips, and stood up with satisfaction.
"Don't worry," he said softly as he passed by Jiang He, "Qi's envoy will not come back alive. Even if you send a letter revealing his identity to Qi, it will be useless."
On the second day, all the maids and nuns serving the princess were replaced by new ones. They treated Jiang He respectfully and waited on her to wash and change clothes with meticulous care.
Someone whispered that an assassin entered the embassy last night. The assassin killed the captain of the guard, and Jiang He, a female officer in the embassy, also died.
Jiang He is dead, and she will be Jiang Yuheng for a long time from now on.
The third day is the wedding.
The wedding ceremony in Yong State was not as complicated as that in Qi State. Jiang He covered his head and completed all the ceremonies under the guidance of his late at night, she sat down on the dragon bed in Yongguo long after, I heard someone opening the door and coming in. The chambermaid who was waiting in the room knelt down and kowtowed.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
The new king of Yong Kingdom has arrived.
The chambermaids and maids filed out, and soon they were the only two people left in the He was a little worried. She touched the sharp knife in her sleeve through her clothes.
She agreed not to move her, and if the Yong people were dishonest, she would teach them a lesson.
A slender hand reached over and lifted the hijab on Jiang He's head.
The man's broad figure blocked the light of the candle, but Jiang He still recognized him at a glance.
"It's you?"
This was exactly the counselor of the Yong Kingdom when the princess was assassinated. No wonder he was able to arrange everything calmly and decisively.
Zhao Zheng, the new king of Yong Kingdom, leaned down and easily pulled off the red silk ribbon wrapped around Jiang He's waist with his fingers.
Her clothes were loose and loose.
"Break what you say!"
Jiang He quickly drew out the sharp knife.
"I said I wouldn't touch you," Zhao Zhengdao said, "but I didn't say I wouldn't take off your clothes for you."
(End of this chapter)