NOVEL NEXT chapter 14
Chapter 14
“Young Master, if you need anything, you can always send for me.”
Ling Yan said.
Although it seemed that Qin Ji didn’t intend to take action immediately this time, Ling Yan was still clear that her young master was probably preparing to do something.
She had to state her position first, otherwise, her young master often hesitated to use her in such matters. Hesitation was not a good thing.
“There’s no need for that, Ling Yan. The more it is like this, the more you should stay by my side,” Qin Ji smiled and took a sip of tea, “You know, only with you by my side can I feel at ease, and only with you by my side can His Majesty feel at ease.”
He had a reason for saying this.
Inside the Duke An’s mansion, there were spies planted by His Majesty. The former Qin Ji had learned about this two years ago. Although His Majesty had done this flawlessly, the spy lived in the Duke An’s mansion. By understanding some details of the court and looking for clues among the servants of the Duke An’s mansion, it was not difficult to find out who the court’s spy was.
However, Qin Ji didn’t want to immediately expose the spy. After all, the spy didn’t intend to harm him, just to monitor him. Keeping such a spy by his side would make His Majesty trust him more, facilitating his future actions—both the former and current Qin Ji thought this way.
If he frequently sent Ling Yan away at this time, and the spy found out, His Majesty would inevitably become suspicious, and then the deaths of those ministers in the court would all be blamed on him.
At this time, it was necessary to use some unconventional forces.
“I understand.”
Ling Yan nodded.
In such matters, Ling Yan always followed his orders.
“Ah, but there is something I need you to do,” Qin Ji thought for a moment, then smiled, “It’s quite important.”
“What is it?”
“Come with me to meet His Majesty tomorrow.”
Qin Ji said.
Ling Yan was obviously taken aback. Her mesmerizing eyes stared at him for a long time until Qin Ji shifted his gaze. Then she asked seriously, “Young Master, are you really taking me to see His Majesty? This is no small matter.”
The remnants of the evil sect and the greatest traitor of the dynasty going to see the emperor—it all felt a bit like a coup.
“It’s okay, I’ll inform His Majesty in advance.” Qin Ji waved his hand dismissively. “There are many people in the palace. Dress nicely tomorrow, and don’t bring your sword. I can bring a sword into the palace, but you can’t.”
“I understand, but what if something unexpected happens…”
“Don’t I have my sword with me?”
Qin Ji said.
“Ah, I didn’t consider that.”
To be honest, it was only at this point that Ling Yan remembered something very important—Young Master himself was quite capable in combat.
The title “Duke of An” had its literal meaning. As the Grand Marshal, Qin Ji was not someone who rested on his laurels. He had indeed led troops to achieve merits in several campaigns, which qualified him for his position. These military achievements were earned through hard-fought battles.
In terms of power, the current Duke of An held great authority in the court, but in essence, he was still a military officer.
Even if it was just the two of them with one sword, they might not be able to contend with the entire palace guard, but at least they could ensure a safe retreat.
“In that case, please choose an outfit for me, Young Master.”
She said.
“Hmm, I remember you have a blue ceremonial dress. Wear that one. At least it doesn’t look so aggressive.”
…………………….
The next day, when Qin Ji entered the palace again, it was bustling with activity.
Qin Ji asked around and found out that a group of assassins had also broken into the palace the previous night. According to the cleaners, two were killed, and three or four escaped.
His Majesty was furious upon hearing this and had already started locking down the entire city, determined to root out the assassins.
Qin Ji was stunned. Although he had anticipated that these guys would act recklessly, he hadn’t expected them to target His Majesty.
How insane must they be!?
Upon hearing this news, Qin Ji hurriedly dragged Ling Yan and quickly made his way to His Majesty’s study.
In the study, His Majesty—Xia Yuxiao—looked exhausted, but there was a trace of barely concealed anger. Clearly, she had never expected anyone to dare to assassinate her at this time.
When she saw Qin Ji, Xia Yuxiao glared at him fiercely—this action probably had no real meaning, she was just in a bad mood.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Seeing that His Majesty was in a bad mood, Qin Ji didn’t waste words and skipped unnecessary explanations.
Xia Yuxiao waved her hand. “Speak, what do you want?”
“Huh?”
Qin Ji was taken aback. What did she mean by “what do you want”?
“Sending assassins to warn me, right?” Xia Yuxiao laughed instead of getting angry. She casually threw out an iron spike. The spike was extremely sharp, and the slight bend indicated it had been embedded in something hard. “The gift you left for me is truly wonderful. Look, although it didn’t reach my bedchamber, it was firmly nailed to the pillar in the main hall.”
Qin Ji felt something was wrong.
He quickly picked up the object in front of him and took a look. It was engraved with intricate patterns, which were originally just ordinary decorations. However, from those patterns, Qin Ji sensed something was amiss. These were the patterns on the iron certificate that the Emperor had once bestowed upon him, which could exempt him from the death penalty…
“Your Majesty, this does not prove…”
“It does not prove that you ordered it, right?” Upon hearing this, the Empress’s smile grew even colder. “Fine, then please explain why the assassins who escaped yesterday, as witnessed by my elite guards, ended up dead in your An Guo Gong Mansion?”
“Qin Ji, I have to admire you. You are so ruthless that you even silenced the death warriors who were loyal to you, right?”
Qin Ji gasped.
Damn, these death warriors were actually working in shifts? First, they broke into the palace to attack, then left a few survivors who ran to his place, and finally were killed by Ling Yan. Immediately after…
In the eyes of the Emperor, this was a typical case of Qin Ji sending death warriors to assassinate and, to avoid leaks, directly killing them to silence them…
Well played, what a brilliant move!