Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Assassination

Xiao Yang, shielded in the center, backed away steadily.

Xiao Lv held his saber, warily scanning their surroundings. He was too conspicuous a target on horseback, so he pulled the Little Emperor behind a tree.

He shielded the Emperor with his own body, while Xiao Cheng and Xiao Lan guarded their flanks.

When the Emperor remained silent for a long moment, he spared a glance back.

That one glance left him stunned.

He had expected Your Majesty to be panicking, to be afraid. But there was nothing of the sort—only a chilling, absolute calm.

It was as if the dashing, vibrant young Emperor he had seen earlier was just a hallucination.

The two sides were locked in a deadly battle when yet another party of horsemen charged into the fray.

"Your Majesty."

Rong Yin’s eyes swept the area, precisely locking onto the Little Emperor hiding off to the side.

His men joined the fight against the assassins as he drew his own sword, parried an attack, and rode toward the Little Emperor.

As he drew near the Little Emperor, he was startled to see her raise a strange bow, the arrowhead aimed right at him.

Rong Yin’s pupils shrank. Before he could react, two arrows whizzed past, grazing his cheek.

It all happened in an instant. Hearing a muffled cry of pain behind him, he spun around.

Of the two arrows the Little Emperor had fired, one had been deflected into a nearby tree, while the other had struck an assassin.

The assassin tried to retaliate, but Rong Yin struck in a flash.

His longsword flashed, slitting the man’s throat. Fresh blood sprayed onto the tree trunk.

Rong Yin plucked the arrow from the tree and walked toward the Little Emperor.

Xiao Yang peeked out from behind Xiao Lv, her smile deceptively innocent. "Wasn’t my shot just now impressive?"

Rong Yin: "..."

It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say the Little Emperor had been trying to kill him with that shot.

This Little Emperor looked docile, but was actually devious.

With the Regent King’s help, the battle was soon over.

"Your Majesty, we have one alive!"

A guard dragged a man in black forward, but the moment he spoke, an arrow shot out from the shadows and killed the captive instantly.

"There’s still one at large!"

"Chase!"

The hunt had ended in a deadly battle.

There was a Palace not far from the hunting grounds, and everyone headed there to regroup.

Xiao Lv set about tending to the wounded, while Xiao Cheng took charge of the dead.

They had lost three of their own, but all thirty assassins were dead. By that metric, it almost seemed like a victory.

But human lives could not be measured in numbers. A single death was still a death.

A carriage receded into the distance on the main road. A light rain began to fall from the gloomy sky, casting a pall over everyone’s mood.

Rong Yin approached, holding an oil-paper umbrella. His tall frame easily sheltered her from the rain.

"What is Your Majesty looking at?"

Xiao Yang said, "To think the Regent King would come all this way just to drag me back to my studies. Such dedication."

Rong Yin: "I was entrusted by the late Emperor; instructing Your Majesty is my duty. There is no need for such hostility. I am aware of Your Majesty’s intelligence, but to govern this vast land, you still have much to learn."

Xiao Yang laughed. "Don’t tell me you actually intend to mold me into a wise and virtuous king?"

Rong Yin said, "As a subject, one naturally hopes to serve a wise and benevolent King."

’Hypocrite!’

’Who does he think he’s fooling with those sanctimonious words?’

"If the Regent King is so bored, perhaps you should investigate who was behind this assassination. Otherwise, your ’wise and virtuous king’ might be killed before he’s even grown."

This was her first trip outside the palace, and in such a short time, someone was already desperate to have her assassinated.

How infuriating.

The drizzle grew heavier, quickly becoming a downpour. When Xiao Yang returned to the Palace, Bi Fang had already arranged for a meal to be served.

Half of the ingredients were from the game caught that day.

The imperial chef’s skill was superb—the dishes were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. But Xiao Yang had no appetite. She took only a few bites before having the food cleared away.

Xiao Yang went to the highest pavilion in the Palace. She climbed up to sit on the railing, gazing at the distant, dark mountains and listening to the crisp patter of raindrops on the tiles.

Suddenly, the sound of a flute drifted from nearby.

The melody was clear and bright, elegant and resonant. It was so piercing it seemed capable of peeling away the layers of mist.

Xiao Yang lowered her gaze and her eyes met Rong Yin’s. He was standing on the covered walkway below.

He was playing a Jade Flute, and it surrounded him with a cool, ethereal aura.

’A beautiful sight, to be sure, but an infuriating one nonetheless.’

Xiao Yang swung her legs for a moment, then turned and left.

Xiao Yang was in a foul mood and went to bed early.

But the night’s ordeals were far from over.

"Your Majesty, wake up! Your Majesty!"

Xiao Yang was shaken awake. The instant she saw Rong Yin’s face, she instinctively wrinkled her nose in distaste, but a second later, her eyes flew wide with shock.

Fire! Her chambers were on fire!

’The fire looks huge! How did I not notice it at all?’

Just as Xiao Yang started to get up, Rong Yin ripped the blanket away, scooped her into his arms, and bolted.

"No time!"

"Hey! Wait—"

Xiao Yang opened her mouth only to get a mouthful of ash.

In the blink of an eye, Rong Yin had carried her out of the inferno on his shoulder.

Once outside, Xiao Yang was stunned by the scene before her.

Countless assassins in black were locked in combat with the guards. The towering flames cast their giant, dancing shadows against the walls—a demonic revelry.

Rong Yin cut down an assassin who charged at them, splattering Xiao Yang’s face with blood.

"Your Majesty!"

Xiao Lv’s shout rang out. Xiao Yang followed the voice and spotted him in a corner. He appeared to be injured but was still fighting his way toward them.

Xiao Yang struggled to get down, but just then, roof tiles came crashing down. Rong Yin grabbed her and pulled her into the room across the way.

"Protect His Majesty!"

Rong Yin left two guards to protect her, then charged back out, sword in hand.

Xiao Yang wanted to help, but she was only in her sleeping robe, without even shoes on her feet.

The battle outside raged for fifteen minutes before it finally ended.

The stench of blood filled the air, and even the leaping flames seemed dyed crimson.

In the end, they had won.

BANG!

The door was thrown open again. Rong Yin returned, drenched in blood, his sword still in hand. The aura of death and slaughter clinging to him was terrifying.

When his gaze fell on Xiao Yang, the killing intent in his eyes had yet to fade.

CLANG!

He sheathed his sword with a clean motion. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again, his composure largely restored. "The assassins have been eliminated. Your Majesty may rest here."

With that, he sat at the table and poured himself a cup of water, clearly intending to stand guard for the rest of the night.

Xiao Lv glanced in from the doorway. Seeing that Xiao Yang was unharmed, he clutched his injured arm and left to have it treated.

How could Xiao Yang possibly sleep? She had nearly died tonight.

’The fire, the assassins... they were right on top of me, and I didn’t sense a thing!’

Rong Yin noticed her pale face. Assuming she was frightened, he frowned slightly. "I’ve already sent the signal. Li Wei should arrive with reinforcements in under half an hour. There will be no more assassins tonight."

Xiao Yang offered no explanation. She slowly poured a cup of water, and after drinking it, suppressed the sliver of unease in her heart.

"Thank you."

Whatever their past issues, tonight, Rong Yin had saved her life.

Rong Yin: "Protecting Your Majesty is my duty."

Xiao Yang’s lips twitched, but she had nothing more to say.

Not bothering to discern the truth in his words, she rose and walked to the door. Bodies littered the ground—those of assassins and their own guards alike.

She never imagined that a simple hunting trip would lead to two assassination attempts, with one wave of killers following another.

The throne truly drove people to madness.