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"Your Majesty." Xiao Liulang stood up, wanting to make a proper bow to the Emperor, but awkwardly glancing at his bandaged arm, he performed a slight bow instead.
"Forgo the formalities." The Emperor raised his hand and approached the bed, looking at Gu Jiao who lay there unconscious. His gaze swept to the basket beside them which was filled with blood-stained clothes, and his breathing tightened, "How is the little miracle physician?"
Xiao Liulang spoke with a saddened tone, "Physician Song has examined her and said she has lost too much blood..."
The Emperor's gaze turned cold. He looked at Xiao Liulang's arm and asked, "How about you?"
Xiao Liulang lowered his eyes and answered, "This official is fine, just a dislocated arm, but it has been put back in place."
Dislocated arm and still fine? How could a weak scholar endure such pain?
The Emperor's face darkened, "What exactly happened? Where did you both get injured?"
Xiao Liulang said with pain in his eyes, "It happened near Chang'an Street. This official encountered an assassin on my way back from the Hanlin Academy. Coincidentally, JiaoJiao came to pick me up. She fought with the assassin but couldn't defeat him and was severely injured instead. Later, JiaoJiao used a hidden weapon to destroy the assassin's mask, and only then did the assassin escape."
The Emperor asked, "Did you get a clear look at the assassin's appearance?"
Xiao Liulang shook his head, saying, "It was chaotic at the time and this official didn’t manage to see his facial features clearly. This official only remembers he had a tattoo on his face..."
The Emperor hurriedly asked, "What kind of tattoo?"
"It’s like... Like..." Xiao Liulang tried hard to recall and said, "Forget it, this official might have misjudged."
The Emperor said with a frown, "Still tell Zhen."
After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Liulang said, "It was like a turtle, but also like a snake."
A turtle’s body, a snake’s tail.
Black Tortoise.
The tattoo of the Dragon Shadow Guards!
The Dragon Shadow Guards were death warriors, but not every death warrior was qualified to become a Dragon Shadow Guard. Years ago, the late Emperor purchased a large number of death warriors from the State of Yan, and they were already powerful enough when they arrived. However, the late Emperor still wasn’t satisfied with their strength.
He sought the help of experts to train the death warriors further, and out of over a hundred death warriors, only a dozen or so became Dragon Shadow Guards.
Some of the Dragon Shadow Guards had died during their missions, and the late Emperor left him with the youngest Dragon Shadow Guards.
When he first saw them, he was startled by the Black Tortoise tattoos on their faces. It was said that the late Emperor had them tattooed to distinguish the Dragon Shadow Guards from ordinary death warriors.
No one else in the world possessed such tattoos.
The Emperor's mood instantly became complicated. He asked, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
Xiao Liulang thought for a moment before answering, "This official... is not sure. This official only managed to take a quick glance at that time, so it's possible that this official saw it wrong."
The Emperor closed his eyes.
It must have been a mistake.
The Dragon Shadow Guards were currently under the control of his imperial concubine mother. How could she send them to assassinate Xiao Liulang?
Although she was unwilling to associate herself with the lineage of Empress Dowager Zhuang, strictly speaking, Xiao Liulang wasn’t Empress Dowager Zhuang's lineage. Moreover, Xiao Liulang was an official personally promoted by him. He was a disciple of the Emperor, and someone under his direct control!
His imperial concubine mother had no reason to harm Xiao Liulang.
The Emperor waited in the room for a while. Physician Song came to reapply the medicine and changed Gu Jiao's dressing once, but Gu Jiao still hadn't woken up.
The Emperor looked at the basin of blood being carried out from behind the folding screen and could hardly bear to look any longer.
On the way back to the imperial palace, he remained silent.
"Your Majesty." Eunuch Wei wanted to remind him that they had arrived at the palace.
But the Emperor suddenly sighed and said, "Imperial concubine mother wouldn't do such a thing, right?"
"Eh?" Eunuch Wei was taken aback.
What was going on?
Did the Emperor suspect that the person who assassinated Xiao Liulang was sent by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing?
The Dragon Shadow Guards always wore masks, so Eunuch Wei was unaware of the tattoos on their faces.
"It couldn't be her." It was uncertain whether the Emperor's words were directed to Eunuch Wei or to himself.
Eunuch Wei didn't dare to respond.
Your Majesty, this is a matter between you and your mother. This humble servant dare not get involved. Eunuch Wei thought to himself.
He recalled that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager seemed to have drifted apart in a similar manner. It was as if overnight, the Emperor became less close to the Empress Dowager. Gradually, the Emperor started quarreling with the Empress Dowager, blaming her for every trivial matter.
Sometimes, he felt sorry for the Empress Dowager.
So, it was Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing’s turn now?
Your Majesty, have you contracted a disease where you had to infuriate your mothers to death?
"Cough!"
Eunuch Wei covered his mouth before the words slipped out.
The Emperor got off the carriage.
His thoughts were in disarray, and there were two voices in his head. One voice was telling him that Xiao Liulang wouldn't lie to him while the other voice assured him that Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing wouldn't betray him.
“Who!” Eunuch Wei suddenly opened his mouth.
"What's the matter?" The Emperor asked.
Eunuch Wei pointed towards the end of the imperial garden. "This servant saw a suspicious figure sneaking over there just now."
Wasn't that the direction of Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing’s palace?
Perhaps someone was in a hurry to pay respects.
The Emperor had no reason to go and see a servant paying their respects to Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, but for some reason, he felt restless. He took a step, but then changed direction and headed towards Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's palace.
He didn't actually enter the palace but stood nearby, silently observing.
Unexpectedly, he heard a familiar voice.
"What? You, you failed again? You're supposed to be a Dragon Shadow Guard, yet you can't even kill a powerless scholar! How useless can you be?"
It was... Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's voice!
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing said she failed again.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing also talked about a powerless scholar...
He must be misunderstanding it...
But the voice continued.
"Does the Emperor know how useless you are? When the Emperor handed you over to me, it wasn't for you to loaf around until death! It's just killing a little cripple, not some martial master! Is this all the ability you Dragon Shadow Guards have?"
"If I had known, I would have bought a few assassins from the martial world! They would have done a better job than you!"
The Emperor could no longer deceive himself into thinking that the voice didn't come from Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
He felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet, shooting up to his head in an instant!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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