Chapter 29

Chapter 29 – Unsheathed Swords Disturb the Night (1)

The rain harshly pounded on the cobblestones hard and gusts of wind blew heavily. Eunuch Qin hardly heard a word Yu Wenjie spoke, but the guards around became unaccountably nervous, the sound of the swords being unsheathed penetrating the dark. With his imperial robe almost soaked, Yu Wenjie raised his hands cautiously.

“Your Majesty?” Eunuch Qin glanced at the dim surroundings and turned to the emperor, “Stop, Your Majesty. The rain is pouring heavily. You’d better go to the back hall as soon as possible.”

“I cannot.” His deep voice echoed amidst the pattering of rain. The emperor stood up from the imperial carriage, gazing at the darkness of the road ahead of him. “If I just sit here and move on, my head might be chopped off soon.”

Rather surprised, Eunuch Qin turned his head in a hurry. A silver thread was suspended in the air, gleaming faintly under the glow of the palace lanterns. “Guard the Emperor!” he bellowed, and the knights rushed ahead.

The silver thread unexpectedly fell. Yu Wenjie frowned and leaned away to avoid it. He gave Eunuch Qin, who was unacquainted with fights and battles, an order, “Go and call the others.”

Though Eunuch Qin wasn’t entirely a stranger to such circumstances, his legs still weakened, trembling in fright as he hastily ran backwards. The sound of the clashing swords resonated in the gloom. So noisy. Yu Wenjie desired to engage in the battle and fight alongside the guards, but Chief Knight Huo Zichong stood before him, casting him a tense glance before returning to fight.

Numerous enemies encircled them and the emperor mustn’t take a risk. After this realization, Yu Wenjie decided to contain his urge to be wilful and began to run towards the front hall.

There should have been one guard every ten steps in the palace, but somehow, he hadn’t seen a single guard along the whole way.

How funny, he thought.

Then, he caught the sound of footsteps behind him. He crossed the veranda in haste and rushed to the side hall, confronting the dark and tranquil that enveloped him.

***

“Grrrr.”

With her stomach growling, Hua Chun looked outside helplessly. When could she return home to relish a meal as the rain hinted no signs of ceasing? Wan-shi would begin to worry about her at this time.

Hua Chun straightened herself to have a glimpse at the side of the door. The front hall that was brilliantly lit barely a moment ago turned pitch black all of a sudden. Hua Chun froze, frowning.

She was still stranded in the palace and there couldn’t possibly be a scarcity of candles; how could the servants blow off the light once the emperor left? That was reasonable only when every person residing in the front hall of Zǐchen Hall had departed, according to the rules.

Hua Chun shrugged, thinking that she must have read too many folk stories of the palace. It wasn’t her concern when they would blow off the candles. It was already a blessing that the candles in the side hall hadn’t been put out.

The downpour persisted, flooding the thresholds of the palace. Hua Chun shivered in the cold and reached out her hands to close the door. As the thick wood was about to swing shut, a hand unexpectedly rushed in and covered her mouth.

Hua Chun wanted to scream, but the uninvited man acted swiftly and carried her into the room, shutting the door behind him without delay. Then the glowing candles that lit the side hall were blown off. What happened? Hua Chun peered into the darkness, her breath shallow. It seemed that she was leaning against a man’s chest, which was as hard as a flagstone.

“Uh.”

“Shut up,” Yu Wenjie murmured, gritting his teeth.

The emperor?! Hua Chun’s eyes widened in shock. She tilted her head to glance at the emperor. A faint light seeped through the windows, illuminating Yu Wenjie’s face, and Hua Chun found herself staring at his alluring outline. How handsome… She sighed inwardly, but immediately forced herself awake from the momentary stupor; it wasn’t the time to admire his appearance. Hua Chun frowned and looked at him curiously. How could the emperor, soaked all over, come to her so awkwardly like this?

Beyond the tall windows, silhouettes of strangers swayed back and forth. Yu Wenjie pulled her up vigorously and warned, “Keep still and be quiet or your family will be butchered!”

Hua Chun was dumbfounded. So bossy. She hadn’t even grasped the situation and she wasn’t in the mood yet!

Yu Wenjie seized her around the waist and threw her on his shoulders before she had shown any reaction. Then, he flew to the beam aided by the ground and reached out to hold Hua Chun who was about to fall over.

She tried her best to curb her desire to shout out. Was this some kind of acrobatics? How thrilling! The beam was ten feet off the ground even though the side hall was only a small lounge. Had he got springs below his feet? Moreover, how could he be so strong that he carried her without trouble?

Hua Chun wrapped her arms tightly around the beam, still in shock and choked with dust. Yu Wenjie frowned and looked outside, unconsciously clasping his hand to her mouth again.

The dark figures entered the room in seconds. Hua Chun held her breath as she stared at the unbidden guests, enlightened upon recognizing their black clothes. Assassins. They must be very dangerous seeing that the emperor was driven to fly to the beams. Wasn’t he always surrounded by at least dozens of guards?