The Palace Coup 33

Xie Miaoxuan’s heart bled as she sprinted. Was she really as self-sacrificing and righteous as she appeared? Absolutely not!

She had no idea how to wield a sword, and she knew full well how heavy the blade was. Without professional training, carrying it now only hindered her escape.

Was he doing this on purpose? A苦肉计—a ruse to win sympathy through self-inflicted injury?

After intentionally leaving a trail on the ground for a distance, she plunged into a wild dash forward. Once she felt sufficiently breathless, she stopped creating a path and instead began to carefully conceal her footprints.

She dodged and hid, managing to stall for nearly half an hour before a rustling sound emerged from behind. The footsteps grew increasingly distinct. She sighed; she had underestimated her pursuers and overestimated her own evasive abilities.

*Whiz!* A throwing dart pinned her toe to the ground.

"Still trying to run!"

*Whiz!* Another sound of air being pierced followed. Xie Miaoxuan rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging the second dart.

Shadowy figures leaped through the air, and a dozen men instantly surrounded her. She quickly held up a hand. "Wait!"

The men in black closed in but did not attack immediately. Their leader asked, "Where is he?"

As Xie Miaoxuan scrambled for a lie, another man in black answered first, "There is clearly no one else nearby. The man is nowhere to be seen."

A man in black pointed his long sword directly at Xie Miaoxuan. "Speak! Where exactly did you hide him?"

The leader stared at her with sharp, piercing eyes. "Enough nonsense. Take her. A little taste of pain will make her talk."

He pulled out a bamboo tube and aimed it at her, ready to spray. Xie Miaoxuan retreated several steps. "Good sir, I never said I wouldn't speak. There’s really no need for violence."

This tube undoubtedly contained the same poisoned needles that had struck the rump of the wind-chasing horse. Her eyes darted around as she instantly devised a stalling tactic.

She lifted her delicate chin, rolled her eyes with a cold sneer, and spoke with an air of arrogance, "Do you even know who I am? You’d better figure it out first. I’m afraid if you touch me, you won't be able to answer to your master!"

She played the part of a spoiled, haughty noblewoman to perfection.

Internally, however, her mind was racing. Since she had already committed to this, what identity could temporarily suppress these men? Ideally, she needed to understand why they were hunting Li Ge and which faction they represented.

Was it the daughter of the Xie family's second branch? No, the Xie family's influence in the imperial court was too weak.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck her from Xie Yuanju’s words: "Three days ago, the谏议大夫 (Imperial Remonstrance Advisor) Wen Zheng was assassinated in his home. The Emperor has not held court for three days."

She shuddered. Could Li Ge be the one who assassinated Wen Zheng?

If so, which faction had sent him? Was it the Grand Marshal He Dai’s men? No, that didn't fit. With Wen Zheng dead, there were no loyal ministers left in court who would risk their lives to remonstrate with the Emperor, which favored He Dai. However, He Dai had not yet fully seized control of the Imperial Guard. If he wanted Wen Zheng dead, there was no need to rush; he would have waited until the guards were under his command. With Wen Zheng dead now, it was more of a disadvantage than an advantage if the Emperor refused to listen to reason.

And the Regional Military Governor Zhu Ben was surely the person who least wanted to see the court's power fall into He Dai’s hands. He would be the last person to want Wen Zheng dead; chaos in the court and He Dai’s rise to power would not benefit him at all.

Therefore, Li Ge must be one of Prince Shaoyou’s men. Only he stood to gain from the court falling into chaos; he must have been the one to light this fire.

But who were these men hunting Li Ge? It could be He Dai, Zhu Ben, or even Prince Shaoyou himself.

Never mind that now. She had to come up with an identity that would make any faction pause. As long as she wasn't killed on the spot, even if she were captured, she might find another chance to escape.

"I’m telling you! I am Shi Kexin from Qingzhou! My father is the Prefect of Qingzhou, Shi Qi. I came to the capital to find my brother, Shi Chong, who is currently the General of the Capital Guard. My family is powerful, influential, and wealthy. All the men in my family hold official posts. You had better weigh this carefully! If your master finds out you killed the daughter of the Shi family and brought trouble upon him, I’m afraid you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

The men in black exchanged glances, their hands hesitating on their swords for a moment.

Xie Miaoxuan pressed her advantage. "As long as you let me go, I am willing to give you the jade pendant I am wearing. With this, you can claim one hundred thousand gold pieces from my cousin. That is enough to feed an army of one hundred thousand men!"

She took the pendant from her waist and dangled it before them.

It was common knowledge that the Shi family had been wealthy enough to rival a nation for generations. Shi Chong was the epitome of modern-day extravagance and arrogance, and the Prefect of Qingzhou was his uncle. For the past hundred years, the Shi family had only produced sons, with the exception of Shi Qi’s only daughter, who was the apple of the entire family’s eye. If she were truly a daughter of the Shi clan, her life was indeed worth one hundred thousand gold pieces.

The leader stepped forward and snatched the pendant from her hand. It was a jade pendant carved in the shape of a bamboo node, a Kunlun jade.

"Our Shi family values noble integrity and holds the purity of bamboo in the highest regard. Every descendant of our family carries a bamboo-node Kunlun pendant. Do you believe me now?"

As she spoke, Xie Miaoxuan held her chin high, looking immensely proud. She portrayed the self-importance of a noblewoman to the fullest. Strangely enough, despite the Qingzhou Shi family living lives of debauchery and extreme extravagance, they claimed to admire the humble, hollow-hearted nature of bamboo—a sheer irony.

Just as Xie Miaoxuan thought she had escaped disaster, the leader clenched his fist around the pendant. Fine, powdery dust trickled through his fingers.

Xie Miaoxuan realized things had taken a turn for the worse.

"Take her," the leader sneered. "I don’t care whose family you belong to. If you have the guts to snatch someone from us, you must have the life to pay for it! I advise you to be sensible, little lady, or we might not know our own strength and end up hurting you."

These were highly skilled martial artists. Seeing that her ruse had failed, she didn't seek further misery and obediently allowed them to bind her hands.

"If you honestly tell us where you’ve hidden him, we might spare your life. But if you don't cooperate, I don't care if you're from the Shi family of Qingzhou; don't blame my brothers for not knowing how to cherish a beauty."

"You noble ladies never have soft bones until you've tasted real suffering. Let me wake you up a bit so you don't keep dragging your feet."

The leader stepped in front of her and, with a swift, professional motion, dislocated her right arm with a *pop*.

Xie Miaoxuan broke into a cold sweat from the pain, and the long whip in her hand dropped to the ground.

These men were immune to both soft and hard tactics; their methods were ruthless, and they were clearly death-sworn retainers trained by a powerful house, never stopping until their objective was achieved.

Hesitation flickered in her eyes. It had been less than an hour since she hid Li Ge. The effects of the muscle-relaxing powder had not yet worn off, and he was gravely wounded. She feared that if she revealed his hiding place, the next second would be her end.

Seeing her remain silent, the leader sneered, "I didn't expect you to be so stubborn. Even with a dislocated arm, you still want to protect him. Could it be that your Shi family is also involved in this? I advise you not to be a foolish woman. Protecting him will only bring a death sentence upon your entire household."

As he gripped her arm, he twisted it, causing Xie Miaoxuan to scream in agony. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! He is hidden in the cliff face just ahead!"

The man finally released his grip. "See? That wasn't so hard. No need to suffer for nothing."

The dozen men in black forced Xie Miaoxuan to walk toward the cliff ahead.