Hearing the commotion, Ruan Niang sobered up quickly and rushed over. In the wing - room of Wei Dongling, she saw a black - clothed man writhing on the ground, screaming in pain.
Ruan Niang was terrified. Seeing that Wei Dongling was unscathed, she finally calmed down. She took out a silver needle and stabbed it sharply at the back of the man's head. Lord Xu fell unconscious instantly.
Looking down at the unconscious man in black, Ruan Niang noticed that his right hand was rough and calloused, clearly that of a martial artist. She asked tremulously, "Girl, are you okay? Who is this person sneaking in in the middle of the night?"
Wei Dongling sighed helplessly. "I'm fine. This man is the leader of the Crown Prince's secret guards. We stirred up a hornet's nest in Xingshan. I'm afraid we'll face crazy retaliation."
A look of anger flashed across Ruan Niang's eyes. Everyone had been careless and got drunk. If she hadn't set up traps for the girl in advance, they might have been in great danger tonight. That Crown Prince was really insane! Ruan Niang gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Let him come! We'll make sure he won't go back alive."
"Ruan Niang, don't worry too much. My foot injury has healed, and I can move more easily. I'll be more careful from now on." Wei Dongling lifted her pale face and gave her a faint smile. It made Ruan Niang feel heart - ache. This girl had been injured one after another and had become so thin. Her waist was much thinner than before! She would take out the tonics that the Cloud Prince had sent last time and nourish this girl well tomorrow.
Ruan Niang carried the unconscious Lord Xu out.
Wei Dongling lit an oil lamp and carefully wiped the sharp blades on the ground. She also put the crossbows in the hidden wall back in place one by one. She was secretly thinking that the Crown Prince would probably fly into a rage after this failed assassination attempt. There would surely be a continuous stream of assassinations in the future. Although the uncles in the Listening - to - the - Wind Tower were good at martial arts, they would eventually be careless. She needed to prepare more traps and hidden weapons for self - protection.
The next day, when everyone woke up and heard about this, they were all filled with dread. Cui Huan especially kept blaming herself. She regretted drinking that half - cup of fruit wine and getting drunk. She was even brought back by Miss Wei. She had been completely unaware of the assassination last night.
Three days later, the Crown Prince received a report from his servant. The servant said that an unidentified male body had been fished out from the Luoyue Lake, and the government had already launched an investigation.
The Crown Prince was burying his head in sorting out the private letter sent by Jingzhe. The male members of the Zhao family had disappeared without a trace on their way to serve in the army, and the female relatives had also vanished without a clue, as if they had evaporated from the world. The Crown Prince was extremely angry when he read the letter. He said coldly to the servant who came to report, "You're really good at handling things now? You even bother the Crown Prince with such a trivial matter?"
The servant trembled with fear and said nervously, "Your Highness! I went to the scene. The male body was so swollen after soaking in the water that it was unrecognizable! But I'm very familiar with the scar on his arm! That male body is Lord Xu!"
The Crown Prince slapped the letter on the table violently and roared in panic, "What did you say?!"
The servant was so frightened that his whole body trembled. He knelt down and kowtowed like a pounding garlic, crying piteously, "I wouldn't dare to tell a single lie!"
The Crown Prince's face turned ashen. He went to the government office, took a quick look, and then turned around and left. The servant followed behind the Crown Prince, not daring to make a sound.
In the carriage, the Crown Prince's face was as cold as ice. His fists were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound. He coldly ordered, "Find someone to claim the body in a false name and give it a grand burial."
"Yes!" The servant didn't dare to delay and hurriedly went to handle it.
In the Listening - to - the - Wind Tower, Cui Huan lifted her skirt and rushed towards Wei Dongling's room in a hurry. She kept shouting, "Miss Wei! Miss Wei!"
Wei Dongling was taking a nap on the bed. She was in a hazy state of sleep. She murmured impatiently, "Huanhuan, I'm so sleepy..."
Cui Huan grabbed her up and shouted excitedly, "Wake up quickly! Old Master Su can see again!"
"Really?!" Wei Dongling woke up instantly. She was both surprised and happy. She quickly put on her clothes in a flurry, reached for the embroidered shoes beside the bed with her feet, and ran out with Cui Huan.
In the room, Ruan Niang put away the Nine Needles for Reviving the Yang and was writing a prescription.
Old Master Su looked up at Li Lang, who used to be in his prime but now was middle - aged with graying temples. He felt a deep sense of melancholy. When he looked up again, he saw Wei Dongling barging in at the door.
"Grandpa, your eyes are better?" Wei Dongling came up with a beaming smile to check.
Old Master Su looked at Wei Dongling's delicate face. His body couldn't stop trembling, and big tears rolled down his eyes.
Wei Dongling grabbed Old Master Su's hand and gently wiped his tears with a handkerchief. She scolded playfully, "Grandpa, it's a good thing that you can see again. Why are you crying so excitedly?"
Old Master Su couldn't stop crying and murmured, "A Ru!"
Wei Dongling looked completely confused.
Uncle Li grabbed Old Master Su's hand and sighed with a slightly complaining tone, "Master Su, you've mistaken her. This is not Miss Su. She is Wei Dongling!"
Wei Dongling felt heart - ache. It turned out that Old Master Su had mistaken her for Concubine Chen, who had died tragically in the palace, which was why he was crying so uncontrollably.
"Girl Wei is really beautiful!" Old Master Su wiped his tears with his dry back of the hand and tried to adjust his emotions.
Uncle Li nodded and smiled gently, "Indeed! At first glance, her figure is very similar to Miss A Ru back then."
Old Master Su nodded with red eyes and sobbed silently.
Wei Dongling stepped forward and hugged Old Master Su's waist, coquettishly saying, "Grandpa, don't be sad. I'm here. I'll always be with you from now on!"
Old Master Su looked at Wei Dongling in his arms with tear - filled eyes full of love and kept nodding.
Ruan Niang beside them laughed mercilessly, "What? You're not going to get married in the future?"
Wei Dongling raised her head and replied matter - of - factly, "On my wedding day, I'll not only take Grandpa Su with me but also all the uncles!"
Ruan Niang smiled gently and said, "Brother Lang, why don't we find a son - in - law who will move into our family for the girl?"
Wei Dongling blushed rarely.
Cui Huan echoed, "A son - in - law who moves into the wife's family is good. If he doesn't agree, we'll just find another one."
Wei Dongling gave Cui Huan an embarrassed look and spat, "Be careful your senior brother will beat you when he knows!"
This made everyone burst into laughter.
Under Ruan Niang's careful recuperation, Old Master Su's eyes were getting better and better. He would come to chat with Wei Dongling for a long time every day.
The Mid - Autumn Festival in August was approaching. Wei Dongling took Cui Huan to the General's Mansion.
Outside the back door, Second Master Qi felt extremely heart - ache when he saw the thin Wei Dongling in front of him. He quickly ordered the servant to fetch some tonics.
Wei Dongling didn't decline. She curtsied repeatedly to express her gratitude. Then she asked Cui Huan to carry a large pile of high - quality cloth over. She smiled gently at Second Master Qi and said, "The Mid - Autumn Festival is coming. I came to visit Uncle. I'm not convenient to enter the mansion. These cloths have nice patterns. They are very suitable for making new clothes for Aunt and Sister Jinlan. Please help me pass them on."
Second Master Qi took a quick look and could tell that these materials were very valuable. Thinking of Wei Dongling's thoughtfulness, he felt even more heart - broken.
Wei Dongling stuffed two cans of excellent tea leaves into the servant's arms and said with a beaming smile, "Uncle, you can drink this tea first. If you like it, I'll have someone send more to you! And these mooncakes from Xu's Shop on West Street. No matter how busy you are, Uncle, don't forget to get together with your family. Eating mooncakes and enjoying the moon is truly a wonderful thing in life!"