"Hey, what are you doing? Don't move around, okay? The doctor said you've suffered serious internal injuries. You need to rest for at least ten to fifteen days before you can get out of bed. Otherwise, it will affect your recovery. If you end up with any after - effects, you'll regret it!" Mei Qingxue had gone to great lengths to save him, so of course she couldn't let him act recklessly. If something went wrong again, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?
"Shadow once secretly swore when being chased that if anyone could save his life, that person would become the new master of the 'Assassin's Guild'," Shadow said. Held down by Mei Qingxue and unable to move, he could only lie in bed and tell her this astonishing news.
"Ah? The 'Assassin's Guild'? Whoever saves you becomes the master of this so - called 'Assassin's Guild'? That means I, since I saved you, I'm now the master of the 'Assassin's Guild'?" Mei Qingxue stared at Shadow with wide - open eyes as if she had been deaf the moment before. Her mouth hung open in complete disbelief.
"Yes, it's indeed so," Shadow replied firmly. He was a man who never went back on his word. Once he had spoken, he would not take it back.
"You're going against the heavens! You're saying I'm the master of this 'Assassin's Guild'! This guild doesn't sound like a decent one at all. How can I, a weak woman, be up to the task?" For someone as kind - hearted as her to become the leader of an assassin organization, wasn't this just a huge joke?
"The oath Shadow made will never be taken back. Since you've saved me, I'll make you the master of the 'Assassin's Guild'. The 'Assassin's Guild' will never fall into the hands of irrelevant people!" Shadow had been expressionless all along, but as he spoke, his eyes darkened and a murderous aura emanated from his body.
"For a hundred years since its establishment, the 'Assassin's Guild' has been a top - notch assassination organization. There are very few sects that can truly compete with it. But recently, there were traitors in our guild who tried to usurp the position of the guild master. I was caught off - guard and seriously injured by them. But once my injury recovers, I'll surely retake the 'Assassin's Guild' and present it to the new master with both hands."
Looking into Shadow's sharp eyes like an eagle's in the dark, Mei Qingxue believed that he definitely had the ability to retake the "Assassin's Guild". But, could she choose not to be the guild master? She wanted to live a long life. She didn't even know the most basic martial arts. If she became the guild master and someone tried to assassinate her in the future, wouldn't she be at their mercy?
"Don't worry, Master. Shadow will always be hidden in the dark to protect you and will never let you get hurt," Shadow seemed to sense Mei Qingxue's worry and assured her firmly.
That's what he said, but there was always a chance of something going wrong. She was really afraid of death!
"The 'Assassin's Guild' is not just an organization that kills for others. It's also a place where the latest information can be obtained. There's nothing the 'Assassin's Guild' doesn't know as long as people want to know. Once you become the master of the 'Assassin's Guild', all important and latest information will be reported to you immediately for your decision."
All important and latest information? Does that mean she could know what was going on with her father and brother in the court in the first place, understand their positions and troubles, and maybe even secretly help and protect them through the "Assassin's Guild"? In this way, she could also contribute a lot to the family instead of just relying on her family's protection.
This was worth considering...
"Miss, miss, something's wrong! Something's wrong!"
"What's wrong? Your miss is fine!" Didn't this person know she was thinking about a very serious problem? How dare she interrupt at this moment!
"Miss, the master is injured! The master is injured!"
"What? Father is injured? How is that possible? He was fine this morning." Mei Qingxue hurriedly stood up and rushed out of the door.
But just as she reached the door, she seemed to remember something. She stopped, turned back sharply to Shadow and said, "Okay, I promise you. I'll be the new master of the 'Assassin's Guild' from now on. We'll discuss the details when I come back. You should rest here in peace. We'll talk about other things after your injury recovers." Then she left without looking back.
Shadow watched Mei Qingxue's departing back. He knew he had chosen the right person. Although she was a bit soft - hearted, she could make decisive decisions when it mattered.
Actually, he had already known her identity when Mei Qingxue first entered the room, because there was a character "Mei" carved on the jade pendant on her waist. That jade pendant was shiny and translucent, and even a small piece of it was extremely valuable. In the entire capital city, besides Prime Minister Mei, no one else could use such a jade pendant as a symbol of identity.
Thinking of her determination before she left the door just now, she must have thought of the reason why Prime Minister Mei was injured. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have made up her mind to agree to him so quickly.
Shadow slowly closed his eyes. He had to think carefully about how to wipe out those traitors after his injury recovered to boost the morale of the "Assassin's Guild".
"What on earth happened? Tell me everything you know," Mei Qingxue tried hard to calm herself down on the way to Zhenyu Courtyard. She mustn't lose her composure at this moment, or the enemy would have more opportunities to take advantage.
"Yueru isn't too sure. When I went to ask the madam if she wanted to have dinner together, I heard a servant say that the master accidentally fell off his horse and got injured while hunting with the emperor. Now he's being treated in the courtyard. As soon as I heard the news, I rushed to tell you without thinking," Yueru actually didn't know the exact situation. Most of what she said was from what the servants who had seen it said.
"Okay, I see." Hunting with the emperor and falling off the horse. Shouldn't the emperor be in the palace reviewing memorials or flirting with the concubines at that time? Why did he suddenly go hunting? And her father was a civil official. Why was he asked to accompany? What were those military officials doing?
There were many servants standing outside Zhenyu Courtyard. Mei Qingxue didn't want the servants to gossip about her father's injury, so she asked Yueru to disperse the irrelevant servants and let them go back to their own business.
As soon as she entered Prime Minister Mei's courtyard, she smelled a faint smell of blood. At this moment, Madam Mei was sitting on the bed, looking worried, and feeding medicine to Prime Minister Mei.
"Mother, is father okay?"
Prime Minister Mei was half - lying against the edge of the bed. His face was a bit pale, and his left arm was wrapped in white gauze with a little blood oozing out.
"Father..."
"Xue'er is here. Father is fine. Don't worry," Prime Minister Mei saw Mei Qingxue with red - rimmed eyes and was touched. No matter how much intrigue there was in the court, as long as he returned home, he would feel inexplicably at ease. This was also one of the reasons why he didn't want to take concubines. He knew that if there were too many women in the backyard, it wouldn't be peaceful, and he couldn't whole - heartedly treat one person.
"Why did father get injured?" Mei Qingxue knew that although her father was a civil official, he had known how to ride a horse since childhood. If it was said that he fell off the horse because of his poor riding skills, she would never believe it.
"Father went hunting in the imperial hunting forest with all the officials today. I don't know why my horse was frightened, and I fell off. I just hurt my arm. There's nothing serious. The doctor said I just need to rest at home for a while and I'll be fine," Prime Minister Mei didn't mention that the reason his horse was frightened was because the emperor's arrow had gone astray.
"Yes, it's good that father is okay. Just now when Xue'er heard that father was injured, I was really shocked!" Mei Qingxue knew that things weren't that simple. She'd leave the investigation to the people of the "Assassin's Guild". She would never let her father be wronged.
"Hehe, it's good that I'm injured. Now father can be lazy and not go to the morning court. I can rest at home for a while," Prime Minister Mei showed a smile on his usually serious and inflexible face, but his eyes became even more profound.
"Have dinner in your own courtyard tonight. Don't come here," Mei Qingxue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said softly to Mei Qingxue.
"Xue'er knows. Father, you rest well. I'll come to see you tomorrow."
As soon as Mei Qingxue returned to Qingxin Courtyard, people from the palace sent a lot of tonics. The emperor also allowed Prime Minister Mei to rest in the mansion until his injury recovered.
Mei Qingxue lay in bed, frowning and thinking deeply. Her father had had an accident while hunting with the emperor. So, was this matter directly or indirectly related to the emperor? If this was really a conspiracy, the person behind it probably didn't want to kill her father but just wanted to injure him.
Could it be... a warning? If so, the scope of the suspects was narrowed. But who could it be...
Ah, thinking about such things really wasted a lot of brainpower. And she had to go out to help Meiniang with the Flower - Queen Contest in three days! There had been a lot of things happening recently. It seemed that she had to sort them out one by one!
The next day, as soon as Mei Qingxue woke up, she went to visit Shadow. After seeing that he was okay, she ran to Prime Minister Mei's courtyard to chat with him. She found that her father was really a very knowledgeable person. There were many things she had never heard of before, but he could explain them in detail. She was really in awe of him. The prime minister of a country was really not someone anyone could be.
After visiting the two people she must visit, Mei Qingxue secretly ran to a relatively deserted courtyard in the Prime Minister's Mansion to start what she had to do today. Since the palace banquet last time, she hadn't exercised her body. She didn't know if she was still flexible. The Flower - Queen Contest was in two days, and she had to work hard.