From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

The second reason was that the assassin was not alone. Besides the one hidden within the elephant corpse, another was concealed among the Guards.

The moment the assassin inside the elephant corpse made their move, the one hidden among the Guards revealed a trace of killing intent. If not for that, she would never have detected them.

Lin Wanqiu leaned close to Xiao Minghuang's ear and whispered:

"The assassin was killed by Eunuch Wang with a single palm strike, leaving no remains."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's gaze shifted. She glanced at Wang Jin, who was standing guard not far away, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Any other findings?"

Lin Wanqiu replied:

"Inside the giant elephant's belly, we found a Beast Taming Token from the Beast Taming Sect. It was this token that triggered the Beast Tide, and the assassin used this opportunity to assassinate Your Highness."

Xiao Minghuang knew that the Beast Taming Sect had no dealings with Great Xia.

Besides the princes in the capital, no one else had a motive to assassinate her.

After a moment of thought, Xiao Minghuang's eyes moved, and she had a plan.

"Wanqiu, do not reveal that I have awakened. When night falls..."

Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's pupils contracted sharply, and a look of shock appeared in her eyes.

"This is too dangerous!"

Xiao Minghuang said calmly:

"If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch its cubs?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu stopped trying to persuade her. She knew Xiao Minghuang was intelligent and prudent and would not do anything without certainty.

"At this point, I can only trust Your Highness and cooperate fully... I never expected the threat to arise from within our own walls..."

Lin Wanqiu mused to herself, then, along with Ye Ruoshui, helped Xiao Minghuang onto the carriage and returned to the City Lord's mansion to settle her in.

As soon as they returned to the room, a knock sounded at the door.

Ye Ruoshui was helping Xiao Minghuang clean the bloodstains from her body.

Lin Wanqiu opened the door and saw the captain of the City Lord's mansion Guards standing at the entrance.

"General Li, is there something you need?"

General Li was burly with a square face, appearing very honest and simple. He held a Long Sword in his hands and said respectfully:

"Reporting to Eldest Miss, the City Lord has ordered me to return this sword!"

Lin Wanqiu glanced at the Long Sword. It was about three feet long, its blade shimmering with divine light, and faint dragon patterns were engraved on its edge. It was indeed an extraordinary sword.

But Lin Wanqiu had no mind to appreciate swords at the moment. She took the Long Sword and said indifferently:

"I understand. You may go."

General Li responded and turned to leave.

Lin Wanqiu watched his retreating back, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, she called out:

"General Li, wait!"

Hearing her, General Li stopped and turned back, a look of confusion on his resolute square face.

Lin Wanqiu strode forward, approaching General Li, and said in a low voice:

"There is another assassin within the City Lord's mansion. Please select your men and set up defenses everywhere, especially near my courtyard. You must secretly deploy heavy troops to ensure Your Highness's safety!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in General Li's pupils. He asked:

"Isn't Your Highness inside the room? Why deploy defenses around Eldest Miss's courtyard?"

"I know you are an old subordinate of the City Lord's mansion, so I will tell you the truth. This is merely a feint, intended to lure the assassin out so we can capture them alive."

Lin Wanqiu spoke slowly, explaining.

"I see. This subordinate was foolish!"

General Li suddenly understood, but the next moment, he hesitated and asked:

"Eldest Miss, the senior who appeared outside the city today was extremely powerful. Why didn't they directly capture the assassin?"

Lin Wanqiu sighed softly, a hint of sadness appearing in her eyes.

"Your Highness's injuries are too severe and require a Life Revival Pill for healing. However, such pills are only available in the capital. Eunuch Wang has rushed back to the capital overnight to retrieve the pill. He should return by dawn tomorrow."

Hearing this, General Li's eyes paused for a moment, and then he said joyfully:

"With Eunuch Wang's assistance, Your Highness's injuries should not be a major concern."

"Naturally. Your Highness is blessed by heaven. What threat can such petty individuals pose?!"

Lin Wanqiu snorted coldly, her eyes showing disdain, and added:

"This time, I will capture the assassin alive and eliminate this hidden danger for Your Highness!"

After saying this, she did not forget to remind him again, speaking each word earnestly:

"General Li, you must heavily guard His Highness's quarters. Not the slightest mistake can occur, or I will hold you accountable!"

General Li's expression turned serious, and he stated solemnly:

"Eldest Miss, rest assured. Tonight, not even a fly will get into His Highness's residence!"

Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu nodded with satisfaction and turned to walk back inside.

Watching the graceful figure disappear from sight, General Li's lips curved into a sinister smile before he turned and left.

Inside the room.

Lin Wanqiu closed the door, gripping the Dragon Pattern Sword in her hand, and closed her eyes in thought.

That night.

The black moon obscured the sky, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.

Within the City Lord's mansion, a shadowy figure leaped across the various pavilions.

This figure moved with incredible speed, landing on the tiles like a dragonfly touching water, yet without making the slightest sound.

Moments later, the figure arrived atop a pavilion, lifted a tile, observed for a moment, then replaced it. It then flashed into the pavilion. The entire process was fluid and seamless, with no wasted movements, indicating someone highly skilled and experienced in such matters.

Upon entering the pavilion, the figure's footsteps became even lighter, treading cautiously, without making the slightest noise.

It passed by several screens, finally reaching the deepest part of the pavilion, where it saw a figure lying quietly on the bed.

A cold glint flashed in the figure's hand as it moved, instantly reaching the bedside.

A chilling gleam flashed, and a sharp dagger, imbued with violent spiritual energy and radiating a terrifying killing intent, lunged towards the figure on the bed.

Just then.

The figure on the bed moved.

A flash of golden light appeared, and a brilliant sword shadow instantly coalesced, clashing fiercely with the cold glint.

The cold glint and the sword shadow met, but the confrontation lasted less than a moment before the cold glint was defeated. Cracks spread across the sharp dagger, and under the constant disturbance of the violent spiritual energy, it shattered with a resounding crack.

After a loud bang, the shadowy figure was sent flying backward several yards, crashing through numerous screens before finally slamming heavily against the railing of the balcony, spitting blood and its aura rapidly weakening.

At this moment.

The figure on the bed stood up, revealing its face. It was Lin Wanqiu, holding the Dragon Pattern Sword with a slight smile on her face.

"Just as His Highness predicted, this person isn't foolish enough to believe my words."

As she spoke, she walked towards the balcony and saw another shadowy figure leaping into Xiao Minghuang's courtyard from a distance.

Meanwhile.

Inside Xiao Minghuang's courtyard.

After tending to Xiao Minghuang's rest, Ye Ruoshui slumped by the bedside. Having experienced a great upheaval during the day, she was mentally exhausted and could no longer resist the fatigue, falling into a deep sleep right there.

Soon.

A shadowy figure flipped over the balcony, moving with incredible speed, and instantly reached the bedside. A dagger appeared in its hand, its cold glint flashing as it plunged towards Xiao Minghuang's heart!

But just then.

Xiao Minghuang, who was lying on the bed and should have been mortally wounded, suddenly opened her eyes. Within them, it was as if the starry sky was shining, with countless stars emitting brilliant light. A golden beam shot out, arriving before the dagger and piercing the shadowy figure's shoulder.

"This is bad!"

The sudden turn of events shocked the shadowy figure. It retreated rapidly, intending to escape.

A pair of dark hands emerged from behind it, tightly gripping its neck.

The shadowy figure's sturdy body was lifted into the air, and as it struggled, its face covering slipped off and fell to the ground.

This also revealed its true face.

At this moment.

Lin Wanqiu leaped onto the balcony and, upon seeing the shadowy figure's true face, her expression became complex.

"General Li, so it really was you."

With the face covering on the ground, the shadowy figure's appearance was revealed to everyone.

It was none other than the City Lord's mansion's Guard Captain, General Li.

He was now being choked, his hands desperately trying to pry open the dark hands that held him. The dark hands remained unmoving, and his face turned red, as if he was struggling to breathe.

Xiao Minghuang sat up from the bed, not getting off it, and calmly said, "That's enough, Eunuch Wang. Let him down."

As the words fell.

Eunuch Wang's figure appeared from thin air. With a wave of his hand, the dark hands disappeared, replaced by a rope made of spiritual energy that tightly bound General Li.

General Li's body fell heavily to the ground, making a loud noise that startled Ye Ruoshui from her sleep.

The young girl's body trembled, and she suddenly looked up, only to see her Highness awake and sitting unharmed on the bed.

Ye Ruoshui was both surprised and delighted, and immediately called out:

"Your Highness, you're awake!"

Seeing Ye Ruoshui's reaction, Xiao Minghuang gently stroked the top of her soft hair and pulled her into her embrace, saying softly:

"Good girl, Ruoshui. Sister is busy with important matters. I'll talk to you later."

"Mhm!"

Ye Ruoshui responded crisply, then rested her small head in Xiao Minghuang's embrace, closing her eyes slightly. A smile appeared on her small face, and she said no more.

Xiao Minghuang's gaze shifted. When her eyes returned to General Li, the tenderness in her pupils vanished.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with indifference, like the eternal stars in the boundless universe, uncaring of the countless beings as small as dust.

Xiao Minghuang asked calmly:

"Tell me, who sent you?"

Upon hearing this.

General Li snorted coldly, filled with defiance. He was a cultivator at the Seventh Level of the Spring Gushing Realm, far surpassing Xiao Minghuang in strength. This assassination was supposed to be a sure thing, but he hadn't expected to fall into a trap.

"Hmph! You scheming brat! You lied about Wang Jin returning to the capital to lure me in. There's nothing more to say now. Kill me!"

Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang wasn't angry. She instructed Wang Jin:

"Eunuch Wang, I know that as the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace, you must have many talented individuals skilled in torture and interrogation. Hand this villain over to you. You must extract something useful from his mouth."