After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Assassination and Falling into the Water

The night wind was warm and gentle, blowing across the water and creating layers of ripples.

Palace servants brought chairs and high tables to the deck, arranging tea, pastries, and fruits as everyone took their seats in order.

Yuan Jingxue sat at the very front, her back to the others, quietly gazing at the boundless, tranquil starry sky.

There was a gaze behind her that had not wavered for a second. From the moment they boarded the boat, Yan Yunti’s eyes had been fixed on her like nails. Even with her back turned, Yuan Jingxue could feel that those eyes had not moved a fraction of an inch.

Could she truly be so afraid of me having some sort of interaction with these young girls behind us?

She was truly overthinking things.

Yuan Jingxue raised her hand, and Jin Si approached her side. After listening to a few whispered words, Jin Si led some servants back into the cabin, returning shortly after with ten blessing lanterns, ordering them to be placed on each of the ten guests’ tables.

Jin Si personally placed a blessing lantern on Yan Yunti’s table, whispering softly: “If Miss Yan finds this tedious, you might think about what wish to make. Staring in one direction for too long will eventually be tiring.”

Yan Yunti cradled the lantern and gave a smiling “Alright” in response, knowing full well she was being teased for watching too closely.

The base of the lantern was shaped like a lotus. One could write a wish on a slip of paper, fold it, and place it in the gaps of the lotus leaves before lighting the wick and letting it drift into the water.

Yan Yunti didn’t believe in such things, but looking at the person sitting regally at the front, she suddenly changed her mind. She put the lantern back down, took up a brush, and solemnly wrote her wish. She folded it carefully and tucked it into the lotus leaves.

There were set times for releasing the lanterns and setting off the fireworks. Once the railings at the very front of the pleasure boat were removed, one could step down closer to the water surface to release the lanterns more easily.

As the hour of the Dog (Xu) approached, a servant brought out the primary lantern carved with phoenix patterns. Immortal music played in unison, and everyone stood in silent reverence. Once the Eldest Princess personally received the phoenix lantern, the others held their own lanterns and followed slowly behind her.

Yan Yunti remained about two steps away from Yuan Jingxue. As Yuan Jingxue squatted down, everyone followed suit, watching as the Princess placed the lantern into the river. The lantern caught the current and drifted away into the distance.

Yuan Jingxue stood up. Almost in that exact instant, Yan Yunti instinctively sensed danger. A sudden surge erupted from the water nearby, and dozens of figures leapt out, firing crossbow bolts from their sleeves in unison!

“Look out!” Yan Yunti lunged forward, grabbing Yuan Jingxue’s sleeve to pull her down onto the deck, shielding her with her own body. In a flash, she drew a short blade from her leg, swinging it back to deflect the incoming bolts.

On the banks, the servants guarding the fireworks were unaware of the crisis on the boat. They ignited the fireworks according to the schedule. Amidst the continuous “bang, bang, bang” of explosions and under a sky full of colorful light, those dozens of assassins surged across the water, heading straight for the Eldest Princess!

Chaos immediately erupted on the boat!

Most of the accompanying ladies did not know martial arts. They fell into a panic, fleeing into the cabin in terror. Xiao Ran immediately led her men forward to surround and protect the Princess.

Yan Yunti snatched a longsword from a fallen guard’s waist, standing before Yuan Jingxue and deflecting over a dozen sleeve arrows in quick succession.

“This is bad, there are too many of them.” Xiao Ran watched as the guards fell one by one. Who could have imagined so many assassins were hidden in the water? Each was highly skilled, and despite hiding in the water for who knows how long, they showed no signs of exhaustion, fighting with increasing ferocity.

Surrounded by assassins, it was difficult for them to retreat into the cabin.

Xiao Ran maneuvered to Yan Yunti’s side. “I’ll draw them away! You take Her Highness back into the cabin and wait for reinforcements!”

With such a large commotion, the people on the following boats would surely notice something was wrong. They could only hope Ning Ruolan would react quickly!

“Alright!” Yan Yunti grabbed Yuan Jingxue’s hand and headed straight for the cabin.

Jin Si knew martial arts and blocked several arrows for them. Despite her arm being wounded, she used her strength to push Yuan Jingxue inside. “Your Highness, get inside quickly!”

Xiao Ran and her men held the assassins off desperately, finally buying them a moment of respite to slam the cabin door shut with a loud “bang.”

Inside, everyone listened in terror to the slaughter outside. Some, unable to handle the fear, had already begun to wail.

“Is Your Highness injured?” Yan Yunti asked immediately.

“I’m fine,” Yuan Jingxue shook her head, then looked at the girls who were nearly paralyzed with fear. “Now is not the time for crying. Look around for anything sharp that can be used as a weapon. Hold it in your hands. If it truly comes to the worst, you must fight for your own lives.”

Yuan Jingxue’s voice was calm and powerful. The panicked crowd began to search for usable items; even the girl who was crying gripped her hairpins tightly.

Yan Yunti pressed her short blade into Yuan Jingxue’s hand, saying solemnly: “Your Highness must also protect yourself.” Her eyes remained fixed on the movements outside, guarding against any assassins breaking in.

More and more people fell outside, and the smell of blood grew thicker.

Blood continued to drip from Yan Yunti’s longsword. Knowing she could fight, the girls huddled behind her, moving closer and closer to Yuan Jingxue.

Suddenly, a flash of silver caught the corner of Yan Yunti’s eye! The silver light was too close; Yan Yunti instantly raised her hand to block it. A silver hairpin plunged into the back of her hand. Her gaze met a face drenched in tears, but the eyes were filled with murderous intent!

“Sister Yuan Qi, what are you doing!” The girls who had just gathered scattered back in horror. A girl who knew Yuan Qi cried out, her voice trembling with uncontrollable fear.

The surname was Yuan; she was a member of the imperial clan.

Yuan Jingxue also knew her. She remembered Yuan Qi as timid and weak. Seeing her eyes bloodshot now, she realized something was wrong. “Knock her out.”

Yan Yunti snatched the hairpin and subdued her in a few moves, striking the back of Yuan Qi’s neck to knock her unconscious. Then, she pointed her blood-stained sword directly at the crowd in front of her. “No one is allowed to come closer! Otherwise, don’t expect to keep your lives!”

Who knew if there was a second “Yuan Qi” among them?

Yan Yunti trusted no one now. She guarded Yuan Jingxue closely, listening as the sounds of fighting outside grew weaker until, with a “bang,” someone burst through the rear cabin door. Two assassins rushed in, their sleeve arrows spent, charging with curved sabers.

The cabin was no longer safe. Yan Yunti decisively opened the door behind her and regrouped with Xiao Ran and Jin Si.

The deck outside was littered with corpses. Xiao Ran and Jin Si were both wounded, and few guards remained. However, of the dozens of assassins, only five were left. Behind the pleasure boat, a vessel filled with soldiers was rapidly approaching.

The five assassins looked at the unharmed Yuan Jingxue and charged more fiercely.

Yan Yunti scanned the five, locking eyes on the leader with the fastest blade. She said sideways to Jin Si: “Protect the Princess, I will handle that one.”

“Wait.” Yuan Jingxue instinctively reached for her sleeve but caught only air.

Yan Yunti had already engaged the assassin leader. The two were evenly matched in their struggle, which bought enough time for Xiao Ran and the others to deal with the remaining four.

The reinforcement boat drew alongside the pleasure boat, and dozens of iron hooks latched onto the deck. Soldiers leapt aboard, sprinting toward the front deck.

Yan Yunti could see the assassin leader was reaching his limit. She swung her sword with a heavy blow, sent his curved saber flying from his hand.

Reinforcements had swarmed the deck. Knowing the mission had failed, the assassin leader flung his arm out. There was one remaining sleeve arrow left in his bracer. It was aimed not at Yuan Jingxue, but at Yan Yunti.

Yuan Jingxue called out urgently: “Watch out for the arrow!”

Yan Yunti dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the bolt. Before she could steady herself, something tightened around her waist, and she was yanked backward.

She was already near the edge of the deck. Dragged by a long whip the assassin had produced, she plunged toward the water.

The river water at night was bone-chillingly cold. The moment Yan Yunti hit the water, her first thought was that it was lucky she was the one who fell. With her constitution and her ability to swim, nothing major should happen.

However, she soon realized something was wrong. She didn’t know if the water was too cold or if the fight had drained too much energy, but when she tried to move her limbs to swim upward, waves of fatigue and cold surged through her. She was so cold that her limbs grew stiff, and she actually began to sink.

The water surface was calm as soldiers jumped in one by one to save her.

Yuan Jingxue looked at the dark water. She knew Yan Yunti could swim and shouldn’t be in danger, but her heart would not settle. At that moment, her foot kicked a blessing lantern. The lotus leaves of the lantern were broken, and a slip of paper was blown open by the wind. The handwriting was clear: I only wish for Jingxue to be safe and happy for a lifetime.

She recognized it; it was Yan Yunti’s handwriting.

In that single instant, Yuan Jingxue felt as though she couldn’t think of anything else. She unfastened her cloak and plunged into the water.

Yuan Jingxue’s jump was so sudden that Jin Si cried out in alarm: “Your Highness!”

Submerged in the water, Yuan Jingxue couldn’t hear the shouts from the shore. She held her breath and focused, finding a trace of familiar Magnolia fragrance in the dark depths—it was the scent of the pheromone pills! The scent of the pills dispersed faster and more strongly in the water.

Following that trace of fragrance, Yuan Jingxue dove deeper. Seeing the dim, sinking figure, she accelerated her swim, grabbed Yan Yunti, and brought her to the surface as fast as she could.

“They’re up! Quickly, help Her Highness up!” Jin Si called out urgently.

Yuan Jingxue ignored her own state and looked at Xiao Ran: “She drowned, save her first!”

Xiao Ran immediately took Yan Yunti and pressed her chest to force the water out. Yuan Jingxue wrapped herself in a cloak and squatted by her side. Seeing Yan Yunti cough up river water, her heart eased slightly. She saw Yan Yunti’s eyelashes flutter; she opened her eyes and saw Yuan Jingxue first, and then she actually managed to smile. “Your Highness is okay… that’s good.”

Having said that, she seemed to lose all strength and lost consciousness again.

Yuan Jingxue’s heart tightened once more. Yan Yunti’s face was pale, her body ice-cold, and the wound on her hand from the hairpin was still bleeding.

Yuan Jingxue used a clean handkerchief to temporarily press down on the wound. Previously, she had always complained that Yan Yunti had too much energy; now, seeing her like this, she wished the girl would become vibrant and lively again, rather than lying there lifelessly.

“Your Highness, the assassins are all dead,” Xiao Ran approached and whispered.

Now, the nine accompanying ladies from the imperial clan and noble families were also under guard. The only living captive was Yuan Qi.

Yuan Jingxue’s clothes were soaked through. There were no clothes to change into on the boat, and she had no heart for it anyway. Hearing the report, she ordered: “Tell everyone outside that not a single word of today’s events is to be leaked. To the outside world, say that assassins attacked, the Princess was wounded and fell into the water, and Miss Yan was also heavily injured while protecting me. As soon as the boat docks, detain everyone immediately and take Miss Yan back to the traveling palace for treatment.”

“Yes,” Xiao Ran responded and went to give the orders.

The boat was heading back toward the shore. Many people had already gathered by the riverbank. Soldiers cleared the way, and the Eldest Princess’s carriage was waiting. As soon as the boat docked, surrounded by the crowd, Yuan Jingxue wrapped her cloak tightly and boarded the carriage weakly. Yan Yunti was also carried onto the carriage.

The interior was spacious, with clothes and heaters prepared. Xu Yuqing boarded the carriage and, at the Princess’s gesture, examined Yan Yunti first. “Miss Yan is exhausted and drowned, but fortunately she was rescued in time. There should be no major issues. She should wake up after resting for an hour or two.”

Hearing this, the heart Yuan Jingxue had been holding finally settled.

However, half an hour later, Xu Yuqing was called again. The person who should have been awake showed no signs of consciousness and had even developed a high fever. Her body was burning hot, appearing as though she had caught a severe chill.

“I will go prepare medicine now. If it is due to the cold, with Miss Yan’s constitution, two doses should wake her up,” Xu Yuqing said as she rose.

Yuan Jingxue caught the nuance in her words. Her gaze shifted from Yan Yunti to Xu Yuqing’s face. “Speak plainly. What do you mean by ‘if’?”

Xu Yuqing didn’t dare hide anything: “It is merely my speculation. Miss Yan’s pulse shows no problems. Logically, with her constitution, she shouldn’t have developed such a sudden and severe fever. But it’s hard to say; everyone’s body is different. Perhaps the river water was truly too cold.”

Yuan Jingxue understood. She ordered: “Prepare the medicine first. Then find Xiao Ran and have her give you the silver hairpin that wounded Miss Yan today. Inspect it carefully to see if there is any problem.”

“Yes.” Xu Yuqing stepped into the outer room, wrote the prescription, and went to find Xiao Ran.

Yuan Jingxue withdrew her gaze and looked at Yan Yunti again, her expression complex.

Now that things had settled, certain details began to link together in her mind—first, Yan Yunti asking Xu Yuqing about her high fever as a child; then, her insistence on teaching her to swim; today, her absolute insistence on joining the boat; and once on the boat, her eyes never leaving her, reacting almost the instant the assassins moved.

“Do you truly know something?” Yuan Jingxue reached out and touched Yan Yunti’s cheek. The scorching temperature caused all the thoughts in her mind to snap. She dipped a hot cloth into water, wrung it out, and laid it across Yan Yunti’s forehead. Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, the unconscious girl seemed to have a nightmare. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Yuan Jingxue’s fingers, murmuring: “Your Highness… don’t go… don’t go…”

The feverish girl’s brow was furrowed, looking as though she was in extreme discomfort.

Yuan Jingxue coaxed her in a low, soft voice: “I’m not going. I’m right here. Rest peacefully; you will be better soon.”

As if she understood, Yan Yunti pulled the Princess’s hand to her cheek, rubbing against it gently. She murmured in a low voice: “Your Highness… is mine…”

Yuan Jingxue didn’t know what she was dreaming of to say such words. Could she truly not let her go even now?