Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 107

Shen Xingyue galloped toward the city gate with her guards close behind. The refugees, seeing that she was surrounded by heavily armored and armed soldiers, retreated like a receding tide—none dared to press forward again.

In the area where the crowd had just dispersed, many uninjured soldiers rushed to check on the Crown Princess and Wu Ren. Shen Xingyue could hear their frantic cries:

“Your Highness, please wake up!”

“How is Her Highness? Someone fetch a physician—quickly!”

“Summon the imperial doctors!”

These guards had been personally assigned by the Empress to protect the Crown Princess. If anything had happened to Shen Yining, none of them would escape responsibility.

Shen Xingyue rode forward and hastily dismounted. She ordered the soldiers crowding around Shen Yining to move aside.

“Step aside—the Grand Princess has arrived!”

“Clear the way! Make way for Her Grace!”

The palace guards, flustered, quickly parted to make room for Shen Xingyue. Flanked by the Yuning Guard, she made her way forward—only to see Shen Yining lying on the ground, her face pale with a bluish tint, two arrows embedded in her shoulders. The blood around the wounds had turned dark, a clear sign of poisoning.

Without hesitation, Shen Xingyue shoved aside the remaining guards and stumbled toward her. “Your Highness—are you alright? Ning’er, don’t scare me. I’m here now. I’ve come to save you. Don’t be afraid… please don’t be afraid…”

Tears streamed down Shen Xingyue’s face as she reached out to check Shen Yining’s breathing—but she could feel no air.

“No… no… this can’t be happening! Lu Xiu, did you bring a military physician? Hurry! Get the physician—now! Save Her Highness!”

Her voice broke as she shouted. Shen Xingyue had always seen this “little Miss Proper” as a younger sister. She had just begun to feel a sense of belonging in this world, and now she was faced with the cruel possibility of losing her cousin right before her eyes.

Lu Xiu quickly dragged the Yuning Guard’s physician over. “Check on Her Highness—now!”

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Lu Xiu as well. He was trembling with dread.

The physician tried to salute but was immediately cut off by Shen Xingyue’s hoarse cry, her voice laced with desperation. “What are you doing?! There’s no time for formalities—examine her now!”

“Yes—yes, right away!” the doctor stammered. Cold sweat poured down his face as he knelt beside Shen Yining, checking her nostrils for breath and her wrist for a pulse.

Nothing.

Trembling, he couldn’t even bring himself to look at Shen Xingyue.

She grabbed him by the collar, her voice sharp with urgency. “Well? How is she? What’s Her Highness’s condition?!”

Terrified, the physician burst into tears and knelt to plead. “Forgive me, Your Grace! Forgive me! Her Highness… Her Highness has passed. But it wasn’t my fault—please, have mercy!”

Shen Xingyue slowly let go of his collar. Her entire body seemed to lose its strength. She collapsed to her knees beside Shen Yining, whispering in disbelief, “No… it’s not true. You’re the Crown Princess… you can’t die like this… There must be a way. There has to be a way. Physician! Save her—please, save her!”

She looked down at Shen Yining’s lifeless body—and in her hand, still clutched tightly even in death, was the little white pig-shaped sachet. Shen Xingyue’s tears fell like rain.

The physician, terrified, remained kneeling, kowtowing repeatedly in fear and guilt.

Seeing Shen Xingyue’s state, Lu Xiu stepped forward and tried to steady her. “Your Grace, please… control your grief. The city is still in turmoil. The southern gate needs your leadership. You must take care of yourself.”

Shen Xingyue wiped her face, her chest heaving with suppressed emotion. The hope of Beichuan’s future—her beloved younger cousin—was gone. Shen Yining hadn’t even had the chance to marry… hadn’t been able to say goodbye to her beloved. How had it all come to this?

Her gaze fell on the arrows in Shen Yining’s chest, then swept across the battlefield. Hundreds of people lay dead—guards, refugees—most from trampling and suffocation. Yet only five or six people around Shen Yining had been hit by arrows.

That could only mean one thing: Shen Yining had been specifically targeted.

Shen Xingyue forced herself to stand. Her eyes swept over the surrounding scene as she shouted, her voice sharp and commanding: “Someone used this chaos to deliberately assassinate the Crown Princess. The arrows that struck her were clearly premeditated.”

“To all guards stationed at the South Gate—including those brought from the palace—secure the gate immediately. Anyone who dares force their way into the capital again… kill them on the spot!”

“Yes, Your Grace!” the South Gate commander immediately rallied the remaining forces. Along with the palace guards, they reinforced the gate. What they had been lacking was a commanding presence. With Shen Xingyue now in charge, they finally had someone to follow.

Shen Xingyue took a deep breath, then turned to the lingering crowd of onlookers. Her voice rang out cold and hard: “You people—before this, you may have still been called refugees. But Her Highness’s death is partly your fault. You were incited by others, unable to distinguish right from wrong. In my eyes, you’re complicit. Lu Xiu—have our troops surround this entire area. No one is to leave. Every single one of them will await the Empress’s judgment. If anyone tries to escape or incite more chaos… execute them immediately. I, Shen Xingyue, will take full responsibility!”

“Yes, Your Grace. Leave it to me. Guards, protect Her Grace!”

Lu Xiu took the order and gave a signal with his command banner. The outer ring of Yuning Guard cavalry and foot soldiers began closing in, encircling all the refugees who had gathered at the South Gate.

But there were still those who refused to obey. From within the crowd came panicked cries:

“Run! They’re going to kill us all!”

“We can’t stay here and wait to die. The Crown Princess is dead—there’s no way the Emperor will forgive us. Run!”

“Brothers, let’s charge! We’ll fight our way out—they can’t stop all of us!”

“That’s right! If we’re going to die, let’s take those nobles with us!”

“Kill them! Charge with me!”

More than a dozen refugees had scavenged sabers from fallen guards and now rushed toward Shen Xingyue’s position. But beside her were Ziyi and over a hundred armored cavalry soldiers from the Yuning Guard. Seeing the refugees prepare to kill again, the soldiers charged immediately.

It only took a dozen riders to cut down every one of the attackers. In just moments, all those who had dared to assault Shen Xingyue lay dead on the ground.

She motioned for the cavalry to clear a path, then looked coldly at the bodies lying in the dirt. “Hang their corpses along the city wall. Let this be a warning—anyone who dares cause further unrest will end up the same.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” The riders obeyed and, with the help of the city patrol, hoisted the bodies onto the wall.

With this brutal example set, fear spread among the refugees. Many froze in place, too afraid to move. A few still tried to flee, but they did not get far—not from Han Shu’s army.

Han Shu had received the Empress’s decree and had urgently mobilized her forces. Though her location was farther out, she galloped at top speed with her cavalry. Aware that this was a riot among refugees, Han Shu had her commanders advance in an encirclement formation toward the South Gate. Any stragglers attempting to flee were quickly captured and driven back.

Han Shu herself led a small detachment, galloping ahead to the gate. Her primary mission was not to deal with refugees—but to rescue the Crown Princess.

As she neared the South Gate, she saw that the situation had already stabilized. Groups of rioters sat in clusters, holding their heads and squatting silently. Dozens of corpses hung on the city walls.

Then, she saw Shen Xingyue—and rushed forward, quickly dismounting to offer a salute. “Your Grace—has the situation been brought under control? What of Her Highness?”

Shen Xingyue’s eyes were red, her face solemn. She pointed behind her.

Han Shu followed her gaze—and froze where she stood.

There, behind Shen Xingyue, lay Shen Yining’s lifeless body.

Han Shu felt like she’d been struck by lightning. She had never imagined something would happen to the Crown Princess. Among the Emperor’s three children, only Shen Yining had the calm, integrity, and strength of character fit to inherit the throne. The other two, a prince and a princess, while polite on the surface, were not as harmonious as they seemed.

Even though Han Shu had long been stationed at the borders, she had heard enough whispers and rumors about them. Both had been quietly recruiting supporters within the court.

If someone like them were to ascend the throne, Beichuan would surely plunge into turmoil. Even the Han family army might not escape unscathed.

“How could this have happened?” Han Shu stepped quickly to Shen Yining’s side, checked her breath, then slowly lowered her hand in silence.

Shen Xingyue took several deep breaths to steady her emotions before finally looking at Han Shu. “These rioters were incited. They surrounded and trampled Her Highness and Lord Wu Ren. Amid the chaos, someone took the opportunity to fire poisoned arrows and assassinate the Crown Princess.”

Her gaze dropped back to Shen Yining’s lifeless body, then turned to Han Shu. She spoke firmly, “General Han, the situation at the South Gate is mostly under control now. Keep your men stationed here and do not allow any of the rioters to escape. The Crown Princess, Lord Wu, and the hundreds of palace guards who died from trampling and suffocation deserve justice. If anyone tries to stir up trouble again, you have my full authority to shoot them on sight. I’ll take responsibility. I’ll return to the palace with the Yuning Guard to report to Her Majesty. As for how to deal with these rioters—that will be for the Empress to decide.”

“Understood, Your Grace. My troops have the area completely surrounded on all sides. Please be careful on your way back—I fear some of the thugs that entered the city may still be causing chaos,” Han Shu replied.

Shen Xingyue gave a solemn nod. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

She then ordered a makeshift stretcher to be prepared. Shen Yining’s and Wu Ren’s bodies were gently laid out and covered with cloaks. Four soldiers were assigned to carry each one, following closely behind the main group.

Mounting her horse, Shen Xingyue led the Yuning Guard toward the South Gate. The city guards recognized her and immediately opened the path to let them through.

She turned to Lu Xiu and ordered, “Take one thousand soldiers. Search the surrounding areas. Any rioters caught looting, killing, or setting fires—arrest them immediately. If they resist, shoot them on the spot. The rest of you, follow me to the palace.”

“Yes, Your Grace! Rest assured—I will capture every last one of them,” Lu Xiu replied, bowing deeply.

“Good. Go now,” she said.

After giving her orders, Shen Xingyue felt cold from head to toe. She didn’t dare dwell on Shen Yining’s death. Just recalling her “little Miss Proper” was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She had never felt this kind of pain before. Her cousin—her dear little sister—was just fine yesterday, even asking her to deliver a letter. And now… she was gone.

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