Chapter 216: Chapter 216: What Frustrated Xie Jinbai the Most

’Just think about it. Aren’t you being a bit too cruel to me...’

Every word he spoke was laced with resentment, as if each one were drawn from blood.

Cui Lingyao’s heart ached at his words.

"You were scared? Don’t you think I was scared, too?"

She sniffled. "In a situation like that, what was I supposed to do? Just stand by and watch my sister-in-law fall to her death? I was thinking of you, too. I didn’t try to catch her; I just shielded her from two sharp edges."

’She had her own selfish worries. She was terrified.’

’In the instant she lunged forward, Cui Lingyao had even felt a pang of regret.’

’She thought that it was a risk she shouldn’t have taken.’

’But her brother had always been so good to her, and Xie Anning, her sister-in-law, had doted on her for years.’

’No matter what, she just couldn’t bring herself to watch someone die violently right before her eyes.’

’Was that wrong?’

’Was she really just being a fool?’

She was in agony, yet she had to endure his biting sarcasm.

Cui Lingyao finally broke, her voice catching in a sob. "I almost died again, but all you can think about is how worried you were! Why don’t you ever think about how scared I was?"

Her lashes were drenched.

Teardrops slid down her cheeks.

Her nose twitched as she sniffled, a heart-wrenching sight.

Xie Jinbai stared at her, no longer having the heart to mock her for bringing this upon herself. Instead, he reached out, carefully avoiding her bandaged left shoulder, and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her back.

After a long moment, her emotions subsided. He lowered his head, kissing her tear-stained lashes, and said softly, "Since you know what it is to be afraid, don’t do this again. I never want to go through that kind of terror again."

’If she had just been willing to abandon Chen Minrou from the start, the four Hidden Guards he had arranged would have been enough to escort her to safety.’

’But she couldn’t bring herself to leave Chen Minrou behind, and the four Hidden Guards couldn’t break through the encirclement while protecting two people. They had no choice but to stay and fight.’

’Even then, given the Hidden Guards’ skills, they shouldn’t have been in any real danger.’

’But then Xie Anning appeared on that crazed horse, shattering their defensive formation.’

’And she, completely disregarding her own safety, had run right over to act as a human cushion.’

’Putting herself in mortal danger.’

’It was a hair’s breadth away from disaster.’

This was what infuriated Xie Jinbai the most!

’He valued her as much as his own life, but what about her?’

Cui Lingyao couldn’t win the argument, but she still didn’t feel she had done anything wrong, so she certainly wasn’t about to back down.

So she just stubbornly tilted her chin, her face set, and remained silent.

Xie Jinbai caressed her cheek, a slight smile playing on his lips. "If it were me today, putting myself in danger to save someone else, would you be angry?"

"..." Cui Lingyao didn’t answer.

But the stiffness in her neck eased a bit.

’She would be angry, too.’

A flicker of light in Xie Jinbai’s eyes, he asked again, "And if it were me using my body as a human cushion for someone else, and you saw it with your own eyes, how would you feel then?"

"..." Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together and glared at him. "Even if you have a right to be angry, that doesn’t mean I was wrong."

’So stubborn.’

Xie Jinbai sighed and pulled her closer. "Alright, you weren’t wrong. You’re the most loyal and compassionate girl there is."

’It would be even better if all that loyalty and compassion were reserved for him alone.’

The knot of frustration in Cui Lingyao’s chest hadn’t loosened. "You blame me for not thinking about you, but when you get angry, you don’t think about me either, do you?"

’She was in so much pain, and all he did was mock her with that passive-aggressive sarcasm.’

Xie Jinbai gave a wry smile. He wanted to ask what more she expected of him.

But in the end, he didn’t offer a single word of defense. He just silently held her tighter.

The atmosphere in the room finally softened.

Outside, the last rays of the setting sun were fading.

On the training grounds, the young lords and ladies who had been forced to stay behind were growing restless.

The sky was growing dark, but there was still no sign of them being released. Surely they wouldn’t be kept here overnight?

It was the middle of winter.

The air was cold and heavy with frost, yet they hadn’t been offered so much as a sip of hot tea, let alone any refreshments.

They were cold and hungry.

These young lords and ladies had never suffered such hardship.

Many people had come today, involving all the great families of the Capital City. Detaining all of them was indeed a serious matter.

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Yong knocked on the door to ask for instructions.

A moment later, the door opened from within.

Xie Jinbai stepped out alone. "Has Liu Rong returned?"

Liu Rong had been sent to investigate the dense woods near the scene of the incident.

Li Yong shook his head slightly. Just as he was about to speak, the sound of hooves echoed in the distance.

It was Liu Rong, returning.

He knelt on one knee and reported his findings in full.

These assassins were all death warriors. There were forty-two in total. After the assassination failed, none were left alive.

None of the weapons or arrows bore any markings.

They had no tattoos on their bodies either.

Their identities could not be determined from the bodies.

But this was the Royal Manor. It’s impossible for forty-two assassins to appear out of thin air without leaving a single trace.

Xie Jinbai asked, "Where is the official in charge of this place?"

"..."

Liu Rong’s expression became troubled. "The Lord Chief’s surname is Zhu. He was once an Imperial Guard, bestowed upon Prince Ping by the late Emperor. When Prince Ping left the palace to establish his own residence, Zhu followed and became the Guard Commander for the Prince Ping Mansion. Three years ago, he injured his arm while saving his master. Prince Ping requested a boon from the Empress on his behalf, having him transferred here to oversee the Horse Racing Ground. He... when your subordinate went to arrest him just now, we found he had already taken poison and killed himself."

The manager of the Royal Manor held the position of a fifth-rank official.

It was hard to say whether that was a more respectable position than Guard Commander of the Prince Ping Mansion.

After all, Prince Ping was the Emperor’s own younger brother, placing him at the very apex of the Capital City’s nobility.

The Guard Commander of his mansion would be shown a measure of respect wherever he went.

But a mere manager of a manor...

Even with the rank of a fifth-rank official, it was still just a job serving the nobility.

Do the job well, and it was expected.

But if any noble came to harm here, he would be the first to be blamed.

This was the ’boon’ he received for saving his master?

More like planting a sleeper agent.

And now, that agent had been activated, and was also dead.

A vicious light flashed in Xie Jinbai’s eyes. "Where is Zhao Shijie? If he’s not dead, have him haul himself over here."

’After all these years under my command, it’s time he made himself useful.’

’Isn’t he supposed to be meticulous? Infallible in his strategies?’

’He’d better find the mastermind for me, and quickly.’

’Was it the Empress, or Prince Ping?’

’Or was it both of them?’

’And what role did Xie Anning play in all this? Did she know what was going on?’

’All of it had to be investigated.’

In truth, the details of the conspiracy weren’t that important to Xie Jinbai.

The ultimate culprit was either the Empress or Prince Ping. As for whether anyone else in the Prince Ping Mansion was innocent, he couldn’t care less.

They were all going to die anyway.

Anyone who dared to lay a hand on the woman who slept by his side had better be prepared for their entire clan to be annihilated.

But Xie Anning was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Cui Family, and that girl of his would never allow him to wield the butcher’s knife indiscriminately without first uncovering the truth.

In that case, he was willing to give her the truth she wanted.

Liu Rong wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried away to summon the man.

Xie Jinbai stood quietly for a moment. Once the murderous intent filling his chest had subsided, he turned to go back inside.

"Your Highness," Li Yong said, steeling himself to step forward and ask, "Regarding the people on the training grounds... do you think we should let them go?"

Xie Jinbai paused. A thought occurred to him. He glanced over his shoulder. "Aside from the two young ladies from the Shen Family, did anyone else from their family come?"

Li Yong replied, "Only the two young ladies. They arrived with the youngest daughter of the Chen Family’s main line."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.