Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Tonight the moon is dark and the wind is high

Chapter 184: Tonight the moon is dark and the wind is high

Translator: 549690339

By the time they returned home, it was already nightfall.

Yang Yu had prepared dinner and was waiting for them.

Seeing the flower wreath on Su Liang’s head, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so beautiful! It must have been a gift from big brother Ning!”

Su Liang shook her head, “It’s from little cutie Zhengzheng.”

Yang Yu grinned in silence. Though Zhengzheng was a clever child, he was too young to create such delicate handiwork.

In this household, the most skilled and dexterous person was Ning Jing, according to Su Liang.

Yang Yu didn’t expose the truth, guessing that Ning Jing had made it himself and had given it to Su Liang under the guise of being from Zhengzheng. How awkward.

Zhengzheng had already been sent home by the two of them.

At dinner, Yang Yu asked about their visit to Changchun Garden during the day. In the afternoon, he had heard some of the feud between the two princes.

“Someone used to be quite stubborn, but now he’s much better.” Su Liang gave high praise for Nian Jincheng’s progress.

Hearing the details, Yang Yu couldn’t help but laugh, “I never would have guessed that he could be quite so cunning.”

Su Liang laughed and said, “Ning Jing told him that even off the battlefield, military strategies can still be applied.”

Yang Yu’s eyes lit up, “Right, he was originally a General, so he must be well-versed in military tactics.”

Ning Jing’s lips barely parted, “What would you call today’s act?” He was asking Su Liang.

After thinking about it, Su Liang replied, “This performance should be called

‘Hidden Dagger Behind a Smile.”‘

Yang Yu clapped and praised, “Exactly!”

“Have him teach you some later. It could be useful for business.” Su Liang said.

Yang Yu nodded, “I should definitely learn from him. But when will he be able to free himself? I’m always worried that someone will discover his flaw.”

Su Liang put down her chopsticks, “It’s a dark and windy moonless night tonight.”

Ning Jing put down his spoon, “I’ve had enough.” Once he spoke, he got up and left.

Technically, Yang Yu was a guest, but the central tenant of Ning Jing and Su Liang’s hospitality was “not treating you as an outsider.” As a result, Yang Yu had taken on most of the responsibility of cooking and washing dishes since moving in, which she was quite happy to do.

As she cleaned up the dishes, she asked Su Liang, “Have you two decided when you will bring back Xiaonian?”

“We’ll talk after tonight. Finish cleaning up and go to bed early with your door locked.” Su Liang left after saying this.

Yang Yu felt that there was something off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

While washing the dishes, Su Liang’s words “It’s a dark and windy moonless night tonight” resurfaced in Yang Yu’s mind. She quickly glanced outside, the wind had picked up, and dark clouds covered the moon.

Yang Yu then glanced at Ning Jing and Su Liang’s room. In the past, the pair would usually read or copy books late into the night, but it seemed odd that they had blown out the lights so early tonight.

Yang Yu had a feeling that they might have some kind of operation planned for tonight.

As Su Liang instructed, she cleaned up, returned to her room, locked the door, and went to bed. By now, she had developed the habit of hiding a dagger under her pillow.

At Wangxiang Mountain.

Ning Jing dragged Duanmu Ao out of the deep pit. He was motionless with his eyes closed, appearing as if he were already dead.

Su Liang bent down to check his breathing. Although it was weak, he was still alive.

He was severely hungry and mentally and physically weak.

Su Liang didn’t plan to say anything else to Duanmu Ao. She filled the pit back in with Ning Jing and restored it to its original state.

Ning Jing stuffed Duanmu Ao into a sack, slung it over his shoulder, and the two of them descended the mountain together.

“He’s too dirty. Last time we met, I saw a pond nearby. Let’s throw him in to wash up,” Su Liang said.

After all, Duanmu Ao needed to regain his identity before he died.

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Ning Jing returned. Duanmu Ao had almost drowned and almost frozen to death.

Ning Jing had already learned about the security situation of the Second Prince’s mansion from Nian Jincheng and had chosen the best route.

Using the excuse that he was in a bad mood, Nian Jincheng had all of his servants stay far away from him. He was alone in his room, without lighting a lamp, lying on the bed with a dagger clenched in his hand under the covers, his eyes wide open, waiting for Ning Jing to arrive.

The dagger was for the assassin. In case Ning Jing came late, Nian Jincheng needed to deal with the situation himself. Ning Jing had explained that if something went wrong, he should use the Poison Smoke Pills given to him by Su Liang. It was better to leave than to worry about the aftermath.

Only a quarter of an hour was left until midnight.

A few noises came from the rear window, and Nian Jincheng immediately sat up, got out from under the covers, and stepped out of bed, fully dressed with shoes and socks still on.

Just as he was putting away the dagger, Ning Jing and Su Liang entered. Nian Jincheng let out a sigh of relief and took the sack from Ning Jing’s hands.

“Turn around.” Ning Jing told Su Liang.

Su Liang hesitated for a moment but turned her back quickly.

Nian Jincheng opened the sack and saw Duanmu Ao inside, naked. The corner of his mouth twitched, and on Ning Jing’s order, he dressed Duanmu Ao in clothes.

While Ning Jing had been “washing” Duanmu Ao, he had removed and burned all of his dirty clothes. To avoid getting dirt on Duanmu Ao, he had even washed the sack clean. As a result, Ning Jing’s shoulder was damp from the water.

At this time, it was nighttime, and all Nian Jincheng needed to do was put Duanmu Ao in his underclothes, skip the socks and shoes, and lay him on the bed cover.

“We need to hurry up,” Nian Jincheng whispered.

Ning Jing patted Su Liang’s shoulder. When she turned around and walked by the bed, she bent down and pulled her trusty Twin Blades from her lower leg.

After being tormented in succession, Duanmu Ao was now awake and conscious.

Seeing Su Liang, his eyes filled with icy coldness. Duanmu Ao’s eyes widened, and he uttered a word, “You…”

A flash of two cold glints, and Su Liang’s Twin Blades both pierced through the covers and penetrated Duanmu Ao’s body!

Duanmu Ao coughed up blood continuously, his awareness scattered, and he heard Su Liang’s chilling voice, “An eye for an eye, a life for a life. It’s only fair.” Su Liang pulled out her blades, the covers were stained with fresh blood.

Su Liang then slashed several cuts on Duanmu Ao’s neck to cover up the marks left by the whip she had used to torture him during their previous interrogation.

Ning Iing took a rope they had brought with them and tied it to the beam

above.

Nian Jincheng threw the blood-stained covers on the ground, dragged the dying Duanmu Ao from the bed, pulled him over, raised him up, and slipped the noose around his neck.

From start to finish, all three of them were careful to avoid getting blood on their shoes and not leave any footprints.

“You take him away.” Ning Jing said to Su Liang.

After Su Liang and Nian Jincheng left through the rear window, Ning Jing looked at Duanmu Ao, who had already stopped breathing. He threw a colorless, odorless Incense Ball into the incense burner and disappeared from the room.

Midnight arrived.

A dark figure dodged the guards of the Second Prince’s mansion and approached Duanmu Ao’s room in silence.

Upon entering, they were greeted by the strong smell of blood.

By the moonlight shining through the window, the assassin saw the person hanging from the beam. Knowing that something was amiss, they were about to leave when they heard someone outside shouting, “There’s a fire! Hurry up and put it out!”

The assassin tried to leave along the same route, only to find a crowd gathering around him. He wanted to find a place to hide for a while, but suddenly felt weak and dizzy. He did not manage to walk far before collapsing on the ground.

Someone appeared beside him and stuffed a medicine bottle and a blood-stained cloth into his clothes. After putting another medicine bottle in his hand, they left.

After leaving the Second Prince’s residence, Su Liang and Nian Jincheng went straight home.

Once home, Nian Jincheng finally spoke up, “Will Aling be alright?”

Su Liang shook his head, “Before he recovers his identity, don’t call him by that name.”

In fact, Su Liang was worried that Yan Shiba might overhear this since she was powerful. If she happened to be hiding nearby, they might not notice. It was not unusual for Yan Shiba to suddenly appear in Su Liang’s house.

“Alright.” Nian Jincheng nodded, “Will he be alright?”

Su Liang calmly replied, “We’ll know when he returns.”

Nian Jincheng: …This definitely sounded like something someone else would say.

“Is Yang Yu still at home?” Nian Jincheng asked.

“Yes,” Su Liang replied, “Go wake her up and let her know you’re alright. She’s been worried about you.”

Nian Jincheng nodded, hesitating, “Shouldn’t we wait until tomorrow?”

“Go now,” Su Liang insisted. A pleasant surprise is best experienced as soon as possible.

“Alright,” Nian Jincheng had already grown accustomed to Su Liang and Ning Jing’an making arrangements for him.

Ning Jing had not yet returned home, but Su Liang was genuinely not worried. Having been kept informed and meticulously prepared, there was little chance of anything going wrong tonight.

For example, Ning Jing had burned Duanmu Ao’s dirty clothes, and the rope he used to hang Duanmu Ao had been stolen from Duanmu Cheng’s residence. The sedatives and antidote that he placed on the assassin’s body were not made by Su Liang but had been bought from the black market.

Su Liang had disposed of the original medicines and had specifically made more potent sedatives and inferior antidotes for Duanmu Ao, then placed them back into the original bottles.

Ning Jing took a handkerchief of Duanmu Ao’s, stained it with blood, and put it on the assassin’s body, creating the false impression that the assassin had wiped his bloodied knife with the cloth.

The fire at the Second Prince’s residence had been started by Ning Jing sneaking into the servants’ quarters and knocking over an oil lamp. This would not leave any traces and would confirm that the servants had fled the room.

There were many people putting out the fire, and their messy footprints would help cover up their own footprints coming and going.

With Duanmu Ao’s death, the only clue left behind would be that of the

“assassin who bought inferior sedatives and passed out after killing Duanmu Ao, failing to escape.”

Nian Jincheng knocked on Yang Yu’s door. When she woke up and heard his voice, she released the dagger in her hand and got out of bed without taking off her clothes, fearing danger.

“You’re back?” Yang Yu was genuinely surprised, “Are you alright?”

While waiting outside, Nian Jincheng had already washed off his disguise with the medicine Su Liang had given him.

Seeing Yang Yu’s eyes sparkling at him, Nian Jincheng’s heart softened. He nodded and said, “I’m fine.”

“Are Su Liang and Ning Jing alright?” Yang Yu stepped out and saw the light in Su Liang’s room. She breathed a sigh of relief, “They didn’t tell me they were going to rescue you tonight.”

“Ning Jing hasn’t returned yet, but he should be alright,” Nian Jincheng said.

As soon as his words fell, Yang Yu saw Ning Jing walking through the courtyard gate. He was wearing a night-walk outfit, holding a small mouse folded from a black cloth used for masking faces. His face was cold, as if he had just returned from a night out.

Nian Jincheng didn’t ask any more questions and saw Ning Jing heading towards the kitchen.

“What exactly happened?” Yang Yu was very curious.

Nian Jincheng then recounted the events to her.

Yang Yu marveled at their prowess, ‘You guys are amazing! That shameless and wicked Second Prince deserved to die! The Eldest Prince was going to kill him anyway, so it’s not unjust for him to take the blame!”

Nian Jincheng was somewhat embarrassed by the praise, “I just followed their arrangements. ”

“Today, Su Liang praised you, saying that you used to be single-minded, but now you can ‘hide a knife in a smile.”‘ Yang Yu said with a smile.

Nian Jincheng knew that Yang Yu was sincerely praising him, but he felt like he was being scolded.

“Let me make you some hot water, are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you!” Yang Yu said.

“No need, it’s too late. I don’t want to bother you anymore. You should go and rest,” Nian Jincheng waved his hand.

“Don’t be polite, we’re not outsiders,” Yang Yu smiled and said, “I’m awake now, and I can’t sleep anyway. I’ll go ask Su Liang and Ning Jing if they want a late-night snack. You’ve all worked hard.”

Nian Jincheng saw Yang Yu walking out, and he originally wanted to go back to his room to change his clothes, but he followed her, “Then I’ll go make a fire for you.” In usual days, when Su Liang cooked, it was Ning Jing who made the fire.

“Great!” Yang Yu nodded.

Ning Jing went back to his room after washing his hands in the kitchen, but he hadn’t slept yet.

Yang Yu asked them what they wanted to eat, but Su Liang and Ning Jing both said they weren’t hungry.

“Maybe we should forget about it,” Nian Jincheng said.

“I’m hungry,” Yang Yu smiled, “Go ahead and make a fire. I want to hear more about your experiences these past couple of days.”

Nian Jincheng sat down on a small stool, put firewood in the stove, and watched the flames ignite. As he talked about his experiences with Yang Yu over the past few days, his heart gradually warmed.

In the end, Yang Yu made two bowls of noodles and she and Nian Jincheng ate in the kitchen.

“When the incident is exposed tomorrow, the Eldest Prince will definitely accuse Su Liang of killing the Second Prince and slander him,” Yang Yu said.

Nian Jincheng hummed softly, “This frame-up is carefully prepared by Su Liang, he’ll bear it for sure!”

Early the next morning, the news that the new Crown Prince Duanmu Ao was assassinated last night shocked the entire capital city!

Duanmu Chen got up early and was about to enter the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager Wan and perform filial piety; he was stunned when he heard that Duanmu Ao had died so tragically.

He had an intuition that it was Su Liang who had done it, and thought that the girl really dared to act when she found out the truth and didn’t dawdle at all.

Soon after, someone from the palace came, and Duanmu Yi ordered Duanmu Chen to enter the palace immediately.

On the way to the palace, Duanmu Chen wondered how he should deal with it if any evidence pointed to Su Liang. In any case, he had to guide the suspicion towards Duanmu Cheng, but he couldn’t make it too obvious. Even now, some people still suspected that Su Liang was on his side.

When Duanmu Chen saw Duanmu Yi, he was in Cil an Palace, where the Empress Dowager Wan and Empress Wan were weeping inconsolably.

Duanmu Chen found it strange – since Duanmu Ao’s body hadn’t been brought into the palace yet, shouldn’t they cry beside the coffin instead?

As it turned out, Duanmu Chen soon found out the real reason Wan and Empress Wan cried so bitterly in the palace: not only because of Duanmu Ao’s tragic death but also because the murderer was Duanmu Cheng! Duanmu Yi wanted to execute Duanmu Cheng!

Duanmu Chen was dumbfounded, though it didn’t show on his face.

He had thought that Su Liang would take action, and that no matter whether Duanmu Cheng or Duanmu Ao died first, she would be suspected and it would be difficult for her to take action against the other one.

Duanmu Chen had also thought that if Duanmu Ao or Duanmu Cheng died, Su Liang would lead the suspicion to the one who was still alive.

But he never thought that it would be decided so quickly!

Duanmu Yi’s face was pale, “The assassin who killed the Second Prince was one of the Eldest Prince’s men. Their aphrodisiac incense and antidote had problems, causing them to become intoxicated and unable to escape.”

Duanmu Chen believed that if Duanmu Yi said this, he must have investigated it thoroughly. Although there were Death Soldiers, sometimes even if they didn’t speak, it was not impossible to find out the identity of their master.

At this moment, Duanmu Chen felt that it was indeed Duanmu Cheng who had sent the assassin to kill Duanmu Ao, hoping to pin the blame on Su Liang.

The assassin being intoxicated by their own aphrodisiac incense… no matter how Duanmu Chen thought about it, it seemed strange. It wasn’t impossible, but he had an intuition that Su Liang must have participated in it somehow!

“Bring Su Liang to come and treat my mother,” Duanmu Yi ordered. He no longer paid attention to Wan and Empress Wan’s pleading and left Cilan Palace with Duanmu Chen..