Outside the door, a slender figure stood against the wind.
Ji Zizhao lifted the curtain and pushed the door open, her brow furrowing instinctively.
She smelled a faint scent of blood mixed with the biting wind.
Before Ji Zizhao could react, a dark shadow was flung towards her, hitting her head and face.
Instantly, all the weight pressed down on Ji Zizhao.
Ji Zizhao instinctively reached out to embrace the tall, slender body, feeling a sticky sensation in her palm.
In the moonlight, the crimson in her palm was clearly visible.
Xie Jinglan was injured?!
The weight on her body increased, nearly suffocating Ji Zizhao.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of a small figure standing not far away. Ji Zizhao immediately said coldly, "Don't just stand there gawking! Come over and help!"
Taohua, "..."
Who said he was gawking?
He was simply shocked from the bottom of his heart, plus...
A sliver of defeat.
Who would have thought that Mohen and Xueying, who could always attack him from both inside and out, would be so vulnerable before Xie Jinglan.
He had dealt with both of them in almost a single move.
And it was all done silently.
For an assassin, this was a huge shock, both visually and psychologically.
However, facing Ji Zizhao's command, Taohua dared not delay. After all, he still couldn't beat her...
With Taohua's help, Ji Zizhao managed to help Xie Jinglan onto her bed and lay him flat.
In the candlelight, Xie Jinglan's white robe was already stained crimson. His forehead, full and broad, was covered in sweat, and his fair cheeks had become almost transparent from blood loss.
Ji Zizhao dared not delay, and quickly unbuttoned Xie Jinglan's clothes.
As the inner garment was lifted, a fist-sized bloody cavity was revealed.
It was the mark of a blunt object piercing directly through, from the chest straight through to the back, with the flesh and veins clearly visible.
Even Taohua couldn't help but frown at the bloody wound.
Ji Zizhao, however, did not delay at all. After checking that there were no signs of poisoning near the wound, she quickly opened her medicine box, took out the medicinal powder she usually prepared, and sprinkled it on Xie Jinglan's wound in a specific proportion. After the bleeding stopped, she then put a life-saving pill into his mouth.
Before long, Xie Jinglan's breathing had shifted from weak to steady.
Ji Zizhao then reached out to feel Xie Jinglan's pulse, and then took out silk thread and silver needles, sewing them layer by layer around the wound.
Taohua stood by watching, his mouth agape.
He had seen Xie Jinglan get injured with his own eyes and had followed him all the way. Knowing how severe Xie Jinglan's injuries were, he had already envisioned him being laid to rest. But now...
He was actually saved?!
Taohua's worldview had been completely overturned!
In the quiet room, Ji Zizhao's busy movements were clearly audible.
The candlelight cast a faint glow on her dark eyes. Her fair face showed no panic, but rather a calm and composed demeanor, handled with ease.
It was as if no matter how severe the injury, it was nothing in her eyes.
At this moment, if Ji Zizhao said she could bring the dead back to life, Taohua would believe her.
Especially her calm eyes and confident composure reminded Taohua of someone.
Someone he had met in Turkestan...
"Who injured him?" Ji Zizhao's voice suddenly rang out, light and steady.
Taohua was startled. "How did you know I knew?"
"If you were by his side, you must have been monitoring him. Therefore, from the moment the incident occurred until now, you should have witnessed it all."
Assassins were typically introverted and experienced. Taohua would not have deliberately appeared after Xie Jinglan was injured, exposing himself to Xie Jinglan.
So, it could only mean that Taohua had been following Xie Jinglan before the incident.
Taohua was stunned.
This was even possible?!
If he hadn't followed Xie Jinglan all along, he would have truly believed Ji Zizhao had seen it herself.
Otherwise, how could she have said it so accurately!
"It should be the Western Rong people."
"Mm."
Taohua, "..."
Mm, what did that mean?
"Aren't you surprised?" Taohua genuinely thought he was mistaken, otherwise why would he see Ji Zizhao so calm, without any surprise at all?
"If I hadn't suspected it, I wouldn't have let you track him."
"But the struggle for power among the princes of Yulin is so intense. Haven't you considered that it might be another prince?"
"Although the Seventh Prince is highly favored in Tonglin, the more attention he gets, the less likely it is that the Fourth Prince in the imperial city would be targeted. After all, the good relationship between the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince is well known. If the Fourth Prince were injured, none of the princes would be free from suspicion. Moreover, the Fourth Prince was raised under the Empress's care. Even though the Empress is in the inner palace, she is not someone anyone can easily provoke."
Taohua was truly...
Utterly impressed!
He always thought that interacting with Ji Zizhao would only cause him to age faster, but now it seemed he could also gain knowledge.
"Today, I saw another secret letter delivered to the Fourth Prince's mansion, so I paid more attention. Unexpectedly, I saw the Fourth Prince leave late at night. I quietly followed him and saw the Fourth Prince meeting with a man in black. Because I was far away, I couldn't hear their conversation."
"What about that person?"
"Dead."
Taohua said, nodding towards Xie Jinglan on the bed.
The meaning was self-evident.
"I understand. You may leave." Ji Zizhao nodded, her demeanor calm from beginning to end.
This time, Taohua did not say any more and walked towards the door.
After all, Xie Jinglan's martial arts were too high. If he were exposed, he probably wouldn't have a good ending.
However, when he reached the door, Taohua paused and said, "Today's matter is on the house."
Ji Zizhao looked up in confusion. She didn't believe an assassin would be so kind.
Taohua, seeing her gaze, became a little flustered, his face turning as red as a persimmon. "Why are you looking at me like that? I used to think that using my brain was enough when facing problems, but now I think maybe using my brain is not bad either... Today's matter is considered tuition. It's not too late to kill you next time!"
With that, he turned and fled out the door without looking back.
Ji Zizhao, "..."
She actually wanted to say that people with strong limbs usually have simple minds.
Otherwise, in the imperial court, civil officials wouldn't always be in charge.
However, she decided to let it go. She would consider herself indebted to him for today's events.
As for Xie Jinglan...
This fellow was truly an exception.
An exception with extremely abnormal intelligence and physique.
Her hand was suddenly grabbed, tightly.
Before Ji Zizhao could react, she was forcefully pulled...
Following that, her entire body was thrown towards Xie Jinglan on the bed.