Chapter 227
Chapter 227
Elsewhere, Shen Si had scarcely left the Emperor when he heard what had happened. His expression changed instantly.
He hurried from the palace. Passing the street where the incident occurred, he saw the trampled, shattered carriage still lying there. A subordinate arrived with a timely report. “We have identified the maddened horses. They came from the stable on this street. The keeper said they had always been docile. This afternoon, seven or eight men suddenly arrived together to select horses, and shortly afterward every horse in the stable went mad.”
“The enclosure gates also opened for no apparent reason, letting the horses escape.”
“No one was killed on the street today, but many were trampled and injured.”
“Everyone from the stable has been arrested and taken to the Censorate prison for questioning.”
Shen Si surveyed the wreckage and drew a deep breath. He first visited the stable and examined it carefully, then mounted his horse and rushed back to the Shen Residence.
Wen’an had not dared send word that Ji Hanyi had met with disaster. If the household learned that the Marchioness had been abducted, the resulting upheaval would be unimaginable.
More important still was the Marchioness’s reputation.
The moment Shen Si returned, Wen’an dragged his terror-weakened body forward and knelt before him, tearfully stammering out what had happened that afternoon.
The maddened horses had taken everyone by surprise. The seven or eight guards accompanying the carriage were all highly skilled, but even they could not withstand the trampling charge of dozens of crazed animals.
Moreover, several masked men had hidden among the horses and scattered powder at them amid the chaos. It was a muscle-weakening drug. The guards had been entirely occupied with keeping the carriage from being trampled. People were fleeing in every direction, and they had never noticed the criminals hidden in the crowd. Every guard was affected. Two collapsed from the drug and had their feet broken beneath the horses’ hooves.
Fortunately, another carriage carrying Ji Hanyi’s personal effects had been following behind. The guards beside it arrived in time to rescue them and administer the antidote.
Hands clasped behind his back, Shen Si stared at Wen’an, who looked close to fainting from his tears. Shen Si’s face was terrifyingly dark, and he wanted nothing more than to kick him over.
He had examined the stable. The enclosure had been chopped apart with blades. This had been planned in advance. Someone had waited there knowing that Ji Hanyi would leave the palace today.
Silver needles had also been found on the ground. They were poisoned and likely responsible for driving the horses mad.
Frowning deeply, Shen Si asked, “Has the matter been concealed?”
Wen’an looked at his master’s black expression and stopped crying. He wiped his tears and nodded quickly. “Rest assured, Marquis. Since the gifts from the palace arrived first, Old Madam asked whether Madam had returned. I said Madam had gone to visit her mother and that I had come back first to escort the gifts bestowed upon her. Old Madam said nothing more.”
Shen Si gripped the edge of the table until veins rose along the back of his hand. His emotions were already becoming impossible to restrain.
Ji Hanyi was a sheltered woman with hardly any enemies. She was now his legitimate wife, and ordinary people would never dare such a thing. Even the Xie Family, with whom she bore some grievance, would not have the courage.
Perhaps the attack was aimed at him.
Shen Si cast Wen’an another cold glance. “How were the masked men dressed?”
Wen’an struggled to remember. “Like ordinary commoners. Their clothing was unremarkable, and no one would have noticed them in the crowd. That is why the guards paid them no attention at first.”
“It seems they did not cover their faces in the beginning.”
Then Wen’an suddenly added, “I noticed tattoos on their hands.”
Shen Si paused. His subordinate had reported that the stable workers also saw tattoos on the hands of the men who came today.
His expression grew colder. Ji Hanyi had been targeted the very day she left the palace. Either someone knew in advance when she would leave, or watchers had remained near the palace gates.
Apart from the Shen Residence, only those within the palace knew she had been staying there.
Shen Si frowned at the approaching dusk, then turned and strode out again. He ordered a message sent to the Military Patrol Office, directing men and constables from the Censorate to guard every city gate and conduct searches and questioning. Then he hurried to the Censorate.
—
When Ji Hanyi next regained some awareness, she opened her eyes to flickering firelight.
Her whole body remained weak. She tried to move. Although her limbs were still limp, at least they responded now.
Yet when she attempted to push herself upright, she could summon no strength.
A shadowy figure approached. Even though her vision was blurred and she could not see his face, Ji Hanyi whispered hoarsely, “Cousin…”
Gu Yan paused, then quickened his steps. In a few strides, he reached her side. Carrying a bowl of medicine, he sat down and said urgently, “Cousin Yi…”
Ji Hanyi’s eyes were exhausted and her body feeble. She tried to look around and discover where she was, but Gu Yan blocked her entire field of vision. Gathering her strength, she asked, “Where are we?”
Gu Yan carefully brought a spoonful of medicine to her lips. His voice was low. “In a house outside the city.”
“You needn’t worry. Nothing else will happen. Drink the antidote first.”
Ji Hanyi remembered hearing Gu Yan speaking with others before. She had not understood their words, but remained wary and did not open her lips. Instead, she raised her eyes to him.
Seeing the vigilance in her gaze made Gu Yan’s heart ache. His hand trembled painfully, and his voice emerged rough. “Cousin Yi, you know me. I would never harm you.”
Ji Hanyi still did not dare take the medicine. She drew a deep, ragged breath. “Are you working with those people?”
Her voice remained hoarse. “Why did you do this?”
Gu Yan looked at her guarded expression. She leaned against the bed, and even her disheveled state could not conceal her delicate beauty. His heart felt unbearably painful.
They had grown up together and often kept each other company in their youth. He had never done anything to hurt her. Now she looked at him this way.
He pressed his lips together, then drank half the bowl of medicine in one breath before Ji Hanyi’s eyes. Watching her face all the while, he asked, “Does Cousin Yi believe me now?”
“If you do not, I can drink the entire bowl.”
Ji Hanyi stared at the unmistakable hurt in his face, then lowered her eyes. “I heard you speaking with those men.”
Gu Yan froze.
After a long silence, he said softly, “I can explain this to you. Drink the medicine first.”
“They drugged you. Without the antidote, your body will not hold out and you will lose consciousness again.”