Chapter 11: Running for Our Lives

The night had deepened, the silver moon hanging high as its light spilled across the dark tiles and gray bricks.

Shi Yuning held her breath, watching as Xie Zhaoran carefully pried open a grimy roof tile. In an instant, light seeped through from below.

The breath Shi Yuning had been holding escaped in a rush, blowing straight onto Xie Zhaoran’s face.

They were pressed so close that their breaths mingled. After dislodging the tile, Xie Zhaoran’s hand clenched suddenly, too preoccupied to wipe away the dampness.

Seeing Shi Yuning’s wide, deer-like eyes staring at her in surprise, Xie Zhaoran felt a pang of regret. Perhaps she shouldn’t have brought her along this time.

It felt more like a test for her.

Xie Zhaoran took a deep breath and signaled Shi Yuning to stay silent. She peered into the newly created gap.

The real show was below, not on her face.

Understanding dawned on Shi Yuning. She leaned forward slightly to peer toward the glow underneath, narrowing her eyes. The sight stunned her.

The room blazed with light, filled with people she didn’t recognize—except for Prince Yu, seated at the head in his purple robes.

Xie Zhaoran had led her over rooftops and along eaves, and they’d ended up at Prince Yu’s Mansion, spying on the man from his own roof!

Questions bubbled up in Shi Yuning’s mind. She turned to Xie Zhaoran, but the other woman seemed unwilling to explain. Instead, Xie Zhaoran pinched her chin and turned her head back toward the hole, as if urging her to keep watching.

Shi Yuning rubbed her chin. Xie Zhaoran hadn’t used much force, but her hand was so warm it felt like a light burn.

Cupping her chin, Shi Yuning settled her patience and crouched on Prince Yu’s roof, her gaze returning to the room. What was this about? Why was Prince Yu—who was rumored to be recovering from injuries—gathering a room full of people so late at night instead of sleeping?

Only when Shi Yuning focused intently on the scene below, no longer glancing her way, did Xie Zhaoran exhale softly. Unconsciously, she rubbed her fingertips and peered down as well.

Prince Yu had urgently summoned his closest confidants tonight: his personal shadow guards, the advisors he kept in his mansion, and the strategists who offered him counsel.

It had been a full month. Prince Yu had holed up in his mansion like a coward for an entire month, and his patience had worn thin to the breaking point.

Ever since receiving that horrifying corpse from Xie Zhaoran, he’d been on edge, fearing she had more tricks up her sleeve. He also worried the Crown Prince had learned of his schemes and would strike back.

His advisors had urged him to stay put in the mansion, while most of the guards protected the main courtyard, with increased patrols and extra night shifts.

But after hiding for a month with nothing happening, his unease only grew!

Tonight, Prince Yu had called everyone together to hear their opinions. What should they do next? They couldn’t hide forever.

“If you ask me, we should strike first. Since the Crown Prince already knows of Your Highness’s intentions, why not act ahead of schedule and catch him off guard—kill him before he knows what’s coming.”

“I agree with Brother Chen. Once the Crown Prince is dead, that position will surely be Yours, Your Highness.”

“No, no, that’s not wise. Leaving aside everything else, the Crown Prince knows of Your Highness’s plot now, so he’s bound to be on guard. If the assassination fails and we’re exposed, Your Highness will be doomed!”

“Commander Li, that’s not necessarily true. With the Crown Prince gone, You’ll be the Emperor’s only son left. Even if the truth comes out, for the sake of securing the throne’s succession, His Majesty will have no choice but to protect You.”

The room erupted in debate, opinions flying every which way. They split into two camps: proactive attack or passive defense.

Gradually, the calls to move against the Crown Prince gained the upper hand. Those opposed urged Prince Yu to think it through carefully.

“Don’t forget, the Eldest Princess is close to the Crown Prince. If she learns it was Your Highness who harmed him, she won’t let it slide!”

“Hmph, some mere woman—what’s there to fear?”

“Don’t talk big and mislead His Highness. The Eldest Princess commands a real army of a hundred thousand. Neither the Crown Prince nor Your Highness has troops like that.”

“Exactly. If not for her military power, why else would the Crown Prince marry a girl from the Xie Family? It’s all for the Xie Family’s soldiers.”

“Leader Zhang has a point. Your Highness planned to marry the Shi Family’s daughter for their military strength too. Since that fell through, we must proceed with caution.”

Prince Yu grew increasingly frustrated at these words. His previous scheme had seemed flawless!

“It’s infuriating! This Prince sent my elite shadow guards specifically to finish off Xie Zhaoran. Then I would swoop in like a hero to rescue Shi Yuning. With a life-saving debt like that, the Shi Family wouldn’t dare refuse my proposal!

“It’s enough to make This Prince explode! If not for that Xie Zhaoran ruining everything, Shi Yuning would already be mine by now!

“With the Shi Family’s doting on Shi Yuning, they would surely serve This Prince in the future. I’d have troops at my command—and it was all destroyed by that wretch Xie Zhaoran!

“If Xie Zhaoran ever falls into This Prince’s hands, I’ll carve her up with three slashes and six holes, flay her skin and strip her bones. She’ll regret ever crossing This Prince!”

Shi Yuning’s face darkened with every word, her expression grave. She glanced at Xie Zhaoran beside her—the very target of the insults—who seemed utterly unperturbed.

Shi Yuning took several deep breaths to keep herself from kicking open the hole, dropping down, and slapping Prince Yu across the face.

That scumbag, that beast in human skin, that pile of dog shit! So the assassination attempt at the hunting grounds had been his doing. She’d thought it was an enemy of the Shi Family, never imagining it was this dog of a prince behind it.

Learning the truth left Shi Yuning’s chest heaving with unstable fury, her qi roiling wildly without an outlet.

It flushed her face red and left her breathing ragged.

Shi Yuning exhaled sharply in her agitation, but her foot slipped, kicking a loose roof tile by the hole. It scraped harshly against the others with a piercing sound.

The color drained from Shi Yuning’s flushed cheeks in an instant. It was over—they’d gotten Xie Zhaoran in trouble.

“Who’s there? Who’s on the roof?”

Inside, Prince Yu’s guard captain noticed immediately and rushed outside.

“Not good—someone’s on the roof!”

“After them! Assassins!”

Leader Zhang spotted the figures fleeing across the roof, reported to Prince Yu, and led his men in pursuit.

The moment Shi Yuning made the noise, Xie Zhaoran had decisively grabbed her and bolted.

They raced over rooftops and eaves, leaping up and down walls, scaling barriers, skimming narrow ledges, darting between buildings.

Shi Yuning’s heart pounded wildly with the thrill. She was terrified, the footsteps of their pursuers growing louder behind them, the wind whistling past her ears.

The dizzying drops and rises, the vertigo of traversing the eaves where one misstep meant plummeting—it felt like her heart was strung up by a thread from the city walls.

The only thing steadying her, giving her a sense of security, was Xie Zhaoran’s hand gripping hers—warm and strong.

“The Marquis Mansion’s ahead. Should we hide at my place?”

Shi Yuning’s sharp eyes spotted the Shi Family not far down the street. She tugged Xie Zhaoran, asking anxiously.

“No, that would expose us. Follow me.”

With that, Xie Zhaoran led Shi Yuning from one rooftop to another nearby eave, then slipped through a half-open window into a building.

Shi Yuning hadn’t noticed from outside, but once inside, she recognized it immediately: Grasping Moon Tower, one of the capital’s liveliest pleasure houses.

Grasping Moon Tower was famed for its lavish decor and captivating performances, its business booming in recent years. It had expanded on both sides a few years back.

Now it comprised five connected buildings—east, west, south, north, and central—each two stories tall with countless rooms.

Unlike the stark simplicity of ordinary taverns, the owner had a flair for elegance. Layered throughout were little bridges over flowing streams, winding vines, stacked rockeries, and even a koi pond fed by live water.

It evoked the poetic waterways of Jiangnan.

Without a guide, most visitors got lost inside.

Shi Yuning had only come once with her father and wasn’t entirely familiar with the layout. As she pondered which way to go, Xie Zhaoran pulled her into a fragrant private room.

Xie Zhaoran strode straight to a stack of trunks, pulled out two outfits at random, and handed a jade-green dress to Shi Yuning.

Then she pushed Shi Yuning behind a screen painted with beautiful women. “Change.”

She herself moved to the other side and quickly changed clothes.

Bewildered but aware time was short, Shi Yuning removed her mask, shed her night clothes, and donned the dress Xie Zhaoran had given her.

Shockingly, the randomly selected dress fit her perfectly.

Rounding the screen, Shi Yuning saw Xie Zhaoran had changed too—and it fit her just as well.

Their builds were so different, yet clothes pulled from the same trunk suited them both.

Shi Yuning suspected it was no coincidence.

Xie Zhaoran led the freshly attired Shi Yuning out the front door of Grasping Moon Tower in broad view, brushing past the arriving guards from Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Once they’d put some distance between themselves and their pursuers, Shi Yuning asked, “That won’t cause trouble for Grasping Moon Tower, will it?”

She didn’t want her mistake to get the owner in hot water.

“Don’t worry. The owner of Grasping Moon Tower isn’t someone Prince Yu can afford to offend lightly.”

Xie Zhaoran thought to herself that even the Emperor would have to tread carefully there.

Hearing this, Shi Yuning relaxed a little.

“Did you know about Prince Yu’s schemes all along?”

“Yes.”

Shi Yuning figured as much. Otherwise, Xie Zhaoran wouldn’t have brought her straight to Prince Yu’s Mansion in the dead of night.

“So, what’s your plan?”

Before Xie Zhaoran could reply, Shi Yuning recalled Prince Yu’s vile words—insulting Xie Zhaoran no less. She itched to rush back and teach him a lesson right then.

But a month had passed without any retaliation from Xie Zhaoran. There must be some concerns holding her back…

Whatever the reason, attempted murder demanded consequences!

“I’ll tell my grandfather. He can bring it to His Majesty. I heard it with my own ears—I can testify!”

Xie Zhaoran saw Shi Yuning’s displeasure, her lips pouting and eyes rimming red.

Without thinking, Xie Zhaoran reached out, cupping Shi Yuning’s chin. Her palm enclosed it, fingers pinching the cheeks.

The puffed-up cheeks deflated with a soft ‘pfft,’ her mouth puckering into an egg shape.

Adorably so.