From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 198: A Bright Night

TW: Violence - descriptions of attempted assault

The further north the entourage proceeded, the more unforgiving the relentless winter became. The onslaught of a ferocious snowstorm impeded their advancement, the nights so long now they were like a cavernous maw ready to consume the weary travellers that were foolish enough to embark on their journey in such tumultuous weather.

The Fifth Head of the Kaiming, the master’s eyes and ears, had been following the northern entourage ever since it’d departed the capital. Ordinarily, ’inviting’ the foreign dignitaries to leave when the winter turned unfriendly was a discourteous move on the part of the host, especially since Great Ye was considered a feudal lord to most of them. However, given the unrest that stirred in the hearts of the nobles, the master was clearly of the mind that it would be best to keep as much of the drama as possible behind closed doors and away from the prying gazes of their immediate neighbours.

That being said, the horse carriages had been lined with furs and loaded with high quality coal. The northern envoys had it better than the members of Kaiming who tailed them under orders.

"My pretty ass is freezing off out here and in there that wretched lout is warming his cock in pretty ass in there."

Wu Zhong didn’t wish to reply to that. His right-hand man might be the most efficient spy cum assassin he’d ever had the dubious fortune to team up with but he also didn’t understand how someone so noisy managed to thrive in this line of work. The prattling was endless.

Now that they were both perched near the roof of one of the more dilapidated relay stations along the route, trying their best not to eavesdrop on vulgar cries emanating from the window, Wu Zhong couldn’t decide whether he wished for his subordinate to distract him with further salacious conversation or for the winds to howl more loudly past his ears, already stiff from being in the cold for many shichen.

"This one’s not just a looker, he’s a screamer too," was Xiao Er’s entertained commentary. Bundled up in a leather vest with fur trim, he looked far too comfortable for someone hiding in a tree and treated to an earful of the ribawdest coupling Wu Zhong had to listen in on in his entire career.

Wu Zhong’s only response was to shoot him a warning look. He knew that Xiao Er was very well-acquainted with the male prostitutes of the flower alleys. But the one that had been gifted to Prince Yenanda had been selected specifically to mock the imperial noble consort—no. The soon-to-be empress. Even though the attempt at resemblance was like Dongshi knitting her brows in imitation (1), Wu Zhong hated having to watch Yenanda enjoy his plaything every night, abhorred the way Yenanda, resentful of the power Great Ye held over him, liked to pretend that he was defiling the emperor’s beloved.

In the distance, an owl hooted in the darkness. Xiao Er exchanged glances with him. There was a unique hollowness to the sound that indicated this was one of their men and that something was wrong.

"I’ll go," Wu Zhong said.

The carefree grin on Xiao Er’s face had faded and he saluted Wu Zhong solemnly.

"I await your orders, my lord."

"Do as you see fit."

The relay station wasn’t the largest by any means but neither was Wu Zhong’s team. The Fifth Head was scattered throughout Great Ye, a good portion left behind in the capital to support their master during these uncertain times.

The subordinates he’d brought along with him were astute, however; chaos lurked on the horizon and they could all sense its approach. Much like the prickling sensation one sometimes could feel on the skin right before a summer thunderstorm, there was something off about tonight that was putting them ill at ease.

Their mission was to ensure northern entourage crossed the borders successfully. Whatever happened after that was none of their business. The reports from within the tribes were sparse, especially in this time of the year, when communication with the northern border proved a real challenge. What little they did know, however, was concerning; Prince Yenanda wasn’t the only contender for the position of chieftain and there were a lot of people, within and without Great Ye, who had good reason to want his blood spilt on the master’s lands.

So far, the Fifth Head had already intercepted a couple of knives in the dark, some supposedly from neighbouring kingdoms looking to stir up some trouble in the region, although the validity of the identity of these would-be assassins was very much called into question.

Wu Zhong was confident that they could keep outsiders at bay.

But, as it turned out, they’d underestimated just how badly some people wanted Yenanda dead.

The first flames appeared without warning, colouring the night sky an ominous red as the stables became slight. This was far from the season of natural fires and Wu Zhong didn’t waste anytime redirecting his men to check on the different rooms.

"Prioritise the royal family, protect the survivors," he commanded. "You have permission to show yourselves if necessary but do not engage in conversation. Retreat once their safety has been ensured."

Wu Zhong too headed in the direction of the flames, where a formidable blaze was starting to form. For some reason, the memory of a pair of bright green eyes came unbidden to his thoughts and he clenched his teeth and shoved it out of his mind. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He didn’t realise that he picked up speed though.

It was too quiet. The unnatural stillness brought along with it a sense of foreboding. There were no screams, no desperate pleas for help in the air as people ran back and forth to try and put out the flames before they spread to the entire relay station. There was nothing but a thick cloud of suffocating smoke. The snowstorm that had fallen earlier in the day covered the ground like a white carpet but the sky remained mockingly clear at the moment.

He’d reached the window at the end of the residential quarters in the relay station when he heard the first sounds of blades clashing. The fighting sounded like it was coming from below, most likely taking place in the shoddy little tavern where the escort soldiers of the entourage had taken their meal earlier.

Without further delay, he broke through the window and climbed in from the second floor.

Prince Yenanda had been residing in the ’Heaven’ chambers at one end of the relay station, the twin children of the northern chieftain occupied the ’Earth’ chambers at the other. These were the only two sets of suites available to cater to travelling nobles and they were a far cry from the usual fare a member of the aristocracy would have been accustomed to in even the middle-sized inn in the capital. The relay stations were built and maintained by the provincial government, who clearly did not have enough money to make the place lavish. Wu Zhong didn’t know whether to be thankful or frustrated that the two best rooms were set at opposite ends of the compound. On one hand, it was far harder to guard the important persons within. On the other, it meant more work for the assassins and possibly more time bought for him.

The doors to the ’Earth’ chambers were already ajar when he reached, making his gut clench with the realisation that he might be too late. As he dashed in, the scent of blood filled his nostrils and he saw long black curls spilled all over the floor and one pale lifeless hand resting limply next to the round tea table in the centre of the room.

His chest clenched before he heard the faint rustling of a curtain and had no time to think before he caught the knife that would have struck him right in the heart had he been the slightest slower.

A very familiar knife. The air rushed back into his lungs as he caught sight of the figure that lunged out at him like a wounded animal desperately trying to fight its way out of a trap. Slender fingers expertly twined a whip around Wu Zhong’s neck but he managed to react in time, slipping a hand between the rough cord and his neck to catch at it and ease the pressure off his throat before using his legs to lock his assailant in place with practised ease. It was a good attempt at an attack but ineffective because his attacker was unexpectedly feeble, unable to muster enough strength to tighten the whip enough to make him struggle. He dropped his weight to the ground, making the slight body behind him stumble forward and knock against his back, making the whip slacken.

"I wouldn’t advise strangling someone taller than yourself, Prince," he said. "You don’t have enough leverage."

In response, a sharp tip nearly buried itself in the side of his neck as Prince Haerqi took his advice and forewent the whip in favour of yet another knife he’d concealed somewhere on his body.

Wu Zhong twisted the wrist he’d seized forcefully enough to make Prince Haerqi hiss and drop his weapon, the fierce defiance in that haughty gaze burning just like the fire that now threatened to swallow the entire relay station whole. The flames had yet to lick their way over to this part of the building but it was only a matter of time before they consumed everything in their way.

"I wouldn’t advise stabbing the only person here who wants you alive either."

The wrist that he was still keeping a loose hold onto was yanked unceremoniously out of his grasp. It felt fragile, much like how the empress’ once had, but unlike the soothing calmness of Yan Yun’s demeanour, this son of the Northern Chieftain’s concubine was made out of thorns.

The only thing they shared in common was their refusal to submit to a lousy lot in life.

Prince Haerqi’s brows knitted together as those cat-like eyes narrowed at Wu Zhong. He’d retreated to a wary distance by now, focus still trained on Wu Zhong like he was summing him up and trying to decide how much he could be trusted. Sudden recognition flashed in green orbs before he said, voice even colder than before, "It’s you."

Wu Zhong chose not to acknowledge that.

"We’re leaving." Now that he had a good look at the prince, he didn’t miss the blood soaking into the royal tunic or the way he tried to hide that he was favouring one leg over the other when he walked. Given the martial skill of both twins, it wouldn’t have been that easy to assassinate them and Wu Zhong surmised that a skirmish must have happened earlier on.

Princess Suhanala was a warrior too. For her to die this easily...there must be more to the assassination attempt than met the eye.

"You’re here at the behest of Great Ye’s emperor." It wasn’t a question. Even if it were, Wu Zhong wasn’t about to answer it. He’s instructed his men to stay tight-lipped and he followed the same strict set of rules.

Either way, Prince Haerqi seemed intelligent enough to piece two and two together for himself. The individual most likely to want his safe return to the north was the one who sat on the throne.

After a moment’s deliberation, the prince gave a reluctant nod. The wariness hadn’t faded from his demeanour but they were both aware that he had no choice.

Leaving through the corridor meant there was a high chance they would come face to face with more assassins. Wu Zhong didn’t know where the were coming from but he suspected someone from within the entourage was collaborating with them. Without further ado, he headed over towards the bedchamber, neatly sidestepping a corpse half-tucked away behind the wall. With no candles to light the room, he hadn’t noticed the dead assassin earlier on and had to raise an eyebrow when he saw that the body had an eye gorged out.

Lithe but lethal. The nobility of the northern tribes were a different breed from the nobility of the capital.

"They must have put something in the evening meal." Prince Haerqi must have seen him looking because he started to explain without Wu Zhong asking. "The carriage ride had made me nauseous and I was unable to hold the contents of my stomach in." He let out a mirthless laugh. "Suhanala...she mocked me for hurling my dinner up on a tree just outside the tavern area just now. Isn’t it ironic how my loss of dignity saved me?"

Wu Zhong listened. He could hear an unsteady edge in the prince’s soft voice, his gentle accent as he spoke Great Ye’s tongue a lilting that was not unpleasant.

"She didn’t stand a chance. The north’s feisty beauty didn’t even wake up as they stabbed her again and again to ensure that she breathed her last on foreign soil."

The windows had been barred from inside, possibly to stop more unwanted visitors from dropping in. He shoved them open roughly before motioning for Prince Haerqi to get moving.

The prince paused and gave one last look behind him.

"I don’t suppose I could bring her home," he commented, his tone unreadable.

"If you can carry her the entire way without getting caught, I won’t stop you," Wu Zhong replied flatly.

Prince Haerqi didn’t look back anymore.

Outside the window, the world was on fire. It air felt stifling but once they made it to the ground, the snow underfoot brought an aching chill to their knees.

Everything was a mess. Wu Zhong had barely any time to orientate himself before an arrow was shot in his direction, making him yank the plaint body half-leaning on him to safety.

Prince Haerqi let out a tired laugh. "They’re speaking my language," he said. "Asking for my head. I recognise some of their voices; Daurga had a hand in this."

That was important information for his master. But firstly, he had to make it back alive. Xiao Er and the rest of his men were likely scattered to the winds and with Princess Suhanala dead, they had already failed their mission. The most vital thing right now was to keep her brother alive to testify that it was in-fighting within the tribes that had caused this incident, not Great Ye’s treachery.

Even though diplomatic relations had already soured since the Autumn Hunt, Great Ye must not be the first one to break the armistice. Wu Zhong didn’t have a mind for politics but he knew this was his master’s stance and that sufficed.

The north was no longer. His priority, even more so than checking to ensure his subordinates were alive, was to bring Prince Haerqi safely back to the capital.

This proved far more difficult than it sounded.

"Leave me and go," he heard the prince mumble against his neck, so weak now Wu Zhong could barely decipher his words. He’d lost too much blood from new wounds upon old wounds—the both of them had. The waves of attackers felt ceaseless and Wu Zhong had gone numb from the countless killings he’d performed. He, who had never feared death before, felt himself waver for the first time as he cradled the light weight in his arms closer.

They had been fleeing pursuit for an indefinite amount of time and none of his subordinates had responded to his summons. They were either too far away or dead.

But at least they’d made it into the mountains. Here was a pass that had a garrison. This was Great General Pan’s territory and with some luck they would be found by a passing patrol.

"Didn’t you hear? I said to leave me." Fingers clutched at the front of Wu Zhong’s tunic. "It’s futile, man of Great Ye. You cannot prevent a war anymore."

"Shut up," was Wu Zhong’s callous reply. "The prince who would maim his face in exchange for freedom, you give up too easily now."

The small huff of laughter against his skin was the only warm thing he could feel right now.

"I knew it, it’s really you."

That was the last thing the prince said. The only indication that Wu Zhong wasn’t alone was the shallow rise and fall of laboured breathing. But the only sound that remained was of Wu Zhong’s footsteps crunching upon the needles and rocks poking up out of the snow. It was impossible to fully cover his footsteps and Wu Zhong knew that it was only a matter of time before their trail was picked up again but he was too injured to do a thorough cover of their footprints. They both needed medical attention and soon.

His vision was starting to swim. If the gods smiled down upon them, they were close enough to the garrison by now that they would be found before it was too late.

If not...

The last thought he had before passing out was that he wasn’t going to make it back to the capital in time for the empress’ coronation ceremony.