The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 122 - 121

Chapter 121

“Arghhh!”

“I give up! I’ll talk!”

After enduring the torment from the poison for a long time, the assassin could no longer bear it. He quickly cried out to the person before him, desperately crawling towards the bars.

“I...I give up! Please, spare me from this pain!”

Mu Yingying opened her eyes to look at the person before her once again. Her previously wavering eyes had now turned hard and cold. She walked two steps closer to the cell until her body was almost against the bars. Her voice was icy as she spoke.

“Who is your master?”

“I...I don’t know! We’ve been trained in the camp since childhood. We’ve never met the master; we only receive orders through messages from pigeons,” the assassin replied shakily, struggling to endure the pain within his body to answer her questions completely.

“You’ve never met your master?”

Mu Yingying narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze chilling as she continued. “Since you’ve never met your master, then how are you controlled to remain loyal?”

“Poison! It’s the poison that controls us. We’ve been given poison since childhood. If we don’t receive the antidote every seven days, we’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Yingying began to understand why, despite the torture, the assassin had not spoken and showed no fear of death. It was because he was already poisoned.

Since he was captured by her men, there was no way he could receive the antidote from his master, meaning he could only await the approaching death. It was typical for assassins not to fear death but to dread extreme pain.

Thus, when she used the poison to force the truth out of him, he surrendered and confessed...

“What were the orders you received?” Mu Yingying asked further.

The assassin took a deep breath, gathering his remaining strength, and gritted his teeth as he answered, “We were ordered to ambush and assassinate the Empress Dowager’s procession that day, to kill all the guards and everyone in the procession except for the Empress Dowager.”

There it was!

Mu Yingying immediately frowned. From the assassin’s words, her suspicions seemed highly likely to be correct. If the assassins’ true goal was to eliminate the Empress Dowager, why were they ordered to spare her?

Wasn’t this just creating a situation for Mu Luofei to come to the Empress Dowager’s rescue?

"Do you know the people in this picture?"

Mu Yingying took out the prepared painting of the three women and spread it out for the assassin to see. Since the two sides were connected, there must be evidence linking them.

However, after closely scrutinizing the picture, the assassin shook his head in denial. "...I don’t know them."

"Are you sure you don’t know them?" Mu Yingying asked coldly, signaling the burly man in the corner of the cell to approach with the cup of poison.

"W...wait! I’m telling the truth! I’ve never seen them. I don’t know them at all!"

The assassin hurriedly confirmed with a panicked expression, fearing he would be forced to ingest the poison again. The excruciating pain he was still enduring hadn’t faded even a bit. If he were to consume more poison, he was certain he would face a living death.

Mu Yingying observed the man’s terrified demeanor for a long time. Once she was confident he wasn’t lying, she nodded for her men to return to their positions.

"Where is your hideout?"

The small figure continued her interrogation. The assassin, fearing the painful torture from the poison, complied and answered every question without holding back.

"We’ve always been trained in the camp. When sent on missions, we’re drugged to prevent us from knowing the camp’s location. The same happened this time. We were anesthetized when taken out of the camp, so we don’t know its location. We only have a temporary hideout in an abandoned hut on the mountain, five li away from the Tai Lin Temple..."

"You think I’ll believe you?"

Mu Yingying smirked coldly. How reliable could the enemy’s words be? The claim that they were drugged before they went out on every mission seemed particularly far-fetched.

If this were true, it meant that the assassin’s master was incredibly meticulous and cautious, leaving no gaps for anyone to trace...

"It...it’s the truth! If you don’t believe me, you can have someone check my pulse. We’ve been anesthetized so often that the residues must have built up in our bodies. A pulse check would surely reveal these side effects," The assassin hastily explained, the coldness in his heart was intensifying to the point that his body almost froze as he saw the cold expression on her face.

His words piqued Mu Yingying’s interest. She nodded to Uncle Wang, who then turned and walked back out to the upper floor of Ma Jun Tea House to fetch their doctor.

While waiting for the doctor, Mu Yingying’s men brought a wooden chair for her to sit on. She did not refuse, sitting down and contemplating quietly.

If the test results confirmed the assassin’s confession, the situation would be more complicated than she had anticipated. Not only would it be difficult to trace this hidden enemy, but they would also need to be vigilant with every step. The meticulous use of operatives by the enemy demonstrated their skill and cunning.

People like this were extremely dangerous enemies!

Was it because she altered many events in this life that she was now facing enemies that did not appear in the past life?

While Mu Yingying was deep in thought, Uncle Wang returned with the doctor. Without delay, Mu Yingying had the doctor check the assassin’s pulse. The doctor carefully took the assassin’s pulse on both wrists several times to ensure accuracy before reporting.

"Miss, this person has remnants of an anesthetic accumulated in his system from frequent administration over many years. Although the effects have faded, some of the drug remains in his body, causing side effects that, within the next three years, will lead to gradual loss of consciousness, eventually falling into a slumber and will never wake up again..."

Following the doctor’s report, the room fell silent. Even the assassin was stunned by the side effects he had been living with. Regardless of whether he was captured by the enemy today, he would have died within three years anyway!

Mu Yingying was equally stunned. It turned out the assassin was telling the truth, and this revelation further underscored the ruthless and formidable nature of their hidden adversary.

The enemy’s meticulous selection of operatives, the elimination of potential leaks by keeping their identity hidden even from their own subordinates, their control over people by using poison and how they used people was no different from sending them straight to hell.

Such mercilessness and cold-bloodedness...

Mu Yingying glanced at the assassin in the cell with a momentary look of pity. It seemed he was just a disposable pawn, unaware that his fate had been sealed long ago. She had extracted all the information she could from him; further interrogation would be a waste of time.

As Mu Yingying stood up and prepared to leave, the assassin cried out, "Wait! Please grant me death! Now that you have what you want, please...pull me out of this misery."

"Since you have cooperated, I will grant your request,"

Mu Yingying replied calmly. Her eyes dimmed slightly. She signaled her men with a small gesture before turning to walk down the secret passageway.

She had taken only a few steps when the scent of blood wafted to her nose, followed by a faint sound that quickly faded into silence, causing her to pause momentarily.

"Thank you."

Mu Yingying closed her eyes to suppress the turmoil in her heart and continued walking forward. Every step felt heavy, as if she were carrying a large stone on her shoulders. The altered events, the return of old enemies, and the unknown threats from the shadows.

Everything that came to her now had made her feel completely exhausted.

Tired...

So very tired...

Zhuiping Residence

After Mu Yingying returned to her quarters, she summoned her people to discuss the next steps in their plan. Since she couldn’t locate the enemy’s main base, she decided to investigate the temporary hideout in hopes of finding some clues.

"I don’t know if what he said is true. The only way to verify it is to check for ourselves,"

Mu Yingying stated seriously. A black-clad man kneeling before her offered his suggestion, "I will divide our people into two groups. One will search for clues at the abandoned hut, and the other will look for traces around the mountain."

"Alright, but don’t act openly. Since the enemy is hidden, we can’t be sure they aren’t watching us. It’s best to conduct our search and investigation discreetly," Mu Yingying warned.

"Yes, Miss,"

The black-clad man replied. Seeing his mistress wave her hand, he disappeared into the darkness to carry out his assigned task.

When Mu Yingying was left alone in the room, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated her figure amidst the darkness, making her appear frail and weak. Her big, round eyes stared blankly ahead, as if lost in her thoughts.

The fatigue and vulnerability were evident in her eyes, unable to be concealed. The once cheerful and strong girl, who was like a rock in others’ eyes, now seemed to be just a small, fragile girl...

... 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

..

.

At dawn the next day, Mu Yingying’s assigned groups began their movements immediately. They divided into two large groups. The first group, consisting of only five people, aimed to investigate the temporary hideout the assassin had mentioned.

The second group, comprising over twenty people, spread out to search for any traces around the entire mountain. They began their search at dawn to avoid drawing attention and to remain inconspicuous.

However, when the first group followed the path to the hut on the mountain peak according to the assassin’s confession, they found the hut burned to the ground, leaving only ashes. No clues could be found there.

Similarly, the group searching around the mountain found nothing. It was as if the assassination attempt had never occurred on this mountain.

This investigation yielded no useful information, making it a complete failure!

Zhuiping Residence

Inside the inner room, Mu Yingying, having received the report about the previous mission’s failure, sat with her head in her hands for a long time. Her small face showed an unusual seriousness, and her eyes were filled with worry.

"I fear we’ve encountered a formidable enemy this time,"

She muttered to herself, analyzing the possibilities quietly. Her eyebrows knitted together tightly, creating a tense atmosphere in the room once more.

The enemy had destroyed all evidence immediately, leaving no traces or clues. This indicated that they were well-prepared and had planned ahead.

Since they couldn’t obtain any leads from the assassin, they would now have to closely monitor any unusual movements within the capital, especially in the royal palace. The assassination attempt had detailed knowledge of the precise date, time, and route of the Empress Dowager’s procession—information that the ordinary people would not know.

Those aware of such details would likely be someone within the royal palace, especially people from the Empress Dowager’s palace or one of the guards...

The current political landscape was dominated by two major factions: the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, not including the three siblings who operated in the shadows. The combined power of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager already controlled the entire palace. Moreover, the Empress Dowager’s palace was filled with her loyal eyes and ears.

However, if there were members of another hidden faction embedded within the palace, especially in the Empress Dowager’s palace, it would indicate that this hidden enemy wielded significant power. They might have secret forces spread throughout the capital.

As Mu Yingying contemplated the various possibilities, her tension increased. She had previously been complacent, believing she held the advantage over her enemies by operating from the shadows.

But now, without realizing it, she had lost her sole advantage. She found herself exposed unknowingly, while her formidable enemy remained hidden, and these enemies were unfamiliar!

"Tell our people to monitor every movement within the capital. If anything seems even slightly out of the ordinary, observe it closely and report back to me immediately,"

Mu Yingying ordered her subordinates in a stern voice. After pondering for a moment, she continued, "Not just in the capital, though. Send part of our people to investigate unusual activities in the surrounding cities. Be it financial transactions, trade routes, or transportation—no matter how minor the anomaly, have them thoroughly checked and report back."

"Yes, Miss. And what about the Empress Dowager? Should we continue to monitor her as well?" the black-clad man asked.

“Keep monitoring but be more discreet. Besides keeping an eye on the Empress Dowager, also watch the activities inside Chining Palace and the entire royal palace. If the enemy has really planted spies within the palace, they will eventually reveal themselves given the chance...”

Mu Yingying said coldly, her big, round eyes gleaming with a chilling intensity. Unable to gather any leads at the moment, she could only endure.

Endured until the enemy made their move again!

When the opportunity arose, she believed the enemy would act, and traces would inevitably be revealed!

"Tell our people in the capital to stay hidden well. Besides monitoring activities in the capital, they should put aside other matters for now. The most important thing is for us to remain as invisible as possible, so as not to attract the enemy’s attention,"

Mu Yingying reminded once more, which the black-clad man quickly acknowledged. As he was about to leave, Mu Yingying suddenly thought of another important matter and called out to him.

"Take this message to the fifth young miss of the Mu family. Ensure she reads it and then destroys it,"

At this, she handed over a pre-prepared letter. The black-clad man took the letter and promptly departed to carry out her orders.

The small figure on the chair watched her subordinate leave for a while before lowering her eyes in contemplation. Her big, round eyes held a mysterious glint, making it hard to decipher her thoughts.

It wasn’t just the hidden enemy that she had to deal with; she also needed to prepare for the trio of mother and daughters. She had already devised a plan to deal with them and had written a letter to Mu Jie.

The reason she chose to contact Mu Jie was that among the Mu family members, Mu Jie was the only one she could trust and who had some capability to carry out what she needed. The previous events had completely changed her perception of Mu Jie.

If Mu Jie could fulfill her request this time, it would mean that she had boarded the same boat as them and would become a valuable pawn within the Mu family...

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