Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 142

The Empress Dowager Refuses

After Yao Xi stepped out, the teahouse audience gradually filed out too, and the crowd outside the entrance quickly swelled. Once word had spread that Young Master Wan Xi had a fondness for bearded men, no more young girls tried to approach her—but even so, quite a few people gathered around Yao Xi to exchange pleasantries.

Meng Li’an positioned himself protectively in front of Yao Xi, shielding her from the crowd. He didn’t recognize all the low-level lackeys the Eastern Depot had sent, so he couldn’t tell how many there were. Fortunately, among those pressing in was an Eastern Depot agent posing as an audience member whom he recognized. The man’s surname was Qi, a centurion. He’d crossed paths with him a few times at Eunuch Meng’s residence.

            

Centurion Qi spotted Meng Li’an too and gave him a knowing smile. He’d been worried this assignment would be difficult—Yao Xi was accompanied by two eunuchs with decent martial skills, and no matter how many men they had, spiriting Yao Xi away without anyone noticing would be no easy feat. But now that Meng Li’an—Eunuch Meng’s godson—was at Yao Xi’s side, coordinating from within and without would make things far easier.

“Let’s not wait for Eunuch Gui and the others. I’ll take you back to the palace first.” Meng Li’an knew the Eastern Depot’s methods. The teahouse entrance was thick with carriages and horses, and people were jostling against one another—any minor incident could ignite chaos. The Eastern Depot men would very likely stir up the crowd first, then strike at Yao Xi in the confusion. Whether they meant to kill her or abduct her, he couldn’t say. Everyone knew Yao Xi was the Empress Dowager’s man, so the Eastern Depot wouldn’t dare act too openly. The priority was to get Yao Xi away from the crowd immediately, then drive her back to the palace himself.

“All right.” Yao Xi was also worried that returning late would make the Empress Dowager fret again. They could just leave someone at the teahouse to wait for the other eunuchs.

            

Meng Li’an escorted Yao Xi toward the carriage, wary of every person who brushed past them.

Centurion Qi signaled his men. Several men in various disguises threaded through the crowd toward Yao Xi. One of them reached out and groped a lady who had just emerged from the teahouse. She shrieked, “Ah! A pervert!”

There were many ladies and young misses at the teahouse to listen to the performance. At her cry, everyone panicked, shoving and jostling to get back to their own carriages. In the chaos, Yao Xi, who had been on the verge of breaking free of the crowd, was swept back into the tumult.

            

Meng Li’an had started with his arms spread wide, shielding Yao Xi. When he saw the Eastern Depot agents preparing to make their move, he seized Yao Xi’s hand in a panic and, dragging and pulling, forced through the crowd and got her into the carriage.

Yao Xi was bundled into the carriage by Meng Li’an. She didn’t understand why he was in such a rush. Had the Empress Dowager ordered that she be brought back within two shichen? “Li’an-di¹, the eunuch who drives the carriage is still stuck in the crowd! He hasn’t come through yet!”

“I’ll drive. Eunuch, hold on tight!” Meng Li’an hiked up his robes and vaulted effortlessly onto the driver’s seat. He seized the reins and yanked hard, wheeling the horse around and galloping toward the palace.

            

Yao Xi watched, dumbfounded. Meng Li’an had been standing on the ground talking to her, and then he’d sprung up, his movements absurdly agile. Was she seeing things? Or was the sickly-looking Meng Li’an actually a martial arts master? It made no sense—if this kid had these skills, how had he let himself get bullied so badly back at Ning’an Palace?

“Li’an-di. You know martial arts?” Yao Xi pulled back the curtain and asked in astonishment.

Meng Li’an had no time to talk. The Eastern Depot men weren’t pursuing them—they had likely taken a shortcut and were waiting ahead to intercept him. Even a fierce tiger fears a pack of wolves²—his martial arts might be superb, but he couldn’t withstand superior numbers. Besides, he wasn’t even sure he could beat Centurion Qi alone. If it came to a real fight, he had no chance of winning.

            

The only way he might save Yao Xi was to use his relationship with Eunuch Meng to persuade them to target Yao Xi another day. That was also why he’d rushed Yao Xi onto the road without bringing the two martial-arts-trained eunuchs from Ning’an Palace.

Yao Xi saw that Meng Li’an was focused on driving and wouldn’t answer, so she sat back in the carriage and began humming a little tune.

Meng Li’an was at a loss for words. He was worried sick about Yao Xi’s life, and there she was, looking utterly carefree and innocent.

            

“Whoa—!” Meng Li’an suddenly reined in the horse.

Centurion Qi sat on horseback at the mouth of an alley. He smiled at Meng Li’an and beckoned him over to talk. Back at the teahouse entrance, he had signaled his men to grab Yao Xi in the chaos, but Meng Li’an had dodged and weaved and gotten Yao Xi out of the crowd.

He understood Meng Li’an’s dilemma. On the surface, Meng Li’an was a man of Ning’an Palace, so of course he had to put on an act in front of Yao Xi. His fear was that Meng Li’an might take the act too far and actually ruin his operation. He’d ridden ahead alone, taking a shortcut to wait here, wanting to talk things over with Meng Li’an and see if he’d just hand Yao Xi over.

            

“Eunuch Yao, I’m going to buy a few things from a shop by the street. Stay in the carriage and wait for me.” Meng Li’an dismounted and walked toward Centurion Qi. He wasn’t worried that Centurion Qi might be luring the tiger from the mountain³—he couldn’t have forced Yao Xi through the Eastern Depot’s layers of open and covert blockades anyway. His only option was to persuade these men, for his sake, to wait for another day.

Once they were back at the palace, Yao Xi would be safe.

Centurion Qi saw Meng Li’an approaching and hurriedly dismounted, bowing. “The Director told us to keep a low profile. I was worried we’d end up fighting the Empress Dowager’s eunuchs in the street—thank goodness it’s Lord Meng who accompanied Yao Xi out of the palace.”

            

“What does Godfather want you to do to Yao Xi?” Meng Li’an asked as he stood in the alley talking with Centurion Qi, all the while glancing anxiously toward the carriage to make sure Yao Xi was all right.

Centurion Qi smiled. “You know how it is—the Director’s orders are never to be shared with anyone. Please, Eunuch Meng, go ahead! I’ll just have someone drive that carriage away.”

Meng Li’an frowned. “Centurion Qi, let Godfather’s assignment wait for another day. I’m the one who accompanied Yao Xi out of the palace. If he disappears, how could the Empress Dowager possibly let me off?”

            

“Well—” Centurion Qi looked troubled. “Lord Meng does have a point…”

Meng Li’an saw an opening. He thought Centurion Qi would agree to postpone the operation. He turned to check on the carriage, and when he looked back, Centurion Qi had suddenly raised his sword and thrust it at his abdomen—Meng Li’an couldn’t dodge in time and took the blade solidly.

“You dare try to kill me?” Meng Li’an couldn’t believe Centurion Qi had the nerve.

            

Centurion Qi hastily withdrew his bloodied sword and pulled out a handkerchief to press against Meng Li’an’s wound, looking utterly apologetic. “Lord Meng is right. If something happened to Yao Xi and you walked away without a scratch, the Empress Dowager would never let you off. I didn’t hit any vital organ—this was the only way to protect your life. Please don’t blame me!”

“Qi! You—” Meng Li’an was in too much pain to finish.

Centurion Qi patted Meng Li’an on the shoulder and set off toward the carriage. He’d barely taken two steps out of the alley when he suddenly turned back. “Lord Meng! This is bad!”

            

Meng Li’an clutched his bleeding abdomen, sucking in air through his teeth. “What’s bad?”

“To tell you the truth, the Director never intended to take Yao Xi’s life. He just wants to use him to discourage the Empress Dowager from pursuing the Yao Hezheng case. But now that you’re wounded, that’s actually made things worse!” Centurion Qi slapped his forehead, then hastily fished out some silver taels and pressed them into a stunned Meng Li’an’s hand, saying thoughtfully, “I’m not sure if you brought enough silver when you left the palace. Take this to buy some medicine. And whatever you do, don’t let anyone see that you’ve been wounded. Remember that!”

What the hell??

            

Meng Li’an instantly felt that the Eastern Depot’s hiring standards were far too lax—someone idiotic⁴ as Qi could become a centurion? The Eastern Depot might as well fold now! He braced himself against the wall, gritted through the pain, and pulled a short sword from his sleeve. He hurled it at Centurion Qi’s back with all his strength—but his hand was trembling so badly that his aim was off by a mile, and the throw had no force behind it. The short sword landed limply behind Centurion Qi.

Meng Li’an’s vision gradually blurred from blood loss. That Qi really was a useless idiot—he claimed he hadn’t hit any vital organs, but he clearly had! Seething with hatred for Centurion Qi, Meng Li’an pressed his wound and slumped against the alley wall, gasping for breath.

Centurion Qi had said Eunuch Meng didn’t plan to take Yao Xi’s life, only to use Yao Xi as leverage. That meant Yao Xi wasn’t in immediate mortal danger—if he hurried back to the palace and told the Empress Dowager, there might still be time.

            

Yao Xi felt someone step on the carriage shaft and climb up. Thinking it was Meng Li’an returning, she asked with a smile, “Did you get what you needed?”

Centurion Qi strode into the carriage, produced a gag cloth he had prepared in advance, and stuffed it into Yao Xi’s mouth. He then swiftly bound her.

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Wan Bi was growing angrier by the minute as she waited.

            

She’d repeatedly warned Yao Xi to return within two shichen no matter what. How long had it been now? At this rate, her eunuch was planning to spend the night outside the palace!

“Your Highness, the eunuchs who accompanied Eunuch Yao out of the palace have returned,” a palace maid reported from outside the door.

“And Yao Xi? Still not back?” Wan Bi asked, her face dark with anger.

            

The palace maid saw her mistress’s anger and shrank, her voice dropping to barely a whisper. “No. The eunuchs said it was chaotic at the teahouse entrance, so a little eunuch named Meng Li’an took Eunuch Yao and left in the carriage first.”

“Off gallivanting again, who knows where!” Wan Bi was so furious she crushed her silk handkerchief into a ball.

In the afternoon, fretting over Yao Xi’s failure to return, Wan Bi went to the back garden and tucked tea leaf packets into lotus buds, so that by morning the tea would have absorbed the lotus fragrance.

            

“Your Highness. Something has happened.” Liufang Gugu hurried over. “The little eunuch named Meng who was attending Yao Xi has returned.”

Wan Bi saw how frantic Liufang was and rushed out of the back garden. She’d barely rounded the corner when she saw a blood-soaked eunuch collapsed on the stone steps outside the main hall. “Where is Yao Xi?”

Meng Li’an spoke weakly. “Eunuch Yao was taken by the Eastern Depot.” He knew full well what those words would cost him. He hadn’t particularly wanted Eunuch Meng dead—he just wanted Yao Xi safe and sound. Both of them had shown him kindness, but only Yao Xi had ever treated him like a person.

            

The Eastern Depot? Meng Delai? Wan Bi’s expression turned icy. She ordered the palace maid, “Send for an imperial physician to examine this little eunuch. Liufang, accompany this bereaved one to Qianqing Palace!” She’d been afraid of wronging Meng Delai, had even sent people to gather evidence on the Yao Hezheng case—but now, whether Meng Delai had been responsible for Yao Hezheng’s death no longer mattered.

Dare to touch Yao Xi? Courting death!

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