Liu Qingyuan got deja vu as he stood waiting, guarding the imperial bedchamber once again. This time, he was to return the book before there was a possibility of discovery or suspicion. It hadn't helped much except to confirm that the Qiangda flower indeed existed. Though, Liu Qingyuan still had no clue what it looked like.
This particular evening, he wasn't guarding the doors. No, he was keeping watch from a distance; from the adjacent buildings' roof to be precise. Liu Qingyuan was dressed in tight-fitting black robes, nothing distinct about his uniform. He'd left his precious sword back in his own residence, instead, wearing only a few daggers. His hair was up in a ponytail, held in place by a simple metal crown-pin. As the imperial guards below left to change shifts, he dragged up the black cloth tied around his neck, concealing his features. The guards rounded the corner and Liu Qingyuan dropped soundlessly onto the dirt. The ground was soft beneath his feet as he slipped directly through the front. Not a second too late! The next shift of guards rounded the corner, scarcely a minute from the previous shift's departure.
One candle had been left lit in the middle of the low table by the bed. The king had his back facing Liu Qingyuan, but he could hear his soft breaths, indicating he was asleep. He knelt by the bed, glancing around before ducking his head under. Liu Qingyuan cursed his clumsy actions last time. The box had been shoved further underneath. Shuffling over, Liu Qingyuan slid half under the bed, pulling at the box.
The broken lock was no problem to explain. It was old and didn't have any magic seal on it, so Liu Qingyuan didn't bother with trying to hide the break. He replaced the book and closed the creaky lid.
The flash of a shadow caught the corner of his eye and he rose into a crouch, touching the dagger at his side. The moonlight shone in pale strands through the rice paper screen of the window beside the bed and this time, there was no mistaking the figure.
Before Liu Qingyuan could move, the window swung open a fraction and through the gaps, two pairs of eyes met and froze. The figure was distinctly feminine, but their identity was completely concealed. They were dressed similarly to Liu Qingyuan.
With one foot in, but already caught, the female assailant tossed her weapon at Liu Qingyuan with great speed. He dodged it, the blade sinking into the bed post with a dull thud. Liu Qingyuan retaliated, flinging his own dagger with razor-sharp precision through the small gap. She dodged too, but not fast enough, the dagger ending up buried in her shoulder. She cried out as she fell, hand grasping onto the window ledge at the last moment. Unfortunately, her flailing knocked the window table's contents onto the floor, a heavy metal bowl ringing as sharp as a monastery's gong.
"Your majesty?" A guard immediately called out. Liu Qingyuan glanced towards the door. When he looked back the next second, the female figure was already gone, dropping into the darkness. "Your majesty?!" the guard called again. "Pardon me, I'm coming in!"
'Fuck.'
Liu Qingyuan moved towards the bed, following the box under. His body had scarcely disappeared into the darkness when the door slid open and boots were heard. Just then, Liu Qingyuan remembered the woman's knife still buried in the bed post. He begged the guards wouldn't come too close and that it'd be too dark to see.
"Your majesty?" The boots stopped outside the bead curtain.
"What's going on?" Jiang Zhilan's voice was groggy. The man kowtowed.
"Forgive me, your majesty but I heard a loud noise..." both the king and the guard noticed the fallen objects by the open window, the atmosphere getting more serious. "I beg your majesty to disturb your sleep a little longer and let us search your rooms, just in case."
"Yes, yes." Jiang Zhilan sat up, watching as a few guards swarmed his quarters. A breeze floated in through the window and Jiang Zhilan tugged his thin silk under-robe tighter around his shoulders. A guard noticed and bowed, approaching to close the window. Jiang Zhilan smiled gratefully. Liu Qingyuan watched from his place under the bed, noticing they stayed away from the bed. Good.
When the search yielded nothing, the guards apologized, kneeling down. "It's fine," he dismissed. They filed out one by one and Liu Qingyuan heard Jiang Zhilan flop back into bed, sighing as he relaxed into the bedding. In the quiet, he listened to his breaths slowly getting longer. Suddenly, he inhaled sharply. Rustling sounded and eventually quieted. Liu Qingyuan narrowed his sharp gaze, listening again. The king's breaths slowed again and after ten more minutes, Liu Qingyuan dared to move.
With light steps and fluid movements, he moved out from under the bed, standing slowly. From his peripheral vision, there was a fast movement. Liu Qingyuan turned, catching the hand from chopping across his neck. But Jiang Zhilan's other hand moved forward, the female assailant's knife in his grip. It flew towards his abdomen, the king's eyes filled with determination. Liu Qingyuan shoved his shoulder so that the knife sailed past his body. Jiang Zhilan overbalanced, falling backwards into the bed.
But he wasn't a useless king. He kicked the assassin(LQY) towards the inner part of the bed, rolling towards the outer edge to call for help. Liu Qingyuan grabbed him, trapping his arms and legs in a tight grip as he embraced him behind. Jiang Zhilan's eyes widened as a hand clamped over his mouth. He squirmed, struggling against his tight grip. The pair tumbled all over the bed, the quilt being kicked onto the floor.
"Guar-" Liu Qingyuan flipped them, straddling Jiang Zhilan. He slammed his hands down, fingers clamping once more over his mouth with terrible strength. Jiang Zhilan froze for a moment, his heart racing and his breaths coming sharp. But the next second, he kicked at the assassin, knocking their hand away. Before Liu Qingyuan could retaliate, a sharp pain bloomed across his collarbone. He jerked back in surprise and Jiang Zhilan kicked him off the bed. Liu Qingyuan landed in a crouch, sliding across the polished floorboards. The female assailant's knife fell from Jiang Zhilan's grip, tinkling delicately against the floor.
"Guards!" Jiang Zhilan shouted. He was a mess, inner robe mused up, and silken hair falling in tangled knots, but he reached beside his bed and pulled out his sword, the beautiful metal ringing as clear as a bell. Liu Qingyuan lightly touched his collar, fingers coming away wet with blood. The door burst open at the king's cry.
It didn't matter, his objective was complete. Without a second thought, Liu Qingyuan leapt up, diving through the window. He fled across the rooftops, dropping down in a narrow passage and slinking away in the shadows, leaving the king to wonder why the assassin hadn't hurt him.
When he was far enough away, Liu Qingyuan angrily yanked down his mask. His collar throbbed. Jiang Zhilan was by no means unskilled and the cut was deep.
"Search over there!" Liu Qingyuan darted around a corner, pressing into the shadows. Unless the moon was covered by clouds at that instant, the guards would spot him in the next second.
"Liu gongzhi?" Liu Qingyuan whipped his head around, eyes narrowing at Hai Rong's bewildered form. "Quick, over here!"
"Hai Rong Guniang*-"
(*Guniang - Girl/young woman/young lady)
"Hurry!" She darted forward, grabbing him and yanking him into the side hall. He hadn't realized he'd been close to the consorts halls. Not a moment later, the guards rushed past. "Liu gongzhi! You're bleeding!" Liu Qingyuan stepped back when she lightly touched his shoulder.
"Apologies, I'm fine," he said, tone frosty. He was already wary that one person had seen him tonight.
"If I may offend you," she dragged him into a chair. "Let me bandage you at least."
"I do not need-"
"Let me repay you, Liu gongzhi. You've saved me twice. I can't just sit by and do nothing." Her gaze was fierce, her grip strong from her martial arts training. "Now quickly, if I may trouble you..." she looked away, suddenly flustered. "You probably have to...take off your shirt..."
He glared at her for a moment. "You're not going to let me go, are you?"
"Unfortunately, no." Reluctantly, Liu Qingyuan undid his belt, unwrapping his shirt and pushing it off his shoulder. The white inner shirt was stained red. Hai Rong immediately got to work, grabbing medicinal supplies stored in a cabinet. She cleaned the blood, Liu Qingyuan sitting like a stone statue the whole time. "Gongzhi..." her hand paused.
The cut looked terrible, the edges blackened already. He knew from one look that the blade had been poisoned. How vicious! That female assailant wanted to harm the king with such a blade!
"It's fine. Just wrap it up."
"..." She complied anyway, quickly packing some medicinal herbs on the wound before wrapping it up and tying the bandage neatly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone anything. It's not my business. I just hope you get well soon and stay out of trouble."
Liu Qingyuan didn't say anything, only getting up and fixing his clothes. "Thanks for your help, Hai Rong Guniang. I'll be going." He turned away.
'I hope we never see each other again. You already know too much.'
Liu Qingyuan slipped out the side door, quietly making his way back to his quarters. The medicine numbed the pain but he'd have to remove the poison before it leached into his bloodstream.