Chapter 80: Accidents Unfold, Two Lives Claimed by a Single Shot (Part Two)

Upstairs, Lei Ming threw Lin Yan-yao back into the room, colliding with the maids and guards rushing in to rescue her, everyone tumbling into a chaotic heap.

Below, Xiao Yue leapt out, reaching only to grab empty air, forcing himself to twist midair and land on his feet.

Wu Tan, shaken and frightened, landed in Huangfu Qi’s arms, her face pale as a sheet, eyes wide with terror, yet she simply froze, unable to react for a long moment. Huangfu Qi himself had not expected such a dangerous accident—his usual three-parts careless smile had vanished without a trace. He lowered his head to look at Wu Tan, holding his breath as he asked, "Are you alright...?"

Wu Tan could not recover her senses immediately.

Xiao Yue, lately irritated at the mere sight of her, felt his annoyance deepen; he forced himself to look away, attempting to shift his thoughts elsewhere to distract himself.

The Vermilion Bird Pavilion was a famed old establishment; for the upstairs railing to suddenly break, there was surely something suspicious. Xiao Yue narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings with sharp scrutiny, and in a single instant, his gaze locked onto the leftmost room on the second floor, shrouded in light silks.

Lei Ming crouched upstairs, his head spinning. He had expected his master to snatch Miss Wu from Huangfu Qi’s arms, but in the next moment, he received Xiao Yue’s cold, piercing glare.

Years of service had bred deep understanding. Lei Ming immediately grasped his master's intent, leapt up, and bounded into the adjacent room, quickly reaching out to sweep aside the veiling curtains.

He caught sight of the occupants within and paused, surprised, intending to turn back and report to Xiao Yue, but at that very instant, another calamity struck—

"Ah—move away!" someone shrieked from the crowd.

From the broad platform on the third floor above, an entire crossbeam, nearly ten feet long, crashed downward, dragging with it seven or eight onlookers who, unable to dodge in time, plummeted with it.

This accident was different from the incident on the second floor. The second floor was comprised of separate private rooms and, being closer to the ground, used slender, decorative railings no thicker than a woman's wrist. Falling from such a height, these posed little danger.

But the third floor was a large open platform, much higher up, and for safety, the railings were thick, solid wood as wide as a bowl. Now, as the beam crashed down from thirty feet above, even Lei Ming, no matter his location, would not dare to catch it barehanded.

Panic swept the crowd below, and everyone scattered in a frenzied escape.

The street had already been crowded; the earlier accident had drawn even more people to the scene, turning the area below into utter chaos.

Two accidents in succession—one upon another.

Wu Tan had narrowly escaped harm earlier; fortunately, no one was hurt. But now, the deafening crash and the thudding of bodies hitting the ground left Lei Ming’s scalp tingling with dread.

"Someone’s dead! It killed people!" anguished cries tore through the street.

Xiao Yue and Huangfu Qi, having vied to catch Wu Tan, had moved to the side just in time, but the scholars riding through the center of the street were not so lucky—three or four were struck down, and with the people who fell from above, blood spattered across the ground in seven or eight places.

Wu Tan, hearing the commotion, instinctively peeked from behind Huangfu Qi, and at the sight of carnage, she truly panicked, shrieking as she buried her head in Huangfu Qi’s arms, clinging desperately and refusing to look again.

Lei Ming, sensing something amiss, fearing someone was targeting his master, immediately leapt from the second floor, squeezing through the chaotic crowd to rush over.

Xiao Yue’s expression was cold and stern, yet he was certain from the first moment that neither accident was aimed at him—for anyone familiar with him knew that, with his skills, a falling beam could never kill him.

The beam had dropped suddenly from the third floor of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion. He could have dashed across to investigate and track any suspects, but with Wu Tan still by his side, he instinctively remained alert, carefully watching his surroundings.

"Master!" Lei Ming rushed over, still shaken.

Xiao Yue signaled with his eyes, "Go up and check!"

"Yes!" Lei Ming replied, immediately bounding up to the second floor, then climbing to the third to investigate.

Xiao Yue, meanwhile, calculated quickly—were these two successive accidents mere coincidence, or orchestrated by the same group?

He glanced upstairs; seeing another beam had fallen, Lin Yan-yao and Xingzi, worried Wu Tan might be affected, leaned over the second-floor balcony to look down.

That room had been reserved in advance by Wu Tan and Lin Yan-yao. Anyone could learn who was inside simply by inquiring with the staff, so it was almost certain the second-floor incident targeted one of them. As for the third-floor accident...

"Everyone, calm down! Stay calm! Don’t push, be careful!" the scattered government officers shouted, trying to restore order.

With the scholars and top scorers parading through the streets, the capital’s prefect would surely have extra patrols nearby, so Xiao Yue was not concerned.

The incident had already taken place; there was no rush. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned—

By now, Huangfu Qi had helped Wu Tan down from horseback, and the two retreated beneath the eaves of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion. Wu Tan, shaken by the bloody scene, clung tightly to him, hiding herself.

Huangfu Qi turned his back to shield her, softly murmuring words of comfort.

In the midst of the crowd, under so many watching eyes, Xiao Yue found their behavior frankly indecent.

His annoyance peaked; unable to endure any longer, he seized Wu Tan’s arm and pulled her from Huangfu Qi’s embrace.

Wu Tan, startled, looked up into his face and became even more terrified.

Huangfu Qi was also surprised—

When Wu Tan had fallen, he saw someone rush from the second floor to save her, but all his attention was on Wu Tan, so he hadn’t noticed that it was Xiao Yue who had jumped down, not until now, facing those eyes simmering with anger.

"Prince Sheng? Why are you here?" Huangfu Qi frowned slightly.

Xiao Yue, holding Wu Tan who shrank like a frightened rabbit, suddenly felt a guilty pang—

He would not admit it was jealousy from seeing the two so close, but at this moment, he was certainly filled with jealousy and irritation.

Just then, Lin Yan-yao hurried down with Xingzi and the others, rushing to the door. Xiao Yue took advantage of the moment to push Wu Tan toward them, coldly saying, "If you’re scared, stay inside!"

If you’re afraid, so be it, but clinging to a man in public—what kind of behavior is that? Hmph!

Lin Yan-yao, also frightened, grabbed Wu Tan, trembling as she asked, "Tan’er, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?"

Huangfu Qi sensed Prince Sheng’s temper was unusually severe, but knowing he was a battle-hardened man, assumed it was his nature and paid it no mind. Seeing the prince unwilling to converse, and himself focused entirely on Wu Tan, he swept his robe aside and entered the Vermilion Bird Pavilion, speaking to Lin Yan-yao while guarding both women as they walked inside, "She’s fine, just frightened."

The accident outside had emptied the first floor; guests had either rushed to the windows or fled outside to witness the commotion, leaving the hall's dozen tables deserted.

Huangfu Qi found a table for the two women, poured tea from the pot into a clean cup and handed it to Wu Tan, his other hand gently rubbing her back to soothe her, his concern evident, "It's alright! Have some tea to calm your nerves."

Xiao Yue stood outside, face dark, his gaze icy and fixed upon the pair inside. Fortunately, Lei Ming returned in time, preventing him from burning holes into them with his stare.

Lei Ming hastily reported, "Master, I’ve checked the railings on both second and third floors. The private room on the second floor reserved by Miss Wu and her companions had the middle rail deliberately loosened at both ends—if anyone leaned, it would fall. The third floor’s rail was also pre-loosened at the sides and nails, but the ends were tied with rope. I found traces of cut rope and hurriedly frayed strands at the scene, suggesting someone was waiting to sever it at a specific moment, causing the accident. But with so many people, the crowd scattered, and I found no clues about any suspects."

He handed over the remains of a rope segment.

He had noticed his master’s unusual expression, staring fixedly at the people inside the hall, but what could he do? He simply feigned ignorance.

Xiao Yue listened but was too distracted to care, only after a moment did he glance at the rope fragments Lei Ming presented. "Have the officials arrived? Who were the casualties?"

Before Lei Ming could answer, Hu Tianming, drenched in sweat and burdened with official woes, squeezed over, surprised to find, "Prince Sheng?"

How could the prince be here? Was this—

Xiao Yue cast him a sidelong glance.

Hu Tianming feared for his life—could it be someone orchestrated such chaos to assassinate Prince Sheng in broad daylight? Seeing the prince’s murderous presence, his anxiety grew, and he stammered, "Why are you here, Your Highness?"

Xiao Yue ignored him, coldly asking, "Who were the victims?"

Hu Tianming dared not delay, hastily calling out, "Scribe!"

The scribe, who had rushed over with him, was questioning the officers present. He replied, waited for instructions, and then hurried over, "Sir..."

He raised his eyes to Xiao Yue, unfamiliar and suspicious.

Hu Tianming had no time to explain. With deaths during the scholars’ parade, not just one but many, he was frantic. "What are the casualties?"

The scribe’s expression was grim, harder than if his own family had died, and he spoke with difficulty, "The top scholar was struck by the falling beam and killed instantly. The second-ranked scholar is critically injured and unconscious, fate uncertain; he still breathes and has been taken to a nearby clinic. Additionally, three..."

Hu Tianming heard nothing beyond the first two sentences; his mind exploded.

The top scholar dead, the second-ranked gravely wounded, the third narrowly escaping thanks to a heroic rescue—this year’s top three, nearly all wiped out on the day the results were announced, all because of a falling beam?

It needed no explanation from Xiao Yue; Lei Ming understood: "Is it targeting the top three? Or one of them?"

Otherwise, how could it be such coincidence, with so many people, yet the top two suffering the worst?

Hu Tianming, confused, immediately ordered the scribe, "Check the backgrounds of the top three, see if they have any enemies..."

How could he possibly explain this to the emperor?

Hu Tianming was beside himself, pacing in circles.

Xiao Yue fell into silent contemplation, when suddenly he sensed movement behind him—turning, he saw Wu Tan had approached.

She seemed to have recovered, though her face was still pale, her eyes were clear and fearless. She looked at Xiao Yue, bowed, and walked straight to Hu Tianming, saying solemnly, "Lord Prefect, I am from the Wu family of the Marquis of Dingyuan, and that is my cousin from the Lin family of Ping’an Alley. Moments ago, while we were having tea in the upstairs private room, the second-floor balcony rail suddenly failed, nearly causing fatal injury. I do not believe this was an accident; I ask that you thoroughly investigate and give us an explanation!"

Her demeanor was composed, her voice resolute—neither arrogant nor humble.

Hu Tianming, hearing the names of the Marquis of Dingyuan and the Lin family of Ping’an Alley, grew even more anxious, quickly replying, "So you are the Marquis’s daughter and the granddaughter of Elder Lin..."

The Wu family's young mistress was never one to be trifled with; Lei Ming, seeing her attitude, knew the matter would soon escalate. As she pressed Hu Tianming, he hurried to whisper to Xiao Yue, "Master, the guests in the left private room upstairs are your maternal cousin, the Crown Prince's fiancée, and Princess Changping..."

Regardless of how these three had gathered, or whether they were connected to today’s events, since fate had placed them here, an explanation would be demanded.

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Second update complete. I feel quite accomplished o(*￣︶￣*)o

This is the first release of this book—please do not repost!