Chapter 66: Man Proposes, God Disposes

Li Baoji’s eyes widened in utter shock, filled with disbelief. With great effort, he raised a trembling hand to point at Yang Feiyan, as if summoning the last ounce of his strength, and then slowly collapsed to the ground.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye, swift as lightning.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Yang Feiyan aimed her crossbow at Wanyan Chang and loosed three arrows in rapid succession.

Though Wanyan Chang was infamous for his debauchery, he was still a seasoned general who had survived countless battles. His instincts for danger were sharp. The moment Li Baoji was assassinated, he wasted no time—springing forward, he dove behind a chair for cover.

With three crisp cracks, the crossbow bolts embedded themselves deeply into the chair. Wanyan Chang had moved quickly enough to avoid a fatal blow, but one arrow grazed his calf, making him wince in pain.

Yang Feiyan cursed her luck inwardly, but she knew her opportunity had slipped away. Without hesitation, she took advantage of the confusion—while Wanyan Chang’s guards were still stunned—and dashed for the exit.

“Stop that treacherous woman!” Wanyan Chang shouted to his men as soon as he saw Yang Feiyan making her escape.

But everything had happened so swiftly that his guards were caught completely off guard. As they turned, they found Li Baoji dead and their general cowering behind a chair. Their minds reeled with the sudden chaos, and before they could regain their senses, Yang Feiyan had already slipped to the doorway.

“Halt!” several guards shouted after her.

“Only a fool would stop now!” Yang Feiyan thought, cursing under her breath as she burst through the door into the courtyard.

“Guards! Quickly! The Jin villains have murdered the prince—come quickly!” Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Feiyan shouted at the top of her lungs as she ran.

Her cry set off an immediate commotion; a swarm of palace guards rushed over from all directions.

“Stop! What did you just say?” barked the lead guard, confronting Yang Feiyan.

“You must arrest them at once! They’ve killed the prince and are now trying to silence me—General, save me!” Yang Feiyan pleaded pitifully, her expression full of distress. The lead guard did not doubt her for a moment and hurried his men toward the main hall.

At that very moment, Wanyan Chang emerged from the hall with several of his guards.

“Surround them all!” the captain ordered.

By now, Wanyan Chang had realized he had fallen into Yang Feiyan’s trap, but it was already too late.

“Seize that treacherous woman—she just assassinated your prince!” Wanyan Chang bellowed at the palace guards.

But no one heeded his command; this was, after all, the Prince Xiao’s manor, not a Jin army camp.

“Wretch, you’re not getting away!” Wanyan Chang shouted after Yang Feiyan.

But Yang Feiyan had already reached the main gate. Hearing his shout, she called back, “It was him! He killed the prince—such a tragic death! You must avenge your lord!”

By now, the guards had rushed into the hall and returned even more swiftly. One reported to the captain, “Commander, the prince has been killed by this group.”

The commander was startled but immediately ordered, “Arrest these Jin fiends at once!”

“How dare you? I am Wanyan Chang, Great General of the Jin. Even your prince dared not touch me—do you little knaves have a death wish?” Wanyan Chang roared.

His words did have a certain intimidation; the palace guards hesitated to lay hands on him for vengeance. Still, Wanyan Chang and his men were not about to escape without some suffering.

Meanwhile, Yang Feiyan had already slipped away amid the chaos. As she left the prince’s manor, she glanced back and caught Wanyan Chang glaring at her with venomous hatred.

“You vile woman! I’ll kill you for this—I’ll make you wish you were dead!” Wanyan Chang hollered after her. He, who had always prided himself as the hunter, had never imagined he’d become the prey.

Hearing his furious roar, Yang Feiyan smiled with satisfaction. In that moment, she realized that killing Wanyan Chang outright would have been far less gratifying; tormenting him like this was the true retribution he deserved.

After leaving the prince’s manor, Yang Feiyan twisted and turned through a maze of alleys. As a master thief since childhood, she had long perfected the art of escape. Soon, she rejoined her Feiyu Troop at their temporary hideout.

“Pass the order—except for the hidden sentinels, everyone is to leave the city at once. Once outside, regroup in the forest beyond the walls!” Yang Feiyan commanded.

The men didn’t know what had happened, but discipline in the Feiyu Troop was absolute. Though Yang Feiyan was a woman, strength ruled in the Feiyu Troop, and she commanded great respect.

In less than half an hour, the thirty-strong squad had evacuated Xingqing Prefecture. Only then did the city gates close, and the authorities began house-to-house searches for Yang Feiyan. But by then, our protagonist was already on her carefree way toward Kaifeng.

To her, this had truly been a masterstroke—no, even better, a threefold triumph. She had killed Li Baoji, fulfilling Zhao Huan’s mission; she had sabotaged the alliance between Jin and Western Xia, for with her being brought into the prince’s manor by Wanyan Chang, it was unlikely Western Xia would ever trust Jin again; and now Wanyan Chang was the prime suspect—perhaps Western Xia, infuriated, would dispose of him themselves.

Thinking of these three achievements, Yang Feiyan was in high spirits. Of course, if not for Li Baoji’s secret memorial, events might have unfolded exactly as she’d planned. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. Zhao Huan’s arrogance had frightened Li Baoji, and on the very night he returned, Li Baoji submitted a petition to Emperor Chong, candidly arguing the necessity of the Jin-Xia alliance.

At that very moment, Emperor Chong was holding Li Baoji’s memorial as he listened to the grief-stricken cries of Li Baoji’s eldest son, Li Changqi.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to avenge my father! He was murdered by those Jin villains—please, have them executed to appease his spirit in heaven.” Li Changqi knelt before Emperor Chong, his face contorted with sorrow.

Emperor Chong frowned. “Has the matter been thoroughly investigated? Was it truly Wanyan Chang?”

Li Changqi, unable to contain his emotion, replied, “At the time, only he and his guards were with my father in the hall. There could be no other culprit!”