Chapter 11: An Unexpected Assassination Attempt

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Inside the silent temple hall, Ning Chen knelt before the Buddha statue, eyes closed in sincere prayer. He was not a believer in Buddhism, so naturally, he was not praying for the Buddha’s blessing. What he truly prayed for was that Fan Dayou would successfully meet the venerable Confucius, the Sage of Wen. He wished that Confucius could perceive his earnest intentions and be willing to emerge from seclusion to aid him.

According to the memories of the original owner, Confucius had long served as the tutor to both the original owner’s grandfather and father, holding an indispensable position in the court of the Great Ning Dynasty. Many of the dynasty’s laws were personally crafted by him. Often, when ministers quarreled endlessly in court debates, they would cite Confucius’s words and deeds as authoritative references.

Among the common people, if Fan Dayou was the leader of the literary world, then Confucius was its towering master, with disciples spread across the land. Every academy and school in Great Ning bore his statue, and the first act of every student upon entering was to swear an oath before Confucius’s likeness.

Though now aged and withdrawn from worldly affairs, every word and deed of the venerable sage still directly influenced Great Ning. And as Confucius’s favored disciple, only Fan Dayou might have the chance to persuade him to come out of hiding.

This was why Ning Chen had insisted that Fan Dayou seek out the sage. He firmly believed that if anyone in this world could understand his true intentions, it would be Confucius himself. Yet whether Confucius would truly grasp his earnestness and be willing to help a mere nine-year-old child remained uncertain.

For now, the only thing Ning Chen could do was prepare contingency plans and pray for success. He knew full well that, no matter what, this was a high-stakes gamble.

Lost in thought, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly reached his ears. Ning Chen instinctively opened his eyes and, in an instant, a cold glint flashed before him. His heart jolted, and he swiftly dodged. Yet, he still let out a sharp cry of pain.

A bloody wound appeared on his right arm. Fortunately, he had noticed in time; otherwise, the sharp dagger would have pierced straight into his heart.

Before he could react or call for help, the monk wielding the dagger lunged at him again like a mad dog.

“Damn it, this nine-year-old body is far too weak!” Ning Chen cursed inwardly in this life-or-death moment. Raising his arm and pointing directly at the monk, his once innocent eyes now emitted a chilling cold light.

Perhaps from years of experience as an assassin, the monk instinctively hesitated. Doubt filled his mind: how could a mere nine-year-old child, faced with an assassination attempt, remain so composed and even point his arm at him? What was he trying to do? Was he mad?

But after only a second’s pause, the monk charged at Ning Chen again. He refused to believe such a small child, less than half his height, could survive this.

Yet, in that very moment, he distinctly heard the child utter two words no child should be able to say: “Seeking death!”

At the same time, a short arrow suddenly shot out from Ning Chen’s sleeve.

Whizz!

The sharp sound of the arrow slicing through the air rang out. The short arrow struck the monk’s chest dead center.

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The monk let out a horrible scream and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. He never expected such power to be unleashed from the sleeve of a child.

Even more surprising, Ning Chen wasted no time. The moment the monk fell, he dashed over, placing one foot firmly on the monk’s wrist that still gripped the dagger. As the monk howled in pain, Ning Chen quickly snatched the dagger away.

Holding the dagger at the monk’s throat with one hand, the other tightly gripped the short arrow embedded in the monk’s chest.

His movements were fluid and seamless, like an experienced assassin. Even his tone carried a deadly intent far beyond that of a child.

“Speak!”

“Who sent you to assassinate me?”

Shock flashed in the monk’s eyes as he stared blankly at Ning Chen, as if gazing upon a monster. He never dreamed he would fall at the hands of a child.

Still, he spat coldly, “In victory or defeat, kill or be killed. No need for pointless talk…”

As he spoke, Ning Chen’s right hand twisted the arrow lodged in the monk’s chest, eliciting a fresh scream.

Ning Chen’s youthful face showed no mercy; in his previous life, he had long become accustomed to life and death.

“One more inch, and not even a god could save you!”

“I’ll give you one last chance!”

“Will you speak or not?”

Unexpectedly, the monk laughed bitterly, “For a nine-year-old brat to come this far, I die with no regrets!”

“But remember this, you little bastard, your reign won’t last long, nor will your life…”

With that, the monk suddenly grabbed Ning Chen’s hand tightly, forcing the arrow deeper into his chest. As warm blood gushed forth, he drew his last breath.

Who is behind this assassination attempt?

Ning Chen frowned, showing no regret or hesitation. He decisively pulled out the arrow and hid it, then stabbed the dagger once into the original wound to completely cover the arrow wound.

He then grabbed some incense ash and scattered it over the monk’s face.

After staging the scene, he pinched his thigh sharply until tears welled in his eyes. Then he collapsed, feigning panic, crying out loudly, “Help! Someone help! There’s an assassin—save me!”

Night fell.

The Empress Dowager hurried anxiously into the Hall of Nurtured Heart. She found Ning Chen lying in bed, covered with thick blankets, still wearing a terrified expression.

“My son, are you alright?”

“Do you know who tried to assassinate you?”

“Tell your mother everything—what happened exactly…”

But no matter how she questioned, Ning Chen stammered and could not explain clearly, looking thoroughly frightened.

“Alright, my son, rest well. With your mother here, you have nothing to fear!”

“Don’t worry, I will find the mastermind behind this. Anyone who dares to harm today’s emperor will not escape my wrath!”

Having said this, the Empress Dowager left in a rush, face filled with anger, leaving only Little Anzi and Ning Chen in the room.

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Little Anzi gasped in relief, fear still evident on his face. “That was close, Your Majesty! If it weren’t for the sleeve crossbow you invented earlier, you might have been doomed today!”

“No, from now on, I must arrange for someone to guard your side at all times…”

Upon hearing this, the previously terrified Ning Chen suddenly let out a bitter smile. “Arrange how?”

“I’m just a puppet emperor, and you’re just a lowly eunuch. Without the Empress Dowager’s decree, what can we arrange?”

Little Anzi was stunned. His eyes shifted from frustration to disappointment, and finally to anger.

“In my view, the assassin must have been arranged by the Empress Dowager. After all, only she watches over you constantly and can know in advance where you’re going…”

Just then, Ning Chen laughed lightly, looking relaxed.

“You’re wrong. This assassination was not arranged by the Empress Dowager.”

Little Anzi was taken aback. “Not her? But, why…”

Ning Chen smiled. “Because I can tell—just now, the Empress Dowager was truly furious…”

Little Anzi argued stubbornly, “Perhaps she’s angry because she failed to assassinate Your Majesty…”

Ning Chen said firmly, “She wouldn’t be foolish enough to strike at me with assassination at a time like this!”

Seeing this, Little Anzi was again at a loss. Frowning, he asked, “But if it’s not her, then who could it be?”

Ning Chen smiled again, his lighthearted demeanor almost carefree.

“Although I very much want to know, with our current strength, there’s simply no way to investigate!”

“So, let’s not waste time thinking about the unexplainable.”

“If I’m right, the Empress Dowager cares even more about this matter than I do, so let her handle it.”

“After all, the assassination apparently targeted me, but in reality, it was aimed at the Empress Dowager!”

Little Anzi frowned in confusion. “Why would that be?”

Ning Chen grinned mischievously. “Brains are a good thing, Little Anzi. Think it over carefully…”

Little Anzi looked at the seemingly playful young emperor with some embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, Ning Chen sighed and expressed concern.

“My greatest worry now is whether the Empress Dowager will see through my disguise at the assassination scene. If she does, I fear she will strike at me first…”

Meanwhile,

In the Phoenix Ceremony Hall, the Empress Dowager’s face was dark as she stared at Pan Yu kneeling before her.

“I warned you not to strike at him at this time!”

Pan Yu protested innocently, “Your Majesty, I swear on my head, it truly was not me!”

“Not you?” The Empress Dowager asked coldly.

Pan Yu nodded vigorously. “Your Majesty, it really wasn’t me! Even if I had the courage of a bear or a leopard, I would never disobey your orders!”

The Empress Dowager scrutinized Pan Yu suspiciously. After a moment, her expression softened somewhat, and she murmured, “Then who is behind this? And why attack that useless child now?”

Pan Yu shook her head, looking puzzled.

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager’s brows knitted tightly. She seemed to realize something and said thoughtfully, “No, it can’t be!”

“How could a nine-year-old child possibly survive an assassin’s carefully planned attack?”

“Could it be…”