Qing Zhu's martial arts, though inferior to Lian Ju's, made it no easy feat to knock her unconscious without her noticing.
Ji Zi Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly.
The person hidden in her courtyard was no ordinary individual.
"Wait for me here, do not go out," Ji Zi Zhao said, placing a hand on Xin Lan's trembling shoulder as she stood up. She gently pushed open a door a crack and stepped out.
The heavy rain continued to fall. Ji Zi Zhao strode purposefully towards Qing Zhu's location, subtly observing every corner of the courtyard.
Suddenly, she keenly detected someone concealed beside the side room.
Ji Zi Zhao composed herself and continued towards Qing Zhu.
Despite knowing the danger, she had to take the risk herself.
With Lian Ju gone to Luoyang, besides Qing Zhu, Xin Lan and Yong Mei were not martial artists. If they were cornered inside the house by that villain, Xin Lan and Yong Mei would be held back, and she would be the one at a disadvantage.
Finally reaching Qing Zhu's side, Ji Zi Zhao quickly crouched down and checked Qing Zhu's breathing, letting out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, she had only fainted.
Abruptly, a strong scent of blood washed over her from behind.
Immediately after, a powerful arm clamped around Ji Zi Zhao's neck, lifting her from the ground.
Xin Lan, who had been restless in the house, immediately rushed out, "Miss!"
"Be quiet, or I'll kill her right now," a deep male voice sounded from behind Ji Zi Zhao.
Xin Lan quickly covered her mouth, but her feet continued to move forward.
Her intention was clear: she was willing to exchange herself for her mistress.
The man restraining Ji Zi Zhao perceived Xin Lan's intention, and his sinister gaze flickered.
For a trembling maid to willingly sacrifice herself, it was evident that the mistress of this courtyard was no ordinary person.
What excellent loyalty!
Only a capable and competent master would command such devotion.
The man couldn't help but cast a deep look at the woman he held captive before him.
Ji Zi Zhao could clearly sense the man's attention wavering. A cold glint flashed in her dark eyes. She leaned back slightly, her restrained arm lifting to firmly grip the man's wrist. With a swift twist, the sharp blade grazed her neck and pointed towards the man's throat.
The man prided himself on his martial arts, yet he never expected the woman in his arms to be so skilled.
Though Ji Zi Zhao had never wielded weapons in this life, she would, in her idle moments in the courtyard, practice the close-quarters combat techniques she had learned in the military to pass the excruciatingly boring time.
Therefore, Ji Zi Zhao was now confident in her ability to resist him.
However, just as she turned to face the man behind her, a clamor of approaching footsteps echoed from the entrance of the courtyard. Distant flickering torches and uniformly sized lanterns were visible.
Lanterns used by commoners varied in size, and even a prominent family like the Ji's could not guarantee uniformity.
Thus, there was only one possibility: the newcomers were outsiders.
Ji Zi Zhao's gaze deepened. She pulled the man's hand holding the dagger closer to her neck, then released her grip.
The dagger once again pressed against Ji Zi Zhao's throat.
The Ji family was currently in a precarious position. The people of the imperial city all knew her to be an untalented fool. If her martial prowess were revealed now, who knew what further disaster it would bring to the struggling Ji family.
The Ji family, their grandfather, father, and generations of loyal ancestors had guarded it with their lives; it must not be destroyed in her hands!
Soon, the Zhao courtyard was filled with people.
Several madams stood with the Old Madam in the distance, their faces etched with worry as they watched Ji Zi Zhao being held hostage.
They might look down on this incompetent eldest daughter, but they never wished for Ji Zi Zhao to be harmed. The Ji family had already lost all its male heirs; they could not afford any more losses.
Lin Wan Yun, seeing the dagger at her daughter's neck, cried out and lunged forward, "What do you want? Let my Zhao'er go!"
The Old Madam rebuked sternly, "Madam Lin, you are the mistress of this Ji family. Do not lose your composure over a trifle. Our Ji family has been a military household for a hundred years; how can we become a laughingstock in the eyes of others?"
Lin Wan Yun looked at her mother-in-law in disbelief, "Old Madam, I only have this one daughter..."
The Old Madam remained unmoved, her gaze calm, or perhaps cold, as she looked at Ji Zi Zhao.
She actually wished for this unpromising eldest granddaughter to meet with misfortune. That way, she could find the person she needed to find.
The Second Madam, Yu Feng Lan, and the Third Madam, Yin Wen Ying, supported Lin Wan Yun, preventing her from doing anything foolish.
Watching the various expressions of the Ji family members, Ji Zi Zhao felt a sense of relief.
She was no saint. Even if she had to shoulder the family's burden, she could not tolerate those with ulterior motives.
Fortunately, her aunts had not yet harbored ill intentions. With this in mind, she was confident in uniting everyone.
As for her grandmother...
Ji Zi Zhao's eyes finally met her grandmother's, and she found an unusual calmness within herself.
To those who were already biased, further words were truly unnecessary.
Before long, more footsteps sounded.
The Prefect of Fengtian pushed past the guards and strode forward, shouting impatiently, "What are you all waiting for? Go and apprehend the assassin!"
Lin Wan Yun cried out, "My daughter is still in his hands! Do not harm my daughter..."
The Prefect of Fengtian, hearing this, turned his head. His lowered eyelids swept over the Ji family's female contingent. "This is an assassin who trespassed into the imperial palace. His Majesty has decreed a city-wide search. Even the Ji family at its peak would have bowed to such an imperial decree, let alone now, in its fallen state, awaiting judgment from the Emperor."
The Second Madam, Yu Feng Lan, and the Third Madam, Yin Wen Ying, felt a tightness in their chests upon hearing these words.
Indeed, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall crumbles, everyone pushes.
The Old Madam gripped her walking stick and remained silent.
The Prefect of Fengtian snorted and then once again ordered the guards, "Guards! Seize the assassin!"
Instantly, the guards cautiously moved towards the center of the courtyard.
The man, sensing the pressure, tightened his grip on the dagger.
The sharp blade cut through the skin of Ji Zi Zhao's fair neck, and soon, blood stained the collar of her clothes.
"Wait."
A gentle male voice rang out. The advancing guards halted their steps.
A sudden silence fell upon the courtyard, and the pitter-patter of rain became more pronounced.
A youth clad in a dark blue python robe walked into the courtyard from behind the crowd.
His appearance was not strikingly handsome, yet in his every glance and movement, he exuded an innate nobility, far more captivating than any other handsome visage.