The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The hall was very quiet, Zhao Douan seemed in no hurry to speak, just seriously chewing on the golden pear in his hand.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere was eerily tranquil.

Finally, Zhao Douan placed the pear core on the fruit plate and said lightly, "Still not making a move? If you miss this opportunity, you may find it difficult to take action again."

Nie Yurong's pupils trembled, suddenly shrinking into two small dots!

Identity exposed!? Or... is he testing me?

But in the next second, she suddenly let out a muffled groan, only to feel a sudden sharp pain like a needle stabbing the back of her neck! A wave of intense numbness swept over her entire body! Making it impossible for her to move!

No!

It's not an illusion!

There really was a fine needle that had pierced into the acupuncture point on the back of her neck!

Song Jinxi leisurely withdrew his hand from the needle, meeting Nie Yurong's incredulous gaze with a smiling squint, "You want to ask, with your alertness, why didn't you detect when our house made a move? Ha, didn't you notice that from the moment you stepped into this courtyard, there was a faint floral scent?"

Nie Yurong suddenly realized: "It was the hallucinogen, when did you set me up?"

Song Jinxi, with his hands clasped within his sleeves, had a prideful, indifferent smile on his face, "The title of Embroidered Robe Envoy sounds intimidating, but after all, you're just a third-rate assassin secretly raised by the Mu Prince Manor, unable to even detect the methods of our house, that's all there is to it."

Nie Yurong remained silent.

She was certainly not a third-rate assassin, as an Embroidered Robe Envoy, her assassination skills were top-tier in the Martial World.

But Song Jinxi was secretly trained by the Great Yu Royal Family, the Tributor of the Martial Arts Hall most specialized in assassination.

There was inherently a gulf between the two.

Zhao Douan smiled and explained, "Losing at the hands of an Inner Court Tributor, you're not to blame."

From beginning to end, she maintained a calm demeanor, as if everything was under control.

Nie Yurong, paralyzed and unable to move, could only turn her head, her tongue somewhat numb, but still able to speak.

Upon hearing this, she gave a sorrowful smile, yet looked calmly at Zhao Douan: "Did you realize from the beginning that I wasn't Bai Sun?"

Zhao Douan picked up the fruit knife, slowly peeling an apple, the peel forming a continuous strand, speaking casually, "No, before today, I hadn't realized. Your disguise had no flaws. I was only maintaining the necessary vigilance, being slightly wary of you, and when I left you at the government office for those few days, it was with a mind to test you, to see if you'd be unable to resist taking action when faced with intelligence within easy reach."

Nie Yurong's defiant eyes fixed on him, she said coldly, "Weren't you afraid I'd assassinate those ministers? Like Sun Xiaozhun?"

Zhao Douan shook his head, "You came for me from the start, so naturally you wouldn't be so impatient. I was more worried about Mo Chou, so I arranged for Ji Yue to guard her closely."

Nie Yurong was expressionless: "And then?"

Zhao Douan said indifferently, "I contacted the local Shadow Guards to investigate a bit, that's all. The state of war and chaos has damaged the Shadow Guard system significantly, perhaps it was for this reason that it gave you the confidence to exploit 'information asymmetry', disguise yourself as a Shadow Guard, approach me, deceive me, and attempt to assassinate me. However, you were too greedy, not leaving sooner."

He placed the long apple peel onto the fruit plate, smiling as he held the peeled apple to the female assassin's mouth, "Want a bite?"

"Oh, I forgot you're unable to move now, then just watch me eat it."

Nie Yurong took a deep breath, straightening her fair neck, exceptionally calm as she said, "Go ahead and kill me, I've undergone the most brutal training of the Royal Mansion, torture is meaningless to me, you won't extract any intelligence."

She had resigned to her fate; this was the assassin's destiny, only it was a pity that she hadn't yet found her sister who disappeared in childhood.

Zhao Douan nodded as he munched on the apple, "Very well, but before that, I want to see what your true face looks like."

Song Jinxi, on the side, stood up and swiftly removed Nie Yurong's disguise, revealing her true appearance before the two of them.

Zhao Douan was stunned.