WangXian Forever Book 10

Chapter 39: Sneaky

Tang Pei looks worried briefly, but then determination takes over.

"They keep a watch on His Highness all the time. Any attempt I've made to get closer has been aborted. I'll tell you the truth, the late night snacking, while it's true, I've also been trying to sneak into the Emperor's room. No one has seen him for a few days now, and the Royal Court was cancelled for two days prior to this. I am fearful for His Highness' life." Tang Pei also stands up. "But I am willing to try again. There are four of us, and we can fight our way in."

"Hold on." Wei Ying taps his nose unconsciously, thinking hard. "I know you said that the First Prince and his cronies suspect you, but they also don't know where you stand, openly. So while we have secrecy on our side, let's use it to find out more. Plus, I think if there's any evidence about the First Prince to find, it's going to be with the Emperor, either in his room, or on his person."

"Good plan, PengYou," Hui Gai gives him a thumbs-up.

"Mn."

"So Hui Gai, can you make all of us invisible?"

"Let's find out." Hui Gai winks at them.

***************

It turns out that Hui Gai CAN do that, and so now, they're walking single file along deserted corridors, avoiding the nightly patrols and the guards placed at strategic points as they make their way towards the inner sanctum of the Palace.

The Emperor's rooms are cloistered far from the public areas, and cannot be accidentally accessed even by a wandering guest. Assassins would have to know the route to his Wing by heart, because all the twists and turns are making Wei Ying's head spin.

Wei Ying? Lan Zhan reaches out through their mental connection, and a squeeze of their joined hands.

Yes, Sweetheart? Wei Ying squeezes their hands back. He's so grateful he and Lan Zhan have this, an absolutely secret way to communicate.

Is there a reason why you did not tell Tang Pei about Hao Bai's search through Cheng Maoji's office?

Yes. I don't want to give anything away and put the Cheng family in danger, even by mistake. I want to trust Tang Pei, but we've just met and anyone can pay lip service to get us on their side. Telling him about the Cheng family also looking for evidence will serve no purpose yet, so I'm waiting until they actually find something.

Wei Ying is a genius. My husband is a smart man.

Lan Zhan sounds smug. And hot.

Wei Ying shivers, and glances at him....oh no! Lan Zhan knows!

Wei Ying blushes and it's the knowing look on Lan Zhan's face, how that hunger can flare up at any time, which makes Wei Ying say the most daring thing he's ever told his husband.

Every time I hear your voice, especially in my head, it makes me want to rip my clothes off! And yours! Both of us!

And then because of his natural verbal fumbling, Wei Ying resolutely stares straight ahead, forcing his heart to calm down even though he can feel Lan Zhan's shock.

Beat that, he silently adds, forgetting to stop Lan Zhan from hearing it.

I will, comes the reply, less than a heartbeat later.

"We're here," Tang Pei whispers. "Across that open courtyard, there are soldiers placed at all watch points, archers in between. We have to get across to that door, and past the guard post inside. There's only one way in."

"I've been meaning to ask you before, what's up with having so many guards? Is that normal?" Wei Ying whispers back.

"No, it's not. About a month ago, the First Prince publicly stated that he had received Intel about an imminent assassination attempt, and that he was going to do his utmost to stop it happening. Nothing happened and the soldiers stayed, so I thought it was a clever way to introduce legitimate spies inside the Palace. No one can fault the First Prince for wanting to look after His Highness, even if that same protection can turn into the threat itself." Tang Pei looks more upset. "All the signs were there. I should have alerted His Highness, said something..."

"It's so easy to look back and make the right connections, but my friend, regret is a bitter pill to swallow. You couldn't have known what was going to happen, so don't think about the past."

"I think you have your own demons to conquer," Tang Pei replies, and then looks apologetically at Hui Gai.

Wei Ying snickers at both of them, and steps out into the open courtyard.

It's unnerving, walking across the open space and knowing that if he could be seen, he would already have ten arrows at his back. They might be invisible, but they can still be heard walking along the wooden walkway, so they are going slower than usual.

The sky is beginning to lighten, the dark clouds above becoming more visible. Far away, pale pink streaks are snaking across the skies heralding the coming sunrise.

The sentry is dozing next to the door that leads to the inner chambers. This is their first obstacle.

"We need a distraction," Wei Ying whispers.

"Oh! Leave that to me!" Hui Gai sounds way too excited about this.

There's a sound of someone picking up a handful of gravel, and then the sentry is given a rude awakening. Hui Gai throws one stone that hits him square between the eyes, and he jerks to attention, eyes darting all around as he searches for the culprit. Not finding anything at first, the soldier leans back against the door, closing his eyes once more. He's about to fall asleep when he hears a loud noise around the side of the building, and when he goes to investigate, four invisible people quickly sneak inside the door he was protecting.

The soldier returns to his post and finding nothing amiss, he scratches his belly and closes his eyes once more.