Second Visitor

Da Ying rushed over to the flowers she was growing in her room and grabbed a handful of small rocks from there. Then she carried the candle over to her bed, blew it out and sat there, waiting for Xie De to appear.

As expected, he showed up through the windown. The moment his hand touched the inside of her room, she flicked a rock at his hand. Xie De sensed it and moved his hand. He had wanted to come in secrecy but was found already found out. He had no choice but to jump in one go. His foot landed and so did a rock flying towards him at high speed. He continued to dodge rocks after rocks in the dark room. Da Ying on the other hand was very composed, sitting with her legs crossed, as if playing a game. There was a slight smirk on her face as she continuously flicked rocks at him. She exerted some of her inner energy to put pressure on the rocks, just enough to bruise someone. She didn't want to kill him, just play with him for a little while.

Every time he dodged a rock, he took a step closer towards Da Ying. When he was at arm's reach, about to grab her shoulders, she threw another one at him. It hit him spot on his right arm. "Aargh!" he groaned, holding onto his arm. Da Ying remembered, he had been injured in the same spot she hit. Without thinking, she put the rocks on the bed and held onto his arm, checking up on him. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to," Xie De took this chance to grab her hand placed at his arm and pulled her forward to him. Da Ying almost lost her balance. She had no choice but to put her other hand on his shoulder for support. Her face was directly face to face with his, noses almost touching. "If my wound reopens, you'll have to take responsibility," as he threatened her, there was a slight hint of sarcasm. Da Ying let out a soft sarcastic laugh, "And whose fault is that? Which normal man would come through the window this late at night instead of the doors? If you lose that arm, you deserve it!"

Qin Xie De wanted to keep retorting her but stopped and looked up at the ceiling with a serious face. "Do you hear that too?" he suddenly asked. The flustered Da Ying perked up her ears, there was another visitor tonight. "Are they here for you?" he asked curiously. His first guest was that they were sent by Prime Minister Yao to finish Da Ying off.

"How should I know," The steps on top of the roof quickly passed her room. "Looks like they are here for something? Or else they are too stupid and missed my room,"

"Let's find out then," Xie De grabbed her wrist. He cautiously opened the door and walked out, still hand in hand with Da Ying. "It's clear, let's go,"

It didn't take long for them to find the mysterious guest. They stopped at the door of the study room when they heard cabinets being pulled and papers being searched through. Xie De wanted to barge in and capture him but was held back by Da Ying. He gave her a meaningful look, "Da Ying gongzhu, are you afraid I won't be able to handle one man?" he asked.

"It's not that I don't believe in your capabilities, I want to see what this man is looking for. Let's go on top of the roof and see," without warning, Xie De wrapped his arm around Da Ying's waist and used his flying technique to get on top of the roof. Once he set her down, she glared at him. "I too know how to fly. I don't need your help." He gave her a quick smile before carefully removing a few of the roof tiles. Once a small hole was opened, they could see the man in black. He was the only person there, looking into each cabinet with detail. "What is he looking for? What do you have that he wants?" Xie De looked at her full of suspicions. "I would like to know too,"

After the man in black couldn't find what he was looking for, he left. Da Ying and Xie De stayed low until they were sure he was gone. "Why didn't you let me catch him? If I did, I would be able to find out his identity and who was behind this," Xie De explained to Da Ying.

"There is no need, he came here under orders. If he was to not return and report back, I'm sure that person would be anxious and hasten his moves towards me,"

"So you know who it is?"

"I don't know who it is but I've got my ways of finding out,"

"Let me help you. Give me the names of the people you suspect and I'll investigate for you," he offered. He expected she would be touched to hear him offer his help but was sadly shut down by her suspicious glare. The people in her mind were those by the Empress's side, she could not trust him. "Like I said, I don't know who it is. Even if I have my suspicions, I would not tell you…someone I can't even trust," Xie De frowned upon hearing her words. "Fine, I won't bother Da Ying gongzhu with her personal affairs. I bid farewell," he was about to leave when she stopped him. "Surely Duke of Lan did not come tonight to ensure my safety. Why did you come tonight?" She was right; he had come here to ask her about the accounting books. He had no intentions of blaming her for her actions; he only wanted to know how she found it. Consort Yao had wronged him and he naturally didn't care whether Prime Minister Yao died or not. He was only curious about one thing…her connections. He knew about the accounting books, he overheard the Empress and Prime Minister Yao talk about it once. Also...if he didn't witness it that night, he would never have believed the person who turned Minister Yao in was Da Ying.

The day Minister Yao was imprisoned, he became conscious. An Du reported the news to him and at night, he planned on visiting Minister Yao but was a step too late. Someone was with him…Da Ying. He overheard everything.

"I did come here for a reason but I've gotten my answer. I bid you farewell," without giving her a chance to speak, Xie De left her courtyard.

Early in the morning, all four of Da Ying's personal guards were summoned to her courtyard. "Shifu," they all greeted her. "Someone's about to make a move," Da Ying immediately spoke.

"Shifu, who is it? I'll kill them," Li Ping was the first to speak up.

"It's too soon to kill them, I need you all to watch them closely. Li Ping, pose as a guard and enter the Empress's Golden Palace. Tang Wei, secretly keep a close eye on Deputy Lou. Wu Man, you are to enter the Han army and try to get as much info on General Ming. Hua Xu, pose as a servant and carefully watch over the Grand Duke. Report to me your findings every two days. Remember, do not alarm the enemy and be safe,"

"Yes, shifu," Once the four of them left, Bai Zhi and Ban Shiang stepped towards her. "Xiaojie,"

"What did you find out?"

"We've checked, no one went to visit Prime Minister Yao," Da Ying thought about it for a moment. It was impossible, someone had to of definitely visited Prime Minister Yao or else they wouldn't have sent someone to her Thousand Lotus Pavilion. This person did a good job in covering their tracks. Da Ying had to admit, whoever it was, they were much smarter than Prime Minister Yao.

Back at Xie De's home, he was also thinking about the situation. He was sure that Da Ying would not be safe in the future. "An Du, secretly watch over Da Ying gongzhu. If anything happens to her, protect her. Also if anything suspicious goes on, report to me immediately. You are responsible for her safety."