Chapter 432: Chapter 428: Man in Black_1
“Baobao, do you want to keep strolling?” Chunniang asked her daughter.

Yingbao looked at the lanterns that filled the streets and the joyous maids, “Mother, if you are tired, go back first; I will continue strolling with them.”

Having walked quite a distance, Chunniang indeed felt tired, so she nodded, “Then come home early.”

Daughter had so many people protecting her, and there were guards around. It was hard for anyone to get close to her. She was not worried that anyone would harm her daughter.

Moreover, her two sons and Wei Zhan, Huzi were not far behind. If there were any anomalies, they could rush over.

“Alright,” Yingbao assigned four guards to escort her mother home. Hupo and Zhenzhu had no choice but to follow. Weng Xiuxiu saw that it was getting late and that children are prone to fall asleep. So she also accompanied Anren onto the carriage.

Now, Yingbao was roaming the streets with four palace maids, two maidservants, and two guards. Whenever she saw something interesting, she would buy it.

The street was filled with young ladies dressed in bright clothing and elegant young masters. Many of them wore masks – adorable fox or rabbit masks, and black-and-red ghost masks. Amidst the bustling streets, they seemed extraordinarily mysterious.

Seeing all her maids looking envious, Yingbao stopped in front of a ghost mask stall and bought one for each of them.

She also put on a golden fox mask and looked at herself in the stall owner’s mirror.

The bronze mirror was very clear, showing every detail. She spotted someone wearing a mask with a beauty’s face, with white complexion and red lips, who passed by in the crowd.

Yingbao even caught sight of the subtly chilling gaze and a tinge of murderous intent in the man’s eyes.

She turned around, and there were only maids wearing ghost and rabbit butterfly masks behind her, nobody else.

And all around her were people in festive clothes and robes, some holding lanterns, others eating candied haws.

“Miss, where are we going next?” Meixiang, who was wearing a black-and-red ghost mask, approached Yingbao and whispered.

Yingbao looked around and said, “Let’s go back.”

She didn’t want to have a conflict with someone on the street. If it led to any injury to the common people or her loved ones, it would be a terrible outcome.

“Yes.”

Meixiang turned around to instruct several sisters to return home.

Despite feeling regretful, the young girls protected their mistress and headed back.

On the way, they ran into Wei Zhan and Jiang Jie, Jiang Wu. They were standing at a barbecued mutton skewer stall, each holding a bunch of skewers and eating with vigor.

Seeing Yingbao, Wei Zhan, hurried over, handed the skewers to her, “Here, they just grilled these. I was about to bring them to you.”

He then took a basket from the servant, “These are your favorite snacks and pastries. But eat less roasted chestnuts, they are not good for the spleen and stomach.”

Yingbao accepting the basket, looked inside to see dragon’s beard candy, sesame and pine nut candy, chestnut cake, roasted chestnuts, fried Job’s tears, along with candied haws and fried milk cake.

These foods were still hot, exuding a delicious aroma.

Yingbao took the basket, handed it over to Magnolia to hold, she removed her mask and began eating a skewer of mutton.

Jiang Wu and Jiang Jie also came over and asked, “Sis, why don’t you want to stroll anymore?”

“It’s getting too late. While we still have light now, let’s get back early.” Lantern Festival night was not bustling on every street. In secluded areas, once the lanterns hanging under the eaves were out, it would be pitch black and very dangerous.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, it would be wiser to get back sooner.

Wei Zhan nodded, “It is indeed late. Let’s all go back together.”

So, the group started their journey back, lanterns in hand.

Nothing happened along the way. Yingbao noticed nothing suspicious and saw no one following them.

But she did not believe the gaze she had encountered was unintentional, as the person had quickly averted their gaze and disappeared into the crowd.

This was indeed very unusual.

In the wee hours, when everyone in the Jiang Residence was fast asleep, Yingbao heard a few people entering her courtyard, their steps light while heading towards her room.

Then, she saw a bamboo tube piercing through the window paper, blowing smoke into her room.

Yingbao covered her mouth and nose with a cloth, stood behind the window, and instantly entered the grotto.

After a brief pause, the window was pried open, and someone turned in.

They were all masked, dressed in black, and noiselessly came to the bedside. They lifted the bed curtains, revealing the bedding bulging as if someone was sleeping inside.

As they lifted the bedding, a person in black exclaimed in a low voice: “Not good!”

Because there were only long, soft pillows under the bedding.

Just as the two were about to retreat, Yingbao suddenly appeared, brandishing a long knife at them.

“Ahh!!” One of the people in black screamed and fell down.

The other person tried to counter, but before he could wield his knife, he was knocked to the ground.

The two guards outside had already sensed something was wrong and quickly escaped.

Yingbao leapt out the window to chase them, but managed to wound only one of them. The other person escaped in a different direction.

The commotion in the courtyard had alerted the servants and guards in the house. Wei Zhan and Jiang Wu rushed over and saw Magnolia and Xinghua administering medicine to Meixiang.

In the room, Yingbao held one man by the neck, trying to remove the poisonous pill from his mouth.

“What happened?” Wei Zhan took the man in black from Yingbao’s hands, but was also unable to prevent his death.

Yingbao scowled, wiping the blood on her hand onto the black clothes: “They’re all suicidal attackers. They must have come to kidnap me. They all have lethal poison in their mouths.”

She had wasted two vials of Five Tripods Elixir, yet still couldn’t save them. It was infuriating.

Wei Zhan furrowed his brows: “Did they hurt you?”

Yingbao shook her head: “No”. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. She could have interrogated them.

Chunniang hurriedly rushed over and almost fainted when she saw several dead bodies in the courtyard. “Baobao, did they hurt you?”

“No, Mother, you should go back. They’re just a few thieves. There’s nothing to worry about.” Yingbao asked the maid to take her mother back to the room, then ordered the servants to report to the officials when dawn broke.

Wei Zhan, Jiang Jie, Jiang Wu and others examined the bodies of the men in black, but found nothing that could reveal their identities.

“Who would dare commit such a crime in Beijing?” Jiang Wu was filled with lingering fear.

If it weren’t for his sister having some martial skill, they might have fallen victim to these men.

Wei Zhan frowned: “Could it be that their master holds a grudge against Yingbao?”

The use of suicidal attackers suggested that the attackers came from a major family, possibly even martial generals.

However, even large families couldn’t train many suicidal attackers. After all, these attackers were humans, with all human desires and impulses. They couldn’t simply give up their lives for their masters unless there were significant benefits or they were coerced into doing so.

“Grudge? My sister hasn’t offended anyone in Beijing, why would they attempt to assassinate her?” Jiang Wu pounded the table in anger. “If I find out who the bastard is, I won’t let him off!”

Yingbao, however, had a suspicion.

This matter was surely related to Xiao Chengjun and Chen Tiantian.

“I guess it’s the Xiao family,” Yingbao said. “I’m going to visit Marquis Changshou’s residence tomorrow.”

Wei Zhan frowned slightly. The mistress of Xiao residence was his aunt. What if she was involved innocently?

But on second thought, if this matter wasn’t resolved soon, his aunt being involved would be inevitable. It would be better for him to go there and see for himself. “Yingbao, I’ll go with you!”

Jiang Jie shook his head: “No, if we go to the Marquis’ residence without any reason, that’ll just give them an advantage. Sister, let’s report to the officials first and directly claim that they were sent by the Marquis’ residence.”

If there was a suspicion, they should ascertain it. Otherwise, it would disadvantage them to be indecisive.