Chapter Text
Jiang Yuelou knew that nothing good could come from being called to the throne room by himself. Now, there was nothing wrong with being called to the throne room, except Jiang Yuelou was usually called to the throne room with the other generals for strategy meetings or other manners of business that the Emperor wanted them involved in. Jiang Yuelou was never called to the throne room alone unless the Emperor wanted someone assassinated as Jiang Yuelou was not only the Southern Kingdom’s finest war general, but also the Emperor’s personal assassin who took care of people the Emperor considered a “problem”. As he stepped into the throne room and walked over to the throne, kneeling down before the Emperor, the Emperor smirked.
“Jiang Yuelou. Just the man I wanted to see” he purred. Jiang Yuelou dipped his head to him as the Emperor cleared his throat.
“You know the Emperor of the North?” he asked. Jiang Yuelou nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty” he answered. The Emperor smiled.
“Good, good” he purred before he he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a roll of parchment, holding it out to Jiang Yuelou. Jiang Yuelou then stood to his feet and walked over to the Emperor, taking the parchment out of his hand and unrolling it to look at his assignment as the Emperor would never say it out loud, just in case someone was listening. As he read the assignment, he smirked slightly.
‘I knew it’ he thought to himself before he looked at the King and bowed, turning and heading out of the throne room. He then walked away from the throne room, glancing around every now and then, and once he was sure the coast was clear, he stopped and unrolled the scroll again, reading his assignment.
Kill the Emperor of the North Kingdom
Jiang Yuelou then shook his head.
“Is the man crazy? Assassinate the Emperor of the North Kingdom? What good does that bring to any of the kingdoms other than all-out war?” he grumbled before he sighed.
“Well…orders are orders” he murmured as he slipped the parchment into his robes and headed to the stables, checking to make sure that his horse was well cared for and that he had everything he would need for the long journey ahead. Once he was sure that his saddle bags were packed with provisions (for both himself and his horse), he quickly got into the saddle and flicked the reins, his horse taking off like a shot. He then rode through the streets of the town, the citizens of the South Kingdom quickly getting out of his way as he rode past them, his robes fluttering in the wind.
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Jiang Yuelou then rode through the South Kingdom’s gates and out into the forest surrounding the kingdom, ridding for a while until he was far enough away from the kingdom that he could slow his horse down to a trot.
“Good girl” he murmured, gently petting his horse’s neck. The horse nickered in response, causing Jiang Yuelou to smile as they continued through the forest, riding until it became dark. Once it became dark, he slowed his horse to a stop before he hopped off and took his horse by the reins, guiding her over to an area that was relatively secluded and hidden where if anyone was to ride past, they wouldn’t be able to see him (which was what he wanted). He then sat down on the ground and leaned up against a tree, eating some of the provisions he brought while his horse, whom was tied to a tree so she wouldn’t run off, munched on some nearby grass. After eating a little to fill his stomach, Jiang Yuelou crossed his arms in front of his chest, his sword resting against his chest, and shut his eyes, leaning his head back against the tree. It didn’t take very long for sleep to take him and soon he was fast asleep (it didn’t take very much for him to fall asleep, he was a general who had been in many a war since his late teens, he was used to sleeping anywhere), his horse soon lying down and falling asleep as well.
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The next morning, Jiang Yuelou woke at first light, quickly standing to his feet before untying the reins from the tree, hopping back into the saddle before taking off again. He rode for the next three days, only stopping to rest and eat before continuing on towards the North Kingdom.
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When Jiang Yuelou arrived in the North Kingdom, before he headed through the gate, he quickly tied his horse to a nearby post and grabbed a cloak out of one of the saddle bags, slipping it on and throwing the hood up over his head. He then slipped into the large crowd of people entering the North Kingdom, making sure to keep his head down and his sword hidden in the cloak as he passed the guards standing at the gate. Once he had safely made it past the guards, he continued to follow the crowd until he quietly slipped away, slipping into a nearby alley. He then lowered his hood from his head and look around, making sure no one saw him before he quietly slipped away, making his way down the different alleys until he came upon the palace. He then smirked before he made his way towards the palace, making sure to keep his head down and sword in his cloak, and as he walked through the palace gates, no one seemed to notice him or his existence, which worked perfectly fine for him because that’s exactly what he wanted.
‘This is why monarchs and kings are so easily assassinated…palaces aren’t guarded heavily enough’ he thought to himself as he continued to walk through the palace, making his way all the way up to the throne room. Once he reached the throne room, he quietly stepped inside and made his way towards the Emperor, pulling his sword out from under his cloak. The man’s head was down and Jiang Yuelou’s footsteps were quiet, so Jiang Yuelou knew that the Emperor wouldn’t be able to hear him as he continued to quietly creep towards the man. However, when he stopped before the Emperor, he noticed something odd; it looked like ink was splattered all over the parchments and books on the desk before him yet the ink block and ink grinder were both dry, looking as though they hadn’t been touched yet. He then reached out and lifted the Emperor’s head, his eyes widening when he noticed that there was dark colored blood drying on his chin. He then reached out and swiped away some of the drying blood before holding his thumb to his nose, sniffing it before he frowned.
‘Poison’ he immediately deduced, just as the shattering of porcelain and a scream echoed throughout the throne room, causing his eyes to widen as he spun around to see a servant girl staring at him in horror. She then pointed at him and screamed again, causing a multitude of guards to come running to see what was wrong. When they saw Jiang Yuelou standing by the Emperor, sword in hand, their eyes widened before one of the guards pointed at him.
“Get him!” they roared. Jiang Yuelou hissed as he released the Emperor’s face before turning and running towards the nearby window, jumping out of it.
“Don’t let him get away!” the guards roared as they turned and ran out of the throne room, leaving the poor servant girl alone with the poisoned Emperor’s body.