Rong Qi caught a glimpse of several figures approaching through the corridor just as she was about to confront Ye Shaoxian.
"Shaoxian, where are you?" Madam Liu's voice echoed behind them.
Ye Shaoxian's head snapped up. Before he could respond, Rong Qi deftly slid two silver needles from her sleeve and jabbed them into his body. His mouth opened in a silent gasp of shock.
With a swift kick, Rong Qi sent him tumbling into the nearby pond, then hurried Fan Hui away from the scene.
Madam Liu arrived to find Ye Shaoxian flailing in the water. "Help! Shaoxian has fallen into the water!" she screamed.
Servants swarmed in, dragging a soaked and shivering Ye Shaoxian out. Madam Liu wrapped him in a coat, her anger boiling. "Who did this? Who dared to harm Shaoxian?"
A whisper spread among the onlookers, "It was Master Shen's wife…"
