Chapter 87 - The Long Journey To Ningzhuo 3
Chapter 87 – The Long Journey To Ningzhuo 3
Su Liya's room at the Inn in Yul village
Travelling in any era wasn't easy much so for a modern times girl stuck in the past. After nearly a year in northern Su Liya had grown accustomed to life here is so she thought. Nothing prepared her for travelling in the past. They had been on the road for two days during which she was stuck in a stuffy carriage for over twelve hours.
When she wasn't stuck in the carriage, she like everyone had to endure cold summer nights in the forest. Although they had set up a few tents for the night, they were still plagued by mosquitos and other insects. Because of their condition, Su Liya had to endure two days without a proper bath. She has been forced to result to wash down with a were towel during those two days.
This was why as soon as she was shown to her room by Lu Yaozhu the first thing she had requested was bathwater and a wooden bathtub. She left Baozhai to arrange everything while Rong Rong helped her get ready for her bath.
Rong Rong brought out her scented soap and oil then a fresh nightdress.. She helped Su Liya undress and straighten out her clothes before hanging them to air. The room wasn't as well furnished as Su Liya's room in the capital or rooms in the capital but it was manageable.
The room had all the amenities needed, this must be the best that could be done in an inn located in a small farming village like Yul village. Since this was one of the best rooms in the inn, it was spacious with a wide comfortable bed. A small dressing table by the wall, with a brace mirror.
There was a good table and three stools opposite the dressing table a short distance from the too. There was a small room next to the door wherefrom the position could only be the bathroom. Since the room was designed for female guests, that was obvious from the layout of the room.
Baozhai came in with a few of the inn staff, who carried the wide wooden bathtub into the room and placed it in the middle of the small bathroom. Baozhai stood back and watched as the bathtub was filled with warm water. Rong Rong poured some scented liquids into the water as soon as the bathtub was filled.
Su Liya waited until the staff left before holding onto Baozhai hand and getting into the bathtub. As she got in, Su Liya let out a loud breath and leaned back on the bathtub. This feeling could only be referred to like peace, she shut her eyes and got comfortable I'm the water.
Rong Rong and Baozhai exchanged a look and shared a smile at their madam's reaction to the warm bath. Su Liya's previously sour expression was gone, only a satisfied smile remain. Su Liya stayed that way for a few minutes before she began to ladder her body.
After rinsing, she accepted her towel from Rong Rong and dried her body. She got dressed and sat at the small dressing table by the wall, while Baozhai brushed and braided her hair into a single slim braid.
After having dinner with Rong Rong and Baozhai, she called it a night and dismissed them for the night. Before leaving Baozhai placed a pitcher of water and cup on the table by the bedside, it had become a habit for her to do that. Since She discovered that Su Liya often woke up in the middle of the night.
Su Liya to see and turned a few times before finally falling asleep when she heard the sound of light footsteps, coming from her open window. Her eyes lids flustered a little but she laid still on the bed and controlled her breathing. She wanted to maintain the illusion of being deep in sleep. if someone did break into her room, she needed to maintain the element of surprise.
In case the intruder had a weapon, like a knife or something. She didn't know why whoever this was broke in but she was hoping that it was just a thief and not an assassin. A thief was easier to handle than an assassin.
Luck wasn't in her side because she stiffened as felt the intruder walk to her bed. Su Liya balled out her fist and counted to ten and back in her mind, to keep her mind from imagining something bad. She needed to be able to think fast if possible, Su Liya tried to envision the room in her mind and identify if some potential weapons could be found in the room.
As she heard the intruder raise the free pillow behind her head, Su Liya rolled down her side. She picked up the pitcher of water and to see the content at the intruder, a slender man dressed in black.
"Ah… You bitch" the intruder said as the water got into his eyes. Her actions had been so unexpected, she had been so still. He had assumed she was asleep, that was the only reason he had decided to go on with the plan.
He had already planned to pretend to be a thief if she somehow woke up and then kill her during the struggle. His master wanted her dead, She didn't care about the means but the results. Her steady breathing made him think she was asleep, he decided to smother her to death.
He preferred the less bloody methods, they were less messy and didn't leave him needing a bath. To ensure that no one interrupted him, he has followed them at some distance until they got to Yul village. There was only one inn in the village so he just had to bride an inn staff to find out her room number.
The inn staff was very cheap to pay off, he found out her room number for only a few pieces of silver. However since he couldn't leave any trail that would lead to him, he snapped the unreliable servant's neck and pulled him into a dark alleyway before sneaking into the inn.
Although security was tight, General Lu Yaozhu must not have been counting on the inn staff being infiltrated because he didn't station any guards in the staff quarters. He could easily sneak into the staff quarters and take the hidden hallways, all the way to the room beside the princess's room.
The room was vacant as per the village chief's orders, the village chief arranged the inn to be vacated for the night. Before their arrival but while that was done for safety purposes, it worked in his favour because the walls of the inn were thin. From his hiding spot in the next room, he could hear everything that happened in Su Liya's room.
The intruder waited until she dismissed her maids and went to bed before jumping into her room through the open window. Su Liya lay facing the locked door of her room, with her back to the open window. He walked silently to the bed and stood still for some seconds to check if he would receive any response from her.
When there was none, he pulled up the cloth to cover most of his face. Leaving only his eyes and pulled up his hood before picking up the pillow beside her. He had only bet low to pick the pillow up when a blanket was thrown at him.
He dropped the pillow and took a step back, he heard the "sleeping" princess roll to the side. Just as he pulled the blanket away from his face, warm water shattered into his eyes. "Ahh, You bitch!"
He heard the sound of fees platters on the ground followed by a pitcher being thrown at him, he dived down to avoid the collision. The Pitcher made contact with the wall behind him and broke.
Su Liya seeing that she had missed her target looked around for another weapon. When she saw the intruder rush forward, she threw the cup at him and dived to the side. This time the cup hit tge intruder square on his forehead, which made him pause.
"Ahh," he said wiping his forehead and seeing blood in his hands. "You will pay for this, you scrawny little bitch!" He said and dived at her.
Su Liya jumped away quickly and raised the stool next to the table to hit him on the head. When the door was pushed open from outside and Lu Yaozhu rushed in. "General!"
The intruder's eyes widened when he heard her call out Lu Yaozhu, he looked at the newcomer and turned around to run to the other side but he was tackled to the ground by the lean general. The Intruder fought out of Lu Yaozhu's hold and tried to pull himself out of the stronghold. He tried to hit Lu Yaozhu with his elbow but missed a few times.
Seeing the two men roll around on the ground, Su Liya dropped the stool and rushed to find something heavy to hit the intruder or a weapon.