Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Episode 44 Recap
> Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Recap
Xun Baishui summoned Xiao Yuanqi and his wife to his manor, intending to take the opportunity for Madam Xun to thoroughly question Xun Anru about what truly happened. He himself used words to probe Xiao Yuanqi, actively mentioning that the Emperor intended to entrust Xiao Yuanqi with the recovery of the three states of Huaidong.
Xiao Yuanqi, however, stated that Yue Yinchuan had said the East Sea forces were originally going to retreat, and he merely took advantage of the situation. Xun Baishui deliberately retorted, "Could Xiao Yuanqi's military achievements possibly be false?" Xiao Yuanqi sensed that Xun Baishui had another intention, so while toasting, he asked Xun Baishui for guidance on whether he should accept if the Emperor entrusted him with another important task.
Madam Xun told Xun Anru to tell her the truth, as she had always felt that Pei'er was an excellent swimmer, and her drowning was far too suspicious. Under Madam Xun's persistent questioning, Xun Anru finally could not hold back her tears and began to cry. Just then, Xun Feizhan also arrived in Madam Xun's room. Xun Feizhan questioned whether Xiao Yuanqi had bullied Xun Anru, but Xun Anru suddenly started vomiting due to her pregnancy.
This made Madam Xun happy, and Xun Anru swallowed back the truth she had been about to reveal. Xun Baishui proposed that Yue Yinchuan serve as Xiao Yuanqi's deputy. Xiao Yuanqi dared not decline, so he could only praise Yue Yinchuan before agreeing. At this moment, Xun Baishui's subordinate suddenly entered the room and shook his head at him. Xun Baishui knew there had been no progress with his wife, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuanqi quickly rose to leave, but he was meticulous and surprisingly caught a glimpse of a letter from Xiao Pingjing placed on the desk by Xun Baishui. Xun Baishui quickly explained that the contents were just auspicious New Year greetings, vaguely dismissing it, and stating that the current Changlin King Xiao Pingjing was living a carefree life. Although Xiao Yuanqi forced a few smiles, he was actually very wary of Xiao Pingjing's letter.
That night, Yue Yinchuan and Tan Heng secretly infiltrated Prince Laiyang's manor to locate the old archives. Tan Heng was a straightforward person; he immediately knocked open the door and knocked out the surprised He Cheng and another servant with two punches. Yue Yinchuan quickly sifted through the archives, but the sheer volume of them completely exceeded his expectations.
Xun Baishui felt that the conversation between him and Xiao Yuanqi was watertight and without flaws, but he understood that if Xiao Yuanqi's conscience was clear, there would be no need for such defensiveness. This realization made him feel a surge of weakness. Just then, Yue Yinchuan returned to his manor seeking an audience.
Yue Yinchuan discovered in the archives submitted by the Ministry of War to Dali Temple that someone had inspected the defenses of the ten eastern states more than a year ago. The individuals involved had either died suddenly or returned to their hometowns. Three of them were confirmed to be former subordinates of Xiao Yuanqi from Ganzhou, and another was He Cheng's deputy general.
Xun Baishui knew he had alerted the enemy, so he told Yue Yinchuan to write everything into a memorial and wait for him outside the palace city, to enter the palace with him tomorrow. Upon returning home, Xiao Yuanqi was furious. He understood that Xun Baishui had begun to suspect him, as Xiao Pingjing and the Xun family were not on good terms, and he would never write a New Year's greeting letter to Xun Baishui for no reason.
He Cheng told him that someone had attacked him and gone through the old files he had brought back from the Ministry of Works. Xiao Yuanqi quickly told him to find Madam Qi. Facing Xun Baishui's suspicion, Xiao Yuanqi finally could not hold back and prepared to eliminate Xun Baishui. Madam Qi stated that the experts and loyal assassins she brought from the East Sea Kingdom had already perfectly rehearsed the assassination. The only uncertainty was Xun Feizhan.
Early the next morning, Xun Baishui prepared to enter the palace and ordered one hundred officers and soldiers to be dispatched from the Jingzhao Prefectural Office to escort him. Coincidentally, Xun Feizhan also came to his manor, but Xun Feizhan wanted to leave the city to see Xiao Pingzhang. Xun Baishui was momentarily careless and did not ask Xun Feizhan to escort him.
Holding Xiao Pingjing's letter to him, Xun Baishui grandly headed to the palace city, escorted by one hundred officers and soldiers. However, the East Sea Kingdom assassins had already set up an ambush on the road. The officers and soldiers immediately formed a spear-and-shield formation to guard Xun Baishui's carriage. However, these assassins were highly skilled experts personally selected by Mo Zihou, and they were numerous.
Although the officers' formation resisted the initial waves of probing attacks, it still caused considerable chaos in the military formation. Madam Qi seized the opportunity and personally struck. Her movements were somewhat similar to Mo Zihou's. In the blink of an eye, she rushed in front of Xun Baishui and stabbed a sword into his heart.
She immediately shouted that the Lord of the East Sea Kingdom sent his regards to Xun Baishui and snatched the letter from Xiao Pingjing out of Xun Baishui's hand. By the time Yue Yinchuan realized something was wrong and rushed to the carriage, the assassins had vanished without a trace, leaving only corpses strewn across the ground. Xun Baishui did not die immediately. Yue Yinchuan clutched his chest, but blood still gushed from Xun Baishui's heart.
In his final moments, Xun Baishui finally remembered to shout the name of the Changlin King. Xun Feizhan knelt before his uncle's corpse and swore a solemn oath that he would not let Xun Baishui die in vain and would definitely catch the murderers. When Xun Anru learned the news, hearing that it was assassins from the East Sea, she was filled with immense regret and fainted. The young Emperor tearfully informed the Empress Dowager of Xun Baishui's death.
The Empress Dowager collapsed onto her throne in shock. Xun Anru had a miscarriage. She stared at the ceiling with a ashen face, tears flowing uncontrollably, not uttering a word no matter how Xiao Yuanqi tried to comfort her. Although Xiao Yuanqi was also in great pain, he firmly believed that fate was rare and would inevitably exact a price.
He could endure losing his son and agreed with Madam Qi that they would no longer associate with each other from then on. Yue Yinchuan knew that with Xun Baishui's death, the Grand Secretariat would surely fall into chaos, and trying to bring down Prince Laiyang Xiao Yuanqi would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. The Empress Dowager was consumed by worry and lost her appetite due to Xun Baishui's death.
The Emperor told her that after the assassination, Jinling City was immediately sealed, yet a small merchant caravan had managed to leave the city gates early, and their travel permits were also forged. Xun Feizhan prepared to lead people to track them down. Before his departure, he still treated Xiao Yuanqi as a family member, instructing Xiao Yuanqi to take good care of Xun Anru.
Yue Yinchuan and Tan Heng secretly observed Xun Feizhan and Xiao Yuanqi talking, knowing that Xun Baishui must not have told Xun Feizhan anything. Yue Yinchuan saw Xun Feizhan leading the elite Imperial Guards out of the city to pursue, but Xiao Yuanqi showed no signs of tension, immediately realizing that the female assassin was still in the city. Since Xiao Yuanqi controlled the Patrol Battalion, Jinling City was the safest place.
A secret letter from Donghu Yulin arrived, and Xiao Yuanqi knew that General Di, his earlier pawn, had finally made up his mind. He felt that the overall situation was completely under his control and vowed never to become the second Changlin King.
