The Emperor of Xi Lin, Chu Yi Xuan, has been on the throne for ten years. His large harem only consists of the Empress and a few concubines he married in his early years. Now at 27, he still doesnt have any children. For the sake of the countrys future, officials jointly submitted a petition to recommend selecting imperial consorts, some even risking their lives to persuade him. Under pressure, the Emperor finally issued an edict to select consorts.

  Then the imperial edict was issued, and soon after the New Year, beauties from all over the country arrived in the capital, braving the harsh weather and cold winds, to enter the Selecting Beauty Palace and wait for the selection.

  At this time, the night was deep, all sounds were quiet, snowflakes fluttered, and the entire imperial palace was covered with a layer of silver white. Suddenly, a cry of surprise broke out, breaking the tranquility of the imperial palace!

  "Seize the assassin!"

  "Theres an assassin......!!"

  As one voice after another grew louder, accompanied by the chaotic footsteps of the crowd, they drew closer and closer to the Chuxiu Palace.

  Yan Xijun was just about to take off the thick and luxurious sable fur cape from her body when she heard the sound gradually approaching, so she quickly put it back on, tied up her clothes, hastily crossed over to the outer room, pushed open the carved wooden window, felt a sense of doubt, frowned and looked out.

  In the distance, a winding corridor was seen, where many people held clusters of burning torches, and the light gradually brightened. The leader, who was handsome, wore a light yellow royal attendants headband and led a team of guards, hurrying over.

  Yan Xijuns eyebrows were tightly furrowed, still trying to figure out what was going on, when suddenly a gust of cold wind came from behind, and her neck felt a chill. A dagger with an icy body and a deep, cold glow appeared at her throat, followed by a low, stern voice: "Dont move, dont make a sound!"

  Yan Xijuns heart was startled, and she carefully leaned to the side, looking at him with a slanted gaze. The one threatening her with a dagger was a young man dressed in all black, his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of piercing cold eyes, thick eyebrows, and a sharp gaze that exuded an aura of sharpness and icy chill.

  The man in black didnt expect the woman in front of him to turn around, and when he saw her appearance, his eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment. His hand holding the dagger trembled, almost dropping it. What kind of woman was this? Her skin was as smooth as jade, her beautiful eyes were like autumn water, her stunning beauty was astonishing, her posture was elegant and refined, just like a fairy in a painting!

  Yan Xijun did not dare to move rashly and was still puzzled, but in her heart she secretly wondered, who is this person?

  "The assassin has escaped this way, hurry and chase!"

  A loud shout awakened Yan Xijun from his reverie, and his gaze followed the window, looking in the direction of the sound. The group of palace guards who had been standing at a distance were now rushing towards the residence.

  "Assassin......", the moment this thought emerged, Yan Xikun didnt have time to think carefully, a flash of insight suddenly appeared in his mind, and he was shocked, his heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this black-clad person in front of him was actually an assassin?

  "Close the window." The man in black regained his cold expression, icy and commanding, apparently he also saw the guards outside, a flash of panic in his eyes, gone in an instant, like a star in the sky, then restored to calm.

  Yan Xijun, though unwilling in her heart, was currently under someones control and had no choice but to follow orders. She closed the wooden window. At this moment, she suspected that the black-clad man in front of her was an assassin. Facing the dagger emitting a cold chill, she pretended to be calm and asked calmly: "What is your intention?"

  "I ask you, where is the palace?" the man in black asked coldly.

  "Chuxiugong, Xixiangyuan." Yan Xikun replied simply, her answer smooth and calm, with no hint of panic on her face.

  "Chuxiugong?" The man in black clothes thought for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Yan Xiu Jun: "Youre one of the selected girls from the Chuxiu Palace?"

  "Yes!" A brief reply, calm and clear.

  At the words, the black-clad mans eyes dimmed for a moment, flashing with disappointment. When his dull gaze met Yan Xijuns calm and clear eyes, like a mountain spring, he seemed to be infected, and his gaze instantly recovered its bright light.

  "Take me out of here!" The man in black ordered in a low voice, and when he made eye contact with her, he knew he was saved. The woman in front of him seemed gentle and weak, but she was actually a calm and intelligent person. With her intelligence, she would definitely help him escape the tigers mouth.

  Yan Xijun smiled faintly and lightly opened her vermilion lips: "Your Excellency is overestimating me, Im just a small showgirl, with many guards outside, how can I take you away?"

  "Less nonsense, I dont care, you figure it out yourself." The man in black said this with a bit of a rogue tone, but then he threatened: "If I get caught, Ill definitely pull you down with me, and the first one to die will be you. Anyway, having you, this little beauty, accompany me to hell wont make my life in vain."

  After hearing what the man in black said, Yan Xijun was so angry that she wanted to cry. This assassin also looked down on her too much, why did he want to pull her back as a shield even if he died?

  "Your Excellency, I have no grudge against you, why do you want to make things difficult for me?" Yan Xijun looked at the person in front of her with a cold gaze and said softly: "Im not unwilling to save you, but its really impossible for me to do anything now!"

  As soon as Yan Xijuns voice fell, a loud and powerful command came from the courtyard outside: "I am Wen Han, the captain of the imperial palace guard. Because the assassin escaped here, I have come to capture the assassin. I hope all the masters will come out quickly, so that we can search one by one."

  As soon as the captain of the guard finished speaking, many disordered voices were heard coming from each house, and the selected girls had all run out, fearing to get into trouble and be implicated.

  "Look, theres not enough time, its too hasty." Yan Xijun listened to the outside commotion, the chaotic noise and footsteps, and spread his hands, revealing a helpless expression: "I advise you to surrender, this place is surrounded by guards, now its hard to fly even with wings."

  The man in black remained unmoved, his face filled with discontent, as if muttering to himself: "I dont believe it, tonight I will die here!"

  "You must have a way!" The man in black lowered his head and stared at her straight, the other hand pinched Yan Xijuns thin shoulder tightly, shouting: "If you dont speak, Ill kill you!"

  Yan Xijun felt a stinging pain and her shoulder was pinched by him until it hurt, she frowned and bit her lip: "Youre hurting me!"

  She had never suffered any hardships since she was a child, nor had she ever been threatened by anyone. Although she was a concubines daughter, she was still the young lady of an official family.

  The man in black saw her frowning, eyes showing a hint of moisture, and inexplicably felt annoyed, so he loosened his grip on her hand, but the dagger was still tightly pressed against her throat.

  Yan Xijun let out a soft sigh, seeing the black-clothed man who refused to give up on her from start to finish. She silently lamented that it involved her own life and death, originally not wanting to intervene in this matter but now having no choice but to help him.

  "I can help you temporarily avoid this search, but as soon as the guards leave, you must immediately leave my room!"

  The man in black saw that she was willing to help him, and his eyes showed joy. He nodded hastily and said, "Dont worry, as soon as they leave, Ill be gone."

  "Whos inside? Open the door quickly, or else well have to force our way in!" The urgent knocking at the door made the two people inside the room frightened and flustered.

  Yan Xijun quickly calmed down and coldly said to the outside of the door, "This young lady is taking a bath, who dares to barge in? Dont you want to live?"

  The knocking at the door slightly weakened, and then the leaders harsh voice came again, with a hint of threat: "Trouble the young master to come out quickly, missing the time to catch the assassin is not a consequence you can afford!"

  "This young lady has her own measure, no need for you to remind! Be calm and wait quietly for a moment!" Yan Xijun calmed down the guards outside and hastily instructed the black-clothed man: "Quickly, jump into that bathtub over there, hold your breath and crouch down as much as possible, dont expose your head."

  After the black-clad man jumped into the bathtub, Yan Xijun casually picked up a magnificent cloak hanging on the screen and threw it to the edge of the bathtub. The thick and luxurious garment instantly covered half of the bathtub. After doing all this, she took a deep breath, adjusted her clothes, and only then did she feel at ease opening the door.

  Yan Xijun lightly stepped forward, walked to the door, and just as she opened it, a gust of cold wind blew in her face. She shivered inwardly and glanced at the guard standing outside the door. She recognized this person, having met him once five years ago. His name was Wen Han, also a man of few words with a cold demeanor. She slightly apologized: "Ive kept Guard Wen waiting for too long, please come in and search!"

  His cold and dark eyes stared at her calm and peaceful little face for a long time, but couldnt see any clues, so he waved his big hand backwards and ordered: "Search!"

  Outside, the wind was blowing gently, and the cold air blew in, outside, it was snowing again, and the snowflakes fell to the ground, many beautiful women were shivering with cold, standing under the corridor, watching the guards searching the room, they could only stomp their feet in anger.

  Yan Xijun also wrapped the ermine cloak tighter around her, rubbing her hands secretly. Tonights weather was indeed unusually cold.

  Not long after, several guards who had gone in to search came out and reported: "Report to the leader, there is no assassin inside!"

  "Can you see clearly?"

  "My subordinates have made sure of it, every nook and cranny has been searched, there are no assassins inside!"

  Wen Han glanced at them and suddenly strode past several guards, heading towards the inner chamber.

  Yan Xijun was secretly shocked, had Wen Han seen something? Afraid of unexpected events, she also moved to follow him.

  A pair of sharp and cold black eyes scanned the surroundings, passing through the thick leather curtain, gauze, tables and chairs, wall cabinets, and finally locked onto the ground.

  Yan Xikun followed his gaze and when he saw the scene on the ground, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. On the light gray carpet, there were a few shallow bloodstains.

  Yan Xikun secretly paid a bad move, just now forgot to deal with the solidified bloodstains on the ground, and these few drops of blood were precisely from the black-clothed mans arm, which was injured earlier, being stabbed by someone elses flying knife.

  He raised his head and glanced at the tightly closed carved wooden window, then turned to look at Yan Xijun: "Has this window ever been opened?"

  "It has never been opened." Yan Xijun clenched her sleeve and replied calmly.

  "Oh," he said softly, his sharp eyes following the trail of blood to the screen behind which it dripped. He walked over and what came into view was a large bathtub.

  Yan Xijun saw Wen Han approaching the bathtub and her heart was racing with anxiety, she couldnt think of anything else and urgently shouted: "Wen Shuaiwei..."

  Wen Hans footsteps paused, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression. When he saw the fleeting panic in her eyes, he suddenly understood something. He gazed deeply at Yan Xijun, then glanced at the bathtub, but ultimately did not enter it. With a wave of his hand, he led the guards out of the room.

  Yan Xikuns heart was racing like a drum, and her heart almost jumped out. She was almost discovered by Wen Han. Looking at his departing back, she couldnt help but wonder why he let this opportunity pass? Was he really unaware that the assassin was in the bathtub or was he pretending not to know?

  By the way: The new article is published on Tencent Reading, "The Abandoned Concubine: Royal Highness, Dont Be Too Bad" is being serialized, everyone please go and support it.