The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 424 - 423 Don’t beat the grass and startle the snake (First watch)

Chapter 424: 423 Don’t beat the grass and startle the snake (First watch)

Li Xianyun examined the list, repeating several unfamiliar names. Three were princesses from other countries, and two were Commandery Princesses.

They all sat with her and the Imperial Noble Consort in the front row, pushing the wives of several princes to the back.

Among Yelu Yan’s brothers, Li Xianyun had only met the Great Prince, Sixth Prince, and Ninth Prince. There were other princes and princesses who had been granted their own residences that she might have met, but she could not match their faces with their names.

Li Xianyun noticed a problem when she looked at the list. Commandery Princesses were children of princes and should not have displaced the princes’ wives to the back in the seating order.

If the intent was to highlight the diplomatic etiquette between two nations, placing the two Commandery Princesses in the center of the second row would suffice.

It seemed that the target of those scheming on the day of the hunt was not solely on Yelu Yan but also to cause trouble amongst the group of ladies.

If they intended to stir up trouble, the guest list was but a minor detail; there must be other contingencies in place.

Quite the diversionary tactic, they aimed to restrain Yelu Yan with this.

Suppressing the surge of emotions inside her, Li Xianyun looked at the Chief of the Department Ceremonial Affairs, and, retaining her composure, asked, "Has the official seen this guest list?"

The Chief of the Department Ceremonial Affairs smiled and replied, "I have seen it, it is arranged according to past protocols."

Li Xianyun nodded. If she had not been compelled by the Ninth Princess to attend banquets frequently, she would have been fooled by his words.

The Chief of the Department Ceremonial Affairs respectfully asked, "Your Highness, is there a problem with this list? If so, I will correct it immediately."

Li Xianyun saw his hand clench unnaturally for a moment; when people are nervous, they tend to have many small gestures.

She handed the list back to him and smiled, "Just proceed as you have said."

Because of this discovery, Li Xianyun inspected even more meticulously than before and sure enough, she found some clues.

For example, there was a faint mark on the leg of her chair which, to someone not familiar with woodworking, would seem like a normal blemish. But according to her experience, it could be judged as intentionally cut, and anyone who would sit on it was bound to fall.

This would certainly humiliate her in front of the royal relatives and foreign guests.

Humiliation was secondary; there were likely even more frightening moves to follow.

As Li Xianyun moved to check the ceremonial cannons, she found several suspicious alcoves.

Inside there was probably not just ordinary gunpowder, but also hidden firearms or even explosives. If ignited at the hunting grounds, it would no longer be a mere jest.

The attendees of the hunt were all important figures, especially the foreign guests. Should there be any accidents, the consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.

It seemed to be a premeditated and organized assassination.

As the saying goes, pulling one hair affects the whole body. In order not to startle the snake, Li Xianyun expressed her appreciation for their arrangements. After making a round, she took her leave.

Having boarded the carriage, the entourage headed towards the Khan Palace.

Facing the direction where Li Xianyun’s carriage had departed, an official of the Department Ceremonial Affairs, seeing that there were no bystanders, spoke to the Chief, "Has the Highness noticed anything, sir?"

The Chief of the Department Ceremonial Affairs snorted coldly, saying, "Out there they have extolled this princess to the skies, some even calling her a Goddess, making me quite nervous. Today it seems she is nothing more than a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, what would she know?"

"Sir, this matter is of great importance; we must not be careless. If it comes to light, given the Khan’s ruthless nature, not only will our heads roll, but our families will likely not be spared either."

"Rest assured, I am well aware of the stakes involved. After planning for so long, we just wait for the day after tomorrow. The Khitan are about to witness a change of skies."

Upon returning to the Khan Palace, Li Xianyun inquired about Yelu Yan’s whereabouts.

Having learned that Yelu Yan was in the Hall of Diligent Governance dealing with official business, Li Xianyun had Youlan find Palace Servants’ clothes for her to change into, and together with Bater, they proceeded to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

When they faced obstruction along the way, Bater would say, "The Prince has urgent matters to discuss with the Khan and has specially sent us to hurry along."

This statement proved effective, and they moved unhindered all the way, being ushered into a room to wait, where the people from the Hall of Diligent Governance said they would report after the Khan finished dealing with his affairs.

The two of them waited for the time it took an incense stick to burn before a palace servant came to deliver the message, "Khan commands you to come."

Li Xianyun and Bater were led to Yelu Yan’s study.

Yelu Yan’s gaze immediately fell upon Li Xianyun.

Even though she was dressed as a palace servant, it did not conceal her graceful figure.

His lips unwittingly curled upwards, "You stay, everyone else leave."

Li Xianyun raised her head to see Yelu Yan pointing at her.

Bater and another palace servant folded their arms in salute and withdrew, even closing the door from the outside.

At the moment the door closed, Li Xianyun dropped her formal demeanor and walked straight toward Yelu Yan.

This was the second time Li Xianyun had come to the Hall of Diligent Governance to find him, and Yelu Yan was very pleased. While still at a distance, he moved his chair back to make enough space to embrace Li Xianyun and opened his arms to her.

As soon as Li Xianyun approached, Yelu Yan embraced her, sitting her on his lap, and kissed fiercely twice on her lips, smiling, "Why are you willing to come to your husband today?"

In the past, it was always him eagerly seeking her, looking for her every day with endearments. Today, being sought out by Li Xianyun, he felt somewhat flattered indeed.

Li Xianyun sat up straight, gently placing her hands on Yelu Yan’s arm, and said, "Husband, I went to the hunting grounds today and found that someone has tampered with many places."

Yelu Yan did not show too much surprise, but more a sense of astonishment.

This girl had noticed something amiss after just one visit; she truly had sharp ears and eyes.

Seeing this, Li Xianyun asked, "Husband, you didn’t already know, did you?"

Yelu Yan hummed in acknowledgment, "To avoid alerting the enemy, your husband only had people secretly paying attention and planned to remove all those traps tomorrow night."

It was a countermeasure.

Fortunately, she hadn’t shown any signs of being aware at that time.

"Then why didn’t you tell me, in case I accidentally gave something away? Or did you think I couldn’t possibly notice something amiss?"

Yelu Yan smiled, "Discovering a problem after one visit was somewhat unexpected for your husband."

"Hmph, you underestimate me too much."

Yelu Yan raised his hand and pinched her little face, smiling, "Your husband wouldn’t dare, for he is under strict supervision by his wife."

Li Xianyun glanced at him sideways and struggled to get down.

Yelu Yan exclaimed "Ah" and tightened his hold on her, "Where are you going?"

"You handle state affairs, I’m going back to the Khan Palace."

"Truly, you don’t come to the Hall of Supreme Harmony unless there’s an issue; as soon as the matter is dealt with, you leave. That’s really heartless."

As he spoke, Yelu Yan lifted Li Xianyun up, making her straddle his leg, hung her soft arms around his neck, embraced her slender waist, and said, "Since you’ve come, you should get a sweetener before you can go back."

Saying that, he lifted his head to capture Li Xianyun’s lips, and just as they were about to touch, he was stopped by a little hand against his chest.

"Husband, there might be firearms or gunpowder in the ceremonial cannons, you’re aware of that, aren’t you?"

"I’m aware."

Yelu Yan clasped Li Xianyun’s head, aiming for her lips once more.

This time the kiss landed, but just as the lips met, she turned her head away and said, "Husband, I just remembered there are some things I need to prepare, I must make a trip to the Ministry of Internal Affairs."