Nine Nights Owl Song

February 27th, the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

Before dawn, Su Jiuge stood in front of the map table at the Dark Pavilion's Luojing branch.

This is a secret room hidden beneath a general store in the south of the city. It has four stone walls, an oil lamp, and a detailed layout map of Zhao Wenchang's mansion on the table.

Ghost Hand stood opposite her, Shen Qing guarded the door, and Ghost Shadow leaned against the corner of the wall. All three of them were waiting for her to speak.

Su Jiuge looked at the map and memorized every route, every sentry post, and every corner where people might be hiding in Zhao Wenchang's mansion.

"Zhao Wenchang's residence was located between Chongrenfang and Yongningfang, covering an area of ​​thirty acres. It had three courtyards and three gates, and was guarded by one hundred and twenty people, including twenty masters of internal strength or above, and three masters of external strength or above. Zhao Wenchang himself did not know martial arts, but he had a habit—he would get up at dawn every day, handle government affairs in his study, go out to court at dawn, return to his residence at dusk, and go to bed at dusk. His daily routine was unwavering."

Su Jiuge pointed to the study: "The best time to kill him is before he leaves for court at Chen Shi (7-9 AM). At that time, it's just dawn, the guards are least vigilant, and the shift change is imminent, making it the easiest time for a loophole to appear."

Ghost Hand pondered for a moment: "The people at the photo studio are also watching you. If you make a move, they will."

This is exactly what Su Jiuge is about to say.

She raised her head, her gaze shifting from the ghostly hand to the ghostly figure, and then to Shen Qing at the doorway.

"The photo studio wants to kill me, and I want to kill Zhao Wenchang. These two things can become one."

The room fell silent, and three pairs of eyes were fixed on her face.

"The people at the photography studio don't know I have a secret decree. They only know that the Second Prince has offered a reward of one million taels of silver for my life. If I show up near Zhao Wenchang's residence, they will definitely follow me. If I kill Zhao Wenchang, they will kill me."

Su Jiuge's voice was completely flat.

"But they didn't know that, like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, the guards at Zhao Wenchang's residence would assume that the people from the photography studio were there to kill Zhao Wenchang. The people from the photography studio, secretly following their target, would be mistaken for accomplices and would have no way to defend themselves."

Ghost Hand's eyes narrowed slightly.

The ghostly figure straightened up from the corner.

Shen Qing placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.

Use a scheme to your advantage, and kill someone with a borrowed knife.

That's a ruthless move.

Su Jiuge pushed the map of Zhao Wenchang's mansion in front of Ghost Hand.

"I'll be infiltrating the Zhao residence. The people from the photography studio will follow me. You stay on the perimeter and wait for them to show up, but don't alert them."

Ghost Hand asked, "Let them into the mansion?"

Su Jiuge nodded: "Let them in. Only when they're in will the charge of 'assassinating the prime minister' be confirmed. Then the court will have a legitimate reason to crack down on the photography studio."

The ghost hand looked at her.

"You're all inside, while there are five people from the photo studio, all at the peak of the Transformation Realm."

Su Jiuge gave an irrelevant answer: "Shen Qing, you take the Dark Pavilion people to provide support on the outside. Ghost Shadow, you're in charge of the cleanup. Make sure Zhao Wenchang's body is properly disposed of, and don't let anyone realize that the wounds were inflicted by the Dark Pavilion."

After Su Jiuge finished making the arrangements, she glanced out the window—dawn was approaching. She checked each of the hidden pockets on her waist belt.

All seven items are present.

The straight sword hung at his waist, its scabbard polished to a gleaming shine.

"Tonight at midnight, take action."

February 27th, midnight.

The city of Luoyang was shrouded in the deep darkness of night, and the lanterns in Zhao Wenchang's mansion were extinguished one by one.

Su Jiuge squatted on the rooftop opposite the Zhao residence, dressed in black night clothes, her hair tied in a braid, and her face covered with a black cloth.

She waited for about half an hour.

The people from the photo studio arrived.

She sensed it—five people approaching from five different directions.

Their aura was very light, and their lightness skill was excellent; they could at least rank among the top three elite assassins in the Dark Pavilion.

Five peak-stage Transformation Realm experts joined forces to kill her, a late-stage Transformation Realm expert.

The photo studio gave Night Owl a lot of face.

Su Jiuge slid silently off the roof and landed on the wall of the Zhao residence.

She walked past the old locust tree in the Zhao family garden.

The tree trunk stretched out over the wall, and I climbed up it, then climbed over the wall and landed in the bushes.

She had scouted this route during the day, memorizing the Zhao family's guards' shift changes, the locations of sentries, and the gaps in their patrols.

Five people from the photo studio followed behind her.

Maintain a distance of twenty zhang, neither too far nor too close.

Zhao Wenchang's study was located in the very center of the mansion, and it was brightly lit.

Su Jiuge approached the study from the side, pressed herself against the window, and heard the sound of folding paper and Zhao Wenchang's low cough.

She drew her straight sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

She waited a moment, and the shift change came. The patrolling guards had just passed by, and the next group had not yet arrived.

She pushed open the window and climbed inside.

Zhao Wenchang was sitting behind his desk when he saw someone climb in through the window. He reacted quickly and opened his mouth to call for help.

Su Jiuge's knife was faster than his; the tip pierced his throat and exited through the back of his neck, drawing out a cloud of blood mist as it was pulled out.

His eyes widened suddenly, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Su Jiuge caught his falling body and gently laid him on the ground without making a sound. Then she turned around, climbed out of the window, and landed silently in the garden.

Behind me, people from the photo studio were approaching.

Su Jiuge strolled through the garden, not in a hurry to leave.

She was waiting, waiting for the people from the photography studio to catch up, waiting for them to enter the Zhao residence area, and waiting for the guards to discover Zhao Wenchang's body.

The deputy owner of the photo studio, Wumian, sensed that something was wrong.

It was too quiet. Night Owl killed Zhao Wenchang too quickly, abnormally quickly, as if he already knew Zhao Wenchang's guards' shift change pattern, already knew that the window was unlocked, and already knew that Zhao Wenchang was still awake at that time.

He didn't come to kill Zhao Wenchang; he came to wait for us.

The faceless figure's pupils suddenly contracted.

"withdraw!"

late.

Suddenly, the Zhao residence was brightly lit, and shouts arose from all sides.

"An assassin! The master has been killed!"

The guards poured out from all directions, completely surrounding the garden.

The five people from the photography studio happened to be inside the Zhao residence, in the garden, surrounded by guards.

Su Jiuge climbed over the wall of the Zhao residence and landed in the alley outside. She took off her night clothes and stuffed them into her bundle, then changed into a dark blue cotton robe. She pulled the black cloth off her face and let her hair down to braid into a plait.

She became an ordinary girl traveling late at night.

Behind them came shouts of killing, the clash of weapons, and screams from inside the Zhao mansion.

The staff from the photo studio got into a fight with the security guards.

They don't want to fight, but they can't escape either.

The guards had already spotted them. The veil covering the faceless deputy owner of the photography studio was ripped off by a guard's spear, revealing an unfamiliar face. Some had seen them, and some had remembered them.

Su Jiuge left without looking back.

Zhao Wenchang died, and the people from the photography studio were kept at Zhao's residence.

By daybreak tomorrow, news of Zhao Wenchang's murder will have spread throughout Luoyang. The guards will say that the assassin was from the photography studio.

The imperial court will investigate and suppress them.

The photo studio will be unable to defend itself.

Ghost Hand emerged from the shadows at the alley entrance.

He looked at Su Jiuge for a few seconds, then said, "Sect Leader, your move was ruthless enough."

Su Jiuge walked past Ghost Hand.

"Return to the Dark Pavilion and await news."

February 28th, early morning.

The news of Zhao Wenchang's murder caused an uproar in Luoyang.

The prime minister, a high-ranking official of the second rank, was assassinated in his own study. The guards discovered five assassins on the spot, all of whom were from the photography studio. In the ensuing fierce battle, three were killed, one was wounded, and one escaped.

The one running is "Faceless," the deputy owner of the photography studio.

The guards saw his face, drew his likeness, and launched a city-wide manhunt.

Emperor Yong'an was furious in the court, slamming his fist on the dragon table and saying, "The Yinglou is so audacious as to dare to assassinate the prime minister of the court."

He issued an imperial edict ordering the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Jingzhao Prefecture to jointly apprehend the remaining members of the photo studio gang, and all those involved, regardless of whether they were leaders or accomplices, to be executed without mercy.

With this imperial decree, the photography studio had no place to stand within the territory of Daliang.

The crown prince stepped forward.

"Father, these photo studios have been a menace for years and should have been eradicated long ago. Your son is willing to take the lead in overseeing this matter."

Emperor Yong'an glanced at him but did not reply.

The second prince stepped forward, his face pale and his lips trembling.

He hired the photo studio, but he couldn't say.

He couldn't say that he had offered a reward of one million taels of silver to kill Su Jiuge, nor could he say that the people from the photography studio had collided with Zhao Wenchang's death.

He could only grit his teeth and swallow the blood.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, stood in the queue, head down, looking at his toes.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly, but only for a moment, before he quickly wiped it away. No one saw it.

February 28th, Prince Zhao's residence.

Su Jiuge sat in the study drinking the tea brewed by Xiao Yan.

Zhao Wenchang died, the photography studio was besieged by the imperial court, and the second prince suffered in silence.

Both issues were resolved overnight.

Xiao Yan looked at her; her expression was calm, as if the murder was truly none of her business.

"The guards saw the people from the photography studio on Zhao Wenchang's body. What about the wounds? The weapons the people from the photography studio used were different from yours," Xiao Yan asked.

Su Jiuge put down her teacup.

"The people from the photo studio used knives. The guards saw the 'photo studio assassin' in the Zhao family garden with a knife on his body and blood on the knife. The wound on Zhao Wenchang's neck was a knife wound. The guards didn't examine how Zhao Wenchang's wound was caused; they only needed to see the people from the photo studio, the knives from the photo studio, and the blood on the knives. That was enough."

Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment.

"The Faceless One ran away."

Su Jiuge said, "He can't go far. The imperial court is searching for him throughout the city, and the photography studio can no longer stay in Daliang."

Xiao Yan nodded.

The photo studio is finished, and the Second Prince has lost an arm.

From this day forward, the Second Prince has lost an important ally.

Su Jiuge stood up.

"I should go back now. My mother is waiting for me to have breakfast."

Xiao Yan looked at her. "Su Jiuge."

She stopped.

Xiao Yan looked at her.

"Be careful of the photo studio. Wumian has run away; he won't let this go."

Su Jiuge looked at him for a moment, then walked out.

Su Jiuge walked into the gate of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion in the morning sun and ate a plate of osmanthus cake.

No one knew that she was responsible for Zhao Wenchang's death.

Apart from the emperor and Xiao Yan, and apart from the people in the Dark Pavilion.

She doesn't need others to know; she only needs results.

Zhao Wenchang is dead, the Second Prince has lost his backer, and the photography studio has been framed. A triple win.

This was the most satisfying mission she had ever undertaken since joining the Dark Pavilion, not because of the high reward, but because it was clean.

Clean and efficient, leaving no future problems.