Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 38

Shen Tangning stared at the blood-streaked blade before her, her breath catching in her throat.

Her heart pounded wildly, yet her mind remained startlingly calm. In a trembling voice, she asked, “Brave warrior… I don’t believe I’ve ever wronged you. We have no grudge between us—why do you want to kill me?”

She lifted her head and met the icy eyes of the man in black. Tears welled in her eyes and fell in streams, her voice choked, “Even if I must die… shouldn’t I at least know why?”

Her delicate nose turned pink, and with tears brimming, her face was pitiful and innocent. The man’s expression wavered slightly.
Indeed, this Lady Shen seemed completely blameless.

Truth be told, he didn’t understand why his master would orchestrate such a show—sending several deathsworn assassins after a defenseless noble lady. It was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.
Moreover, it didn’t seem that their orders were to kill her directly. It was more like… a test.

The assassin narrowed his eyes.
“Miss Shen, perhaps you should think carefully. Have you recently done anything you shouldn’t have? Offended someone you shouldn’t have?”

Shen Tangning paused. A list of names flashed through her mind.

The Marquis’s wife? Unlikely.

Shen Ximei? Even more unlikely. She didn’t have the power to mobilize elite death sworn like these.

That only left one person—
The Third Prince.

Yet she had always been cautious—so when did she slip and attract suspicion?

Could it have been at the Princess’s flower-viewing banquet…?

Her heart twisted with anxious calculations as she forced a bitter smile.
“I’m a sheltered woman who rarely leaves the inner residence. Who could I possibly offend? Surely, you’re making things difficult on purpose.”

If this assassin belonged to the Third Prince, then she figured she still had a sliver of hope.
The prince must merely be suspicious, he likely had no solid proof.

Besides, her background wasn’t something to take lightly. Her father was a second-rank official, her aunt the current Empress. If she died, this would surely provoke a thorough investigation.
Killing her wouldn’t bring the prince any gain—only risk exposing his ambitions too early.

The assassin’s eyes flashed coldly.
“Seems like Miss Shen won’t shed tears until she sees the coffin.”

The blade suddenly pressed against her neck. Shen Tangning’s heart clenched, she was already bracing for pain—when she suddenly caught a flicker of movement in the shadows among the trees.

Her pupils contracted.

A figure emerged from the branches, sharp-eyed and predatory like a hawk. The two locked eyes, and she instantly recognized him, it was the assassin who had saved her at the Princess’s estate!

Heart skipping, Shen Tangning cried out,
“Wait! I… I think I remember now! Back at the Princess’s residence…”

The assassin paused, not suspecting her words.

She tilted her head back slightly, neck exposed to the blade, and said in a coaxing tone,
“Could you… maybe move your knife back a bit? I’m afraid you’ll cut me by mistake. It’s making me nervous…”

Irritated, he stepped back.
“Miss Shen, I advise you to behave. Don’t try any tricks.”

From the shadows, the hidden man sprang forward, targeting two nearby assassins. In one clean motion, he slit the throat of one of them.

In that split second of distraction, Shen Tangning seized her chance. She pulled out the hairpin hidden in her sleeve and stabbed it hard into her captor’s arm!

With a cry of pain, the man recoiled. Shen Tangning didn’t hesitate, she turned and ran. But the assassin regained his senses quickly, lunging forward to grab her shoulder and slam her to the ground.

She rolled twice before her lower back struck a protruding rock. Her face instantly went pale.

“Lady Shen,” the man growled, closing in, “have I been too kind to you?”

His voice was laced with menace. She gritted her teeth and blindly grabbed a handful of dirt. Just as he stepped closer, she threw it into his face.

Blinded, the assassin cursed, his vision obscured.

Tangning scrambled to her feet and tried to flee, only to be yanked back by the arm.

“Trying to die sooner?”

The assassin was clearly enraged—being outwitted by a woman twice was a humiliation he could hardly bear.

He raised his blade, but just then, a heavy kick landed square on his back.

“Bastard! Who do you think you’re messing with?!”

Shen Tangning stumbled, only to be caught by a steady hand. She looked up in shock.

“Chi Yan?”

Chi Yan frowned as he looked her over.
“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, lips slightly parted—only to suddenly widen her eyes.
“Look out!”

The assassin lunged with his blade. Chi Yan calmly sidestepped, the edge of the blade grazing his cheek.

Surprise flashed in the assassin’s eyes as he launched attack after attack, yet each strike was effortlessly dodged.

At first, it could’ve been seen as luck. But after several exchanges, he realized—it wasn’t.

Suspicion crept into his gaze. This infamous dandy of the capital… knew how to fight?

Even their master probably didn’t know about this.

On the other side, Yuan Zhao had already finished off the other assassins and turned to see Chi Yan skillfully handling the last one—protecting Shen Tangning all the while and holding his ground barehanded.

Raising a brow in surprise, Yuan Zhao stepped in.

With the two of them working together, the final assassin was soon subdued. Forced to his knees, the cloth mask was ripped off his face, revealing an utterly ordinary appearance.

Yuan Zhao glanced at the man’s cold expression and remarked,
“He’s deathsworn. You’ll have a hard time getting anything out of him.”

These kinds of soldiers were trained to die rather than reveal anything. Most were given poison in advance—if the mission failed, they’d die either way to protect their master’s identity.

Still, Yuan Zhao had a pretty good guess as to who sent them.

Shen Tangning stepped forward, her eyes icy and unreadable.
“Then kill him.”

Everyone froze in shock.

The assassin’s expression finally cracked—he glanced at the woman before him.
She had fooled him completely with her frail, tearful act.

The master had been right—this woman was dangerous.

Chi Yan had witnessed her decisiveness before, but even he was caught off guard by how swiftly she ordered the kill.

Still… an eye for an eye.

Shen Tangning knew exactly who was behind this. Since the Third Prince had already grown suspicious, letting this man go would be like setting a tiger loose.
If they killed him, there would be no proof—no one left to testify. And the prince wouldn’t dare confront her openly.

Yuan Zhao nodded without a word and slit the man’s throat cleanly.

Shen Tangning’s gaze lingered on him, probing.
“What are you doing here? Were you… following me?”

Yuan Zhao’s face stiffened. He glanced at her, exasperated.

What kind of question was that?

If not for him, she’d be dead right now.

“I was going to look for you last night…” He trailed off, realizing that it might sound inappropriate. Glancing at Chi Yan’s narrow eyes, he added,
“To repay you for saving me. But while passing an alley near the Chi residence, I stumbled upon something interesting.”

Chi Yan shot him a look.
“That’s your excuse for sneaking around at night?”

Yuan Zhao’s tone was flat.
“I’m an assassin. I only operate at night.”

Shen Tangning cleared her throat, shooting Chi Yan a side-eye.
“Let him finish.”