Gemini Mission (风起洛阳之双子追凶)

Go after it!

The person who hunts down this animal

will be the top Autumn Hunter!

Start!

This one.

Your Highness, what's the name of that?

Master, you are the master of Prince Teng's Mansion.

Can't you be a bit more reserved?

Don't call me that here. You'll expose my identity.

That one over there.

Murong Ji and Eunuch Li know each other?

What's so strange about that?

Murong Ji is the shrewdest merchant in Luoyang City.

Master, the Nuo opera performance is quite impressive.

After their performance,

I'm determined to learn it.

Oh no, Her Majesty was attacked!

It's just a group of animals.

Don't panic!

I'll protect Her Majesty!

Your Highness! It's dangerous!

Leave him alive.

Your Majesty, I arrived late to rescue. Please punish me.

General Yuchi, you are being modest.

When the assassins were attempting on Her Majesty,

you must have hunted down a few wild boars, I presume?

You...

Enough. Don't let a few assassins

spoil the enjoyment of the courtiers.

General Yuchi, your protection was lacking,

so I'll restrict you from leaving for three days for reflection.

However, I am curious to know

who was behind this assassination attempt.

I have already investigated.

The assassins were armed with Tuyuhun weapons.

The one responsible for organizing today's Autumn Hunt

was the young Khan of Tuyuhun, Murong Ji.

However, he mysteriously disappeared

just before the assassination began.

I am willing to immediately lead Jinwu Guard

to apprehend Murong Ji

to ease Your Majesty's concerns and eliminate this traitor.

Approved.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Murong Ji, as a hostage of the Tuyuhun in Tang,

has been under close surveillance.

Yet, he attempted to assassinate Her Majesty

during the Autumn Hunt.

There are many mysteries surrounding this case,

but the court ministers are furious

and are requesting orders to crush Tuyuhun.

To appease public sentiment, Her Majesty

has already instructed the Ministry of War to prepare for war.

Caishu Agency's intelligence is indeed remarkable.

So, why have you summoned me?

Once the war begins, there will be great suffering.

Mr. Pei, don't you want to help us quell this disaster?

I'm just a country bumpkin,

and can't handle such important matters.

Mr. Pei, please stay.

This is...

These small birds are naturally timid,

yet on the day of the Autumn Hunt,

they attacked the Jinwu Guard as if they had gone mad.

It seems that this matter is unusual.

Who in this world is most skilled in such tricks?

Mr. Pei, I believe you may already have an answer in mind.

Chunqiu Sect.

Mr. Pei, haven't you always wanted to destroy Chunqiu Sect

and seek revenge for your sect?

Are you willing to take action now?

Chunqiu Sect attempted to disrupt Her Majesty with unorthodox methods,

and innocent animals have suffered as well.

So...

is Murong Ji connected to Chunqiu Sect?

To my knowledge,

Murong Ji has painstakingly operated Qinghai Sect for many years

and never engaged in unprofitable ventures.

This time, he took on the organization

of the Autumn Hunt to win Her Majesty's favor

and expand his business in Luoyang.

As for anything else,

it remains unknown.

Profiteer.

Murong Ji is the key to solving the case.

But we've searched all possible places where he might be hiding

and found no trace of him.

This must be the real purpose for Young Master Chu to bring me here.

So, Caishu Agency means

that Chunqiu Dao intentionally framed Murong Ji?

Yes, very likely.

But what's Chunqiu Sect's purpose in doing so?

That's the part I've always found puzzling.

Chunqiu Sect is a shadow organization

established by an ancient group of nobles,

advocating that only aristocratic descendants should enter the court.

They nurtured a group of assassins with special abilities

to eliminate dissidents, control power,

and even change dynasties.

Empress Dowager promoting commoner youths

through the imperial examination

shook the foundation of those ancient nobles,

and that's why they attracted retaliation from Chunqiu Sect.

In the past, Chunqiu Sect's every evil deed was aimed at Her Majesty.

But this time,

planning such an easily foiled assassination,

was it solely to frame Murong Ji?

And what could they gain from it?

Perhaps...

it's because Murong Ji has offended them.

That's too childish.

From what I know about Murong Ji,

he should be innocent in this matter.

Or at most, he might have been used

unknowingly.

Anyway,

we need to find him before the court

to get to the bottom of it.

I've already sent Six and others to inquire.

I didn't expect your little beggars

to be even more skilled than Caishu Agency's people.

I've been in Jianghu for so long,

and my title of Lady Ying isn't just for show.

This run-down place

doesn't look like where Murong Ji would reside.

It seems there really are people inside.

Who sent you here?

Are you the ones who attempted to assassinate Her Majesty?

Hold on. Let the defeated enemy go.

Master, what happened?

We had some uninvited guests.

And one of them I've already sent away.

The remaining two...

Please come in.

Mr. Murong, no matter where you go,

you don't compromise on your quality of life.

Given limited conditions, I've already compromised as much as possible.

Do you know that assassin from just now?

No.

You're wanted throughout the city, and you're here drinking.

Your audacity knows no bounds.

It was all a misunderstanding.

During the Autumn Hunt,

I found that several of the Nuo opera performers previously arranged

had been replaced by unfamiliar faces,

and they seemed to be hiding weapons.

I thought it was a plot by business rivals

to send assassins to harm me in the chaos.

I never imagined that the targets of those assassins

were actually Her Majesty.

Master, it's just as they speculated.

Since everything is explained,

and both of you are quite busy,

I won't keep you for a late-night meal.

Yan Ye, see them out.

The real culprit must be someone else.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be assassins trying to kill you.

Let's join forces,

and uncover the true culprit.

That assassin is quite skilled.

If you two continue to follow me, you might end up losing your lives.

Even you, a profiteer, are starting to care about someone else's safety.

You're not hiding something, are you?

Alright, let's make a deal.

I agree to let you stay, but you must tell me the truth.

This assassination seems to have been the work of Chunqiu Sect.

Oh, so it is for seeking revenge for your sect.

Fine. We will each get what we need.

Just to be clear, I won't pay a single coin as a reward.

Also,

please sign this disclaimer.

In the future, if you get injured or even lose your life,

it has nothing to do with me, Murong Ji.

I told you a long time ago that you can't beat him.

You didn't listen to me.

Enough. Stop nagging.

Master.

You're injured.

I lost to that guy again.

No wonder you are so frustrated.

Thanks to your intelligence,

we've seen through this guy's true colors.

The mighty young Khan of Tuyuhun

carries himself like a servant.

He not only uses Tuyuhun's royal silver to curry favor with Tang people,

but he even foots the bill for the evil Empress Dowager's Autumn Hunt.

Where is the dignity of Tuyuhun?

Is there maybe a hidden reason?

Murong Ji's betrayal of Tuyuhun

goes far beyond.

Enough, no need to say more.

Don't harbor any illusions about this traitor.

However, no matter what, Murong Ji's guilt

in the assassination attempt on the evil Empress Dowager is established.

Tang people will take care of this traitor for us.

Alright, I'm hungry, let's go eat some meat.

The shipping arrangements have all been settled. It's time to collect the payment.

Yes.

I didn't expect your business to become this big.

Well, you probably don't know that