20demayo Chapter 41 Xiao Jingchuan Kills the Guardian of Ningguta
Chapter 41 Xiao Jingchuan Kills the Guardian of Ningguta
Upon hearing this, Consort Jiao calmly bowed to Consort Liang and said slowly, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. I was merely speaking the truth. Who doesn't know that Your Majesty's family are valiant and fearless deputy generals? They are not only renowned for their military achievements but are also the trusted and beloved generals of Prince Duan! How could someone as insignificant as myself compare to Your Majesty!"
Consort Liang snorted coldly, flicked her sleeves, and turned to leave. Although she held a high rank, she knew very well that Shen Hui's father and brother were highly regarded by the Emperor in court, and their influence was not to be underestimated. Her own father had repeatedly warned her not to confront them directly, lest she bring trouble upon herself.
Meanwhile, inside the Cining Palace, Zhang Mama, seeing this situation, fully understood the implications and wisely withdrew quietly from the palace. After all, to survive in the inner palace for a long time, one must know how to read people's expressions and know when to advance and retreat in order to ensure one's safety.
The Empress Dowager sat on the couch, her face full of anxiety, and asked Shen Hui, "Huihui, quickly tell me, how is Qingling doing now? How can an ordinary person endure such a gloomy and cold place as the Cold Palace!" From the Empress Dowager's anxious expression, it was clear that she was truly worried about Mu Qingling's safety.
Shen Hui composed herself and recounted in detail how the Imperial Concubine had bribed the Empress's maid to secretly poison her. Besides this, she told the Empress Dowager everything she knew that was true.
Because she wanted the Emperor to bear the Empress Dowager's wrath alone. Far away in his study, Xiao Han sneezed: "Achoo!"
Eunuch De hurriedly stepped forward with concern: "Is Your Majesty feeling unwell? Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance!"
Grandpa Fu stood to the side, and Ke Ke stared at him. De Quan, seeing this, became wary: "Grandpa Fu, what are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"
"No, no, it's just that I was reminded of when we were both in the Prince's mansion, and you cared about the Emperor just as much. It brought back memories for me." Eunuch Fu knew he was wary and secretly rejoiced that he had almost ruined something big.
At this moment, the Emperor chuckled and said, "Yes, back then you two were always nagging me!" Then the Emperor looked at the sky and dismissed the two of them.
Night fell, as dark as ink, slowly enveloping the entire palace. As the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, two mysterious figures quietly emerged from the Cining Palace. These two moved stealthily, like ghosts, silently making their way along the winding paths, finally stopping before the tightly closed gate of the Cold Palace.
After stopping, the Empress Dowager and Shen Hui exchanged glances, secretly pondering how to enter this forgotten palace unnoticed. Just as they were racking their brains, a deep, slightly mocking voice suddenly came from behind them: "Is sneaking around so fun?"
The Empress Dowager and Shen Hui were startled by the sudden noise and turned their heads sharply like frightened birds. They saw Xiao Jingchuan standing there quietly with a smile on his face, the moonlight shining on him and outlining a tall, slender silhouette.
"You idiot, you scared the hell out of me! You walk so quietly!" Shen Hui patted her chest, still shaken, and kept complaining. Her pretty face was pale with fright, and her beautiful eyes were wide open, staring fiercely at the emperor in front of her.
The Empress Dowager chimed in, "That's right! Your Majesty's sudden appearance is enough to scare anyone to death!" With that, she gently patted her chest, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.
However, Xiao Jingchuan seemed completely unconcerned about their accusations. A slight smile played on his lips as his gaze passed over the Empress Dowager and Shen Hui, landing directly on the Cold Palace. Following his gaze, he saw a woman standing gracefully in the courtyard. She wore a simple, light pink dress, like a peach blossom blooming in the dark night, beautiful yet exuding a touch of aloofness.
When Mu Qingling saw the Empress Dowager, her beautiful eyes widened instantly, revealing an expression of disbelief. Her lips trembled slightly as she stammered, "Empress Dowager... why have you come to the Cold Palace?" Her words were filled with astonishment and confusion.
"Qingling, the Empress Dowager wanted to check on your safety, so we discussed sneaking over tonight to see you. We were all relieved to see you were alright!" Shen Hui held Mu Qingling's hand, looked her up and down, and only felt relieved after finding no injuries.
"Bai Ling, you and Lan Yi, hurry up and boil some water." After the maid finished giving the order, she turned to look at Xiao Jingchuan and said, "Your Majesty is really something. It's so cold. Aren't you afraid that the Empress Dowager and Sister Shen will get cold?" She scolded the Emperor and pulled the two of them into the house.
At this moment, Ningguta was completely shrouded in the shadow of war. Raging flames burned, turning half the sky red, and shouts of battle and the sounds of swords and fire echoed through the heavens. People, disheveled and covered in dust, fled in terror, yet dared not sleep too deeply, for fear that the slightest carelessness would cost them their lives.
Zhao Hu was frantic with worry. He ran all the way and finally found the local government office. However, the moment he stepped through the gates, what he saw left him speechless. The scene inside the office was a stark contrast to the desolate scene outside. The common people outside were all emaciated and haggard, dragging their exhausted bodies, desperately searching for a safe place to escape the terrible war. But inside the government office? It was a scene of singing and dancing, with the sounds of music and laughter filling the air.
Zhao Hu frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall. Suddenly, he saw Duan Yousi, the person in charge, lounging lazily in the arms of a scantily clad dancer, a glass of wine in his hand, a look of utter bliss on his face. Even more shocking to Zhao Hu was the presence of two unfamiliar men sitting beside Duan Yousi; upon closer inspection, these two were clearly the enemy soldiers who had come to attack Ningguta!
"Oh, here to see someone off again. Come, come! May I ask who you are?" Duan Yousi put down his wine glass and leaned back in the beauty's arms.
Witnessing this scene, Zhao Hu's anger flared up instantly, spreading like wildfire. Despite his heavy responsibility of escorting exiled prisoners, he couldn't help but show contempt for such inactive officials who only cared about their own pleasure.
Zhao Hu glared angrily at the leisurely Lord Duan, his eyes wide with fury. He sneered, "Hmph! Lord Duan, you certainly have a good time! The people outside are suffering from the ravages of war, displaced and alone, while you can live a carefree life here! If this were to reach the Emperor's ears, the consequences would be unimaginable..." At this point, Zhao Hu deliberately paused, leaving the rest to Duan Yousi's imagination.
Surprisingly, Duan Yousi didn't take Zhao Hu's indignant accusations to heart at all.
He curled his lips into a slight smile, as if mocking Zhao Hu's overestimation of his abilities.
He replied slowly and deliberately, "Haha, the emperor is far away, so even if he knew about this, what could he do to me? Besides, Ningguta is a place for exiling criminals. These people are as worthless as weeds. Even if they die, we can just report it as usual and get away with it." After saying that, Duan Yousi shook his head smugly, as if he thought he was absolutely right.
Just then, Duan Yousi inadvertently caught sight of Gu Liuli standing to the side. A sly glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately waved for his men to forcibly take Gu Liuli away.
But just as he uttered the command, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He looked down in shock and discovered that, without his noticing, an incredibly sharp longsword was already pressed against his throat!
"You... what exactly do you want to do! How dare you openly plot against a court official! Don't you know that such an act is treasonous and will result in the extermination of your entire family?!" Duan Youshun was instantly terrified, his face turning deathly pale, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He stared wide-eyed at Xiao Jingchuan, who was holding a long sword, his voice stuttering with fear.
"You? You deserve to die!" Xiao Jingchuan hadn't failed to notice that Duan Yousi's gaze had clearly been fixed on Gu Liuli, and such an official deserved to die!
With a "snip!" sound, Duan Yousi's throat was slit by Xiao Jingchuan.
The two imperial soldiers, startled by the fight, tried to escape, but were stopped by Mu Zetian and Wang Guangrong. The imperial soldiers wanted to fight back, but just as they were about to attack, they realized they were no match for them, and the two men retreated!
Wang Guangrong and Mu Zetian joined forces to kill people from the enemy country!
Zhao Hu touched his neck. Although Gu Liuli had also given him poison, he was still alive. However, Duan Yousi deserved to die. Since he had colluded with foreigners to bully his people, even if he was an exile, he was still a descendant of the Yellow Emperor!