Chapter 87 The Fire Soldiers Are Gone

Consort Xian walked hurriedly along the palace path, her expression frighteningly solemn. Hong Xihai carried lanterns on either side of her, while Xue Xin supported her tightly.

As she approached the entrance of Zhongcui Palace, and seeing that no one was paying attention, she slowed her pace. Standing there, she could already smell the pungent odor, and the scorching heat, accompanied by waves of heat, hit her face. She tentatively lifted her foot and carefully took two steps on the newly paved cobblestone path.

Xuexin almost hugged the Empress tightly, and at this moment he was also looking at her feet with a look of great vigilance.

After taking a couple of steps, she seemed to finally breathe a small sigh of relief. The path under her feet was indeed newly paved, but it wasn't slippery. On the contrary, the rough pebbles had a somewhat uneven texture.

It can be said that her conscience was not misplaced.

Without thinking further, I lifted my coat and walked forward. Ahead, workers were carrying buckets of water to extinguish the fire, but they were all on the periphery, and no one actually went into the yard.

Lu Jiaying frowned and hurried over, anxiously shouting, "What's going on! There's a fire in the yard, but what's the use of you just putting it out from outside? Why aren't you going in to save people!"

The young eunuch, who was about to fetch water to put out the fire, never expected that Consort Xian would arrive with her pregnant belly. He hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness—"Your Majesty, please understand! Someone has locked the door to the Cold Palace from the inside. Now, those outside are anxiously waiting to get in, and those inside want to get out but can't."

The burly palace maid beside her also knelt down and replied, "Your Highness, if any other palace were to encounter such a fire, we would break down the doors to enter. However, the Cold Palace has always had extra-heavy door latches to prevent anyone from breaking in. We simply cannot get in. We must wait for the fire-fighting soldiers to bring ladders."

Consort Xian took a half step back in astonishment. Whether it was psychological or not, she could vaguely hear the woman inside crying, screaming, and pleading for help.

What a meticulous plan! If Hongzhao were really inside, he would be in a truly hopeless situation.

She steadied herself, reached out to support her stomach, glanced at Xue Xin discreetly, then rolled her eyes and was about to fall backward.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what's wrong!"

Xue Xin dramatically helped the person to a steady seat on the ground. Before he could even speak, he heard a voice from not far away that seemed to be calling out for him.

An Lingrong knew there was a fire outside, so Baoque had escorted her to a secluded side hall. Hearing the commotion outside, she stepped out to check, only to find Consort Xian collapsed. She immediately became furious.

"What's going on! What have you done to Consort Xian!" She stepped forward, pushing Hong Xihai aside, and helped Consort Xian lean against her, while sternly questioning the two maids and eunuchs.

"Oh, Your Majesty, please understand!" The two men kowtowed repeatedly, utterly terrified—"Your Majesty fainted when she heard that the people inside couldn't be saved, and we servants did nothing!"

"Then how come..." Lingrong was about to speak with a look of disbelief when she felt her sleeve being gently tugged. She quickly looked down and saw the Noble Consort Xian in her arms slowly waking up, her beautiful eyes filled with tears in the moonlight—"Lingrong, quickly call someone! Hongzhao is inside! My child is inside!"

"How could this be!" An Lingrong felt her blood freeze instantly. Despite being so close to the fire, she broke out in a cold sweat. She knew the Empress was cunning and ruthless, but she never knew she was so vicious and audacious!

She didn't fully trust herself at all, so she set fire to the house and burned the Fifth Prince to death. In the process of causing Consort Xian to fall and be frightened, both mother and son died.

Just then, the person in her arms suddenly propped themselves up and broke free. They moved rather awkwardly, then knelt before the gates of the Cold Palace, tears welling in their eyes, on the verge of collapse—"Hongzhao! Mother has come to save you! Don't be afraid!"

The sound was even more mournful and agonizing amidst the crackling of burning wood. Ignoring everything else, she pushed aside the snow-covered letter and rushed headlong into the tightly closed door.

"Oh my!" Su Peisheng, who had just rushed over with the emperor's palanquin, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise upon seeing this scene.

"Stop her!" Yinzhen glared at the heavily pregnant Consort Xian, ordering everyone to step forward.

Hong Xihai was the first to react. He slid down to his knees and came to the front of Consort Xian. He didn’t dare to reach out to stop her, so he could only kneel down and use his body to block her. An Lingrong and Xue Xin also got up from the ground and hurriedly pulled Consort Xian back.

"Hongzhao! My Hongzhao!" Lü Jiayingfeng was now like a mother beast who had lost her child. She couldn't see anything but stare at the burning courtyard. She was frantic and had an inexplicable strength that even so many people couldn't hold her back.

Yinzhen strode down from the sedan chair and almost ran to Lü Yingfeng. He pushed aside the crowd and held the struggling woman in his arms. He reached out his own broad, slightly sweaty hand and pressed it against the back of her head so that she could be completely buried in his arms, with her back to the fire and no longer able to see the thick smoke and flames.

"Ying'er, listen to me, tell me what happened." His voice was low and trembling slightly. It was unclear whether Lü Jiaying had misheard him, but it even contained a very subtle plea. He wanted to hear news of his son's safety from the woman in his arms.

Yingfeng pounded against him, her hair disheveled from the struggle, a few strands of it now wet with tears and stuck to her face. Her choked, broken voice came from his embrace: "Some people say they heard a child crying in the Cold Palace, and they also heard the sound of our You'er's golden bell."

"Your Majesty, someone is trying to harm our child! Please save him!"

On his way here, his thoughts were in complete disarray. He even clung to the hope that the servants had misheard. Upon hearing the devastating news, Yinzhen's vision went black. He stared at the billowing smoke in front of him, the choking smell filling his nostrils. He coughed so hard that he bent over, tears welling up in his eyes. The excruciating pain made it impossible for him to straighten up.

Why... why won't those people let their son go? He's just a five-year-old child!

Seeing the palace guards rushing buckets of water towards him, akin to moths to a flame, he turned to Su Peisheng in a hoarse voice—"I've come all this way, where are all the Qinghuo soldiers! Don't they want their heads?!"

“This…” Su Peisheng frowned and turned his head. Behind him, Xiazi gritted his teeth and took two steps forward. He immediately knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, a fire has also broken out at General Nian’s residence outside the palace. The fire-fighting soldiers… have all been called away.”

——

Hongzhao made sure everyone went around to the back of the Cold Palace, where the fire had started. Now the walls of the courtyard were visibly blackened, showing just how large the fire was.

The fire started suddenly; without accelerants, it would have been impossible for it to burn to this extent in such a short time.

"Brother Tong, could you exchange one of those fire-resistant shields for me?" He was hiding under the wall, stretching his arms and legs in front of a tall, sun-blocking locust tree beside him.

"Beep—Exchange successful. The fire shield provides fire and smoke protection, covering a two-meter diameter area centered on you."

Logically, if a fire broke out in the palace, the Qing fire brigade should have arrived long ago. The fact that not a single one has been seen yet suggests that someone must have held them back.

The Empress has put on such a elaborate show, scheming against almost everyone; he must make good use of it.