secret

For several days in a row, Zhao Fanghua stayed in the Wanhe Palace's bedroom. She didn't know if she was being overly suspicious, but she felt the entire palace was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere, like the calm before a storm.

Zhao Qinglan's left hand was not as fine as he casually claimed. Zhao Fanghua noticed that he had hardly used his left hand in recent days.

She felt very guilty. First, she knew the plot but didn't tell him in advance to stop it. Second, he was injured to protect her.

In order to make up for this uneasiness, Zhao Fanghua took on the task of taking care of him and looked after him personally every day.

Zhao Qinglan was a little amused and helpless about this, but did not stop her and just let her make a fuss.

That afternoon, Zhao Fanghua brought a bowl of ice cream and insisted on feeding him with her own hands.

"Sister," Zhao Qinglan smiled helplessly, her voice filled with indulgence, "It's just that my left hand is inconvenient, but my right hand can still take care of itself."

"It takes a hundred days for a broken bone to heal. Even the imperial physician said I must rest." Zhao Fanghua looked serious as he scooped up a spoonful of crispy bread and held it to his lips. "Open your mouth."

Zhao Qinglan's gaze lingered on her focused brows for a moment, and he finally opened his mouth and swallowed obediently.

Zhao Fanghua stirred the dessert in the bowl and hesitated as he spoke, "Aren't you curious about why I knew about the assassin in advance?"

Zhao Qinglan looked at her deeply, the corners of his lips curved slightly. "Maybe it was something she had in her dream."

Zhao Fanghua was stunned when she heard this. She had racked her brains to come up with an excuse these past few days, but he actually convinced himself so easily?

Is this what is called "A great scholar will explain the classics to me"?

She coughed lightly in embarrassment, and then thought of another thing, and her voice became a little lower: "Also... I killed Shen Xiujin, you really don't blame me?"

Zhao Qinglan raised her eyebrows slightly and asked instead of answering, "Sister, are you still in love with him?" There was a hint of tension in her tone.

"Hmm...ah?" Zhao Fanghua was stunned. She hadn't expected his focus to be on this. She quickly explained, "No! I mean, he's the top scholar in the imperial examination, young and promising. If I just do this...wouldn't it be a huge loss to the court and the people?"

After she finished speaking, she looked up at his expression cautiously.

Zhao Qinglan just stared at her with a smile without saying a word.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "Feed me."

Zhao Fanghua quickly brought another spoonful.

He swallowed it with satisfaction, then spoke slowly, "Sister, you're worrying too much. When the court recruits people, talent and knowledge are certainly important, but character is even more important. A person with a crooked mind, even if he has incredible talent, will hardly be able to serve in a high position. Besides, the imperial examination ranking is just a threshold. A third-place scholar may not be outstanding in all aspects, and a third-place Jinshi may not be inferior to others."

Hearing him say this, Zhao Fanghua felt relieved.

But then she remembered another key point, leaned closer, and asked in a low voice, "Then... what will you use to fight the Queen Mother?"

In the original book, Shen Xiujin made a lot of efforts.

Zhao Qinglan narrowed her eyes slightly, not surprised at her direct question.

He did not answer immediately, but suddenly raised his hand and gently brushed away a strand of hair that fell on her cheek.

"It's almost there." He withdrew his hand, his tone calm, as if everything was under his control.

Zhao Fanghua originally thought that Zhao Qinglan's words "soon" were just an excuse to appease her, but she didn't expect that the storm would come so quickly.

In the middle of the night, she woke from her sleep with a start. The blankets beside her, belonging to Zhao Qinglan, were already cold. The sound of conversation could be heard faintly from outside, remarkably clear in the stillness of the night.

Curious, she slowly got off the bed with her bare feet and tiptoed around the screen like a cat.

Beyond the heavy curtains, flickering candlelight revealed two standing figures. One was Zhao Qinglan, and the other was the Queen Mother!

Why would the Queen Mother appear in Wanhe Hall in the middle of the night?

Zhao Fanghua held her breath and quietly put her ear close to the gauze curtain.

The Queen Mother's voice seemed to be tempered with ice: "I underestimated you. You actually set up such a big scheme right under my nose."

Zhao Qinglan bowed, a hint of haughtiness lingering on the corners of her lips. "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kind words. I'm grateful for your guidance."

"Shut up! You are not worthy to call me mother!" The Queen Mother's voice suddenly rose, filled with deep hatred.

Zhao Qinglan was not annoyed at all. Instead, she showed a hint of the tolerance of a victor: "That's what the Queen Mother taught me."

If the Queen Mother had not repeatedly threatened him and Zhao Fanghua with their sibling status and pressed him step by step, why would he have gone to such lengths and revealed all his cards in advance?

Fortunately, he won in the end.

"Where is An Xin?!" the Queen Mother asked sternly.

Zhao Qinglan said calmly, "An Xin colluded with the rebels of the previous dynasty and has been executed according to the law. As for An Rou..." He paused, his voice still silent, "She committed adultery with a guard and defiled the palace. They were both beaten to death. For the Empress Dowager's sake, her body was left intact."

"Defile the palace?" The Queen Mother looked at him with a venomous gaze, as if she had heard a terrible joke. "How dare you say that? You're nothing more than a bastard born from the affair between a lowly palace maid and a guard!"

“Boom!”

There was a loud thunder outside the window at the right moment, followed by heavy rain pouring down.

Behind the curtain, Zhao Fanghua's whole body stiffened and she subconsciously covered her mouth.

What had she just heard? A bastard? Was Zhao Qinglan... not the late emperor's bloodline?

Outside the curtain, Zhao Qinglan lowered his eyes slightly, a glint of triumph in his eyes. He needed her to hear this secret with her own ears, and he could use the Empress Dowager to tell her in person.

The Queen Mother continued her accusations: "If it weren't for my kindness, you wouldn't even be worthy of being born! Even if you were born, you would be beaten to death immediately and thrown into a mass grave to feed the dogs! I gave you life, honor, and even allowed you to sit on the throne! Is this how you repay me?!"

"If I hadn't been born, the Queen Mother would have a hard time explaining it." Zhao Qinglan responded indifferently.

The late emperor had children before he ascended the throne. After he ascended the throne, only the maidservant beside the empress dowager was pregnant in the entire harem. If it weren't for his birth, the empress dowager's crime of murdering the royal heir would almost be a foregone conclusion. How could she still sit firmly on the throne of empress?

It's just a matter of each taking what he needs.

The subsequent verbal battle was no longer relevant. In Zhao Qinglan's eyes, the Queen Mother was nothing more than a dying woman.

His thoughts had already drifted behind the curtain.

He couldn't help but glance back out of the corner of his eye.

Did she hear it? She finally knew that they were not blood relatives.

What would she think? Surprised or happy?

Will it...scare her?

An indescribable desire spread like wildfire, burning his heart.

He wanted to turn around immediately, wanted to run to her, wanted to see every expression on her face, wanted to ask her.

Can't wait to ask her.

This surging thought was so strong that it almost made him lose his mind.

The Queen Mother keenly caught his momentary trance, followed his gaze to the slightly swaying curtain, and sneered: "Just for her?"

Zhao Qinglan retracted her gaze and met the Queen Mother's gaze calmly, her tone brisk and even somewhat amused: "Yeah."

The Queen Mother was incredulous, saying, "Just for a woman? You're willing to bear the eternal infamy of matricide just to eliminate me?"

"Yeah." He still said it lightly.

Yes, he could take it step by step, slowly dealing with the Queen Mother's followers in the court, and gradually eroding her power.

But he couldn't wait.

Can't wait a moment.

Zhao Fanghua almost crawled back to the bed using her hands and feet. Her mind was blank, and only the Queen Mother's words kept echoing in her ears: "The bastard born from the affair between the palace maid and the guard."

Zhao Qinglan is not of the late emperor's bloodline, not even of the royal family!

This secret was so shocking that she couldn't calm down for a long time.

Why was she curious? Why couldn't she just sleep peacefully?

Now that she knows this deadly secret, can she still live a peaceful life in the future?

The night in early autumn was already chilly, but Zhao Fanghua wrapped himself tightly in the quilt and broke out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, a very light sound of footsteps came from afar, like a heavy war drum, beating on her heart again and again.

She held her breath, grabbed the corner of the quilt tightly, and silently repeated to herself, "You can't see me, you can't see me," hoping to escape with this ridiculous self-deceiving barrier.

However, things did not turn out as she wished.

"Sister?" Zhao Qinglan's voice rang out.

Zhao Fanghua bit her lips tightly, not daring to breathe, pretending to be fast asleep.

Just when she thought he had left, the corner of the quilt was suddenly lifted up, and a pair of deep eyes with a smile peeked in, meeting her terrified eyes.

"Sister..."

“Ah ...

Zhao Fanghua was so frightened that he instantly shrank to the corner of the bed, his heart almost jumping out of his throat.

Zhao Qinglan chuckled softly, her voice filled with joy. "Sister, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Zhao Fanghua patted his chest in shock and said angrily, "You, you scared me to death!"

Zhao Qinglan sat leisurely on the edge of the bed, saying in a serious tone, "If I don't lift the quilt, I'm afraid Sister will suffocate herself."

Zhao Fanghua touched his nose guiltily and complained to himself: If you don’t come to scare me, I will be fine!

Suddenly, Zhao Qinglan leaned closer, her tone gentle but insistent: "Sister, did you just... hear something?"

Zhao Fanghua froze, shaking her head like a rattle: "No! I didn't hear anything! I was sleeping so soundly!"

Zhao Qinglan stared at her quietly, which made her scalp tingle and her heart beat fast.

After a long while, he raised the corners of his lips and revealed a meaningful smile: "It seems... Sister knows my secret."

It's over! Zhao Fanghua's mind buzzed, and she instantly slid to her knees on the soft quilt, kowtowed repeatedly to him: "I swear! I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not tell anyone! I won't tell anyone even if you kill me!"

Seeing her panic-stricken look, Zhao Qinglan's smile deepened.

He reached out and gently lifted her chin.

"Sister," he leaned closer, his voice bewitching, "the best way to keep a secret is always only one -

"That is... making you and me like grasshoppers on the same rope."

In the carriage returning to the palace, Zhao Fanghua leaned against the cushions, looking at the rapidly receding autumn scenery outside the window, his heart in turmoil.

The more Zhao Fanghua thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

She always drank a bowl of soothing soup before bed, but she didn't that night. And that night, the Queen Mother came late at night. And that night, she heard that secret.

As for An Rou's matter, the Queen Mother clearly only asked about An Xin. It was Zhao Qinglan who took the initiative to mention that An Rou had an affair with the guard. It was obvious that she told it deliberately for her to hear!

The more I think about it, the more I feel that this is the case.

Zhao Fanghua slapped her thigh: She was tricked!

Zhao Qinglan hadn't revealed the secret accidentally; he had done it on purpose! He wanted her to know the secret, and then... kill her to silence her!

Perhaps to verify this idea, a riot immediately broke out in the team.

As if to confirm her worst guess, chaos suddenly broke out outside the car!

“There’s an assassin—!”

The imperial guards shouted loudly, followed by the sound of weapons clashing and the neighing of horses.

Zhao Fanghua was still in a daze when Yingluo, who was accompanying her, suddenly stood up and said, "Your Highness, I will go out and take a look!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already lifted the car curtain and slipped out.

Just as the curtain fell, something unexpected happened!

The horse pulling the cart seemed to be extremely frightened. It let out a long, shrill neigh and then ran away like crazy.

The carriage suddenly rushed forward, and the huge inertia threw Zhao Fanghua and Pei Huan backwards, and they hit the wall of the carriage heavily.

"ah--!"

"Your Highness! The carriage is out of control!" Peihuan, who was usually calm, screamed in fear and grabbed the window frame tightly to avoid being thrown out.

Zhao Fanghua was thrown all over the place, her internal organs seemed to be dislocated. She suppressed the dizziness and nausea and crawled towards the car door using her hands and feet.

She grabbed the door frame with trembling hands, trying to steady herself amidst the violent shaking. But when she finally stuck her head out, she saw the carriage rushing towards a cliff at an alarming speed.

"No--!"

She screamed in despair.

Instantly, Zhao Fanghua felt a terrifying sense of weightlessness. She was thrown out of the car with tremendous force, and as the world spun around, she saw the cliff rapidly receding from her.

Her body slammed heavily into the water, and cold water rushed into her mouth and nose.

The moment before her consciousness was completely devoured, she seemed to hear a heart-wrenching call from the top of the cliff.

Who is it?

Are you calling her?

It doesn't matter anymore.

She seems...

I’m going to die…