Cooperation Test (3)

This feeling came about strangely, but it was definitely related to Cong Qiao, whom I had just met.

In the flash of light, another conjecture surfaced in Yan Qing's mind.

By chance, she replaced her and became the cannon fodder!

She was going to meet with Cong Qiao. Yan Qing took a few steps forward, stopped half a step behind Rong Xuan, and whispered, "I'm going out for a bit."

Seeing Rong Xuan nod, she quickened her pace and left the Liangyi Hall, heading in the direction where the figure she had just seen had left.

Yan Qing ran around frantically, sweating profusely. Despite being wrapped in thick clothes, she couldn't help but shiver in the cold wind. A quarter of an hour passed, but Yan still hadn't found Cong Qiao, and her anxiety grew even stronger.

Yan Qing stopped her aimless search and strode towards the side room, praying that Cong Qiao would definitely appear there.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; there were only two young palace maids in the side room, and Cong Qiao was nowhere to be seen.

Yan Qing recognized them as people from the Bureau of Imperial Works, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Where is the Imperial Workshop of Skill? Prince Ning's clothes are damaged; please come with me to have them repaired."

The maid on the left stepped forward first and respectfully replied, "Aunt Cong Qiao is currently mending the princess's brocade sash. We two servants may go and mend it."

Upon hearing this, Yan Qing's emotions calmed down a bit, and he waved his hand, saying, "No need. When she returns from the Qiaosi Bureau, I'll have her come and mend the clothes for Prince Ning."

She probably misunderstood, but seeing her once would always put her at ease.

On the way back to the main hall, Yan Qing felt much lighter. Looking around, she couldn't help but marvel at how extremely luxurious the palace was, yet not vulgar.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past my sight—a little black cat!

[Cat Number One, was that the little black cat that just passed by before?]

Yan Qing followed, but fearing she might have picked up the wrong cat, she checked with Cat Number One again.

Yes, host.

Having received an affirmative answer, Yan Qing quickly quickened her pace and ran to a secluded spot. The little black cat was sitting on the eaves of the side hall, its round eyes gleaming in the twilight. Yan Qing waved to it and asked Cat Number One for a cat treat.

Smelling the familiar scent, it nimbly jumped down, landed at Yan Qing's feet, circled around her, and rubbed against her with its tail.

Just as Yan Qing was about to squat down to feed it, she heard footsteps not far away. There was more than one person. Fearing that she would be discovered and unable to explain herself, she picked up the little black cat and hid in the side hall.

"Uncle, is this really feasible? Private soldiers..." The words trailed off, then resumed a moment later, the voice much softer, "If they're discovered, it's a serious crime."

Another deep voice came from behind.

“That place is remote and has no connection with you or me. Even if it's discovered, we can clear ourselves of any wrongdoing. Alright, don't tell your mother about this for now, lest she worry. If she needs to come to our house in the future, this place is ultimately not safe.”

Yan Qing pricked up his ears, afraid of missing a single word.

Who knew the little black cat would unleash its power again.

It hadn't gotten any good food yet, and it meowed in dissatisfaction.

This sound startled the three people inside and outside the hall, and Yan Qing was terrified.

Separated by just one door, the footsteps drew closer and closer, the sound of their footsteps echoing the pounding of Yan Qing's heart.

[Cat Number One! Release two large rats into the weeds outside the hall, then let out a short, excited meow behind them.]

[Cat #1 received! Distribution in progress.]

The sound of a cat meowing rang out outside the hall, followed by the rustling of mice scurrying away.

The footsteps stopped, and then voices rang out again: "It's that beast that Consort Shu raised again!"

"Go back now, and be more careful in the future."

"Okay, Uncle."

Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, comforted the little black cat, and only sat down on the ground after the noise outside the door stopped.

[Hey Xiao Hei, we don't have any grudges, right? Why is it that nothing good ever comes out when I see you?]

The little black cat didn't understand; it just kept eating.

【tasty! 】

Never mind, what bad intentions could a kitten possibly have? It's just a little slow.

I'm leaving now, I'll come see you again next time.

Back in the hall, he received a questioning look from Rong Xuan and explained in a low voice, "I haven't seen an old friend in a long time, and catching up with him took up too much time."

In response, Rong Xuan let out a snort, the smile not reaching her eyes, clearly indicating that she did not believe Yan Qing's words, but she did not pursue the matter further.

Yan Qing knew that her words were full of loopholes, but she really had no intention of making up lies to fool him. At this moment, she was still thinking about the conversation she had just heard.

Private soldiers? Your dynasty is so chaotic.

Ordinary officials wouldn't dare to station troops there, so the remaining candidates are obvious: the three princes.

The tone of voice when mentioning Consort Shu was impatient, leaving only one person remaining.

Crown Prince!

Just when you're about to fall asleep, someone brings you a pillow. This news undoubtedly directly links her to her collaboration with Rong Xuan, but she still plans to gather more information.

On the steps of the imperial palace, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, stood side by side with the empress, who was wearing a scarlet robe, and raised their cups to the concubines, princes, and princesses below.

"On this joyous New Year's Day, let us raise our cups together, wishing for a peaceful and prosperous year ahead, and for the people to live in peace and happiness."

The banquet was in full swing, with sleeves fluttering and melodious music playing.

"This servant deserves to die!"

The change happened in an instant. The person Yan Qing had been waiting for rushed into the hall in the way she least wanted to see, breaking through the guards' obstruction, passing through a group of dancers and musicians, and kneeling in the center of the hall, shouting loudly.

Yan Qing guessed correctly, but she was too late; she couldn't stop Cong Qiao from going down the path of no return. Seeing that it was beyond saving, she wondered if there were any other ways to save her.

Speaking of Cong Qiao, Yan Qing didn't have a deep friendship with her. On the contrary, Yan Qing was afraid of exposing his identity and treated her with distance.

But it cannot be denied that the first care and warmth she received after coming into this world did indeed come from her.

Cong Qiao's cheerful and gentle demeanor inevitably left a mark on Yan Qing's heart, and she did not want anything to happen to Cong Qiao.

Therefore, the thought that she might become the second choice for the crown prince fueled Yan Qing's growing unease.

At this moment, the only person she could rely on was Rong Xuan. After thinking for a moment, she moved quietly, crawled forward on her knees, and stopped next to Rong Xuan.

"Save her for me, and name your terms," ​​Yan Qing said in a deep, serious voice.

In the center of the main hall.

"Consort Shu ordered me to add poisoned fabric to the Empress's banquet dress. I felt deeply uneasy but dared not disobey. Whenever I think of the Empress's past good deeds, I am tormented. Even if I die today, I will expose Consort Shu's true colors."

Yan Qing was intimately familiar with every single word.

However, what happened later differed somewhat from Yan Congjin's experience.

The Empress interrupted her, "You were ordered by Consort Shu?"

"Yes," Cong Qiao replied in a low voice, her head bowed, making it impossible to see her expression.

A hint of displeasure appeared on Jiang Yi's usually calm and tolerant face as she spoke again, "Where did the poisoned fabric come from?"

"It is...it is the Shu brocade that Prince Qi presented to Your Majesty last month. It was soaked in poison before it was made for Your Majesty. Wearing it for a long time will cause the poison to enter your body and damage your health."

Upon hearing this, the palace maid beside the Empress looked extremely anxious and was about to step forward to help her change her clothes, but the Empress waved her hand to stop her.

The emperor, who was standing to the side, also frowned.

The victim, however, showed no concern whatsoever and even laughed out loud, "Then tell me in detail when and how Consort Shu gave you the order?"

Dozens of eyes were fixed on Cong Qiao at the banquet.

Since Qiaoben was already nervous and stammered when speaking, he was now sweating profusely and his mind went blank when the Empress questioned him. He couldn't remember the words he had memorized and could only stammer and not answer.

The Empress lost her patience and said sternly, "I have been unwell lately and have become somewhat lax in managing the inner palace. Some people with ulterior motives have been unable to restrain themselves and dared to have someone falsely accuse Consort Shu at the New Year's banquet. Once I find out who is behind this, I will not let them off lightly. If anyone imitates this in the future, their punishment will be doubled."

After saying this, he turned to the emperor and said, "What happened today was my oversight. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

"That's enough. Your health is already weak, and you have to worry about everything in the harem. It's inevitable that you'll make mistakes. The important thing is to find out who's behind you. Go and change your clothes quickly, so you don't hurt yourself anymore."

“The clothes I am wearing are not made of the Shu brocade given to me by Prince Qi, but of the Yun brocade that Consort Shu gave me not long ago. I really liked this Yun brocade, so I had someone change the material and make them quickly.” She smiled and continued, “I suppose the person who came up with this scheme has not heard of it, so they used it to sow discord between us and even drag Prince Qi into it. I will definitely give Consort Shu an explanation for this matter.”

Upon hearing the Empress mention her, Consort Shu said calmly, "Sister, you are joking. Such petty tricks are extremely stupid and clumsy. How could they possibly ruin our sisterly friendship?"

Seeing Jiang Yi's smile freeze for a moment, a genuine smile finally appeared on her face.

"I'll leave this matter to you to investigate thoroughly." The emperor's expression softened slightly, but his displeasure was still evident.

The Empress ordered, "Take this person away immediately."

Cong Qiao was merely detained and tried; he wouldn't die immediately.

Yan Qing watched as Cong Qiao was lifted up by two guards, then whispered to Rong Xuan, who remained unresponsive, "The Crown Prince has been acting strangely lately. How about exchanging her life for his?"

Rong Xuan became interested and looked at Yan Qing, saying, "You overestimate my abilities, but it's a good suggestion. If you really want to save her, you can find an opportunity to get her out of prison later, but not now."

"Is it possible to get her out of prison before she's executed?" Yan Qing asked anxiously, fearing that he was indeed powerless to do so.

His expression froze, and he looked at Yan Qing with a puzzled expression. "It's too late."

"What's so late..." Yan Qing frowned, followed his gaze, and couldn't utter another word.

The blood, dark red, dripped in a continuous stream, came from Qiao.

Her face was contorted in pain, and thick blood was still gushing from her mouth, staining her clothes red.

Finally, before the guards could drag her away from the main hall, Qiaotou's head tilted to the left and she stopped moving. The red bloodstains on her pale face were so glaring.

"Sister Congjin, what stitch should we use to embroider this crabapple blossom?"

"Sister Congjin, may I make you a new official robe from the silk that the Imperial Concubine bestowed upon you?"

"Sister Congjin, what did I do to upset you? I'll apologize to you, okay? Please don't ignore me."

Scenes from her dream kept swirling around her, but one thing remained constant: Cong Qiao always followed Yan Cong Jin closely, chattering incessantly.

It's clear that Yan Congjin and Cong Qiao have a good relationship, and she seems to be able to sense Yan Congjin's sadness as well.

Inside the dimly lit prison, the sound of whips lashing flesh rose and fell, accompanied by screams of agony.

Yan Congjin was bound to the rack, his body covered in wounds, blood gushing out, gathering and dripping from the hem of his clothes, seeping into the ground.

Yan Qing stood at a distance, trying to shield her from the illusory hand, but it passed right through her. She could only watch as the jailer added a few more mottled scars to Yan Congjin, who was barely breathing.

After a long, long time, the jailer stopped what he was doing and respectfully reported back to the person in the distance. Yan Qing's gaze followed him and he saw a familiar face.

Rong Xuan sat there with a cold face.