get away
However, in a short while, everything changed dramatically. The Empress was unwilling, but ultimately the situation was hopeless, and the palace, after the recent events, slowly returned to silence.
Lin Xu had been bound for a long time, and her hands and feet were already sore and numb. Two servants from the Crown Prince's side stepped forward and carefully untied her. The Crown Prince stood with his hands behind his back, but Zhuang Xiu's face showed no emotion, except for dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.
He glanced deeply at Lin Xu, who was still slumped on the ground, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing. Instead, he silently turned around and strode after Emperor Su.
Meanwhile, the once dignified and composed Empress was now utterly disheveled. Her once exquisite makeup was ruined by tears, and she kept shaking her head, muttering incoherently. Zhao Fu, who had served Emperor Su for nearly ten years and was always calm in the face of adversity, simply looked down at the Empress who refused to move. With a mere glance, two burly eunuchs quickly led the weeping Empress away.
Before leaving, the Empress seemed to finally remember something. She slowly raised her head and looked at Lin Xu with deep resentment.
"It was you—it was you who set this up! Lin Xu, you are so ruthless, I truly regret not being able to..."
The words she hadn't finished saying vanished behind the curtain as she left, and Lin Xu could no longer hear them.
Zhao Fu then withdrew his meaningful gaze, turned to look at Lin Xu, and sighed softly:
"Madam Zhao'en, you pretended to be frightened tonight. We will immediately send someone to help you wash and settle down."
Lin Xu rubbed her aching wrist, feeling utterly exhausted. She gently shook her head.
"No need for that... Thank you for your kindness, Lord Zhao."
She simply stared silently at the wide-open palace doors, and for some reason, she felt a longing to see that familiar yet long-lost figure.
Although the Empress's actions tonight were not unexpected, the tense situation had caught her off guard, and she hadn't anticipated that the Empress would recruit Dou Zhen to deal with her. In that critical moment, if Dou Yanxun hadn't happened to be in the shadows and witnessed everything, her life would have been truly in danger if it had been any later.
His roar just now must have been out of concern for me. So, was Emperor Su also someone Dou Yanxun invited to help him?
She was lost in thought when she heard Zhao Fu, who was beside her, frown and say:
"Lord Dou was just taken away by Prince Mao. What bad luck."
Lin Xu's heart tightened. He hadn't expected Zhao Fu to have such insightful eyes. Then, he was startled. Since Zhao Fu knew where Dou Yanxun was, he must have also seen clearly how Dou Zhen tricked him into going to a secluded corner and how the Empress colluded with Dou Zhen from the inside.
It turned out that the emperor had known all along, which was why it was such a coincidence that he arrived here in a short while to stop the empress's crime!
Her original plan was merely to let the Crown Prince know, thereby exploiting his affection for her to sow discord between mother and son. She and Liao Yan had been plotting this for a long time; even if Dou Zhen hadn't arranged everything with the Empress today, they had already devised other methods. Liang Zhengyuan was probably waiting for his opportunity in a nearby palace… But now it seems that Dou Zhen isn't the only variable!
Emperor Su had long been itching to make a move against the Empress!
In other words, he may even already know the true identities of the Empress, Prince Mao, and the Crown Prince!
Emperor Su has just dealt with the Empress. If he truly knew the truth, how could he tolerate Prince Mao, who also deceived everyone? What does it matter if they are brothers? With the precedent of Prince Gong and Prince Mao's high achievements overshadowing the emperor, given Emperor Su's temperament, he might turn his attention directly to Prince Mao at any moment. And now, Dou Yanxun has been quietly taken away by him. At such a critical juncture, his fate is probably grim.
Moreover, this matter involves the dignity of the imperial family and the bloodline of the royal family... The fewer people who know about it, the better. Once the emperor is angered and Emperor Su really takes it to heart, those who know about this tonight, including myself, Liao Yan, and even Liang Zhengyuan... will probably all die without a burial place!
The mere thought of this sent a chill down Lin Xu's spine, causing even her limbs, which had only recently regained their strength, to tremble uncontrollably. However, how could she act rashly in front of Zhao Fu? She took a deep breath, managing to calm herself, and whispered:
"I am truly embarrassed by what happened today. Please forgive me, sir. For the sake of my dignity, please do not speak of this to others."
Zhao Fu glanced at Lin Xu, who was clearly in a sorry state. After all, she had just experienced a life-or-death situation, and it was understandable that she was terrified and at a loss for words. He lowered his narrow eyes, already used to such sights. "We understand. Lady Zhao'en, you are blessed by heaven."
Lin Xu followed Zhao Fu's footsteps as they slowly walked out of Changchun Palace. The sky remained vast, the night was deep, and the banquet in the distance seemed to have long since come to an end, with only the faint sound of string and wind instruments remaining. Who could have imagined that such a drastic change would occur here in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn?
Despite her small stature and the darkness of the night, she spotted Zhu Ling's slender figure waiting for her in the wind. It was as if she had seen her emerge alive from Changchun Palace from afar that Zhu Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Xu hurriedly bid farewell to Zhao Fu and ran towards Zhu Ling. Zhao Fu's high-pitched voice came from behind her.
"The night is deep and the dew is heavy, madam, please proceed with caution."
...
"lady……"
Zhu Ling had stood shivering in the cold wind for a long time, and now that she had finally seen Lin Xu, she was overjoyed. However, before she could even feel happy, she was frightened by the way Lin Xu walked forward without looking back. The usually resolute lady now had tears in her eyes, and she was almost forcing herself to walk forward.
"It was the Empress who harmed Mother... She admitted it to me in person... Zhuling, I have finally taken my revenge..."
Lin Xu's voice was broken and cold, yet it was like a soft, unformed cloud that was quickly dispersed by the wind.
"Don't look back, keep going. We're going to save him."
Save him.
Save the person who is in imminent danger because of you.
Zhu Ling was startled. Being intelligent and having followed Lin Xu for so long, she naturally understood the current situation. She quickly helped Lin Xu up, and with the wind whistling, the two of them slowly disappeared into the deep night.
On the golden steps in front of Changchun Palace, another person slowly walked up beside Zhao Fu, who had been standing quietly for a long time.
Under the cool moonlight, Duan Jinru's armor gleamed with a bright, metallic light. He withdrew his gaze from the darkness, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Today... I am also very grateful for Lord Zhao's help."
Zhao Fu's whisk fluttered in the wind, but he stood ramrod straight, his eyes half-closed, his face almost expressionless.
"General Duan, you're too kind."
After a long silence, he slowly added another sentence, each word chilling:
"If things go well in the future, I hope that Lord Duan will not forget the agreement we made today."
.
After leaving the Changchun Palace, Lin Xu walked along the alley for an unknown distance until he felt that Zhao Fu's deep gaze was no longer behind him. Only then did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief. But his hands under his sleeves were already soaked with sweat.
She was still afraid after all.
She feared she wouldn't be able to leave Changchun Palace, and she also feared she wouldn't be able to save him, who was currently in imminent danger.
The winding corridor was dark and gloomy, with only the chilling sound of the wind in her ears. Otherwise, all was silent. Lin Xu stood by the wall for a moment, as agreed beforehand, and soon a narrow sliver of light appeared at the corner of the corridor. And she finally heard the long-lost, familiar footsteps.
Liao Yan, draped in a black cloak, hurriedly emerged from under the screen wall, a long, narrow dagger at his waist. His usually cold and stern features softened slightly upon finally seeing Lin Xu.
"Thank goodness. You're alright..."
Meanwhile, the clatter of hooves approached silently, particularly jarring in the night. Before the horse could even retract its hooves, Liang Zhengyuan dismounted, his iron boots clattering heavily on the ground. He, too, looked at Lin Xu with a face full of urgency.
"I waited in vain for news, but the people I sent to inquire told me that you and Dou Zhen left together..."
Liao Yan, who had been scrutinizing Lin Xu from head to toe as if checking if she was unharmed, felt a shadow of malice flash across her eyes upon hearing Dou Zhen's name. She suppressed her anger and looked at Lin Xu again, saying earnestly:
"It's good that everyone is alright."
Those in the palace are always quick to hear and see, and any news, no matter how small, will spread throughout the six palaces in no time. Even with so many people around today, Liao Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the Empress had been suddenly deposed and dragged to the Cold Palace in a disheveled state.
After planning for so long, everything would be much simpler once the Empress fell. But she never expected that, even though they had a foolproof plan, the one who made the first move today was Dou Zhen, who had always been on good terms with her and was even quite close to Lin Xu.
Liao Yan was always cold and aloof, but the feeling of being betrayed by someone close to her still filled her with contempt.
But this was not the time for pleasantries. Liao Yan hid her still-bloodied hand behind her back, but Lin Xu didn't notice at all. She lowered her voice and said urgently:
"He saw it... but was taken away by Prince Mao's men..."
Liao Yan, who had not yet figured out why Lin Xu was in such a panic, couldn't help but tremble when she heard her next sentence, which was even softer.
"...That person seems to know as well as well."
Even in the deep of night, both men were startled, clearly understanding the true meaning behind those words. Liang Zhengyuan's fingers involuntarily tightened around the quiver at his waist, his brows furrowing deeply:
"...So that's the Yanying Hall? Prince Mao has been staying there ever since he took command of the Imperial Guards; it's heavily guarded. Are we going to...?"
Lin Xu also understood how difficult this was. Tonight, she had finally resolved a matter that had been weighing on her mind for a long time, only to be met with a new crisis. At this moment, the lives of all of them were inextricably linked. Compared to just moments ago when she was still harboring resentment towards the Empress for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, now she was simply praying in her heart that they could overcome this hurdle.
After all, that person was an emperor revered from the heavens, and all talk of killing and bestowing favors was merely a matter of a single thought on his part. If they acted rashly now, their carefully crafted plans of several months might all vanish into thin air…
But right now, she really couldn't think of a better solution.
Seeing the rare fear and unease in Lin Xu's eyes, Liao Yan made up her mind and finally spoke softly.
"Come with me."
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