Chapter 95 Extra: Outside the Palace Walls (Part 5)
Chapter 95 Extra Chapter: Outside the Palace Walls (Part 5)
After the carriage that had seen Su Su off disappeared into the darkness of the night, Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi did not leave immediately.
They lingered quietly in that secluded mountain hollow for a long time until they were sure there was no unusual activity, then mounted their horses and silently returned towards the capital. However, they did not enter the city, but instead settled in another farmhouse that had been arranged in the suburbs of Beijing.
Under the candlelight, the father and son sat facing each other, their faces showing no joy at Su Su's escape, only a deeper solemnity.
“Father, although Su Su has gone south, the palace…” Su Jizhi frowned, “will not give up easily. A servant reported that the palace gates were locked and then opened again today, and the Emperor personally chased after them, causing quite a commotion. Once they find that no one is at Puning Temple, the next step will definitely be to thoroughly investigate the coachman and all routes out of the city.”
Su Mufeng nodded slowly, his eyes flashing with the sharpness and decisiveness of someone who had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom: "Therefore, we must give him a 'result,' a 'result' that can temporarily extinguish his frantic search."
He spread out a simple map and pointed to a treacherous mountain road west of the capital. "Here, Luoyan Gorge. Tomorrow, a carriage will plunge off the cliff. The carriage will be destroyed, the people inside will die, and their faces will be unrecognizable."
Su Jizhi instantly understood his father's intention, and his heart clenched: "Father, do you mean... a substitution?"
"It's like a cicada shedding its shell."
Su Mufeng's voice was low and deep. "The Zhuang family is powerful, and the Emperor's thoughts are unpredictable. Su Su's journey out of the palace must not leave any clues. Only 'death' can sever the most direct pursuit. I have made arrangements. Three female corpses with similar figures to Su Su, Chunlan, and Qiuju, and one male corpse to serve as the coachman. Their clothing and accessories will all be replicated. The carriage will also be a similar green-canopied carriage."
He looked at his son and said, “This matter must be kept extremely confidential. The people involved must be absolutely reliable and must flee immediately afterward.”
Su Jizhi nodded emphatically, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes, but more so a resolute one: "I understand. For Su Su to be truly safe, this step must be taken."
Although this method is extremely cruel to relatives who learn of the "death," compared to the uncertain fate that Su Su might face if she were found and brought back to the palace, the pain of this brief "separation from death" must be endured.
The following day, an "accident" occurred in Luoyan Gorge. Woodcutters and merchants reported seeing a horse-drawn carriage lose control and plunge into the deep ravine.
The local officials struggled down to the bottom of the valley, only to find the carriage shattered and several corpses, their faces mangled beyond recognition by wild animals and the impact of the mountain rocks and flowing water.
Among the remaining fragments of clothing, it is vaguely discernible that they are women's clothes, as well as a simple silver hairpin that was not completely washed away, and a fragment of a waist tag belonging to a low-ranking eunuch in the palace.
The news was reported up the chain of command, and because it involved palace women who might leave the palace, it was quickly reported to the Emperor.
The Imperial Study.
Li Qianche was staring blankly at the huge map on the wall, his finger unconsciously tracing the Jiangnan region.
Nightshade reported last night that the carriage driver who left the palace had vanished without a trace, which was already highly unusual. The unease and anxiety in his heart spread like wildfire, almost burning away his reason.
Just then, Shen Gaoyi, pale-faced, almost stumbled in, knelt down with a thud, and his voice trembled: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Urgent report from the Prefect of the Capital... A carriage that fell off a cliff was found at Luoyan Gorge, and inside... inside the carriage were several corpses, including... fragments of a woman's clothing, suspected to be... suspected to be Su..."
"Clang!" The inkstone beside Li Qianche was violently swept to the ground, splattering thick black ink all over him. He whirled around, staring intently at Shen Gaoyi, his face drained of color in an instant, his lips trembling slightly, but his voice was unusually sharp: "What did you say?...Say it again?!"
Shen Gaoyi kowtowed, sobbing, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences... The Prefect of the Capital reports that it appears Consort Su's carriage fell off a cliff, and... she has perished..."
"Impossible!" Li Qianche roared, grabbing Shen Gaoyi by the collar and lifting him up, his bloodshot eyes seemingly about to bleed.
"Absolutely impossible! She can't be dead! How could she be dead?! It's fake! It must be fake!"
He shoved Shen Gaoyi aside abruptly and staggered toward the door, shouting, "Prepare the horses! I want to inspect this myself!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please take care of your health!" Shen Gaoyi crawled and hugged his leg. "That mountain stream is treacherous, and the body is already beyond repair... Your Majesty's precious body should not be allowed to go to such a filthy place!"
"Get out of my way!" Li Qianche kicked him away, acting like a madman. "I want to see it with my own eyes! It can't be Su Su! Impossible!"
His chest heaved violently, and a metallic taste suddenly surged into his throat. With a "pfft," he actually spat out a mouthful of blood, the crimson stains splattering onto his bright yellow dragon robe and front, a shocking sight.
"Your Majesty—!" The palace servants in Shen Gaoyi Hall were terrified and rushed forward to help him.
Li Qianche wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes fierce like a wounded lone wolf: "I'm fine! Prepare the horses! Immediately!"
That mouthful of blood seemed to drain some of his superficial restlessness, leaving behind a colder and more obsessive determination.
At the bottom of Luoyan Valley, the atmosphere was heavy. On the slightly leveled ground that had been hastily cleared, several mutilated corpses were covered with white sheets.
The heavy stench of decay mingled with the mountain stream vapor, making one feel nauseous. The Prefect of the Capital and a host of officials knelt tremblingly to one side.
Li Qianqi approached step by step, his steps heavy. Shen Gaoyi tried to lift the white cloth for him, but he pushed him away. With trembling hands, he lifted the tattered cloth covering the face of the woman's corpse in the center.
It was completely disfigured, swollen and rotten, truly unrecognizable. The clothes were rough, but the color and style were somewhat similar, and the silver hairpin lay quietly beside it.
Everything seemed to point to the outcome he feared most.
However, just as that suffocating despair was about to engulf him, his gaze swept sharply across the exposed wrists, neck, and other not-completely-damaged skin of the corpse, as sharp as a hawk's.
No… that tiny, millet-sized red mole that he had once kissed tenderly near the base of her right hand during their passionate lovemaking!
It was a tiny scar left from when she was accidentally splashed with hot oil in her early years. It was almost invisible on ordinary days, and could only be noticed when very close or under certain lighting conditions. He once jokingly called it her "cinnabar mark".
He suddenly grabbed the corpse's hand again. The fingers were slender, but the shape of the nails, the fine lines of the knuckles... No! None of it was right! These hands did not have the faint, specific calluses left by her years of embroidery practice, nor did they have the almost imperceptible old needle marks on the inside of her ring finger!
More importantly, the corpse gave people a feeling of stiffness and unfamiliarity, without the slightest trace of the vitality that "Su Su" possessed.
Even if one's face is completely disfigured, the subtle marks and sensations left on a person's body are difficult to completely fake.
Li Qianche slowly straightened up. The panic and pain that had almost overwhelmed him receded quickly like a tide, replaced by a cold, almost furious clarity, and a deeper sense of lingering fear.
She's not dead! This isn't her! What a clever escape! What a masterful substitution!
He released his grip, letting the tattered cloth fall and cover the horrifying face again.
He turned around, his face ashen, and uttered cold words to the kneeling officials: "Be careful and deal with according to the law." Then, without looking at the "scene" again, he strode away.
Back in the imperial study, suppressed anger and a sense of humiliation at being fooled burned through his very being.
He dismissed everyone and stood alone by the window. After a long while, he suddenly slammed his fist into the hard rosewood window frame. Wood chips pierced the back of his hand, drawing blood, but he was completely unaware.
“Shen Gaoyi”
"Your servant is here."
"Convey my imperial decree," Li Qianche's voice was eerily calm, yet contained a terrifying storm, "Regarding today's events at Luoyan Gorge, publicly declare that Consort Su has unfortunately perished, and that her funeral will be held later with the rites befitting a concubine. But internally..."
He turned around, his eyes flashing with a chilling light. "Keep searching for me! Send more people, expand the search area. I want to see them alive, or... I want to see the real corpse! If you can't find them, all those involved will come to me with their heads!"
"Yes...yes!" Shen Gaoyi was sweating profusely and scrambled down to relay the order.
"Night Shadow," Li Qianche said to the air.
A dark figure appeared: "Your Majesty."
"They even prepared the corpses, timed it so precisely, and knew the approximate times and routes of the concubines leaving the palace, yet they didn't know about the subtle old scars on SuSu's hands that only her close maids could see..."
Li Qianche paced slowly, his thoughts unusually clear after the extreme emotional turmoil. "This could not have been done by someone from the palace. The only ones with the ability, the motive, and the willingness to protect her at such a cost are... the Su family."
He closed his eyes, then opened them again, his expression a mixture of emotions: "Go to the Su residence yourself. Ask Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi about Su Su's whereabouts. Remember," he emphasized, his voice hoarse, "do not use torture, do not harm them in the slightest. They... are Su Su's father and brother."
If he hurt them, given her stubborn nature, she would probably never forgive him in this lifetime if she found out.
Nightshade accepted the order and left.
However, the trip to the Su residence did not yield the answer Li Qianche sought.
Night Shadow reported that upon arriving at the Su residence, Su Mufeng had already heard the devastating news that his daughter had "fallen to her death from a cliff." He burst into tears on the spot, overwhelmed with grief, and repeatedly pressed for details, appearing almost insane.
Su Jizhi's eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he declared that he would go to Luoyan Gorge to investigate himself, but was desperately stopped by the servants in the mansion.
Upon hearing the news, Madam Tang screamed and fainted, causing a flurry of activity in the mansion as doctors were summoned.
The entire Su family was immersed in genuine and immense grief, without any trace of pretense.
Su Mufeng grabbed Ye Ying's hand, tears streaming down his face, "Lord Ye Ying, Your Majesty... Your Majesty must avenge my poor Su'er! How could she have fallen off a cliff? Was someone murdering her? Was it the Zhuang family? Your Majesty..."
The scene was so moving that even the usually cold and hard Shadow Guard was slightly touched.
After listening to Ye Ying's meticulous report, Li Qianche remained silent for a long time. The Su family's performance was impeccable. Or perhaps they truly were unaware, and the corpse was indeed an accident?
No, he immediately dismissed the idea; the corpse was definitely not Su Su. Either Su Mufeng's scheming and acting skills had reached such a level that he could even convincingly simulate the pain of losing his daughter.
He prefers the latter.
“Jiangnan…” Li Qianche’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. “Madam Su, of the Tang family, comes from Jiangnan. If Su Su wants to hide completely, Jiangnan is the most likely place for her to go and the easiest place for her to find protection.”
He immediately ordered another team of skilled men to be dispatched to Jiangnan with secret orders to secretly investigate the Tang family and its related businesses, looking for any clues about the young, unfamiliar woman seeking refuge there.
Time passed day by day. The "funeral" of "Consort Su" in Luoyan Gorge was held. In the harem, some sighed and some were secretly pleased, but it was soon overshadowed by a new storm.
Only the emperor seemed to have returned to normal, and even became more diligent in government affairs, especially in handling the aftermath of the war in the southwest with great efficiency, rooting out corrupt elements in the army, rewarding those who had made contributions, and stabilizing the morale of the army.
But Shen Gaoyi could see clearly that the emperor was eating very little, and his dark circles were getting worse. He would often suddenly lose focus when reviewing memorials.
When the Empress Dowager heard the news, she came to comfort him. Li Qianche listened respectfully, but his eyes were vacant, and he clearly did not hear her.
He was like a crossbow taut to its limit, sustained only by the endless affairs of state and the obsession with finding people in secret. He dared not stop for a moment, because if he stopped, the heart-wrenching panic and emptiness would devour him.
During this period, Consort Zhuang continued her rebellious activities, plotting to harm Consort Shu's "imperial heir," but this was discovered. The evidence was conclusive, which subsequently led to more clues in the case of the Prince of Ning's heir.
Li Qianche showed no mercy and ordered a thorough investigation. Consort Zhuang was demoted to commoner status and banished to the Cold Palace. Following the clues, Zhuang Shijie's crimes of colluding with the enemy, betraying the country, and framing the Su family gradually came to light.
Li Qianche was well-prepared. With an iron fist, Zhuang Shijie was beheaded, his family property was confiscated, and his cronies were purged. The imperial court was shaken to its core.
As the dust settled, he sat on the high dragon throne, receiving the homage of the officials, but his heart was desolate.
The dealer has fallen, eliminating one potential threat, but the person he wanted to share this "victory" with, the one he wanted to tell "I avenged you," remains nowhere to be found.
The search in Jiangnan yielded no results, and the Tang family showed no signs of distress. Su Su seemed to have vanished completely, like a drop of water merging into the vast misty rain of Jiangnan.
He began to "disappear" from time to time. Sometimes it was for half a day, sometimes for a whole day. Shen Gaoyi knew that the emperor had changed into ordinary clothes and was personally leading a few trusted confidants to search for him in the vicinity of the capital or in more distant places based on some extremely minor or even conjectured clues.
He would stand for long periods at ordinary inns, docks, and intersections, watching the passersby with a wandering gaze, filled with faint hope and even deeper disappointment.
Each time he returned empty-handed, his silence deepened, and the chill emanating from him intensified.
He summoned Su Mufeng several times, either to inquire about government affairs or to bestow rewards and comfort, and in his conversations he would always inadvertently bring up Su Su's past, carefully observing Su Mufeng's reaction.
Su Mufeng's expressions of grief, remembrance, and gratitude for his care were always perfectly timed and flawless.
The lamp in the imperial study often burned until dawn. Behind the piles of memorials on his desk lay an unfinished portrait of a woman, drawn by his own hand, with only a few strokes outlining her features and a pair of eyes.
He drew and revised those eyes, revised and drew them again, but he could never capture the sparkling, star-like, and affectionate light in her eyes when she first looked at him.
In the end, he simply put down his pen, letting the unfinished portrait soak in the dim light.
He couldn't find her.
But he never gave up.
Searching became a silent and persistent daily routine in his imperial career, as essential as breathing.
In the imperial court, he was a monarch who made absolute decisions; in the deep palace, he was a lonely man who grew increasingly silent; but in his unknown heart, that empty place was always reserved for the woman who resolutely left, with regret, with pain, and with an inextinguishable, almost obsessive flame.
Springtime in Jiangnan unfolds year after year, turning banana leaves green and cherries red. But behind that meticulously planned "death," true vitality is quietly growing in the distant mountains and rivers.
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