Chapter 262 Unexpected Changes
Shen Qingci narrowed his eyes. How should he handle this?
In retrospect, although Old Madam Huo tolerated Huo Yunzhan's many misdeeds, she did not personally do anything to her.
She had meticulously planned and arranged for Old Madam Huo to personally present the "evidence" to the imperial court, and then for her to personally deliver a sword to Huo Yunzhan, watching helplessly as her only son's head rolled. For a mother, this was the cruelest punishment in the world.
She didn't need to go so far as to kill an old woman who had already lost all hope.
However, the retaliation will not stop there.
For the Huo family, and for Old Madam Huo, the most painful thing has never been death.
Instead, they watched helplessly as everything they once possessed vanished into thin air. They watched as those they once despised and trampled upon ascended to heights they could never reach.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingci's lips slowly curved into a cold smile: "Then... strip the Huo family of their titles and let them fend for themselves."
Chu Jichen's lips curled up as well. He instantly understood her intention, and his voice was full of indulgence and pampering: "Okay, I'll listen to Qingqing."
After Shen Qingci finished speaking, he fell into a daze again.
"What are you thinking about?" Chu Jichen asked softly.
Shen Qingci narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "I'm thinking about... the secret guards that the late emperor left to Emperor Yongming."
"Logically speaking, since that secret guard was the last means of survival left to Emperor Yongming by the late emperor, it's impossible that there were only those few people just now."
She thought about it carefully and continued her analysis: "The palace is heavily guarded and cannot hide too many people. I suspect that those secret guards are not usually in the palace. Today, we acted too quickly and unexpectedly, and Emperor Yongming did not have time to mobilize them, which is why we succeeded so easily."
"But if... that true main force of the secret guards has not yet appeared, it will ultimately be a huge hidden danger."
Chu Jichen nodded: "That's right, those that rushed out just now could not possibly be all of them."
“But,” his voice was full of certainty, “the sole purpose of those secret guards was to protect Emperor Yongming’s life. Now that Emperor Yongming is dead, their existence… has become meaningless.”
"They can't possibly turn all their forces out to fight me to the death just to avenge a dead man, can they? Even if they did kill me, Emperor Yongming wouldn't come back to life."
“Moreover,” a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, “Emperor Yongming had no sons, and the other sons of the late emperor had already been eliminated by him, both openly and secretly. If I die, the Chu family’s empire will only fall into the hands of outsiders.”
“So,” he looked at her, his voice full of confidence, “I am more inclined to believe that from the moment Emperor Yongming took his last breath, that so-called secret guard was already… crippled.”
Shen Qingci nodded thoughtfully; what Chu Jichen said did make some sense.
She felt a little relieved.
Chu Jichen raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair, his voice filled with tenderness: "The palace hasn't been cleaned properly yet, the stench of blood is still too strong. You've been through so much today, your mind was on edge, and now that you've relaxed a little, you must be exhausted. I'll have Yuanbao and Yelan escort you back to your residence to rest. The Prince's residence... is still safe."
Shen Qingci responded.
With the old emperor gone and the new emperor ascending the throne, Chu Jichen has countless matters to deal with, and he certainly won't have time to rest.
If she stays here, she won't be of any help and will only distract him.
She should go back first, get some rest, and recharge her energy before helping him tomorrow, so he can have a moment to catch his breath.
Shen Qingci followed Chu Jichen out of the Taiji Palace. The palace road was already filled with a solemn atmosphere.
Squads of Imperial Guards clad in black armor replaced the previous Imperial Guards, patrolling the palace in perfect unison.
Chu Jichen personally escorted her to the carriage, gave Yuanbao and Yelan a few more careful instructions, and then watched her carriage slowly drive away.
Shen Qingci lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the palace walls rushing past outside the window, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
In just a few short months, her life has undergone such a dramatic change.
The carriage drove out of the palace gates, and the streets were no longer as bustling as they had been during the day. Every household had its doors tightly shut, and the streets were deserted except for patrolling soldiers carrying torches, moving back and forth.
The heavy, mournful tolling of the funeral bells still echoed in the night sky, shrouding the entire capital in a somber and oppressive atmosphere.
Occasionally, a few houses would have their lights on, and from between the cracks in the doors and windows, one could faintly hear suppressed chatter.
"His Majesty...has he truly passed away?"
"Yes! The death knell has been tolling for hours, how could it be fake?"
"But...but His Majesty was in good health, how could he...suddenly pass away?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind?! I heard... something terrible has happened in the palace! Prime Minister Liu... has staged a coup!"
"What?!"
"It's absolutely true! My cousin, who works in the city garrison, said it himself! Today, they're arresting members of the Liu family who are considered rebels, both inside and outside the city!"
"Then...who will be the new emperor?"
"Who else could it be? It's naturally... the Regent!"
Shen Qingci listened to the intermittent discussions and slowly lowered the carriage curtain.
Just as she was about to close her eyes to rest, the carriage suddenly braked sharply and came to a stop!
Immediately afterwards, Yuanbao's sharp, wary voice rang out from outside the carriage: "Who goes there?!"
Shen Qingci's heart sank suddenly!
Without a second thought, she pulled out the dagger, which she had already cleaned again, from her sleeve and gripped it tightly in her hand!
Before she could react, a thick cloud of white smoke, carrying a sweet and cloying scent, poured in through the cracks in the car window!
Oh no! It's a sleeping potion!
Shen Qingci immediately held her breath!
But the drug was far too potent! She only inhaled a tiny bit before feeling dizzy and overwhelmed by an irresistible sense of powerlessness.
Outside the carriage, chaos had already broken out!
The crisp sound of weapons clashing, mixed with Yuanbao and Yelan's angry roars, and... the muffled groans and screams of countless strangers, were endless!
Shen Qingci, clinging to her last shred of consciousness, tried to push open the car door, but her hand felt as heavy as if it weighed a ton, and she simply couldn't lift it!
Just as she was about to lose consciousness completely, the tightly closed car door was kicked open from the outside with a loud "bang"!
A tall, dark shadow instantly enveloped her!
Shen Qingci used all her strength to lift her eyes, trying to see what the person looked like.
But all she saw was a... hideous and eerie bronze demon mask!
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