Chapter 151
When Qi Sheng led a group of court officials to the cold palace, what they saw was raging flames and dead bodies everywhere.
All the ministers were shocked. The fire in the cold palace on New Year's Eve was not an accident. A murder had occurred!
When Qi Sheng saw the corpse of the woman being carried out by the Jinwu Guards who came to put out the fire, his face turned ugly. He asked with a bit of arrogance, "What's going on? Is there someone so bold as to break into the cold palace at night and rape the concubines?"
The commander of the Jinwu Guards who went to put out the fire was sweating profusely and clasped his fists and said, "I didn't know that when I saw the fire in the cold palace and rushed over, the situation was already like this."
Qi Sheng didn't care about the emperor's etiquette, and asked with bloodshot eyes: "Where is the lecherous thief who broke into the cold palace at night?"
The commander of the Jinwu Guard bent his waist even lower: "I have already ordered the Jinwu Guard to search the entire palace. As long as the thief has not left the palace, he will be caught."
Qi Sheng's face was so gloomy that he looked like he wanted to eat someone.
He had planned so carefully, even getting the long-lost banned drugs cartilage powder and finger wrap, so why did Xie Zheng still escape?
Isn't it said that cartilage powder can even knock down a wild buffalo, and can finger-wrapping make a chaste woman become more promiscuous than a prostitute?
Is it possible that they are all useless to Xie Zheng?
Qi Sheng was torn by the anger brought by the failure of his carefully planned plan and the fear of Xie Zheng's revenge, making his face more and more ferocious. Under the panicked gaze of his ministers, he kicked over the half-bucket of water on the ground for putting out the fire and ordered in a loud voice: "Search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find that lewd thief for me!"
The commander of the Jinwu Guards received orders and took people to search the entire palace.
Qi Sheng turned around in the increasingly fierce firelight and looked gloomily at the panic-stricken ministers: "How can this be absurd? What do you think of my palace? Tonight I only entertained the ministers in the court, and your servants are waiting outside the Meridian Gate. Could it be that this person who sneaked into the cold palace at night is one of my beloved ministers?"
The crime of adultery and debauchery in the harem was not a small one. All the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, thinking that Qi Sheng's words were really absurd.
Qi Sheng didn't notice it at all, and said with a hint of meaning: "To be able to kill so many of my Jinwu Guards, I guess his martial arts skills must be extraordinary!"
The only one who had been away from the table for quite a long time was Marquis Wu'an. The implication of Qi Sheng's words was too obvious, making the other ministers even more frightened.
It is true that Qi Sheng is the emperor, but from the moment he sat on the throne, he was just a puppet supported by Wei Yan. The officials' respect for him was not as great as their fear of Xie Zheng.
After all, one was just an emperor without real power, and the other was a military marquis with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command.
Those with sharper brains have figured out that tonight's fire was probably a deliberate act by Qi Sheng. He brought them here with the purpose of making them witnesses, so that he could use the power of the entire court to nail the heinous crime of exterminating nine generations of his clan to the head of Marquis Wu'an.
It was just that something went wrong in the middle that led to the current situation.
The court officials who understood this were immediately filled with fear. If Marquis Wu'an fell into Qi Sheng's hands, it would be fine. But if he escaped and they were forced to become "witnesses", wouldn't they be silenced by Marquis Wu'an later?
At one point, many court officials were shivering with sweat.
Tang Peiyi, He Xiuyun and others were following at the end of the team. When they heard Qi Sheng's words, they thought of Xie Zheng who had been away for a long time and Fan Changyu who had also left and never returned. They exchanged glances with a layer of worry between their brows.
-
Taiye Lake.
After being kissed by Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu was afraid that the Jinwu Guards would come to search her, and she was extremely anxious. Xie Zheng had injuries on his body, and she did not dare to push him too hard, so he held her head and kissed her for half a breath.
Xie Zheng's lips moved down, lightly arching and kissing her neck. Fan Changyu looked around Taiye Lake vigilantly, and after making sure that the area was safe for the time being, he took advantage of a gap and half-dragged, half-pulled the unconscious person out of the water.
During this time, Xie Zheng pushed open her collar, and tried to continue kissing her, seeking the faint fragrance on her body. Fan Changyu's face turned red, whether it was because of the heat or because she was too nervous. She pushed her head away and wanted to attack, but she knew that he was out of control due to the drug, so she couldn't attack. She gritted her teeth and said, "Bear with it for a while, I'll take you out of the palace."
Xie Zheng was put on the ground by her, with his back against the rockery. His face, which had been pale from being soaked in the cold water, had turned slightly red. His strong chest rose and fell violently as he gasped. His wet clothes opened up a little, revealing a part of his porcelain-like chest. The snow-white undergarments on both sides stuck to his tight skin, as if they were nothing.
His wet black hair was sticking to his collarbone and shoulders, clear and seductive. His bloodshot eyes were no longer clear, but he still looked at Fan Changyu steadily: "Help me..."
He was poisoned by cartilage powder, and he could only maintain some strength by cutting himself with the knife, otherwise he had difficulty even getting up.
He had been enduring for too long, and the veins on his neck had bulged out, as if the blood vessels under the skin were about to burst.
Seeing him like this, Fan Changyu felt distressed, and thinking of the emperor's dirty plot, he became furious.
She hurriedly squeezed out the soaked clothes on herself and Xie Zheng, and then held Xie Zheng's face with her hands, which were as cold as they had been soaked in cold water. "It's not okay here. Someone may come at any time."
His face was hot, perhaps because of the medicine or because he had been soaking in the lake for too long. As soon as Fan Changyu put her hand on him, he grabbed her wrist with his own hand, which had been white from the wound, and tried to hold her closer.
Fan Changyu asked him, "Where is your court dress?"
He was not wearing court robes. If he was found out by the Jinwu Guards, the emperor would take him to the cold palace to frame him, and the game would remain unsolved tonight.
Perhaps the coolness of Fan Changyu's hand had soothed Xie Zheng's nerves, and he managed to regain some consciousness. He held her five fingers and kissed them, panting slightly as he answered, "In the rockery cave in Yu Garden."
Taiye Lake covers a large area and is divided into two pools, the East and West. The East Pool is close to the cold palace, where they are now. The West Pool is the axis of the entire harem, and the Yu Garden is also next to the small pool, and even a rockery and stone forest is built next to the pool.
After knowing that Xie Zheng was going to visit the cold palace at night, Fan Changyu also studied the entire palace's map.
Therefore, when Xie Zhengyi mentioned the rockery cave in the Yu Garden, Fan Changyu immediately knew the location.
The cold palace caught fire, and all the water in the large water tanks on both sides of the guardhouse was used up. The eunuchs and imperial guards who were fighting the fire should have come to the East Pond for water for convenience. The West Pond was still safe for the time being.
Fan Changyu used his teeth to tear open a hole in his eunuch uniform, then used both hands to tear it into strips, and wrapped them around the wounds on Xie Zheng's palms and arms, saying, "I'll take you there now."
The fire in the cold palace was extremely large, and the Jinwu Guards who were patrolling nearby also rushed to put out the fire. Fan Changyu carried Xie Zheng on his back and arrived at the rockery and stone forest in the Yu Garden with almost no obstacles.
If there was any hindrance, it was that Xie Zheng kept kissing her neck on her back, pulling her clothes loose. Fan Changyu almost fell several times, so she chopped him unconscious with a knife in her hand with a dark face.
After finding the cave, Fan Changyu discovered that the entrance was narrow and it was quite empty inside.
For fear of being discovered, she did not dare to light the fire. Fortunately, there was an oval hole on the top of the stone cave. Looking up, she could even see the not-so-round cold moon. The moonlight shining in from the hole on the top also allowed Fan Changyu to see things with difficulty.
After she found the cloak and court robes that Xie Zheng had placed inside, she was about to take off Xie Zheng's wet clothes and put these dry clothes on him, but unexpectedly, a fire flashed outside the rockery, followed by the sound of armor colliding.
"Quick! Lock the palace gates! An assassin has sneaked into the palace! A concubine has been killed in the cold palace!"
Fan Changyu hugged Xie Zheng and dared not move, for fear of making any noise and being discovered by the Jinwu Guards outside.
Unexpectedly, Xie Zheng woke up at this moment. As soon as a hoarse low moan escaped from his lips, Fan Changyu blocked his lips with his own in a hurry.
He almost instinctively wrapped his tongue around Fan Changyu's. He was poisoned by the cartilage powder and felt weak all over. His kiss was gentler than before, but it still made Fan Changyu breathless.
His body was much hotter than when he was by the Taiye Lake before. The blood beneath his skin seemed to be boiling, as if it had reached a critical point. If this continued, he would almost bleed all over.
Even through his wet clothes, Fan Changyu could feel like iron was ironing under him.
Each other's breathing became heavier, but there were footsteps approaching.
Xie Zheng was completely unconscious. Fan Changyu let him gnaw on his neck, but his eyes were cold and vigilant as he looked at the cave entrance. He even took out the boning knife hidden in his boots.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Fan Changyu couldn't help but tighten her grip on the knife handle. Xie Zheng, who was sucking on a piece of soft flesh on her neck, suddenly raised his eyes. His blood-red phoenix eyes no longer looked like a human's. There was only cold and bloody murderous intent in them, like a wolf whose territory had been invaded.
Suddenly, there were a few sharp cat cries from the top of the rockery, like a baby crying.
The Jinwu Guard who came here to search heaved a sigh of relief and sneered, "It turns out that the wild cat in the palace is in heat."
He hit the branches near the rockery with the scabbard of his knife, and the two cats were frightened and ran away howling.
The Jinwu Guard put away his sword and walked back. His companion in front asked him, "Did you find anything over there?"
The King's Guard replied, "They are just two wild cats. It's just a false alarm."
The sound of footsteps faded away completely. The tension in Fan Changyu's body loosened, and she became a little paralyzed. She leaned on Xie Zheng and gasped for breath.
The temperature from Xie Zheng's body heated up the clothes that were soaked by the pool water. He bent his head and kissed Fan Changyu's cheek. His Adam's apple twitched slightly and sweat appeared on his neck.
Fan Changyu gently stroked his cheek, and inserted her five fingers into his hair along his temples. She looked at the corner of his lip that was bitten due to extreme forbearance. Her eyes, reflecting the moonlight, were full of pity. She pursed her lips and said, "I'll help you."
-
cold palace.
The Jinwu Guards who went to search quickly came over holding something in their hands and said, "Your Majesty, we followed the blood trail and found this mask by the east side of Taiye Lake."
Qi Sheng took the scarred mask and looked at it carefully. He could no longer conceal his excitement and asked, "Where is the person?"
The commander of the Jinwu Guards lowered his head and said, "We haven't found the person yet. The blood trail ended at the edge of the East Pond. The lowly weird thief escaped by swimming. We are ordering people to search along the Taiye Pond."
Qi Sheng's hand holding the mask suddenly tightened, and he scolded the Jinwu Guard Commander: "Waste! We have found the things on the thief, why didn't we catch him? What's the point of me keeping you good-for-nothings? Why don't you keep searching!"
The commander of the Jinwu Guards received the order and retreated in a hurry.
-
The moon is cold and desolate, and the moonlight it casts is as cold and frosty as frost.
There was some sweat on Fan Changyu's temples. She turned her head to look at Xie Zheng's profile leaning on her shoulder.
He seemed not to have slowed down yet, his long black eyelashes lightly covered his eyelids, and two faint blushes spread across his pale face. He no longer had the ruthlessness that he had used to nibble at the soft flesh on her neck a moment ago, wishing he could swallow her alive. He became quiet and well-behaved.
Fan Changyu's breathing was still not steady. She wiped her hands on her soaked eunuch uniform and asked, "Are you feeling better?"
Xie Zheng opened his eyes and nodded slightly, then raised his hand to hold the back of Fan Changyu's head and kissed her for a long time before letting go.
Except for the sound of each other's breathing, all of Fan Changyu's senses were almost numb. She didn't even know how much time had passed. She just handed him his court robe and asked him to put it on: "The Jinwu Guards are searching the entire palace. We have to go out."
His undershirt was still wet, but his lining was dried by his body temperature.
Xie Zheng said, "It will also get my court dress wet."
Fan Changyu frowned and said, "You will catch a cold."
Xie Zheng touched her forehead and said, "I can't explain it to you right away. Just do as I say."
Fan Changyu went out and threw his court robes into the water to soak them, then squeezed them dry and put them on him. As for his nightgown, she wrapped it with a large stone and sank it into the Taiye Lake.
Everything was ready. When Fan Changyu helped Xie Zheng out again, he clearly felt that his feet were still a little weak, and it seemed that he was not simply drugged.
As if he knew what she was thinking, Xie Zheng said, "The effect of the cartilage powder has not worn off yet."
Fan Changyu's five fingers pinching his wrist tightened a little bit, it turned out that he had been poisoned by cartilage powder!
No wonder Qi Sheng dared to stop him with only a dozen guards outside the cold palace.
Fan Changyu squeezed out three words from between his teeth: "Dog! Emperor!"
She seldom swore, and this was the first time Xie Zheng had heard her swearing like that.
He glanced at Fan Changyu in surprise, and his heart seemed to be soaked in a warm spring, which made him feel a little less sinister after being plotted against tonight. He even comforted Fan Changyu: "Leave the palace first, and let Qi Sheng take the blame for this for the time being."
Fan Changyu said nothing more, but pursed his lips tightly.
-
The two men ultimately failed to achieve their wish. On their way to Taiji Palace, they ran into Qi Sheng, who was leading a group of court officials.
Qi Sheng was twisting something that looked like a piece of leather in his hand. When he saw the two of them, he immediately sneered and said, "Xie Aiqing will never come back after changing her clothes. This really worries me."
The scarlet color on Xie Zheng's face had completely faded, leaving only the paleness from losing too much blood and soaking in the Taiye Lake for too long. He could only walk with the support of Fan Changyu, but his voice was as clear and steady as ever: "It is my fault that Your Majesty has been worried."
Qi Sheng glanced at the court robes Xie Zheng had never changed, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He asked aggressively: "I see that Xie Zheng has never changed his robes stained with wine. I wonder where he has been during this time?"
Tang Peiyi, He Xiuyun and others all looked at them with worry.
Seeing this, Fan Changyu couldn't help but sweat for Xie Zheng. He answered calmly, "I'm ashamed. I was led by the waiter to change my clothes when I saw a locust flying over the wall. I thought that this New Year's Eve banquet must not get into trouble, so I chased the locust. I was drunk and couldn't do it. I was injured by the locust and fell into the Taiye Lake. If it weren't for the Yunhui army passing by, I'm afraid I would have become a dead soul in the Taiye Lake."
So that was why he allowed himself to get his court robes soaked as well.
While Fan Changyu was still lamenting that he lied without thinking, Qi Sheng and all the officials turned their eyes to her, whose hair and official robes were soaked.
She acted as a human crutch, used her unique doorman skills, stared with her big, round almond-shaped eyes, nodded, and looked as honest as possible.
The palms of my hands were covered with sticky cold sweat.
Xie Zheng seemed to have noticed it, and quietly squeezed her hand under his wide sleeves.
Qi Sheng sneered and asked Fan Changyu: "I wonder why General Yunhui appeared in Taiye Lake?"
Fan Changyu said with a fierce face: "I drank too much wine and wanted to change clothes. When I left the hall, I saw a fire in the cold palace. I wanted to put out the fire. When I passed by Taiye Lake, I found the marquis who fell into the lake."
After receiving such an answer, Qi Sheng's face was extremely ugly. He raised the disguise mask in his hand and said, "The Jinwu Guards followed the bloodstains and found this mask on the east side of Taiye Lake. I wonder if you recognize it, my dear Xie?"
Xie Zheng took a closer look at the mask and said, "It looks familiar. Although the thief who fought with me was masked, I remember that he had a scar on his face that went from his brow to his nose. I think the thief had changed his appearance. This mask must belong to him."
Qi Sheng gnashed his teeth in hatred at his strange excuse, and said with a fake smile: "What a coincidence, the thief who broke into the cold palace at night was injured, and Xie Aiqing was also injured. I wonder if anyone else has seen the thief Xie Aiqing mentioned?"
He was determined to pin the crime of sneaking into the cold palace at night on Xie Zheng.
Fan Changyu looked towards Qi Sheng, his eyes filled with an uncontrollable coldness.
Xie Zheng said calmly, "The eunuch who took me to change clothes also saw it."
Fan Changyu's eyes flashed with surprise, and even Qi Sheng's expression changed drastically. He pressed, "Where is the eunuch now?"
Xie Zheng's eyes, which had not completely lost their blood color, looked at Qi Sheng. There seemed to be a slight smile in his eyes, but underneath that smile was an undisguised bloody murderous intent, which made Qi Sheng shudder involuntarily, and the ferocity on his face faded a little.
Xie Zhengfei looked back and said calmly, "When he saw the thief, he was so frightened that he shouted, causing the thief to faint. He is now in the side hall of Linde Hall."
Qi Sheng's back was soaked with cold sweat. He knew that if Xie Zheng could not be convicted today, he would have to wash his neck and wait for him to cut off his head one day.
Even though he was filled with fear, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Set up the Linde Hall."
He was convinced that Xie Zheng was just bluffing.
The eunuch who led Xie Zheng to change clothes was afraid of being discovered by Xie Zheng. He did not know about the plan. He knew that there were no thieves in the palace, so he concluded that Xie Zheng was talking nonsense.
As long as we find the eunuch and interrogate him, we can convict Xie Zheng!
Qi Sheng led the group and walked in front, his hands behind him covered in cold sweat.
He kept comforting himself that as long as he found the eunuch...
The group went to the Linde Hall in a mighty manner.
Fan Changyu supported Xie Zheng and could clearly feel his arms getting hot again. Although he tried his best to control his breathing, it was still a little heavy.
She glanced at Xie Zheng worriedly, but Xie Zheng looked straight ahead with no sign of abnormality on his face.
Fan Changyu couldn't tell whether he had a high fever due to the cold or the effect of the powerful medicine was taking effect again. Now was not the time to talk, so she remained silent. However, along the way, Xie Zheng's grip on her arm became heavier and heavier. Although his eyes were still clear and sharp, sweat had already appeared at his temples.
The Jinwu Guards quickly found the eunuch who had fallen under the pillar. When the eunuch was awakened by a bucket of cold water, he instinctively shouted out, "There's an assassin!" because of the noise he heard before he passed out.
Hearing this, Qi Sheng's face became even more ferocious, and he kicked the eunuch directly: "You dog slave, what assassin? Explain it to me!"
The eunuch was kicked to the ground and was in so much pain that he couldn't get up for a long time. When he saw the emperor and a group of ministers surrounding him, he looked more and more panicked.
Xie Zheng said at this time: "When you were leading me to change clothes, did you see any thieves crossing the wall?"
The eunuch only heard the noise coming from the top of the wall, but Qi Sheng had already kicked him and asked him about the assassin. With so many court officials looking at him, he was terrified and his mind went blank. He immediately nodded in agreement with Xie Zheng's words: "Yes, yes, someone did climb over the palace wall!"
Now that there are witnesses, Xie Zheng can fully prove his innocence tonight.
Qi Sheng staggered back a step, and the eunuch who hurriedly supported him looked extremely frightened.
Qi Sheng's face was filled with dejection. At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind: It's over, he's finished!
Xie Zheng's face was red again. He covered his lips and coughed twice. His cold eyes swept across Qi Sheng and said, "I was injured in the fight with the thief. I also caught a cold when I drowned in the Taiye Lake. I am ill and have no strength to help Your Majesty search for the thief. I will leave the palace first."
Qi Sheng's head was buzzing and he could no longer hear what Xie Zheng was saying.
When Xie Zheng could not get Qi Sheng's consent, he left without permission, and the court officials did not dare to say anything.
At this time, an urgent report came from Nagato Sadao: "Report - an assassin attacked the Dali Temple at night and kidnapped the wanted criminal of the Sui family!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked.
Fan Changyu knew that it must be Xie Zheng's men who had successfully kidnapped someone in the Dali Temple, and he felt relieved.
Unexpectedly, despite such a big incident, Qi Sheng did not show any emotion at all. He did not even blame the Minister of Justice who was also attending the palace banquet. It was the chief eunuch who even told the court officials to end the banquet and return home.
-
After Tang Peiyi and others followed Qi Sheng to the cold palace, they had been holding their breath for Xie Zheng. It was not until this moment that they finally let out their breath.
Several people left the palace together. Zheng Wenchang noticed with his sharp eyes that the Marquis of Wu'an in front of him seemed to be seriously injured. When Fan Changyu supported him, most of his body was on her thin shoulders. He immediately wanted to go forward.
Tang Peiyi grabbed him and asked, "What are you doing?"
Zheng Wenchang said, "The Marquis seems to be seriously injured. How can a woman like General Fan support him all the time? I will go and support the Marquis."
Tang Peiyi looked at him with a look that was a little confusing, and finally said, "Don't worry about it."
Zheng Wenchang was very puzzled: "Why?"
He Xiujun at the side coughed lightly, put his arm around Zheng Wenchang's shoulder and said, "Brother Wenchang, please help me. I'm a little drunk."
Zheng Wenchang was He Jingyuan's student, and a close friend of He Xiuyun. He knew how much he could drink, so he immediately pushed him away with his shoulder: "You are still 70% away from being drunk!"
He looked at his friend in confusion: "Why are you and General Tang acting so weird?"
He Xiuyun sighed, and finally chose to speak frankly: "Are you a blockhead? Can't you see that the Marquis and General Fan are about to get married?"
Zheng Wenchang frowned fiercely: "Because General Fan jumped into the Taiye Lake to save the Marquis, we are related by skin?"
He immediately said: "You don't understand General Fan. General Fan has such a broad mind and courage, no less than a real man. How could he be trapped by such vulgar etiquette..."
Tang Peiyi and He Xiuyun saw that his expression was becoming more and more speechless.
Didn't this person notice anything amiss when he was in Lucheng?
Finally, He Xiuyun just patted Zheng Wenchang on the shoulder and said, "Brother Wenchang, if you have trouble finding a wife in the future, come and ask your sister-in-law to help you find one."
Zheng Wenchang stood there, watching Tang and He walking away, his face becoming more and more confused.
How does this have anything to do with his future marriage?
The author has something to say:
Student Xiao Zheng: What’s wrong with me?
—————————
Happy New Year to the reviewer. The male and female protagonists just kissed, and touching above the neck is allowed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
