Entering the palace again
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, a fierce wind raged, and a hurricane whipped up Zhou Yanzhi's dark robes, making a constant fluttering sound.
As the clouds in the sky grew darker and darker, Zhou Yanzhi quickly took out a whistling arrow from his sleeve.
"call out--"
A bright light suddenly shot into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it exploded with a bang, and the dazzling fireworks pierced the sky above the capital, clearly visible to Su Feng and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in the capital.
The brilliant fireworks display faded away at its peak.
Zhou Yanzhi stood in the courtyard, looking up quietly at the dissipating fireworks in the sky, until a light drizzle fell from the sky, until the cool raindrops landed on his face, then he withdrew his gaze and turned to walk into the house.
Behind me, the raindrops suddenly grew larger, the sound of the rain was urgent, the raindrops were dense, and the rain curtain was hazy and heavy.
...
At the same time, large raindrops pounded on the main street of the capital, and the dark blue stone slabs gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the rain.
In a teahouse in western Beijing, Su Feng, sitting on the second floor, narrowed his eyes, put down his teacup, and slightly raised his eyes, his gaze piercing like a hawk towards a courtyard not far away.
Zhou Yanzhi's instructions from yesterday still ring in my ears: "Yunyun, if anything unusual happens at Xiangguo Temple, I will send you a message with fireworks. This time, we must close this case."
With the emergency fireworks already in place, something must have happened at Xiangguo Temple.
Thinking of this, Su Feng felt a chill run down his spine, and his gaze towards that courtyard became even sharper. If that's the case, then his people shouldn't be able to hide any longer.
Today, he is determined to find out who is causing chaos in the court!
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the capital, an extremely simple carriage was slowly driving into the imperial city.
The clatter of hooves and the patter of raindrops filled the air. Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying raindrops lifted one side of the carriage curtain and rushed into the carriage, hitting the woman's face directly inside.
A cool, damp sensation touched her cheek. Jie Xiangsi suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze clear as snow, without a trace of confusion.
In that fleeting moment, her gaze fell directly on the red walls and green bricks, until the carriage curtain, lifted by the wind, closed again, and then she lowered her eyes. Her gaze settled on the small area in front of her, and her eyes, hidden by her long eyelashes, were dark.
Listening to the rumble of the carriage, her mind was racing.
The palace roads were heavily guarded, and all imperial relatives and court officials had to dismount when they reached the palace gates.
The rules of the palace were absolute and could not be transgressed. That was how it was when she accompanied Zhou Yanzhi into the palace that day; she disembarked from the carriage at the palace gate and walked in. But just now, the guards at the palace gate ignored her and did not stop the carriage.
Her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
Is this vehicle granted special permission to pass, or... has this imperial city been completely transformed?
Thinking of the memories "Unraveling Longing" had given her, her heart suddenly tightened. Since Dao Ying called her "Miss Xiao," the destination of this journey was probably the true location of the person behind the scenes.
Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in Jie Xiangsi's heart, a mixture of fear and excitement, which finally coalesced into a trace of urgent anxiety that overwhelmed her panic.
Perhaps, she will finally be able to touch the hand behind the Xiao family massacre.
With her mind at peace, she closed her eyes and waited quietly to ease her longing. But while she remained silent, the person beside her was not satisfied.
Dao Ying clicked her tongue and spun the small knife in her hand, which could cut through iron like mud, so fast that the next second, the knife was pressed against Jie Xiangsi's cheek.
A slight stinging sensation came, and Jie Xiangsi suddenly opened her eyes.
Seeing this, Dao Ying pressed the blade down again, seemingly casual but actually incredibly mocking, and said, "Just now when we passed by the palace gate, why didn't Miss Xiao call for help? Weren't you afraid?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi immediately closed her eyes, her annoyance making no attempt to hide it.
Why is she silent? Having been silenced and immobilized, how can she possibly speak to save herself? Now, she only hopes that Zhou Yanzhi can quickly discover the clues she left behind.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. Jie Xiangsi opened her eyes abruptly, only to be met with a pair of malicious eyes. Dao Ying had appeared in front of her at some point, bending over and staring intently at her, taking in every subtle change in her.
Subconsciously, Jie Xiangsi's pupils contracted slightly.
The next second, the knife pressed against her cheek flashed before her eyes, the tip landing three fingers in front of her, as if the cold, sharp tip would pierce her eyeball in the next instant if she moved.
Dao Ying tilted his head and stared at her, feeling her breath catch for a moment. A malicious smile appeared on his lips, revealing two boyish little tiger teeth. "Miss Xiao, you and I both know that although you are immobilized, it is only your body. You can still mouth words."
So why didn't you reply to me? Didn't General Xiao tell you that ignoring others is a very ill-mannered thing to do?
Outside the window, the rain pattered softly; inside, a somber atmosphere silently permeated the small space of the carriage.
Looking at the knife tip so close to her, Jie Xiangsi's heart pounded like a drum, and her heart beat faster and faster in her chest.
She paused for a moment, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, then she raised her eyes and stared intently at the shadow of the knife, a slight smile playing on her lips as she silently mouthed the words—
"If I don't answer, would you dare kill me?"
It is a blatant provocation.
As Dao Ying watched Jie Xiangsi's lips move, the corners of his lips, which had been twitching, slowly straightened, and his eyes were filled with cold light.
"Oh."
With a cold laugh, a flash of cold light appeared, and a strand of dark hair was severed.
Suddenly, a cool breeze lifted the curtain and rushed into the carriage.
A slight stinging pain came from the side of her face, and Jie Xiangsi frowned slightly. The severed hair ends were blown by the wind, constantly brushing against her neck, bringing a tingling, itchy sensation.
Dao Ying smiled maliciously, his tone extremely soft: "Miss Xiao, is it interesting to make me angry?"
Feeling the blade pressed tightly against her neck, Jie Xiangsi forced herself to swallow the tremor in her throat. Then, a faint, cold smile slowly bloomed on her lips as she mouthed, "You wouldn't dare kill me."
They were utterly fearless and emboldened.
If he could really kill her, he could have given her a quick death with a single blow. If that wasn't enough, he could have tortured her thoroughly before killing her. But he only cut her hair and made a shallow, almost painless cut on her face.
If that's the case, what does she have to be afraid of?
Rather than fearing the assassin in front of her who couldn't even decide whether to kill her, it was better to fear the woman lurking in the shadows, strategizing and plotting...
Thinking of something, Jie Xiangsi raised an eyebrow slightly—"What, after the failed assassination mission last time, you were kicked out by the Shadow Pavilion Master? You changed allegiance and are now making a living as a bodyguard for the empresses in the palace?"
Upon hearing those three words, Dao Ying's pupils constricted sharply, and all the composure on her face vanished instantly. She glared at her fiercely, then abruptly sheathed her sword, returned to her original seat, and closed her eyes without saying a word.
Only the rumbling of wheels remained inside the carriage. Jie Xiangsi withdrew her gaze from Dao Ying, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.
It seems she guessed right again.
However, she probably only guessed the first one correctly. In Jie Xiangsi's memory, Dao Ying was already with that woman from the capital.
However, she never expected that this so-called woman from the capital... was actually from the palace.
...
The carriage rumbled and soon came to a stop. Almost the instant the carriage stopped, Jie Xiangsi opened her eyes—as long as she knew which palace in the imperial palace this was, she would know who was behind it all!
In the silence, a slender hand slowly reached into the carriage curtain, but Jie Xiangsi frowned almost imperceptibly—there were thin calluses on the fingertips!
This is definitely not the work of the First House Lord!
Sure enough, the next second, a pill wrapped in wax was probed in and then caught steadily by the blade.
"Have Miss Xiao take it."
The voice was shrill; it was a palace attendant!
As she watched the blade peel away the waxy layer from the pill, Jie Xiangsi instinctively gritted her teeth—this was definitely not a good thing! She couldn't eat it!
But the next second, a sharp pain shot through her jaw. Dao Ying had actually used brute force to dislocate her jaw!
The pill was easily placed into her mouth, her jaw was closed, and Jie Xiangsi immediately tried to spit it out, but it was too late. The pill melted instantly in her mouth.
A few breaths later, a shadow gradually fell over Jie Xiangsi's originally bright eyes, and the surrounding scenery began to blur. Then, it gradually darkened, gradually became misty, and gradually dissipated until it finally sank into an endless, thick darkness.
Jie Xiangsi's heart tightened; she could no longer see.
But the worst is yet to come.
After a short while, the incessant patter of rain in her ears gradually subsided, moving from near to far, from clear to hazy, until all was quiet and she could no longer hear a sound, not even a deafening clap of thunder.
Jie Xiangsi's heart trembled; she could no longer hear.
In the deathly silence of darkness, an immense panic suddenly swept over her, enveloping her completely and almost suffocating her. She was not afraid of torture, nor of death, but she was afraid of being deprived of her right to see and hear.
Having lost her sight and hearing, how is she any different from a cripple? How can she investigate cases, or even seek revenge?
In an instant, a profound sense of despair gripped her heart.
The next second, a dull pain shot through the back of her neck, and Jie Xiangsi's limp body was pulled back. Dao Ying maliciously tugged at her hair, then tossed her to the palace maid who lifted the curtain and entered.
"...Such a poisonous medicine, how could my sister be so cruel?"
Dao Ying appeared nonchalant, but there was no surprise in his eyes.
...
The rain grew heavier, heavy and persistent, as if trying to wash away the accumulated filth of the imperial city in one fell swoop. In the blink of an eye, the long street had become a muddy river.
The rain was heavy, and the rising mist made everything on the street hazy and unclear.
Suddenly, amidst the heavy rain, came the sound of rapid hoofbeats.
Su Feng suddenly looked up and quickly hid behind the window lattice to look down.
Through the dark rain, a white figure galloped towards the small courtyard. Finally, with a neighing of a spirited horse, the rider dismounted and headed straight for the closed courtyard.
Through the misty rain, Su Feng could see the profile of the person who had come in. At the same time, his fingers, which were resting on the window frame, tightened suddenly.
How could it be him?!
With a creak.
The tightly closed door opened from the inside, quickly engulfing the white figure.
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