Chapter 90 090 Palace Coup
Inside Qichun Palace, the Empress looked at the broadsword strapped to her neck, glared angrily at the Second Prince, and cursed, "As expected of a wolf in sheep's clothing, you are plotting a rebellion."
The second prince sat leisurely to one side and sneered, "Why is the Empress starting to speak in anger? Don't you know that the victor is king and the loser is villain?"
"To act without a just cause is to commit patricide, a crime that will be condemned for eternity."
"Ha." Only now did the Second Prince realize that the all-powerful Empress was nothing more than a woman confined to the inner quarters. He held absolute power, and how history was written was entirely up to him.
"The Empress does not wish to see the Emperor. Go then."
The maids had already been tied up and thrown aside. The Empress was led into the bedchamber, which was filled with smoke. She immediately understood the intricacies of the situation, covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, and retreated to the door.
The second prince looked at the scene before him and felt only mockery. "Mother, I have something to do, so I will trouble you with this matter."
Consort Liu stepped forward and grabbed him. The cold armor on his body made her palms ache, and her throat felt sore. She looked at him carefully. As a mother, she could not be as ruthless as the Empress, nor as loving as Consort Mu, but she was still a loving mother. "Be careful, Mother will wait for you to come back."
Thick clouds obscured the sun, the sky was gloomy, and the wind had stopped. The dark clouds remained motionless in the air, heavy and oppressive. The Second Prince walked out, leaving only an increasingly indistinct figure.
Consort Liu felt uneasy, tears streaming down her face, and ordered, "Lock the palace gates."
The nanny stepped forward and whispered something in her ear. Consort Liu was surprised, and after a moment, she said, "Take her to the inner palace."
Spikes were buried on the walls of Qichun Palace, and firewood was piled up at the base of the walls and soaked in oil. With just a spark, Qichun Palace would be burned to the ground. Copper chains were strung between the doors, and there was nowhere to run. Everyone in Qichun Palace was in a situation where they were all in the same boat, and everything depended on the success or failure of the Second Prince.
Qingli was in a daze, her whole body aching as if she had been run over. She felt herself being lifted up, and cold water was poured into her mouth. She shuddered and opened her eyes to see that she had fallen into Huaying's arms.
The whip marks on Hua Ying's face were shocking, with the skin turned inside out and bloodstains everywhere. Hua Ying had sharp eyes and saw that someone was up to no good. As soon as the sedan chair landed, she slipped inside, used a lock to handcuff the two men's arms together, and then followed them to Qi Chun Palace.
It's actually Qichun Palace!
The room they were in had clearly been empty for a long time. Cobwebs were tangled in the corners, and the tables and chairs were covered with a layer of dust. When Granny Hua Ying looked at the pomegranate flower hanging on the bed curtain, its color still the same, tears welled up in her eyes.
Granny Hua Ying entered the palace with her cousin Hua Chun. Hua Chun was skillful and did excellent embroidery, so she was quickly chosen to serve in Qi Chun Palace and became a capable maid.
The good times didn't last long. Every time her cousin saw her, she was very cautious. She would be so frightened by the slightest noise that she couldn't sit still. Afterwards, she would just hold her hand and tell her, "It's good to be a lowly maid."
Having learned of the secrets within the palace, Granny Hua Ying hurriedly whispered and asked what had happened.
Her cousin held her hand tightly, murmuring how much she wanted to, but the grip was so tight it hurt. When her cousin realized this, she quickly let go, leaving her hand covered in finger marks.
My cousin was silent for a moment, then said, "Be more careful in the future."
They didn't know who to tell, and the two never met in public or publicized their relationship. As time went on, the older cousin gradually became less tense, and life began to flow smoothly again.
One day, her cousin suddenly fell seriously ill and died. She didn't even see her body. But the night before, her cousin had rushed to see her and told her to leave the palace as soon as possible. In fact, they were old enough to leave the palace. She was a little confused, but before she could ask, her cousin left some money for her to take care of things and left in a hurry.
My cousin was murdered. Hua Ying, the old nanny, knew this and could only grit her teeth and lie in wait in the palace. But after half a year, she found that her room had been searched and someone had even taken her food. She had no choice but to leave the palace, but the other party seemed to want to eliminate her completely. She was blocked on the road in the wilderness while hiding all the way. If she hadn't met Meng Qingshan, she would have become a victim of his knife.
This time, she accepted the order from her superior to get close to the old lady, not only to repay her kindness, but also because she had a selfish motive.
Who exactly killed my cousin?
Granny Hua Ying carefully helped her up, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Miss, how are you?"
Qingli shook her head; they were all superficial injuries. The most important thing right now was to see Meng Qingshan. She looked around and saw another unfamiliar palace. She looked at Granny Huaying and waited for her to speak.
Granny Hua Ying paused, her throat already choked with sobs. In this cannibalistic world, they didn't treat servants like human beings at all, but she had struck it lucky. The master and the young lady both trusted her implicitly.
"This is Qichun Palace."
Qingli moved her hands and feet, and the numbness gradually disappeared. She got up with the help of Granny Huaying, walked to the door, and peeked through the crack in the window at a number of soldiers outside. They were all standing there with guns, exuding a tense atmosphere of being ready for battle.
Qingli retreated back into the room, pondered for a moment, and then asked for confirmation, "Was it the Empress who brought me here?"
"The old lady's behavior was suspicious. The master had long suspected that she had a connection with the palace, so he sent me into the Meng residence. Some time ago, I deliberately left my tracks and was caught by Jiang An. Following their instructions, I discovered that it was... the Empress."
After all, she was the mother of an adult, and Granny Hua Ying spoke in a lower and lower voice.
Qingli felt an overwhelming pang of heartache for Meng Qingshan and a surge of uncontrollable urgency to see him.
Seeing her pale face, Granny Hua Ying explained, "At first, you didn't know it was the Empress. I only found out on the day they tricked you, but we couldn't get in touch with you."
Granny Hua Ying fell silent, her hands clasped together in unease.
Qingli looked at the old nanny, and some past events surfaced in her mind. The old nanny Huaying's familiarity with the palace and her avoidance of Qichun Palace, perhaps it was time to ask, "Nanny, do you have something to say to me?"
"I...what..." When Hua Ying met the young lady's clean and peaceful eyes, she could no longer say any perfunctory words. Her eyes stung, and tears streamed down her face. She sobbed as she recounted her many years in the palace.
Qingli looked around. The house was old and dilapidated, but the embroidery on the faded fabric was still vibrant, showing the woman's skillful hands. It was a pity. "So you want to go to the palace again?"
Granny Hua Ying nodded heavily and said with a pained expression, "I know I acted on my own initiative and have caused trouble. If I can get out of here safely, I will apologize to you, sir."
Now that things have come to this, Granny Huaying is filled with fear and regret.
Granny Hua Ying, living deep within the inner quarters, was unaware of the tense atmosphere within the palace. Qing Li knew about this, so she couldn't blame Granny Hua Ying; besides, she herself wanted to enter the palace.
Have you noticed anything unusual?
Granny Hua Ying looked conflicted, and Qing Li said, "Speak frankly."
“My cousin didn’t explicitly tell me, but six months later, my room was ransacked more than once. I guessed they were looking for something. I don’t know where I left my mark, so I had to leave the palace to protect myself. But as soon as I left the palace gate, I was targeted by assassins.”
There must be something missing.
When did your cousin have the accident?
"The tenth day of the fourth month two years ago."
April 10th!
This is too much of a coincidence.
Qingli's back tensed up instinctively. At that time, she was far away in the Dingxi Prince's Mansion, and her identity was in the Ming Dynasty. Her grandfather sent Song Zhang from the capital to meet her. It was the tenth day of the fourth month.
A long-held thought lingered in her mind, and Qingli grabbed Huaying Granny and asked her to explain the unusual situation in detail.
Qingli became increasingly alarmed as she listened, and couldn't help but wonder if the mastermind behind what happened back then was Consort Liu or the Empress.
As the sun dipped westward, dusk settled, and the surroundings grew dark. A chill seeped into the room with the silence. Outside, the soldiers began to stir, but after a loud reprimand from afar, they returned to calm.
Granny Hua Ying was uneasy, fidgeting with her hands. Qing Li pressed her hand down and shook her head. They were in complete darkness, and could only see people coming and going outside by the moonlight. They couldn't escape and had to wait for an opportunity.
As night deepened, the cold air pierced Qingli's wounds, causing dull pain in waves. Granny Huaying advised her to rest, but she shook her head. The fact that Qichun Palace was so vigilant meant that the Second Prince must be planning something big.
No one knows when, but the world returned to calm, only to be suddenly filled with the sounds of fighting, which came from afar incessantly, causing people outside to move about nervously.
The time has come.
Qingli pointed to the window, and Huaying nodded. The two of them slammed open the back window, and a chilling sensation rushed towards them. Qingli blinked and saw the first snow of the year falling gently in this dark night of battle.
The palaces were largely similar in structure. Hua Ying, the old woman, led Qing Li through a narrow passage and saw a room with a faint light. She pried open the window and jumped inside. The large bathtub was paved with white jade, with hot water flowing from the peony stamens and white steam rising. The four walls were inlaid with huge luminous pearls. This was the washroom of Consort Liu's bedroom.
A buzzing argument outside seemed to come from both near and far. Qingli tiptoed closer to the curtain, lifted it up, and saw the fragrant clouds drifting by. She subconsciously took a step back.
Granny Hua Ying's face tightened, and she hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Miss, what should we do?"
There were many shadowy figures outside the window, indicating that the house was surrounded and the women had nowhere left to retreat.
Qingli wasn't concerned about that; it was because she realized there was something wrong with the incense. Qingli dampened a handkerchief, signaled to Granny Huaying to stay there, and went out to extinguish the incense.
Layers of peach-colored curtains hung down. Qingli glanced at them, then walked toward the bed. She even held her breath. Just as she lifted her fingers, she heard an argument approaching.
The next moment, Consort Liu and the Empress pushed and shoved each other into the room.
The Empress looked at the bed, but instead of rushing forward, she scoffed, "You really are arrogant."
Now that things have come to this point, there's no need to hide anything. Consort Liu retorted, "You can't compare to the Empress's ruthlessness."
Seeing the Empress's behavior, Consort Liu understood perfectly what she was thinking. She was simply using Consort Liu to get rid of the man lying in bed. What she thought was a loving couple turned out to be nothing but the man's wishful thinking.
For some reason, Consort Liu felt an indescribable sense of joy whenever she thought of this.
There is no love to speak of; it is nothing but submission to power.
"Isn't the Empress the Emperor she keeps talking about? Aren't you going to see him?"
Silence fell for a moment. Qingli squatted in a corner of the bed, looking at Emperor Mingkang who was sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed. His hair was spread out, and his white hair was very obvious. His eyes had lost their imposing presence, and he was just an old man being urged forward by the years.
How ironic it would be if he woke up to hear his wife and concubine arguing like that outside.
Qingli's whole body was tense, but her thoughts were far away, half on Emperor Mingkang and half outside. What was the cause of her parents' tragedy? Over the years, her grandfather had said that she could not escape the palace. Her enemies were probably among the three people mentioned above, but who were they?
The sounds of fighting in the distance had ceased, and the sounds inside the house also stopped.
The surroundings were quiet, everyone pricked up their ears, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Qingli suddenly covered her mouth, silently staring at Emperor Mingkang.
The emperor was old, but the majesty of his long-held high position was revealed in a moment of confusion. He quietly sensed the commotion outside, his anger evident in his eyes, which even fluctuated with his aura.
Qingli's thoughts gradually calmed down. The prince's rebellion was a sign of great chaos in the world, and in the end, the common people would suffer. Thinking about the situation in Chuzhou, she thought that keeping Emperor Mingkang alive was the best policy.
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