Chapter 1135 The Secret of the Imperial Garden
Jiang Xue took a deep breath, stared at Rongpin with a sharp gaze, and spoke in a tone as cold as winter frost:
"Empress Rong, are you sure what you said is the truth? Or are you just a pawn in someone else's hands, being used without knowing it?"
Rongpin was stunned by Jiang Xue's sudden question, and the smile that originally showed her confidence of victory froze on her face.
She didn't expect that Jiang Xue could still be so calm at this time.
The other concubines also began to whisper, and there was a hint of suspicion in their eyes when they looked at Rongpin.
Jiang Xue did not give Rongpin a chance to refute and continued:
"Why did your Majesty go to such lengths to frame me? Is it just because I am favored by the Queen? Or is there someone else behind your Majesty?"
She paused, looked at everyone present, and said meaningfully:
"The harem may seem peaceful, but there are actually undercurrents. Sisters, please keep your eyes open and don't let others use you as a tool without realizing it."
Concubine Li had always been resentful of Rongpin's favor. Seeing Rongpin being questioned by Jiang Xue, she was secretly delighted and immediately added fuel to the fire:
"Sister Rongpin, what are you doing? The princess has just arrived, why are you targeting her like this? Are you afraid of something?"
Rongpin didn't expect Li Fei to suddenly jump out, and her face turned blue with anger: "Li Fei, stop talking nonsense here! It's not your turn to point fingers at what I do!"
"You know whether you are talking nonsense or not!" Concubine Li fought back without showing any weakness: "How dare you say that what you did today has nothing to do with the Queen?"
The two of them argued back and forth, and the originally tense atmosphere instantly turned into a farce.
Jiang Xue stood aside, watching all this coldly, with a barely perceptible smile on her lips.
The farce ended with the arrival of the Queen.
The queen reprimanded Rongpin and Lifei, then took Jiang Xue away from Jinxiu Pavilion.
After returning to Changle Garden, Jiang Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if all the strength in her body had been drained away.
After Jiang Xue had dinner, she came to the Imperial Garden alone, carrying a palace lantern.
The soft glow of moonlight fell on the imperial garden. Jiang Xue's graceful figure slowly shuttled through the flower paths, as light as an elf.
As night fell, a faint fragrance floated in the air. Jiang Xue slowed down her pace as she walked, and looked around with cold eyes. She was sensitive enough to notice a strange smell in the air.
The flowers, plants and trees cast mottled shadows in the moonlight, as if countless pairs of eyes were spying on her whereabouts, which made her feel creepy.
"Is there really some secret hidden in this imperial garden?"
Jiang Xue pondered in her heart, and her hand holding the lotus lantern tightened involuntarily.
She moved forward cautiously, taking every step with extreme caution, for fear of disturbing anything.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing among the flowers.
"Who?!" Jiang Xue immediately became alert and shouted in a low voice.
The only sound she got in response was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
She held her breath and listened attentively. It was quiet all around, as if nothing had happened.
But the uneasiness in her heart became stronger and stronger.
She continued walking forward, passing a clump of lush peonies, and suddenly the view in front of her opened up to a wide open space.
Just then, she saw several dark figures patrolling the edge of the clearing again.
They were dressed in black and moved swiftly, and it was obvious that they were well-trained secret guards.
Jiang Xue's heart trembled, realizing that she had been exposed to the other party's sight.
She quickly hid behind a big tree, her palms starting to sweat from nervousness.
"That was a close call!" She secretly congratulated herself for her quick reaction.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
Who are these secret guards?
What are they guarding here?
Hiding behind a tree, Jiang Xue stared at the secret guards, observing their every move.
Suddenly, she noticed that one of the secret guards seemed to have discovered something and walked towards her.
"Oh no!" Jiang Xue's heart was in her throat. She knew she had to leave here immediately.
At this moment, the secret guard stopped, seemed to have heard some noise, and turned to look in another direction.
Jiang Xue took this opportunity to quietly slip out from behind the tree and ran in the opposite direction...
"Stop!" A cold voice suddenly sounded.
Jiang Xue ran away. This imperial garden was much bigger than she had imagined, with winding corridors, rockery and strange rocks. It was like a maze!
She complained wildly in her heart: Is this ancient garden design really not meant to make things difficult for people?
After running for a while, she found herself back to the same place. This imperial garden was truly a large three-dimensional ghost wall!
The sun gradually rose higher, and the fragrance of flowers in the imperial garden became stronger, but Jiang Xue had no time to appreciate it. She felt that time was like sand in her hands, passing by rapidly, and the feeling of depression surged like a tide, which was even more suffocating than marking the key points for the final exam.
No, calm down!
She took a deep breath and tried to analyze the situation quickly like a heroine with a God's perspective.
With a "crack", I didn't know what I stepped on, making a crisp sound.
Jiang Xue's heart suddenly sank. It was all over!
"Who's there?" A shrill female voice sounded, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from afar.
Jiang Xue felt that her heartbeat was faster than the beat of a drum. She looked around desperately, trying to find a place to hide.
The peony bushes are too conspicuous, the rockery is too high to climb up, and this imperial garden is designed in a fancy way. There is not even a place to hide people at the critical moment!
What terrible luck!
The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Jiang Xue was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, with beads of sweat oozing out of her forehead.
Just when she was about to despair, she felt as if there was something behind her!
"Come out! Stop hiding!" the maid shouted sternly, with a hint of pride in her tone.
Jiang Xue held her breath and dared not move.
Jiang Xue felt something behind her, turned around suddenly, and found that it was an almost invisible secret door!
This design is definitely an advanced version of escape room!
Without saying a word, she slipped in, moving faster than a rabbit.
The secret door closed silently behind her, blending perfectly into the surrounding environment. If you didn't know, you would have thought it was a wall.
The corridor was pitch black, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. The air was filled with a dusty smell, just like the basement of an old house.
Jiang Xue groped her way forward, complaining wildly in her heart: Can't we light a candle or something in this ancient secret passage?
This atmosphere is even more exciting than a horror movie!
However, her successful escape made her in a good mood. It felt like finally clearing a hidden level in a game. How cool!
The darkness around her was no longer so scary, but instead made her feel an inexplicable sense of security.
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