The entire bedroom suddenly fell into a dead silence. Liu Qinglan's breath caught in her throat. Her experience of surviving in the mountains told her that this place was not a good place to stay for long.
Liu Qinglan ran to the window and was about to transform into his original form and run away when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps and noise coming from the yard.
When she saw the figure of the beautiful queen, she immediately felt much calmer. Liu Qinglan climbed up to the window, found a seat, and began to watch the show.
Xie Xuanzhao brought his men over and stood in the courtyard. He looked at the imperial eunuch blocking his way, his expression calm and indifferent, a commanding presence without anger. "Eunuch De, what do you mean?"
"His Majesty is summoning Concubine Yue, so it's not appropriate to disturb her at this time." Eunuch De said respectfully, bending down and lowering his head to hide the sarcasm in his eyes.
Xie Xuanzhao sneered, "Since His Majesty summoned Concubine Qinyue, then what about this person?"
Eunuch De looked up in surprise, only to see a group of guards escorting a scarred handsome man forward. He took a closer look, his face horrified, "This...this isn't..."
Xie Xuanzhao stared at him, "Eunuch De, who do you say he is?"
Eunuch De remained silent.
The guard who was escorting Lin Yulang took a step forward and lifted up his long hair that was covering his front, revealing his miserable face.
Eunuch De's lips turned pale as he looked towards the entrance of the hall. The guards had already been replaced by a new group. In a short time, they replaced the guards arranged by Lin Yulang. It was obvious that the Queen Mother came prepared.
He came to his senses and tried to remain calm. "The Queen is mobilizing the guards. Does His Majesty have any instructions?"
“No.”
"Then..." Eunuch De was about to say the palace rules when he suddenly saw the empress in front of him with cold eyes, a stern face, and a powerful aura.
Eunuch De was so frightened that he kept silent and did not dare to question.
Seeing that his momentum was waning, Xie Xuanzhao finally spoke, "It's an emergency. I have something important to discuss with His Majesty, so I came here just now. I didn't expect to see this man sneaking around on the outer wall, like a thief, so I ordered him to be arrested. He actually resisted and fought with the guards, and was beaten here. I felt something was wrong. The guards in charge of the guarding allowed the thief to enter the palace when His Majesty was favoring the concubines. It was a dereliction of duty, so I urgently withdrew them. Eunuch De, you also serve in front of the emperor, and His Majesty's safety is the most important, but isn't it..."
Eunuch De was about to resist, but he looked at Lin Yulang's unconscious face and said in a trembling voice, "But this is not a thief, but Lin Yulang, the man in front of His Majesty."
Xie Xuanzhao sneered, "There are so many people around His Majesty, how can I recognize them all? Even if it is really Lin Yulang, why is he behaving so furtively? Is there something fishy going on in this bedroom?"
Eunuch De pretended to be embarrassed, "How could there be something fishy? Concubine Yue is accompanying the emperor in the palace right now. If the Empress is worried, she will definitely go in to take a look. There is nothing I can do."
Xie Xuanzhao had been waiting for this, and smiled knowingly, "Since Concubine Yue is inside, I won't disturb you. It seems that His Majesty is also busy at the moment, so I will take care of Lin Yulang on his behalf."
Seeing that the situation had taken a detour and instead of reaching Concubine Yue, Eunuch De had actually circled back to Lin Yulang, he immediately became furious. "This is His Majesty's man, and he should be dealt with by His Majesty."
"Then I'll trouble Eunuch De to go into the palace and pass on the message." Xie Xuanzhao said calmly, then stood still and waited patiently.
While they were talking, Liu Qinglan took advantage of everyone's attention being on the courtyard, climbed out of the window, and ran to the imperial garden not far from the main hall with ease.
Seeing several palace maids tending to flowers and trees, Liu Qinglan quickly found a secluded place, transformed back into human form, and then walked out calmly.
When several palace maids saw her, they hurriedly bowed and greeted her. Liu Qinglan smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty sent me here to pick some flowers. Please take a look at which ones are beautiful."
"Yes." A palace maid stepped forward, frowning and saying, "There aren't many flowers in winter, but there are some. The other day, a few Clivias bloomed under the corridor, very elegant and quiet. A few white camellias over there have also bloomed, but the wintersweets will have to wait a few more days."
Liu Qinglan's mind wasn't on the flowers at all, so she didn't hear much of what the maid said. When she finally heard the maid finish, she quickly said, "Then take me to see it."
The atmosphere in the front hall was still tense. Under the gaze of the Empress, Eunuch De could only bite the bullet and make a fake announcement outside the door.
It was quiet inside.
Eunuch De knew that the emperor was definitely unable to respond now, but why didn't Concubine Yue panic like an ordinary woman and shout for help or run away?
The situation at this time was completely different from what he had imagined, and Eunuch De began to panic.
Xie Xuanzhao looked at him, smiling with red lips, "Eunuch De, why don't you continue to pass on the message?"
Eunuch De could only turn around again, wait outside the door, and report respectfully to the empty air.
Yan Mo brought a round stool and covered it with cushions. Xie Xuanzhao helped her sit down by the hand and said calmly, "I have nothing to do today. You can wait. Eunuch De, please continue."
Eunuch De wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Knowing that there would be no response from inside, he could only report again and again in a serious manner, until his mouth was dry and his head was numb.
Liu Qinglan came back holding a Clivia, stood at the door of the hall, looked inside with feigned curiosity, and asked, "What's going on?"
The eunuchs looked at Concubine Yue who suddenly appeared in front of them with horror as if they had seen a ghost, "Aren't you..." supposed to be inside!
The noise outside the door startled the people in the courtyard, and they all looked towards the palace door. They saw a girl in a palace skirt holding a Clivia in her hand, standing in the corridor with beautiful eyes, and then walking towards them step by step.
Xie Xuanzhao looked at her with relief, and only when he saw that she was safe and sound did he feel completely relieved.
Eunuch De's sharp voice came from behind, "Empress Yue! Shouldn't you be accompanying His Majesty? Why are you here? Where is His Majesty?"
Xie Xuanzhao gave him a sharp look and said, "She is the Moon Concubine. It's not your turn to question her, a dog slave."
Only then did Eunuch De realize that he had lost his composure in a hurry and quickly knelt down, "I dare not."
Liu Qinglan took advantage of the situation and stood beside the beautiful queen. As if she had found a backer, she said confidently: "His Majesty suddenly wanted to enjoy the flowers, so I went out to find some for him. I didn't expect that when I came back here, it would become like this. Queen, what happened?"
Xie Xuanzhao gestured for her to look at Lin Yulang, who had been knocked unconscious. "He was acting suspiciously and refused to say what he was doing in the hall, so he was apprehended by the guards."
Liu Qinglan said in surprise: "Isn't this Lin Yulang? His Majesty said that he had been expelled from the palace and demoted to a commoner. Why is he still here?"
"Yes, he must have been unwilling to be expelled from the palace, so he tried to sneak into the palace with bad intentions." Xie Xuanzhao said.
Liu Qinglan concluded, "That must be it."
Eunuch De was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that Concubine Yue would stand with the Queen. The wording was perfectly matched, as if they had discussed it beforehand.
And she spoke so fast that she didn't give him any chance to refute. When he came to his senses and was about to question her, Yue Fei suddenly screamed again, startling him to death.
Everyone knew that Yue Fei had an eccentric personality, so her sudden startle was natural.
Liu Qinglan lifted the hem of her skirt and said, "His Majesty is still waiting for me to give him flowers. I've been away for a long time, and I don't know if he's getting impatient."
As she spoke, she pushed the door open holding the Clivia.
Eunuch De's heart was in his throat.
Once the door of the imperial palace bedroom was opened, there was no turning back.
Liu Qinglan endured the bloody stench that hit her face, stood at the door with her eyes closed and shouted, "Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Even people a few feet away could smell the strong scent and were immediately in an uproar.
Xie Xuanzhao decisively ordered people to seal off the entire hall, allowing only entry but not exit.
At the same time, he ordered the guards to take Lin Yulang away and put him in prison.
Eunuch De had already fallen to the side, his legs weak. At this critical moment, his men were gone, all replaced by Xie Xuanzhao. He alone was powerless to turn the tide, and could only wait for news from outside the palace.
He was so helpless and listless that he didn't even see the Queen Mother take Concubine Yue into her arms to comfort her.
Xie Xuanzhao held the little beauty's hand and said, "Sister, you're frightened. This is none of your business."
Liu Qinglan was actually fine. She was just frightened when she saw the bloodstains, but now she is actually able to handle it with ease. However, she still leaned against Xie Xuanzhao for some comfort.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, lifted the gauze curtain, and went in to take a look. He saw the emperor lying on the edge of the bathtub, his whole body red as a shrimp.
After the imperial physician finished his examination, he walked out in panic.
Xie Xuanzhao was already sitting at the top, Liu Qinglan was sitting beside her, and below stood a row of guards who obeyed her orders, as well as the eunuchs in the hall who were weak in the knees.
The imperial physician was concerned about the royal family's reputation and didn't dare to speak directly. Xie Xuanzhao understood and dismissed everyone, leaving only himself and Liu Qinglan. "You may speak now."
The imperial physician knew that the Empress Dowager was always imposing and had the support of the Xie family behind her, so he immediately stepped forward, knelt down and said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty has collapsed!"
"What's the reason?"
The imperial physician looked at Liu Qinglan embarrassedly.
Liu Qinglan straightened her back, sensing something strange in the imperial physician's eyes, so she glared back. The physician quickly lowered his head and said anxiously, "Your Majesty died of sheer joy."
Xie Xuanzhao snorted coldly, his expression a mixture of sarcasm and helplessness. "Doctor Wang, Lin Yulang attempted rebellion and assassinated Your Majesty in the main hall. Your Majesty was stabbed in the chest and bled to death. The imperial guards were unable to protect you and failed in their duty, causing Your Majesty to collapse."
Doctor Wang's breath was choked, and he knelt on the ground, not daring to move.
"Doctor Wang, do you understand?"
"Yes, His Majesty died of a knife wound!" Doctor Wang shuddered and quickly agreed.
After everyone left, Liu Qinglan calmed down in her seat for a while, then felt a sense of fear in her heart. She quickly stood up and sat next to the beautiful queen. Only when she felt her breath and body temperature did she feel confident.
"It was just like a dream."
Xie Xuanzhao held her somewhat cold hand and said, "Qinglan, you did a good job just now. They didn't get suspicious."
"Is His Majesty really dead?"
"When I saw Lin Yulang, I knew from his expression that he had succeeded. The strong smell of blood must be related to the evil spirit in Qingfeng Town. We wanted to remind the emperor that day, but unfortunately he was misled by male beauty and didn't listen at all. It was his fate and there was nothing we could do." Xie Xuanzhao comforted Liu Qinglan.
"Is it over then?"
Xie Xuanzhao's expression grew serious again, and he shook his head. "Not yet. The new ruler hasn't been chosen yet. Before the young prince enters the palace, we can only keep the news a secret to avoid causing panic."
"But I don't think the young prince wants to enter the palace and become emperor." Liu Qinglan said worriedly, "Besides, he has his own mother. Is it really okay to separate them?"
Xie Xuanzhao sighed and reached out to touch her long hair. "He is the youngest son of Prince Ding, of royal blood. Supporting him as the young emperor will convince the court officials, calm people's hearts in time, and avoid a bloody struggle for the throne."
Liu Qinglan felt very complicated, but since it was the decision of the Beauty Queen, she of course fully supported it.
The head of the Xie family hurried into the palace and discussed with Xie Xuanzhao. The final conclusion was to secretly execute Lin Yulang while keeping the death a secret and summon the young master into the palace.
While they were discussing this, Liu Qinglan had been taken back to Qinglan Palace to calm down. Lulu didn't know the emperor had passed away yet, only that there had been a commotion in the front hall. She anxiously checked on her empress, and was relieved to see she was unharmed. "My empress, was Lin Yulang really trying to rebel?"
Liu Qinglan nodded solemnly, then became absent-minded and dazed again.
She didn't know what would happen to her and the beautiful queen after the emperor passed away. According to human sayings, the queen would become the queen mother, so what about herself?
Liu Qinglan scratched his ears, feeling very distressed.
When she was at a loss, a peach blossom suddenly floated down, guiding her to find the peach blossom demon.
Liu Qinglan ran to the inner room immediately as if he had found a savior, and told Lulu that he was frightened and needed to rest. After Lulu left, Liu Qinglan quickly changed back to his original form, and then went to the imperial kitchen as if he was familiar with the place, and finally landed lightly on the peach blossom branch.
The voice of the Peach Blossom Demon came from the depths, "You ate that peach."
Hanging on the branch is a ripe red peach, plump and big.
The author has something to say: Little Fairy Liu: What will happen if I eat this peach?
Peach Blossom Demon: It will make your beauty queen very happy~
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