The room next door, separated by just one wall, was not so peaceful.
"My lord, I failed to protect you properly. Please punish me!"
The guards knelt on the ground with their heads bowed, waiting for the woman sitting in the main seat to speak. The woman was dressed in a light blue satin brocade robe, and her left shoulder was wet, as if blood was seeping out. Another woman stood next to her, opening a medicine box to treat her wound.
The woman in the main seat, Ji Huali, pressed her brow with her uninjured right hand. It's true, even hiding in a temple can't bring her peace.
She waved for the guards to leave, saying, "Go and accept your punishment."
"Yes." The guard acknowledged the order and disappeared.
The windows were wide open, and the fragrance of peach blossoms mixed with a hint of blood permeated the room.
The woman tending to the wound carefully bandaged it, saying, "Master, it's done."
Ji Huali straightened her clothes, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her chair. "Have you found out who leaked the information?"
"It's been found, it's..."
Ji Huali interrupted her before she could finish speaking, "No need to tell me, just deal with it directly. Let me guess who sent it."
"So patient, he must be... one of the third brother's men."
The woman treating the wound, Wei Ke, began packing her things. "Master is indeed a prophet; she is indeed the Third Prince's person."
Ji Huali curled her lips into a sneer, "Predictably? If I were truly predictable, I wouldn't have been tricked."
Wei Ke didn't dare to speak and sped up packing.
Her Majesty the Queen's health is deteriorating, and there are rumors that she will not live past this year. However, the Queen has not yet named a crown princess, and the competition for the throne has reached a fever pitch.
Currently, there are three princesses who are competitive. The first is the eldest princess, Ji Huali, who is the one in front of us. In theory, she is the most likely to become the crown princess. However, unfortunately, she was born to the late emperor and empress. After the late emperor and empress passed away, the new emperor and empress were quickly established.
The current queen also has a daughter, the sixth princess Ji Xiaozhu. Moreover, the sixth princess's father's family is very powerful, so it is in accordance with the rules to make her the crown princess.
The other was Ji Yuze, the third princess, born to the noble lady. Her father's family was full of loyal martyrs, and her maternal grandmother was the Great General Protector of the Country. She was the most favored by Her Majesty the Empress and was once sent out to provide disaster relief. She was highly regarded by the people.
The other princesses were too young to compete.
Ji Huali remembered something and said disdainfully, "Third brother is still too impatient. He used up the pawn that she had painstakingly placed by my side so early."
“However…” she changed the subject, “aren’t my guards a little too incompetent?”
"Master, we lost many guards while searching for medicine in Miao territory a few days ago. We haven't trained any new guards yet, and we only have... 10 left to command." Wei Ke swallowed carefully.
There weren't many of these secret guards to begin with, and a few were lost recently while searching for Gu worms in Miao territory, which kept the Empress on her to her feet. Training a new batch of secret guards would take a very long time, and the shortage couldn't be filled in the short term.
Wei Ke carefully raised her eyes to observe her expression, intending to kneel down if anything seemed amiss, hoping she wouldn't take her anger out on her; she was just a frail doctor!
Ji Huali chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Even I, the Empress, have such embarrassing moments. Should I have punished Yingyi just now?"
Wei Ke didn't dare to say a word. The punishment had already been imposed... what was the point of having her reflect on her actions?
"Very well, perhaps I should find some more talented individuals." Ji Huali had no bad habits, but she was particularly fascinated by the affairs of the martial arts world and was naturally very interested in the martial arts skills of those in the martial arts world. However, people in the martial arts world came and went without a trace, and no matter how hard she asked her people to search, they could not find anyone who met her expectations.
Wei Ke carefully closed the medicine box. "Master, shall I take my leave now?"
"Did I let you leave?" Ji Huali raised an eyebrow, thinking that Wei Ke was being a bit too lenient.
Wei Ke: ...
You said I could leave after my wound was treated!! Listening to your complaints costs extra. (Indifferent face)
"Sit down and let's talk some more."
Wei Ke obediently sat down, thinking to himself, "Damn it."
"Yesterday in court, the third prince volunteered again to go to the disaster relief effort, but the Empress Dowager did not grant his request. Can you guess why?"
"Your subordinate is dull-witted and does not know."
Ji Huali tapped the table lightly with her index finger. "What other reason could there be? The drought in the south has lasted too long, and the imperial court's relief efforts are just a drop in the ocean. There are refugees everywhere there, and it's too dangerous. How could she bear to let her beloved daughter go?"
"Guess who will get this job?"
Ji Huali ignored whether Wei Ke would answer or not and said to herself, "It is most likely that it is me. If this disaster relief is done well, then so be it. If I die in the south, then it will be as if she has fulfilled her wish."
The Empress had always disliked Ji Huali, though she hadn't shown it very obviously. Ji Huali guessed that it was because of her father—the former Phoenix King.
Her father caused her to separate from the man she loved and forced her to make him the emperor. She didn't love her father, so naturally she didn't love him either.
Before we knew it, the night grew darker and darker, and the moon cast its shimmering light into the dim room.
Ji Huali's figure was swallowed by darkness, and she sighed, "This is beyond my control."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ke thought she was being told to leave, and was overjoyed. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the sound of arrows piercing the air.
"call out"
The target is the eldest princess!
Ji Huali crouched down to dodge the arrow, which struck the wall with the arrowhead completely embedded in it, demonstrating the immense strength of the person who fired it.
"Here they come again... My personal guards just left."
Wei Ke huddled under the table, on the verge of tears. Was she going to die here today?
The arrow served as a signal, and eight masked men in black kicked open the door and rushed in. Ji Huali's hidden guards quickly ran to her side to protect her.
However, there were only three guards, making it five against eight. Ji Huali had an injured left shoulder, and Wei Ke didn't know martial arts, so it was actually three against eight, putting them at a significant disadvantage...
——
Ye Jiu's hearing had become exceptionally good due to her martial arts training. Moreover, the doors and windows in this ancient era offered virtually no soundproofing. When she heard the strange noise, she instinctively covered Yun Jia's ears in her arms, only to find that he had already woken up.
A pair of almond-shaped eyes looked at her with great interest. Ye Jiu helplessly lowered her hand. "I was afraid of waking you up, but I didn't expect you to be awake already."
Ye Jiu threw off the covers and put on her outer robe. "I'm going out to take a look. You wait for me here. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be back soon. Don't worry if I don't come back in time. Don't you know my martial arts skills? Even if something happens, I can escape."
Ye Jiu gently stroked his cheek. "Don't worry, okay?"
Yun Jia's voice was sleepy as she rubbed her hand against hers and nodded obediently, "Mmm."
Ye Jiu put on her shoes and went out, carefully closing the door. The temple rooms were separated by only one wall, but there was still more than ten meters between the door of one room and the door of another.
As soon as Ye Jiu stepped outside, she recognized the sounds of fighting. She quickened her pace, and the kicked-down door startled her; the intruders were clearly hostile.
She cautiously peered into the room and saw two distinct groups: one group, dressed in black with gold thread embroidered on the cuffs, was protecting an injured woman in the center; the other group, also dressed in black, was clearly made of rough material.
What... happened?
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