Clearing out (complete)
The thick, inky blackness on the horizon was churning and churning, as if the legend of a black dragon hidden in the dark clouds, told by adults in my childhood, was about to come true.
The cumulus clouds kept pouring down rain, washing away the pollution in the air.
Rainwater dripped rapidly from the leaky corners of the palace.
"Drip—drip—splash!"
The noise completely woke up the woman in the makeup room.
Suddenly regaining consciousness, Chen Zhuangmu sat up abruptly. After sitting up, she hurriedly checked her hands and feet and found that they were not tied up.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze was drawn to the familiar scene.
The identical layout, the rounded corners of the low stools, and the gilded bed curtains overhead all reminded her that this was her mother's palace, and also the place where she lived in the palace.
Why did Yu Xingbei think of kidnapping her here? In her eyes, Yu Xingbei was not a normal person at this moment, and she didn't know what he would do.
She rubbed her aching neck and wandered around the hall, finding it perfectly preserved, just as she had arranged it. She was even more confused about Yu Xingbei's intentions. She would deal with whatever came her way, but she couldn't simply sit and wait for her doom.
At this moment, she didn't want to think about why Yu Xingbei was at the dog hole; that would only waste time. The only way to kill Yu Xingbei was to take the initiative and attack.
Chen Zhuangmu walked to the door and tried to open it, but found it wouldn't budge. So she peeked through the crack in the door and saw that there was no one in the hall; it was as if it were an abandoned courtyard.
I guess most of the staff are guarding outside the palace.
That's much better. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked without stopping through the inner corridor to the right wing room. There was a window there, neither big nor small, that hadn't been repaired in a long time and she hadn't thought to fix it; it must have broken as soon as you pulled it.
But when Shen Zhuangmu approached and peered through the crack in the window, she was dumbfounded. It was completely sealed shut and perfectly repaired. She pulled hard with her hand, but apart from her hand hurting a little, the window didn't budge.
She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice the slightest noise coming from the palace door until it was suddenly pushed open, at which point she turned around.
At a glance, she saw the person she hated most.
"Give me back my mother's life!"
Chen Zhuangmu pulled a dagger from her boot and rushed towards him, but was grabbed by the arms by two assassins who jumped out from behind Yu Xingbei and dragged to a low stool.
Yu Xingbei's face was cold—no, Chen Zhuangmu thought it was a gloomy, resentful face. At this moment, she couldn't believe she was trembling slightly, her hands shaking, something stuck in her throat, and her anger intensified.
The emperor waved his hand, and the two assassins withdrew. However, Chen Zhuangmu was unable to make a move, as her hands were completely bound by the assassins. In her anger, she twisted the hemp rope between her wrists, and then a soft laugh was heard.
"Oh."
She turned around and saw Yu Xingbei looking at her struggling with great interest, but his eyes didn't hold sarcasm; rather, they seemed to hold admiration.
This is why Chen Zhuangmu felt that everything around her was cold and gloomy.
When he noticed that her eyes had become wary and even confused, the emperor suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha. I told you, the children I raise will be most like me. I won." He was confident of victory, but Chen Zhuangmu just thought he was crazy.
Yu Xingbei began pacing around the room, saying, "You must be wondering why I would kill your mother and my sister so cruelly." He shook his head as he spoke, adding, "It wasn't my fault."
“I was taken in by my sister. I remember how old I was back then? I wasn’t even as old as you were when you came to the palace. The eunuchs and maids threw their dry rations on the ground and ran out in a panic. I heard them talking about some kind of ceremony for the emperor. Oh, the emperor at that time was my father.”
The emperor remained unmoved, as if deep in thought. After a while, he finally emerged from his reverie and said, "I'm going too, to kill the emperor."
A thud went through Chen Zhuangmu's heart, and her breathing became light.
Seeing her like this, Yu Xingbei couldn't help but laugh: "Look at you, you don't even dare to think about this. He doesn't deserve to be my father. He made me suffer so much and yet he expects to enjoy the worship of thousands. Why should he?"
"However, later, your mother stopped me when I had already entered the palace. I have to thank her for that, otherwise I would have been executed that day. I never expected that she could see through my intentions, and instead of handing me over, she held my hand and told the old emperor that she would take care of me from now on."
As he spoke, the emperor laughed. If one only observed his brows and ignored the shadows in his eyes, one would truly think he was relaxed.
"Yes, Zhuangmu. I had the same expression as you back then. Doubt, questioning, and at a loss. You know, children who aren't loved grow up to be cautious and timid. I had those flaws too, but your mother raised me up perfectly. She was really good to me back then."
"In the past?!" Shen Zhuangmu immediately caught the word, but she remembered that her mother and he had always had a good relationship. Her mother had always told her since she was a child that she should have a good uncle, otherwise she would not have trusted him alone after she went to the palace.
Chen Zhuangmu remained silent, her breathing even softer, awaiting the emperor's next words. She needed to know the secrets of that year, but no matter what they were, they couldn't change the fact that he had killed her mother.
"Later, you don't know what happened. I guess your mother loved you and didn't want you to hear it, but children need to experience more. She became more and more strict with me, completely ignoring me and yelling at me whenever she saw me. I always agreed to everything, thinking I understood her, but later I realized my own resentment."
His voice suddenly rose, "Yes! Back then, the other princes saw that your mother had the ability to ascend the throne, so they joined forces against her. I know that she had a very difficult time during that period, but do you know what happened one day? I remember that the princes were all eliminated by your mother, and only three were left, including me."
“She was leaving early and returning late during that period. I only caught a glimpse of her once, but guess what I saw? Ha, she had someone restrain me and keep me away from her. I was almost certain then that she had dealt with so many princes, so one more wouldn't make a difference.”
Chen Zhuangmu trembled as she listened, her mother's gesture flashing through her mind, and the anger in her heart was about to burst forth. But looking at Yu Xingbei's appearance, a thought was planted in her mind.
"After that, I stopped appearing in front of her because I didn't dare. I was afraid she would kill me, and I hated her even more for being kind to me and then abandoning me. Some time later, the old emperor ordered your sister to go to war, and I didn't go to see her off that time. About three days later, the old emperor died."
After saying that, he lowered his head and remained silent.
Impatient, Chen Zhuangmu asked, "And then what happened?"
Yu Xingbei remained silent. He seemed very tired, but he still mustered his energy and said, "I had only known about the news for a short while when a group of old fogies, oh, you mean those ministers, forced me to ascend the throne. Because they couldn't control your mother, the prince, I was the only one left at that time."
“I was unwilling, but if I refused, I was destined to be tormented. So I took on this responsibility. Later, I thought that when your mother came back, I would return it to her. The next day, the enthronement ceremony was held in the Daqing Hall. Not far away in the Funing Hall, there are still the old emperor’s freshly cooled bones.”
As he spoke, his expression softened. "When the coronation ceremony began and I was walking up the steps, I suddenly saw your mother, dressed in armor, fighting her way from the palace gate to the Daqing Hall. I saw her."
"And then?" Chen Zhuangmu urged him.
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door. Yu Xingbei coughed twice and said seriously, "It's time for court. This is what every good emperor should do."
With that, he ignored Chen Zhuangmu and went out.
Behind the curtain, all that could be heard was the click of the door locking.
She was completely confused by what her mother had just said, but the phrase "the other princes were all targeting her" kept replaying in her mind. She couldn't imagine how upset her mother must have been.
After hearing his incoherent words, she instinctively felt that Yu Xingbei had probably gone mad.
Evil people, indeed, do not think that they are evil; they only think that those who disobey them are evil.
Yu Xingbei must die.
There was not a sound in the courtyard, the curtains were drawn.
Instead, they felt fortunate, as Li Chu was nowhere to be found, Zhao Yi had not yet entered the palace, Hong Ning was far away in Tong City, and Han Feng was trapped somewhere unknown.
At this moment, she was all alone.
To move faster, the rope binding her wrists must first be untied. Chen Zhuangmu sat on the stool, raised her right leg slightly, drew her dagger, held the handle in her palm, and used the blade to cut the rope bit by bit.
Until the last bit of the rope was cut, and the broken rope lay at her feet, she shook her wrist and began to think about how to get out.
Yu Xingbei was attending court at this time, and she wanted to expose his evil deeds at this moment.
Chen Zhuangmu hadn't considered whether she would succeed; all she could think about was the consequences of killing the emperor. She hadn't even thought about how she would face Yu Hongning and Yu Hongqi if she killed Yu Xingbei.
It wasn't that she couldn't remember, but that she dared not think about it. The thought flashed through her mind, and she could almost feel their deep resentment towards her. She didn't want that resentment to grow in her own heart; she was not wrong.
She carried not only her mother's fate, but also the fate of the dozens of soldiers her mother had brought with her. They did not live out their old age in peace, nor did they die on the battlefield. Instead, they were plotted against and killed by the emperor they revered, and they bore the infamy for many years.
It felt like a fire was burning inside me, but my eyes grew increasingly calm, even somewhat indifferent.
This demonstrates the resolve to kill Yu Xingbei.
She searched the room but couldn't find any scissors, so she simply sharpened her teeth on her clothes, made a small slit, and then tore it open by pinching the edge of the clothes with both hands.
He tore off two strips of cloth and wrapped the hidden weapon around his wrist, making sure to secure it for any eventuality.
The palace is well-located; exiting through the front gate leads directly to the main road, while the imperial garden lies at the back. No matter which way you go, you'll encounter people. However, the emperor is unlikely to send anyone out today.
Because Yu Xingbei is extremely cautious, he will absolutely not let anyone know even a little bit about this matter until it is completely settled.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhuangmu remembered another path.
She went back to the window that had just been repaired, picked up a stool, and started smashing it with the stool legs. After a few "bangs," the window became a little loose. Chen Zhuangmu threw down the stool, grabbed the wooden part of the window with her bare hands, and pulled it off with all her might.
There were still many wood chips that couldn't be cleaned off, but Chen Zhuangmu didn't care anymore. She simply moved another stool over, stood on it, leaned against the window, and tried to move her body forward. She carefully tucked her legs up, flipped over, and tentatively lowered herself down. With a "thud," she landed on the ground.
Just as she expected, there was no one in the Imperial Garden, which must have been specially instructed by Yu Xingbei to do so by the palace staff.
She took out the flute she had promised to Li Chu from her bosom, but after blowing it for a long time without any response, Chen Zhuangmu dared not blow it anymore. Calculating the time, she figured the ministers should still be waiting in the Waiting-for-Leaks Courtyard.
She remembered that Yu Xingbei had called out to Hanfeng's daughter-in-law earlier, which meant that she was not in danger at the moment.
I should go look for Li Chu, but the palace is so big, where should I look for her?
Where were the emperor's assassins usually stationed?
Logically, they should be guarding the emperor's side. But what about the assassins who have already been abandoned? The emperor would certainly put them far away, but he also worries that they might be needed in the future, so he won't discard them.
So... the Cold Palace!
As far as she knew, there were no concubines imprisoned in the Cold Palace at present. If she were to go to the Cold Palace, there would definitely be someone guarding her; how could she possibly manage on her own?
But what kind of danger is Li Chu in?
After thinking it over, Chen Zhuangmu still couldn't just leave. Inside was Li Chu's life.
She touched the sleeping potion on her body, checked the hidden weapon she had tied up, and walked directly through the Imperial Garden to the west. Calculating the time, if she reached the Imperial Garden, it would be about time for the court session.
Thinking of this, she started running. The Imperial Garden was very large, with many direct passages, so running was not difficult.
But the more she ran, the more frightened she became, because she didn't encounter a single person.
The reason she dared to run away was that most of the concubines in the harem did not want to get involved in trouble, and they would pretend not to see her. But now that there was no one around, she suddenly felt that the emperor was planning something even more serious.
But now, she has no way back, nor does she want to.
If you continue west from the Imperial Garden, then cross a wasteland, and then further west, you'll reach the Cold Palace.
The Cold Palace wasn't cold at all; in fact, Chen Zhuangmu felt warm as she stepped into the area. Patches of cobwebs indicated that it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, and Chen Zhuangmu began to look around the Cold Palace.
After observing for a while, I couldn't observe anything.
Her mind was in turmoil. Instead of ignoring the perfectly good main door, she chose the wrong path. She found a dilapidated door on the east side and pushed it open.
Amidst vast stretches of wasteland, Chen Zhuangmu took a deep breath and blew the whistle she had promised Li Chu.
Now that Zhao Yi has not yet arrived, the emperor must think that she has other plans that are detrimental to him, and will definitely keep most or even all of the martial arts masters by his side.
She kept blowing until she heard an echo.
Her body reacted before her mind, and she was overjoyed, turning her head away.
They didn't notice at all that the voice seemed a bit rougher.
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