The past cannot be returned to dust.
The wooden threshold has faded to a lighter color, with grooves running across it, and a gust of wind adds a touch of desolation.
Chen Zhuangmu stepped over the threshold, her feet crunching on the fallen leaves without making a sound.
She put all her weight on one foot, turned her head, and saw the person who had raised a large knife at her three years ago.
The man who had been chasing her madly in the darkness, trying to kill her with a single blow, was right in front of her. Chen Zhuangmu stared intently at the eagle embroidery on his shoulder, her teeth almost shattering, before she suddenly regained her composure amidst her pounding heartbeat.
The moment she realized it, she had already shot a hidden weapon at the man's head, but he nimbly dodged, and the arrow pierced the wall behind him with a thud. In the blink of an eye, the man was already in front of her, his two black eyes staring at her, raising his broadsword high. In the moment of crisis, Shen Zhuangmu grabbed the blade with her hand, but was pushed onto her shoulder by the force of the downward pressure.
She didn't feel the pain of her flesh being torn open at all; it was as if the knife had cleaved her bone. She gritted her teeth and slowly bent her legs.
Chen Zhuangmu's attention was unexpectedly drawn back from her pain. She slowly shifted her gaze back to the person's eyes, and what she saw was deep hatred.
"Wen Ying?" Chen Zhuangmu saw the surprise in his eyes, but instead forced a smile on her lips. "So he's a desperate abandoned dog."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ying's face immediately contorted into a ferocious expression. At this moment, people are more likely to lose their strength.
Seizing the moment, she suddenly straightened her legs, which had been swaying, and took a step back, kicking his sword hilt with her left leg. Wen Ying reacted in time, only to have a sedative drug flash into his eyes from Chen Zhuangmu.
At this moment, Chen Zhuangmu couldn't see anything, but she gripped the dagger and indiscriminately killed wherever she thought Wen Ying was. Hearing the sound of blood gushing out, she gradually regained her senses.
The pale, misty scene gradually sank away.
Blood was scattered on the ground, staining her clothes, hands, and face. The person lying on the ground was already lifeless, but Chen Zhuangmu still stood there, clutching the dagger tightly, her gaze shifting between upwards and downwards, unable to look at the person lying on the ground.
Even though she knew in her heart that this person was completely dead and could no longer harm her, and that she had defeated him with her own hands, she still didn't have the courage to look at his corpse.
Something felt stuck in her heart, and tears streamed down her face, one by one.
He opened his lips, but then suddenly didn't know what to say.
Thinking about the things she had experienced over the years, she suddenly closed her eyes.
"You deserve to die."
With a few long breaths, she slowly opened her eyes.
She wiped the itching from the dripping blood on her cheek, glanced at Wen Ying, walked past his corpse, and continued searching for Li Chu.
There was no need to look any further at the few abandoned houses in plain sight. She suppressed her almost exhausted strength and walked inside.
The houses here either have doors that have fallen down or windows that are broken, so spiders can concentrate on weaving their webs from the roof to the floor tiles.
After fading, it was covered with a thick layer of dust, obscuring its original color. Unbeknownst to Chen Zhuangmu, she had already walked to the innermost part of the room.
Everything was unremarkable, like they were all the same kind of house. Even the clumps of grass in front of her grew the same. She didn't want to use her brain at all; she just wanted to search through them one by one. But considering her limited energy and time, she decided to calm down and take a closer look.
After looking and looking, she still couldn't figure it out. She didn't know if it was a trick or if she was simply too tired.
The only thing she noticed was that the innermost patch of grass was different from the others. Although the density varied, the innermost patch, directly facing the entrance, had far fewer weeds than the others. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, Chen Zhuangmu went inside with her head down.
To my utter surprise, the house, which looked like a small thatched hut from a distance, turned out to be a surprisingly spacious place. First, there was a long, dark corridor that I couldn't tell where in Tongxiang it was, but it was very wide. On both sides were small prisons with iron bars.
Wait, this must be where the prisoners are held!
She made the right choice in coming!
A huge weight was finally lifted from her heart. After catching her breath, she wished she could lean against the wall and rest for a while. But she frowned, looked into the deep, seemingly endless corridor, stood still for a moment, and then walked down.
He walked along, blowing that whistle as he went.
Li Chu, I've come to find you.
It was very quiet inside. She could feel the path beneath her feet descending, and the light filtering in was getting less and less. She couldn't say she was seeing with her eyes; she was being led by her heart and her will.
She refused to believe she couldn't get through this place, refused to believe she couldn't do it.
Her steady steps suddenly caused her to stumble into a deep pit, and the only glimmer of light seemed to vanish in an instant. Chen Zhuangmu gasped in fright, swallowed hard, and closed her eyes. She gently lifted her leg and touched the pit with her foot.
Thankfully, thankfully, there was nothing there.
She walked slowly in the darkness, her hands outstretched in front of her, groping to avoid touching anything directly.
As she walked, she bumped into a cold wall. The moment she touched it, the pain of the cold, stiffening sensation traveled from her fingertips to her palm.
She pulled back slightly, then reached out to the east again.
She was certain it was a door.
Are there other doors elsewhere? What's inside those doors?
She hadn't met Li Chu along the way, so she must be somewhere at the very end.
She stood in front of the door, fidgeting with her fingertips, before remembering the whistle she had just blown that she had hidden away. She put it to her lips again and, this time, blew it with all her might.
"hiss……"
Chen Zhuangmu heard a sound, but it was very faint, as if it were her hallucination. Yet, amidst her doubt, she was certain that it must be Li Chu.
"Princess...Princess..."
This time, Chen Zhuangmu heard it clearly.
She shouted, "It's me! It's me! Li Chu, I'm here!" As she spoke, she used both hands to pry open the door, using all her strength to barely manage to open it a crack. She stuck one foot in and used her body to push the door open. As the door opened wider, she took a deep breath and pushed hard with both hands, finally opening the door completely.
It smelled strongly of medicine and blood.
Several short, yellow candles, burning dimly, were placed on a black table, which was covered with instruments of torture. The bloodstains on the instruments had dried, but there was a small patch of blood that had dried on the ground.
Li Chu lay on the ground, barely breathing.
"Li Chu, I..." Chen Zhuangmu's voice suddenly choked. Looking at the wounds on Li Chu's body, she realized that she couldn't speak at all. She turned her head away so that her tears wouldn't fall on Li Chu's wounds.
She could feel Li Chu watching her the whole time. Her gaze wasn't one of hurt, but of relief and an indescribable joy.
"Ah... Waaah..." She could no longer hold back and burst into tears, clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Princess, I'm alright." As if worried that Shen Zhuangmu wouldn't believe her, she supported herself on the ground with both hands and slowly sat up, grasping Shen Zhuangmu's arm: "Miss, the people here are my brothers. They couldn't disobey His Majesty's orders, but they couldn't bear to hurt me, so they didn't use much force and applied medicine to me." As she spoke, she pulled open her sleeve to show Shen Zhuangmu her wound, which had stopped bleeding and had already scabbed over, and said, "Princess, look, in a little while, I'll be able to stand up and protect you."
"Li Chu, I must get you to a safe place." Chen Zhuangmu wiped away her tears, helped Li Chu up, bent down and said, "Get on, I'll carry you."
This startled Li Chu. "Princess, you are of noble birth..."
Chen Zhuangmu interrupted her directly: "What time is it? Come up here."
As a result, Li Chu not only didn't get close, but also took a step back and said, "If you keep doing this, I'll just lock myself up here."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Zhuangmu glared at her, then said, "Alright, alright, come on, I'll help you."
So they left the secret room and went to the entrance of the Cold Palace, where they saw Wen Ying's corpse.
The first thing Shen Zhuangmu could see clearly was Li Chu's face.
He was even thinner than when she last saw him, his face was bruised, and his clothes were covered in blood; he looked utterly disheveled.
Li Chu bent down with difficulty, extended her index finger to probe Wen Ying's nose, then turned her head to look for something on Wen Ying's body, finally her gaze landing on the dagger stuck in his chest.
Looking at the intricate pattern, she immediately recognized it as belonging to the princess. She drew her dagger, stood up, and said to Chen Zhuangmu, "Princess, he is dead."
A gust of wind swept through the cold palace, and the withered branches swayed on this invisible swing, making a rustling sound that was clear and ordinary.
"Dead." Two words escaped from Chen Zhuangmu's throat.
Shen Zhuangmu seemed to have gone through all of this in her mind before accepting it. Li Chu felt heartbroken seeing her like this. She stuffed the dagger back into Shen Zhuangmu's hand and held her hand tightly.
“Princess, you killed him! You can protect yourself now.” As she spoke, she actually let go of Chen Zhuangmu’s hand and, for the first time, rebelliously hugged her. “Princess, you can protect yourself now.”
Feeling the two slender arms on her arm, Chen Zhuangmu gradually came back to her senses.
“Li Chu…” Chen Zhuangmu’s throat hurt as soon as she spoke, but she still insisted on saying, “What’s wrong with me?”
Li Chu released the heavy makeup curtain, trying to calm the anxiety in her eyes, and said, "Princess, this is not a big deal. To you, he deserves to die."
Hearing this, Shen Zhuangmu was still numb. She didn't regret it; it was just that it was the first time she had killed someone, the first time someone's life had been taken by her, and she didn't know how to react.
But what she needed to process most was the changes in Li Chu over the past few months. When she first followed her, Li Chu was a chubby little girl. When she saw her a few months ago, she seemed more determined and powerful. She never expected that she would look so disheveled today, with sunken cheeks and no trace of radiance.
Her gaze was too direct; Li Chu didn't need to think to know that she was heartbroken. She smiled and said, "Princess, no one will be particularly kind to a discarded child. I haven't seen His Majesty for a while, until the day before yesterday, when His Majesty suddenly came to find me with Wen Ying."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "They didn't give me a chance to speak at all. They searched me directly and imprisoned me. I didn't have a single chance to breathe, and I had no way to contact anyone. Princess, how did you get into the palace? How did you know I was here?"
Shen Zhuangmu inexplicably didn't want to say much about these two matters. She gave a few perfunctory remarks, "He crawled in through a hole, Li Chu. Is Wen Ying trying to attack you?"
"Yes, I haven't seen her for a long time. I only saw her after the princess no longer needed me and I entered the palace. But she's not quite right in the head; she's delirious and insane."
Chen Zhuangmu nodded and said, "Li Chu, I need to go to the main hall now."
“Princess… alright, I’ll go too.”
"You are injured and have difficulty moving." Seeing Li Chu's increasingly steady steps as she walked from the secret room to here, and even that her face was not very pale, Chen Zhuangmu believed what Li Chu had said in the secret room.
She added, "I don't need you to come with me to the main hall. Go to Kunning Palace and keep an eye on things for me..." She paused, unsure of how to address him.
Li Chu replied, "Yes, I'll go see Her Majesty the Empress."
The two then separated.
Go in the opposite direction.
The door to the Cold Palace was slammed shut by a strong gust of wind. No one cared what had happened there, because the night was over, and all that mattered was the outcome.
During the day, the palace should have been fully staffed. Chen Zhuangmu was worried that the imperial guards would discover her, so she kept taking inconspicuous paths. However, after passing through many paths, the only way to reach the main hall was the main road opposite.
The path where Chen Zhuangmu was located was at best a place to pass through. Luckily, she was familiar with the palace, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to find it.
Because there are no dead ends between the palaces, it is possible to walk around them.
However, to get to the main hall, one must take the main road.
Facing so many imperial guards, wasn't she courting death?
Now that things have come to this, there's only one way: disguise yourself so that at least you won't arouse suspicion when you're out on the street.
As she spoke, Chen Zhuangmu walked back and waited outside Consort Yun's palace for her head maid. If it were a junior maid, she would have been ordered around doing this and that in no time. Chen Zhuangmu was completely inept at serving people, and if she were chosen, she would be exposed even faster.
The curtain was hidden in the corner of the wall. A light purple skirt flashed past the door, and a girl wearing a first-class palace maid's jade pendant walked out.
Unfortunately, she was the only one who came out.
Chen Zhuangmu rushed over in a panic. The person turned around at the sound of footsteps, but was knocked unconscious by a cloud of choking white smoke. Chen Zhuangmu breathed a sigh of relief, dragged the girl to the corner of the wall behind, and pulled her further back until the bushes covered them both.
Chen Zhuangmu began to take off her outer garment. It was winter turning into spring, so the outer robe was quite large and windproof, and she only needed to wear the outermost layer.
After changing her clothes, Chen Zhuangmu began to think about how to settle the girl. If she was placed in a safe place, there would be many people around, and if they made a noise, she would be in danger. If she was left in the bushes, who knew what might happen.
After thinking it over, she took out the whistle from her bosom again and called for Li Chu. The inner palace was nearby, and Li Chu arrived in no time. Seeing the palace maid's attire on Chen Zhuangmu's body, she understood what it meant.
She walked rather slowly, and when she reached the dressing table, she picked up a strand of her hair that had fallen loose.
"Princess, why did you call me?"
“Li Chu, I’ve exchanged clothes with this girl. I’m worried that someone might find out if I leave her here. Why don’t you try to take her to Kunning Palace?”
But the moment Li Chu nodded, Chen Zhuangmu had already run away, looking very anxious and hurried.
It's clear he really didn't plan ahead.
Chen Zhuangmu couldn't quite define what the space in front of her was like. She walked along this main road and could clearly see the true appearance of every brick and tile, but she didn't see many people. The imperial guards walked around the main hall, tapping their toes, but they didn't look up to see what was ahead.
It's very strange. That's the only thought that Chen Zhuangmu has.
At this point, it should be the ministers offering advice.
There were still eunuchs guarding outside the palace. Chen Zhuangmu knew that she couldn't enter here quietly. Moreover, her purpose was not to sneak around; she wanted to expose the emperor's true colors here.
Once her mother's revenge is achieved, is there anything else to worry about?
If she keeps hiding, it will only make her seem guilty, and then she won't have the initiative at all. Wasn't that why she set up her mother's case in the main hall?
In situations like these, if you want others to hear what you have to say, you need the courage to burn your bridges.
She climbed the steps, to the second and third floors, until a young eunuch came to chase her away, saying, "Do you still want to live? Don't you know where you are?!"
Chen Zhuangmu merely glanced at him and shouted, "You traitorous subject Yu Xingbei! You dare not admit it!"
"This guilty subject, Yu Xingbei, shall be punished according to the law!"
The sound drifted on and on, and it was unclear whether the people in the main hall heard it or not, but the imperial guards were all alarmed and drew their longswords to block her way.
"I have what Yu Xingbei wants in my hands, do you dare touch me?!"
She used her intimidation tactic again. The guards got closer and saw her face clearly. They thought she looked familiar, but when they looked closely, they suddenly realized that she was Princess Rongshu from before.
But shouldn't this person have died last year?
Seeing the meaning in his eyes, Chen Zhuangmu said, "I originally investigated for your emperor, and now it is time for me to repay him."
The guards weren't stupid; at most, they wouldn't hurt Chen Zhuangmu, but it was impossible for her to shout here.
As he spoke, the leader ordered someone to drag Chen Zhuangmu away. Chen Zhuangmu turned to the side, drew the sword he had hidden, and before anyone could react, Chen Zhuangmu had already placed the sword against his own neck.
"You disgraced subject Yu Xingbei, what is it that you dare not let me in?!"
Even if what she said was valuable, they couldn't let her stay in this place any longer. Ignoring the sword that Chen Zhuangmu had placed against her neck, these people were about to attack her.
At the same time, Chen Zhuangmu began to regret not recognizing the situation.
It worked the first few times because she was General Xingyun's daughter, Princess Rongshu, but now... it's a real miscalculation.
But in that tense moment, several muffled thuds were heard, and the hands that reached out to grab Chen Zhuangmu suddenly dropped to their sides.
Before Chen Zhuangmu could even get a clear look at the situation, everything in front of her was already in chaos. Everyone instinctively rushed towards the person who had just made the move, which finally allowed her to see who it was.
Even though he was wearing the uniform mask of a guard, Chen Zhuangmu recognized him at a glance.
Zhao Yi.
His mind wasn't on how to deal with this group, but on escaping.
He was skilled in martial arts. Taking advantage of the crowd's excitement, he grabbed Chen Zhuangmu's wrist, threw her past the group of people, and stood at the entrance of the main hall, blocking her behind him.
Now, no one is blocking her way from the main hall.
What shocked Chen Zhuangmu even more than the incompetence of these guards was that the ministers in front of her were all watching this dangerous farce, seemingly playing dead, without uttering a sound.
Is this the Qun Dynasty? Is this the Qun Dynasty that the ancestral emperor painstakingly conquered? Is this the Qun Dynasty that her mother risked her life to protect?
She suddenly felt lost.
She recalled her mother's figure as she rushed to the battlefield without regard for her own life, the way everyone pursued justice without regard for danger when she served at the Dali Temple, and she also thought of herself, time and time again, all for her heart and for justice.
Chen Zhuangmu looked around at the assembled officials and suddenly smiled.
"The criminal Yu Xingbei murdered General Xingyun, harmed the soldiers of Daqun, disregarded the lives of the people, and used any means necessary. According to the law, he should be executed!"
Every word was clear and forceful.
The crowd erupted in uproar, then fell silent as they watched the jostling group fall into silence, whispering amongst themselves and glancing around nervously. No one dared to utter a single word.
The emperor on the throne, however, remained the most composed. His expression didn't change at all. The veiled figure couldn't discern his meaning, but he waved his hand and said, "Guards, drag her away!"
Suddenly, Chen Zhuangmu pointed to the fighting crowd outside the door and said, "Look outside this hall, where is anyone? This is all the mess you, Yu Xingbei, have made! In just a few months, you've turned Da Qun into this state. How can you face your ancestors?!"
"You murdered my mother and slaughtered the soldiers of Daqun. Don't you intend to give an explanation?!"
Having reached this point, there was no sign of the other imperial guards. Where exactly did Yu Xingbei drop them?
But at this moment, where would she find the time to think like that?
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