Chapter 66: Secret alliance, each with their own hidden agenda
The moonlight in the west wing was particularly cold. Yun Zhi had just hidden the secret letter from Liu Zhong in the cracks under her bed when she heard a gentle knock at the gate—it was the person she had an appointment with. She gathered her old clothes and opened the door. Standing outside was Liu Ji, wearing a half-worn lilac dress, a single copper hairpin in her bun, and a look of unconcealed uneasiness in her eyes.
"Miss Yun, you're looking for me... do you really have a way to help me?" Liu Ji asked anxiously upon entering, her voice extremely low. She had been a concubine brought into the palace three years ago. Because of her straightforward nature, she refused to curry favor with Lin Wanru, and lacked Shen Qingyue's "blessings," so she was left alone in the remote East Wing. Even her monthly allowance was often deducted, and her life was even harder than that of an ordinary servant.
Yun Zhi closed the courtyard door, led her to sit at the stone table, and handed her a cup of warm tea. "Don't worry, Sister Liu Ji. I'm helping you, but I have my own conditions. And if you help me, you can also get what you want—for example, getting the prince to notice you again, or getting Lin Wanru to give you an explanation for the withholding of your monthly allowance that year."
Liu Ji's grip on the teacup suddenly tightened, her fingertips turning white. At the mention of Lin Wanru, a flicker of hatred flashed in her eyes: "What do you want me to do? As long as it can make Lin Wanru's life difficult, as long as it can help me gain a foothold in the palace, I'm willing to do anything!"
"It's very simple." Yun Zhi's fingertips gently brushed the rim of the cup. Her tone was calm but carried unquestionable weight. "I need you to help me keep an eye on the main courtyard and Lanxin Courtyard. You have to find a way to tell me who Lin Wanru and Su Yurou meet, what they say, and what they send out every day. And Shen Qingyue, you have to pay attention to where her maids often go and who they interact with."
"That's all?" Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, then frowned again, "But I live in the remote East Wing, far from the main courtyard. How can I find out all this?"
"That's up to you, sister." Yun Zhi fished a small piece of silver from her sleeve and placed it on the stone table. "This is a deposit. You can bribe the servants in the main courtyard, or use the excuse of going to the kitchen to collect your monthly allowance to talk to the people in the Lanxin Courtyard. As long as you can deliver the message, I can help you later - for example, make the prince 'accidentally' remember you, or help you get the monthly allowance that is rightfully yours."
The broken silver gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and Liu Ji's breathing became noticeably faster. She stared at the broken silver, then saw the determination in Yun Zhi's eyes, and gritted her teeth. "Okay! I promise you! But let me be frank. If you lie to me, I'll make it so, even if it costs me my life!"
Yun Zhi smiled faintly. "Don't worry, sister. I never say empty words. Within three days, I'll have Aunt Zhang in the kitchen save some extra meat dishes for you. When you get the first message, use this to contact me." She handed over a handkerchief embroidered with half a plum blossom. "Write the message inside the handkerchief. On the first and fifteenth of every month, place it in the crevice under the old locust tree in the back mountain. Someone will pick it up."
Liu Ji took the handkerchief, clutching it tightly in her palm as if it were a lifeline, then stood up and hurried away. Yun Zhi watched her back disappear into the moonlight, her eyes devoid of warmth. Liu Ji wanted status, she wanted intelligence. This was just a mutually beneficial transaction, with no one genuinely helping the other. If there was any risk, this kind of alliance would be the first to fall apart.
After seeing Liu Ji off, Yun Zhi didn't rest and headed to the woodshed in the northwest corner. The woodshed was occupied by the old servant, Uncle Fu. His son was a personal soldier under Yun Xiao. Three years ago, when the Yun family was raided, Prime Minister Shen accused him of "collaborating with the enemy" and beheaded him, leaving Uncle Fu to live alone in the palace. He was constantly harassed by the stewards and lived like a shadow.
The woodshed was filled with a musty smell. Uncle Fu was mending a broken wooden basin in the moonlight. When he saw Yun Zhi come in, his hand suddenly stopped, his eyes full of vigilance: "Are you... Yun Xiao's daughter? What are you doing here?"
"Uncle Fu, I know about your son's injustice." Yun Zhi got straight to the point, her voice deliberately soft and heavy. "My father was framed by Prime Minister Shen, and your son was also implicated. I came to you to ask you to help me find out one thing - when my father's house was raided, did anyone in the palace help Prime Minister Shen pass on information? For example, about the defense of my father's study, or... about the whereabouts of the fake letter of 'collaboration with the enemy'."
Uncle Fu's body froze instantly, and tears suddenly rolled down his face, hitting the broken wooden basin: "Unjust? What's the point of saying this! Your father is dead, and my son is dead too! Prime Minister Shen is powerful and influential, and the prince trusts him. What can we ordinary people do?"
"Revenge is possible." Yun Zhi squatted down, looked into Uncle Fu's eyes, and said word by word, "I have some evidence that Prime Minister Shen framed my father. As long as we find the person who delivered the message and the original copy of the fake letter, we can make Prime Minister Shen pay with blood and clear your son's name! Then, your son's tablet can be placed in the ancestral tomb with dignity, instead of being left without a place to worship like it is now!"
"Revenge...restore my son's innocence..." Uncle Fu muttered these words, a glimmer of light gradually igniting in his cloudy eyes. He suddenly grabbed Yun Zhi's hand with astonishing strength: "Are you serious? Can you really do it?"
"I can." Yun Zhi nodded and took out a fragment of Shen Qingyue's diary from her bosom - she had torn it off on purpose. It said, "Yun Xiao's defense map has been obtained, and a letter of treason can be forged." "If I can get this, I can get more evidence. But I need your help - you have been in the palace for twenty years, you know a lot of people, and you know a lot of old stories. As long as you help me find the person who passed the message back then, I promise that I will make Prime Minister Shen and all his accomplices pay the price!"
Uncle Fu stared at the handwriting on the fragment, his hands shaking. He vaguely remembered that the counselors around Prime Minister Shen had written documents in the same font! He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind for the rest of his life: "Okay! I'll help you! The old steward in the prince's study is now working for Shen Qingyue; and Liu Ma in the kitchen was Lin Wanru's maid. I can find a way to talk to them. But remember, if you break your promise, even if I turn into a ghost, I won't let you go!"
"I won't break my promise." Yun Zhi helped Uncle Fu up. "First, find out what the old steward and Aunt Liu are up to. If you have any information, use a handkerchief like Liu Ji's and place it under the old locust tree in the back mountain. Also, I need you to help me keep an eye out for one thing - the secret room in the prince's study. Besides the prince, who else can enter?"
Uncle Fu thought for a moment and shook his head: "Only the prince carries the key to the secret room. But three years ago, before Shen Qingyue fell off the cliff, I saw her go to the study with the prince. As for whether she entered the secret room, I don't know."
Yun Zhi's heart skipped a beat—Shen Qingyue was indeed extraordinary. She thanked Uncle Fu and turned to leave the woodshed. The moonlight stretched her shadow out, like a quietly spread net.
Returning to the west wing, Yun Zhi spotted a withered orchid on the windowsill as she entered. It was a signal from Xie Heng's men, indicating that external communications were open. She picked up the orchid and pulled a thin, rolled-up slip of paper from its stem. Xie Heng's handwriting etched it: "Zhao Feng has escaped from Black Wind Stronghold and is waiting in a dilapidated temple outside the capital with three of his former subordinates. We'll be there to assist you at any time."
Yun Zhi burned the note, the ashes scattering across the courtyard. Liu Ji was driven by status, Uncle Fu by revenge, Zhao Feng by the Yun family's past favors, Xie Heng by protecting her... Each had their own agenda, each a mere pawn in her quest for revenge. This web of alliances, seemingly tight-knit, was in reality rife with selfish motives. A single misstep would shatter the network and scatter the members.
But she had no choice. Shen Qingyue was secretly investigating her, Lin Wanru was watching her closely, Xiao Jin was kept in the dark, and Prime Minister Shen was powerful. She could only use these people's "selfishness" to pave the way for herself and overturn the case for the Yun family.
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard wall, then quickly faded away. Yun Zhi suddenly looked up, her gaze focused on the direction of the sound. A flicker of alarm flashed in her eyes—someone was watching her. Was it Shen Qingyue's men? Lin Wanru's? Or perhaps Xiao Jin's secret guards?
She walked to the window and looked at the locust tree outside the wall in the moonlight. The shadow of the tree was swaying, and she could not see any human figure, but she could feel a cold gaze, entwining her like a poisonous snake.
A sneer curled up Yun Zhi's lips. It seemed someone had already set their sights on her alliance, just as she had begun. This situation was only going to be more dangerous than she had imagined. But she wasn't afraid—from the moment she decided to return to the palace, she had no intention of escaping unscathed.
She turned back to her room, took out the sharpened dagger from under the bed, and placed it under her pillow. Moonlight shone through the window, falling on the dagger, giving it a cold glow.
"Want to keep an eye on me?" Yun Zhi whispered softly, her eyes full of determination. "Then let's see who falls into this net first."
An invisible web quietly unfurls deep within the palace. Those within the web harbor their own agendas, while those outside watch with eager eyes. No one knows who will ultimately be crushed and who will have the last laugh in this game of selfishness and hatred.
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