Chapter 74: Birthday Banquet Begins, Undercurrents Surge
The Imperial Palace's Hall of Supreme Harmony was adorned with splendour, with bright yellow silk winding around its pillars. Candles burned brightly in gilded candlesticks, illuminating the entire hall. Even the air was filled with the sweet aroma of ambergris and osmanthus wine. Civil and military officials, dressed in court robes, accompanied their families and took their seats according to their rank. The pearls and jade on the women's hair jingled, intertwining with the sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras, creating a scene of prosperity and joy.
Yun Zhi, dressed in a plain, washed-out, coarse cloth dress, stood out among the attendants, her figure standing out against the array of ornate attire. Her head bowed, her tangled hair obscuring the coldness in her eyes. In her hands, she held a tray with a warmed wine jug on it, her fingertips clenched tightly. Hidden at the bottom of the tray was a small roll of evidence, wrapped in oil paper. It was her last resort.
"Your Majesty has arrived! The Empress has arrived!" With the eunuch's sharp chant, the music in the hall stopped instantly. Everyone stood up and bowed, even breathing lighter.
The Emperor, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, and the Empress, in a phoenix-patterned gown, walked side by side through the hall, flanked by several princes and princesses. Only after the Emperor and Empress took their seats did everyone rise and retake their seats. The sound of stringed instruments rang out again, and dancers, clad in vibrant costumes, entered the hall with graceful steps. Their swirling skirts resembled blossoming flowers, drawing gasps of admiration from the audience.
Yun Zhi's eyes swept quietly across the hall - Xiao Jin and Shen Qingyue were sitting in the front seats. Xiao Jin was wearing a black brocade robe, with a white jade pendant given by Shen Qingyue tied around his waist, and his posture was upright; Shen Qingyue was wearing a pomegranate red long skirt with peonies embroidered with gold thread on the hem, and a red gold and kingfisher hairpin was inserted in her hair, which swayed gently with her movements. She had a gentle smile on her face and was pouring wine for Xiao Jin, her eyes full of pride.
Prime Minister Shen sat among the officials, wearing a purple official robe, chatting and laughing with the Minister of Revenue beside him. From time to time, he raised his glass to gesture in the direction of the Emperor and Empress. He looked calm and did not show any nervousness at all. He did not know that a storm that could overthrow the Shen family was about to erupt in this Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Princess Duan is truly blessed," the voice of a noblewoman nearby reached Yun Zhi's ears, tinged with envy. "Look how much the prince cares about her, even attending the entire birthday banquet. Unlike us, who are merely here to make up the numbers."
Another noble lady chuckled, but her tone was a little sarcastic: "Lucky? I heard that this Miss Shen fell off a cliff three years ago. She just came back a few days ago and has monopolized the prince's favor. Maybe she used some tricks."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. If Prince Duan hears you, you'll be in big trouble!"
Yun Zhi listened to these discussions, her hands hanging at her sides tightening slightly. Shen Qingyue's "blessings" were bought with the blood of the entire Yun family; her "methods" were built by stepping on the corpses of countless people. But it didn't matter. After today, all these "blessings" and "methods" would be gone.
"Zhi'er, come and refill my wine." Xiao Jin's voice suddenly came, breaking Yun Zhi's thoughts. He held the empty wine glass, his eyes fixed on her, his tone calm, yet filled with unquestionable majesty.
Yun Zhi took a deep breath and quickly stepped forward, carrying the wine jug. When she reached Xiao Jin, she deliberately slowed down her movements. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of displeasure in Shen Qingyue's eyes. Shen Qingyue clearly didn't like her getting close to Xiao Jin, but because of the occasion, she didn't dare to get angry.
"Wait." Shen Qingyue suddenly spoke, her voice gentle but with a hint of deliberate difficulty, "How can a criminal slave be allowed to touch the prince's wine glass casually? Let me do it." As she spoke, she reached out to take the wine jug from Yun Zhi's hand.
Yun Zhi paused slightly, handed over the wine jug, and said calmly: "Miss Shen is right. I am of low status and really unworthy of serving the prince." The "obedience" she deliberately showed was in line with her identity as a "criminal slave", and it also made Shen Qingyue relax her vigilance.
Shen Qingyue took the wine jug and filled Xiao Jin's glass with wine, her eyes full of boasting. Xiao Jin looked at her, a faint smile on his lips, but he didn't notice that when Yun Zhi turned around, she secretly exchanged glances with a figure behind the palace pillar. It was Xie Heng, wearing the blue official uniform of the Imperial Hospital, dressed as a medical officer on duty. He was standing behind the palace pillar, holding a medicine box in his hand, which contained the complete original evidence.
Xie Heng nodded slightly at Yun Zhi, signaling, "Everything is ready." Yun Zhi felt a little more at ease, and turned back to the banquet attendants. Her eyes swept outside the hall—three former Yun family generals had already, as planned, disguised themselves as "specially invited local sages" and sat at a side table outside the hall. They were pretending to converse with the other local sages, but in reality, they were keeping an eye on the goings on inside.
As the music died down, the Queen raised her wine glass and smiled at the crowd, saying, "Today is my birthday. Thank you all for your honor. Everyone, please don't be restrained and enjoy yourself."
"Long live the Empress!" Everyone toasted, and the atmosphere in the palace became lively again. Officials toasted, ladies chatted quietly, and dancers continued their performances, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.
Yet beneath this peaceful atmosphere, undercurrents surged. Yun Zhi noticed that Prime Minister Shen quietly left the table and walked to the corridor outside the hall, where he whispered to a man in a black robe. Taking advantage of the opportunity to refill her wine, she quietly approached the hall door and vaguely heard the words "evidence," "handle," and "silence." Her heart suddenly tightened—Prime Minister Shen was indeed secretly scheming to destroy evidence and even attack witnesses!
She turned around immediately, her eyes meeting Xie Heng's again, and she silently conveyed the message with her lips: "Be careful, Prime Minister Shen is making a move."
A trace of vigilance flashed in Xie Heng's eyes, and he quietly touched the bottom of the medicine box - there was a dagger hidden there. If there was an emergency, he could risk his life to protect the evidence.
At this moment, Xiao Jin was chatting and laughing with the officials around him, but his eyes would occasionally drift towards Yun Zhi. As he looked at her thin, plain-clothed figure, he felt a strange feeling in his heart—he had always felt that there was something different about Yun Zhi these past few days, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. It wasn't until he saw her exchange glances with the medical officer behind the hall pillars that he vaguely felt that Yun Zhi might not be as "peaceful" as she appeared.
"What are you looking at, Your Highness?" Shen Qingyue's voice interrupted Xiao Jin's thoughts. She followed Xiao Jin's gaze and looked at Yun Zhi, a hint of hostility flashing in her eyes. "She's just a criminal slave, why bother with her, Your Highness? Why not try this Emerald White Jade Soup, specially made for you by the Imperial Kitchen?"
Xiao Jin withdrew his gaze and picked up the bowl of soup in front of him, but his appetite was minimal. He recalled Yun Zhi's "obedience" and "understanding" after returning from the enclosure, the wound on her arm, and her plain clothing and calmness at the birthday banquet. His doubts grew stronger. Did she really just want to be a peaceful slave serving at the banquet? Or... did she have other motives?
Yun Zhi naturally sensed Xiao Jin's gaze, but she didn't take it to heart. All her attention was now focused on the movements within the palace. According to the plan, after the dancers' performance, it would be time for the "performance." At that time, under the guise of "performance," she would go to the palace, produce evidence, and stir up a storm of revenge.
Time ticked by, and the dancer's performance finally drew to a close. Yun Zhi took a deep breath and quietly touched the evidence copy at the bottom of the tray. The rough feel of the oiled paper against her fingertips instantly calmed her. She looked up at Xie Heng, who nodded slightly, signaling, "The witnesses are in place." She then looked outside the hall, where three former generals had quietly stood up and approached the hall door.
The music gradually died down, and the eunuch sang again, "Next, we invite the talented people recommended by each of you to perform to celebrate the Empress' birthday!"
Shen Qingyue looked at Yun Zhi, a calculating smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she ordered the eunuch beside her: "Yun Zhi, who was recommended by Prince Duan's Mansion, is also ready to perform, right? Let her go first, and let everyone see what the criminal slave can do." She just wanted to make Yun Zhi look bad in front of everyone, and it would be best if she was punished for "poor performance".
The eunuch immediately sang loudly: "Please welcome Yun Zhi, the attendant of Prince Duan's Mansion, to perform!"
The eyes of the entire hall instantly focused on Yun Zhi, with curiosity, sarcasm, and disdain. Xiao Jin frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but Shen Qingyue stopped him with a look.
Yun Zhi slowly raised her head, gently brushing aside the strands of hair from her forehead, revealing a pair of cold yet resolute eyes. She set down the tray, straightened her plain clothing, and walked towards the hall. Each step was steady and slow, like a soldier heading into battle, filled with determination and resolve.
When she walked into the hall, she did not bow like other performers. Instead, she slowly raised her head and glanced at the emperor, the empress, Xiao Jin and Shen Qingyue, Prime Minister Shen, and finally landed on Xie Heng behind the hall pillar.
Xie Heng nodded at her again and quietly raised a small copper bell in his hand - that was the signal that "the time has come".
Yun Zhi took a deep breath and slowly reached into her arms - there was a letter written in blood, which was the injustice she had suffered in the Yun family that she had written all night; the copy of evidence at the bottom of the tray was her weapon of revenge.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at the plain-clothed woman standing there, unsure of what she was about to do. Xiao Jin saw the unprecedented determination in her eyes, and suddenly a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart, as if something important was about to completely collapse before his eyes.
Yun Zhi's lips curled up into a cold smile. Her voice was clear and firm, breaking the silence in the hall. "Your Majesty, I, Yun Zhi, am not here to perform a performance today. Instead, I want to present a shocking and bloody case—a case in which the entire Yun family was wrongly accused, and Prime Minister Chen framed loyal officials and betrayed his country!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the hall erupted in an uproar. Xiao Jin abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with shock. Shen Qingyue's face paled, and her body trembled slightly. Prime Minister Shen slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "You evil woman! How dare you slander me at the Queen's birthday banquet!"
Yun Zhi ignored them and knelt down abruptly. She pulled out the blood letter from her bosom and held it high. Her voice was filled with blood and tears, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This blood letter in your hand, every word is the injustice done to the Yun family! Prime Minister Chen fabricated evidence and framed my father, Yun Xiao, for treason, leading to the execution of the entire Yun family. I was lucky enough to survive. Today, I come to present this evidence, and I only ask Your Majesty to clear the Yun family's name!"
Her voice echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, brimming with endless grief, indignation, and resolve. The peaceful atmosphere within was instantly shattered, replaced by a dead silence of shock and uproar. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the blood letter she held aloft, on her pale yet resolute face. A storm that had been brewing for a long time finally erupted at the Empress' birthday banquet.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
