Chapter 43: Night Visit to the Palace, Surrounded by Dangers
The faint sound of a midnight clapper could be heard outside the palace. The moonlight was mostly obscured by dark clouds. At the corner of the side courtyard, a slender black shadow moved slowly along the wall. Yun Zhi was wrapped in a dark cloak, her hat pulled low, covering most of her face, revealing only her tightly pursed lips. She had waited for this night for three days, figuring out the guard shift patterns and hiding the small crowbar she had taken from Qingzhu, all in order to sneak into Xiao Jin's study and find the clue to the "secret letter" mentioned in her mother's note.
She crouched as she passed through the moon gate, the mossy blue bricks beneath her feet making her slip if she wasn't careful. She heard the sound of guards' footsteps up ahead, and Yun Zhi quickly ducked behind the rockery, holding her breath as two guards passed by, lanterns in hand. The light from the lanterns brushed against the tips of her shoes, startling her heart so much that it skipped a beat.
She didn't dare to move forward until the guards' footsteps faded. Xiao Jin's study was on the west side of the palace, close to the forbidden area, and the security was even tighter than elsewhere. She walked around to the back window of the study and felt the window frame with her fingertips - it was indeed bolted from the inside. She took out a small crowbar from her sleeve, gently inserted it into the crack of the window, and pried the wooden latch a little bit. With a light "click", the latch slipped off. She quickly held the window, slowly pushed it open a crack, and slipped in.
The study was filled with the scent of ink and a hint of ambergris, the same scent as Xiao Jin's, which made Yun Zhi's stomach turn sour. She didn't dare turn on the light, so she could only use the faint moonlight filtering through the window to grope for traces of the secret room. Her mother's note didn't specify where it was, but she remembered her father once saying that the study rooms of noble families often had secret compartments, often hidden behind bookshelves or desks.
She walked to the bookshelf, her fingertips tracing across the rows of books, and suddenly touched a copy of the Analects of Confucius with a worn cover, which was thicker than the others. She tried to pull it out, but the bookshelf didn't budge. Instead, she heard a "click" and the wall behind the desk slowly moved away, revealing a dark room half a person's height.
Yun Zhi was delighted and stooped to enter the darkroom. A thin layer of dust covered the room, clearly indicating that few people entered. Her fingertips groped along the wall when they suddenly touched something cold—a palm-sized metal box with intricate patterns carved into its surface. It felt heavy, as if it contained something important.
Just as she was about to hold the box in her arms, she heard clear footsteps outside the study, and someone's voice: "The prince has instructed that the study should be inspected more frequently at night to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
It's a guard! And judging by the sound, there's more than one!
Yun Zhi's heart instantly rose to her throat. She quickly stuffed the metal box into her cloak, turned around and wanted to go back to the dark room, but she heard a "creaking" sound from the wall, and it began to slowly close - she had not completely stabilized the mechanism of the dark room just now, and now the mechanism was rebounding, trying to seal the dark room!
She was sweating with anxiety. If she was locked in the dark room, she would be discovered by the guards sooner or later. At this moment, a sharp whistle suddenly came from outside the window, followed by the sound of a lantern falling to the ground, and the guards' shouting: "Who's there?!"
Yun Zhi was startled, peeking out through the crack in the window—only to see a dark figure flash across the top of the courtyard wall, clutching a firework tube. The whistle had been blown by him. The two guards, mistaking him for an assassin, chased after him, knives drawn. The footsteps quickly faded.
It was the man who had just helped her distract the guards! Yun Zhi was filled with confusion—who was this man? Why was he helping her? Was he one of Xiao Jin's men, or one of her mother's former subordinates?
She didn't have time to think about it. While the guards were gone, she quickly emerged from the dark room, pushed the wall back to its original position, and put the Analects back in its place, making sure no trace of her presence was visible. Then she felt her way to the back window, gently jumped out, and ran towards the side courtyard, hugging the wall.
Just as she ran through the garden, she heard footsteps behind her. They were heavier and more steady than the guards' from before—it was Xiao Jin's chief personal guard! Yun Zhi quickly hid behind the osmanthus tree and watched as the guard passed by, lantern in hand. The light from the lantern swept across the shadow of the tree where she was hiding, and she could clearly see the sword at his waist, its cold light gleaming.
Yun Zhi didn't dare come out until the figure of the guard leader disappeared at the end of the corridor. She stumbled all the way back to the side courtyard. Qing Zhu had been waiting at the door. Seeing her return, he quickly pulled her into the house, closed the door, and asked in a low voice, "Miss, how is it? Did you find anything? Have you been discovered?"
Yun Zhi nodded, pulled the metal box from her cloak, and placed it on the table. By the candlelight, she examined the box carefully—the pattern on it was the Yun family crest! Her heart skipped a beat. This box actually belonged to the Yun family! Why would Xiao Jin hide the Yun family box in the dark room of his study? Was it the "secret letter" his mother had mentioned?
She tried to open the box, but found it had a lock. The keyhole was specially made and could not be opened with an ordinary key. She remembered the plum blossom hairpin left by her mother, and quickly pulled it out from her head. She aligned the tip of the hairpin with the keyhole - the shape of the hairpin tip was a perfect fit!
She gently turned the hairpin, and with a click, the lock opened. She took a deep breath and opened the box—it was covered with red velvet and contained a roll of yellowed paper. It was a secret letter!
Yun Zhi picked up the secret letter and unfolded it. The handwriting on it was her father's! Tears welled up in her eyes, and her fingers trembled as she read on. The letter explained that her father had discovered that Prime Minister Shen was secretly colluding with an enemy nation and had intended to report it to the court. However, Prime Minister Shen had discovered it beforehand and framed her for treason! The letter ended with the words, "Qingyue aided the tyrant and did not trust me." Shen Qingyue had actually helped her father frame the Yun family!
"Prime Minister Shen... Shen Qingyue..." Yun Zhi muttered to herself, the shock in her eyes gradually turning into icy hatred. It turned out that the Yun family was raided not because of her father's collaboration, but because of Prime Minister Shen's frame-up, and even Shen Qingyue was involved! It was because of this tampered "evidence" that Xiao Jin hated the Yun family so deeply and tortured her in every way!
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the courtyard, and the guards shouted: "The prince is back! Open the gate quickly!"
Xiao Jin is back?! Yun Zhi panicked and quickly hid the secret letter and the metal box in the secret compartment under the bed. She put the plum blossom hairpin back on her head, wiped her tears, and returned to her dead expression.
Qingzhu was also panicked. She quickly tidied the candles on the table and whispered, "Miss, don't panic. Just pretend to be sick. The prince won't suspect anything."
Yun Zhi nodded, lying back on the bed, closing her eyes. The door opened, and Xiao Jin walked in, carrying a chill and dusty air. She could feel his gaze on her, searching and with a subtle hint of complexity.
"How is she?" Xiao Jin's voice was as cold as ice, and he asked Qingzhu.
"Your Highness, the girl is still the same. She refuses to speak and eat." Qingzhu lowered his head, his voice trembling.
Xiao Jin didn't say anything, and the room was completely silent. Yun Zhi could feel his footsteps getting closer and closer, almost reaching the bed. Her heart was pounding, afraid that he would discover the secret letter under the bed, afraid that he would notice that she was acting strangely.
After a long time, Xiao Jin turned around and said to Qingzhu, "Keep an eye on her and don't let anything happen to her." Then he strode out of the room and the door was slammed shut.
Yun Zhi opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. She clenched her fists tightly, digging her nails into her palms. "Xiao Jin, Prime Minister Shen, Shen Qingyue, I will definitely take back what you owe the Yun family and what you owe me, double the money!"
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