"Don't speak. I'm telling you, go to the Xin Zhe Ku and find a palace maid named Ling Yu. She's one of the maids sent in by our Liu family. She's going to come to your side and be given to the Emperor as the daughter of his master and concubine. Money talks. If you don't do as I say, I can't guarantee that this knife won't slit your throat."
Just as Xi Yun was about to lie down, a man in black appeared out of nowhere and covered her mouth, pressing a cold blade against her neck.
"Nod!" the assassin whispered in her ear. Xi Yun didn't move, trying to take the opportunity to call out and shift her body, but the assassin held her tightly.
"Don't try anything funny. Since I can come and go freely in the palace, I must have a way to escape. You'd better be sensible."
Helpless, Xi Yun could only do as she was told for the time being, and nodded quickly.
"Ah!" The assassin released Xi Yun immediately after obtaining her consent. Because she had been holding her so tightly, Xi Yun couldn't help but gasp for breath when he let go.
The Emperor always valued his eldest son. Even though he was so busy with palace affairs, he always made time to visit his two sons at Yujing Palace. Xiyun tried to attract the Emperor's attention, but after several days, the Emperor ignored her. In fact, she knew that if she sought help from the other two concubines in Yongshou Palace, everything would be different, but she didn't want to.
If Fu Lu or Qiao Siyu were to speak up, then there would be no room for negotiation, and the Emperor would most likely not come to her North Courtyard. She had hoped to gain the Emperor's favor as soon as possible to prevent the Liu family from sending anyone else in. But now it seems that this plan is not going to work.
This morning, she washed her face as usual, but someone poisoned the water, leaving her face red and swollen.
The two empresses in the palace were both fine, and the maid who brought the water was the same person. This made Geng Yulin very perfunctory towards her. Even though she made a scene, she didn't say anything.
Not long after that incident, she received another message from the Liu family in the afternoon, asking her to wait at the back gate of Yongshou Palace in the evening.
Although it was evening, she had received the news that afternoon, which had kept her on edge ever since, and the pain on her face seemed to be a constant reminder of it.
Xi Yun sat in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Her skin was red and swollen, and there were several bloody scratches on it. The imperial physician had come to see her, but he only said that it was a skin allergy because spring was coming soon, and he couldn't see anything wrong with her.
She made a veil, not wanting others to see her disgusting face in the evening. Even when Qiao Siyu offered to stay with the eldest princess that afternoon, she refused.
Evening came quickly, and small blisters started appearing on my face. I didn't know what kind of medicine it was. It seemed that if Xiyun didn't go to see him, this matter might not end well.
It was almost dinnertime, and Xiyun was still struggling with her problem. The small blister that had appeared just an hour ago had grown much larger and looked alarming.
Only then did she put on her veil and go to the agreed place.
The back gate of Yongshou Palace is not safe, as it faces the back gate of Yikun Palace. Yikun Palace is currently under construction with a large number of workers, and because of the previous incident, the entire Yikun Palace is currently under guard.
She quietly walked to the back gate of Yongshou Palace and hid in a clump of grass behind the gate.
She had thought she had missed the deadline and that the messenger would be waiting for her, but to her surprise, she didn't see anyone for a long time.
At this moment, pus had begun to ooze from Xi Yun's face. A drop of pus inadvertently dripped onto her hand, and she finally panicked, shouting at the deserted area, "Who is it? Come out! Come out now! Don't be so paranoid!"
She didn't care about names or anything like that anymore; all she knew was that her already unattractive face was likely beyond saving if she didn't apply the medicine soon.
Just then, a figure appeared out of nowhere. She mustered her courage and stepped out of the bushes to approach him. She saw a man standing there in a long, black robe with a cross-collar, the back embroidered with a crane amidst clouds. He turned around, and Xi Yun froze. Wasn't this Liu Changfeng, the eldest son of the Liu family patriarch who had once gone missing?
Xi Yun panicked instantly and rushed forward without thinking. "Young Master Liu, you're alive! You're alive!" Liu Changfeng reached out his well-defined knuckles and pulled Xi Yun into his arms, feeling her body temperature and gently stroking her hair.
"Take the antidote quickly. I've already taken care of him. You don't need to worry about him anymore!"
Xi Yun leaned against his chest and was surprised to see that he still had the amulet she had asked for for him when he was a child hanging on his waist.
"Young Master, you?"
Liu Changfeng placed his hands on Xi Yun's shoulders. "Don't call me Young Master anymore. I'm now a secret guard of the Censorate, codenamed Shadow. Here's a whistle for you. Remember to blow it if you're in danger."
Xi Yun nodded blankly, "Are you leaving?", her eyes filled with tears as she stared at Liu Changfeng.
Liu Changfeng knew he shouldn't have shown up. The two had long since lost contact, so why bother showing up? And why be so soft-hearted? Besides, Xi Yun was already one of the Emperor's concubines.
"Xi Yun, you're doing well. I only recently learned that my sister was framed, and I'm investigating in secret. And the one who drove my sister to her death was Ruan Yu Mu. I will make sure she and her two children suffer a terrible death!" The shadowy figure had been on a mission to infiltrate the southern border, and now that he had returned after completing his mission, he discovered that his sister was no longer alive.
He hated! He hated his father. His and his sister's mother died tragically because of his father's many concubines. If he had been bolder, so many tragedies would not have happened.
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