Chapter 955 Shadows in the Night
Shang Ruyi led the group on a walk in the garden for a while. Seeing that it was still early, they went to Jinyu Garden. Chu Ruoyan was very happy to see them and quickly had someone bring out tea and snacks. The two of them ate and played with the children, chatting and laughing.
Before I knew it, a breeze had started to blow outside.
As the sky gradually darkened, and it looked like it was about to rain, Shang Ruyi was just about to send Tu She'er back to check on how things were going when someone came to invite her, saying that Qianqiu Palace had been cleaned up and ventilated, and that Princess Qin could go back to rest.
Shang Ruyi took her leave with her entourage and returned to Qianqiu Palace.
As soon as I got back, it started raining outside.
Just as the little eunuch had said, the entire Qianqiu Palace, inside and out, including the backyard, storerooms, and corners, was fumigated. Although they had ventilated the room and wiped up the dripping bamboo vinegar before leaving, a slightly pungent smell still lingered in the air. Shang Ruyi then had the palace thoroughly cleaned until no smell remained.
After all this commotion, Shang Ruyi was even more exhausted. Fortunately, it was raining and no one came looking for her, so she didn't eat dinner before taking a bath and changing clothes, and went to bed early.
For some reason, despite being so tired and with her eyelids drooping while bathing, she couldn't fall asleep once she lay down. Staring at the window frame with its faint light in the darkness, her vision was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. The rain outside gradually stopped, and the night grew deeper and deeper until it was as dark as ink and no light could penetrate the main hall anymore. Only then did Shang Ruyi drift off to sleep.
Even so, her consciousness was still somewhat hazy, and she could still hear the wind outside, rustling the leaves.
Amidst the sound of the wind, raindrops dripped from the eaves.
The sound, like sand from an hourglass, inexplicably added a touch of unease and restlessness to the tranquil night.
Just as Shang Ruyi was half-asleep, the patrol team in the palace changed shifts again. It was past midnight, and all was quiet. While others were sound asleep, they were yawning and sleepy-eyed, dragging their heavy steps through puddles, carrying lanterns as they walked along the passageway in the palace wall. When they reached the Shenlong Gate, they were divided into two shifts. One shift patrolled the Imperial Garden along the Thousand Steps Corridor, while the other shift patrolled behind the Liangyi Hall and then circled around to the east towards the Qianqiu Hall and Jinyu Garden.
Just as they were about to pass through Anren Gate, they saw several figures moving in front of them and immediately asked, "Who is it?"
The other party was also carrying a lantern, which swayed and made it difficult to see clearly. Only when they got closer did they realize that it was Lady Han Yu Hui, accompanied by two palace maids. The leading imperial guard immediately asked, "Lady Han? Why are you still up so late?"
Han Yuhui said, "I just came from Zhang Jieyu's place and am going back to rest."
"What brings Consort Zhang to see the Palace Attendant so late?"
"Consort Zhang came to discuss matters concerning the Emperor's birthday, which is a month from now. Because the matter was complicated, it was a bit late."
"Oh, I see..."
The man immediately breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he knew that Han Shanggong was the emperor's confidante and that there must be some problems with her being in the palace so late at night. He just asked as a matter of routine. When he heard that she was going to celebrate the emperor's birthday in a month, he immediately smiled and said, "It seems that Shanggong will have to work hard again."
Han Yuhui smiled faintly and said, "It's not hard work. You are all still patrolling so late. Aren't you all working hard too?"
As she spoke, she walked through Anren Gate with the imperial guards.
It was pitch black all around, with only the lanterns in their hands illuminating the small area in front of them. The light barely outlined the massive silhouette of one side of a palace. Han Yuhui squinted slightly and said, "That looks like—"
The Imperial Guards immediately replied, "It's the Qianqiu Palace."
"Oh. His Highness the Prince of Qin is not here. You must be extra careful when you patrol this area. The young prince is too young to handle any noise."
"Thank you for the reminder, Lady Han."
As they walked along, talking, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, causing the shadows of the trees ahead to sway and the pines to rustle.
Just then, the palace maid beside Han Yuhui exclaimed, "Oh!"
Although the voice wasn't loud, it was still quite startling in the quiet night. Han Yuhui immediately frowned and scolded, "What are you shouting for? Didn't I say that His Highness can't stand noise?"
The young palace maid's eyes widened, and her trembling hand pointed forward as if she had seen something extraordinary. She said, "There, there seems to be—"
What is it?
"It looks like someone has dug it out there."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, before Han Yuhui could say anything, several imperial guards were terrified and rushed forward. Not far ahead was the backyard of Qianqiu Palace. The palace walls were high, and one could even see a rockery and several pine and cypress trees inside the walls. They were swaying in the wind, and the rustling sound they made was even more frightening.
Did someone find this?
Did someone break into the Thousand Autumns Palace?
What's going on? Could it be that—
Immediately, someone lowered their voice and asked the young palace maid, "Who did you see?"
The young palace maid was pale, and the flickering lantern light made her face appear even more terrifying. She whispered, "Yes, it looks like...it's a man..."
"What?"
The imperial guards were shocked upon hearing this. After exchanging glances, they dared not speak. Han Yuhui, however, rebuked them sharply, "What nonsense are you spouting! How long has the Prince of Qin led his troops on the expedition? There's only one boy in Qianqiu Palace, the little prince. Where did this man come from? Don't talk nonsense, you must have seen wrong!"
The young palace maid looked at her and immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, perhaps I was mistaken."
Han Yuhui said, "Let's go, let's hurry back!"
After saying this, she nodded to the imperial guards and then hurriedly left with two palace maids.
The remaining group stood outside the back wall of Qianqiu Palace, momentarily bewildered. The wind had been strong, causing the trees to sway, and although they hadn't seen anything, they couldn't be sure if the palace maid had truly mistaken her. Moreover, as Han Shanggong had said, there were no other men in Qianqiu Palace. If a man had indeed climbed over the wall in the middle of the night, could it be—
Several people felt a chill run down their spines, and one of them whispered, "What... what should we do?"
"Should we report this?"
"How should I report this?"
Just as they were looking at each other, unsure whether to leave or stay and investigate, a commotion suddenly came from the inner imperial garden far behind them. The group exchanged glances, immediately realized something was wrong, and hurriedly turned and ran over.
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