98. Heaven's Secret
◎One more mission◎
Chapter 98
It had rained during the day, and a slight chill still lingered in the air.
The aroma that hit his nose made Ji Ci's heart palpitate. He took over the host's position, prying open her teeth and sweeping everything away. He could feel his breath blending with hers, biting on something so soft, sweet and delicious, and his limbs trembled.
After a long time, he held her in his arms, whispered "Ye'er" in her ear, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this moment of tranquility.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps not far away. Jiang Qiuye smiled and pushed him away. Looking at his unsatisfied face, she suppressed the urge to burst into laughter. She lowered her voice and said, "This is Anhe Garden. Grandmother is here. We must be solemn."
After saying this, she turned and looked at the female official walking towards them. She remained expressionless, as if she hadn't seen anything. She simply saluted and said, "Welcome, Your Highness. The Empress Dowager has been waiting in the inner chambers for a long time. She knows that Your Highness must be busy tonight, but she still invites Your Highness to have dinner with her before leaving."
Ji Ci responded solemnly, took Jiang Qiuye's hand, and, led by the female official, went deep into Anhe Garden.
When the two men met Zhao, they knelt and bowed before her. She smiled kindly and raised her hand for them to stand. A round of pleasantries ensued. She then praised Princess Qi's courage, saying how she remained calm in the face of danger and, together with Anyang, produced the imperial edict.
Jiang Qiuye lowered her head after hearing these words, and her ears blushed. She only said, "Grandma, you are so kind. I only wish to help you from afar."
After finishing their conversation, the two of them sat down on one side and ate quietly. Anyang, who was sitting across from them, was talking to Zhao about the thrilling events of last night, which made Zhao laugh uncontrollably.
Ji Ci, on the other hand, had a gloomy face. He had not expected that escaping from the palace this time would be more difficult than he had imagined.
He turned his head and glanced at his wife who was busy eating as if sweeping away the rest of the meal. His heart softened, and he reached out and held her left hand, spread out her fingers, and clasped them together tightly.
He stretched out his toes and hooked her calf.
Jiang Qiuye paused while eating, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He first quickly glanced at Zhao, and when he saw that she didn't notice them, he breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and glanced at Ji Ci who remained calm.
She put down her chopsticks, quietly stretched out her other hand, and twisted his waist hard.
Then she quickly retracted her hand, and she just felt... so hard.
Ji Ci, however, remained expressionless, preoccupied with the shredded chicken in front of him. Jiang Qiuye suddenly felt playful, knowing that he normally disliked fatty meat. She looked at the braised pork not far away, which was greasy and tender, and so fatty that it made her feel a little nauseous.
She reached out and took the braised pork, smiled secretly and put it into Ji Ci's bowl. Seeing Zhao looking at them, Jiang Qiuye turned her head to look at Ji Ci, raised her lips and said in a delicate voice: "My husband is too thin, eat more to replenish your body."
Ji Ci saw the fat in the bowl and curled his lips. He listened to Zhao Shi saying, "Yes, Ci'er's illness is basically healed now. He should eat more to make up for what he didn't eat before."
"Yes, Grandma." He glanced at his wife, who had a wicked look in her eyes, and reluctantly took up his chopsticks, putting the fatty meat into his mouth and swallowing it in one gulp without much chewing. He then drank a lot of tea to drive away the greasy taste, and after a long while, he finally suppressed the nausea.
Putting down his teacup, Anyang and his grandmother continued to chat. He turned to look at the smirking Jiang Qiuye, leaned over to her ear, and his breath touched her earlobe, tickling it a little. He said in a low voice, "It doesn't matter. Whatever Ye'er wants you to eat, I'll eat it. When we get back to the palace, I'll continue eating until Ye'er is satisfied."
"Puff——" Jiang Qiuye successfully spat out the tea in his mouth.
What does it mean? What to eat?
When he saw everyone looking at him, he realized that he had lost face and his face instantly turned purple.
This Ji Jianxi is so shameless!
With a look of guilt on her face, she finally finished her meal, but soon someone from the palace came looking for Ji Ci. The young emperor had just ascended to the throne today, and things were busier than usual.
He didn't have time to say a few more words before rushing to the palace. Jiang Qiuye didn't find the opportunity to confess her previous decision to him. As it was getting late, she stayed in Anhe Garden for one night and returned to Prince Qi's residence the next day.
The next morning, Jiang Qiuye returned to Prince Qi's mansion to take care of the affairs there. The mansion had been ownerless for some time, and due to Ji Kang's decree, the servants were imprisoned and the mansion was raided.
The mansion was a whirlwind of things to do. All sorts of flowers and plants needed pruning, and the house needed cleaning and repairs. After a busy morning, it started to rain again. My mood plummeted as the sun began to fade.
Just as she was returning to her bedroom to rest, a servant from the mansion suddenly came to tell her that someone had come to the garden to look for her and was waiting at the door, apparently for something important.
Jiang Qiuye asked the other person's name, but the man only told the servant that he was her good friend, and today he came to the palace to visit her because he knew she was safe.
She didn't know who her good friend was, so she asked the servant to invite him to the front hall to wait, while she tidied herself up and went to the front hall.
When she saw the person coming from behind, wearing a dark cloak and with a slender waist, she was startled and asked, "Madam Shufei, why did you suddenly leave the palace?"
Concubine Shu turned around, took off her hat, and smiled at her. "It's been a long time since we last met. How are you, Princess Qi?"
It was raining heavily today, with big raindrops falling from the eaves. The two of them sat by the window, smelling the fragrance of the rain.
Jiang Qiuye had someone prepare tea for her. With a twinkle in her eyes, she slowly poured the tea and pushed it towards her. "The weather is so bad, why did your Majesty come here in the rain? What's the important matter?"
"It's nothing serious. You've lived in Yonghe Palace for a long time, and to be honest, I've developed some feelings for you. With all the big events going on lately, everyone's been burdened. Seeing that you didn't come into the palace, I thought I'd come out and have some small talk with you."
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have worried about you, Your Majesty. How is the King of Wei?"
Speaking of the King of Wei, Concubine Shu shook her head helplessly and smiled. "Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, I intend to ask King Qi to allow the King of Wei to return to his fiefdom. I have chosen a marriage for him."
Jiang Qiuye drank the hot tea in the cup, pursed her lips and said, "The King of Wei is old enough now, he should have been married long ago. This is also good."
She glanced at Concubine Shu and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, you came here in the rain today. I'm afraid it's not just for a chat, right?"
Concubine Shu smiled at her and said nothing.
Jiang Qiuye asked, "Your Majesty, do you want me to guess?"
"Then please don't blame me if my guess is wrong, Madam."
"Of course not."
Seeing Concubine Shu's indifferent demeanor, she continued, "Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and Prince Qi has become regent, everything has settled down. However, doubts still linger regarding past cases. For example, the death of Emperor Jin Su, and Prince Qi's imprisonment due to false accusations. Your Majesty, I'm sure this is why you've come to see me today."
Concubine Shu lowered her eyes, unable to see the expression in them, and said, "Princess Qi is truly clever. You've guessed so many times. Why don't you try a few more?"
Jiang Qiuye looked her straight in the eye and said, "When the late emperor was still alive, I used to deliver medicinal food to the Yangxin Palace every day. I never imagined someone would take advantage of this and poison my food. Now, the deposed Empress Dowager Huo has been found with a leash in the palace, and there's solid evidence of regicide. But in my opinion, that evidence isn't the strongest."
"The palace is so large, with so many maids and eunuchs coming and going. It wouldn't be surprising if the poison was deliberately introduced. I pondered this when I was arrested and imprisoned. The late emperor would always test for poison with a silver needle before eating, but later, out of trust in me, he always took the poisoned food directly. Who could have known this?"
Concubine Shu touched her chin and asked, "Eunuch Li?"
"Eunuch Li is a suspect, and I had my suspicions too. But if Eunuch Li wanted to poison Your Majesty, he wouldn't need to use my medicinal food. He could just replace the silver needles with fake ones and do some tricks to poison you. That would be a piece of cake. At this point, besides Eunuch Li, I thought of another person."
"Who is it?"
Jiang Qiuye looked at her and said with a smile: "And you, my lady."
A little rain from outside blew in, wetting the table between the two of them. Seeing this, Jiang Qiuye took out a handkerchief and wiped it gently.
"The assassins who initially failed in the assassination attempt were your Majesty's men, right? Your Majesty truly wanted to kill the late emperor and then frame Prince Qi, but who could have imagined that the assassination would fail? Later, when they saw me entering the palace to ask to see the late emperor, they thought of using me to poison him. So you acted as a matchmaker between me and the late emperor, taking advantage of his terminal illness and difficulty eating to build his trust in me."
"His condition at the time was like that of a person walking in the desert, thirsty and hungry for a long time. They thought they had reached the gates of hell, but suddenly saw a source of water and drank without caring what was in it. So, even before the Empress was about to start, she caught a cold and lay in Yonghe Palace all day, never leaving the palace."
Concubine Shu slowly raised her head, clapped her hands, and praised, "Princess Qi is truly more clever than I thought. But where did the seal that framed Prince Qi come from? Isn't there a traitor in the palace?"
Jiang Qiuye thought of this, smiled, and refilled Concubine Shu's teacup with tea. "I once suspected that there was a traitor in the palace, but then I thought about it carefully. Does the seal on the secret letter really need Prince Qi's seal? Actually, not."
"Since the Empress and Ji Kang conspired in this matter to frame the deposed Empress Dowager Huo, it shouldn't be difficult to obtain a few files with Prince Qi's private seal from Prince Liang Ji Kang. With the files, imitating the notes and forging the seal should be easy with the abilities of Feiyan Pavilion's Golden Ghost."
"Right, Master Benzhi."
Concubine Shu clenched her fists, said nothing, but still had a smile on her face.
Jiang Qiuye looked at the heavy rain outside and said softly, "You should have known my identity for a long time."
"That's right. I've suspected you since you first entered the palace and attended the Empress's Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet. The aphrodisiac incense Huo Heng had used was enough to lull him into having sex in broad daylight, yet you were able to detect it and escape. This isn't something a country bumpkin like Qiu Ziye could do. Later, after careful observation, I became even more certain that you were from Feiyan Pavilion."
Jiang Qiuye frowned and asked, "Where is the King of Wei? Is he your biological son?"
Concubine Shu said, "Of course he is the biological son of the late emperor and me. There is no doubt about that."
"Then why? Why did you conspire with Ji Kang? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for you to push the King of Wei to the throne?"
"Once you take the throne, there's no turning back. The only way forward is to die. Everyone seeks power, but I just want Ji Sang to live a peaceful life. And if Ji Kang ascends to the throne, his governance and his philosophy towards Li will only benefit Feiyan Pavilion. Why not help him?"
Jiang Qiuye shook his hand and said, "You came to see me today, aren't you afraid that I will reveal your identity to Ji Ci?"
Concubine Shu said indifferently, "Since I've come to find you, I'm not afraid of you revealing my identity. I came today because I saw that the situation is hopeless, and now, I just want you to help me connect with Yan Wu."
"This...Princess Qi, if you want the final antidote, then be obedient. Don't forget, I am a golden ghost, and you are just a silver ghost. I can see that you hate Feiyan Pavilion and all you seek is freedom. It's almost time to complete this last task. Whether it's Yan Wu or I, we will help you get the freedom you want."
…
In Jingshan Academy, Yan Wu sat down at the desk, solving a chess game by himself. Just when he reached the crucial point, he suddenly heard Wang Fu come to report that Jiang Qiuye came to the academy looking for him.
He smiled slightly and put down the chess piece in his hand slowly. After he had completely solved the chess game, he drank a cup of tea, then slowly stood up, twisted his waist, hooked his fingers, and went outside.
The rain in Beijing was relentless, pattering against the rooftops. Jiang Qiuye folded up his oil-paper umbrella and stood under the porch, feeling the chill in the air, his face grim and gloomy.
She finally came to Jingshan Academy.
After waiting for a long time, he heard the movement of Yan Wu coming from behind. He finally turned to look at him and said unhappily, "The Golden Ghost Ben Zhi has been found."
Yan Wu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Oh, who is it?"
"The Consort of Emperor Jin Su."
After hearing this, Yan Wu showed no sign of shock. He just turned sideways and took out a pill from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Qiuye. She took it and swallowed it directly.
She frowned and said, "I'm helping you connect with Ben Zhi now. When will you give me the final antidote?"
Yan Wu's eyes widened and he said, "The final antidote? Sister Ye'er, don't forget, you still have a mission that you haven't completed."
"You mean the Shengjing City Defense Map?"
She lowered her eyes in confusion. Why were Feiyan Pavilion and Li State so obsessed with a city defense map? And the map was hidden so deeply that even Concubine Shu, who had been hiding by Emperor Su of Jin's side for so many years, couldn't find it.
Yan Wu nodded, "Yes, I will let you out of Feiyan Pavilion once I find the city defense map."
"But now, I don't know where this thing is hidden. Even Benzhi couldn't find it. What makes you think I can do it?"
"Because I know you can." He turned his head and stared at her intently. "Do you know why I sent you here and not someone else?"
"Why?"
Yan Wu walked closer, stopped in front of her, and lifted a strand of her hair. "Sister Ye'er, I personally trained you. No one in this world knows you better than me. Do you think that the group under Boss Wang were all idiots, so why did they remain undetected in Shengjing for so long?"
Jiang Qiuye's pupils instantly dilated, and she felt a cold sweat pouring down her face, a chill piercing her bones. "Feiyan Pavilion and Director Wang are colluding to secretly protect her organization."
"That's right." Yan Wu's expression was filled with excitement. "Why do you think Master Wang chose to take action on your wedding night with Zhang Liang?"
She fell silent, staring at Yan Wu with a squinted eye, and did not answer with a disgusted look.
Therefore, Yan Wu's initial target was Ji Ci. In order to find a suitable identity for her and send her to Ji Ci, he took advantage of Wang Zhangshi's hatred for Zhang Liang and made her kill the Zhang family that night.
Yan Wu, you really played a big game of chess.
Seeing her silent and pensive, Yan Wu didn't care. "Sister Ye'er, there is no woman in this world who can deceive people like you, so I chose to give my biggest trump card to Prince Qi. Prince Qi must know where the city defense map is."
Jiang Qiuye was uneasy and hesitated, "But, for something this important, he definitely won't tell me where it is."
"It doesn't matter."
Yan Wu took out a small medicine bottle from his arms and placed it in her palm. "This medicine is called Tianji. After taking it, the person will lose their mind for a moment. They will answer whatever you ask."
Jiang Qiuye looked down at the medicine bottle and clenched it tightly.
"Sister Ye'er, don't worry, this medicine is non-toxic. As long as you get this last one, you will be truly free." His voice faintly entered her ears, bewitching her.
Jiang Qiuye finally raised her eyes to look at him, then put the medicine bottle into her arms and nodded, "Okay, this is what you promised."
"nature."
Jiang Qiuye said no more, opened his umbrella and walked into the rain curtain.
Yan Wu looked at her disappearing figure with a dim look in his eyes.
The most bewitching woman, yes, he knew it better than anyone else in the world.
In the darkness, there was still a sweet smile like the sun, and I was captivated by it the first time I saw it.
He still lied to her. Although the secret of heaven could not kill people, it could put people into eternal sleep.
She should be a cold-blooded person and should not fall in love with any man.
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Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2024-08-08 06:00:00 and 2024-08-09 06:00:00~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of Sponge Baby; 1 bottle of Yuhe C;
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