Upon hearing the mysterious woman's words, everyone gasped in shock, and Chu Yunlan's expression instantly turned serious, as if facing a formidable enemy.
She immediately ordered her men to bring the woman into the palace for further questioning.
When the woman entered the palace, her steps were steady and neither humble nor arrogant. Then, she calmly and carefully took out a crystal-clear jade pendant from her bosom, claiming that it was a personal item belonging to the Chu Yunlan sisters.
The moment Chu Yunlan took the jade pendant, a hint of doubt and reminiscence flashed in his eyes, as if his thoughts were being pulled back to the distant past.
After a deep and detailed conversation, the woman's story became increasingly bizarre and convoluted, leaving everyone astonished.
She vividly described how Chu Yunlan's sisters were not simply lost, but were secretly harmed by a powerful and ruthless nobleman in the palace, and then secretly sent out of the palace to live among the common people.
Moreover, behind this seems to lie a massive conspiracy that shakes the very foundation and future fate of the Night Dynasty.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry and determination in each other's eyes.
Knowing that this matter was of utmost importance, they decided to join hands with Chu Yunlan to delve into this intricate mystery and uncover the truth hidden in the darkness.
During the intensive investigation, they were surprised to find that what the woman said was not unfounded.
A series of subtle clues gradually pointed to a powerful and unassuming imperial concubine in the palace.
This imperial concubine had painstakingly cultivated her influence in the palace for many years, amassing a large following and establishing a deeply entrenched power base.
Just as they were preparing to gather more crucial evidence and press their advantage, they discovered that their actions were repeatedly met with numerous obstacles.
His loyal confidants mysteriously disappeared without a trace; crucial evidence always vanished at critical moments, as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything in the dark.
Chu Yunlan knew that they were facing an extremely powerful and cunning opponent.
But she did not back down because of this. On the contrary, her eyes became more determined, and her determination to find out the truth was as unshakable as a rock.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The mysterious woman suddenly disappeared overnight, as if she had never appeared in the palace.
This made the already confusing situation even more complicated, like a tangled mess that was difficult to unravel.
Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng were extremely anxious and searched everywhere for the woman's whereabouts.
Persistence pays off; they eventually discovered the woman's body in a long-abandoned, eerie palace.
The woman's death was gruesome; clearly, someone wanted to kill her to silence her and obstruct their investigation.
Upon learning of this devastating news, Chu Yunlan was filled with grief and indignation. Her beautiful face flushed red with anger, and she gritted her teeth, resolutely ordering a thorough investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the palace grew increasingly tense and oppressive, with everyone feeling insecure, as if an even greater storm was about to break.
After Chu Yunlan issued the order for a thorough investigation, everyone in the palace felt threatened, and the tense atmosphere seemed to solidify.
Just as everyone was secretly speculating about who would be the next to be investigated, Xiao Yichen unexpectedly discovered a shocking secret.
It turns out that the mysterious woman who disappeared in a bizarre way actually had a twin sister, who had been hiding quietly in the palace, disguised as an inconspicuous ordinary palace maid.
Xiao Yichen noticed, quite by chance, that this palace maid's behavior was quite different from the other palace maids. She would sometimes dart her eyes away, and at other times appear nervous, which aroused Xiao Yichen's suspicion.
After several days of secret observation and meticulous investigation, he finally became absolutely certain of her true identity.
When Xiao Yichen nervously told Chu Yunlan and Shen Yifeng about this shocking secret, the three of them, after careful consideration, decided not to alert the enemy for the time being, but instead to try to find more key clues hidden in the darkness through this palace maid.
However, their meticulously planned scheme was somehow astutely detected by the Dowager.
The Dowager Consort, being shrewd and calculating, acted decisively and preemptively, meticulously devising a frame-up.
She instructed her subordinates to claim that the palace maid had stolen an incomparably precious treasure from the palace and insisted that she be executed immediately to uphold palace rules.
At the critical moment, Chu Yunlan disregarded his own safety and stepped forward, overcoming all opposition to save the palace maid.
The palace maid was deeply grateful to Chu Yunlan for saving her life. After a fierce internal struggle, she finally decided to reveal all the secrets she knew.
It turns out that behind the Dowager Consort was an even more powerful and mysterious dark force.
This force not only had spies everywhere in the palace, like an invisible net, but also had many loyal followers in the court. The complex and intricate power dynamics were truly alarming.
Chu Yunlan and the others knew that in order to completely eradicate this deeply rooted evil force, they had to plan carefully and proceed with extreme caution at every step.
So they began to secretly and quietly contact the loyal ministers and generals in the court, preparing a thrilling counterattack that could change the fate of the Night Dynasty.
But just as everyone was making preparations in full swing, something unexpected happened.
Chu Yunlan suddenly fell ill with a rare and strange disease and fell into a coma overnight.
The imperial physicians in the palace were at a loss for what to do with this unprecedented illness, and were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
In an instant, the entire harem was plunged into unprecedented panic and chaos.
Just when everyone was in despair, Xiao Yichen suddenly remembered that he had heard of a reclusive divine doctor in the countryside who might be able to cure Chu Yunlan's strange illness.
Therefore, Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng decided to risk leaving the palace to find this divine physician.
After asking around and going through many hardships, they finally found the doctor's residence in a remote valley.
However, the divine doctor had an eccentric personality and was initially unwilling to lend a helping hand.
Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng pleaded desperately, recounting Chu Yunlan's ordeal and the crisis facing the Night Dynasty's harem.
The divine physician was moved by their sincerity and finally agreed to return to the palace with them.
After careful diagnosis, the renowned doctor discovered that Chu Yunlan's illness was caused by someone secretly poisoning him.
This poison is extremely rare, and the antidote is also extremely complex, requiring the collection of various rare medicinal materials.
Without saying a word, Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng immediately split up and began searching for medicinal herbs.
During this process, they encountered various hardships and dangers, and were even robbed by bandits.
Fortunately, they eventually managed to gather all the medicinal herbs, and the divine physician successfully concocted the antidote, curing Chu Yunlan.
After Chu Yunlan woke up, she learned about everything Xiao Yichen and Shen Yifeng had done for her and was deeply moved.
She decided to accelerate the pace of eradicating evil forces.
However, just as they were preparing to take action, they discovered that the Dowager Consort had already discovered their plan and, in alliance with her faction in the court, was preparing to strike first and launch a coup.
The imperial harem of the Night Dynasty is once again facing a life-or-death crisis...
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