Chapter 220 The Fake Bai Zilin
Young Master Zhao put away his smug expression. As for Bai Zilin, he really needed to meet him and cultivate a good relationship with him to prepare for future important matters.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Liu Ye had been in the palace for three days. There was nothing she could do; the Empress Dowager wouldn't let her leave, so she couldn't leave either. It was so annoying. She looked at the Empress Dowager, who had just fallen asleep, and wished she could strangle her.
The old hag kept her in the palace and wouldn't let her leave. What does that mean? It's like she's being held hostage. In the Empress Dowager's palace, there are also guards that even Brother Bai couldn't defeat. No, it's not just two, it's seven people hiding in the shadows. They've been watching her every move for the past three days. She can sense it. However, one of them left last night and hasn't shown up since.
She beckoned to Qiao'er, a palace maid in the Empress Dowager's palace, and they had become quite familiar with each other over the past two days. Qiao'er quietly approached Liu Ye and whispered, "Does the Princess have any instructions?"
Liu Ye glanced at the Empress Dowager on the bed and whispered, "Mother has just fallen asleep and won't wake up for a while. I'm going to take a walk in the Imperial Garden. If Mother wakes up and looks for me, please tell her for me that I'll be back in a bit."
Qiao'er nodded: "Alright, Princess, you go ahead. It will be a while before Granny Su comes back."
Liu Ye left the Empress Dowager's Yongshou Palace and breathed a long sigh of relief at the entrance. Oh, Goddess Nuwa, she could finally breathe fresh air! The Yongshou Palace smelled terrible, it was filled with the Empress Dowager's saliva, it was so smelly, even worse than excrement. She smelled her clothes and felt that they were stinking from the stench.
She wondered if Brother Bai was in the palace. She had to see him quickly. "Why is the princess outside?" Liu Ye turned around and saw that the Emperor had arrived. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuan smiled and said, "No need for formalities. You've been keeping the Empress Dowager company in the palace these past two days. It must have been tiring for you. In two days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also the Empress Dowager's birthday. I would like to hold a birthday banquet for her. You should go home and rest first, and then come to the palace to attend the banquet in a couple of days. I will speak to the Empress Dowager. General Bai is waiting for you at the palace gate. Go ahead."
Upon hearing that he could finally leave the palace, Liu Ye didn't dare to show too much joy on his face: "Yes, then I'll go back first."
The Emperor smiled and nodded. Liu Ye quickly made her escape. She arrived at the palace gate and saw Bai Zilin. There was a carriage parked next to him. It was a palace carriage. When Bai Zilin turned around and looked at her, she slowed down her pace toward him. Her heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with Brother Bai.
Suppressing her doubts, Liu Ye walked up to Bai Zilin and said with a sweet smile, "Brother Bai, have you been waiting for a long time?"
Bai Zilin looked at Liu Ye and said with a gentle smile, "It hasn't been long, I just arrived too. Get in the car. We passed a pastry shop, so I bought you some pastries, all your favorites."
Liu Ye boarded the carriage with a happy expression, followed by Bai Zilin. The driver cracked the whip, and the carriage slowly moved forward.
Bai Zilin picked up the pastries from the side, opened the box, and handed them to Liu Ye: "Try them quickly, they were still warm when I bought them."
Liu Ye casually picked up a piece of pastry and ate it in small bites: "It's delicious, but too sweet. It's not as good as the pastries you brought back from the South. Actually, that strawberry-flavored pastry was really delicious. It's a pity that it's not sold in the capital."
Bai Zilin paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "There are quite a few merchants from the south in Kyoto. I know a few of them. I'll let them know and ask them to buy some when they go back to the south. That way, you can have some again."
Liu Ye was overjoyed to hear this, her eyes crinkling with laughter like a child who had just received candy: "That's wonderful! Brother Bai really cares for me. I want more..." Liu Ye rattled off a whole bunch of things, and Bai Zilin agreed to them all.
Bai Zilin escorted Liu Ye to the Princess's residence and only returned after lunch. No sooner had Bai Zilin left than Liu Ye also sent Furong away. She returned to her room with a worried expression and sat on the bed.
Oh no, Brother Bai is in trouble! This person isn't Brother Bai. She felt something was wrong as soon as she saw him at the palace gate, but she was very familiar with his aura. He was the secret guard who disappeared from the Empress Dowager's palace. So, he came here to impersonate Bai Zilin!
The Empress Dowager's secret guard disguised himself as Bai Zilin. Where did Brother Bai go? Does Emperor Xuan know that Bai Zilin is an imposter? If he does know that the person disguised as Bai Zilin is the Empress Dowager's man, then the Empress Dowager also knows. What exactly are these two up to?
Liu Ye became increasingly worried about Bai Zilin, fearing that he had already been killed by the Empress Dowager and her son. She quickly came out of the house and snapped her fingers in the air.
Hei Yi emerged from the shadows, puzzled. Liu Ye turned and went inside. Hei Yi hesitated for a moment, then followed her in, closed the door, and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "Greetings, Princess. Does Your Highness have any instructions?"
Liu Ye turned around and looked at Hei Yidao with a serious expression: "The Bai Zilin who came back with me is a fake. Don't expose him in front of him. Tell the others."
Hei Yi was shocked upon hearing this: "What! The master we just saw was a fake? Where is the real master? Has he been imprisoned by the Emperor? We have to go and rescue him right away!"
Liu Ye frowned and said, "He's probably been imprisoned by the Emperor, but we don't know where Brother Bai is being held. How can we rescue him? Don't make any rash moves. Let me see what the fake Bai Zilin is up to, and what the Emperor and his mother are up to. Two days from now is the Empress Dowager's birthday. I'll take this opportunity to find Brother Bai."
Hei Yi nodded and said, "I will listen to the princess. I will also send people to secretly search for the master, and I will also secretly inform Steward Li."
Liu Ye nodded and said, "Yes, you must not send anyone to follow the fake Bai Zilin. He is one of the experts hidden in the Empress Dowager's palace. If he finds out, things could easily go wrong."
Hei nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
Liu Ye waved her hand, and Hei Yi quickly came out of the house and hid in the shadows, relaying Liu Ye's words until they reached Steward Li. Steward Li was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, his hair standing on end. Good heavens, that was close! He had just received a message from Prince Qing, wanting to meet the general, but he hadn't had time to report it yet. What a close call!
It seems he needs to find a reason to refuse Prince Qing. He can't let him know about the fake general. Who knows who sent this fake general? Better safe than sorry.
At this moment, a guard at the door came to report: "Steward Li, a man and a woman have arrived at the door. They say they are friends of General Bai and want to see the general."
Steward Li's eyes darted around and he said, "Since they are the general's friends, please invite them in. I will go and report to the general."
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