The Dark Night Incident at Cining Palace
Chapter Quote:
The secret letter leads to a series of plots, and the night visit to Cining reveals shocking secrets;
The mystery of the true and false empress dowager is shrouded in mystery, and murderous intentions are looming in the deep palace.
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Zi Yu, clutching the inkstone, strolled leisurely down the palace path. Having served in the Shanggong Bureau for five years, she knew every path within the palace like the back of her hand. But today, she was acutely aware of the faint sound of footsteps behind her—someone was following her!
She calmly turned into a side road. This was the only way to the Shanggong Bureau. Flanked by towering palace walls, it was sparsely populated. Sure enough, the footsteps behind her followed.
Zi Yu sneered inwardly, suddenly quickened his pace, and dodged into the shadows at a corner. The pursuer hurried to catch up, but lost sight of him at the corner. Just as he was wondering, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and he collapsed to the ground.
"With this little skill, you dare to follow me in the palace?" Zi Yu snorted coldly and quickly dragged the man to a secluded place. After searching, she found the Imperial City Bureau's waist badge in his arms.
She didn't dare to delay and immediately changed her route, detouring past the laundry bureau and heading to the Shanggong Bureau via a lesser-known path. This path passed through the cold palace area, which was rarely visited on weekdays.
Just as she was about to leave the cold palace, she heard a burst of suppressed sobbing from the front. Zi Yu didn't want to get involved, but the sobbing was so mournful that she couldn't help but stop.
Following the sound, I saw a woman dressed as a palace maid kneeling in front of a dry well, burning paper money.
"Mother...I am an unfilial daughter..." the woman burst into tears, "If it weren't for that fire that year, you wouldn't have..."
Ziyu's heart skipped a beat. A fire in Qinghui Pavilion? She quietly approached and saw the woman's face clearly in the moonlight—it was Feicui, the head maid of Cining Palace!
"Sister Jadeite?" Zi Yu called softly.
Feicui trembled with fear and quickly stamped out the paper money: "Who?"
"It's me, Ziyu from the Shanggong Bureau." Ziyu stepped forward and lowered her voice. "Sister, what were you talking about...was it the fire at Qinghui Pavilion twenty years ago?"
Feicui's face turned pale and she shook her head repeatedly: "You heard wrong! I didn't say anything!" Then she was about to leave.
Zi Yu stopped her in her tracks and said sternly, "Sister, to be honest, I'm here today to investigate this matter. If you know anything, please tell me the truth. This concerns the lives of many people."
Jade's expression changed constantly, and finally he sighed: "This is not the place to talk, just follow me."
She brought Ziyu to a dilapidated wing deep within the cold palace. After confirming that no one was around, she whispered, "My mother...was originally a maid in Qinghui Pavilion, and she and Yan Wan were like sisters. On the eve of the fire, she overheard the empress dowager plotting..."
"Empress Dowager?" Zi Yu was shocked.
Feicui nodded, tears in her eyes. "The Queen Mother strongly opposed Yan Wan's entry into the palace, fearing that she would give birth to a prince and affect her status. That night, my mother heard the Queen Mother order her confidant to set fire to Qinghui Pavilion..."
"But why did the Queen Mother wait until Yan Wan became pregnant before taking action?"
"Because..." Hisui's voice trembled, "Because the Queen Mother wanted to ensure... two lives for one body!"
Zi Yu gasped. Such a cruel method actually came from the current Empress Dowager!
"And what happened next?"
"My mother wanted to report the news, but was discovered by the Empress Dowager's confidants..." Feicui burst into tears. "The next day, news came that Qinghui Pavilion had caught fire. My mother also... committed suicide by jumping into a well."
She pointed to the dry well and said, "That's the well... I've come here every year to worship..."
Ziyu's heart was in turmoil. If what Feicui said was true, then the Queen Mother's cruelty was far beyond imagination. She suddenly remembered Yan Qing's secret letter, which said that something unexpected would happen at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet in three days...
"Sister Feicui, the Queen Mother's birthday banquet will be held in three days. Do you know anything?"
Feicui's expression froze. "The Cining Palace has indeed been quite restless these past few days, with unfamiliar faces frequently coming and going. And..." She lowered her voice, "I always feel that something is amiss with the current Empress Dowager."
"What's the meaning?"
"The Queen Mother's living habits, tone of voice, and even handwriting have all changed slightly," Feicui frowned. "But I'm just a palace maid, so I don't dare to speculate."
Zi Yu's heart was filled with alarm. If the current Queen Mother was someone else in disguise, then where was the real Queen Mother? What conspiracy was hidden behind this birthday banquet?
She didn't dare to delay any longer, and after bidding farewell to Feicui, she immediately rushed to the Shanggong Bureau. After handing the secret letter to Chai Jin's undercover agent in the palace, she wrote another letter, recording the details of Feicui's words in detail, and asked the undercover agent to deliver it together.
However, what she didn't know was that all of this was seen clearly by a pair of eyes on a high tower in the distance.
"It's her..." Gao Qiu put down the telescope, a sneer on his face, "Pass the order down, proceed according to the plan."
Meanwhile, Yan Qing also noticed something unusual in Ninghe Hall. The number of guards outside the hall had suddenly doubled, and they were all strangers. Even more unsettling was the fact that the palace maid delivering dinner had been replaced, and Ziyu had disappeared.
"Why didn't Miss Ziyu come today?" he asked casually.
The new maid bowed her head and replied, "Sister Ziyu has caught a cold and is resting in her room."
Yan Qing sneered inwardly. This excuse was too lame. He finished his dinner calmly, and after the palace maids left, he immediately sneaked into the secret passage.
Tonight, he must find out the truth about the Cining Palace!
The secret passage was unusually quiet, with only the sound of his own footsteps echoing. Following the blueprint, he quickly arrived below the Cining Palace. There was a hidden observation hole here, just right for a glimpse into the Empress Dowager's chambers.
Through the observation hole, Yan Qing saw an old woman in gorgeous clothes chanting sutras before a Buddha. Her appearance was indeed identical to that of the Queen Mother, but...
Yan Qing's pupils suddenly contracted - the old woman's gesture of twisting the beads was wrong! The Queen Mother had always worshipped Buddha and was used to twisting the beads with her thumb and index finger, but this old woman used her thumb and middle finger!
And...this old woman doesn't have that iconic cinnabar mole on her earlobe!
This is indeed a fake queen mother!
Just as Yan Qing was shocked, the fake queen mother suddenly said, "Since you are here, why don't you show yourself?"
Yan Qing's heart trembled, and he was about to retreat, but he heard another voice laughing, "Your Majesty has such sharp ears and eyes."
But then a figure appeared from behind the screen - it was Gao Qiu!
"What brings the Grand Marshal to visit you so late at night?" the fake Queen Mother asked calmly.
Gao Qiu bowed and said, "I will need your cooperation for the important event in three days."
The fake queen mother twirled her Buddhist beads and spoke calmly, "Since I have promised to help you, I will not go back on my word. It's just that...the general promised me..."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. After this is accomplished, I will definitely let you reunite with your family." Gao Qiu's eyes flashed with cunning, "But before that, Your Majesty, please complete one last performance."
"oh?"
Gao Qiu lowered his voice and said, "Tomorrow morning, someone will impeach Yan Qing as a remnant of the previous dynasty. Your Majesty will then need to speak well of him to the Empress Dowager to confirm this charge..."
Yan Qing felt a chill run down his spine. What a vicious plot! If even the Queen Mother accused him of being a remnant of the previous dynasty, there would be no way to defend himself!
He must take action immediately!
Quietly exiting the secret passage, Yan Qing returned to Ninghe Hall, a plan already in mind. Since Gao Qiu was going to launch an attack at the morning court tomorrow, he had to find the whereabouts of the real Empress Dowager tonight!
Suddenly, he remembered the dry well that Feicui mentioned... the cold palace... committing suicide by jumping into the well...
A bold guess came to my mind: Could the real empress dowager be hidden in the cold palace?
Without further ado, Yan Qing sneaked into the secret passage again. This time he chose another fork in the road. According to the markings on the map, this secret passage should lead to the cold palace area.
The secret passage became narrower and narrower, and the air was filled with a damp and musty smell. Just when he thought he had taken the wrong path, a faint groaning sound suddenly came from the front!
Yan Qing quickened his pace and arrived at a secret room. The door was locked with an iron chain. Through the crack in the door, he saw a white-haired old woman imprisoned inside. Although she was dressed in rags, her appearance... her temperament... was clearly the real Queen Mother!
"Empress Dowager?" Yan Qing called softly.
The old woman suddenly looked up, a sharp light flashing in her eyes: "Who are you?"
"I am Yanqing, a commoner, and I am here to rescue the Empress."
The Queen Mother looked at him carefully and suddenly became excited: "You...you are Wan'er's child?"
Yan Qing was startled: "Your Majesty, do you know my mother?"
The Queen Mother burst into tears: "More than just knowing each other... Wan'er is actually my niece!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving Yan Qing stunned.
The Queen Mother wept, "I opposed her entry into the palace because I feared she would be drawn into the palace strife... But she insisted on being with the Emperor... Later, when I learned Gao Qiu was planning to murder her, I hurriedly sent for her, but it was too late..."
She grabbed the iron bars and said anxiously, "Child, leave quickly! Gao Qiu imprisoned me just to use me to get rid of you! Tomorrow morning, they will..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of chaotic footsteps from the other end of the secret passage!
"Inside! Quick!"
Yan Qing knew that his whereabouts were exposed, and hurriedly tried to open the iron lock, but the lock was very strong and difficult to open for a while.
"Child, leave me alone!" the Queen Mother said anxiously, "Go quickly! Remember, go to the Buddhist temple in the Cining Palace. Under the Buddha statue is something I left for your mother..."
The pursuers had arrived, and Yan Qing had no choice but to leave in tears.
Behind him, the Queen Mother looked in the direction he disappeared and murmured to herself: "Sister... I finally saw your grandson..."
At this moment, there was no more majesty of the empress dowager in her eyes, only the kindness of an elder.
What Yan Qing didn't know was that shortly after he escaped, Gao Qiu brought people to the secret room.
"It seems that our plan has to be brought forward." Gao Qiu looked at the empress dowager behind the iron bars and smiled sinisterly.
The Queen Mother stood with her head held high, regaining her former dignity: "Gao Qiu, do you really want to make the same mistake over and over again?"
"Wrong?" Gao Qiu laughed. "The victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits. What's wrong with that? Take him away!"
As the night deepens, a bigger storm is brewing. Tomorrow morning will not be peaceful...
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Chapter 62 End
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