The Deep Palace is Enshrouded in Mist
Chapter Quote:
A dragon is trapped in Ninghe Palace, whispering secrets in the middle of the night;
Various forces competed secretly, and a secret letter left the palace wall.
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Ninghe Hall sat in the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace. Though called a side hall, it was actually an independent courtyard. Within the vermilion walls, towering ancient trees rose to the sky, while the soaring eaves and brackets exuded the majesty of the imperial family. However, the moment Yan Qing entered the hall, he keenly sensed the menace lurking within this magnificent palace—guards of the Imperial Guard stood with swords drawn, while countless eyes watched from the shadows.
"Young Master Yan, this is the residence the emperor has specially arranged for you." Wang Duzhi wore a professional smile, but his voice was very low. "Everything is available in this palace. If you need anything, please feel free to tell the palace servants."
Yan Qing glanced at the four palace maids and two eunuchs standing by with their hands hanging down. They seemed submissive, but their eyes were unusually sharp. He sneered inwardly, thinking they were clearly sent to monitor him.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Yan Qing returned the greeting with a bow and asked casually, "I wonder when the emperor will summon me again? I still have many questions in my mind..."
Wang Duzhi sighed, his voice barely audible. "The Emperor is busy with official duties, having to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. Young Master, please stay put. Remember..." He suddenly raised his voice, "There are many rules in this palace. Young Master, please do not wander around casually, lest you offend the nobles."
As he spoke, he quickly made a "three" gesture with his fingers in his sleeves.
Yan Qing understood, but pretended to be disappointed: "In that case, I will wait here for the emperor to summon me."
After seeing Wang Duzhi off, Yan Qing slowly paced the hall. He appeared to be admiring the furnishings, but in reality, he was simply familiarizing himself with the surroundings. Ninghe Hall was a considerable area, consisting of three sections: the main hall, the study, the sleeping quarters, and the east and west wings. Each seemingly ordinary feature was secretly arranged in accordance with the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, clearly a design by a master.
When he reached the study, he paused. The bookshelf against the wall looked ordinary, but the top few books were placed at a slightly off angle. He calmly noted this detail and continued on.
At dinner time, eight palace maids filed in and laid a table full of imperial food. The leading maid was about twenty years old, beautiful in appearance, but her manners revealed an unusual competence.
"I am Ziyu, a servant, and I am here to serve you at your meal by your order." She bowed gracefully, but her gaze lingered on Yan Qing's face for a moment longer.
Yan Qing's heart trembled slightly. He was too familiar with the look in this woman's eyes—it was the brilliance unique to those who practiced martial arts. How could a palace maid have such skills?
"Thank you, young lady." Yan Qing smiled as he sat down and asked casually, "How long have you been in the palace?"
Zi Yu lowered her head and replied, "I have been in the palace for five years. I used to work in the Shangfu Bureau." As she spoke, her fingers trembled slightly as she served Yan Qing dishes, and she quickly drew the word "Liang" on the table.
Yan Qing's pupils shrank slightly, but his expression remained impassive. Someone from Liangshan could actually sneak into the palace? This was too unbelievable. Unless... they were Chai Jin's men?
He dipped his finger in tea and wrote the word "柴" (firewood) on the table.
Zi Yu nodded slightly and continued to serve the dishes, her voice as soft as a mosquito: "The master asked me to pass on a message: within three days, there will be changes, so act accordingly."
Yan Qing understood. As a descendant of the previous imperial family, it was not surprising that Chai Jin had spies in the palace. However, even he had said something like "something must have happened," which showed how critical the situation was.
After dinner, Yan Qing said he wanted to rest early and sent everyone away. He sat alone under the lamp, carefully sorting out what he had seen during the day in his mind:
Wang Duzhi's hint of a "three-day" deadline; Ziyu's warning; the unusual guard deployment outside the palace; and the suspicious bookshelf in the study...
With this thought in mind, he stood up and walked towards his study. It was late at night, and moonlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the floor. He carefully examined the bookshelf and, as expected, discovered a very hidden mechanism on the third shelf.
With a gentle push, the bookshelf silently moved three feet, revealing a secret compartment on the back wall. Inside the compartment was a scroll of silk. Unfolding it, it revealed a detailed diagram of the Ninghe Hall's structure. Not only were the locations of secret passages and surveillance holes marked on it, but it also had a line of small characters written in red ink:
"In the west side hall, knock on the floor tiles three times to enter the secret passage. Be careful!"
The handwriting was neat and elegant, like that of a woman. Yan Qing's heart moved, and he took out his mother's notes from his arms and compared them. Sure enough, the handwriting was the same!
It turns out that my mother had already laid a backup plan in this deep palace twenty years ago!
At this moment, a sudden commotion erupted from outside the hall. Yan Qing hurriedly put away the blueprint, restored it to its original state, and slipped out of the study.
But the courtyard was brightly lit, and a team of imperial guards rushed in, led by an unfamiliar general.
"General Gao's order to search for the assassin!" the general shouted, his gaze sweeping across the room like a hawk. "Someone just saw the assassin coming this way!"
Ziyu and the palace maids blocked the door and said, "General, be careful with your words! This is the residence designated by the emperor. Where did the assassin come from?"
"We'll know if there's an assassin after searching!" The general pushed Zi Yu away and led his men to rush into the hall.
Yan Qing walked out slowly and said in a cold voice, "General, are you going to search Yan's room?"
When the general saw Yan Qing, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. "So it's Master Yan. Someone reported you for hiding prohibited items. I'm just following orders. Please help me."
He said this politely, but he acted without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to rush into the hall.
Yan Qing knew this was Gao Qiu's probing move. If he gave in now, he would surely intensify his attack later. He moved in a flash, blocking the doorway. "Wait a minute! Although I'm a commoner, I'm also a guest of the emperor. General, I'm allowed to search, but do you have the emperor's written permission?"
The general's face darkened: "Isn't the Taiwei's order enough?"
"The Grand Marshal is an outsider. I'm afraid it's not convenient for him to interfere in the affairs of the inner palace, right?" Yan Qing refused to give in.
The two sides were in a stalemate when they suddenly heard a loud shout from outside: "The emperor has arrived!"
But Huizong came quickly, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and guards, with a gloomy expression: "What are you doing?"
The general knelt hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, someone reported that the Ninghe Palace was secretly storing prohibited items. Your humble servant..."
"Asshole!" Huizong shouted angrily, "Yan Qing is my guest. Who gave you the guts to act so wildly here? Get out!"
The imperial guards hastily retreated. Huizong then turned to Yan Qing, his tone much more relaxed: "My dear minister, you are frightened. It was my negligence that allowed these ignorant people to disturb you."
Yan Qing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. But..." He hesitated to speak.
Huizong understood and waved his hand to dismiss his attendants, leaving only Wang Duzhi to serve.
"My dear, do you have something to say?"
Yan Qing raised his head and looked directly at Huizong: "I would like to ask Your Majesty, are you placing me here to protect me or to monitor me?"
Upon hearing this, Huizong's expression changed slightly, and after a long moment, he sighed, "You've seen all this?" He walked to the window, gazing at the palace walls in the night. "This inner palace may appear peaceful, but undercurrents surge. I placed you here to protect you, but... I had no choice."
He turned and looked at Yan Qing, his eyes filled with complex expressions. "Did you know that at the court meeting today, Gao Qiu and more than ten ministers jointly submitted a petition, saying that you are a remnant of the previous dynasty and have evil intentions?"
Yan Qing was shocked and finally understood why Gao Qiu was so eager to get rid of him.
"Does Your Majesty believe it?"
Huizong shook his head. "Of course I don't believe it. But the majority of the civil and military officials in the court are on Gao Qiu's side. Even though I'm the Son of Heaven, I have many reasons to choose."
He took a few steps closer and lowered his voice, "In three days, at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, I will publicly announce your identity. By then, it will be too late for them to object."
Yan Qing finally understood the meaning of Wang Duzhi's "three" gesture. But he felt even more uneasy. Gao Qiu and the others would never sit idly by and watch this happen. They would definitely make a big move within the next three days.
After seeing Huizong off, Yan Qing immediately followed the instructions on the blueprint and infiltrated the western side hall's Buddhist shrine. After knocking on the floor tiles three times, a staircase descended. This secret passage had clearly been unused for years, and the air was thick with the scent of dust.
After walking through the secret passage for about an incense stick's worth of time, he came to a fork in the road. According to the map, going left led outside the palace, while going right led to... Cining Palace? The Empress Dowager's bedroom?
Yan Qing's heart stirred. Her mother's notes seemed to mention that the Empress Dowager was the main person who firmly opposed her entry into the palace. Was this secret passage leading to the Cining Palace a coincidence, or was there a deeper meaning?
He decided to explore the secret passage on the right first. This secret passage was narrower, and there were even fresh scratches on the walls, obviously someone had used it recently.
As he walked forward cautiously, he suddenly heard whispers from the front. Yan Qing immediately held his breath and listened carefully against the wall.
"...It's all arranged, we'll start in three days..."
"...Are you sure that thing is in his possession?"
"Absolutely true. The Grand Commandant has ordered that the jade pendant be retrieved..."
"...The Queen Mother's side...?"
"Don't worry, the Queen Mother has her own ideas..."
Yan Qing was horrified. Not only were these people trying to seize the jade pendant, they were also doing it during the Queen Mother's birthday banquet! And from the looks of it, the Queen Mother was actually involved?
He quietly retreated, deciding to spread the news immediately. Returning to Ninghe Hall, he wrote a secret letter overnight, detailing the situation in the palace and the conspiracy surrounding the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.
However, how to send this letter became a problem. The guards outside the palace were so tight that even a fly could hardly escape. Suddenly, he remembered Zi Yu's eyes during the day...
The next morning, Yan Qing summoned Zi Yu on the pretext that he needed to buy some more treasures of the study.
"Miss, you work in the Shangfu Bureau. Do you know where I can find the best Hui ink?" He asked casually, writing the word "urgent" on the paper with his finger.
Zi Yu understood and answered loudly: "There should be some stock in the warehouse of Shanggong Bureau. I will go and ask." At the same time, she wrote the word "信" on the inkstone with her finger.
Yan Qing folded the secret letter into a tiny ball and pretended to accidentally drop his pen while trying it out. When Zi Yu bent down to pick up the pen, the letter had already fallen into her sleeve.
"I'll take my leave." Zi Yu bowed and left. Everything went perfectly.
Yan Qing felt a sense of relief as he watched her leave. However, he didn't know that the moment Zi Yu left Ninghe Hall, someone in the dark had already set their sights on her.
"There really is an insider." A voice said coldly from the shadows, "Go and intercept her outside the Shanggong Bureau."
Another person said, "Why not do it now?"
"Idiot! We have to catch the criminal red-handed!"
The battle surrounding this secret letter has just begun...
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Chapter 61 End
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