Chapter 24 Searching the Palace
Lingshan Temple was surrounded by bandits, but they had no intention of harming the monks.
The leader led his team straight to Liu Xi's residence. In the empty courtyard, Liu Xi stood in the center, while Huo Lin stood diagonally in front of her with his sword, like a god of war.
They should be the passive party, but they seem to be the ones preparing to go on the hunt.
With a wave of his hand, the bandit leader sent three or five knife-wielding thugs charging towards Liuxi, shouting and baring their teeth.
With his sword drawn, Huo Lin nimbly moved his wrist, and with a few quick moves, he killed the charging bandits.
He tossed the sword from his right hand to his left, used it to prop himself up on one of the men's shoulders, and flipped him into the air. With a flash of light, the man's throat was slit.
Liu Xi stood still, her gaze remaining indifferent even as blood flashed before her eyes and the white snow was gradually stained crimson.
Huo Lin cut off a piece of his robe and wrapped it around his palm. He then rubbed the blade against it, and the sword light, which had been obscured by the blood, shone brightly again.
The bandit leader was dumbfounded. The intelligence his master had given him clearly stated that the Fourth Princess was all alone and was like a turtle in a jar.
Instead of finding a turtle, they were entangled by a snake.
"Boss, this, this, should we continue?"
Huo Lin drew his sword and forced the bandits back step by step. The indecisive henchmen could only tremble and keep asking their leader if they could retreat.
After Huo Lin killed two more people, the bandit leader gave an order.
"withdraw!"
"Withdraw? Where to?"
Liu Xi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, her indifferent expression turning into excitement.
Footsteps approached from afar, and a group of guards dressed as monks surrounded the courtyard and the bandits.
From the day Liu Xi moved into Lingshan Temple, she had the guards assigned by the Empress Dowager to protect her disguise themselves as young monks and secretly lie in ambush, all for this day.
These thieves were all afraid of death. Seeing that they had no chance of winning, they all dropped their knives, knelt on the ground, and begged for mercy.
Huo Lin flicked his longsword and sheathed it.
Liu Xi handed over the Empress Dowager's personal guard seal to Huo Lin, which was his best way out.
Liu Xi didn't care at all about the bloodstains on Huo Lin's body, and even thoughtfully took out a handkerchief to wipe his cheeks.
"I would trouble you, General, to escort this gang of bandits back to the capital and interrogate them to find out who is behind it. With this seal in hand, you can tell His Majesty that everything was done on the orders of the Empress Dowager, and His Majesty will have no reason to doubt your motives."
The sky was quietly covered by dark clouds, and the snow started falling again.
The "liveliness" at Lingshan Temple quickly reached the palace. Although it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the sudden news dispelled the sleepiness of many people.
The Imperial Concubine, in particular, flung everything at hand to the ground, shattering porcelain shards and spilling medicine, turning the bedchamber into chaos in an instant.
Since the miscarriage, her body has become increasingly weak, and this strenuous movement caused her to constantly clutch her chest and gasp for breath.
"I have never ordered anyone to assassinate the princess at Lingshan Temple!"
"It must be that little bitch, it's a ruse she used to drag me down with her!"
While tidying up the mess by the bed, Xiangying tried her best to patiently comfort the Imperial Concubine.
"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. Getting upset will harm your health."
"How can I not be anxious! My health was ruined by that little slut!"
"My poor, almost fully formed son hasn't even had the chance to open his eyes and see the world!"
The imperial concubine's chest heaved violently, and two streams of hot tears rolled down her reddened eyes.
"I want her dead!"
Xiangying suggested, "Why doesn't Your Highness write a letter to General Dingyuan? Surely, to protect Your Highness, the General will do everything in his power to handle the assassination attempt."
"Yes, I still have my father, I still have a chance."
"Quickly, fetch me paper and pen!"
This matter is of great importance. The gang of robbers that Zhang Feng was supporting were ostensibly from the prefect of the capital, but their real masters were actually the He family.
Just as He Qing received the letter from the Imperial Concubine, the servants sent by the Prefect of Kyoto arrived at the Dingyuan General's Mansion.
The emperor was already dissatisfied with him because of the Flying Tiger Army incident, and now, at this critical juncture, such an assassination attempt that was difficult to resolve occurred. In a fit of anger, He Qing drew a long sword from the display stand and stabbed the messenger through the neck.
He clutched the imperial concubine's letter, his hands trembling with anger.
"More trouble than they're worth!"
"In just a few months, how much trouble has the Imperial Concubine caused in the harem!"
"Not only is the Fifth Prince useless, but he also schemed so much that he lost the prince in her womb!"
He Qing cannot be touched at this moment, otherwise the emperor will find out his serious connections with the prefect of the capital, the dead Zhang Feng, and the bandits who assassinated the princess.
He told his servants to keep the mansion gates closed from that day forward and not to see anyone, including the Imperial Concubine.
Under the cover of night, Huo Lin tied the bandit leader into a sack and rushed him back to the palace.
The Empress Dowager's bodyguards were waiting at the palace gate in advance, and delivered a verbal message to Huo Lin before he entered the palace to meet the Emperor.
"The Empress Dowager has decreed that General Huo Lin shall immediately lead the Imperial Guards to search the palace."
"Search the palace?"
Huo Lin jumped off his horse, and a group of guards dressed in black appeared and carried away the burlap sack containing the bandit leader.
"General, remember, you never left the palace tonight. The assassins from Lingshan Temple were brought back to the palace by the Empress Dowager's personal guards who were sent to secretly protect the princess."
The man lowered his voice and whispered to Huo Lin.
"If the general does not want the princess to be suspected by the emperor of having an affair with a high-ranking official of the previous dynasty, this is the only way."
"Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you for your guidance."
"The Empress Dowager's tea has been poisoned. General, you must search carefully and capture the culprit."
The search of the inner palace was usually carried out by eunuchs; this was the first time the Imperial Guards had to be mobilized.
In the dead of night, the sound of horses' hooves startled the women of the palace.
"The Imperial Guards are ordered to search the palace!"
The search proceeded from south to north, with the first few palaces being the residences of Consort Xian, Consort Song, and Consort Xu.
The maid hurriedly knocked on Xiangying's door, "It's terrible, Aunt! The Imperial Guards have received an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager and are searching the entire palace for poisons!"
Xiangying said coldly, "What's the panic? Do you think we're hiding poison in Jinle Palace? If the Imperial Guards want to search, then let them in and search freely."
"I'll go and tell the Imperial Concubine to get up slowly. She's already weak, and you're all making a racket and disturbing her rest. You might lose your heads."
The young maid could only meekly retreat, unaware that Xiangying had already placed the poison in the Imperial Concubine's palace, waiting for the Imperial Guards to arrive.
When Huo Lin and his men stopped at the entrance of Jinle Palace, the Imperial Concubine had just woken up and was still dazed, unaware of the commotion outside.
Xiangying fetched a cloak and draped it over the Imperial Concubine, then helped her walk slowly to the main hall.
"Is His Majesty aware of General Huo's intrusion into the inner palace at night?"
"Your Majesty, I am acting on the Empress Dowager's decree to search the palace. Does the Noble Consort have any objections?"
"Empress Dowager?"
The imperial concubine instantly regained her senses, and even her eyes became much clearer.
"It seems the Imperial Concubine is unaware that the Empress Dowager's tea was poisoned by a villain. The imperial order to search the palace is precisely to find where the poison is hidden."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine's expression showed a moment of panic.
Why would that old hag, the Empress Dowager, bring up the poisoning at this time?
However, two months had passed since the incident, and the Imperial Concubine was not worried that the Empress Dowager would find anything of value in the palace.
"Reporting, General! We've found it!"
The Imperial Concubine, who had been sitting relaxed in her chair, stood up in alarm, staring in disbelief at the wooden box that the Imperial Guards had handed to Huo Lin.
"I have never seen this before!"
Huo Lin coldly said, "This matter is not up to me. You should go and explain to the Empress Dowager."
After saying this, several imperial guards disregarded the dignity of the imperial concubine and lifted her up.
The Imperial Concubine had never lost face so badly. Countless people on the palace road were eager to see her make a fool of herself. The Imperial Concubine wanted to struggle and cry out for justice, but she was afraid that more people would hear her voice and laugh at her humiliation.
And so, she was taken to Shou'an Palace like a puppet.
However, the Empress Dowager was not waiting for her in the main hall; only Aunt Wen was inside.
"The Empress Dowager is unwell and has gone to bed. She has decreed that the Consort should kneel here and wait for her to wake up before the interrogation."
This was a blatant humiliation; how could the Imperial Concubine swallow this insult?
"As a Noble Consort, I assist the six palaces. How can the Empress Dowager treat me like this!"
"A concubine is a concubine, one of the emperor's many concubines. No matter how she is dealt with, the empress dowager has her own reasons."
"Could it be that the Imperial Concubine intends to defy the imperial decree?"
The imperial concubine stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
Why did things turn out this way? The imperial concubine was somewhat dazed, her breathing became increasingly rapid, and finally her eyelids rolled back and she fainted.
But at this time, only the Imperial Concubine was left in the main hall of Shou'an Palace. She lay on the cold ground until the next morning.
The Imperial Concubine was carried to the Mingzheng Hall at some point, and the Imperial Physician Wang used acupuncture to wake her up. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking at her expressionlessly.
Upon seeing this, the imperial concubine hurriedly and hastily scrambled off the bed and knelt at the emperor's feet.
"Your Majesty, you must believe me! How could I possibly commit such a heinous act as poisoning the Empress Dowager!"
"Do you know that the Fourth Princess was assassinated at Lingshan Temple last night? The assassin was caught on the spot by the imperial guards and sent back to the palace."
The emperor paused, carefully observing the subtle changes in the imperial concubine's expression.
"The assassin has already revealed the mastermind, Consort, what explanation do you have?"
Just a moment ago, the Imperial Concubine was trying to explain the poison in the palace, but when faced with His Majesty's sudden attack, she was almost caught off guard.
She widened her innocent eyes, trying to make herself look pitiful.
“I hope Your Majesty can see the truth. Since losing my son, I have been unable to eat or drink and have been bedridden. I have been completely oblivious to what is happening outside Jinle Palace. I did not even attend the New Year’s Eve banquet yesterday. How could I possibly be plotting to assassinate the princess?”
When the children were mentioned, the emperor softened slightly, and his expression relaxed a little.
The imperial concubine immediately pressed her advantage.
"Your Majesty, I do not know who is so vicious as to attempt to assassinate the princess, but instead try to frame me and even target the Empress Dowager."
The imperial concubine choked back tears, which fell like pearls from a broken string.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then pressed for an answer with sharp words.
"The Empress Dowager was clearly speaking nonsense because she was poisoned, but you have repeatedly told me that the prophecies of the Imperial Observatory should not be disbelieved and that we must guard against the rumors of demonic calamities."
"The Imperial Guards have found poison in a very private part of the Consort's palace. Could all of this be just a coincidence?!"
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