Chapter 4
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Let's rewind to the night before the palace banquet.
Qi Nian'an suddenly opened her eyes, met Li Xiaoran's gaze, carefully traced her best friend's complete features, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
"An entertainer by day and an assassin by night, that's incredibly dedicated."
Under the same moonlight, Li Xiaoran stared intently at the folk deities practicing their routines, holding Qi Nian'an's hand and gritting her teeth as she spoke.
"Oh."
Qi Nian'an looked up, her gaze passing over the surrounding bushes to her best friend's familiar face. She held her friend's hands tightly, refusing to let go, a surge of anger and fighting spirit burning fiercely in her heart.
"I'm determined to find out which bastard is the one who eats the plaintiff and then the defendant, kills the emperor and then the empress, and even takes advantage of the chaos to bomb the palace."
Hilarious, if they had that kind of ability, they might as well start a rebellion.
According to the original script, Yun Wang had planted more than just her in the palace. According to yesterday's note, the target was the emperor. The assassin with the sword was Yun Wang's man, but the person who shot the arrow was uncertain. Based on the trajectory of the arrow, it was very likely aimed at her.
What happened during the explosion?
Who has the ability to plant such a massive amount of explosives without anyone noticing, causing the deaths of countless innocent people, and who is it aimed at?
The epicenter of the explosion should have been where her best friend, Li Xiaoran, was located...
But it wasn't written in the script at all. Li Xiaoran didn't have any real power in the military or political arena, so who would want to kill her?
No matter who it is, I must protect Li Xiaoran and make that person wish they were dead.
Li Xiaoran felt the hand gripping her tighter and tighter, squeezing her painfully. She turned to the side and saw her close friend's face growing increasingly gloomy. A wave of heartache washed over her.
Let me tell you some gossip.
"Didn't you cause a scene at the banquet hall the other day? The day before, the general on duty in the palace who arrested Xiao Linzi was suspected by Shao Sizhi of forming cliques and was imprisoned along with him. His daughter, Consort Qi, is also in the palace. A couple of days ago, I went to Consort Yi's Yi Mei Garden. Guess what I saw?"
Qi Nian'an had no interest in listening to gossip and just responded with "uh-huh" and "yeah".
The excited voices around him gradually subsided, and the silence that filled the space became increasingly prominent.
"Consort Qi was caught red-handed by Noble Consort Yi while on a date with a guard. It wasn't a big deal at all. Noble Consort Yi actually told me that Consort Qi accidentally bumped into them. I saw the two of them being so intimate that they didn't even know what the world was like!"
Li Xiaoran, clinging to her last bit of stubbornness, watched as Qi Nian'an hunched over, got up, and walked back, leaving her standing there.
Qi Nian'an was reviewing the situation. The most urgent task now was to disarm the explosives and then give the assassins and performers who had been secretly sent to the palace laxatives. That way, only the assassins who would shoot arrows from the shadows would be left. As long as he could find out the location of the assassins, he could save Shao Sizhi. Shao Sizhi would definitely trust him!
The moonlight meandered through the shadowy figures moving about in the twilight. The palace servants on duty always felt that there was a sinister shadow following them, but when they looked back, there was nothing there.
Strangely, that night, the guards on duty at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests clearly heard a hissing sound of floor tiles being dragged inside the hall, and then the hall door slammed open, only to find it empty.
Inside the meticulously arranged hall, bricks and stones were cracked, mud and dirt were flying everywhere, and tables and chairs lay across the cracked bricks.
It's haunted!
At this moment, Qi Nian'an, who had been forcibly squeezed into her best friend's luxurious bed, was really tired.
She slept until the sun was setting, and feeling satisfied, she stretched and yawned before pouncing on her best friend who was eating fruit, excitedly sharing her magnificent feat.
Li Xiaoran, on the other hand, took it all in stride, nodding and occasionally offering compliments like "really amazing" or "great!" before silently rubbing her lower back in a resentful mood.
Just as the two were at an impasse, a palace servant came to report that, for some unknown reason, all the performers had taken leave because they had eaten something bad and were stuck in the outhouse. They had no choice but to ask the palace's original song and dance troupe to play some of their usual tunes.
Qi Nian'an was abruptly interrupted before he could finish speaking, and the unfinished exciting parts in his heart burst forth like a flood. For a moment, the sounds of both men and women echoed throughout the Empress Dowager's bedroom. Li Xiaoran was annoyed to find that the "werwerwerwer" sounds had drowned out the palace servants' reports.
Helpless, Nan Zhi dragged Qi Nian'an, who was still sharing with Yu You, to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
As soon as Qi Nian'an entered, the noisy surroundings instantly fell silent. Her seat was in a corner, and whether it was intentional or not, there was no one around.
She entered the hall without any hindrance, and everyone who passed by her stepped aside, accompanied by flashbacks of her whispers that she had been wildly throwing around a few days earlier.
In the corner, there was a young girl whose face was unfamiliar. Her hair was covered with a variety of silk hairpins and ornaments, as if she wanted to stick all the colorful silk flowers in her hair. She was wearing a pink embroidered cross-over jacket, and the silver embroidery on her body shone with a warm light, making her particularly dazzling.
When Qi Nian'an looked over, she turned her head away without showing it, but the silver cup in her hand seemed to be crushed, and the hot water gradually overflowed, scalding her fair wrist red.
Have I offended her?
Qi Nian'an quietly asked Nan Zhi, who insisted on following behind.
Nan Zhi lowered her voice: "This is Wu Anlin, the youngest daughter of General Wu Chu of the Jinwu Guard. She entered the palace at the age of fifteen and was granted the title of Consort Qi. That day, you made a scene and dragged the Ouyang family into it. General Wu Chu was on duty that day and was implicated in the incident. I guess Consort Qi was flustered because of this."
The one who was caught having a secret rendezvous with a guard!
Qi Nian'an understood instantly, but a strange feeling welled up in her heart.
If Consort Yi had caught her, how could Consort Qi be sitting here unharmed in such a serious matter?
"Consort Yi used to be on good terms with Consort Qi. Ever since Consort Yi entered the Cold Palace, Consort Qi has been depressed and unwilling to show her face in the harem anymore. But she seems to have regained her spirits these past few days. How strange."
Nan Zhi murmured.
Upon hearing this, Qi Nian'an broke out in a cold sweat, her heart pounding as if it were being squeezed.
A net of inescapable traps slowly enveloped her, becoming the widest and most boundless shadow.
Everything makes sense now.
"Nanzhi, go find Empress Dowager Ling. Take the main road through the palace and enter through the main gate. Be careful."
She grabbed Nan Zhi's sleeve and squeezed it so hard that it created a few wrinkles.
Nan Zhi responded and left, where a full pot of wine had already been placed on the table.
She picked up a glass and drank it all in one gulp, one glass after another. She finally felt a little tipsy, and with the stimulation of the alcohol, she felt her fear lessen considerably, turning into a thrilling pursuit.
This revived banquet is like a cat-and-mouse game, a back-and-forth affair.
She looked up and saw Shao Sizhi sitting at the head of the table, a smile on his face, seemingly unaware of any danger.
He leaned on Consort Yi's shoulder, the two holding hands, extremely intimate. Shao Sizhi showed no trace of the contempt he had shown that day, only boundless warmth, his eyes full of doting affection.
Seemingly noticing Qi Nian'an's gaze, he glanced in their direction and then pointed at Qi Nian'an.
"Consort An, please pour wine for Noble Consort Yi."
Consort Yi's expression froze for a moment, but she did not show any abnormality. She simply smiled faintly and then subtly withdrew her hand from Shao Sizhi's grasp.
Shao Sizhi tightened his grip on her shoulder, his knuckles turning white.
Qi Nian'an was a little tipsy and didn't see the wine pot next to him. He picked up the wine on his table and strode in front of the two people, pouring it carefully.
How much did you drink?
Shao Sizhi frowned unhappily and gave her a deep look.
"Your Highness is so clever, and so is His Majesty. You are both so clever."
Qi Nian'an kept pouring, the wine overflowing and soaking Shao Sizhi's robes, but she was completely unaware, as if the water in that glass could never be filled.
"You're being insolent."
Shao Sizhi grabbed her wrist, pulled her back slightly, and looked down at her, his affectionate eyes once again filled with disappointment.
Qi Nian'an's mind was filled with the image of his tragic death after the palace banquet and the subtle difference he showed to her across countless intersecting timelines.
She looked directly at Shao Sizhi and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I see that you can never keep the water level in this cup, and I can never fill it up."
"It's strange that I'm always going to disappoint you."
She took the wine from Consort Yi's hand and, under Consort Yi's astonished gaze, staggered towards Consort Qi.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Consort Qi's face grew even paler, and her head drooped deeply.
She was trembling.
At this moment, Qi Nian'an was basically certain that Consort Qi was involved in the assassination attempt. She felt guilty towards her and was even more wary of her.
Tonight's banquet was already a trap, a situation where they could easily catch a fish in a barrel.
With a smile on her face, Qi Nian'an straddled Consort Qi's table and leaned against her seductively.
"The hairpins and ornaments on your head are beautiful. Are you planning to open a jewelry shop and, while you're at it, gather some suitable weapons for the assassins you're looking for?"
Consort Qi froze on the spot, her face turning deathly pale.
Qi Nian'an laughed out loud, reached out and pulled out a silver hairpin, gesturing as if shooting an arrow at Shao Sizhi, then a wave of sadness slowly welled up inside her, and she pouted and rolled her eyes at him.
Shao Sizhi, unusually puzzled, suddenly stood up and stood there watching her actions.
She ignored the man and turned back to chat, lowering her voice as if she were talking to Consort Qi, saying, "It's a minor matter if the general on duty in the palace is incompetent or has chosen the wrong side."
"Consort Yi used your affair with the guards to threaten you, asking the Wu family to tamper with the guards, right? Did she tell you she only wanted to kill me? But have you considered what if her target wasn't just me?"
"To assassinate the emperor in full view of everyone is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. If the treason succeeds, guess who will be the one to be punished?"
Qi Nian'an looked directly into her eyes. By now, his drunkenness had dissipated, and his eyes were filled with determination.
“I can help you. Tell me the location of the hidden arrow, and I will help you survive. You know, Consort Ling is my protector; she won't let anything happen to me. Likewise, I can protect you.”
Qi Nian'an continued to persuade her, casually plucking the most dazzling crimson silk flower from her hair.
"You're crying because I bullied you, stole your flowers, and called you ugly."
Despair slowly crept into Consort Qi's eyes as she looked at her with a complex expression, tears streaming down her face, her wine cup trembling even more in her hand.
She spoke in a hoarse voice, "It's my fault that the Wu family was ruined. If Ah Qi and I hadn't been caught, my father would never have ended up like this... But I had no choice, I really had no choice."
After saying this, Consort Qi lowered her head.
Suddenly, the wine was spilled on her dress.
Consort Qi openly and sternly pushed her away, while secretly glancing at Consort Yi's expression, and then took several steps back.
Nearby, Qi Nian'an's hand, which was around Qi Pin's shoulder and neck, was gripped tightly. Qi Pin shouted as she quietly slipped a note into Qi Nian'an's palm and squeezed her hand tightly.
At the head of the main hall, Shao Sizhi couldn't tell whether the man was drunk or doing it intentionally.
"Consort An, can't you just behave yourself?"
He beckoned Qi Nian'an to sit beside him.
Qi Nian'an casually rolled the flower into a ball and fastened it to her lapel.
Upon hearing this, the bright red silk flower, as if it had come to life, grinned wickedly and strode forward with an evil dance, landing right beside him.
Shao Sizhi looked at her flushed cheeks with a headache.
The girl's beautiful eyes and brows were full of vibrant energy and brilliance, like the blazing sun.
That is something that cannot be ignored, and it is hard to look away from.
Qi Nian'an laughed wildly, reaching out to wrap his arms around his neck, the faint scent of alcohol wafting into his nostrils.
She bent down, pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, and hid it behind her back to read it herself.
"Due south, northeast side, central pillar, north-facing."
"Turns out I'm quite influential, inviting so many people."
As Shao Sizhi listened to her muttering, he lowered his eyes, his well-defined hand resting casually on her profile, his long, slender fingers carelessly twirling the crimson silk flower.
"You're something else. I can tell you're restless if you don't cause trouble every day."
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