Chapter 142 The Real Purpose: Male Concubines in the Harem...
Fu Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the person who came was Guard Zhang.
He returned the bow and arrows to their original place, then quickly walked to the door and opened it.
The guard outside the door looked at Fu Yun, who had just opened the door, with a serious expression. She looked him up and down, and seeing that he did not seem to have any obvious external injuries, her tense expression relaxed a little. Her eyes were slightly tired: "It's good that you're alright, otherwise I would have lost my head."
Fu Yun was already used to Zhang Shiwei's slightly humorous way of speaking. He chuckled and shook his head, not responding, but simply asked, "Has something happened in the palace? Why hasn't His Majesty returned from court so long today?"
Guard Zhang said, "A squad of secret guards has defected, and the situation in the palace is not good."
"What?" Fu Yun's heart tightened. She quickly let Zhang, the guard, in, then hurriedly closed the door and asked worriedly, "Is His Majesty alright?"
Guard Zhang shook his head and replied truthfully, "His Majesty is fine for the time being, but the traitors are scattered throughout the various palaces, attempting to break through the palace defenses one by one and completely fall into the hands of the imperial palace. Among them are four important court officials who were kidnapped on their way to court."
At this point, Guard Zhang frowned, her eyes turning cold and filled with murderous intent: "What's infuriating is that these villains dared to send someone to the court to declare that His Majesty must personally go to rescue the people, or else those ministers will be torn apart by five horses."
She grew angrier as she spoke, her eyes filled with fury: "If it weren't for the need to extract the whereabouts of those ministers from this person, His Majesty would have already executed her in the court. How could she have had the opportunity to spout such nonsense in court?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun couldn't help but feel anxious: "So how is it now? Have you found out their location?"
Guard Zhang shook his head and said in a deep voice, "No, that person is adamant and won't budge, so he must have already made up his mind to die. Right now, enemy troops are attacking outside the gates of Lingzhou, and there's also a traitorous betrayal within the palace. His Majesty is currently stretched thin, so after taking the messenger away, His Majesty discussed countermeasures with the court officials. It's just that because of the sudden traitorous betrayal, His Majesty was worried about you, so he sent me to find you."
At this point, she showed a look of lingering fear: "I just saw someone trying to force their way in. Luckily, I arrived in time and caught them in the act. If I had been half a quarter of an hour later, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Fu Yun had a plan in mind. It seemed that these traitorous guards had been closely monitoring the movements in Zhilan's palace from the shadows. They probably suspected that someone was hiding inside, but hadn't seen anyone else enter. That's why they were using the trick of knocking on the door to test the waters. If someone opened the door, she would knock them out and take them away. If no one responded, she would break into the palace to find out what was going on.
It was fortunate that Fu Yun was always meticulous in her thinking; otherwise, if she had actually opened the door, she might have fallen into a trap.
For these traitorous secret guards, the more hostages they captured in the palace, the greater their chances of victory.
Fu Yun felt a little strange. Zhi Lan had said that the secret guards were all trained by her personally and were her most trusted personal guards. How could there suddenly be a traitor at this time? Could it be that someone was impersonating a secret guard to disturb Zhi Lan's mind?
Thinking of this, Fu Yun voiced her doubts: "I remember Her Majesty said that the secret guards are all her personal soldiers trained by her, and there shouldn't be any traitors. Based on your understanding of the secret guards, do you think your colleagues would betray you?"
Guard Zhang shook his head firmly: "No, the reason we became secret guards is because His Majesty has been so kind to us. Most of us secret guards were born into poor families and lost our families at a young age. If it weren't for His Majesty's kindness in taking us in and teaching us skills, we would have frozen to death on the streets long ago. It's not that His Majesty intentionally trained us to be secret guards, but that we willingly served His Majesty. From the day we became secret guards, we swore a solemn oath that we would serve His Majesty to the death, even if it meant going through fire and water. If we dared to have the slightest disloyalty, may we be struck by lightning and die without a burial place."
Fu Jun was shocked: So their loyalty to Zhilan was because of her good deeds back then.
He increasingly realized that his understanding of Zhilan was far too one-sided; she was far more outstanding than he had imagined.
Fu Yun suddenly thought of something and tentatively asked, "Do you think it's possible that someone is impersonating a bodyguard?"
"For example, using human skin masks to disguise oneself, thereby confusing the public and leading them by the nose through falsehoods."
Before Zhang, the guard, could respond, he added, "You said that they only took the minister hostage and did not kill him to silence him or intimidate the court. It is obvious that their real target is His Majesty. So this person must be dissatisfied with the court or have some serious injustice."
Guard Zhang's pupils contracted, and he immediately understood: "You know what, there really is such a possibility. I was just saying that those traitors' behavior was a bit suspicious, quite different from their usual habits. We secret guards have a professional habit of never looking directly at our targets, because such a gaze can easily alert them. Although these traitors were deliberately imitating, their imitation was a mess, always giving people a shifty, sneaky feeling, which was particularly incongruous. At the time, I felt that something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Now I know the crux of the matter is this."
Fu Yun said, "That's right. The most important thing right now is to find out the true identities of these assassins and what their real needs are."
Guard Zhang nodded, agreeing with Fu Yun's point of view: "I must report this to His Majesty as soon as possible, so that she knows that the secret guards have not disappointed her."
She paused, then solemnly reminded him, "Your safety is of utmost importance. Remember to be careful and never fall into the hands of assassins or spies, otherwise His Majesty will face a difficult decision and find himself in a passive position."
Fu Yun nodded and replied just as seriously, "I know, I will be careful. Don't worry, if I am ever held hostage by them, I will rather kill myself than let them use me to threaten His Majesty."
Guard Fang was slightly taken aback, then hurriedly waved his hands: "Don't think like that. I'm just reminding you not to get captured by them, not telling you to commit suicide after being captured. If His Majesty knew that my words made you consider taking your own life, he would blame me for being too talkative and have my head chopped off."
Fu Yun waved her hand: "It's none of your business. That's what I was thinking anyway. Of course, we don't need to be so pessimistic. This is just preparing for the worst."
He didn't want to dwell on the matter and quickly changed the subject: "Are you going to see His Majesty now? Can I go with you?"
He explained, "There have been unexpected situations these past few days. I don't feel at ease unless I see His Majesty safe and sound with my own eyes."
Guard Zhang frowned slightly, a troubled look on his face: "This..."
Fu Yun waited patiently.
Guard Zhang let out a breath and stated bluntly, "Male concubines in the harem are not allowed to participate in politics."
Fu Yun: "..." What the hell is this about male concubines in the harem not being allowed to participate in politics?
Goodness, is this a line you often see in TV dramas?
The problem is, he never intended to get involved in politics, did he?
He was just worried about Zhilan, afraid that she would really face the difficulties alone and encounter some danger, and he would be unable to help her at all, only able to fumble around aimlessly. This was definitely not the situation he wanted to face.
If someone can't even lend a hand when their beloved is in trouble, what's the point of having them as a lover? Just to be a pretty face?
A real man does real things, not empty sweet talk.
Things are accomplished through actions, not just by saying a few comforting words.
Fu Yun continued to plead, "I'll just stay hidden in the shadows, not entering the court, and not participating in the discussions. I'll just stay in the shadows and keep His Majesty company. Is that alright?"
Seeing the pleading look on his face, Guard Zhang finally couldn't bear to refuse again: "Alright! I'll take you there, but you can't let the ministers find you, otherwise it won't be good for His Majesty's reputation."
Fu Jun replied sincerely, "I know, thank you for your willingness to help. I won't put you or His Majesty in a difficult position."
Guard Zhang waved his hand: "No need to be polite, I know you are also worried about His Majesty's safety."
Fu Yun glanced at the clothes she was wearing and asked, "Could you get me a set of palace servant's clothes?"
Guard Zhang instantly understood Fu Yun's intention: "Of course, I'll have someone fetch a set right away."
After she finished speaking, she opened the door and left without waiting for Fu Yun's response.
Zhang, the guard, called from outside the door: "Hey, come here for a second."
"Yes, it's you."
"Go get me a set of clothes."
When the palace servants went to fetch the clothes, Guard Zhang stayed outside the door the whole time.
Before long, Guard Zhang pushed open the door and came in carrying a set of clothes.
She handed the clothes to Fu Jun: "Please change into these!"
Fu Yun opened it and couldn't help but twitch her lips: "..."
I knew this would happen. Before I could even say what he was warning him, Guard Zhang opened the door and left.
This is a lake-colored palace maid outfit. I wonder what it would look like on a grown man like him. I doubt he could even be seen in public!
Seeing him frown as he looked at the clothes, Guard Zhang explained, "This is what palace maid outfits are like; there's no choice. Go and change quickly."
Fu Yun said, "I remember Xiao Jingzi's palace servant uniform was dark-colored."
Guard Zhang said dismissively, "Let's just find a place nearby. Don't be picky. We need to hurry over there."
Fu Yun sighed helplessly and had no choice but to take the clothes to the inner hall.
After he changed his clothes, he realized he was in trouble; the palace dress was much too short.
Normally, it should reach the ankle, but on him it went all the way up to his calves, which looked a bit odd.
Fu Yun frowned, wanting to take it off on the spot, but when he thought of Zhi Lan, he endured the discomfort and walked out of the inner hall.
[Hahaha~] Xiao Ba was laughing hysterically in his mind at Fu Yun's ridiculous behavior.
Isn't this great? Wearing this little skirt, she actually looks quite alluring.
Fu Jun got annoyed: "Shut up."
Okay, okay, I'll shut up. Actually, it really looks good. This color suits you well and makes you look even more like a lotus emerging from water.
Fu Yun angrily said, "Get lost."
Xiao Ba obediently shut his mouth.
As Fu Yun walked out, Guard Zhang looked up and saw her pause slightly, then her expression became somewhat subtle. She seemed to want to laugh, but she suppressed the laughter in her eyes and said insincerely, "It's quite good, it's not an insult to your appearance."
Fu Yun: "..."
He said dryly, his face expressionless, "You'd better hold it in if you want to laugh, or I'll make you go get your clothes again."
Guard Zhang immediately straightened his expression and said seriously, "Let's go!"
The two left Zhilan's palace, and before they even reached the Qianqing Hall, they saw people rushing out of the hall.
Fu Yun paused in his tracks. Had the court session ended? Had a solution been found?
Seeing this, Guard Zhang quickly pulled Fu Yun away and hid behind a large pillar.
After everyone had left, Guard Zhang led Fu Yun to the side of the Qianqing Hall.
The two of them had just arrived at the side gate, panting, when they saw Zhilan heading towards the bedroom, escorted by palace servants.
As Fu Yun was debating whether to follow His Majesty or tell her that he was right behind her, a hidden arrow shot rapidly toward the location where Zhi Lan and the palace servants were...
Author's note: The fog is about to lift!
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