As the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness, Xiao Che had already departed.
The previous dynasty was his battlefield; the magnificent Golden Palace would be a battlefield of swords and shadows. Lin Wanwan, however, slowly turned and walked towards her own silent battlefield.
The secret talks in the Imperial Study set the final tone for this impending final battle.
The Emperor and Empress, one in the open and one in the shadows, one in front and one behind, were like a pair of scissors about to close, ready to completely cut off the largest and most vicious tumor that had taken root in the court of the Great Liang Dynasty.
Lin Wanwan was the one who orchestrated all of this, the one who laid the trap.
She returned to Kunning Palace.
The moment one steps through the palace gates, the meticulously crafted, bone-deep stillness and desolation wash over them like a tidal wave.
The flowers and plants in the courtyard were neglected and looked somewhat messy. A few withered yellow leaves swirled in the cold morning wind, adding to the desolation. In the distance, a few eunuchs who were sweeping occasionally saw the Empress's entourage. They merely bowed lazily, their contempt and disdain in their eyes almost undisguised.
Throughout the entire palace, from the heads of the various palaces to the lowest-ranking palace servants, everyone knows that the Empress of Kunning Palace has completely lost the Emperor's favor and has been abandoned by him due to suspicions of "interfering in politics" and openly clashing with the Emperor in court.
Today, Kunning Palace is a veritable cold palace.
The current empress is nothing more than a living dead woman on her deathbed.
Lin Wanwan ignored it all, her face bearing a perfectly measured look of haggardness and desolation as she calmly entered the bedchamber. However, beneath the wide sleeves of her phoenix robe, the black iron tiger talisman, personally bestowed upon her by Xiao Che and representing the supreme command of the three thousand secret guards, exuded a cold and solid presence.
The cold touch calmed her heart, which had been boiling with excitement for the impending decisive battle.
"Passing on the Qin zither."
She gave the order in a weary tone, as if she had lost interest in everything.
Soon, Qin Zheng, dressed in the attire of a palace maid, hurried over. Along the way, she had already taken in the gloating glances of the palace servants. Although she was burning with anger, she remained calm and respectful on the surface.
"Your Majesty, you summoned me."
Inside the bedchamber, the light was dim, and a calming incense burned, which only made the atmosphere more oppressive.
Lin Wanwan leaned against the couch, her face pale (though deliberately made up), looking utterly dejected and recovering from a serious illness. She waved her hand, dismissing all the servants, leaving only Qin Zheng.
"Qin Zheng..."
Lin Wanwan's voice was weak and feeble, as if even speaking another word was extremely difficult.
"You must have seen my current state. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall crumbles, everyone pushes it down. It has always been this way." She laughed self-deprecatingly, a laugh filled with endless sorrow and resentment. "Your Majesty... he has finally abandoned me. The days ahead will probably only get harder and harder."
Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng immediately knelt down, tears welling in her eyes, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty! Please don't say that! His Majesty was only angry for a moment; he still cares about you!"
These words were spoken with such sincerity that anyone who read them would see a touching scene of a loyal servant protecting his master.
Lin Wanwan seemed touched by her words, her eyes slightly reddening. She sighed and slowly said, "Enough, things have come to this, there's no point in saying more. But... I can't drag you all down with me. You are the first lady-in-waiting I personally promoted, and the person I trust the most. Now that my power has waned, it's time to make some plans for your future."
Her words, which sounded like she was "making her last wishes," made Qin Zheng's heart skip a beat, but she immediately understood.
—The main event has begun.
Lin Wanwan straightened up, her gaze seemingly unfocused as she looked into a certain direction, and slowly said, "Now, the only thing I can rely on is the title of Empress and your position as Shanggong. Before they depose me, you, go and do one last thing for me."
She paused, her voice extremely low, as if she had used up her last bit of strength, yet each word resounded clearly in Qin Zheng's ears like thunder.
"I, the Palace, must know," Lin Wanwan said, her eyes instantly turning sharp as knives, "where every penny of the Regent's Palace is spent; where every grain of food in this palace is sent!"
This order is so massive it's unbelievable!
Investigating the flow of funds in a prince's mansion and monitoring the movement of resources throughout the entire palace is no longer a simple investigation; it is about undermining the foundation of a massive political group!
No one would dare to issue such a secret order unless they possess absolute power and confidence!
Qin Zheng was deeply shocked, but her face remained sorrowful. She kowtowed heavily, her voice trembling with emotion: "Your Majesty! Do you want to... seize their weakness and prove your ability to His Majesty? This servant understands! This servant will do it even if it costs me my life!"
She perfectly misinterpreted this secret reconnaissance order before the final offensive as a disfavored empress's unwilling final struggle.
"Go," Lin Wanwan waved wearily, lay back down, covered half her face with the blanket, leaving only her dull eyes visible. "Be careful, don't give anyone a handle to use against you. I... can no longer protect you."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Qin Zheng kowtowed again, then stood up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned to leave with a sense of tragic grandeur, like the line from the poem "The wind howls and the Yi River is cold."
The door to the sleeping quarters was slowly closed, cutting off all outside light.
In the darkness, Lin Wanwan slowly sat up from under the brocade quilt.
All the vulnerability, resentment, and despondency on her face just now vanished in this moment, replaced by a calmness and sharpness as cold as ice.
She walked barefoot to the window and pushed it open a crack.
A cool breeze ruffled the strands of hair at her temples.
Looking out the window at the desolate scene, and at the self-righteous palace servants who were laughing at her, a cold, mocking smile slowly crept onto her lips.
Everyone thought she was a phoenix that had lost its power, its wings broken, and was trapped and died in this cage called Kunning Palace.
Little did they know that the phoenix rises from the ashes, reborn from the flames.
The broken wings are a facade; the true purpose is to lie dormant.
She was not the prey.
She is the hunter who is about to close the net!
...
In the following days, Kunning Palace became increasingly deserted, as if it had truly become an isolated island forgotten by the world.
Qin Zheng, leading her female officials, began to operate with unprecedented efficiency. They were like drops of water, silently merging into every corner of the enormous machine that was the imperial palace.
Using their legitimate power to inspect palace supplies, they examined the accounts of every crucial department, including the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Kitchen, and the Imperial Treasury. Their presence was felt in every inconspicuous corner, recording the flow of every resource and every unusual activity by personnel.
An invisible, intricate net, woven from countless eyes and ears, was rapidly spread across the entire palace, centered on Kunning Palace, without anyone noticing.
Finally, late at night on the third day, the first compiled intelligence report was delivered to Lin Wanwan.
Qin Zheng's expression carried a mixture of barely concealed excitement and seriousness.
"Your Majesty, we've discovered something!"
Lin Wanwan received the intelligence and quickly began to work on it.
Most of the intelligence we gathered so far consisted of minor, peripheral clues that, while confirming the regent's disloyalty, were not fatal.
Until her gaze fell on the last one.
It was a piece of intelligence that seemed extremely ordinary.
"...Yesterday, the Imperial Household Department purchased a batch of 'tung oil' and 'cloth' far exceeding the usual amount, with the account records stating the purpose as 'repairing various palaces and buildings.' However, in reality, it was not distributed to the palaces, but was secretly sent to a long-abandoned storeroom in the northwest corner of the palace..."
Tung oil...cloth...
Lin Wanwan's eyes froze the moment she saw those two words.
She abruptly stood up, strode to the huge palace map on the wall, and her eyes, sharp as lightning, instantly locked onto that inconspicuous location in the northwest corner.
There, in fact, was the "A-shaped warehouse" that housed the heavy armor of the previous dynasty!
At that moment, all the clues connected in her mind!
Tung oil is the best combustion aid!
Cloth is the best kindling!
An abandoned warehouse, a batch of weapons that had been strictly sealed off, and now this huge quantity of accelerants...
Regent Xiao Yuan's intentions were far more than a simple coup!
Lin Wanwan's eyes instantly became incredibly sharp, as if they could pierce through the layers of palace walls and see into the depths of that storeroom, where the darkest madness was hidden!
Wars often begin in the most inconspicuous places.
And so is destruction.
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