Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 30
by Little PandaPower Overwhelming the Court
Deposed Empress 05
Covering the Sky with One Hand
The candlelight flickered drowsily as Xin Lan finished telling her story, leaving little untold.
She had started from the original owner’s marriage and gone all the way to the edict of confinement.
Perhaps to gain leverage, Xin Lan also revealed the fact of her infertility.
“I never imagined he could be such a man…”
Qu Zhian murmured, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Xin Lan.
At first, she had only found her strange, but now the thought was far more bitter.
If she hadn’t woken up in time tonight, if she hadn’t escaped in time, what would the outcome have been?
Qu Zhian had initially believed the Emperor was a good sovereign worthy of her loyalty, one who could help her realize her ambitions. But thinking back now, he was nothing more than a cruel, despicable little man.
To treat a wife of several years, who had committed no fault, in such a manner — a man with a heart as cold as iron was absolutely not the kind of ruler she wanted. He had none of the bearing of an imperial sovereign. A man of such narrow mind could never go far.
And on top of that, tonight, he had schemed against her.
“You don’t need to look at me like that. It’s all in the past. I haven’t yet asked your name, sir. But if you’d rather not say, then don’t. We may never have a chance to meet again anyway.”
Xin Lan was stating the surface-level truth. One belonged to the court, the other to the inner palace — it was indeed unlikely they would cross paths.
But in reality, if there was no opportunity, they would simply have to create one.
“My name is Qu Zhian. The zhi from ‘an zhi ting lan’ and the an from ‘ping ping an an.’”
“Qu Zhian.” Xin Lan pronounced the name syllable by syllable, then smiled at her. “I’ve memorized it. Aren’t you afraid this could be used against you?”
“It should have been a very important secret, but now…” Qu Zhian’s face showed hesitation. “I don’t know when His Majesty discovered I am a woman. If he knew, why would he drug me and put me together with you? Unless…”
“Unless he wanted others to know you were with me, but didn’t want anyone to discover you are a woman.”
Xin Lan supplied the correct answer, the very one Qu Zhian had been about to say.
“But surely we would both be punished…”
Qu Zhian had always been sharp-minded, but even she couldn’t fathom the Emperor’s intent.
“What if he’s taken a fancy to you?”
“Me?”
Qu Zhian pointed at herself, stunned.
A gust of wind blew in from outside, making her shiver.
She was soaked through, clothes and all, and extremely uncomfortable. But since it was summer, it was bearable. More importantly, she absolutely could not change out of these clothes.
Yet what troubled her more than her physical state was what Xin Lan had just suggested.
“A Lord Qu of uncommon beauty, outstanding ability, utterly different from other women — if His Majesty knows you’re a woman, do you think he might be tempted by you? Perhaps he wanted to make a big scene. Accuse me of seducing you while you were merely drunk. Punish me, then take you to his palace. You’d be drugged, weak, disoriented, with a slight aphrodisiac effect. A man and a woman alone — what do you think might happen?” A mocking smile curled on Xin Lan’s lips, but her words didn’t stop. “Compared to a woman confined to the inner palace, a court official who can become a blade in his hand against his enemies — isn’t that far more useful?”
Xin Lan laid out the facts of the original plotline, watching Qu Zhian’s reaction. She saw her brow furrow deeply, a look of disgust spreading across her face.
Qu Zhian was genuinely nauseated by Xin Lan’s description. Her stomach churned.
But she knew this was no empty threat — it was a very real possibility.
She clenched her fists. Absolutely not.
She had left home and disguised herself as a man precisely to escape the fate of marriage, to avoid wasting away in some back courtyard. If it came to this, what would be the point?
Besides, she felt only the bond of sovereign and subject toward the Emperor. And after he had schemed against her today, after learning his methods were as petty as those of a back-courtyard housewife, his narrow-mindedness made her despise him even more.
Qu Zhian was agitated. The damp, sticky feeling of her clothes only worsened her mood.
Her original plan had been to serve the Emperor well. She knew the problem of the maternal relatives was a headache for him. She was a rising star he had promoted, destined to struggle against that faction and become a sword in his hand. He hadn’t needed to do this at all.
But no, he had to drug her, harboring that disgusting intention.
Qu Zhian felt a blockage in her chest, a stifling pressure that wouldn’t rise or fall.
Xin Lan took in every reaction, smiling inwardly. This was exactly the disgust she needed.
Only by making Qu Zhian slowly grow to loathe and distance herself from the Emperor could she be won over.
Poaching someone in this world wasn’t as easy as in the last. That had been a life-or-death arena, where switching sides at any moment was normal. But in this world, what Xin Lan wanted to do was take everything from the Emperor — and that inevitably meant treason. Of course, Xin Lan had no intention of becoming Emperor herself. If things really fell apart, a regent would be a far better position than a sovereign. But that was a matter for later.
In this situation, few people would even entertain the thought of rebellion. Even if Qu Zhian was disgusted with the Emperor now, at most she would resign from her post and leave — assuming she could leave. In any case, she couldn’t yet be recruited into Xin Lan’s camp.
After all, disgust alone wasn’t enough to make someone commit to anything — unless they were exceptionally arrogant or unhinged.
Xin Lan understood this very well. In her past life, she had stood on the Empire’s side, serving the Emperor. There had been ministers in the court who were dissatisfied with him, and eventually, traitors had emerged. Internal strife could be contained, but the most terrifying thing was colluding with the enemy.
This thought suddenly led Xin Lan to think of Consort Man.
Xin Lan calculated how much time had passed since the incident. Zero Nine gave her an exact number.
It was about time.
“Lord Qu, you should leave. It’s best to say someone pushed you into a pond. I trust you can handle that yourself.”
Qu Zhian nodded at this.
“I’m sorry for the trouble tonight, Your Majesty.”
“You don’t need to call me that anymore.” Xin Lan smiled, knowing Qu Zhian was trying to preserve her dignity. “Just call me by my name. Xin Lan. The lan from ‘yan lan yun xiu.’”
“Miss Xin.”
Qu Zhian inclined her head.
“I’ll lead you out. You don’t know the palace paths. I’ll take you to the small lake. If you’re going to put on an act, you might as well go all the way.”
“Thank you.”
Qu Zhian had almost completely come to believe in the scenario Xin Lan had hypothesized. As far as she was concerned, Xin Lan had done her a great favor.
Xin Lan put on her clothes and glanced at Qu Zhian’s chest.
Whether it was naturally flat or bound tightly, there was no visible sign of anything unusual.
Chun Yue and He Hua saw the two emerge from the room, Qu Zhian drenched from head to toe. It didn’t look like anything had happened.
Xin Lan led Qu Zhian to a nearby lake, then waved goodbye.
Qu Zhian watched her soaking wet hair still dripping, then looked at the figure retreating leisurely in the distance. The light in her eyes dimmed.
When she raised her head again, she put on a bewildered expression, wandering aimlessly forward as if she had no idea where she was.
Xin Lan returned to the palace and sat down.
For now, she had survived this deadly crisis. She had no idea what the Emperor would do next. If this scheme failed, who knew what backup plan he had?
She had succeeded in driving a wedge between Qu Zhian and the Emperor, at least for now. Anyone would feel uncomfortable knowing their superior might be harboring thoughts of workplace sexual harassment.
So, who should she target first?
Xin Lan had no one she could use in the court yet. The Xin family’s power was vast, yes, but that was the Xin family’s power, not hers.
The Xin family was certainly ambitious. First, they had sought the glory of a house full of high officials. Then, when the new Emperor wanted to eliminate them, they had to dig their roots in even deeper to protect themselves, to avoid a miserable end. They had to make it so the Emperor couldn’t touch them — at least not for now.
So they had pinned their hopes on the Empress in the inner palace, hoping she would bear a dragon son who would one day inherit the throne, allowing the Xin family to continue its prosperity. But the original owner had been unable to bear a single child, and the inner palace had no heirs at all.
Since she couldn’t strike at the court for now, she would start with the inner palace.
But before that, Xin Lan still had one thing to do.
Having completed the task His Majesty had assigned, Hong Huan walked out of the palace gates.
He didn’t know why His Majesty would go to such trouble to scheme against the deposed empress who was already in the cold palace. But as a trusted agent, he didn’t need to ask. He just had to follow orders.
He pushed open the door and entered his home. A subconscious sense of wrongness prickled at him, but before he could react, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck, and he blacked out.
Xin Lan stepped out from behind the door, dusting off her hands.
This was the man who had knocked on her door, followed her, kicked open her door, and spoken to her. Even if the Emperor had ordered it, the principal offender bore guilt, and so did the accomplice.
She couldn’t deal with the Emperor yet, but couldn’t she take out her anger on the underlings?
Fortunately, he lived alone. Otherwise, she would have had to lure him away halfway.
Looking down at the unconscious man on the ground, Xin Lan gave a very faint smile.
Zero Nine had seen that smile before. It had appeared on Xin Lan’s face in the last world, right before she went to beat up Zou Yunfei.
Xin Lan didn’t go for a killing blow. She didn’t even leave any visible marks on his body. She only used her internal energy to plant a needle in his waist.
The whole thing took less than a minute. She walked inside, took all the silver, and deliberately knocked over and smashed a few things to make it look like the place had been ransacked.
She used her lightness skill to leave, all the way back to the palace, and climbed in through her own window.
After stashing the money, Xin Lan took off her clothes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, going back in time, while the banquet was still in progress…
When he heard the report from his subordinates, the smile on Wu Yanqing’s face faded somewhat.
The underlings read the room, and even the volume of conversation dropped.
The banquet was nearly over anyway, and Wu Yanqing had other things on his mind, so he dismissed everyone early.
Back in his inner chamber, the man kneeling on the floor laid out the whole story.
“You lost track of a woman?!”
Wu Yanqing couldn’t help but bark. He paced in front of the man, tempted to hurl whatever was in his hand at him, but held back.
“Did you find her?”
“No, Your Majesty. I searched along that path and found nothing. She wasn’t in the cold palace either.”
“Useless!”
Wu Yanqing’s anger was hard to quell. His chest heaved continuously.
None of this had gone according to his plan. It should have been a perfect outcome, but now it had turned into this.
Not only was the target of his scheme unharmed, but the other one had vanished.
“Your Majesty, the Top Scholar has been found.”
A palace attendant entered to report.
“What? Where? Bring her in.”
Wu Yanqing’s eyes lit up. He immediately ordered the person brought in.
Soon, a drenched Qu Zhian entered and performed a bow to the Emperor.
“You may withdraw.”
Wu Yanqing flicked his sleeve, and the kneeling man quickly retreated.
“We were wondering where you had disappeared to during the feast. Where did you go? How did you end up in such a state?”
Wu Yanqing asked with great concern.
Qu Zhian forced an embarrassed smile, but inside, she felt a chill.
This man had schemed against her. He knew everything. And yet he could pretend nothing was wrong and show concern for her. What a blessing this concern was.
“This humble subject doesn’t know either. I had a bit too much to drink and wanted to get some air outside. A maidservant told me to rest in the pavilion ahead and that she would bring me hangover soup. But somehow, I found myself soaking in the lake. I scrambled out, but I didn’t recognize the way. I suppose I was too drunk and wandered there in a daze. It took me ages of wandering before I found a palace attendant.”
Qu Zhian smiled, looking quite embarrassed, her face flushed.
“You really are a scatterbrain.”
Wu Yanqing coaxed. Qu Zhian had never noticed his words and tone being so ambiguous before, but now she was acutely sensitive to it.
Perhaps it was the thief who thinks everyone else is a thief. Qu Zhian now felt that every word and action of the Emperor’s seemed off, filled with an ambiguous flavor she found deeply repulsive.
But she had no choice but to pretend not to notice. If she exposed him or showed even a hint of awareness, the outcome would be something she didn’t want to see.
She only wanted to be his subject. She wanted nothing else.
“Then this humble subject will take my leave and go home to change.”
“Why not rest here in Our palace? We’ll have someone bring you a suitable set of clothes.”
“There’s no need to trouble Your Majesty. It’s not too late yet. This humble subject would like to return as soon as possible.”
Wu Yanqing met Qu Zhian’s eyes and had no choice but to nod.
“Very well. Go on, then. Even though it’s this time of year, be careful not to catch a chill. Remember to drink something warm when you get home.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
Qu Zhian couldn’t bear to face him any longer. She needed to go home and sort herself out.
Qu Zhian returned home. She didn’t yet have an official residence and was renting a small courtyard.
After bathing and drinking a cup of hot tea, she sat by the table in clean clothes.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating her troubled face.
Qu Zhian hadn’t expected to make it this far.
At first, she hadn’t wanted to be forced into marriage, so she had left a note telling her family not to find her a husband or accept any matchmakers. She had taken a few hundred taels of silver and a family heirloom jade pendant and set out.
It might have been a bit unfilial, but Qu Zhian wanted to live freely. Her father had always told her that the most important thing in life was to be happy, so she went off to be happy.
Born into a merchant family, she had never been bound by many rules. She had learned a great deal just by osmosis from a young age.
Away from home, in just two years, she had built a considerable fortune from that small amount of silver. During that time, she had sent letters home for her family to take over the business, then used her own earnings to travel. She went south of the Yangtze, met two like-minded friends, and had a wonderful journey. After parting with them, she continued on until she reached the capital.
It happened to be the year of the imperial examinations. She wrote freely, drawing on everything she had seen, heard, and thought. She hadn’t really set out to make a name for herself — she wasn’t particularly ambitious. And her identity was a special case; being discovered would be no joke. But she never expected that a whim would bring her this far.
She had been happy at first, especially when debating with the Son of Heaven in the Golden Throne Hall and arguing with people in the tea houses. She had even planned to enter the court, serve the country, and never marry.
But she never imagined that so much would happen in a single night.
Qu Zhian undressed and lay down to sleep, but she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
One moment it was the Emperor’s former attitude, the next it was his scheming, then that gorgeous but cold face — and finally, it all converged into the scene of that hand, refusing to be refused, pressing the back of her head down against her chest.
Soft and delicate, warm fragrance seeping into the bone.
Qu Zhian sat up abruptly in bed and shook her head.
But when she lay back down and closed her eyes, there was Xin Lan, speaking in the wooden tub, sitting on the bed combing her hair, her words laced with mockery and her expression cold. She was beautiful in every way.
Qu Zhian let out an unconscious sigh and fell asleep with a heavy heart.
The next day, when Wu Yanqing noticed Hong Huan reporting for duty with a gloomy expression, he casually asked what was wrong.
“Last night, when this humble subject returned home, I found the place had been burgled.”
Hong Huan gave a wry smile. His entire savings had been cleaned out. He had only woken up today when the sun shone on him, finding himself lying in his own courtyard.
He didn’t mention the embarrassing fact that he had been knocked out. An imperial guard, knocked out in his own home by a thief — it was too shameful to talk about.
The Emperor’s plan had failed the night before, putting him in a bad mood. But after a night’s sleep, he felt much better, so he offered a few words of comfort to his subordinate and walked past him.
After the Emperor left, Hong Huan rubbed his waist. It felt a bit off, but he couldn’t pinpoint anything unusual, so he didn’t think much of it.
In the cold palace, Xin Lan began to work quietly. Of course, to outsiders, she still looked like she was just sitting around in a daze.
Xin Lan had Zero Nine make her a data table listing all the consorts in the inner palace and their respective power networks.
The Emperor’s harem wasn’t very large. The reasons had been mentioned several times before. Not counting Xin Lan, there were only about a dozen.
The relationships in the inner palace were also easy to sort out. They were mainly divided into five factions.
The four main factions were led by the Empress, the Noble Consort, Consort Man, and Consort Xi, plus a faction of those who stayed out of everything.
Of the consorts who had originally followed the previous Empress, only two had remained with Xin Long after her fall. Their fathers and brothers worked under the Xin family — either through marriage connections or as protégés. In short, they were all in the same boat, rising and falling together. The stance of two others was still unclear.
After all, human hearts were complex, not as clearly defined as data.
Xin Lan calculated. The Selection of Consorts should be coming up soon. The Emperor should have filled the harem when he ascended the throne, but he had put it off for three years, citing the need to observe mourning. Now it was the fourth year. This year, many ministers had submitted memorials about the issue of heirs. After all, a sovereign who had been on the throne for years without a single child was unprecedented.
Whether it was the Xin family or some of the old ministers, they all hoped the Emperor would begin the selection. The Emperor had been resisting the pressure for over half a year now, and it seemed he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
The Xin family was especially anxious now. Xin Long was not yet thirteen and couldn’t even receive the Emperor’s favor, let alone get pregnant. So they needed a child even more to stabilize their position.
The Xin family also knew that even if a child were born now, Xin Long was still a child herself. How could she raise one properly?
So they needed a woman they could trust, one who was on their side, to become pregnant. The Emperor was unwilling to touch any of the current consorts, so they had to insert new people. The Selection of Consorts was inevitable.
Xin Lan tapped her fingers on the table, thinking. She couldn’t make any moves herself right now. She would have to let her little niece do it.
In her room, Xin Long sneezed and rubbed her nose.
“Mingxiang, is the new sachet ready?”
“It’s ready. This servant was just bringing it to you. Here, have a sniff and see if you like it. This servant thinks it smells quite nice.”
Xin Long smiled at this, brought it to her nose, and took a light sniff. She nodded.
“It smells wonderful. Aunt really is amazing.”
“This servant has also had the small kitchen prepare the food. Would you like to try it first? Once you’re satisfied, you can present it to His Majesty.”
“Alright, have them bring it.”
Normally, food preparation was the responsibility of the Imperial Kitchen. But when the previous Empress had moved into Changqiu Palace, she had occasionally wanted to eat something at night, or brew some nourishing medicine, so a small kitchen had been set up. Now that Xin Long had moved in, she was making good use of it.
It was a small snack. Red fruits filled with crushed ice, looking both beautiful and delicious.
Xin Long had only meant to have a few bites, but she ended up finishing the whole bowl.
“This is both tasty and refreshing. Aunt is just the best. Tell them to make two more bowls. Pack one up and send it to Aunt, and give the other to me. I’ll take it to His Majesty.”
“Master, you can’t call yourself that anymore.”
Mingxiang reminded her helplessly. It was fine in front of her, but not outside.
“I know, I know. ‘This palace’ will have it brought. Hurry.”
Wu Yanqing was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study. A palace maid beside him fanned him. Basins of ice had been placed in the hall, so it wasn’t too stuffy.
“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is here.”
“What does she want?”
Wu Yanqing asked without looking up, dipping his brush in cinnabar ink.
“She’s brought some refreshments to cool you down.”
“Let her in.”
“As you command.”
Footsteps approached. Wu Yanqing set down the memorial he was holding.
“Your Majesty, this humble consort has brought you something to eat.”
The voice was as crisp as an oriole’s chirp. Wu Yanqing was startled. When he saw the little girl in the phoenix robe kneeling below, he suddenly remembered that he had a new empress now.
Facing the little girl’s innocent smile, Wu Yanqing sneered inwardly, but his face showed no expression as he nodded.
The bowl of snacks she presented gave off a cool, refreshing aura, making Wu Yanqing’s mouth water.
The little girl looked at him with expectant eyes. Wu Yanqing had no choice but to pick up the spoon and take a sip, preparing to send Xin Long away.
The food entered his mouth. The icy, smooth sensation instantly dispelled the summer heat. The red, berry-like fruit had a hint of sweet and sour. Wu Yanqing had been reviewing memorials with a restless heart, and he found himself eating spoonful after spoonful until he had finished the entire small bowl.
“Not bad.”
Wu Yanqing nodded. Seeing the little girl’s smiling face, he offered a smile of his own.
“Then this humble consort will not disturb Your Majesty’s work any longer.”
Xin Long said this with a serious expression, but her tone was lively.
Wu Yanqing watched her retreating back, a hint of regret in his eyes.
If only this girl weren’t a member of the Xin family. What a pity she had been born into the wrong family.
After returning, Xin Long was happy for a good while, pulling Mingxiang along. Then she sent Mingxiang to deliver the food to Xin Lan. When Mingxiang arrived, Xin Lan stopped her.
“Was His Majesty pleased?”
“Very pleased. He even smiled at the master. All thanks to the Third Miss’s idea.”
The original owner was the third daughter. Before she married, the household servants had called her that. Now that she was the deposed empress, those who were more respectful still called her ‘Your Majesty.’ Mingxiang was a member of the Xin family, so calling her ‘Third Miss’ was reasonable.
“Good, as long as he’s pleased.”
Xin Lan gave a faint smile. It wouldn’t kill him, but hopefully it would make him infertile. Unfortunately, that effect would be too slow.
But it didn’t matter. Xin Lan had a feeling Consort Man wouldn’t just sit idly by. For now, Consort Man was quite helpful to her plans.
“By the way, in the two days since Long’er entered the palace, has she gone to see Consort Liu?”
“Not yet… The master doesn’t know how to handle it.”
“Long’er is young. You’ll have to help her with many things. I imagine Consort Liu has been unwell and hasn’t come to pay her respects?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“Then as the Empress, she should go visit her all the more. Be very careful to watch everyone’s reactions. Don’t get too close, or we’ll end up with the same basin of dirty water splashing two members of the Xin family.”
“Yes.”
“It’s inconvenient for you to be running back and forth like this. It’s too conspicuous. From now on, I’ll have someone deliver messages to you and Long’er. Keep an eye out.”
“Yes.”
Mingxiang picked up her food box and left. Xin Lan drank the cool, refreshing treat and instructed Si Tong to handle a matter.
The Xin family had planted many hidden agents in the palace. The original owner had been operating for several years and wasn’t without connections. Sometimes, the most inconspicuous people could be the most useful.
As for sending messages, if Mingxiang was always the one coming, someone would inevitably notice and become suspicious.
But what if it was just the Imperial Kitchen delivering fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat to Changqiu Palace’s small kitchen?
Xin Lan bit down on a piece of fruit in her mouth, feeling the juice burst across her taste buds. She licked the juice from her lips with the tip of her tongue and continued eating her snack with a smile.
When Xin Long heard Mingxiang’s message, she immediately wanted to go to Consort Liu’s place. Mingxiu quickly stopped her.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t Aunt tell me to go see Consort Liu?”
“Master, please wait a moment. Don’t be too hasty. I’ve only just come from the Third Miss’s place. If you go now, anyone paying attention will inevitably connect the two.”
“But Aunt and I are family. They’re bound to connect us anyway.”
Xin Long asked, not quite understanding. What difference did it make whether she went now or later?
“But once you’re in the palace, the stakes are different.”
“How are they different?”
Mingxiu didn’t know how to explain it clearly to Xin Long. Xin Long was still an innocent young girl who had never done anything bad or seen anything ugly. Making her understand all the complexities of human relationships all at once was a difficult task.
Xin Long struggled but still couldn’t grasp what Mingxiu meant. She simply stopped listening. Her mother had told her that if she didn’t understand something, she should listen to Mingxiu. If she had to wait, she would wait.
Mingxiu watched Xin Long’s retreating back as she went into the inner chamber to rest, a worried look on her face.
Even if the Madam wanted to direct things, she was in the deep palace while the Madam was outside. It was a long whip that couldn’t reach.
In the past few days, she had seen clearly that the noble ladies in the palace were no easy prey. They were all watching with hungry eyes. Even the Third Miss had fallen into their trap. Her master was simple-minded and still young. She would probably be devoured by those women before she could even be divided up. For now, she could only follow the Third Miss’s instructions.
When the hottest part of the day had passed and the sun wasn’t so harsh, Xin Long took Mingxiang to Consort Liu’s residence.
When the phoenix palanquin arrived at Consort Liu’s dwelling, a palace attendant went in to announce her.
Xin Long walked inside and saw a pale-faced woman lying on the bed.
This was the woman who had lost her child, the basin of dirty water that had been splashed onto her aunt.
“How have you been feeling lately?”
Xin Long stood at a distance from the bed, looking at Consort Liu as she asked.
Mingxiu had said that her aunt had told her not to stand too close when visiting.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This humble concubine is faring well enough, but I am still not quite well, so I cannot rise to pay my respects. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
“It’s fine. Just lie down. This palace has only just entered the palace and hasn’t met you yet, so I came especially to see you.”
To be honest, the two of them were by no means on friendly terms. Although Xin Long was naive, she could still tell friend from foe.
There wasn’t much else to say. Forcing a conversation would be pointless.
Xin Long had only come because Xin Lan had told her to. She didn’t want to stay long, afraid something might happen.
When Xin Long returned to the palace, she finally felt something was off.
“Strange…”
“What is it, Master? What’s strange?”
“Why wasn’t she angry with me when she saw me? She didn’t seem angry at all. Losing a child is a very serious thing, isn’t it? If she thinks my aunt did it, why isn’t she even a little bit angry when she sees me?”
Xin Long murmured. Last time, a young master from some family had bullied her good friend, and she had been furious just seeing his younger brother.
“You are the Empress. She is only a consort. How would she dare to show displeasure toward you? Besides, your aunt is your aunt, and a niece is a niece. Perhaps she can separate the two. Even though we all know in our hearts that the Third Miss didn’t do it.”
“Is that so…”
Xin Long murmured, then put the matter out of her mind.
Besides this method, Xin Lan was also working on other food sources.
She had an informant in the Imperial Kitchen. Besides passing notes, this person was also responsible for relaying important information they overheard.
For example, that Consort Liu, who was lying in bed, was getting weaker by the day.
A miscarriage was a physically damaging thing, and medical standards at this time were very low. Xin Lan wasn’t surprised to hear this news.
But she hadn’t expected that within just two days, something would happen.
That night, while she was sleeping, Xin Lan was woken up by Zero Nine.
Zero Nine: Host, big trouble. Consort Liu is dying.
Zero Nine: She’s still struggling.
Xin Lan sat up in shock. She wanted to get out of bed and put on her clothes, then stopped.
In her current identity, even if she could save the person, what good would it do? She would never be able to explain it.
Zero Nine: She’s not going to make it.
Xin Lan frowned. If someone wanted to kill Consort Liu, it must be the person behind it all.
Zero Nine: She’s dead.
Zero Nine fell silent for a moment after speaking.
Xin Lan was silent too, a sharp glint appearing in her eyes.
Xin Lan wasn’t surprised. But why would Consort Man strike so ruthlessly?
The child was already gone. If the miscarriage was Consort Man’s doing, why was she still hounding her?
Xin Lan: And the killer?
Zero Nine: I don’t know. She was talking to her maidservant in bed, then suddenly grabbed her clothes and collapsed. She was dead in less than a minute.
Xin Lan’s brow furrowed even tighter. Without scanning the body, Zero Nine couldn’t determine the cause of death.
The night was as cold as water.
Thick clouds covered the moon, letting through only a hazy light. Even the stars were dim, with only a few still shining brightly.
They could not illuminate the world, nor could they illuminate the human heart.
Consort Liu lay limp on the bed, her face pale and blue, her chest still. She was already dead.
“Master, what’s wrong, Master? Wake up, Master!”
Ah Rou called out frantically by the bedside, gently shaking the person on the bed.
“Master, I’ll go get someone. Wake up, Master!”
Before Ah Rou could even react, she saw her master fall in agony, then go still after a few moments.
Ah Rou stretched out a trembling hand and placed it under the nose of the person on the bed. In an instant, her face turned pale as she lowered her hand.
“How can this be… how can this be…”
“It’s impossible. Master can’t just die like this.”
Ah Rou opened the door, about to run out, when a hand suddenly grabbed her.
“Ah Lan. Master is gone.”
Ah Rou’s voice was choked with tears, her expression as if the sky had fallen.
“Ah Rou, calm down. Listen to me…”
“You knew, didn’t you! It was her. I’m going to find her. I’m going to find her. Why did she do this to Master!”
“Listen to me!”
Ah Rou wouldn’t listen. She tried to rush out.
“I’m going to tell His Majesty. I’ll tell His Majesty everything!”
Ah Rou muttered, shaking off the hand that held her.
Suddenly, her neck was constricted. Ah Rou’s face turned bright red, and her feet kicked wildly.
“Things have come to this. Can’t you see what the wise choice is?”
The speaker tightened their grip on Ah Rou’s neck as they spoke.
“Ah Rou, I don’t want to hurt you. Calm down and listen to me. Tomorrow, if His Majesty asks, you will say that the master’s body was already very weak, and she couldn’t hold out through the night. Understand?”
“So… it was… you…”
Ah Rou thrashed, trying to scream, but only a thin, strangled sound could escape her throat.
“Ah Rou, she’ll give us a lot of silver to leave the palace.”
Ah Rou only grew angrier at this. She raised her foot and stomped hard on the foot of the person holding her.
Ah Lan cried out in pain and loosened her grip. Ah Rou seized the chance to run.
Ah Lan didn’t hesitate. She followed.
Ah Rou ran along the path leading to the Golden Throne Hall. She knew His Majesty wouldn’t be there, but as long as she could alert someone — anyone who wasn’t one of that person’s people — there was hope.
Ah Rou clutched her throat, which ached terribly.
She passed through an archway and stopped short. She saw a person standing ahead, looking around as if searching for something.
Ah Rou’s instincts screamed danger. She immediately turned and ran.
But the person seemed to have spotted her and rushed toward her.
Ah Rou could hear her own heart pounding. Then, footsteps came from the path on her left. She didn’t know who it was. She just wanted to escape.
She plunged into an unfamiliar path, but the footsteps seemed to follow her, impossible to shake.
She looked back and saw a figure closing in. She was at one end of a long corridor, and the figure was at the other. Ah Rou didn’t know if it was Ah Lan, but she knew the person was also running.
“Ah Rou.”
The person called out.
It was one of that person’s people!
Ah Rou was almost scared into tears. She wanted to scream, to wake everyone around her, but her throat wouldn’t make a sound.
The person behind her was about to catch up. Ah Rou ran as hard as she could, but she tripped.
She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain. She saw a palace ahead. If she could just run over and pound on the door, someone would surely come out to save her.
In her panic, she didn’t know where she had run or which way to go.
She limped forward and began pounding on the door, all the while watching the person running toward her.
Please, please open the door.
Ah Rou prayed desperately in her heart, knocking louder and louder.
Save me, save me!
If she was caught, she would die. She would definitely die!
She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to become a ghost beneath the earth.
Why were there no patrols at a time like this? Why was there no one?
The door still didn’t open, and the person was getting closer.
Ah Rou couldn’t push the door open. Ignoring the pain in her foot, she continued running forward.
She was grabbed by the collar. Her eyes widened in terror.
Without thinking, she grabbed the hand and bit down hard, then pushed back and stumbled forward.
She saw a corner. One side was a wall. She could only run toward the other side.
A hand suddenly grabbed her, yanking her hard, and covered her mouth.
Ah Rou’s eyes filled with despair. But then she heard a low voice behind her.
“Don’t be afraid.”
The author has something to say:
Ten thousand words, second update~ Third update at midnight tonight!
Commander: If I weren’t a double-A cup, would you still love me?
Lan-jie: No.
Commander (moved): So even if I am a double-A cup, you still love me.
Lan-jie: I’m so unimpressed by your shamelessness that I feel nothing at all.
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