Volume One: If Life Were Only as It First Met
Midnight Visitor
Who would have thought, it was the Empress herself who came.
As the day drew near to dusk, the sunset glow floated down, and the Ziyun Pavilion restored its tranquility. Looking far into the distance, Hong Yuan could clearly see that the Prime Minister’s residence was still searching with all its might.
The Prime Minister’s residence was heavily guarded. An incident as significant as an intruding assassin would surely be reported to the court. By then, Hong Yuan’s injuries would once again be suspected.
“Who goes there?” Hong Yuan sensed someone lingering outside the window.
“Tower Master, it is I.” Ye Ming’s voice was weak, her injuries not yet healed, but she was still worried about Hong Yuan.
“What is it?” Behind the curtain, Hong Yuan hid her pale face, unwilling to be seen.
“I… wanted to come and see you.”
Ye Ming was anxious and uneasy. She had been hit by six swords, varying in depth, and coupled with the internal injuries inflicted by the two black and white individuals, her whole body was very weak.
“I am fine. You should rest and recover.” Hong Yuan had no heart to deal with Ye Ming, as her thoughts were always drifting to Qin Junlan.
She always had a vague sense of unease. Qin Junlan would even suspect her if she felt unwell, let alone the incident of an assassin at the Prime Minister’s residence. If she were Qin Junlan, how would she test her true condition?
“Tower Master, I have one more thing to report.” Ye Ming still had not left.
“Speak.”
“Today, in the backyard, I accidentally encountered Bai Ruoxi. I failed in my duties and let her see that I was injured…” Before the words were finished, the door opened, and Hong Yuan’s face was dark and bloodless.
“You said Bai Ruoxi knows about your injury?” Her voice was accompanied by a slight hoarseness. Ye Ming’s heart ached, but she didn’t know how to respond properly, so she just nodded gloomily.
She endured the pain and wanted to kneel to confess her guilt, but Hong Yuan held her up, saying, “Go back and rest. You don’t need to worry about other matters.”
“Xun’er…” Ye Ming couldn’t help but call out, but Hong Yuan’s face darkened, and she sternly said, “Xun’er is also for you to call? Withdraw!”
“This subordinate was discourteous.”
No matter how severe the sword wound, it could not compare to Hong Yuan’s harsh words. Ye Ming’s nose tingled with sourness, but there were no tears. She turned around, limping with her injured leg, and moved forward with difficulty.
“Ye Ming.” A cold remark came from behind her.
She stopped in her tracks, not daring to turn back. Just one more look, and she feared she would fall even deeper. She wandered the world, met many people, experienced many things, and everything in the world was like fleeting clouds, except for Hong Yuan, who, at some point, had hidden herself in her heart.
“In this world, I only care about two people, one is my mother, and the other is the Sect Leader. I saved you because you are still useful to me. Do not indulge in wishful thinking and harbor those inappropriate thoughts.” Hong Yuan’s tone was indifferent. Her cold words were like a sharp sword piercing Ye Ming’s heart. Ye Ming had never dared to have delusions, and she knew the person the Tower Master cared about was the Sect Leader, but hearing her say it personally, her heart still throbbed with pain, a hundred times more painful than the whip punishment she inflicted on herself.
“This subordinate does not dare to indulge in delusions.” Ye Ming slightly bent, feeling the sword wounds on her body slowly splitting open, the pain spreading all over her body.
“Pass down the order, let the shadow guards temporarily withdraw. If there is any abnormality in the Ziyun Pavilion tonight, do not act rashly.”
“This subordinate obeys.”
The moon ascended to the treetops, the night was enchanting. At a fixed time every day, Hong Yuan must sit quietly to regulate her breath. The Ziyun Pavilion was by the river, the breeze was gentle, the river’s surface was calm. A black figure lightly tapped the water surface, flying gracefully across.
The person in black landed on a treetop, crossed the glazed tiles, and fell onto the Ziyun Pavilion’s terrace. A cold light suddenly appeared, the short weapon in his hand emitted a sharp gleam.
That person carefully and lightly pushed open the boudoir door, easily entering. The bright moon was in the sky, lighting up the night, casting shadows in the room, slowly moving towards the bed.
Suddenly felt a palm wind attacking, a familiar fragrance entered her heart. She turned to dodge, the sharp weapon attacking Hong Yuan. Hong Yuan barely dodged, the person in black quickly struck with a palm, the move extremely fast. Hong Yuan reached out to meet the palm but was shaken off by the palm wind, her body leaning back, about to hit the corner of the table.
The pupils of the person in black dilated, in the moment of shock, without a moment’s thought, hurriedly grabbed her hand.
A warm feeling came from the palm, familiar yet strange. With a gentle pull from the person in black, Hong Yuan fell into her embrace.
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Moonlight shone into the room, Hong Yuan met her eyes, clear yet deep, the whole starry sky couldn’t fill her eyes. The two of them gazed at each other under the moon. The person in black had her face covered, but her eyes were too familiar. In the whole world, besides Qin Junlan, no one had such deep and bright beautiful eyes.
But she had to pretend not to recognize the person in black. She reacted first, pretending to launch a sneak attack. Qin Junlan instinctively dodged, the other hand cautiously struck with a palm. Hong Yuan couldn’t dodge in time, fell to the ground from the impact, and spat out fresh blood.
The person in black stood in shock, holding up her palm, not knowing what to do. She had clearly only used thirty percent of her internal strength. Her brows furrowed, wanting to step forward to help her up, but was unable to move.
Hong Yuan gazed at her, pretending to ask, “Who are you?”
“Miss?” Mujin’s voice suddenly sounded. The person in black hurriedly flew out the window and quickly left.
Before Hong Yuan could get up, Ye Ming and Mujin burst through the door. The two of them were shocked to see Hong Yuan injured. Mujin hurriedly helped Hong Yuan up, while Ye Ming, despite her own injuries, attempted to give chase.
“Don’t chase, I know who it is.” Hong Yuan calmly wiped the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth. The person in black didn’t really want to harm her; it was just that her internal injuries hadn’t healed, causing her to vomit blood from the palm strike.
“Could it be… the Empress’s people?” Mujin speculated suspiciously.
Ye Ming blew a whistle, like the cry of a night hawk, and several black shadows appeared, quickly searching in the direction of the person in black.
“Hmph… I struck her with a palm, and she returned it with a palm, truly clearing the score.” The slightly red corner of her lips, as if wearing makeup, although showing signs of illness, still presented the image of a beauty in her twilight years.
“Who would have thought the Empress’s suspicion would be so heavy.” Mujin supported Hong Yuan and spoke angrily.
“Since ancient times, which ruler wasn’t suspicious? If they didn’t keep three points of doubt about everyone, how could they guard their empire, cough cough…” Hong Yuan’s body had not yet recovered and began to gradually feel cold again.
Ever since she was injured, she had to face the torment of the cold poison relapsing daily.
“Tower Master, let me help you regulate your breath.” Ye Ming, as an expert in the martial world, although injured, could still feel that Hong Yuan’s internal breath was unstable. In the entire Suyuan Tower, only her skills could help channel energy to heal her.
“No need.” Hong Yuan decisively refused but suddenly found her body unable to move. Ye Ming had actually pressed her acupoints.
“Ye Ming, are you crazy?” Mujin was so shocked that she couldn’t speak. She actually dared to press the Tower Master’s acupoints.
“Sorry, Tower Master. After this, you can take Ye Ming’s life if you wish.” After saying this, she helped Hong Yuan to the bedside, then raised her eyes to the already stunned Mujin and said, “Are you not coming to help?”
“Ah? I…”
Forget it, in order to heal the Tower Master, we can only “rebel” together. Hong Yuan, whose acupoints were pressed, could not move or speak, but her cold eyes were covered with a layer of frost.
“Please don’t blame us. Your injury really makes us worry.” Mujin avoided her gaze; that sharp look was truly unbearable for her.
Ye Ming sat cross-legged behind Hong Yuan, palms up, sinking her breath to her dantian, channeling her internal energy to her palms, and easily sending it to Hong Yuan’s back.
Hong Yuan closed her eyes slightly, allowing the internal energy to merge with the true qi Ye Ming was transmitting, indeed temporarily suppressing the pain brought by the cold poison.
But she couldn’t shake off the scene just now in her mind: Qin Junlan nervously holding her hand. She clearly felt the sweat seeping from her palm. She had considered many possibilities for Qin Junlan to test her, but she hadn’t expected her to come personally.
On the Suyuan Tower, the wind and clouds surged, but downstairs, it was a scene of paper drunkenness and lantern riddles.1 It was the enchanting time of night, the moment of pleasure for the elegant courtesans.
The night scenery of the capital city was pleasant, with ten thousand families’ lights illuminating the paths of the night. The lanterns on the streets formed a halo, with crisscrossing main roads and alleys, presenting a unique charm.
Li Yue anxiously waited in front of the carriage, accompanied by several shadow guards, waiting for Qin Junlan’s return. Originally, she intended to send a few shadow guards to test Hong Yuan’s skills, but Qin Junlan ultimately couldn’t feel at ease, fearing that those sent might not know their limits and accidentally injure her.
What if Hong Yuan was really just an ordinary woman with some self-defense skills?
“Lady Li, Her Majesty has returned.” A shadow guard reported, and in the distance, a figure gracefully approached.
Stepping over the tile rooftops, flying along the eaves, the figure lightly landed in front of the carriage.
“Your Majesty, are you alright? Finally, you’re back.” Li Yue was extremely worried. The Emperor wearing night attire to a brothel was enough to make anyone tremble with fear. Yet, her master doing unconventional things for Hong Yuan was no longer surprising to her.
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Qin Junlan removed the face mask, face solemn, the brows frowning into a river shape, “Li Yue, do you think the Prime Minister’s residence might have anything worth investigating?”
“Uh? You wouldn’t…”
“How about we go investigate the Prime Minister’s residence again?”
Li Yue was so shocked that she hurriedly knelt down, and several shadow guards also followed suit and saluted.
“You are the ruler of a country. Such matters of investigating residences should be left to servants like me. You have already lowered your status for Miss Hong Yuan; you must not act like this again. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!” Li Yue kowtowed deeply, and Qin Junlan sighed slightly, “Alright, get up. Shadow guards, listen to the order: Disguise yourselves and investigate the Prime Minister’s residence. Remember to be cautious. If exposed, retreat immediately.”
“Yes!” The three shadow guards instantly moved away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Coming without a trace, leaving without a shadow, that is the essence of the shadow guards’ existence.
Back in the palace, Qin Junlan stayed sleepless all night, sometimes getting up to read memorials, sometimes flipping through medical texts to look up cold-related illnesses.
She couldn’t help but clench her palm, the hand that accidentally injured Hong Yuan, how did it become so out of control?
Qin Junlan couldn’t sleep, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles, wanting to visit Hong Yuan. When they first met, she accidentally hit and injured her. Now, in testing her, she hurt her again. Truly, it was tit for tat.
Before the third watch (11 PM to 1 AM), Li Yue noticed that the lights in the bedchamber were still on. The palace maids had already withdrawn, but Qin Junlan had fallen asleep at the desk, with an ancient book titled 《Collection of Cold Illnesses》 pressed under her hand.
It was the book she had specially found for Qin Junlan during the day. Since returning to the palace, Qin Junlan had remained sullen.
“Ah, Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a country, why put yourself through this?” Li Yue covered her with a cloak, extinguished the candle on the desk, and stayed by her side, hoping she could get a moment of rest.
“Your Majesty…” Suddenly, the voice of the head eunuch echoed. Just as Li Yue was about to send him away to report later, Qin Junlan suddenly woke up.
“What is it?” She squinted her eyes, regaining clarity in a moment.
“The Grand Academician has an urgent letter delivered.”
“Bring it up.” She rubbed her eyes, making herself wake up as quickly as possible. At any time, matters of state and court affairs were more important than rest.
Li Yue obeyed, retrieved the letter, and relit the lamp for Qin Junlan.
Opening the secret letter, it clearly recorded the investigation of the tribute silver matter. Although the escort officer and more than a dozen transport soldiers were detained, these people were secretly killed shortly after entering the Death Bureau.
“Bastards! How dare they kill to silence witnesses within the palace prison!” Qin Junlan was furious, these people were simply challenging her bottom line.
She was determined to personally investigate who could stir up a bloodbath under her nose.
“The ones who coveted the tribute silver initially planned to take the silver unnoticed, but didn’t expect the robbers to only spread the silver around to create chaos. Now the amount cannot be matched, and they killed to silence witnesses, making it even more suspicious.”
“Correct, this precisely indicates that there are still people with ulterior motives in the Ji Dynasty, or rather, there are still people in the court with rebellious intentions.” Qin Junlan’s gaze was like a torch, as sharp as an eagle.
She would not tolerate any rebel or traitor. If anyone wanted to steal her kingdom, she would definitely execute their entire clan!
“Li Yue, go to the Death Bureau!”
The matter of the tribute silver was little known. Qin Junlan did not use the Ministry of Justice, nor did she let the Astronomical Bureau intervene, just because she was wary of those people. But Ji Qiuchen was different; she was Qin Junlan’s mentor, who had taught her the ways of governing the country, the ways of a gentleman, and the ways of the officialdom.
She ascended the throne at a young age, with an unstable foundation, relying entirely on the Grand Academician and the Prime Minister to control the court, suppressing opposing forces, allowing her to realize her ambitions and firmly sit on the dragon throne.
The Death Bureau was set up in the palace, with hidden cells and layers of guards. Not to mention that ordinary people would find it difficult to enter, even palace people would find it hard to come and go. Now, someone could kill inside without anyone knowing, which was truly horrifying.
If not for inside and outside collaboration, it must be a master from the martial world who can freely traverse the palace, which is also extremely terrifying.
The palace prison was dim, and the morgue was even more filled with gusts of eerie wind. Seeing Qin Junlan personally arriving, Ji Qiuchen hurriedly performed the rites of ruler and minister.
“Grand Academician, please rise quickly.” Qin Junlan held him in great respect.
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“This old minister is incompetent, unable to find any clues, the trail has gone cold.”
“Those with intentions cannot be guarded against, teacher need not blame yourself.”
A piece of white cloth covered more than a dozen corpses, resembling the underworld, isolating life and death.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the coroner’s examination found that these people had no external wounds; all died from sudden heart attacks. Each had a red mark on their back, resembling a palm print but not quite.”
Qin Junlan’s expression was grave. Li Yue lifted a piece of white cloth and turned the bodies over; indeed, there was a distinct red mark. She pressed her fingertip into it forcefully and then pressed the sternum of the corpse. “The internal bones are shattered? Could it be…”
“What is special about this?”
“This servant has heard of a martial arts technique in the martial world called the Fierce Heart Palm. Those struck by it appear fine initially but are actually poisoned by fire. If they do not have profound internal strength and do not receive special treatment, they will die from sudden heart attacks.”
“Such an evil skill exists?” Ji Qiuchen had never heard of it.
“This servant has only heard of it, but has not seen it with their own eyes.”
Qin Junlan remained silent, turned around, and said, “If it really is someone from the martial world, find out this sect.”
Even if she has to dig three feet into the ground, she will find the person behind this.
Footnotes
- Paper drunkenness and lantern riddles: An idiomatic expression describing a scene of extravagant revelry and festivities.