When Qi Sheng led a host of court officials in a great procession toward the Cold Palace, what they saw were towering flames and a ground littered with corpses.
The officials broke into an uproar. The fire at the Cold Palace on New Year's Eve was no accident—a murder had also occurred!
When Qi Sheng saw the body of the woman being carried out by the Golden Guard who had gone to fight the fire, his expression had already turned ugly. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he demanded, "What happened? Did someone have the audacity to break into the Cold Palace at night and defile a concubine?"
The commander of the Golden Guard who had gone to extinguish the fire, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, cupped his fist and said, "This subordinate does not know. When we saw the flames from the Cold Palace and rushed over, this was already the scene."
Forgetting his imperial decorum, Qi Sheng's eyes looked ready to split as he roared, "Where is the vile intruder who broke into the Cold Palace?"
The Golden Guard commander bowed even lower. "This subordinate has already dispatched the Golden Guard to search the entire imperial palace. As long as that scoundrel has not yet left the palace, he will surely be caught."
Qi Sheng's face was so grim he looked like he could devour someone.
He had planned it all so meticulously. He had even procured the long-lost forbidden drugs, Bone-weakening powder and Rourouzhi. Why had Xie Zheng still managed to escape?
Wasn't it said that Bone-weakening powder could fell even a wild bull, and Rourouzhi could make a chaste woman more wanton than a courtesan?
Could it be that neither had any effect on Xie Zheng?
The fury of a failed, elaborate plan and the terror of Xie Zheng's potential retaliation tore at Qi Sheng, making his expression increasingly savage. Under the alarmed and bewildered gazes of the officials, he kicked over a half-full bucket of water that had been placed on the ground for firefighting and commanded in a harsh voice, "Search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you will find that vile intruder for Us!"
The Golden Guard commander accepted the order and led his men to search the entire palace.
Qi Sheng turned around amidst the ever-intensifying flames, his gaze dark as he looked at the panicked faces of his officials. "How outrageous! What do they take my imperial palace for? Tonight, I only banqueted the ministers of the court. All of your servants are waiting outside the Meridian Gate. Could it be that the one who fished in troubled waters and broke into the Cold Palace is one of my beloved ministers?"
The crime of defiling the imperial harem was no small matter. The officials exchanged glances, finding Qi Sheng's words utterly absurd.
Yet Qi Sheng didn't seem to think so at all, continuing with a pointed tone, "To be able to kill so many of my Golden Guard, his martial arts must be extraordinary!"
The only one who had been absent for a long time was the Wu'an Marquis. The implication in Qi Sheng's words was too obvious, causing the officials to fall into an even deeper, fearful silence.
It was true that Qi Sheng was the Son of Heaven, but from the moment he ascended the dragon throne, he had been nothing more than a puppet propped up by Wei Yan. The officials' reverence for him was less than their dread of Xie Zheng.
After all, one was an emperor with no real power, while the other was a border-defending Martial Marquis who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops.
The quicker-witted ones had already figured it out. The great fire tonight was likely a play deliberately staged by Qi Sheng. He had brought them here with the purpose of making them witnesses, to use the power of the entire court to nail a crime worthy of exterminating nine generations of kin onto the Wu'an Marquis.
It was just that some mishap had occurred midway, leading to the current situation.
The officials who understood this were instantly filled with boundless terror. If the Wu'an Marquis fell into Qi Sheng's hands, it would be one thing. But if he escaped this calamity, and they were forced to become "witnesses," wouldn't they be silenced by the Wu'an Marquis later?
In an instant, a great number of officials found their backs soaked with cold sweat.
Tang Peiyi, He Xiujun, and the others were at the rear of the group. Hearing Qi Sheng's words and thinking of how Xie Zheng had been gone for so long and Fan Changyu had also not returned, they exchanged a look, a shadow of worry clouding their brows.
Taiye Lake.
After being kissed by Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu was frantic with worry that the Golden Guard would search their way over. Xie Zheng was injured, and she didn't dare push him too forcefully, so she was held by the head and kissed for half a breath.
As Xie Zheng's lips moved down, nuzzling and pecking at the side of her neck, Fan Changyu vigilantly scanned the perimeter of Taiye Lake. After confirming that the vicinity was temporarily safe, she seized the opportunity to half-drag, half-pull the barely conscious man out of the water.
During this, Xie Zheng nudged open the collar of her robes, seeking the faint fragrance on her body in an attempt to continue kissing his way down. Fan Changyu, whether from the heat or extreme nervousness, felt her face flush red. She pushed his head away. She wanted to lash out, but knowing he was drugged and not in control of himself, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Endure it for a little while. I'll get you out of the palace."
She placed him on the ground, his back against a rockery. His face, which had been pale from the soak in the icy lake water, was now flushed with a faint red. His powerful chest heaved violently as he panted. His soaked lapels had fallen slightly open, revealing a section of porcelain-white chest. The snow-white inner shirt on both sides clung to his firm muscles, rendering it almost transparent.
His drenched black hair stuck to his collarbones and shoulders, giving him a clear yet bewitching look. His blood-red eyes no longer held any clarity, but they were fixed on Fan Changyu. "Help me..."
He had been drugged with Bone-weakening powder. Aside from cutting himself with his knife to barely maintain some strength, he found it difficult to even stand up.
He had endured for too long. The blue veins on his neck bulged, as if the blood vessels under his skin were about to burst.
Seeing him like this, Fan Changyu's heart ached. The thought of the emperor's filthy scheme filled her with uncontrollable rage.
She haphazardly wrung out her and Xie Zheng's soaked robes, then cupped his face with her own hands, which were equally cold from the lake water. "Not here. Someone could come at any moment."
His face was alarmingly hot, whether from the drug's effect or a high fever from being in the lake for too long. The moment Fan Changyu's hands touched him, he grabbed her wrist with his own hand, the wound on his palm soaked white, trying to press her closer.
Fan Changyu asked him, "Where did you put your court robes?"
He wasn't wearing his court robes. If he were found by the Golden Guard and the emperor used it to frame him at the Cold Palace, tonight's predicament would still not be resolved.
Perhaps soothed by the coolness of Fan Changyu's hands, Xie Zheng managed to regain a sliver of his senses. As he sucked and kissed her fingers, he answered breathlessly, "In the rockery grotto in the Imperial Garden."
Taiye Lake covered a vast area, divided into an East and West Lake. The East Lake was near the Cold Palace, which was where they were now. The West Lake served as the axis of the entire rear palace. The Imperial Garden was also beside the West Lake, with a stretch of rockery and stone forest even built along its edge.
After learning that Xie Zheng was going to investigate the Cold Palace at night, Fan Changyu had also studied a map of the entire imperial palace.
Therefore, the moment Xie Zheng mentioned the rockery grotto in the Imperial Garden, Fan Changyu immediately knew the location.
With the fire at the Cold Palace, the water in the large vats lining the Imperial Way had been used up. To fetch water more conveniently, the eunuchs and imperial guards fighting the fire would likely come to the East Lake. The West Lake side should be safe for now.
Fan Changyu used her teeth to tear a hole in her eunuch uniform, then ripped it into strips with both hands. She wrapped them around the wounds on Xie Zheng's palm and arm, saying, "I'll take you there now."
The fire at the Cold Palace was immense, and the Golden Guard patrolling nearby had probably rushed over to help. Carrying Xie Zheng on her back, Fan Changyu encountered almost no obstacles on her way to the rockery and stone forest in the Imperial Garden.
If there was any obstacle to speak of, it was Xie Zheng, who kept kissing the nape of her neck and tugging at her collar until it loosened. Fan Changyu nearly stumbled several times before she grimaced and chopped the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
After finding the stone grotto, Fan Changyu discovered that while the entrance was narrow, the inside was quite spacious.
Afraid of being detected, she didn't dare light a flint. Fortunately, there was an oval-shaped opening at the top of the grotto. Looking up, she could even see the not-quite-full, cold moon. The moonlight shining in from the opening at the top allowed Fan Changyu to see, albeit faintly.
She found the cloak and court robes Xie Zheng had placed inside earlier. Just as she was about to strip off his soaked clothes and wrap him in these dry ones, the flicker of torches flashed past outside the rockery, followed by the clatter of armor.
"Quick, quick! Seal the palace gates! An assassin has infiltrated the imperial palace! A concubine in the Cold Palace has already been murdered!"
Fan Changyu, holding Xie Zheng, immediately dared not move, afraid of making any sound that would alert the Golden Guard outside.
Unexpectedly, Xie Zheng woke up at this moment. A hoarse, low moan had just escaped his lips when Fan Changyu, in her haste, sealed it with her own.
He latched onto Fan Changyu's tongue almost by instinct. Weakened by the Bone-weakening powder, his kiss was gentler than before, yet it still left Fan Changyu breathless.
His body was much hotter than when they were by Taiye Lake. The blood beneath his skin seemed to be boiling, as if he had reached a critical point. If this continued, he would soon start bleeding from all seven orifices.
Through their soaked clothes, Fan Changyu could feel him like a branding iron against her.
Their panting grew heavier, yet the sound of footsteps was approaching.
Xie Zheng had completely lost his senses. Fan Changyu let him gnaw on her neck, but her eyes were cold and vigilant, fixed on the grotto entrance. She had even drawn the Boning knife hidden in her long boot.
The footsteps grew closer and closer. Fan Changyu's grip on the knife's hilt couldn't help but tighten. Xie Zheng, who was sucking on a piece of soft flesh on her neck, suddenly lifted his eyes. His blood-red phoenix eyes no longer looked human; they held only a cold, bloody killing intent, like an alpha wolf whose territory had been invaded.
Suddenly, a few shrill cat-cries, like the wails of a baby, came from the top of the rockery.
The Golden Guard who had been searching in this direction let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, "So it's just the palace's stray cats in heat."
He struck the branches near the rockery with his scabbard, startling two cats into howling and scattering in all directions.
The Golden Guard sheathed his sword and walked back. His companion up ahead asked him, "Did you find anything over there?"
The guard replied, "Just two stray cats. A false alarm."
The footsteps faded completely. The taut string in Fan Changyu's mind relaxed, and her whole body went limp. She leaned against Xie Zheng, panting.
The heat from Xie Zheng's body had steamed his water-soaked clothes warm. He lowered his head to kiss Fan Changyu's cheek, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, sweat beading on his neck.
Fan Changyu gently caressed his cheek, her fingers threading through his hair at his temples. She looked at the corner of his lip, bitten raw from extreme restraint. In her eyes, reflecting the moonlight, was nothing but heartache. She bit her lip and said, "I'll help you."
The Cold Palace.
The Golden Guard who had gone to search quickly returned, holding something in his hands. "Your Majesty, your subjects followed a trail of blood and found this mask by the East Lake of Taiye Lake."
Qi Sheng took the scarred face mask and examined it closely, his face unable to hide his excitement. He asked, "Where is the man?"
The Golden Guard commander lowered his head. "We haven't found him yet. The blood trail ends at the edge of the East Lake. This subordinate suspects the vile intruder escaped by swimming. I am ordering my men to search along Taiye Lake."
Qi Sheng's hand, clutching the mask, suddenly tightened. He cursed the Golden Guard commander, "Useless! You found something from the scoundrel's person, but you couldn't catch him? What use do I have for you bunch of rice buckets? Get back to searching!"
The Golden Guard commander accepted the order and hastily retreated.
The cold moon was desolate, its light scattering like frost.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Fan Changyu's temples. She turned her head to look at Xie Zheng's profile as he leaned on her shoulder.
He seemed not to have recovered yet. His long, dark eyelashes rested lightly on his eyelids. Two faint blushes bloomed on his pale face, completely devoid of the ferocity from a moment ago when he had gnawed on the soft flesh of her neck as if wanting to swallow her whole. He was quiet and docile.
Fan Changyu's breathing was also not yet steady. She wiped her hands on her soaked eunuch uniform and asked, "Are you better?"
Xie Zheng opened his eyes and nodded slightly. He raised a hand to press the back of her head and kissed her for a good while before letting go.
Just now, aside from their mutual panting, all of Fan Changyu's senses had been almost numb. She had no idea how much time had passed. She just took his court robes and put them on him. "The Golden Guard is searching the entire palace. We have to get out."
His middle layer of clothing was still wet, but his innermost shirt had surprisingly been dried by his body heat.
Xie Zheng, however, said, "Get the court robes wet too."
Fan Changyu frowned. "You'll catch a cold."
Xie Zheng pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't explain it to you right now. Just do as I say."
So Fan Changyu went out, threw his court robes into the water to soak them, wrung them out, and then put them on him. She wrapped the night suit in a large rock and sank it into Taiye Lake.
When all was ready and Fan Changyu helped Xie Zheng out again, she could clearly feel that his steps were still somewhat unsteady. It didn't seem to be purely from the aphrodisiac.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Xie Zheng said, "The effects of the Bone-weakening powder haven't worn off yet."
Fan Changyu's fingers, gripping his wrist, tightened. So he was also drugged with Bone-weakening powder!
No wonder Qi Sheng dared to think he could trap him with just a dozen or so guards outside the Cold Palace.
Fan Changyu squeezed three words through her gritted teeth: "Bastard! Emperor!"
She rarely cursed, and this was the first time Xie Zheng had ever heard her swear with such gnashing teeth.
He glanced at her in surprise. His heart felt as if it had been steeped in a warm spring, dissipating some of the gloom that had risen from being plotted against tonight. He even ended up comforting her, "Let's leave the palace first. We'll keep this debt on Qi Sheng's account for now."
Fan Changyu said no more, but her lips were pressed into a tight line.
In the end, the two did not get their wish. On their way to Taiji Palace, they ran headlong into Qi Sheng, who was leading a host of court officials.
Qi Sheng was fiddling with a leather-like object in his hand. Seeing the two of them, he immediately spoke with a cold smile, "Beloved Minister Xie, you went to change your clothes and never returned. You truly had Us worried."
The flush on Xie Zheng's face had completely faded, leaving only the pallor of excessive blood loss and a long soak in Taiye Lake. He needed Fan Changyu's support to walk, but his voice was as clear and steady as ever. "To have worried Your Majesty is this subject's fault."
Qi Sheng's gaze swept over the court robes on Xie Zheng, which had not been changed. A strange light glinted in his eyes as he pressed on, "We see that Beloved Minister Xie's wine-stained robes have not been changed. We wonder where you have been all this time?"
Tang Peiyi, He Xiujun, and the others cast worried glances at them.
Seeing the situation, Fan Changyu couldn't help but break into a sweat for Xie Zheng. His reply, however, was exceptionally composed. "I am ashamed. I was being led by a servant to change my clothes when I saw a thief flit over the wall. I thought that no mishap could be allowed to occur at this New Year's Eve banquet, so I went after the thief. Unexpectedly, I was drunk and lacked strength. After being injured by the thief, I carelessly fell into Taiye Lake. If not for the General of the Cloud Banner passing by, I fear I would have become a lost soul in Taiye Lake."
So that was why he had her wet his court robes.
While Fan Changyu was marveling at his ability to lie without batting an eye, the gazes of Qi Sheng and the hundred officials all swept toward her, whose hair and official robes were also soaked.
She acted as a human crutch, bringing out her signature skill. She stared with her large, rather round almond eyes and nodded, looking as honest as could be.
But her palms were slick with cold sweat.
Xie Zheng seemed to sense it. Under the cover of his wide sleeve, he gave her hand a discreet squeeze.
Qi Sheng asked Fan Changyu with a cold smile, "And why would the General of the Cloud Banner appear at Taiye Lake?"
Fan Changyu said with a stern face, "This general drank too much and wished to change my clothes. As soon as I left the hall, I saw fire in the direction of the Cold Palace. This general intended to go help fight the fire. When passing Taiye Lake, I discovered the Marquis who had fallen into the lake."
Receiving such an answer, Qi Sheng's expression became extremely ugly. He held up the disguise mask in his hand. "The Golden Guard followed a trail of blood and found this mask by the East Lake of Taiye Lake. Does Beloved Minister Xie recognize it?"
Xie Zheng looked closely at the mask for a moment and said, "It looks somewhat familiar. Although the thief I fought had his face covered, I remember he had a scar that ran from his brow bone across the bridge of his nose. I suppose that thief was in disguise. This mask must belong to him."
Faced with such sophistry, Qi Sheng was so furious he gritted his teeth. He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "What a coincidence. The scoundrel who broke into the Cold Palace was injured, and Beloved Minister Xie was also injured. I wonder if anyone else saw this thief you speak of?"
He was dead set on pinning the crime of breaking into the Cold Palace on Xie Zheng.
Fan Changyu looked at Qi Sheng, the coldness in her gaze no longer suppressible.
Xie Zheng, however, said calmly, "The eunuch who led me to change my clothes also saw him."
A flash of surprise crossed Fan Changyu's eyes, and even Qi Sheng's expression changed drastically. He demanded, "Where is that eunuch now?"
Xie Zheng's phoenix eyes, from which the blood-red color had not yet fully receded, met Qi Sheng's. A faint smile seemed to play at the bottom of his eyes, but beneath that smile was an undisguised, bloody killing intent that made Qi Sheng shiver involuntarily and retract some of the savagery on his face.
Xie Zheng withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "He cried out in alarm upon seeing the thief and was knocked unconscious. He is now in the side hall of Luanfeng Hall."
Qi Sheng's back was soaked with cold sweat. He knew that if Xie Zheng could not be convicted today, then one day it would be his turn to wash his neck and wait for Xie Zheng to come and sever his head.
Even though his heart was filled with fear, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Proceed to Luanfeng Hall."
He was certain Xie Zheng was bluffing.
To avoid arousing Xie Zheng's suspicion, he had not used anyone who knew of the plan for the eunuch guiding Xie Zheng. He knew no thief had entered the palace, so he concluded that Xie Zheng was making it all up.
As long as he found that eunuch and interrogated him, he could convict Xie Zheng!
Qi Sheng led the crowd at the very front, but his hands, clasped behind his back, were covered in cold sweat.
He kept reassuring himself, I just need to find that eunuch...
The large group proceeded to Luanfeng Hall.
Supporting Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu could clearly feel his arm growing hot again. Although he tried his best to control his breathing, it was still somewhat heavy.
She glanced at Xie Zheng with worry, but he stared straight ahead, his face showing no sign of anything unusual.
Fan Changyu couldn't tell if he was running a high fever from the cold or if the effects of that vile drug were resurfacing. It wasn't the time to talk, so she remained silent. But along the way, Xie Zheng's grip on her arm grew tighter and tighter. Though his eyes were still clear and sharp, sweat had begun to bead on his temples.
The Golden Guard quickly found the eunuch collapsed by a pillar. When the eunuch was woken with a bucket of cold water, his first instinct, based on the commotion he heard before being knocked out, was to shout, "There's an assassin!"
Hearing this, Qi Sheng's expression grew more savage. He kicked the eunuch square in the chest. "You dog slave! What assassin? Explain yourself to Us!"
The eunuch was kicked to the ground, unable to get up for a long time from the pain. Seeing the emperor and a host of ministers surrounding him, his face grew even more panicked.
Xie Zheng spoke up at this moment. "Eunuch, on the way to guide this Marquis to change his clothes, did you or did you not see a thief leap over the wall?"
At the time, the eunuch had only heard a noise from the top of the wall. But having been kicked by Qi Sheng and questioned about an assassin, with so many court officials watching him, he was terrified and his mind was a complete blank. He immediately went along with Xie Zheng's words, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! Someone did leap over the palace wall!"
With a witness, Xie Zheng could now completely prove his innocence for the night.
Qi Sheng staggered back a step. The eunuch who hastily supported him also looked extremely alarmed.
Qi Sheng's face was ashen. At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: It's over. I'm finished!
A flush had risen on Xie Zheng's face again. He covered his lips and gave a low cough, his cold gaze sweeping lightly over Qi Sheng. "This subject was injured in the fight with that scoundrel and caught a chill from drowning in Taiye Lake. Being ill, I am unable to assist Your Majesty in searching for that scoundrel any further, so I will take my leave from the palace first."
Qi Sheng's mind was buzzing; he couldn't hear what Xie Zheng was saying at all.
Xie Zheng left without receiving Qi Sheng's permission, and none of the court officials dared to make a sound.
Just then, an urgent report came from the long, narrow passage: "Report—An assassin has raided the Court of Revision and abducted the key criminals of the Sui family!"
At these words, the officials broke into an uproar.
Fan Changyu knew it must have been Xie Zheng's men succeeding in their raid on the Court of Revision, and she felt a sense of relief.
Unexpectedly, despite such a major event, there was no ripple on Qi Sheng's face. He didn't even question the Minister of the Court of Revision, who was among the officials at the banquet. Even the announcement for the officials to disperse and return home was relayed by the chief eunuch.
After following Qi Sheng to the Cold Palace, Tang Peiyi and the others had been holding their breath for Xie Zheng. It wasn't until now that they finally let out that breath in relief.
As the group left the palace together, Zheng Wenchang's sharp eyes noticed that the Wu'an Marquis ahead seemed seriously injured. With Fan Changyu supporting him, most of his weight was leaning on her slender shoulders. Zheng immediately moved to assist.
Tang Peiyi grabbed him by the collar and asked, "What are you doing?"
Zheng Wenchang replied, "The Marquis appears severely injured. How can we let General Fan, a woman, bear his weight alone? I'll go help support him."
The look Tang Peiyi gave him was indescribable, finally saying only, "Stay out of it."
Zheng Wenchang was utterly confused. "Why?"
Beside them, He Xiujun cleared his throat and slung an arm around Zheng's shoulders. "Brother Wenchang, support me instead. I'm a bit drunk."
As Zheng Wenchang was He Jingyuan's protégé and as close as brothers with He Xiujun, he knew perfectly well the latter's alcohol tolerance. He immediately shrugged him off. "You're at least seventy percent away from being drunk!"
Puzzled, he looked at his friend. "Both you and General Tang are acting strangely."
He Xiujun sighed and decided to be direct. "Are you really this dense? Can't you see the Marquis and General Fan are about to announce their happy news?"
Zheng Wenchang frowned deeply. "Because General Fan rescued the Marquis from Taiye Pond and they had physical contact?"
He immediately continued, "This shows you don't understand General Fan. With her magnanimity and spirit, she's no less than any great man. How could she be bound by such trivial etiquette..."
The expressions on Tang Peiyi and He Xiujun's faces grew even more inscrutable.
Had this man noticed nothing unusual back in Lucheng?
Finally, He Xiujun just patted Zheng Wenchang's shoulder and said, "Brother Wenchang, if you ever have trouble finding a wife in the future, come ask your sister-in-law to arrange a match for you."
Standing rooted to the spot as Tang and He walked away, Zheng Wenchang's face showed increasing bewilderment.
What did this have to do with him getting married someday?
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