Сhарtеr 154: Аttack at Мingshеng Temрle
Finallу, thе thrее оf thеm arrived аt Mingsheng Temple. Whilе thе othеr two wеrе insidе thе hall drаwing fоrtunе stiсks, Zhu Yаn quicklу slipped аwаy.
Аsking about marriаge prоspeсts wаs sоmеthing unmаrriеd wоmen did. She, whо wаs alrеаdу as gоod аs bеtrothed, sаw nо neеd to join in the fun.
Fеeling somewhаt bоrеd, Zhu Yan wаndered arоund аimlеssly. In thе bасkуаrd, shе spоttеd two fаmiliar figurеs.
Zhu Yan quicklу hid hersеlf аnd, uрon сlоsеr insрection, rеcognized them as Рrincess Runing and Рrincess Yоng'an.
"Whу wоuld thesе two be together?"
Zhu Yan was puzzled, but the distance was too great to hear their conversation clearly. From their expressions, however, they seemed to be having an unpleasant discussion.
Not long after they began talking, the elder princess turned and left. Shortly after her departure, another figure appeared beside Princess Yong'an.
This figure was slightly hunched over, making it impossible to see their face clearly. Zhu Yan grew even more confused and wanted to move closer.
But after taking just two steps forward and looking up, the two figures before her had vanished.
Zhu Yan was shocked. How could two people just disappear like that?
Just as her confusion deepened, she suddenly felt a chill from behind.
She whirled around and saw a face twisted with malice. The person was holding a dagger, thrusting it toward her.
They really meant to kill her!
Terrified, Zhu Yan immediately fled. However, the area was vast, and she was unfamiliar with the paths. After only a few steps, she tripped over a stone underfoot and fell to the ground.
Looking back at her pursuer, Zhu Yan saw the figure standing not far away, the dagger gleaming coldly in their hand. More importantly, the person's face looked somewhat familiar.
After a moment of frantic thought, a bolt of realization struck Zhu Yan's mind. Wasn't this Chen Huo'e, who had already been executed years ago?
She had just read the documents Shen Du compiled.
For a moment, Zhu Yan even forgot to cry for help. How could someone who had already been executed reappear before her? Could it be that she had truly returned from the dead?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Chen Huo'e remained silent, gripping the dagger as she advanced step by step toward Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan trembled all over, completely losing the ability to flee. The shock in her heart was so great that she couldn't even muster a cry for help. She could only watch helplessly as the dagger descended toward her.
At the critical moment, a sudden shout made Chen Huo'e halt her movement.
"Who's there?"
It was the elder princess's voice!
Chen Huo'e quickly sheathed the dagger and vanished from sight in an instant.
The elder princess hurried over, only to find Zhu Yan sitting on the ground as if her soul had left her body.
"What happened?" the elder princess asked as she approached. Still shaken, Zhu Yan looked at her and said, "Thank you for saving my life, Princess. If it weren't for you just now, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived."
The elder princess frowned. "Why did she want to kill you?"
"I don't know," Zhu Yan replied honestly as she stood up. After finally calming her nerves, she looked at the elder princess and said, "Princess, the Empress has agreed to reopen the Brocade Workshop case. The injustice you've endured for so many years can finally be rectified."
The elder princess remained calm, showing no emotion, as if she had already seen through everything.
"Even if the case is overturned, what does it matter? Can the dead come back to life?"Moreover, so many years have passed since that incident, and I have long since come to terms with it. The dead are gone, and the living must carry on. I have no desire to dwell on the past."
The Grand Princess's words left Zhu Yan speechless. After all, she was someone who had weathered great storms, and her perspective was not entirely without reason.
Zhu Yan lowered her head, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "Princess, I saw you with Princess Yong'an earlier. What were you discussing?"
A profound depth flickered in the Grand Princess's eyes, and at the mention of Princess Yong'an, a hint of disdain surfaced. "What could she possibly want from me? Just trivial matters, nothing of importance."
The Grand Princess deftly sidestepped Zhu Yan's question, but from her expression, Zhu Yan could tell that their conversation was far from trivial.
Just then, Lu Chuichui and Yun Que arrived, each holding a marriage fortune stick. Spotting the Grand Princess, they eagerly approached to ask about the meaning of their fortunes.
After understanding their purpose, the Grand Princess regarded them calmly. "I have only been cultivating here for a few short years, and my insight is still shallow. I am not particularly adept at interpreting fortune sticks. If there is nothing else, I suggest you return early."
Though her words were polite, their meaning was clear.
A dismissal.
Yun Que scratched his head in confusion. Could it be that all those legends were false?
By the time they returned to the Shen residence, it was nearly dusk. After dinner, Zhu Yan recounted the day's events to Shen Du, expressing her confusion over the Grand Princess's behavior.
She had expected Shen Du to offer some insight, but instead, his expression darkened upon hearing her story, and he grew angry with her.
"Why did you ask her about such things? What concern are the affairs of the royal family to you? Why pry?"
Listening to Shen Du's questions, Zhu Yan found herself equally perplexed. After all, it involved matters of life and death, and she had even encountered Chen Huo'e.
"And what about Chen Huo'e's return from the dead?"
"This case has been officially closed to the public. Do not dwell on the details. I will investigate the Brocade Workshop case myself. Can you not even trust me that much?"
Shen Du's expression was grim. Without waiting for Zhu Yan to respond, he continued, "If you don't want to get burned, focus on your duties as the Commander's Historian."
Rather than taking offense at Shen Du's warning, Zhu Yan pondered it deeply. "It's just that I feel all these cases have strange clues pointing toward Princess Yong'an. Perhaps she is truly plotting something, and we must guard against it."
Upon hearing Zhu Yan's words, Shen Du adopted an indifferent demeanor. "There's no need for you to worry about that. As long as the Empress remains on the throne, she will not succeed."
"But the Empress is advanced in years. What if one day she..." Zhu Yan trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. Such words were not to be spoken lightly.
Hearing this, Shen Du suddenly seemed to realize something, fixing Zhu Yan with a meaningful gaze.
Zhu Yan fell silent, but the look in her eyes was equally telling. They stared at each other for a long time, as if each could see something in the other's expression.
A terrifying thought emerged in Zhu Yan's mind, and her face paled slightly.
Though Shen Du was also wary of the matter, it remained merely speculation. They could not jump to conclusions so hastily.He spoke words of comfort, "Alright, what happened today must not be spoken of to anyone else. Let this matter end here."
Shen Du's words sounded like a warning, and Zhu Yan naturally understood the danger within them.
Not to mention she had not colluded with Zhang Xingwei, even if she were Zhang Xingwei's accomplice, she could no longer casually speak of this matter.
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