Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Yes, Master!"
The person inside, unable to speak due to being hit on a pressure point, could only emit a few suppressed, beast-like growls. After that, the room fell silent.
Yin Luo pushed the door open and entered. The room was completely empty, looking as if no one had ever been there.
She sat in front of the vanity, gazing at her stunning reflection in the bronze mirror. Then she slowly applied a close-fitting mask, ultimately revealing no emotion at all.
Next to the vanity lay a letter. After Yin Luo opened it and read through it, she took out a small bag containing something from inside. She then burned the letter with a Fire Starter and tossed it into the brazier.
Outside, the sky was still dark as she lay back down on the couch and gradually drifted into sleep.
The journey back to the palace went smoothly. Upon entering the imperial palace, Yin Luo reported the matters she had handled directly to Li An De before resting for half a day. After attending to Mu Fengyan in the evening, she withdrew and returned to her own chamber.
After disguising herself, she slipped out of the window and dashed into the night.
Initially cautious, she only intended to probe for information!
However, her journey turned out to be unusually smooth; aside from four palace servants guarding the outer hall, there was actually no one in the inner hall.
Yin Luo easily infiltrated the inner hall and was nearly exposed when she saw what was happening inside the sleeping quarters!
What began as a simple investigation turned into witnessing something she shouldn't have seen.
The night was quiet. Empress Dowager Jade Ruyi lay across her couch, and beside her stood a eunuch dressed in palace attire. This eunuch was none other than the head eunuch in her court. Although he was massaging Jade Ruyi's legs, his eyes were wandering around. Seeing that there was indeed no one else around, he suddenly grasped Empress Dowager Jade Ruyi's hand.
Jade Ruyi opened her eyes in shock, looking around in a panic, and scolded him, "Have you lost your mind? Don't you see what time it is!"
"I've already sent the palace servants away, and besides, it's deep into the night now. Everyone knows the rules of De Ning Palace: after dark, unless summoned, no one is allowed to enter the chambers. So, there definitely won't be anyone coming in right now. Just keep your voice down, Ruyi..."
"How dare you! Am I someone you can call?" The Empress Dowager lowered her voice while still looking around, afraid someone might see.
The palace servant directly reached out and said, "Whether it was me who called or not, the Empress Dowager will know soon enough!"
After saying this, both of them fell into the palace chamber, leaving only a flickering candlelight behind.
Yin Luo's gaze turned cold as she thought about how the Empress Dowager had repeatedly put her in dangerous situations and even used assassins. If she were to remain safely in the palace, there would surely be more trouble for her in the future!
She was someone who would repay any grievances, especially since this person had tried to take her life twice.
Her eyes turned icy as she immediately covered her face with a veil and swiftly extinguished the candlelight. At the same time, she rushed forward and quickly knocked out the two people on the bed.
Confirming that they were unconscious, she relit the candle and then created a commotion in the inner chamber before fleeing outside.
Two palace maids immediately entered the hall.
They were still unaware of what had happened and called out a few times to Jade Ruyi but received no response. Cautiously approaching the bed, they saw clothes scattered on the floor—not just those of the Empress Dowager but also those of a eunuch.
The two palace maids felt suspicious and lifted the curtain to take a look. They suddenly screamed and ran out to call for help!
The originally quiet night suddenly became lively.
Li An De hurriedly reported to Mu Fengyan outside Qinghua Palace that something had happened in the Empress Dowager's palace.
As Mu Fengyan rushed to the palace, the person on the bed was clearly still unconscious.
He pushed aside the curtain and immediately saw the scene inside, turning his head away, his eyes filled with blood-red fury!
In a fit of rage, he shouted to Li An De behind him, "Bring me a sword!" Li An De was so shocked that he immediately knelt on the ground, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Think twice!"
The palace servants also knelt on the ground, crying out, "Your Majesty, please calm down!" Mu Fengyan, furious, bypassed them and went to the outer hall. He drew a guard's sword and charged back in, pushing aside the curtain and stabbing the eunuch beside the Empress Dowager!
With a muffled groan, the eunuch suddenly opened his eyes and raised his head. Upon seeing Mu Fengyan, he had no time to react before Mu Fengyan struck again. The eunuch immediately spat out blood onto Jade Ruyi's face and fell over, lifeless.
Covered in blood, Jade Ruyi regained her senses.
The man was clearly dead, yet they were still in the act. She caught sight of Mu Fengyan standing nearby with blood-red eyes and was horrified. She quickly pushed away the eunuch and rushed in front of everyone, frantically pulling a blanket over herself and pleading with Mu Fengyan, "Yan'er, it's not what you think! Let me explain!"
"Explain what? What is there to explain? Did you not have an affair? Did you not indulge with this fake eunuch? Or do you think everyone here is blind?"
The Empress Dowager stared blankly at her son, collapsing to her knees in despair as she looked at all the kneeling servants in the hall, unable to utter a single word.
Mu Fengyan shot her a cold glance before suddenly dropping the curtain and turning his back. He directly ordered Li An De, "Seal off the news. Anyone who knows about this scene tonight will be executed on the spot!"
Li An De's expression changed. The palace servants below were terrified and collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy!
Regaining his composure, Li An De did not dare delay and immediately gave orders. Soon after, guards entered. The once peaceful De Ning Palace now resembled hell on earth; twenty-two palace servants were executed, including those attending in the outer hall!
Mu Fengyan tossed aside his sword without even looking at the Empress Dowager and said, "Send someone to keep watch over De Ning Palace. Announce my decree: The Empress Dowager wishes to devote herself to Buddhism. She is permitted by me to establish a Buddhist hall in De Ning Palace for solitary cultivation and shall never see outsiders again; she will not step outside of De Ning Palace!"
"Yan'er, you cannot treat your mother like this!" The Empress Dowager panicked as she emerged from the bed, hastily putting on an outer robe and rushing forward to cling to Mu Fengyan's leg, tears streaming down her face. Mu Fengyan turned around and looked at her coldly without an ounce of maternal affection: "From the day I ascended this throne, you have been my disgrace. I have warned you countless times; you never listened. Now that things have come to this point, do you think I will allow you to continue unchecked? From now on, stay in your De Ning Palace and reflect well; enjoy your remaining years alone!"
He finished speaking and strode away.
================Divider================
"Yan'er!" The Empress Dowager exclaimed, wanting to follow him out. As she reached the door, the guards directly extended their hands, unceremoniously blocking her path. At the same time, one of them seized one of her hands and dragged her back into the palace, throwing her to the ground before closing the palace door.
Mu Fengyan no longer listened to her pleas and calls from behind; he directly boarded his carriage and left!
He returned to Qinghua Palace in a furious manner. Li An De ordered someone to find Yin Luo. Meanwhile, he carefully attended to Mu Fengyan, but Mu Fengyan directly instructed him to bring wine. When the servant sent by Li An De brought the wine, Yin Luo had already arrived. Li An De said nothing and only allowed her to enter to comfort the Emperor, but in reality, Yin Luo naturally understood everything.
She took the wine and entered the inner hall. Two jars of wine were already empty beside Mu Fengyan, who was sitting on the floor. Upon seeing Yin Luo enter, he did not lift his head but continued to frown and drink heavily. Yin Luo rushed forward to take his wine jar away, but Mu Fengyan pushed her aside and shouted angrily, "Get lost! All of you get lost!"
He threw the wine jar in his hand to the ground, shattering it. Wine spilled everywhere, and shards of porcelain pierced Yin Luo's arm and face.
She touched her face where she was injured, blood flowing out, and a cut appeared on her mask. Lowering her gaze, she looked at Mu Fengyan for a long while and said, "Your Majesty, having entered the palace for half a year, I initially thought you were someone who could help me escape from Jin Wangfu. But now it seems I was wrong. If you continue to indulge in these mundane matters, you will never be able to suppress Jin Wang and will never truly possess that throne or become a great emperor."
"As your friend, I should accompany you in completing all this. However, now I can no longer do so. With three years approaching, I must find another way to make Jin Wang give up on me. Forgive me, Yin Luo is powerless!"
She bowed to Mu Fengyan, thanking him for his care all this time. Mu Fengyan looked at her with a painful smile: "Are you leaving me too? Fine! Everyone leave, go far away! I have always been a lonely person, a puppet imprisoned in this palace. I cannot leave; even my own mother has betrayed me. How can I expect others?"
"Friends? How ridiculous! I actually thought there were friends in this world!"
He stood up unsteadily: "You should go; never come back again. This palace is not a place for you!"
Yin Luo raised her head to look at him. Mu Fengyan suddenly smiled faintly: "Go live the life you want to live. If one day I am deposed by Jin Wang, then that is my fate! The victor takes all; it has always been this way!"
He laughed as he walked away, holding the wine jar as he exited Qinghua Palace.
Yin Luo lowered her gaze. Her departure was not truly her intention; it was prompted by a secret letter she had just received.
Ten days ago, the court suddenly began investigating Heiyao, which had only been established for a year. It had just begun to take shape and gained some status in the martial world. The court's intervention at this moment was nothing more than an attempt to uproot Heiyao and crush it in its cradle. As the founder of Heiyao, how could she allow that?
Therefore, she had to return as quickly as possible to take charge of the situation!
Li An De saw her come out and hurriedly asked about Mu Fengyan's condition. Yin Luo shook her head and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor is not feeling well. Let him be; perhaps a drunken stupor is not a bad thing for him."
Li An De sighed and waved his hand. "Alright, you should rest. I will keep watch here. With such an incident occurring, I cannot sleep soundly."
Yin Luo acknowledged him but intended to mention her imminent departure. After thinking it over, she ultimately decided against it.
She returned to her room and packed all her belongings. Aside from the essentials, she took nothing—no clothes or jewelry.
The next morning, she left the palace at the moment the gates opened and headed straight for her base.
That year, many events transpired. As she prepared to leave, she had already planned her future departure from the Jin Wangfu. She secretly instructed Qin Liu Yan to contact all the spies she had previously placed in Exiled Nation to establish Heiyao—a mysterious organization that started with helping people fulfill their dreams. The dealings ranged from ordinary citizens to officials seeking revenge; as long as someone dared to place a bid, they would dare to take it on. Under Yin Luo's leadership, these individuals acted decisively and ruthlessly, never hesitating or dragging their feet. Consequently, their reputation gradually expanded. Within just six months, Heiyao's business had to be organized by appointment, and after its initial establishment, she began infiltrating the palace to lay down a foundation—two directions with one goal!
If one day Mu Fengyan could lend her a helping hand, she would be able to force Mu Changqing to relinquish his heavy responsibilities and allow her to return.
Unfortunately, six months in the palace had completely wasted her time. Mu Fengyan showed no signs of progress, and the Jin Wang's influence was at its peak. If the situation continued to decline, she feared she would find no further opportunities!
Now that the court had taken action against Heiyao, it was obvious that the mastermind behind it was Jin Wang.
He was eliminating threats; on the surface, it seemed he was restoring peace to the martial world, but in reality, he was ensuring his own safety. The cause was simply that Heiyao had discreetly crippled two of his key generals, severely wounding his power base. Thus, trouble had come upon him—he had provoked a wolf.
With Heiyao's current strength, it naturally could not confront him directly. Therefore, the best course of action was to cease all activities and allow Heiyao to vanish in exchange for temporary peace.
Enemy moves, I remain still; enemy remains still, I wait for the right moment to act!
After the orders were given, Yin Luo took the opportunity to return to Cloud Mist Mountain.
It was winter now, and the cold in Cloud Mist Mountain was biting. Even with thick winter clothing, it was still difficult to fend off the chill.
The snow on the mountain had been frozen for three days, making the journey up and down quite challenging. Yin Luo spent an entire morning before finally reaching Cloud Mist Mountain, thanks to Qin Liu Yan's coordination from within and outside, which prevented anyone from noticing.
"Princess, these are all letters from the prince. This one here is a reply imitating your handwriting. To avoid the prince noticing any flaws, I had someone use a feather to write, as is your usual habit," Qin Liu Yan said.
Yin Luo nodded and replied, "Liu Yan, you've worked hard."
Qin Liu Yan glanced at Yin Luo and said, "How could Liu Yan be considered hard work? The one who has truly suffered is the princess. Ever since that incident a year ago, not only has your temperament become increasingly indifferent, but your body has also grown more sensitive to the cold; you are far from what you used to be!"
Yin Luo's gaze shifted slightly, clearly showing emotional fluctuations. After a moment, she responded, "Go fetch me some ink and brushes; I will personally write a letter to the prince."
Qin Liu Yan complied and quickly brought back the ink and brushes. Yin Luo spread out a piece of paper on the table and took her time before dipping the feather into the ink and slowly began to write.
The content was brief; she referenced the tone and handwriting of previous replies. Once finished, she handed it to Qin Liu Yan and said, "Follow the usual procedures; do not let anyone notice. Also, give that master half a month off. Just say that I am tired from practicing and want to rest during this time."
Qin Liu Yan took a look at the letter and was taken aback. "Princess, such a large sum of money—will the prince agree?"
Yin Luo looked up at her: "Although it's quite a sum, my reasoning is sound. Given that the mountain roads are difficult to traverse now, repairing a road will naturally cost a lot. While this may seem extravagant, considering Jin Wang's temperament, he will definitely agree. Don't forget, he controls the entire realm; how could he possibly be unable to spare this little money? I haven't made any requests of him this past year; this is my first and only request—he will certainly agree!"
Qin Liu Yan looked at Yin Luo with complex emotions for a moment before saying, "But if one day the prince finds out that he has been supporting Hei Yao all along while also nurturing those who oppose him, he might go mad with anger."
"Compared to that matter, he would likely be more furious about my betrayal," Yin Luo said with furrowed brows. "Since I've made my choice, I can only go all the way; there’s no turning back! Even if one day I fail and fall into eternal damnation..."
"Understood!" After a long pause, Qin Liu Yan replied and walked out with the letter.
Yin Luo was not mistaken at all. On the second day after the heavy snow blocked the mountains, Mu Changqing sent eight large boxes of silver.
Qin Liu Yan personally received them and then began to make arrangements for this matter.
Part of this silver would indeed be used for road construction, while most would be used for the underground affairs of the Black Obsidian, to maintain expenses during this period of inactivity.
News came from the palace that Mu Fengyan was in a state of despair. After the Empress Dowager was imprisoned, he had not attended court for half a month, neglecting state affairs and even arguing fiercely with Prince Jin. Seeing that he would not listen to any advice, Prince Jin had no choice but to take over all state matters himself.
Originally, everything was supposed to progress smoothly, but unexpectedly, after half a year of silence, Xiyu clashed with the Exiled Nation at the border of Fenghua. The incident was triggered when merchants from Xiyu passed through Fenghua. Due to an incident from two years ago, the people of Fenghua were overly suspicious and detained about ten merchants from Xiyu. These merchants were rumored to have significant connections, being subordinates of the current Eighteenth Prince of Xiyu.
Although Eighteenth Prince Jun Mo Xian had abandoned politics for commerce years ago, he was still a prince and had close ties with several princes in court. Due to his indifferent nature, he was favored by the emperor. Therefore, when his subordinates encountered trouble, the Xiyu army quickly sent people to negotiate with Fenghua. However, negotiations failed, leading to conflict between both sides. Furious, Xiyu directly dispatched troops to the sea, preparing for another battle with the Exiled Nation!
Mu Changqing sent three envoys in succession but could not quell Xiyu's anger. Xiyu even issued a stern warning: unless the Exiled Nation ceded a city in Fenghua, they would not back down!
Comment 0 Comment Count