Chapter 518: I Guarantee You’ll Soar to Success Later On

Chapter 518: I Guarantee You'll Soar to Success Later On

Mo Jiuya swiftly slashed with his blade, and before the two palace eunuchs dragging Qi Changshun could react, they had already lost their lives.

Bound tightly, Qi Changshun lost his support and crumpled to the ground instantly.

Just as he was about to cry out in pain, Mo Jiuya's knife was already at his neck.

"Keep quiet if you want to live."

After serving Emperor Shunwu for so long, Qi Changshun had developed a keen sense of situational awareness, especially in matters of life and death. Naturally, he didn’t dare to act rashly.

Seeing that Qi Changshun knew better than to resist, Mo Jiuya put away his knife.

Qi Changshun kept his head low, not daring to meet the person’s eyes, his gaze fixed on his own feet.

However, by the moonlight, he could tell that the person before him was also dressed as a eunuch. From this, he inferred that the person was from the palace, though he wasn’t sure which department they served in, and their voice was unfamiliar.

"I don’t know where you work, but if you save me, I promise you’ll be set for life."

Mo Jiuya scoffed disdainfully.

"Qi, worry about saving your own skin first!"

Qi Changshun couldn’t help but shudder at the words. He tried to calm himself as he spoke.

"You’ve already taken out the Queen’s men, so it’s obvious you’re not on her side. That means you won’t hurt me."

Mo Jiuya had long understood this man’s nature; he was full of tricks and accustomed to flattering and bullying others.

However, Qi Changshun’s character had nothing to do with him. If not for wanting to extract some information, Mo Jiuya wouldn’t have bothered with this matter at all.

"I’m asking you, where is the Emperor now?"

Mentioning the Emperor, Qi Changshun no longer played the ostrich.

For his own future or out of true loyalty, he looked up to meet Mo Jiuya’s eyes.

He didn’t recognize the person before him, but someone asking such a question could only be from Prince Qi's faction; otherwise, there would be no other explanation.

After all, Prince Qi was the one most threatened by this incident.

"Hurry and tell Prince Qi. The Emperor’s in serious trouble. He and the Empress Dowager have been imprisoned in a secret chamber within Fengxi Palace.

The Empress Dowager died three days ago from old age. The Queen ordered that her body not be collected and deliberately left her corpse in the same room as the Emperor.

Luckily, the Emperor is still useful to the Queen for now. Otherwise, he would have met the same fate as the Empress Dowager, left to die from starvation..."

Qi Changshun continued to babble on, but the only useful piece of information Mo Jiuya gleaned was that Emperor Shunwu was being held in a secret chamber within Fengxi Palace.

"Do you know where this secret room is?" Mo Jiuya asked, because in his memory, apart from the secret passage he used to empty the treasury with He Zhiran, there were no other secret chambers in the palace.

And that passage only led to the treasury. After the treasury heist, the passage was likely sealed by Emperor Shunwu.

That’s why Mo Jiuya decided to climb over the walls.

Especially in the residential areas of the imperial concubines, no secret chambers were allowed. This was a practice of past emperors to prevent concubines from having secret liaisons; all buildings and hiding places had to be out in the open.

"When I was captured, my eyes were covered, but I could feel that the path to the secret room is the same as the path to the Empress's bedchamber."

Mo Jiuya knew that at this point, Qi Changshun wouldn't dare to lie. If he said he didn't know, then he definitely didn't know the exact location.

Fortunately, he was able to provide the general direction of the secret room, which would make it easier for him to search for it.

Having obtained the information, Mo Jiuya had no intention of wasting more time with Qi Changshun.

Qi Changshun’s character wasn’t exactly stellar, but he hadn't offended Mo Jiuya, so there was no need for him to kill him.

"I won't take your life. Your survival depends on your own skills."

Relieved to hear that he would be let go, Qi Changshun wisely refrained from asking about Mo Jiuya's identity.

"You should go alert Prince Qi to come rescue the Emperor. I'll handle things here."

Mo Jiuya believed Qi Changshun could manage the two bodies. After all, his chance of survival depended on the Empress not finding out about his escape for as long as possible.

Mo Jiuya moved behind Qi Changshun, leapt up, and climbed onto a tree.

The conversation between Mo Jiuya and Qi Changshun was too quiet for He Zhiran to hear clearly.

Before she could ask, Mo Jiuya whispered the obtained information to her.

"Husband, since the exact location of the secret room is unclear, why don't we check the Empress's bedchamber first? We might find some clues."

"Yes, we'll go once Qi Changshun leaves."

The two watched as Qi Changshun dragged the two bodies away, then jumped down from the tree and moved toward the well-lit area.

Fengxi Palace, being the Empress's residence, was much larger than Consort Yuan's bedchamber.

No matter the palace's size, the rule remains: the queen occupies the grandest central spot.

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran avoided the sight of the guards and found the Empress's bedchamber.

The place was still brightly lit, and rows of palace maids and eunuchs stood neatly on both sides of the door.

As the Empress of the country, it was not strange for her to have many servants, but for such a large group to be standing there at this hour of the night was unusual.

Mo Jiuya led He Zhiran around to the back of the bedchamber, checked that there was no danger, and together they climbed onto the roof.

Finding the right spot, Mo Jiuya carefully lifted a tile, revealing a bright light from below.

The two focused their eyes downward.

This wasn't the Empress's bedchamber; it was where she received visits from the concubines. In other words, it was the Empress's office.

At this moment, the room was brightly lit.

The Empress, dressed in casual clothing, sat in the most central and superior position. Her face darkened with displeasure as she stared at the people in front of her.

"You say that the person I sent to the Minister Mansion yesterday has not returned?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a eunuch in chief's attire knelt down.

"This servant has just sent someone to check on Xiao Liu, but there was no one there."

The Empress stood up angrily and slammed her hand on the small table next to her.

"Zhang Defu, how dare you hide such an important matter from me if I hadn't asked?"

Zhang Defu was drenched in cold sweat and hurriedly bowed deeply to the Empress.

"Empress, please forgive your humble servant. Since this morning, I've been sending people to inquire about the whereabouts of the imperial jade seal. I've just come from the secret chamber."

"And did you learn where the jade seal is?"

When the jade seal was mentioned, both Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran suddenly understood.

Emperor Shunwu wasn't exactly a hardworking or kind ruler. Normally, apart from the morning court sessions, he would handle official matters in the imperial study.

However, due to his laziness, the imperial study in the palace was just for decoration.

At best, when he felt like it, he would review some reports in his own bedchamber.