Chapter 519: I Will Personally Meet Him Today

Chapter 519: I Will Personally Meet Him Today

Therefore, many people know that Emperor Shunwu's imperial seal is kept in his bedchamber.

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran had just inspected Emperor Shunwu's bedchamber but found no trace of the imperial seal, leading them to suspect it was in the Empress’s possession.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Shunwu still had one more trick up his sleeve. No wonder the Empress’s faction had taken control of most of the court but hadn’t made any further moves.

Perhaps due to her prolonged inability to find the imperial seal, the Empress had grown increasingly irritable.

She also knew that it wasn't Zhang Defu's fault that there was no news from Xiao Liu.

"Enough, get up first! Tell me, did you find out the whereabouts of the imperial seal?"

Zhang Defu broke out in a sweat again and said trembling, "R-revered Empress, I am incompetent.

To give the Emperor a show of force, I had his attendant Qi Changshun taken away, but even then, the Emperor didn't say a word..."

The Empress was so angry that her veins bulged, and she clenched her fists tightly.

"Hmph! I didn’t expect that someone who’s been so cowardly and incompetent his whole life would suddenly grow a backbone now."

With that, she strode toward the door.

"I’ll meet him myself today and see what’s given him such a backbone."

Seeing the Empress approach the door, Zhang Defu quickly motioned for a few eunuchs to follow her.

As they reached the door, a black-clad secret guard appeared before her.

The guard knelt on one knee and held up a note with both hands, presenting it to the Empress.

"Esteemed Empress, this is from Minister Xue, who instructed me to deliver it."

Zhang Defu, being very perceptive, took the note and bowed to present it to the Empress.

The Empress unfolded the note and glanced at it impatiently.

She said to the guard, "Go back and tell my father that I will personally ask tonight. No matter what method we use, we must find out the whereabouts of the imperial seal."

The guard bowed and left. The Empress, surrounded by a group of people, headed toward a side room in the courtyard.

As the Empress and her entourage entered the room, Mo Jiuya, holding He Zhiran, swiftly changed positions with a few movements.

Using the same method, Mo Jiuya carefully shifted a tile and peered into the room.

Logically, this room should have been the quarters of one of the Empress’s trusted servants, but there was no bed. From the items stored inside, it looked more like a storage room.

Unexpectedly, the Empress had made such arrangements long ago, creating a secret room right under everyone's noses.

This truly echoed the saying that the most dangerous place is the safest.

Who would have guessed that a servant’s quarters would hide the entrance to a secret room?

The Empress signaled Zhang Defu with her eyes, and he quickly walked to the farthest corner of the room.

There was a broken wooden shelf piled high with various items. Zhang Defu reached over the clutter, groped inside, and soon the shelf began to move in one direction.

The wooden rack was moved aside, and a eunuch hurriedly led the way with an oil lamp. The Empress and Zhang Defu entered one after the other.

It seemed that Zhang Defu had activated a switch inside the secret room again, as the rack automatically returned to its original position soon after they entered.

From the angle they entered, it was clear that the secret room was built underground. Even if Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran changed their positions, they wouldn’t be able to observe what was happening inside.

Since they didn’t want to tip off anyone until they understood the situation better, all they could do now was wait for the Empress and her group to leave.

It appeared that the Empress's questioning about the jade seal hadn’t gone well. After just a cup of tea’s time, the rack opened, and the Empress stormed out with several people behind her, looking furious.

Zhang Defu hunched over, afraid to speak as he followed behind her.

No one spoke, leaving the Empress to return to her chambers in silence.

The Empress sat in the main seat for a long time without saying anything, as if deep in thought.

After about fifteen minutes, Zhang Defu cautiously reminded her, “Your Majesty, it's getting late. No matter what's going on, you need to take care of yourself.”

The Empress rubbed her temples, said nothing, and got up to be assisted by Zhang Defu back to her resting quarters.

As she rested, it was clear that all the servants in the bedroom heaved a sigh of relief.

With the Empress resting, there wasn’t much to observe, so the two quietly moved to the area near the entrance of the secret room.

There were still two eunuchs guarding the place, and after observing, they realized that the rooms on both sides of the house had no side windows. The only entrance was through the main door.

The two guards were easy to deal with, but there were other patrols in the area. Simply taking them out wouldn’t be enough.

With a thought, He Zhiran retrieved several packs of sleeping powder from her space and handed them to Mo Jiuya.

Mo Jiuya took the sleeping powder and quickly disappeared from He Zhiran’s sight.

He Zhiran looked down and saw Mo Jiuya had already knocked out the guards at the entrance of the Empress’s bedroom. He then proceeded to the door of the secret room, where he incapacitated the two guards.

After making sure no one else was around, Mo Jiuya led He Zhiran into the room with the secret entrance.

Mo Jiuya remembered clearly what Zhang Defu had done. He quickly found the switch that opened the secret door, and the door opened.

As expected, the entrance led to a dark underground passage.

He Zhiran took out a flashlight, illuminating the surroundings.

The passage was wider than expected, with steps underfoot.

The two felt their way down about ten meters.

A sickening stench suddenly permeated the air.

Then, a hoarse and extremely weak male voice sounded.

“I’ve already told you—I'd rather die than reveal where the jade seal is. There’s no need to come again.”

It was the voice of Emperor Shunwu, all too familiar to Mo Jiuya.

An inexplicable hatred rose in his heart.

If it weren’t for the last shred of sanity, Mo Jiuya would have wanted to take his head right then and there.

Though He Zhiran wasn't personally familiar with Emperor Shunwu, thinking of the Mo family’s suffering, she also felt a deep-seated resentment.

She could sense Mo Jiuya’s body stiffen, and to prevent him from doing something impulsive, she quickly squeezed his hand.

Mo Jiuya squeezed her hand back, shook his head, and signaled that he was fine.