Chapter 520: We Are Here to Rescue You

Chapter 520: We Are Here to Rescue You

After turning a corner, a faint light appeared ahead. He Zhiran put the flashlight back into her spatial storage.

As the foul stench grew stronger, the two of them found themselves in front of Emperor Shunwu.

By the faint light, they could see a square room. Around the room were items He Zhiran couldn’t name, but from their shapes, she could tell they were ancient torture tools.

It was clear from these tools that this was the place where the Empress carried out her secret punishments.

Directly in front of them, on a cross-shaped wooden frame, Emperor Shunwu was clad only in his undergarments, his limbs tightly bound.

In the corner next to him was a corpse. There was no need to ask—it was clearly the body of the Empress Dowager.

Unexpectedly, the Empress was so ruthless that she hadn’t even spared an old woman. Not only did she prevent her from living in peace, but she also left her without dignity in death. This was the Empress Dowager of the Great Shun Dynasty, after all…

Emperor Shunwu strained to lift his head, struggling to keep his tangled hair from blocking his view.

When he finally made out the strangers before him, he was stunned for a moment.

Before he could say anything, He Zhiran had already retrieved her silver needles from her spatial storage.

Knowing that Emperor Shunwu had a body immune to all poisons, and that anesthesia would be useless, she quickly inserted a needle into his sleep acupoint before he could react.

Once she was sure he had lost consciousness, Mo Jiuya swiftly moved forward to untie the ropes binding him.

The couple worked in perfect harmony. Just as Emperor Shunwu’s body was about to collapse, He Zhiran waved her hand, sending him into her spatial storage.

Earlier, Mo Jiuya had only managed to knock out a few of the guards in the Empress’s palace. In this critical moment, she couldn’t afford to be careless and leave only a few people to stand watch.

If someone came to replace the guards or attend to other matters and discovered they had all been incapacitated, it would be difficult for them to leave unnoticed.

Moreover, their primary objective tonight was to find Emperor Shunwu. Now that they had located him, there was no need to stay any longer.

Mo Jiuya scanned the room once more, confirming no useful clues remained, then grabbed He Zhiran’s hand and quickly left.

Fortunately, they were fast. As soon as they left the Empress’s palace, they heard someone inside shout for help. Undoubtedly, the incapacitated guards had been discovered.

Soon, the palace would be in chaos, and they needed to find a safer place to hide.

After considering their options, Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran decided to take temporary refuge in the Cold Palace.

According to Mo Jiuya, because of the Empress’s powerful family background and her jealous nature, Emperor Shunwu hadn’t had many women in his harem.

Even the few concubines who had erred were long ago executed by the Empress’s people.

It could be said that during Emperor Shunwu’s reign, the Cold Palace had been essentially abandoned, with no one entering it for decades.

Moreover, the location of the Cold Palace was extremely remote. Even if the Empress’s people went searching, they wouldn’t think to search there for some time, and might not even remember the Cold Palace.

With this plan in mind, Mo Jiuya led He Zhiran, successfully avoiding the patrols, and they reached the Cold Palace.

Historically, the Cold Palace was always dilapidated, and this place was no exception. Especially since no one had maintained it for decades, the wild grass on the ground grew taller than a person, which actually made it easier for them to hide.

They randomly entered a room, and upon opening the door, they were met with countless cobwebs.

Mo Jiuya pulled some wild grass, waving it as she moved forward.

Though this place was relatively safe, they still dared not rashly create any light.

Feeling their way to a spot resembling a bed, He Ziran, with a mere thought, had the still unconscious Emperor Shunwu laid out straight on it.

He Ziran took out a silver needle again and pricked several acupoints on him. Soon, Emperor Shunwu regained consciousness.

Sensing the change in his surroundings, Emperor Shunwu sat up cautiously.

Despite the darkness that hindered his vision, he could still sense two dark figures standing before him.

"Who are you?"

It must be said that as an emperor of a nation, though somewhat incompetent, he had not lost his regal demeanor.

Knowing that once Mo Jiuye spoke, Emperor Shunwu might easily recognize his voice, He Ziran quickly interjected:

"We are here to save you."

He Ziran had no good impression of Emperor Shunwu, so her tone was far from friendly.

Though displeased with her tone, Emperor Shunwu was not entirely without wit; he knew this was not the time to put on airs.

"Who sent you to rescue me?"

"You don't need to know who. I only want to know what exactly happened in the palace. If you tell the truth, it will benefit you." He Ziran remained unapologetic, seeing no reason to be courteous to such an incompetent ruler.

Unable to determine the identities of these two, Emperor Shunwu was also aware that this might be his only chance to turn the tables.

"It was my carelessness that allowed that despicable woman to deceive me."

Emperor Shunwu paused for a moment before continuing:

"Shortly after the Empress adopted the fourth prince, I realized that the guards around me had been replaced. Before I could call someone to inquire, those guards grabbed me without any explanation and locked me up in that dark, sunless place."

"Do you even know where they locked you up?" He Zhiran asked.

"When I was first captured, I tried to call for help, but those people knocked me out. I only regained consciousness when you rescued me today."

He Zhiran nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Later, I discovered that the people who captured me were sent by the Empress.

Before I was taken, I had a dream. I dreamt that my imperial seal was lost. Afraid the dream might come true, I hid the imperial seal.

Luckily, thanks to this dream, the Empress's men couldn’t find the imperial seal, which allowed me to survive."

"No need to worry; we’re not interested in your imperial seal. Now, the court is basically controlled by Minister Xue. If you want to take back the Great Shun’s throne, you can no longer remain idle." He Zhiran advised.

"I despise the Empress and her family. If I can restore the imperial court, I will have them executed and torn to pieces."

"Threats won’t get you anywhere," He Zhiran said with some disdain.

Talk was cheap, especially since the court was now largely controlled by the Xue family. It wouldn't be easy to take it back.

Emperor Shunwu clenched his fists and ground his teeth. "Without my imperial seal, they’ll never be emperors in this lifetime.

Even if the Empress has taken in the fourth prince, without a decree bearing my imperial seal, it’s worthless."