Chapter 184 Big Score

Chapter 184: Let's Pull Off Something Big

Cheng Ge: "!!!" He jumped with a start, almost dropping his osmanthus cake, and whipped his head around sharply.

Yun Xunyu had somehow appeared behind him, like a ghost, without a sound.

He was still wearing that flashy crimson robe, but the fabric seemed to have lost its sheen, slightly wrinkled.

His face was scarily pale, and even his usually sparkling phoenix eyes looked dull, yet the corner of his mouth still held its usual rakish curve.

Cheng Ge was so stunned by his ghastly appearance that he momentarily forgot to retort to his 'miss me' comment.

His gaze lingered on the other's face for an unusually long time, and he couldn't help asking: "You... did you get taken to a spider cave?"

Yun Xunyu had no clue what a spider cave was, but that didn't stop him from understanding Cheng Ge's words.

He just let out a low, breathy laugh.

Unusually silent, he lazily walked around the stone stool to sit down beside Cheng Ge.

As he moved, a faint smell of blood mixed with cool, fresh greenery reached Cheng Ge's nose.

This smell... vaguely struck Cheng Ge as familiar, and his heart inexplicably ached a little.

Yun Xunyu tilted his head, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at Cheng Ge with glistening eyes.

"Why didn't you come see me, darling?" Yun Xunyu's look carried a hint of pitiful pleading, his tone trailing off at the end.

After staring for a moment, he lightly rested his forehead on the cool table, his dark hair spilling down, covering half his face.

His brow slightly furrowed, showing only his pale, nearly colorless lips.

Cheng Ge looked at his sick-chicken look and somehow found it hard to voice the sharp words that had risen to his lips.

He shifted his gaze awkwardly, his fingers doodling on the table.

After hesitating, he turned back and leaned closer, his voice much lower than before, carrying a hint of barely noticeable probing.

"Hey... seriously, that night..." He paused, as if choosing his words.

"That drink you gave me afterward, what exactly was it? Do you still have any?"

Yun Xunyu, with his forehead still on the table, moved his head slightly, glancing at Cheng Ge through his hair.

He didn't answer immediately, but slowly raised a hand, his abnormally pale fingers hooking into the fabric.

He raised his head slightly, a smile spreading across his face, drawling lazily: "Which night do you mean..."

(...)

Speaking of Consort Chen, after she lost her composure before the Emperor during the Mid-Autumn banquet and was publicly slapped, she had been confined to Changchun Palace. The once bustling palace had fallen into a chilling silence.

The servants tiptoed around, afraid to stir up trouble.

However, just a few days later, another shocking rumor circulated in the palace.

Consort Chen actually dared to try to harm a young princess.

The details were kept under wraps, but it was known that upon hearing the news, the Emperor flew into a terrible rage and immediately decreed:

"Chen, lacking virtue and having a venomous heart, is unworthy of the rank of Consort. Her title is hereby stripped, and she is demoted to Beauty.

She is to be immediately moved out of Changchun Palace and reside in Jingyang Palace. Without imperial order, she may not see the Second Prince."

Jingyang Palace, located in the far corner of the Western Six Palaces, was perpetually unkempt, damp, and chilly—known to all in the palace as no different from the Cold Palace (the place for disgraced concubines).

This decree effectively cut the mother-son bond between Consort Chen and the Second Prince.

The very evening the decree was issued, Consort Chen's father, the Grand Guardian Chen Li, urgently asked for an audience with the emperor.

Palace spies only saw this usually composed old minister hurrying into the Imperial Study with quick steps, the doors closing behind them for a long time.

The eunuchs and maids on duty outside the hall bowed their heads and held their breath, faintly hearing the Emperor's cold, suppressed reprimands from within.

Though the exact words were indistinct, the thunderous rage even through the door made their hearts race.

After who knows how long, the door of the Imperial Study finally opened from the inside.

Chen Li staggered out, his usually ruddy and dignified face pale as death.

Under the darkness of night, Cheng Ge, dressed in a sharp, dark robe with a piece of black cloth covering his face, stuck his head out sneakily from behind a wall.

He squinted, spotting Ling Feng and Jiyue on the wall.

Cheng Ge crooked his finger at them, lowering his voice: "Let's go, follow your big bro to pull off something big!"

Ling Feng and Jiyue on the wall exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Without a word, they quickly flipped down from the wall.

Both were masked with black cloth, each holding wooden clubs just like Cheng Ge's.

The three hunched over and followed Cheng Ge closely, with a dog and a snake trailing right behind.

Then they quickly melted into the night, sneaking off toward some destination outside the palace.