Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Night fell, and the palace city was under strict lockdown.

Within the Eastern Palace, lamps and candles burned brightly as palace attendants stood silently with heads bowed. Suddenly, a flickering shadow swept through the lamplight, and a cold gleam tore through the stillness—a dagger pierced the bed curtains, its chilling blade aiming straight at the figure before the desk.

"Guards! Protect the Crown Prince!"

The Crown Prince stumbled back several steps as the blade had already slashed the throat of a palace attendant. The scream shattered the silence, alerting the Eastern Palace guards outside!

A horse galloped at top speed. Qi Hanzhou rode to the city gates before switching to a carriage. He dismounted and reached out to Ying Fusheng, noticing Ying Fusheng’s pale face. Ying Fusheng said nothing, taking his hand to step down, his steps slightly unsteady upon landing.

He only said, "You go into the palace first; it's not appropriate for us to go together."

Qi Hanzhou nodded. The incident at the thatched cottage involved secret palace matters, and in the distance, the carriage arranged by Shen Changcun had already arrived.

Before they could part ways, a Brocade Guard rider on horseback came galloping over in haste. Just as Ying Fusheng entered the carriage, he heard an urgent report: "Commander! Something has happened in the palace—"

Cining Palace!? Ying Fusheng immediately gripped the window ledge as the guard continued: "The Eastern Palace was attacked—the Crown Prince is injured. His Majesty orders you to enter the palace at once!"

At those words, both men's faces turned pale.

Inside the palace, people hurried about—imperial physicians and guards all rushed toward the Eastern Palace.

A sudden upheaval had struck the Eastern Palace. Death agents had attacked the Crown Prince, but luckily, they were subdued in time by the palace guards. The Crown Prince suffered minor injuries. The Emperor was enraged upon hearing the news, plunging the palace into a state of tension.

The Eastern Palace was heavily guarded, with the Imperial Guard surrounding it completely. As soon as Qi Hanzhou arrived, he saw chaos within the hall. The death agents had already been killed, their bodies dragged outside, where the Imperial Guard and Brocade Guard were investigating the scene.

The Emperor stared at him, his expression dark.

After paying his respects, Qi Hanzhou quickly walked outside to examine the bodies, his gaze hardened. Someone had sent death agents to murder the Crown Prince, but they failed—unlike the previous assassination attempt by the medical apprentice. These bodies bore marks of martial training; the moment they were caught, they killed themselves. It was clearly a premeditated attack.

The Eastern Palace was the residence of the Crown Prince. First the attack on Cining Palace, now this—an assault on the Eastern Palace.

If someone dared to offend the Eastern Palace today, tomorrow their blade might strike the Qianqing Palace.

This touched a raw nerve with the Emperor: death agents had managed to bypass the palace's layered defenses and break into the Eastern Palace. Qi Hanzhou saw that the Brocade Guards and Imperial Guards on duty that night were being separately interrogated. The Imperial Guard Commander wore a grave expression. Since Ye Xuanjiu had reported the Eastern Palace death agents, Qi Hanzhou had been keeping an eye on the place. But tonight's incident came suddenly, seemingly a last-minute decision; the Brocade Guard hadn't even had time to relay the news to him.

Inside the Eastern Palace, attendants knelt on the ground. Soon, a voice came from outside—

"The Empress Dowager has arrived."

Ying Fusheng arrived at the palace, accompanying the Empress Dowager.

The moment he entered, he saw the mess—bloodstains still lingering in the hall. The relevant parties had been dragged away, leaving only the Emperor and others in the hall. Imperial physicians stayed inside the bedchamber; the Crown Prince was half-undressed, pale from what seemed like excessive blood loss, with a knife wound on his arm being bandaged by the physician. The Crown Prince leaned into Empress Xu's arms, still shaken.

Outside the bedchamber, chaos reigned. The Empress Dowager inquired about the situation, and nearby physicians explained the injuries. The wound was a bit deep, but fortunately, nothing vital was damaged; it needed treatment and rest.

Ying Fusheng stayed by her side, glancing at the scene.

Empress Xu had just returned to the palace when she received news of the attack on the Crown Prince. She rushed over and saw him injured, her demeanor seemed off. She held him close, her gaze anxious as she listened to the physician's diagnosis. Beside her, the lady official Shuang Yue stood with half-lidded eyes, her expression unreadable as she whispered consolations to the Empress.

At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Ying Fusheng narrowed his eyes—but there was no such coincidence. The assassination occurred right after the Empress returned to the palace. The death agents had gone to the thatched cottage to silence witnesses, and then, in the blink of an eye, the Eastern Palace was attacked. The timing was perfectly precise, hitting every key point.

This was no accident—it was a meticulously planned "assassination attempt."

The Crown Prince half leaned against Empress Xu, his expression unclear until the physician finished bandaging. Only then did he slowly come to his senses. His face bore all the signs of injury. When Empress Xu saw him stand, she seemed about to support him, but the Crown Prince forced himself to steady his composure. He stood up and bowed to the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

Seeing his condition, the Emperor's brow relaxed slightly. "You're injured; rest well."

Just then, a Brocade Guard hurried in from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, poison has been detected in the meals."

Upon hearing the word "poison," Empress Xu's face changed. "What poison?!"

Her voice was somewhat sharp, drawing the attention of those nearby. Others assumed she was overly concerned, but only the lady official at her side noticed her reaction—her gaze darkening.

The Emperor ignored the Empress's loss of composure and looked at the Brocade Guard, saying gravely, "Speak."

"This poison evaded detection by the silver needle. Its nature is currently unknown; it still needs to be identified by the medical officer," the guard said. This was more than just an assassination attempt—the meal had contained poison that the silver needle couldn't detect.

Several imperial physicians hurried over, their brows furrowed in deep concern.

The Empress's face turned ashen. She stared intently at the medicine being prepared and presented before her. Seeing this, one of the physicians quickly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured—this medicine is safe."

Only after several confirmations by the physicians did Empress Xu allow the medicine to be administered.

Ying Fusheng said nothing, silently observing the turn of events beside the Empress Dowager.

His gaze fell on the distant Crown Prince. While everyone else was shocked by the poison in the meal, the Crown Prince reacted more slowly than everyone else, as if he had known about the poison in the food all along.

Seeing Empress Xu's pale face, the Emperor ordered a full investigation into everything and commanded the Imperial Guard to act, not sparing any of the palace attendants responsible for the Crown Prince's meals that night. "Qi Hanzhou, I leave this to your Brocade Guard."

Qi Hanzhou entered from outside the hall. "Understood."

After speaking, the Emperor's gaze turned dark, and he looked at the Imperial Guard Commander, adding, "Increase the guards for the Eastern Palace in the coming days. If anything else happens, you will no longer be commander!"

A group of attendants knelt in fear, begging for mercy. The Empress Dowager gave a few instructions and then ordered the attendants to deal with the rest. All the attendants who had served the meal were dragged away.

As Ying Fusheng left with the Empress Dowager, he saw the bodies on the ground. Part of the clothing around the waist of one corpse had been torn open, revealing no emblem—Qi Hanzhou had obviously checked it. This was a body made to look like a death agent. Who the dead person was didn't matter; what mattered was that the Emperor saw it.

Qi Hanzhou had just uncovered death agents in the Eastern Palace, and now, in an instant, death agents were killed inside the Eastern Palace. That was not a coincidence. From now on, any evidence of death agents in the Eastern Palace could be dismissed as the work of assassins.

Had the mastermind taken notice of Qi Hanzhou? Or was this a setup for something else?

As Ying Fusheng pondered, he saw the defenses around the Eastern Palace. The assassination attempt was far too serious—unlike the medical apprentice incident at Cining Palace, these were death agents. The Crown Prince was, after all, the heir apparent. This incident was enough to make his father refocus his attention.

The Crown Prince had been reprimanded for mishandling his court duties, his status in his father's heart somewhat shaken. This incident conveniently allowed him to lessen his father's displeasure and shift the focus to palace security... It was a subtle move in the Crown Prince's favor.

Ying Fusheng recalled the Crown Prince's expression when looking at Shuang Yue as he left. The Crown Prince couldn't have been unaware of these matters.

A risky move—immediately purging those around him while also securing additional guards for the Eastern Palace. If the Crown Prince was attacked, the Kunning Palace couldn't stay uninvolved. Power would soon converge into the hands of the Kunning Palace—and that meant Shuang Yue.

"Are you afraid?" the Empress Dowager suddenly asked.

Ying Fusheng tensed slightly. He saw the Empress Dowager looking at him kindly, her gaze seemed to see through all the dark schemes he was turning over in his mind.

She looked at him seriously. Ying Fusheng looked away. "I'm a little tired."

"Don't be afraid. What happened at Cining Palace won't happen again," the Empress Dowager said.

Ying Fusheng was momentarily stunned. Since the medical apprentice incident last year, the Empress Dowager had done much for him.

He said nothing. The Empress Dowager, thinking he was still shaken, patted his hand reassuringly. By then, they had arrived at Cining Palace.

The shadowy figure's moves against the inner palace intensified. Kunning Palace was consolidating power. Given Shuang Yue's position, it was only a matter of time before her reach extended to Cining Palace again. Moreover, Shuang Yue was likely not the only hidden piece in the palace; the shadowy figure, in order to fully establish a foothold in the palace, would need to eliminate the Empress Dowager, just as in the previous life.

Ying Fusheng looked at the Empress Dowager's hand, recalling what Chen Xuqiu had said about the Mother-Child Gu in the thatched hut. The crop named Changxin, which could host the Mother Gu, existed in the palace. But the Empress Dowager had only fallen ill last year, suggesting the Mother Gu was hidden very deep and would be difficult to find anytime soon. This left them at a disadvantage.

The Empress Dowager could not leave the palace, and the Mother Gu was hard to detect.

News of the assassins' failure in the thatched hut would soon reach the palace, leaving them at a disadvantage.

Thus, they had to take the initiative to break the deadlock...

"Xiao Liu?" the Empress Dowager said.

Ying Fusheng snapped back to reality, seeing the worry in her eyes.

Ever since she brought him to Cining Palace, she had never been guarded around him. He suppressed his surging thoughts and said, "I was just distracted."

Perhaps his complexion was too pale; seeing him frequently lost in thought, the Empress Dowager became more worried, thinking he had been frightened.

The Eastern Palace was a bloody scene. The child had just returned from a relaxing outing outside the palace today, so witnessing such a scene would naturally unsettle him. Remembering all the hardships he had endured, her heart softened, and she instructed Lady Yu to make arrangements: "Stay here tonight. Don't be afraid."

The Sixth Prince stayed to rest in the main hall of Cining Palace. Lady Yu went to make preparations and soon brought his belongings.

"The errand you handled outside the palace was well done. This grandmother has heard about your task of sending merchants south of the Yangtze," the Empress Dowager said softly. "But it was somewhat reckless. Luckily, Shen Changcun helped you this time by chance, but fortune is ultimately in heaven's hands."

"Think twice before acting. Sincerity is admirable, but recklessness is unacceptable."

Ying Fusheng glanced at her slightly.

She did not avoid the topic when saying this, nor did she expose Ying Fusheng's intentions. She simply added, "If there's something you don't understand, you can come and ask this grandmother, understand?"

His heart stirred slightly. The Empress Dowager's tone was gentle, as if sensing his worries, she spoke more than usual, dwelling on small matters.

"Your Majesty, your treatment of the Sixth Prince has changed," Lady Yu noted.

Seeing Ying Fusheng close his eyes to rest, the Empress Dowager reached out and brushed aside the hair on his forehead, sensing a trace of warmth. She said nothing more, only remarking, "I am old, and few children are left at my side. His mother's family does not protect him, so someone must protect him. I'm just doing what I can."

Lady Yu attended to the Empress Dowager as she retired for the night.

In the dead of night, Ying Fusheng opened his eyes, got off the bed, and walked toward the Empress Dowager, already asleep.

Song An, who was serving in the distance, approached. Ying Fusheng asked, "Have you arranged everything?"

The other palace attendants were all sleeping deeply, the Empress Dowager's breathing gradually slowed, steady as usual. The calming incense burned in the distance; unless there was a major disturbance, these night-watch attendants of Cining Palace would not wake up. Song An approached silently and handed Ying Fusheng an acupuncture kit. Ying Fusheng took it skillfully, reached out to feel the Empress Dowager's pulse, and steadily inserted the silver needle.

Song An was slightly startled, but Ying Fusheng turned and used a blade to cut his own palm, abruptly letting blood flow.

"No one is to know about tonight's events."

...

Eastern Palace. Outside, a crowd knelt in rows, and those beaten to death were dragged away. Empress Xu looked at the palace attendant who had sent the meal tray. The kneeling man's hands had already been broken. She watched calmly, and no one around dared to speak. The cries for mercy gradually grew faint. She looked at him slightly and said, "Continue."

Her voice was gentle, yet it sent chills down people's spines.

The palace attendants in the room kept their heads down without a word. The meal-serving attendant cried out in plea, "Your Majesty, have mercy! I just sent the meal; I know nothing..."

Empress Xu watched him. Shuang Yue, the female official, waved her hand, and the pleading attendant was dragged out, leaving a trail of blood.

Another palace attendant hurried in to report that Grand Secretary Xu had sent word.

"Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Xu said to maintain the status quo. His Highness encountered danger unexpectedly this time but has turned danger into safety. If the assassination incident is used, further plans can be made for His Highness."

Maintain the status quo...? Empress Xu raised her eyes, her gaze utterly flat, and looked at the attendant: "Is that what Father said?"

Secret medicines from a former dynasty—first Suihongzi, then the Mother-Child Gu. Some people's hands had reached deep into the harem, even extending to the Empress Dowager's life. They would target her son.

Back then, during the difficult labor, the Emperor chose to save her, and even the Xu family secretly told the imperial physician to save the mother and let the child go if necessary.

She had almost lost her son then. Even now, the Xu family wanted her to prioritize the greater good.

Thinking of this, Empress Xu seemed to see again the night of her difficult labor. As her consciousness faded, she heard a frail cry.

Even today, she still felt a shudder. Even later when she woke and saw the wrinkled baby in swaddling, she could not forget the moment her heart was moved.

Shuang Yue watched the Empress quietly, seeing her calm and indifferent demeanor. Only at the mention of the Crown Prince did her expression waver. "Yes, the Grand Secretary said it's all for the Crown Prince."

Not long after, another palace attendant entered and reported, "Your Majesty, the man is dead."

"But before he died, he mentioned one person."

Empress Xu turned to look at him.

Shuang Yue looked at the attendant, who then said, "He mentioned..."

Empress Xu stared straight at him. "Who?"

The attendant kowtowed, trembling, as Empress Xu kept her gaze on him.

"The Sixth Prince."