Hongshuang opened the curtain of the carriage for the third time.
This action made Biwu uneasy. She clenched the corner of her skirt and asked, without context, “Miss… will she be alright?”
Hongshuang didn’t answer, but her expression grew more serious.
By all accounts, today’s action was a desperate gamble, and Miss should not have delayed too long. However, the time had clearly exceeded expectations, but everything inside remained calm, not seeming like anything had gone wrong.
Perhaps something had held her up.
With this thought, Hongshuang reached for the curtain for the fourth time, but a hand was faster than hers, pulling the door open with a “swish.” Both Hongshuang and Biwu were startled and looked up to see a handsome and stern face.
Biwu felt inexplicably flustered and said, “M-milord?”
Huo Xian merely glanced at the carriage interior before heading towards the palace gates without looking back.
Huo Xian presented his palace token, and the imperial guards did not dare stop him.
After entering the palace, Huo Xian, given his status, could not easily enter the inner palace, so he went directly to the Directorate of Ceremonies to ask for Zhao Yong’s whereabouts. The young eunuch, eager to please, pointed the way, saying, “The Grand Supervisor is resting in his duty room as there’s nothing urgent at the moment.”
Huo Xian then sent a message, saying he had matters to discuss with Zhao Yong.
The message was delivered by one of Zhao Yong’s trusted aides, a eunuch promoted after Sheng Xi’s death. The eunuch, in a sharp voice, respectfully said, “The Grand Supervisor is discussing matters with the factory minister. Would Lord Huo wait a bit?”
Huo Xian smiled and said, “It’s not urgent; tomorrow will do just as well.”
As he turned, the smile disappeared from his face.
Nanyue whispered, “I just inquired; nothing unusual has happened with the imperial guards. Could it be that the madam didn’t do anything and indeed went to see Consort Xi?”
But soon, Nanyue’s hope was dashed.
The servant sent to inquire reported, “Madam Huo twisted her ankle shortly after entering the palace. When the eunuch who was leading her went to fetch a sedan chair, she disappeared. Consort Xi was puzzled and secretly searched for her, afraid that if something happened to the madam in her quarters, you might hold her accountable to the Emperor.”
Huo Xian rubbed his temples, feeling a throbbing headache, unsure whether this result was good or bad.
He had been too careless.
He could barely gain a slight advantage over her; how could those guards keep an eye on her? She was as slippery as an eel. He should have kept her tethered, Huo Xian thought, maintaining a calm exterior.
Seeing his master’s obscurely pained expression, Nanyue found it surprisingly rare. After a while, he waved the servant away and asked, “Then we…”
“Stir up some trouble and urge the imperial guards to tighten security.” Huo Xian exhaled slowly, looking at the imposing palace walls. “Keep the palace gates firmly guarded, especially the Nine Gates!”
Previously, an assassin had infiltrated the palace, making the atmosphere already tense. Any minor disturbance now would be enough to make the imperial guards overly cautious. Even if they were lax, the self-preserving Emperor Shun’an wouldn’t allow it.
Since she arranged for Hongshuang to be outside as backup, she probably didn’t intend to die in the palace. With strict defenses, if she didn’t want a mutual defeat, she wouldn’t act rashly.
Nanyue quickly went to handle it.
Entering the palace without an edict, although this place was not truly in the forbidden area, it was still not suitable to linger for long. Huo Xian soon walked away as if nothing had happened.
The light breeze was tied to the corner of the palace gate wall. It seemed to have a special preference for this patch of weeds. Despite being provided with good food and drink on normal days, it still preferred to bite on these dry and tough plants. Who knows what the problem was.
Huo Xian tugged at it a couple of times before it reluctantly followed him.
Before he could mount his horse, Xiao Yuanting chased out from the Taihe Gate. He waved his hand while running, afraid Huo Xian wouldn’t see him, and called out, “Zhe’an! Zhe’an!”
He ran up, panting, and said, “It really is you! What a coincidence. Today, I’m hosting at the mansion. I just invited a few beauties from the palace music hall to play music for entertainment. Come on, join us!”
Huo Xian frowned when that hand landed on his shoulder, but then he turned and smiled, “What’s special about today?”
Xiao Yuanting chuckled and said, “I just got a new dancer. She’s really something. I’m inviting you all to come and see!”
Huo Xian laughed and patted his shoulder, “Another day, I have a lot of things to do.”
Xiao Yuanting, aware of the trouble at the Imperial Prison, looked at Huo Xian sympathetically and waved goodbye, eager to return to his beautiful girls.
—
Ji Yuluo leaned against the wall with one hand, covering her mouth with the other. She felt dizzy and nauseous, her limbs weak, sweat pouring down her temples like rain.
The secret passage was damp and had a strange, unpleasant smell, easily bringing back bad memories. Ji Yuluo gritted her teeth and stumbled forward for an unknown amount of time, estimating that the distance from the inner palace to the gate couldn’t be much more.
Yet, she underestimated the length of this secret passage.
Suddenly, light appeared ahead. Ji Yuluo raised her hand to block it, realizing she was in a tea room. The windows on both sides were half open, and the lively sounds of the bustling market came in.
She had already reached the market!
Crouching down, she heard Zhao Yong’s voice and that of an unfamiliar man, who seemed to be the tea house’s manager. Before long, Zhao Yong, now in civilian clothes, left with a factory minister.
Ji Yuluo looked down from a second-floor window. A simple and inconspicuous carriage was parked in a narrow alley. As it started moving, she swiftly climbed over the window railing, landing lightly on the rear axle of the carriage, and silently slipped into the coarse cloth covering the clutter box.
Bumping along the way, Ji Yuluo sent a secret message and left traces along the route, notifying Hongshuang to retreat from the palace gate.
She hadn’t expected that the majestic and imposing palace would have a secret passage leading directly outside.
The noise gradually faded, and the carriage stopped by a side gate. Even this side gate was built with great dignity.
Especially the two stone lions at the entrance, which indicated a grand household.
Ji Yuluo waited until Zhao Yong and his companions entered the side gate. After the servant locked it, she raised her eyes to look at the plaque – Duke of Zhenguo’s Residence.
It was the Xiao family residence.
At this time, inside the Xiao residence.
The back yard was peaceful and quiet, but the front yard was chaotic with chickens and dogs running everywhere.
As dusk approached, the stage was already set. Several court musicians, elegant and alluring yet maintaining a dignified stance, stood in a group, drawing admiration. Xiao Yuanting reclined nearby, a beauty in his arms, directing with a languid wave.
Zhao Yong wandered through the corridor, pausing briefly and shaking his head.
A servant led him through a hidden path to a waterside study, where a middle-aged man, Duke Xiao Cheng, was seated.
His stature was not imposing; instead, he had a refined and somewhat aloof demeanor, more like a deep-thinking scholar than a boisterous general.
When Zhao Yong arrived, Xiao Cheng did not rise to greet him. Instead, he continued sipping his tea, not even lifting his gaze.
The atmosphere was indescribably eerie.
Ji Yuluo crouched atop the roof, lifting a tile to observe Xiao Cheng for a long time. She recognized Xiao Yuanting but was unfamiliar with Xiao Cheng, likely having never seen him before.
After encountering Xiao Yuanting on the street, she had sent Chaolu to investigate the Xiao family.
Reportedly, the Xiao family had nearly fallen into ruin over thirty years ago, almost facing exile. Somehow, they had revived, gradually regaining their strength, especially flourishing after Xiao Cheng inherited the title, leading the family’s fortunes to improve day by day.
Some claimed it was Xiao Cheng who single-handedly revived the Duke’s household.
However, compared to previous generations of dukes, Xiao Cheng lacked the same fierce spirit. Analyzing it closely, it seemed he was merely fortunate, with a smooth official career.
Ten years ago, at the end of Emperor Xianzhen’s reign, Xiao Cheng served as an inspector, overseeing three regions including Yunyang, until he returned to the capital five years ago. This explained why Ji Yuluo had seen Xiao Yuanting in Yunyang back then.
Indeed, Ji Yuluo only recently uncovered these details.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Cheng also had connections with Zhao Yong. According to Chaolu’s investigation, the Duke’s household stayed out of all factional struggles, making appearances deceptive.
It was too coincidental. Ji Yuluo wondered if the Xiao family was connected to past events. She frowned, lost in thought, when suddenly—
“Hey! Who goes there?!”
Facing away from the approaching person, Ji Yuluo dared not turn around and immediately jumped into the dense forest behind the waterside pavilion.
Xiao Yuanting chased a few steps, then saw Xiao Cheng emerge from the study. Pointing towards the forest, he exclaimed, “Father! We have an intruder!”
—
On a clear night at the end of the twelfth lunar month, the iron bars framed tiny, flickering stars. The fog had cleared, leaving a serene night.
Only an oil lamp lit the interrogation room, making the silence feel eerie.
Huo Xian sat in a rusty, oversized chair, one leg crossed over the other, his right hand resting on his knee, tapping the dark robe with his fingertips.
He stared at the light falling through the iron bars while Sun Zhixing cried in fear at his feet. “Sir, every word I said is true. Yiniang Gu told my aunt after drinking too much. My aunt couldn’t keep it to herself, so I found out! Later, we didn’t say anything because we relied on Yiniang Gu, but now she’s gone…”
“Sir, do you know why the eldest miss is not favored? It’s because she isn’t the wife’s child! That Ji Chongwang, pretending to be so noble and dignified, is a fraud. If you expose this, won’t it be enough to deal with him?”
Huo Xian slowly turned his head, asking an irrelevant question, “You said Gu once asked your aunt to throw the eldest miss into the river?”
Sun Zhixing thought what he had said later was more important, but he didn’t dare not answer. He nodded, “Yes, that night I was there. But the eldest miss didn’t die. My aunt said maybe it was dark and rainy, and they tied up the wrong person.”
Huo Xian looked at Sun Zhixing and felt as if the fog that had been obstructing the key clue was finally clearing.
The name “Ji Yuyao” was spotless, with no trace to be found, because Ji Yuyao herself was clean.
Oranges and tangerines may look alike, but they are not the same thing. Mixing the two only made the whole matter seem extraordinary.
Sun Zhixing’s words alone might not prove this, but Huo Xian was already convinced. No wonder the look in her eyes at Chengyuan Temple was so different from later—it wasn’t that she was acting poorly; it’s just that one’s true demeanor is hard to hide.
It could be hidden for a day or two, but over time, she probably grew tired of the charade.
Huo Xian brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes, feeling quite pleased. “Take him away and watch him closely,” he ordered.
The jailer then dragged Sun Zhixing away.
The hope in Sun Zhixing’s eyes froze. “Sir, I’ve told you everything. When will you let me out? I swear, I won’t mention today’s words again! I won’t ruin your plans!”
Huo Xian smiled faintly. “Isn’t it nice here? They feed you. Put him in a better cell and take good care of him.”
Sun Zhixing wailed as he was dragged away, leaving only the sound of chains scraping the floor. Huo Xian pressed his ears and was about to stand up when Nanyue arrived.
Nanyue whispered a few words to him, and the smile in Huo Xian’s eyes faded slightly. He mounted his horse and headed to the Duke’s mansion.
