Chapter 114

The sky was already faintly brightening, and Shen Yu knew she couldn’t stay any longer.

The roof of the Forbidden Palace was covered in bright yellow glazed tiles. Her night clothes could still hide her in the darkness, but once the sun rose, it would be obvious.

She glanced towards the palace gate, leaped down, landing silently, and hid behind a pillar, waiting for the patrolling guards to disperse before sneaking out.

“Who’s there!”

Shen Yu was startled. She turned around and saw the guards, and she knew she was in trouble.

As fate would have it, one of the guards had fallen behind the group. As he came out, he bumped into her.

“There’s an assassin!”

The sound of weapons clashing suddenly erupted. The guards immediately drew their swords.

Shen Yu didn’t have a sword with her tonight. She only took a short dagger from her waist, blocked one guard, and snatched his sword.

She didn’t go for the kill. After knocking back a few guards, she turned to see that countless guards were surging from all directions, with countless torches illuminating the pre-dawn sky.

Shen Yu’s heart sank.

There were too many guards. Even if she fought them in a rotating battle, she would never last until the end.

Her only option was to retreat, not fight.

Having made up her mind, Shen Yu used a guard as a shield, backing away while quickly taking some powder from her pouch. As she pushed the guard away, she threw the powder into the air.

The guards rushed to cover their noses and mouths. Those who accidentally inhaled it fell to the ground. In a flash, the assassin leaped onto the high wall and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The guards said, “No good, the assassin went towards the East Palace.”

…

The sky gradually brightened, and by the time of Chen, the officials had finished their morning court session.

Xie Tingzhou had been up all night, resting his eyes in the carriage.

In the morning, the prison warden came to report. Xie Tingzhou guessed that she had followed the Jinyiwei into the palace, hoping to find out some information.

She was getting bolder and bolder. The Forbidden Palace was a dangerous place. She dared to break in, relying on her excellent martial arts skills.

The carriage drove into the Forbidden Palace. After getting off the carriage, Xifeng immediately stepped forward and whispered to Xie Tingzhou, “There was an assassin in the palace this morning. The Jinyiwei saw him go towards the East Palace. They turned the East Palace upside down but couldn’t find him.”

Xie Tingzhou said, “Since they didn’t find him, it means she’s still safe, she just can’t get out of the palace. Let’s go to the East Palace.”

“But she must not be in the East Palace now. We should go…”

Xie Tingzhou looked at the long palace alley, “We’re just going to tell her I’m here to pick her up. Once she knows I’m here, she should be able to find a way back to the East Palace.”

The safest place is the most dangerous place. When they searched, she left the East Palace. After that, she would definitely want to return to the East Palace to avoid being searched in other places.

Xie Tingzhou walked to Chongming Gate. As he stepped into the East Palace, he paused slightly, looking towards the other side of the palace path.

The eunuch in charge of the East Palace came to greet him. He followed Xie Tingzhou’s gaze and saw a few slender palace maids walking further and further away on the palace path.

“Those are palace maids who went out to buy things.” The eunuch said, “Crown Prince, please come in. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have been waiting for you for a long time.”

The palace maid’s clothes Shen Yu was wearing were a little small. She had taken them from a palace maid, and they were a little uncomfortable.

She had actually stayed in the East Palace the whole time and hadn’t left. When they searched the palace, she changed into a palace maid’s clothes and pretended to be one. After knocking out a palace maid, she shouted that there was an assassin and then pretended to faint. She was carried out.

They searched the entire East Palace, but no one thought that a male assassin would disguise himself as a palace maid.

Shen Yu hung her head and followed behind, afraid that she would slip up if she spoke. She turned around a palace wall.

“Stop.”

The eunuch’s voice was drawn out, “Where are you going, you lot?”

Shen Yu secretly raised her eyes and glanced. The eunuch’s robe was embroidered with a peacock, so he must be a supervisor.

The leading palace maid bowed, “Your Grace, we’re going out to buy things as ordered by the Crown Princess.”

“Why do you need so many people to go out and buy things?” Liu Feng asked.

The palace maid quickly stuffed something into the eunuch’s hand and said with a smile, “Eunuch Liu, you understand.”

Liu Feng weighed the silver in his hand. The weight was satisfactory.

He also knew that ordinary palace maids wouldn’t go out of the palace once every few years. Whenever there was a chance to go out and buy things, everyone would fight to go. Sometimes, they would bring a couple of extra people with them.

“Go.” Liu Feng waved his hand.

Shen Yu followed behind. As she passed by the eunuch, she glanced at him, and her fleeting beauty caught Liu Feng’s eye.

“Wait.”

Liu Feng took two steps forward, stopped in front of Shen Yu, raised his whisk, and lifted her chin.

The leading palace maid was sweating profusely, afraid of being exposed. She had given Shen Yu a drug. If there was no antidote, she would die.

Shen Yu’s hand had already tightened around the dagger in her sleeve. She was about to attack, but then she heard the eunuch “tsk tsk” in admiration.

She calmly put the dagger back into her sleeve.

Liu Feng circled her for half a turn, pinching his voice and saying, “With such beauty, it’s a pity to just be a palace maid who buys things.”

Shen Yu didn’t answer.

Liu Feng dragged out his words, “Once you enter the Forbidden Palace, you have to accept your fate. If you don’t climb up, there will be people stepping on you to get ahead.”

He grabbed Shen Yu’s hand. Shen Yu quickly clenched her fist, afraid that he would notice the calluses on her hand.

Liu Feng simply thought she was unwilling. He squeezed her hand and patted it, saying, “I see that you’re a lucky girl. Do you want me to get you a different job?”

Liu Feng looked at her face, thinking that she looked more and more beautiful. It was a bargain that such beauty hadn’t been discovered by the masters in the palace.

Shen Yu had heard about eunuchs and palace maids finding “love partners” in the palace. She didn’t expect this dead eunuch to dare to hit on her.

Shen Yu looked at the hand resting on the back of her hand. If she wasn’t trapped here, she would have chopped off this audacious eunuch long ago.

Shen Yu lowered her head and said, “This servant is still in a hurry to go out and buy things.”

Seeing that she was so ungrateful, Liu Feng threw her hand away and said sarcastically, “Hmph, you don’t want the favor I’m offering. Don’t blame me for not promoting you later.”

A voice suddenly came from the palace alley.

“A eunuch, you dare to speak arrogantly and offer favors!”

As soon as Liu Feng heard this, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, “Fourth Prince.”

The palace maids immediately knelt down, and Shen Yu had no choice but to kneel as well.

She had heard the name of the Fourth Prince, Li Zhaonian, this morning. In Emperor Tongxu’s mouth, he was worthy of the words “benevolent and righteous.”

“Why don’t you tell me what kind of favor you can offer.” Li Zhaonian said.

Liu Feng was terrified, “This servant was just joking with them. Favors are bestowed by the masters. This servant is just a dog. It’s not my place to offer favors.”

Li Zhaonian snorted coldly, “I didn’t hear it like that.”

Liu Feng immediately slapped himself, “This servant’s mouth is clumsy. I can’t speak properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Eunuchs in the palace were all people who looked at the situation and acted accordingly. They could be arrogant and condescending one moment and then bow and scrape the next.

Li Zhaonian reprimanded him, “Get out!”

Liu Feng quickly knelt to the side.

Shen Yu hung her head, and she could only see a pair of Ruyi-patterned boots under the python robe, and the person beside him, a pair of cloud-patterned shoes under his court dress.

“You, raise your head.” Li Zhaonian said.

Shen Yu had no idea who he was referring to. Her arm was suddenly nudged. The palace maid whispered beside her, “His Highness is calling you.”

Shen Yu gritted her teeth and slowly raised her head.

Li Zhaonian looked at her face, as pure as a lotus flower, and indeed beautiful.

He was about to speak, but he saw her looking at the person beside him, and her expression suddenly changed.

Li Zhaonian turned his head. The person beside him was equally shocked.

Li Zhaonian asked curiously, “Lianzhi, do you two know each other?”

The hand Jiang Lianzhi had hidden in his sleeve trembled slightly, unable to control his inner joy.

He had been searching for her for so long, he was almost giving up hope. And here she was, appearing before him in this way.

He cleared his throat and said hoarsely, “I do.”

Shen Yu tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand, and the other hand that was supporting her on the ground had already started to gather strength.

If she could kidnap any one of them as a hostage, she should be able to escape.

But that was a last resort. Once she took a hostage, she couldn’t stay at the Prince’s Mansion, otherwise she would drag Xie Tingzhou down.

Thinking of this, she felt a pang of reluctance in her heart.

Li Zhaonian looked surprised. This was the first time he had seen Jiang Lianzhi so flustered.

“How do you two know each other?”

Shen Yu stared intently at Jiang Lianzhi.

Jiang Lianzhi steadied himself and said slowly, “Your Highness, do you remember my master?”

Li Zhaonian nodded thoughtfully, “Lin Shaoyu was convicted of embezzlement. I heard that you and his daughter were childhood sweethearts.”

Jiang Lianzhi quickly looked at Shen Yu’s face, afraid of seeing any displeasure on her face.

But when he saw her expressionless face, he felt a pang of disappointment.

“Although my master has been executed, a master is a father for life. I wasn’t childhood sweethearts with my master’s daughter.”

Li Zhaonian said, “Then what does this have to do with the person in front of you?”

Jiang Lianzhi said, “She’s a distant relative. Her family was implicated when my master was convicted. I don’t know why she entered the palace.”

Li Zhaonian thought for a moment, “A group of people entered the palace two years ago. I guess she entered then, right?”

Shen Yu had already dug up the graves of Jiang Lianzhi’s ancestors in her mind.

He was really good at lying. He even brought Lin’s family into this. In her previous life, Lin Qingli pushed her into the water. She was so busy that she almost forgot about Lin Qingli.

But now that he mentioned her, when she had time, she would definitely take good care of Lin Qingli, lest she live too comfortably.

Shen Yu said, “Your Highness, that’s right.”

Li Zhaonian nodded, “Don’t kneel anymore, get up.”

Then he said to Jiang Lianzhi, “My brother was frightened last night. Why don’t you go to the East Palace to visit him first.”

Jiang Lianzhi paused, glanced at Shen Yu, and then knelt down again.

Li Zhaonian was startled. When he looked at Shen Yu, he understood, “Is it because of this palace maid?”

Jiang Lianzhi said, “Since I’ve seen her, I can’t just stand by. I hope Your Highness will grant me this.”

Grant you your grandfather!

Shen Yu had already cursed Jiang Lianzhi’s ancestors. If he hadn’t interfered, she would have been able to leave the palace smoothly under the guise of buying things with the palace maids.

Did he need to get involved in this?

It was just a palace maid, after all. For Li Zhaonian, it was just a matter of saying a few words.

“Lianzhi, get up first.” Li Zhaonian personally helped him up and said, “A palace maid is not a big deal. But there was an assassin last night, and they haven’t been found yet. Why don’t we wait a couple of days…”

Seeing Jiang Lianzhi’s solemn expression, he said, “Never mind, the assassin couldn’t have been her. Take her. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”

Jiang Lianzhi got up and bowed, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

He knew that the longer Shen Yu stayed in the palace, the more dangerous it would be. But he still had to go to the East Palace first.

As he was thinking about how to arrange things, he saw a young eunuch running towards them along the palace alley.

“Fourth Prince, Lord Jiang.” The young eunuch bowed, “The Crown Prince heard that you two were coming. He asked me to tell you that the East Palace is currently receiving guests, and he’s afraid that there won’t be enough to entertain everyone. He will personally host a banquet for you later.”

“Someone is faster than us.” Li Zhaonian smiled, “It’s alright, we’ll come again another day.”

Jiang Lianzhi took the opportunity to say, “If that’s the case, then we’ll come to visit the Crown Prince another day.”

Li Zhaonian glanced at Shen Yu, smiled knowingly, and said to Jiang Lianzhi, “It’s rare to see you so eager.”

Jiang Lianzhi blushed, “Your Highness is joking.”

“You’re thin-skinned, so I won’t tease you.” Li Zhaonian said, “Take her and go.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave.” Jiang Lianzhi walked up to Shen Yu and whispered, “Come with me.”

Shen Yu followed silently, thinking to herself that she would knock him out once they left the palace.

Her sleeve was suddenly pulled. The palace maid who was buying things followed and whispered, “So, you’re not going out to buy things with us?”

Shen Yu knew what she meant. She had pretended to give them a drug when she kidnapped them. She was worried that there was no antidote.

She stuffed a piece of paper into the palace maid’s hand.

Last night, she was only going to Dali Temple. Who would have thought she would carry a deadly poison with her? She had only scared her. Otherwise, why would she obediently leave the palace with her? The piece of paper only had two words on it, telling the palace maid that there was no poison.

The palace walls were high, and the palace alleys were deep.

Shen Yu followed behind Jiang Lianzhi. The voices of the young eunuch and Li Zhaonian talking came through the palace alley.

“Who is Your Majesty receiving today?”

“It’s the Crown Prince of Beilin.”

Shen Yu’s footsteps suddenly stopped.

Sensing something strange, Jiang Lianzhi turned his head, his eyes filled with faint confusion.

Shen Yu lowered her eyes.

She didn’t know whether Xie Tingzhou’s arrival at the East Palace was a coincidence or if he had deliberately come to find her.

This question plagued her until she left the Forbidden City.

The palace gates were triple layered. Outside the Forbidden City, she could ride a carriage, but there were still two checkpoints along the way.

Shen Yu sat near the carriage shaft, lifted the curtain, and glanced out.

The number of guards on duty had doubled, and the checks were much stricter. Jiang Lianzhi had only been able to bring her out because he said the Fourth Prince had given him permission.

Jiang Lianzhi looked at her profile and asked in a low voice, “Was the assassin in the palace you?”

Shen Yu continued to look out the window, “Lord Jiang, I don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m a palace maid in the East Palace. Didn’t you see?”

Jiang Lianzhi pursed his lips, “They said you were dead. What’s going on?”

“It seems Lord Jiang was also hoping I would die.” Shen Yu turned back and said.

Jiang Lianzhi’s face changed, and he saw her smile faintly, “It was just a joke. You’ll have to ask my good sister about that. I’m also curious how I died so suddenly.”

In an instant, Jiang Lianzhi understood. He pondered for a moment and said, “What are your plans now? I can report to the Emperor, explain the misunderstanding, and restore your identity.”

“No need.” Shen Yu refused, “I have my own plans. I won’t trouble Lord Jiang with this.”

“What plans!” Jiang Lianzhi reprimanded, “Are you going to risk your life like you did today?”

Shen Yu said, “Then what identity are you using to question me?”

Jiang Lianzhi was stunned for a moment and said, “I saved you.”

Shen Yu snorted coldly, “How do you know you weren’t ruining my plan?”

Jiang Lianzhi was silent for a moment, “A’yu…”

“Lord Jiang.” Shen Yu interrupted him, “I don’t know where those rumors in the capital came from, and I don’t know where your deep affection came from. In any case, we haven’t interacted much. After we leave the palace today, we’ll go our separate ways. It’s best if we don’t interact in the future.”