bookcurios Chapter 106 The Imperial Palace is Bustling with Activity
Chapter 106 The Imperial Palace is Bustling with Activity
The Imperial Noble Consort's lips twitched with heartache, but she could only force a smile. "Yinyin, can you keep the secret now?"
"Don't rush, Your Highness." Su Yinyin put the bracelet back and pointed to a jade pendant. "This jade pendant looks very exquisite, so I can have it too."
Su Yinyin instructed Lao Yi, "Given your previous actions, I dare not trust you. Here's what we'll do, Lao Yi, prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone to serve the Dowager Consort."
The Empress Dowager was puzzled as she watched the man in black walk out of the secret room. She wondered if she should take the opportunity to escape.
As long as I run outside and shout, the guards...!
The Empress Dowager shuddered, suddenly realizing that her men were already top-tier martial arts masters. The man beside her couldn't even withstand three moves from this man's sword.
The guards outside were even less of a help; before they could even be saved, they would be killed by the man in black.
Just then, the First Prince returned. He tossed the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in front of the Imperial Noble Consort. Looking at these items, the Imperial Noble Consort had a bad feeling.
Su Yinyin's eyes darted around as she looked at the First Elder. The First Elder nodded, pulled the Imperial Noble Consort over, pressed a sword against her neck, and whispered a threat: "Write down what happened between you and that man tonight."
The Imperial Noble Consort's face turned deathly pale. "You are slandering me. How could I do such a despicable thing?"
Su Yinyin sneered, "Your Highness, I saw that scene clearly just now. If you don't write it down, this sword won't be so discreet."
The old man then pushed his sword forward at the opportune moment, the tip of which grazed the Empress Dowager's skin, and a trickle of blood seeped out.
Suddenly, the Empress Dowager thought of something and said gently, "Yinyin, I am your mother-in-law and the baby's grandmother. Isn't what you're doing going too far? Take all these things away, and I won't hold it against you."
Su Yinyin looked at the shameless concubine with a half-smile, thinking to herself, "Are all these people so self-righteous?"
"Oh dear, so now the Dowager remembers I'm the baby's mother? Then why did you kill me?"
The Empress Dowager was startled. Could it be that Su Yinyin discovered that the assassination attempt tonight was orchestrated by her?
Impossible. She did it so discreetly. Even Yuan'er didn't notice. How could Su Yinyin have found out?
Why is Su Yinyin protected by such powerful experts? What is Su Yinyin's true identity?
Su Yinyin stepped forward and gently pinched the face of the Imperial Noble Consort. "Your Highness, please stop pretending to be confused. You think you've done everything perfectly, but in reality, it's full of loopholes. The assassins you sent today have a unique scent of spices on them, and your palace is filled with that scent."
The Imperial Noble Consort's eyes widened, never expecting that such a small oversight would become a handle against her. "Even so, you cannot treat me like this. After all, I am of noble status."
Su Yinyin burst into laughter, "Make her write down everything that happened, and state that all the treasures in the secret chamber will be given to Su Yinyin. Make her write it clearly. If she doesn't write it clearly, I'll finish her off with one sword!"
Su Yinyin didn't bother arguing with the Dowager Consort. If it weren't for the baby, she would have dealt with the Dowager Consort long ago. After giving her instructions, she turned to examine the treasures.
The Dowager gritted her teeth, knowing that if she did not comply today, she would likely not survive. She could only pick up the pen tremblingly and write while crying, saying, "Su Yinyin will surely be punished for treating me this way."
Su Yinyin snorted, "You should worry about yourself first."
After the Dowager Consort finished writing, Su Yinyin took it with satisfaction and blew on the ink to dry it. "Your Highness, rest assured, as long as you behave well, I will keep this note safe and will not show it to anyone easily. But if you dare to scheme against me again, this note may end up somewhere else."
Upon hearing Su Yinyin's words, the Imperial Noble Consort collapsed to the ground, her face filled with despair.
With a single glance from Su Yinyin, the old man understood. He struck the Dowager Consort on the back of the neck with a palm strike. She slowly collapsed to the ground.
The old man dragged the concubine outside. Su Yinyin happily put the things into her spatial storage.
The two returned the way they came and arrived back at the Su residence.
Su Yinyin and the First Elder entered and left the Su residence. Only the Fifth Elder and a few others noticed.
Outside the Su residence, people from various factions were lying in wait. No one noticed them.
Regent Zhou Yuan listened to the information from the secret guards. His eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in them. "Mother, what are you trying to do?"
The palace was in a state of panic. The emperor's secret treasury had been stolen.
Moreover, they disappeared without a trace, enraging the emperor. All the guards on duty at the treasury were imprisoned.
Su Yinyin had just finished showering and was sitting in the living room drinking something when Lao Yi reported to her that the Emperor wanted to thoroughly investigate the matter and that no one suspected of being involved would be let off the hook. Su Yinyin sneered inwardly; it had taken so long to discover the missing valuables.
The old man said, "Miss, that old emperor must be furious to lose his treasury."
Su Yinyin smiled slightly: "Of course, luckily we did it cleanly and neatly, leaving no evidence."
"Once I've tidied up, you can arrange for the valuable items to be auctioned off at the Great Yan Kingdom's Divine Physician Pavilion."
I was lost in thought as I watched the old man walk away!
Inside the palace, the guards thoroughly searched the area around the emperor's bedchamber, gradually expanding their search. In less than an hour, they had reached the palace of the Dowager Consort. Unfortunately for the guards, they were caught off guard and rushed inside.
The Dowager Consort was still unconscious on the ground. Not far from her, a man lay in disheveled clothes.
The guards were stunned by the scene. The head guard ordered his men to guard the door. He then summoned the Empress Dowager's maid and had her moved to the bed. He himself ran to report to the Emperor.
When the emperor arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, he saw her sitting in the flower hall. Under the acupuncture treatment of the imperial physician, the Empress Dowager had already regained consciousness before the emperor arrived.
The emperor's face darkened: "Your Highness, who is the man in your room?"
The Empress Dowager lowered her head and wept, "Your Majesty, I don't know. When I woke up, I was like this. Moreover, all my valuables are gone."
The Emperor was greatly surprised and said, "What? The Empress Dowager's words are absolutely true?"
The Empress Dowager nodded, sobbing uncontrollably. The Emperor's face grew increasingly grim. This matter was far too strange. On one hand, his private treasury had been robbed, and on the other hand, not only was there a strange man at the Empress Dowager's place, but her valuables had also vanished.
At this moment, a eunuch beside the emperor quietly approached and said, "Your Majesty, could it be that someone did this on purpose, both to steal money and to frame the Empress Dowager?" The emperor's eyes sharpened upon hearing this.