Chapter 2340

This pain, you must not only endure it, you must also learn to enjoy it! She panted slightly, licked the blood from her lips, but her eyes burned with an intense light, making the leader feel a chill despite himself.

This woman must have gone mad long ago?

As long as I refuse to speak, even if you crush every inch of my meridians, gouge out my eyes, cut off my nose, and hack off my limbs, you will still get no information from me! When your master is displeased, how much better could your fate possibly be than mine? She gave a strange smile, I may not be able to see, but I can wait for you beneath the Nine Springs of the Netherworld. You won't make me wait too long, will you?

The leader fell silent for a few breaths, then said: Once you see me, you can never return to the Heavenly Palace.

This I, of course, is not him himself.

You speak as if you plan to let me go. Mei Wuniang gave a soft laugh, If you don't show your face, this excellent intelligence will come to nothing.

Her goal has always been to get the person behind the scenes to act personally.

The leader then said to the executioner: Put it away, come with me.

The latter stopped the torture, put away the tools, and followed behind this leader as they walked out together.

Mei Wuniang drew a light breath, struggling to restore her spirit.

She had only taken a small step; the real battle lay ahead.

She still had a life-saving talisman in her hand, but whether it would work depended on who used it.

No rabbit, no hawk—she must see the mastermind behind these thugs.

Outside, that group of people still stood rigidly, encircling this guest room completely.

After a dozen breaths, one person finally stepped over the threshold, hands behind his back, approaching.

In his forties, with a refined face and elegant long robe.

Seeing him, Mei Wuniang was greatly surprised: National Preceptor, my lord!

She never imagined she would meet the current National Preceptor of the Qing Palace, Nie Xiaolou, here!

Nie Xiaolou was also a frequent visitor to Mount Xushan; Tong Yiyi followed behind Aunt Zeng in and out of various public occasions, having seen him at least ten times, and had even served him tea several times.

Of course she could pretend not to know him, but it would serve little purpose.

Nie Xiaolou sat down first, lightly tapping the opposite chair with his folding fan: Please sit.

No one touched Mei Wuniang, yet she felt as if an invisible pair of large hands pressed her down, forcing her to sit!

Touching her wound again brought another wave of sharp pain.

She gritted her teeth and endured it.

National Preceptor, my lord, what is going on? Mei Wuniang sighed, I thought and thought, never expecting it to be you.

Unexpected? Nie Xiaolou smiled faintly.

I originally thought you survived only because you were unaware, so the Heavenly Palace used you as bait. I also had people investigate your background—spotless, clean, with no doubts.

Mei Wuniang felt a chill in her heart. When did the Qing Palace National Preceptor begin to suspect her?

Being watched by such a person, no spy ends well.

Fortunately, the materials Cao Yan produced were solid enough to even deceive the Qing Palace National Preceptor's discerning eye.

Back then, she passed the Heavenly Palace background check in the same way.

However, a few years ago I newly cultivated a nearly lost obscure divine ability called Heavenly Eye Penetration. Nie Xiaolou said slowly, This ability isn't particularly remarkable—it can only read a person's birth characters, requiring no verbal report. In ancient times, diviners used it to harm or deceive people.

Mei Wuniang's heart jumped—could Nie Xiaolou also see hers?

Yes, I can see your birth characters at a glance. Nie Xiaolou seemed to hear her thoughts, Those few times, you stood respectfully behind Aunt Zeng, never daring to raise your head, and I didn't investigate further. Until Huang Mingsheng accidentally killed the Yu Kingdom prince on the front lines, I heard your name again, and only then did I calculate—

It turns out your actual age should be three or four years older than now; you were already overage when selected for the Heavenly Palace. But your entry background showed no flaw whatsoever.

National Preceptor, my lord, this is mere verbal claim without proof. To slander someone of the Heavenly Palace, you need black-and-white evidence. Mei Wuniang pressed her lips, speaking faintly, Even if you insist on your view, but I don't believe you don't know that the Heavenly Palace maidens selected are not all sixteen or seventeen.

Falsifying age to enter the Heavenly Palace—though not said to be widespread, it is indeed not rare. As far as Mei Wuniang knows, there are already several such cases.

Even relevant personnel of the Heavenly Palace may not know, but as long as no one exposes or reports it, they just turn a blind eye. What difference does it make if the selected maidens are one or two years older? Would the heavenly gods really care?

Later I investigated your files further, and the more I looked, the more interesting it became. Nie Xiaolou smiled, Your reputation in the Heavenly Palace is gentle and straightforward, without scheming—even the hard-to-please Aunt Zeng likes you. No wonder, since Aunt Zeng has been in that dye vat for so long, she instead dislikes those little maidens with hearts as full of tricks as a sponge.

Aunt Zeng has spent most of her life in the Heavenly Palace, seen countless scheming women, and finds them exhausting. By contrast, she prefers down-to-earth girls, and sincerity means less harm done.

But the five people you have offended before—including two maidens, one guard, one lamp attendant, and even an official from Wang Ting, the Commandant Huang Shiqin—have all ended up dead or demoted. Thanks to you, Huang Shiqin is now merely a low-ranking official. Nie Xiaolou continued.

It was this matter that first drew his attention.

Mei Wuniang bit her lip: That maiden was punished for mishandling her duties and angering the heavenly gods, dealt with by Aunt Zeng herself. Huang Shiqin's change has nothing to do with me—if he hadn't acted recklessly in the market, how could he have offended the Grand Minister of Agriculture?

Yes, their fates on the surface are self-inflicted. Nie Xiaolou said solemnly, But if you trace the threads back, each person's prior path had intersected with yours—some as recently as two or three months ago, others as long as a year—before they met misfortune. You say, how could it be such a coincidence?

Mei Wuniang pursed her lips, saying nothing.

The Heavenly Palace and Aunt Zeng are also blind spots—before, they never suspected you. This time, if not for the Heavenly Palace using you as bait, I wouldn't have found you. Nie Xiaolou gave a faint smirk, Now looking back, either your methods are truly superb, or you have received external help—neither should be achievable by the innocent and straightforward Tong Yiyi.

Just as Nie Xiaolou finished speaking, a guard entered, holding a small box: My lord, her earrings are suspicious.

Oh?

The guard opened the box, revealing a pearl earring inside.

Mei Wuniang saw it and knew her worst fear had already come true.

The guard still held another pearl earring in his hand:

This is a real pearl, but the one in the box is not.

He lit a lamp, lifted the pearl from the box into the light, and said: Look.

On the surface, this pearl looks no different from its peers; but when brought close to a strong light source and illuminated, something seemed to be inside the pearl.