Chapter 284: Backstab (1)

Past 1:00 AM, the night was deep. The late summer night was no longer unbearably hot; it was the perfect time for sleep. Tonight, the Emperor didn't come, and only a red lantern was left in the Qingfeng Palace. The little maid on night duty sat on the steps dozing off, and the courtyard was so quiet that only the rustling of the breeze through the leaves could be heard.

In the ink-black night, a slender figure slowly pushed open the door and walked toward the side door on tiptoe. Just as she stepped outside, another tall figure followed.

On the palace path in the middle of the night, there was only one palace lantern far away. Fuling watched the figure running all the way, her brows tightly locked. When she brought the silk back that day, the Master had asked her to pay attention to any abnormalities in the Qingfeng Palace. Lan'er and several little maids were all curious and asked questions, but only Xia Yin hid far away, not even looking. She had been paying attention to her for several days, and tonight, she finally moved.

Xia Yin was very careful, observing all around while running. Fuling was afraid of being discovered and didn't dare to get too close. After following for a while, Fuling gradually discovered that the direction Xia Yin was going... seemed to be the Lingyun Palace?

Fuling's guess was correct. She saw Xia Yin knock twice on the back door of the Lingyun Palace, and the door opened. Xia Yin immediately flashed inside, and the door closed again. Being too far away, Fuling couldn't see who opened the door for Xia Yin. Just as she wanted to get closer to see who was responding inside when Xia Yin came out, her foot had just stepped out when a male voice suddenly scolded: "Who?"

The sudden low shout made Fuling's heart jump violently. Before she could react, a long sword blocked her way. Although the sword wasn't drawn, the chilling murderous intent was enough to make Fuling unable to move.

"Who are you? Which palace are you from?" The cold male voice sounded again. Fuling looked up at the owner of the long sword. It was a man in the uniform of an Imperial Guard. The tall figure shrouded in the night didn't know when he had already stood in front of her. His ink-black cold eyes stared at her, and his gaze was sharp even in the night.

This person... looked familiar, but where had she seen him? Fuling couldn't remember for a moment.

The man was clearly impatient. He glanced at the palace token hanging at Fuling's waist. Fuling only felt a pain at her waist, and the palace token had already been snatched away.

Ming Ze looked at the waist token in his hand. The delicate white jade was clear and warm. It was a female official's waist token? Looking closely at the words on it, the front said "Qingfeng Palace," and the back was engraved with "Fifth Grade—Fuling."

Qingfeng Palace? Was she the female official by her side? Ming Ze carefully sized up this woman named Fuling. Her face was delicate, her eyes calm. Facing his long sword, her expression only changed slightly, without losing her composure. Withdrawing the long sword, Ming Ze asked coldly, "What are you doing here so late?"

Fuling took a deep breath inwardly, letting herself calm down before replying indifferently, "It's too hot, I couldn't sleep, so I walked around."

Too hot? This excuse was clearly not very clever, but it left people speechless. Ordinary palace maids and eunuchs couldn't walk around the palace at will after 7:00 PM without the Master's orders, but Fuling's rank was one grade higher than his third-rank guard, ranked from the fifth grade. It wasn't his place to manage her walking around to "cool off." Mocking himself inwardly, Ming Ze returned the white jade palace token to her, his expression still cold, saying, "It's getting late, please return."

Glancing at the tightly closed small door, Fuling worried that if Xia Yin came out and saw her at a stalemate with this guard, it would surely alert the enemy. Taking the waist token handed over by Ming Ze, Fuling left quickly.

Fuling walked in front, and Ming Ze followed behind. He looked tall, but his footsteps were very light. If it weren't for the long shadow cast by the moonlight, Fuling wouldn't have felt anyone behind her several times. That shadow followed her, and Fuling finally stopped and asked, "Why are you following me?"

Ming Ze replied coldly, "This subordinate is on night patrol."

Fuling was a bit annoyed but couldn't vent. It seemed he wouldn't give up until he watched her enter the Qingfeng Palace tonight. Fuling wanted to get rid of Ming Ze quickly, so her steps were a bit hurried. When she turned, she tripped over her own skirt, "Ah!" Fuling let out a low cry. Before the cry ended, her arm was pulled upward with force. Stumbling, Fuling finally stood firm.

She looked quite steady; how could she trip while walking? Could it be that there were what kind of Master, what kind of servant? Thinking of that rainy night, Qingfeng was soaked by the rain, looking in a mess, Ming Ze couldn't help but curl his lips.

Fuling had intended to thank him, but when she looked up, she saw his brows were full of smiles. Although very faint, he was indeed smiling. That smile broke the cold, hard arc of his face, making him look much softer. Was her falling so funny?!

Shaking off Ming Ze's hand, Fuling quickened her pace, almost running back, regardless of whether the person behind her was still following. Arriving at the side door of the Qingfeng Palace, Fuling wanted to push the door open, only to find it was locked from the inside. Was Xia Yin back? Or did the eunuchs find the side door unlocked during their patrol? Fuling pondered, and the long shadow appeared behind her again. Fuling cursed inwardly; this person was simply like a ghost!

With no other choice, Fuling had to knock gently. After a while, the little maid's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Fuling."

The door opened quickly. The little maid poked her head out, saw it was her, and hurriedly opened the door, asking, "Sister Fuling? Why are you still outside so late?"

"Let's go in." Fuling naturally wouldn't answer her, pushing the little maid inside. Crossing the door, Fuling looked back. Where was anyone behind her? He... where was he?

Fuling stood at the door and looked around. The moonlight was dappled, the tree shade swayed, and there were a few palace lanterns far away. There wasn't even a ghost on the palace path. The little maid looked toward the door and asked, "Sister Fuling, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Coming back to her senses, Fuling closed the main door.

Fuling didn't ask the little maid if Xia Yin had returned. Under her puzzled gaze, she walked straight back to her room.

Entering the room, Fuling leaned lightly against the window, wanting to see when Xia Yin would return. Waiting for half an hour, she still didn't see her figure. Fuling yawned. The waist token tucked in her sleeve slid out. Gently stroking the cool white jade, the cold face flashed in her mind, along with the faint smile on his lips. Who was he? Why did she feel he looked familiar?

Begonias were not as delicate as peonies. Having adapted to the new soil, they grew even more lush. The leaves, condensed with morning dew, swayed slightly in the morning light, refracting beautiful halos.

Behind the half-open window, Qingfeng sat in front of the bronze mirror, supporting her cheek with one hand, looking at the begonias outside the window. She seemed to be in a good mood. After a while, Fuling, who was usually quick-handed and quick-footed, hadn't finished grooming her hair. Qingfeng looked through the bronze mirror and saw Fuling behind her, her head slightly lowered, her hands combing her hair with one stroke and another, looking thoughtful. Qingfeng watched her for a long time, and she didn't notice.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" The clear voice suddenly sounded. Fuling came back to her senses and met Qingfeng's smiling eyes in the bronze mirror. Fuling shook her head in embarrassment and replied, "Nothing."

Qingfeng's beautiful brows raised slightly, clearly not believing her. Fuling looked away, and while twisting her hair into a bun, she said, "This servant went to the Silk Weaving House to inquire. Those silks are made from the silk spit by jade silkworms. They are very precious. Only the Empress Dowager and the favored masters in the palace are qualified to receive some. In these two seasons, only people from the Lingyun Palace have received three bolts."

"And... Xia Yin went to the Lingyun Palace last night." After a delay, Fuling continued, "She entered from the side door. It was too dark, and this servant didn't see who she met."

"Keep watching her. See who else she is close to besides the Lingyun Palace." Getting along with Zhen Zhen these days, Qingfeng felt she was a gentle and elegant person. Could such a person use such a vicious method to make her unable to conceive? Although Qingfeng didn't quite believe it, she didn't dare to be careless at all.

"By the way, go inquire in the next few days which official is in charge of investigating my sister's falling into the water, and how those four eunuchs are doing now."

"Yes." Fuling responded in a low voice. Seeing her spirit a bit dazed this morning, Qingfeng took the comb from her hand and said softly, "You didn't sleep well last night. I don't need you to accompany me here; go get some sleep."

Meeting Qingfeng's worried eyes, Fuling felt a warmth in her heart. Picking up the gold hairpin and gently inserting it into the newly twisted bun, Fuling smiled, "This servant is not tired." She was just thinking about whether to tell the Master about being blocked by the guard yesterday. Forget it, he didn't look like a meddlesome person; better to avoid trouble.

Fuling seemed to have something on her mind she didn't want to say, and Qingfeng didn't ask much. After she tied her hair, Qingfeng walked to the painting scroll she had been painting for several days and said in a low voice, "Grind the ink for me."

Fuling placed the ground ink to the side. Qingfeng stared at the scroll for a long time without picking up the brush. She liked to paint in one go; even if there were flaws, she wouldn't care. But she had been painting this painting for several days, just to achieve the best ink-wash effect. Dipping the brush in ink and quickly passing it through clear water in the brush washer, Qingfeng began to paint. The ink wash crossed the paper, leaving shallow ink marks, intertwining with yesterday's ink, creating a misty, rainy feeling.

Finishing the last stroke, Qingfeng sighed. It was finally completed. Fuling looked at the painting scroll spread flat on the large square table and sighed, "This painting of the Master, if mounted directly, would be an excellent painting. If taken to the Silk Weaving House for embroidery, I'm afraid they won't be able to capture the spirit." Although she wasn't very good at calligraphy and painting, and her embroidery skills weren't good, she could still appreciate it. The wantonness and artistic conception revealed by the ink marks as the brush moved could not be expressed by the way of embroidery, which was meticulously depicted stitch by stitch.

She wanted the embroidery workers to be unable to embroider it! Proposing to prepare the congratulatory gift for the celebration with Consort Hui was just to have an opportunity and reason to approach her. Qingfeng had never wanted to hand her painting to the Silk Weaving House for embroidery. She was working so hard just because she didn't want to miss any opportunity to catch Yan Hongtian's attention. Whether Yan Hongtian was curious about her or using her, it didn't matter to her. She didn't want his love anyway.

"Let's take it to Consort Hui for appraisal, and we'll know if it can be embroidered." Qingfeng had always been very confident in her calligraphy and painting. She was now looking forward to what kind of evaluation Zhen Zhen would give.

By the time the ink was dry, it was already afternoon. When Qingfeng and Fuling arrived at the Lingyun Palace, a man in official uniform was walking out. The man was stunned when he saw them and hurriedly bowed and retreated to the side. Qingfeng glanced at the medicine box in his hand and stopped in front of him, asking, "Are you the imperial physician who treats Consort Hui?"

The man knelt and saluted: "This official Lin Feng greets Concubine Qing."

"Imperial Physician Lin, what exactly is Consort Hui's illness? It's been almost a month and it hasn't gotten better?" And it seemed to be getting worse; Zhen Zhen almost never left the soft couch, lying there all day.

"Consort Hui... is weak, and the wind evil has entered her body. She needs to be recuperated slowly."

Qingfeng had only asked casually, but Lin Feng's cautious, nervous, and hesitant appearance made her suspicious. Lin Feng was still kneeling on the ground, and Qingfeng didn't tell him to get up. Instead, she squatted down, looked him in the eye, and said softly, "You should know that Consort Hui's body is delicate. If you delay the Consort's condition, you won't have enough heads to pay for it."

Lin Feng never expected Qingfeng to squat down and talk to him. He didn't dare to look at Qingfeng and hurriedly knelt on both knees, lowering his head. Hearing the word "head" that Qingfeng deliberately emphasized, his body trembled even more involuntarily.

"Sister, don't make things difficult for him. I know my own body; I just need to recuperate slowly. Imperial Physician Lin, you may withdraw." The soft female voice sounded behind her, letting Lin Feng breathe a sigh of relief. He hurriedly saluted and retreated out of the door.

Why was he so panicked? Qingfeng looked in the direction Lin Feng left. Zhen Zhen welcomed her enthusiastically, smiling at her, "Has Sister's painting been completed?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 285 =====