Chapter 298: Offering Help (3)

Confirming that everything was stamped, Fuling handed the seal to Yao Chan and urged, "Hurry and take it back."

"Yes." Yao Chan's palms were covered in sweat, but she did not dawdle, retracing her steps back to Xixia Palace.

Since Yao Chan had stolen the seal today, it meant she had truly defected to her mistress; if this matter could be completed successfully, she would be her mistress's person, and in this way, she would not have to die. Fuling breathed a secret sigh of relief. She folded the stamped document, tucked it into the front of her bodice, and ran toward Beimen.

Fuling was cautious and careful the entire way. When she finally saw Beimen, her steps grew longer and faster.

"Stop." A stern male voice barked. Fuling stopped in her tracks, her mind racing. This was Beimen, and judging by the footsteps behind her, it should be a squad of Guards patrolling the palace gate. Fuling looked down at her bodice to ensure there was nothing amiss before turning to face the people behind her.

Behind her was indeed a squad of ten Imperial Guards. The person standing at the very front must be the one who had just called out to her. Fuling raised her head slightly to look at him and immediately met a pair of indifferent, cold eyes.

Ming Ze... Fuling cursed silently, why had she run into him again! Fuling unconsciously clenched her palms.

Fuling cursed silently upon seeing Ming Ze, and Ming Ze also frowned slightly when he saw Fuling's face. It was only very slight; if one were not very familiar with him, one would not be able to tell at all. Thus, in Fuling's eyes, she was facing a cold, expressionless face.

Thinking of the item tucked in her bosom, Fuling felt somewhat nervous. Afraid that Ming Ze might notice something unusual, she lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet his gaze.

To make things easier to handle today, Fuling was wearing a simple, elegant light blue palace gown, looking no different from an ordinary Gongnu. Because she stood there for a long time without speaking after turning around, the Guard behind Ming Ze grew impatient and asked, "Which Palace are you from, and what are you doing here?"

Fuling checked the sky; it was almost time for the palace gates to be locked. At this hour, the gates were generally only for entry and not for exit. She had originally made arrangements, having gone out once at noon to retrieve those Letters, so the gatekeepers surely would not stop her now. Who would have known she would run into Ming Ze on patrol.

After pondering for a moment, Fuling looked at the Guard who had asked the question and replied with a smile, "I am Fuling, a Female Official from Qingfeng Palace. Consort Qing has been suffering from severe morning sickness lately and wants to eat some sour jujube preserves, but the Imperial Kitchen in the palace can never get the flavor the Consort likes. Yesterday, the Prime Minister's wife brought some into the palace, and the Consort liked them very much, so she sent me to get some more today." As she spoke, Fuling produced her White Jade Palace Token, which could prove her identity.

Upon hearing that she was from Qingfeng Palace and a Female Official at that, the Guard's expression changed immediately. He put away his impatient look and chuckled, "So it is Miss Fuling. The Beimen will be locked in half an hour, and according to the rules, no one is allowed to leave the palace at this time. Why don't you wait until tomorrow morning to go out?"

Fuling put on a troubled expression and sighed, "It wouldn't be a problem to go tomorrow, but Consort Qing has had no appetite lately and only likes to eat this. I will only be out for a moment and will return shortly; I hope you gentlemen can make an exception."

"This..." The Guard glanced at Ming Ze. Seeing that he did not speak, the Guard smiled awkwardly, "This is truly against the rules. Do you have a token? If you have a token, it would naturally be a different matter."

The status of Female Officials in the palace was already high, and the masters tacitly allowed them to leave the palace for a short while, so the palace gate Guards generally did not stop them. Who would carry a token with them? Besides, the master had already given the token to Lady Lou, so she certainly did not have one. Time ticked away second by second, and Fuling grew anxious. If the palace gate were locked, she would truly be unable to leave. Anxious inside, Fuling dared not show it and could only reply with forced patience, "You should all know that the Emperor bestowed a token for entering and exiting the palace upon Consort Qing. I naturally have the token, but the Consort was in a rush today and I left in such a hurry that I didn't bring it."

"This..." The Guard looked at Ming Ze again. The man who had been as still as a mountain finally spoke, "The palace gates are about to be locked. Go and patrol the area once more."

"Yes." The men breathed a secret sigh of relief. Consort Qing was currently in favor; if they didn't let Fuling out and offended the Consort, they would have no good fruit to eat. If they let her out and it was against the rules, they couldn't bear the blame if the superiors punished them. Now that Ming Ze was taking the lead, they were happy to stay far away.

Once those men had walked far away, Ming Ze did not beat around the bush and asked coldly, "What are you going out of the palace for?"

It was clear that he hadn't believed a single word of what she had just said. Fuling cursed silently in her heart; this man was truly difficult to deal with. Ming Ze could not possibly be unaware of the Prime Minister's situation. Mixing truth with lies should make it more believable to him. Fuling looked around to ensure no one was nearby before whispering, "The Prime Minister is in trouble. Yesterday, Lady Lou came into the palace to plead her case, and Consort Qing said she wanted to leave the palace to accompany her. The Emperor was furious and ordered that the Consort not be allowed to leave Qingfeng Palace. The Consort is worried about Lady Lou, so she sent me to see how she is doing."

The Imperial Palace was neither large nor small. Even if the Emperor's decree was only verbal, it spread very quickly. He knew that Qingfeng was confined to Qingfeng Palace, but he did not know it was for her sister. It was true; even in such a wretched state that night, she had not forgotten to ask about her sister's news, which showed how much she cherished her own family. Thinking of Qingfeng's anxious face, Ming Ze's heart softened, and he replied coldly, "You must return within half an hour."

Fuling was stunned. He had agreed so easily? She raised her eyes slightly, only to see Ming Ze still wearing that cold face. Fuling could not tell what he was thinking, but since he had agreed, Fuling immediately replied, "Very well."

After speaking, Fuling did not wait for Ming Ze to say anything else and ran toward the palace gate. Ming Ze followed behind her toward Beimen. Just as he was about to open his mouth to tell the guards not to stop her, he saw those men standing straight there, with no intention of stopping Fuling to ask questions, and she just ran out like that.

Ming Ze's cold eyes narrowed slightly, feeling vaguely that something was wrong. He did not pause his steps and followed Fuling out of Beimen.

Although Fuling had no martial arts, she was very cautious. Ming Ze did not follow too closely. He only saw her run along the palace wall to the south after exiting the gate. After running about thirty or forty zhang, a large dark red carriage was waiting there. A man in black stood beside the carriage; he was sturdy, his gaze sharp, and his martial arts were not low. Ming Ze could only watch from a distance. Fuling ran to the carriage, nodded slightly to the man, and then immediately climbed into the carriage.

Being too far away, Ming Ze naturally could not hear what the people in the carriage were saying and just observed quietly.

Fuling climbed into the carriage, and Zhuo Qing immediately came forward to meet her. Fuling dared not delay and took those Letters out from her bodice, handing them to Zhuo Qing, urging, "Lady Lou, please see if this is acceptable?"

Zhuo Qing took them and looked them over carefully. The bright red seal was clearly stamped in the designated position. Zhuo Qing smiled happily, "Mm, very good. Thank you, Fuling."

Fuling was not used to her mistress saying thank you to her. She frowned slightly and replied, "Please do not say that, it shames this servant."

Zhuo Qing smiled slightly and said nothing more. Thinking of the person in the palace, Zhuo Qing said softly, "Thank her for me when you return."

"Yes, this servant takes her leave." Just as Fuling was about to get off the carriage, Zhuo Qing suddenly called out to her, "Wait a moment."

Fuling turned back to look at her. Zhuo Qing asked softly, "Is she doing well these days?" The last time she saw Qingfeng, she always felt her spirit was low. It was truly not easy to maneuver around someone like Yan Hongtian. Asking her for help today, Zhuo Qing still felt very guilty in her heart.

Her mistress probably didn't want Lady Lou to worry about her. Fuling gave a gentle smile and replied, "The mistress is doing very well."

Zhuo Qing shook her head; this girl had a delicate heart. Zhuo Qing waved her hand at her and sighed, "You should hurry back."

"Yes." Fuling said nothing more, jumped off the carriage, and ran toward the North Palace Gate. The man in black vaulted onto the carriage and flicked the whip. The four fine horses immediately bolted like an arrow released from a bow. Seeing the speed of the carriage, Ming Ze knew he could not catch up on foot, so he returned to Beimen a step ahead of Fuling.

When she had almost reached the palace gate, Fuling stopped to take a few deep breaths. Once her breathing had steadied, she entered Beimen. Just as she entered the palace gate, Fuling felt a probing gaze land on her. Looking up, it was Ming Ze. Fuling gave him a slight smile, and as the two brushed past each other, Fuling whispered, "Thank you." Fuling thought to herself that this man did not seem as unapproachable as he looked, while Ming Ze watched her back, lost in thought.

The hour of You had passed. If things went smoothly, Fuling should have obtained the seal by now. Qingfeng had been restless all day, and only standing by the windowsill looking at the Autumn Begonia that had already formed a small flower bud could calm her mind. Stroking the flower that had yet to bloom, Qingfeng's thoughts had already flown far away.

A series of light footsteps sounded from outside Qingfeng Palace. Qingfeng looked over anxiously, only to see a woman dressed as a Gongnu walking in carefully, carrying a porcelain bowl. It was not Fuling. Qingfeng was somewhat disappointed, but she saw the woman walk to Lan'er's side and whisper, "Sister Lan'er, the autumn weather is dry. This is the Lily and Lotus Seed Soup I brought from the Imperial Kitchen. Since Sister Fuling happens to be away, why don't you take it in to the mistress?"

The voice was very soft; if Qingfeng hadn't been standing by the window, she certainly wouldn't have heard it. Lan'er took the porcelain bowl and smiled, "You are quite thoughtful. You don't need to do chores like sweeping the courtyard anymore; help me take care of these flowers and plants instead. The Consort treasures them dearly."

A sweet smile appeared on the woman's face, and she replied obediently, "Yes, this servant will certainly do her best."

Lan'er carried the porcelain bowl into the room, and the smile on the woman's face faded along with it. She picked up the shears Lan'er had put down and slowly pruned the flower branches.

This woman looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a while, Qingfeng finally remembered. When she had first entered the palace, this woman had served her for a day alongside Fuling. At that time, she was slightly noisy and her thoughts were plain to see; now she seemed much more composed. While Qingfeng was still thinking, Lan'er had already entered the inner room and said in a low voice from outside the screen, "Mistress, it is easy to feel feverish in autumn. This servant has brought you some Lily and Tremella Soup. Please have a taste."

"Come in."

Lan'er carried the porcelain bowl into the inner chamber. Toward this mistress, she both wanted to please her and felt somewhat afraid.

"Mm, the taste is not bad." Qingfeng only tasted one spoonful and then stopped eating. She asked as if casually, "What time is it?"

"Replying to the mistress, it is the third quarter of the hour of You."

The third quarter of the hour of You... Why hadn't Fuling returned yet? "You may withdraw." Qingfeng's heart was like a boat, drifting on the sea. She hadn't gone anywhere or done anything today, yet she felt incomparably exhausted. Was this the feeling of a weary heart?

She did not know how much more time passed, so long that Qingfeng was about to think the matter had been exposed, when Fuling finally returned.

"Mistress."

Seeing Fuling's expression was normal, Qingfeng guessed that things had gone relatively smoothly, but she still asked, "How did it go?"

"The item has been handed to Lady Lou, and the seal has been returned." Fuling thought about the small interlude at the city gate and decided not to mention it. Her mistress looked very tired, and she shouldn't bother her with these trivial matters.

Seeing that it was getting late, Fuling was just about to go out to serve the meal when her wrist was grabbed by a cool hand. Fuling looked at Qingfeng in confusion, only to hear her weak voice reply, "Don't go anywhere else; just stay by my side."

Whether or not this could be accomplished would be known very soon. Regardless of whether it succeeded or not, with Yan Hongtian's intellect, he would certainly guess that this matter had something to do with her. She feared tonight would not be easy to get through.

(End of chapter)