Chapter 315

The woman laughed, her face full of flattering smiles, "Jian'er, don't pay attention to him. You are the eldest brother, so naturally, you should listen to your arrangements. Ze'er's future depends entirely on you..."

The woman spoke eagerly, and her fawning posture instantly covered Ming Ze's unchanging cold face with a layer of frost. The woman seemed completely unaware of the cold air Ming Ze was emitting and continued to talk incessantly, "Ze'er has been working in the palace for many years and should have been promoted long ago. If there are such good things in the future, you must promote him more!"

Ming Jian frowned slightly. It seemed that they couldn't talk today. If Aunt Shi hadn't come, he would have had some confidence in persuading Ming Ze, but now it was absolutely impossible. Seeing that Ming Ze's tightly clenched fists were about to burst with veins, Ming Jian quickly said: "Think carefully about what I told you today. This is a good opportunity. You have to think about your own career."

"None of your business." Each word seemed to pop out from between his teeth. Ming Jian was not angry, and the corners of his mouth were still slightly raised. Compared with the coldness of the past, this could be considered another kind of emotion, right? Hehe...

"Ming Ze!" Seeing that Ming Ze's words were becoming more and more aggressive, the woman glared at him, then turned to look at Ming Jian, her soft voice even carrying a hint of fawning: "Jian'er, he just has this foul temper. Don't hold it against him. Aunt Shi is here to apologize to you..."

Ming Ze's face turned completely black. With a movement of his body, he leaped out of the Ming Residence in a few bounds. He couldn't stay in this home for even a moment.

It was past midnight, and everything was silent. On the palace road, a team of Imperial Guards was patrolling. A tall black shadow came toward them. Everyone tightened their grip on their swords and knives nervously. After seeing clearly who it was, they breathed a sigh of relief. The leader nodded to the black shadow in greeting, without further communication, and continued walking forward.

The person walking numbly on the palace road alone was Ming Ze, who had run out of the Ming Residence. He was not on duty until 7:00 AM tomorrow, and he was here now because... he had nowhere to go. The young masters of noble families disdained to associate with a concubine-born son like him, and concubine-born sons like him disliked his cold arrogance. Wearing the name of a young master of the Ming Residence, ordinary people dared not associate with him. It was ridiculous to say that he not only had no family but also didn't have a single friend, and not even a place to stay.

He hadn't drunk a drop of wine today and was unusually clear-headed, which made him feel even more miserable. There was only one reason why he couldn't stay in that home—that woman. If she were content with her lot, he might be able to live a humble but free life like other concubine-born sons. If she could abandon the Ming family, even if it were just the two of them, living a commoner's life, that would be a life of contentment and filial piety. Unfortunately, what she wanted was glory, wealth, noble status, and endless vanity, and her means, besides boasting of her beauty, was him, this son. That person was actually his own mother. How ridiculous.

Unknowingly, he had walked to Qingfeng Palace. Qingfeng... she was also pregnant. What kind of mother would she be? Would she also use her child for a place in the harem?

A very slight sound from the side door interrupted Ming Ze's thoughts. Ming Ze dodged into the bushes by the palace road. The side door was gently pushed open, and a slender figure walked out, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand. After observing left and right for a while, she gently closed the door and walked quickly in the other direction of the palace road.

Looking at her figure and appearance, it should be her female official—Fuling. It was so late, where was she going? When he first saw her, she seemed to have run out in the middle of the night like this too. Just as Ming Ze was thinking about whether to follow, another figure flashed out from the side door, carefully following Fuling.

If they were together, why would they leave one after another? Could it be that the woman behind was following Fuling? What on earth was going on? And the bloodstains left in the sedan chair that day, were they hers? Ming Ze pondered for a moment, picked up a stone the size of a thumb, and threw it at the woman following behind. It hit her acupoint, and the woman's figure paused, stopping there without moving.

Ming Ze bypassed the woman from the other side and followed Fuling from a distance. He saw her pace quicken, walking further and further into the remote areas. The direction she was going was... the Cold Palace?

Sure enough, Fuling stopped in front of the Cold Palace and knocked gently on the towering gate. The gate opened immediately from the inside, and Fuling walked in quickly, and the gate closed the next moment. What was she doing here? Ming Ze leaped onto the large banyan tree outside the Cold Palace, hiding behind the branches and leaves, and clearly saw Fuling handing the bamboo basket in her hand to another palace maid in the small courtyard of the Cold Palace, giving a few instructions, and then leaving in a hurry. The palace maid also carried the bamboo basket and entered the room.

She was here to deliver things to Consort Hui in the Cold Palace. Was this her own idea, or Qingfeng's order?

Looking down, Fuling, who had come out of the Cold Palace, was running back along the path she came. Ming Ze leaped and landed more than three yards in front of Fuling, blocking her way.

"Ah!"

The suddenly appearing figure scared Fuling into a low cry, and she took several steps back. Seeing that the person didn't chase or attack, Fuling secretly steadied her mind and looked closely. The person was standing in the shade of a tree, and in the night, except for a blurry shadow, nothing could be seen clearly. Fuling hesitated and asked in a low voice: "Who... are you?"

"You were followed just now." The icy voice rang out in the silent night. It should have been a terrifying thing, but Fuling felt a secret relief in her heart. This voice... it was him, she recognized it.

Her heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again because of Ming Ze's words.

"Followed?" Fuling looked around nervously. On the pitch-black palace road, except for the two of them, there was no one else. Fuling thought to herself, since he appeared to tell her that someone was following her, he must have already dealt with that person.

"Why?" After the fear in her heart faded, deep confusion remained. Walking step by step toward the shadow in the shade of the tree, Fuling asked the doubt in her heart: "Why? Why... why have you helped me time and time again?" That's right, although he wasn't deliberate every time, she could feel it. Ming Ze was always helping her, but why? They had no intersection, right?

Ming Ze seemed to be startled by her sudden question and the figure getting closer, so he took a step back and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Fuling didn't have time to think, her hand had already reached out quickly, grabbing Ming Ze's sleeve, "You haven't answered my question yet."

Her hand suddenly felt heavy, and Ming Ze's cold eyes darkened: "Let go."

Although she couldn't see the coldness in Ming Ze's eyes, Fuling still felt his displeasure from his increasingly cold and condensed aura. After thinking about it, Fuling finally let go of his sleeve, but still stubbornly continued to ask: "Why?" She didn't know why she was so eager to know the answer in her heart; she just wanted to know.

Why? His sword-like brows furrowed tighter because of this question he had never thought about. After a long time, he replied coldly: "Just happened to run into it, and besides, I'm not helping you." If not helping her, then who was he helping? That person in Qingfeng Palace? Shocked by her own thoughts, this time Ming Ze didn't hesitate, leaped up, and fled in a panic.

"Hey?" Staring at the figure that had disappeared without a trace, Fuling's mind went blank for a moment, but... just happened to run into it? Were there really so many coincidences? Fuling gave a self-deprecating smile. If not a coincidence, what was it? What did she expect Ming Ze to say? The thousands of thoughts in her heart could only turn into a soft sigh in the end.

The Imperial Garden at 7:00 AM in winter was slightly desolate. At this time, no one would brave the cold to enjoy the scenery here. Fortunately, there were still people who loved this desolate early winter morning scenery. A pale purple figure stood by the bushes that were green all year round, her eyes falling on the calm lake in the distance. The summer lotus had long withered, and there was no good scenery on the lake, but the woman was watching intently, as if the broken branches and lotus roots were the most beautiful scenery of early winter.

I don't know when, a palace maid in a light blue palace dress walked over quickly, stood still behind the woman, and didn't speak, until the woman asked in a low voice: "Has there been anything unusual about Consort Qing these past few days?"

The palace maid slowly raised her head. It was Xia Yin from Qingfeng Palace, but the person she was loyal to at this moment was someone else, "Since she returned by sedan chair on the day of the celebration, she hasn't stepped out of her room even once. Even when Chief Steward Gao came to ask, Fuling came out to dismiss him."

Staying behind closed doors? Although not clever, it really made it impossible for people to find a chance to probe, "Have there been any changes in her meals and medicinal soups?"

There was a faint weariness on Xia Yin's beautiful face, but she still forced herself to reply: "There are no changes. Ruyi brings the meals into the inner room for her to use. Every day at noon, Fuling goes to the Imperial Medical Garden to get medicine and never lets anyone else do it."

"Has the Emperor been there?"

"Yes, he came after dinner two days ago, but only sat for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before leaving." As if thinking of something, Xia Yin looked left and right before lowering her voice and saying: "Although Consort Qing stays behind closed doors, Fuling is a bit strange. She doesn't often serve in the hall during the day, and she sneaks out at night. I originally wanted to follow her out to find out the truth last night, but... not long after I followed her out of the hall door, I... I had my acupoints pressed."

"Acupoints pressed?" A ripple flashed in Shui Xin's eyes as she stared at the lake, "Who was it?"

With her head lowered, Xia Yin replied timidly: "I didn't see anything. I was walking when I suddenly couldn't move. Half an hour later, the acupoints unlocked themselves."

Didn't even see the person? Could it be pressing acupoints from a distance? In this palace full of experts, Qingfeng actually had such a person protecting her? Pondering this possibility in her mind, Shui Xin said in a low voice: "You go back. If there is any other abnormality, come and report to me again."

Unable to see Shui Xin's expression, Xia Yin wanted to speak several times, but finally begged in a low voice: "Sister Shui Xin, Consort Qing has long suspected me. I'm afraid I won't be able to find out any news. You let me come back..."

"Do you think that's possible? You and I are just chess pieces. You must know your role and position to live a long life, understand?"

With a simple sentence, the voice was gentle and pleasant, but Xia Yin was trembling all over in panic and hurriedly replied: "Un... understand. This servant takes her leave."

Ignoring the figure fleeing in panic behind her, Shui Xin's whole mind was on Qingfeng. Having been in the palace with Xin Yuening for so many years, she had never encountered prey that could escape her grasp. Qingfeng had been in the palace for less than a year, yet she had escaped her grasp time and time again.

Alright, this time she would spend some effort. She wanted to see if Qingfeng was really that difficult to deal with, or if the person protecting her behind the scenes was really that remarkable.

This person could protect her in secret, but could they protect her in the open?

Hehe...

(End of chapter)