Chapter 963: I've imprisoned the Empress, how do I fix this! 16

Three days later, the Mid-Autumn reunion palace banquet.

Following the yearly custom, all princes stationed in their fiefs would also return to gather.

Jin Chen's brothers, aside from the protagonist Jin Xiaomo who always stays in the capital, also include Prince De and Prince Heng.

Speaking of the closest relationship, it is Prince Heng, who was also raised since childhood on the lap of the former Empress.

Watching them joke and chat about family matters, the silver-white robed Wen Zhi Heng seemed to find it a little strange, silently took a sip of wine, and did not join the conversation.

On the contrary, Shao Chun, who had just been punished, was unwilling to give up, became active again, clung to Jin Chen to drink, acting coquettish and spoiled, vowing to get him drunk.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you were so fierce these past days, but you yourself said we should have a family reunion today, so you can't be fierce with me today."

Shao Chun acted as if he had just received a death‑free medal, clamoring to have another drink with Jin Chen; although he had lost his noble status, everyone could still see how favored he had been before.

The attendants present did not want to be driven out of the palace, so they could only swallow their anger; Jing Liang Jun, however, also wanted to have a drink with Jin Chen, but he was wary and dared not act rashly.

Jin Chen knew Shao Chun wanted to get him drunk, then sneak off to the secret passage to lure out the spy, so he cooperated and drank a few cups together.

Noticing Jin Xiaomo's probing glance, he also acted extremely well, propping his forehead on the table, placing his hand on the arm of Shao Chun's chair across the space; from another angle it looked as if he were embracing Shao Chun.

Jin Xiaomo then put his mind at ease, secretly thinking that Jin Chen's recent oddness was merely an illusion, just because he had just brought Wen Zhi Heng back from the cold palace, giving him a sense of novelty.

Heaven knows how tormented Jin Chen feels.

This cat demon exudes some unknown fragrance on its body, making him dizzy and blurred; closing his eyes he can see stars.

After smelling it for a while, Jin Chen finally realized; he guessed this fragrance was also part of what made his "drunkenness rise to the head."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty…?"

Shao Chun leaned in, peeking to observe Jin Chen's expression; finally able to get close to Jin Chen again, he almost forgot his mission out of joy.

Moreover, he could see the detestable Empress, her face growing ever uglier, which made him feel immensely relieved in his heart.

He leaned against Jin Chen, shot a provocative glance at Wen Zhi Heng; the latter glanced at their "intimate" distance, narrowed his eyes, took another sip of wine, and his fingertips turned pale.

Wen Zhi Heng of course knew this was all fake; before the palace banquet began, Jin Chen had deliberately told him what to do, being quite frank.

Logically he knows that the current Majesty is not…

But he still feels a heavy gloom in his heart, even uncomfortable.

Yet even before, when he personally saw Jing Liang Jun enter the palace, he rarely or almost never had such emotions arise.

Jin Chen guessed the time was about right, propping his head and half‑leaning against the soft back of the dragon throne, he signaled the eunuch to bring a pot of hangover soup.

Seeing him finally drunk, with no spare attention for other matters, Shao Chun felt a bit relieved, coquettishly shaking Jin Chen's sleeve, "Your Majesty, I'm drunk too, I want to go out for a walk."

"Go on." Hurry up, don't dawdle!

Jin Chen waved his hand, still maintaining the emperor's imposing aura.

Waiting until his peripheral vision noticed Shao Chun had slipped out of the hall, he casually glanced at the corner, a black shadow flashed past, and he followed it.

Only then did Jin Chen withdraw his gaze, while enjoying the dancer's performance and monitoring the protagonist.

Shao Chun ran out of the palace hall where the banquet was held, his body extremely agile, avoiding several patrols of the Imperial Forest Army, slipping from a palace gate to the rear of the well.

This is one of the secret passage entrances he had discovered after searching for so long.

He looked left and right, then under the tree transformed into his true form; in the darkness his glossy black fur was hardly visible, and he silently slipped into the secret passage.

"After searching for so long, I never expected part of the map to be hidden inside the secret passage."

Shao Chun muttered to himself, his claws unable to exert force, so within the secret passage he took human form and found two loose bricks.

Pulling out the bricks, there lay a map; after carefully comparing it with the places he had explored, he discovered this was actually the underground secret passage beneath the southern palace gate of the hall where Jin Chen resides.

It is almost the most important of all the secret passages!

Shao Chun felt a surge of joy, hastily hid the map, quietly returned to the surface, and softly whistled twice with a strange tone; anyone hearing it would think it was just night‑time insect calls.

But the insider who would normally come out upon hearing the signal did not appear today.

His first reaction was that his plan had been discovered, yet the Imperial Forest Army did not come to arrest anyone.

While he was puzzled, Shao Chun was suddenly drawn by a dim light, flickering yellow, as if someone were holding a candle in the corner waiting for him.

"Who!"

Shao Chun gripped the map tightly, feeling a bit nervous.

No one spoke; there was only endless silence.

After hesitating a moment, Shao Chun still walked toward the direction where that person stood, the claws hidden in his wide sleeves extending, sharper than a dagger.

【Hey! What's going on!】0731 suddenly shouted.

Not waiting for the spy to come out, as the protagonist (the shou) approached that person, the entire surveillance view suddenly showed a large blind spot, a dark mass.

【Did you bug out?】Jin Chen asked.

【Impossible, the other feeds are fine; could it be… because of this person?】

It was impossible to see what that person looked like; Shao Chun was also hidden beneath the dark blind spot.

Jin Chen decided to go see for himself.

He rose and left from another side; when he departed, he did not notice that Wen Zhi Heng had also left at some point.

Thus, Prince Heng, having just finished his drink, raised his head to speak, only to find that the Emperor and Empress were both gone.

Prince Heng blinked in puzzlement, turned and put his arm around his consort, asking, "Where are they?"

The Heng consort is meticulous; she notices everyone's comings and goings, and given this sequence, nobody would believe nothing happened.

She thought for a moment, then whispered a few words into Prince Heng's ear, sat upright and added, "Look, your fifth brother has also left."

Jin Chen hurried toward the spot where Shao Chun was; the dark guards tracking Shao Chun came back to report, saying they could not make out that person's appearance, hidden in a dark corner, seemingly very familiar with the directional observation.

This only made Jin Chen more curious; he followed the blind spot in his mind forward to search, but when he went there he saw only a few scattered guards patrolling.

Meanwhile, Shao Chun had already vanished without a trace.

Jin Chen stood where he was, thought for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Put out the word: the secret passage map has been stolen; tonight seal the palace gates, no one allowed to enter or leave, summon the Imperial Forest Army to thoroughly investigate all palaces."

"Understood."

The guards who had come out immediately went to find Yan Fu'an to deliver the edict.

On the other side, Wen Zhiheng went around to the back of the abandoned pavilion at Vermilion Bird Gate and entered; upon seeing a figure waiting there, his expression grew solemn.

What do you want to say again?

After everything tonight, you still don't understand?

The man spoke, his voice somewhat like Jin Chen's, but far more irritable, his words filled with uncontainable anger.

He's just an impostor who took over all my memories!

The man turned, revealing a face identical to Jin Chen's.