Chapter 265: with translation of chapter title

The Emperor in Xuanshi Hall couldn't sleep either; he summoned Yun Jinglou over, but the person still hadn't arrived.

"Where is she? Where is Consort Yun?"

The Emperor, impatient, tapped his fingers on the imperial desk; the attending palace attendant said, "Your Majesty, shall this servant go check?"

"Hurry up and go!"

"Yes!"

The palace attendant ran outside, anxiously gazing toward Consort Yun's quarters, thinking, "Why hasn't she come yet? It's almost been an hour!"

"It's never been like this; if His Majesty gets anxious waiting, what are we to do?"

"Another one who's arrogant from favor, oblivious to propriety!"

"Master!"

The little eunuch sent to fetch someone came running panting: "Master! Consort Yun is missing!"

The palace attendant frowned tightly: "What are you saying?! What do you mean missing?"

"Consort Yun isn't in her sleeping quarters, and her bedchamber is in utter disarray—everything valuable is gone!" the little eunuch exclaimed urgently.

The palace attendant gasped: "There's still this kind of thing?"

"What on earth is going on!"

"Quick, take a few people and go look! This servant will report to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor angrily slapped the imperial desk: "What do you mean missing?!"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty; this servant has sent people to search everywhere—Consort Yun certainly couldn't have left the palace gates!" the palace attendant assured.

The Emperor suddenly collected himself, stood up, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Something's fishy."

The palace attendant looked at the Emperor, bewildered.

The Emperor descended the jade steps: "The rebel forces are pressing close to the capital today; she just happened to flee overnight..."

Recalling all of Consort Yun's behavior, the Emperor grew more and more suspicious of her in hindsight.

"Someone! Have the Commander of the Imperial Guards and the Commander of the Palace Guard muster their troops and search every inch of the palace gates—we must find her!"

After issuing the order, he hurried back to his own sleeping quarters.

"Your Majesty."

Seeing the Emperor suddenly return, the palace attendants hastily bowed; the Emperor had no time to have them rise, rushed to search his own bed, flung open the pillow and bedding, opened the hidden compartment—empty!

"Gone!"

"Unbelievable!"

The Emperor, fuming, swept everything on the bed onto the floor.

"Damnable woman!"

"Is she taking the late emperor's edict to defect to the rebels?!"

"Where are the Commander of the Imperial Guards and the Commander of the Palace Guard? Haven't they found Consort Yun yet?!"

The palace attendant waiting outside rushed in: "In reply to Your Majesty, there's still no news!"

"If we can't find her inside the palace, search outside! Order the city gate guards not to open the gates for anyone leaving the city, unless it's Me!" the Emperor commanded.

"Yes!"

"Also, summon the Second Prince to Me!"

"As you command!"

After waiting about a quarter hour, Pei Shangjue arrived.

He had already heard somewhat about what happened at the palace gates, and on the way the palace attendants also told him the details.

"Father Emperor, why did you summon your subject son?" Pei Shangjue asked.

"Among all My sons, you are the wisest." the Emperor said.

Pei Shangjue raised his eyebrows noncommittally, waiting for the Emperor's continuation.

"Come, give Me counsel—where do you think Consort Yun has hidden?"

Pei Shangjue found it odd; usually the Father Emperor wouldn't ask him such things—he'd consult the Prime Minister Xiao or the Crown Prince.

Now that they're absent, only then did He think of him.

Pei Shangjue lifted his gaze, met the Emperor's eyes, and said two words: "National Teacher."

"Nonsense!" the Emperor pointed angrily at Pei Shangjue, "Baseless and unfounded—you dare suspect the National Teacher here?!"

Pei Shangjue gave a light scoff, then countered: "May I ask, Father Emperor, who recommended Consort Yun for entry into the palace? Clearly it wasn't selection season, and the National Teacher, who usually doesn't meddle in such matters, why would he suddenly present you with a beauty?"

The Emperor waved his hand impatiently: "Enough, no more discussion on this!"

Pei Shangjue fell silent, appearing to defer entirely to His Majesty's wishes.

He ceased arguing; the Emperor, less angry now, said, "Once we catch Consort Yun, everything will naturally come to light."

Pei Shangjue thought, we also need to actually catch her.

If we don't go now to block the National Teacher at the Imperial Observatory, we may lose our chance.

At the same time, in the Imperial Observatory, Yun Jinglou entered through the secret passage, then held his breath and swam up from the pool's bottom; when he was about to run out of air and surface to breathe, he locked eyes with the National Teacher, who had been waiting by the poolside.

"Did the National Teacher anticipate that I would come now?"

"This is already the last chance; if you don't come now, all your efforts so far will be wasted." the National Teacher laughed.

Yun Jinglou: "National Teacher, lend me a hand—I can't get up."

"No need to come up; we're leaving." the National Teacher said, then jumped down, splashing water everywhere.

Yun Jinglou was speechless: "Had I known it would be like this, we would have arranged to meet outside!"

"It got him soaked for nothing!"

They exited the secret passage; outside, Imperial Guards were everywhere. Yun Jinglou, having been freed from the shrunken bones, now bore a manly appearance, having changed into male attire—no one would suspect he was Consort Yun.

"What do we do, National Teacher? How are we supposed to get out of the city gate? Did you have Gu Rongjin and his people coordinate inside and outside?"

"We don't need to go out the city gate; today the gate is guarded by the President of the Imperial Court of Justice. I'll go talk to him for a moment," said the National Teacher.

"The President of the Imperial Court of Justice also has to guard the city gate?"

"Tonight is different." The National Teacher glanced at the astrological signs and said, "Tonight is critical."

"The exit of the secret passage is not far from the city gate; it was deliberately designed that way to facilitate people's entry and exit from the city gate and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

"So they soon arrived at the city gate."

"Upon seeing the National Teacher, the President of the Imperial Court of Justice knew his visit was not simple."

"National Teacher, why have you come visiting so late?" the President of the Imperial Court of Justice said, clasping his hands.

"The National Teacher got straight to the point: 'President, I have something I want to show you.'"

"Oh? What is it?" the President of the Imperial Court of Justice raised an eyebrow.

"The late emperor's last edict."

"Upon hearing this, the President of the Imperial Court of Justice was greatly startled."

"The late emperor still has a last edict?!"

"Unheard of."

"The National Teacher nodded at Yun Jinglou, who then produced a brocade box and opened it; sure enough, there was an imperial edict inside."

"The President of the Imperial Court of Justice glanced at them, reached out to take the edict, and before opening it asked, 'Have you looked at the contents of this edict?'"

"National Teacher: 'We wouldn't dare come to you without having looked at it, would we?'"

"The President of the Imperial Court of Justice took a deep breath, steeled himself, and then slowly opened it."

"He knew he was about to learn a shocking secret!"

"After he silently finished reading the edict, his whole body almost couldn't stay upright."

"The person named in the late emperor's edict to inherit the throne is not the current emperor?!"

"The President of the Imperial Court of Justice, still shaken, looked toward the National Teacher, then looked again at the edict."

"It is the late emperor's handwriting, and bears the imperial seal; there's no mistake……"

"But……"

"But the late emperor's transfer of the throne to the Son of Heaven was done in the presence of the four regents at that time!" the President of the Imperial Court of Justice tried to refute.

"National Teacher: 'Where are those four regents now?'"

"'……They all died of illness.' The President of the Imperial Court of Justice could not refute; those four regents had all died within a few years, and now it seems perhaps not without suspicion!"

"President, have you made up your mind?"