lcionline Chapter 213 Secret Room
Chapter 213 Secret Room
Murong Yuxuan gave her a meaningful look: "Some things are not as simple as they seem on the surface."
After seeing Murong Yuxuan off, Murong Xuewei stood by the window, gazing absently at the distant palace walls. Earlier that day near the Cold Palace, she had clearly seen a familiar figure. That figure bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Wanning.
Combining the information brought by Liuli with the Empress's unusual behavior today, Murong Xuewei gradually formed a plan. She gently stroked her abdomen, a resolute glint in her eyes.
“Liuli,” she whispered, “I need to go to the Cold Palace again tonight.”
As night deepened, the palace lights dwindled. Murong Xuewei changed into her night clothes and quietly made her way to the Cold Palace.
She knew it was a risky move, but it might be her only chance to find out the truth.
There were patrolling guards outside the hall. She patiently waited for the change of shifts before carefully sneaking into the hall.
By the moonlight, she saw a familiar figure. The person had their back to her and was looking through a letter.
Just then, footsteps approached from afar. Murong Xuewei quickly hid behind the curtain. She held her breath, listening intently as the footsteps grew closer.
Who was secretly manipulating all of this? Why was the Empress suddenly so concerned about her? Where was Gu Ye at this moment? All sorts of questions swirled in her mind.
Little did she know, the night was destined to be long, and the crisis had only just begun...
The night grew deeper, and the shadows of the palace walls stretched long in the moonlight. Murong Xuewei crouched behind the curtain, able to clearly hear her own rapid heartbeat. The footsteps grew closer and closer, finally stopping at the palace gate.
"Your Majesty." A familiar voice rang out, and Murong Xuewei's heart skipped a beat. This voice clearly belonged to one of Xiao Wanning's former personal maids.
"Is everything arranged?" another voice asked. Although Murong Xuewei couldn't see who was speaking, the arrogant tone immediately reminded her of the Empress.
"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged. However..." the maid hesitated, "...if General Gu finds out..."
"He won't know," the Queen sneered. "Once we grasp his weakness, he'll have no choice but to follow our plan."
Murong Xuewei's heart trembled; she finally understood why the Empress had been so concerned about her today.
It turns out that she was Gu Ye's weakness, a bargaining chip the Empress used to control him.
Just then, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Murong Xuewei bit her lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.
She knew that if she were exposed now, not only would her life be in danger, but her unborn child would also be at risk.
"Let's go." The Queen's voice faded into the distance. "Tomorrow is the crucial moment; we must not allow any mistakes to occur."
Once the footsteps had completely disappeared, Murong Xuewei emerged from behind the curtain.
Under the moonlight, her face was as pale as paper. She had to leave as soon as possible and tell Gu Ye what she had heard tonight.
However, just as she turned around, a dark figure suddenly flashed out from the corner of the hall.
Murong Xuewei was startled. Before she could react, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
When Murong Xuewei woke up again, the first thing she saw was the Empress in her palace attire.
The Empress, holding a torch, stood not far from Murong Xuewei. Seeing that Murong Xuewei had woken up, she walked over.
"My lady, this is..."
"Shh." The Queen made a shushing gesture, pushed open the hidden door, and inside was a deep, dark tunnel.
Just then, a familiar voice came from deep within the tunnel: "Your Majesty, the time has come."
Xiao Wanning! Murong Xuewei's heart trembled violently. She never expected that the Empress would collude with Xiao Wanning!
"Murong Xuewei," the Empress turned, her gaze sharp as a knife, "Now that you're in our hands, do you think it's feasible to exchange you for the military power in Gu Ye's hands?"
Murong Xuewei instinctively took a step back, but was stopped by the palace maid behind her. Only then did she realize that she had fallen into a trap.
“Two lives lost,” Xiao Wan Ning emerged from the shadows, a mocking smile on her face. “Gu Ye’s most beloved person and his bloodline are now in my hands. He has no choice but to listen to me.”
"I'm afraid the Empress and her empress's scheme is going to fail!" Murong Xuewei tried her best to calm herself down.
"Disappointed?" Xiao Wan Ning laughed loudly, "Murong Xue Wei, are you really pretending to be stupid, or do you really not know? You are the apple of Gu Ye's eye; as long as you're with him, there's nothing to worry about."
"What do you want to do?" Murong Xuewei asked warily, protecting her abdomen.
"What for?" the Queen sneered. "Naturally, we want you to assist us in drawing out those traitors hiding in the shadows."
Just then, a commotion arose from deep within the tunnel. Xiao Wanning's expression changed drastically: "Someone's coming!"
In a flash, a figure swept past – it was Gu Ye! He grabbed Murong Xuewei and simultaneously threw a smoke bomb.
"Go!" Gu Ye shouted, pulling Murong Xuewei and rushing outside.
The Empress's stern shout came from behind: "Stop them!"
Murong Xuewei was being led by Gu Ye through the layers of palace walls, the sound of pursuing soldiers' footsteps ringing in her ears. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she knew this was not the time.
Finally, the two rushed out of the palace and boarded the carriage that had been prepared beforehand. Gu Ye flicked his whip, and the carriage rolled away.
Only when the outline of the General's Mansion came into view did Murong Xuewei breathe a sigh of relief. However, an even greater crisis awaited them.
"General!" Uncle Lin rushed in, his face pale. "Something terrible has happened! Someone has broken into the secret chamber and taken away our..."
Gu Ye's expression changed drastically: "Did you see who it was?"
"Yes..." Uncle Lin hesitated, glancing at Murong Xuewei.
Murong Xuewei felt a pang of pain in her heart. Even at this point, they still held back from her. She smiled bitterly, "So, you're taking away the letters about your conspiracy with court officials to rebel?"
Gu Ye turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with shock: "You knew everything?"
"What do you know? Do you know you're plotting a rebellion? Do you know you're using my family's wealth and power to amass strength?" Murong Xuewei fought back tears. "Or do you know that our relationship is nothing more than a pawn in your political machinations?"
"Xuewei..." Gu Ye reached out to explain, but Murong Xuewei dodged him.
“Enough,” Murong Xuewei bit her lower lip. “This isn’t the time to talk about this. If the things in the secret chamber fall into the Empress’s hands, you’ll be in danger.”
Gu Ye gave her a deep look: "You're right, I'll go investigate right away. Uncle Lin, immediately seal off the gates of the mansion; no one is allowed to enter or leave."
Just then, Murong Xuewei suddenly remembered something and took out a brocade pouch from her sleeve: "Wait, perhaps this can help."
Gu Ye took the brocade pouch and saw a crystal-clear jade pendant inside—it was the Lingxi Pendant.
“This…” A strange light flashed in Gu Ye’s eyes.
“I know this jade pendant holds a secret,” Murong Xuewei said softly, “but it’s not of much use to me. Perhaps it could be of some use to you.”
Gu Ye gripped the jade pendant tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Xue Wei, I'm sorry, I..."
“This isn’t the time to talk about this,” Murong Xuewei interrupted him. “Let’s go check out the secret room first.”
The two hurried toward the secret chamber, only to find the hidden door wide open, revealing a scene of utter chaos inside. Scattered on the floor were several pages of illegible documents and some blood-stained strips of cloth.
Even more chilling was the fact that several large words were written in blood on the wall of the secret room.