From cute to empress

Chapter 327 Waves Beneath the Tranquility

The sound was like the cry of a night owl, or the sound of metal rubbing against each other, and it was particularly abrupt in the quiet countryside. Youcai and I looked at each other, and we both saw a hint of vigilance in each other's eyes.

"Let's go and take a look." Youcai said in a low voice, and at the same time, he put his hand on the sword at his waist without leaving any trace.

Following the sound, we quietly approached a small forest. The light was dim, and I could vaguely see several figures moving around. I stepped quietly, hiding behind a thick tree. Through the gaps between the branches, I could clearly see what was happening in the forest.

I saw several men in black gathered together. In the dim moonlight, I could see they seemed to be holding some blueprints and whispering about something. I had never heard their language before, but from their cold eyes and furtive movements, I sensed a hint of danger.

"Who are they? What are they doing?" I asked Youcai in a low voice.

Youcai frowned and shook his head. "Their language is very strange, but I feel like they don't seem to be from our country."

My heart sank. Could it be...

Before I could think about it, the crowd in the woods suddenly dispersed, and one of them turned and walked out of the woods. Something in my mind struck me, and I signaled Youcai to stay behind while I quietly followed.

The figure moved quickly along the path through the fields. I followed him, keeping a respectful distance. He walked quickly, seemingly very familiar with his surroundings, and soon we arrived at a remote village.

I hid behind a large tree and watched him walk into a house. The house looked ordinary, no different from any other farmhouse, but I felt a strong sense of unease.

Who is that person? What is he doing here? Is there some secret hidden in this seemingly peaceful village?

I was just about to go forward to find out what was going on when I suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind me.

"Mengmeng! Are you okay?" It was Youcai's voice, his tone full of anxiety and worry.

I turned around and saw Youcai running towards me in a hurry. He was holding a piece of cloth in his hand, and there seemed to be something written on it.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked.

"I found something," Youcai said solemnly. "In the barracks, I caught a soldier who was acting suspiciously and found this on him..."

As he spoke, he handed me the cloth in his hand. I took it and looked at it, my face immediately turned pale.

It was a letter written in ciphertext. Although I couldn't understand the contents, the bright red seal on the envelope gave me chills. It was... the national emblem of the enemy nation!

"It seems that our previous guess was correct," Youcai said in a deep voice, "The enemy country has never given up..."

He was interrupted by the sudden sound of horse hooves before he could finish his words. We looked in the direction of the sound and saw a fast horse galloping towards us on the distant official road... "Report! Your Majesty, urgent news from the border!" The galloping knight dismounted from his horse several feet away, knelt on one knee, and shouted a report.

My heart sank, a sense of foreboding washed over me. Urgent news from the border, could it be...

"Tell me quickly, what happened?" Youcai reacted before me and asked sternly.

"General, the enemy army has suddenly gathered and intends to invade our border!" There was a hint of panic in the knight's voice, and it was obvious that the situation was urgent.

"What?!" Youcai and I exclaimed at the same time.

How could this happen? Hadn't the enemy already signed a peace agreement? Why would they suddenly break the treaty and invade our border?

My mind was in a mess, with all kinds of thoughts intertwined together, making it difficult for me to digest them for a while.

"Your Majesty, General, please return to the palace as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures!" the knight urged anxiously.

Youcai and I exchanged glances, each seeing a solemn expression in the other's eyes. It seemed like beneath this calm surface, a turbulent undercurrent was already brewing, a bigger storm was brewing!

Without thinking too much, we immediately jumped on our horses and galloped towards the palace.

The whole journey was filled with a heavy heart. The sudden invasion by the enemy, the spies lurking within the country—all of this was like an invisible net enveloping me and my country, leaving me feeling suffocated and oppressed.

After returning to the palace, I immediately summoned the ministers to discuss countermeasures.

"Your Majesty, the enemy has torn up the treaty and openly invaded. Their evil ambitions are obvious!" the Minister of War said indignantly. "I suggest that we immediately mobilize our troops to resist the enemy!"

"I second the motion! Our soldiers are already on the alert, ready to fight at any moment. We will make sure those barbarians never return!"

"Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot happen!" Just as the pro-war faction was seething with anger, the Minister of Rites, who had always advocated peace, stepped forward and offered earnest advice, "The treasury is empty, and the people are exhausted. If war breaks out again, the people will suffer!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, think twice!"

The ministers expressed their opinions and argued endlessly, and my head felt like it was going to explode.

At this time, Youcai, who had been silent the whole time, stood up. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "My lords, the enemy is approaching now. The most urgent thing is to stabilize the situation first, and then make plans."

There was an unquestionable majesty in his words, and the originally noisy hall suddenly became quiet.

"Youcai is right. We can't lose our composure." I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. "Pass the order down. Strengthen border defenses and closely monitor enemy movements. No one is allowed to act rashly without my order!"

"According to the order!"

After calming the court officials, I dragged my exhausted body back to my bedroom.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Xiaolian, the personal maid, asked worriedly when she saw that I looked pale.

"I'm fine, just a little tired." I forced a smile and motioned for her to leave.

After Xiaolian left, I slumped weakly in the chair, rubbing my aching temples.

Just then, there was a slight knock on the door.

"Who?" I asked warily.

"It's me." A familiar voice came from outside the door.

Yes, you are talented!

I quickly got up, walked to the door myself and opened it.

"Why are you here?" I welcomed him into the house and asked in a low voice.

"I have something important to tell you." Youcai's expression was solemn and his tone was low, "About that traitor..."

He paused, took out a piece of letter from his pocket and handed it to me, "This is the message I just received, take a look."

I took the letter and examined it carefully by candlelight.

The letter contained little, but it shocked me. It turned out that the traitor lurking in the palace was one of the people I trusted most!

"How could this happen..." My hands were shaking slightly and I could hardly hold the letter.

"I know this is hard to accept, but..." Youcai held my hand, his eyes firm and warm, "We must find out the truth and pull out all the enemies hiding in the dark!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

"You're right, we can't just sit there and wait for death!" I raised my head and looked at him firmly, "Tonight, we will act secretly..." It was late at night and there were only a few dim candles left in the bedroom, which made the figures of Youcai and I look particularly slender.

"Your Majesty, do we really have to go there in person? It's too dangerous!" Youcai frowned, his tone full of worry.

"This is a matter of great importance. We must obtain firsthand intelligence." I lowered my voice, my tone firm. "Besides, if we can't even trust the people around us, who can we rely on?"

I understand his concerns, but at this point, we have no way out. The contents of that letter are like a thorn, deeply piercing my heart, making me unable to sleep or eat. I must see for myself why the person I once trusted so deeply would betray my country and me!

"But……"

"No buts!" I interrupted him, "I've made up my mind, you don't need to persuade me anymore."

Seeing my firm attitude, Youcai stopped trying to dissuade me and started to deploy the plan more cautiously.

"Let's start with the traitor's daily activities and see who he's been in contact with recently and where he's been." I pointed to several locations mentioned in the letter and said to Youcai, "You'll be responsible for investigating the situation outside the palace, and I'll be responsible for the inside. We'll act separately. Remember to be cautious and not alert the enemy."

"Yes!" Youcai nodded solemnly and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called out to him, took a jade pendant from the dressing table, and handed it to him. "If you encounter an emergency, you can take this jade pendant to the commander of the secret guards. He will help you."

"Your Majesty, what about you?" Youcai took the jade pendant and asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. There are imperial guards guarding the palace. Nothing will happen." I smiled casually, telling him not to worry.

After watching Youcai leave, I sat alone at the table and carefully looked over the letter again in the dim candlelight.

I'm very familiar with the handwriting on the letter; it's from Minister Wang. Minister Wang is a veteran who was promoted during my father's lifetime. He's upright, loyal to the emperor, and patriotic. I've always trusted him. But why?

I can't figure it out. Is there some hidden secret behind this?

Just then, there was a sudden sound of light footsteps outside the door.

I was startled and quickly hid the letter in my sleeve. I asked cautiously, "Who is it?"

"Your Majesty, it's you." The voice of Xiaolian, the personal maid, came from outside the door.

"Come in." I breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for her to come in.

"It's so late, why haven't you slept yet?" I asked when I saw her holding a tray with a bowl of steaming medicine on it.

"I see that Your Majesty has been busy tonight, so I specially made some calming soup. Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot." Xiaolian put the soup on the table and said softly.

I nodded, picked up the bowl of soup and took a sip.

"Your Majesty, I heard..." Xiaolian hesitated and stopped talking.

"What do you want to say?" I put down the soup bowl and asked her.

"I heard there's a Lingyin Temple outside the city. Master Kongming there is proficient in divination and can predict the future. Many people come there to ask for fortune-telling." Xiaolian lowered her head and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, would you like to go too..."

My heart was moved. Could it be...

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" Xiaolian asked with concern when she saw that I looked strange.

I came back to my senses, smiled at her, and said, "I'm fine. I just suddenly remembered that I have some memorials to review. You can leave first."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiaolian bowed, turned around and walked out.

I looked at her back and fell into deep thought.

Lingyin Temple, Master Kongming...

Maybe I should go...

The next morning, I disguised myself, took a few guards with me, quietly left the palace, and headed towards Lingyin Temple outside the city...

"Master, can you really predict good and bad luck and the future?" I looked at the old monk in front of me with a hint of doubt in my tone.

"Amitabha, I only have a basic understanding of it." Master Kongming clasped his hands together and smiled slightly.

"Then... Master, can you help me calculate whether I have encountered any disaster recently?" I hesitated for a moment, but still asked.

Master Kongming closed his eyes and counted on his fingers. After a moment, he opened his eyes, looked at me, and said slowly: "Donor, you may encounter a bloody disaster in the near future, and..."

"And what?" I asked nervously.

Master Kongming did not answer my question directly, but said meaningfully: "Donor, be careful of the 'shadow' around you..."