From cute to empress

Chapter 322: The Royal Temple Hides a Fatal Crisis

"Your Majesty, to find those lurkers, I need..." the Imperial Preceptor said, pulling out a white silk handkerchief embroidered with a lifelike datura flower. "The datura flowers enshrined in the royal temple emit a unique fragrance at night, a scent only emanating from datura cultivated with special spices from the Western Regions."

I immediately understood what he meant. "Come here, quickly go to the Royal Temple and fetch all the mandala that emits a strange fragrance at night!"

The guards took their orders and left, soon bringing back the mandala. The Imperial Master crushed the mandala petals, muttering something, and then scattered the petals into the air.

"Found it." The Imperial Master pointed to the southeast. "The lurker is hiding in the Qingfeng Temple on the outskirts of the city."

I was shocked. Qingfeng Temple was a very popular place and many dignitaries usually went there to burn incense and pray for blessings. I didn't expect that it would become a hiding place for the enemy!

"Youcai, quickly lead your troops to surround Qingfeng Temple. Don't alert the enemy. Wait for my signal, and then capture all the lurkers!"

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, the meteorologist hurried over, his expression solemn. "Your Majesty, I've been observing the celestial phenomena for days and have discovered..." He paused, as if trying to form his words, "I've discovered that the recent heavy rain isn't a natural phenomenon, but rather man-made!"

"Human control?" I was shocked. "What do you mean?"

The meteorologist pulled out a blueprint with some strange symbols on it. "I recently discovered some strange devices outside the city. These devices can collect moisture and manipulate wind direction, causing heavy rain. These symbols are the key to controlling the devices!"

I took the blueprint and examined it carefully. I had never seen these symbols before, and they had a strange aura. "My dear, do you know what these symbols mean?"

The meteorologist shook his head. "My knowledge is limited, and I cannot yet decipher the mystery of these symbols."

"Master, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Have you ever seen these symbols?" I handed the drawings to the Master.

The Imperial Master took the blueprint and examined it carefully, frowning. "These symbols look like... witchcraft from the Western Regions!"

Western witchcraft?! My heart sank. It seemed this conspiracy was even more complicated than I imagined...

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to find these devices and destroy them, otherwise..." The meteorological officer hesitated to speak.

I understand what he means. If we allow the enemy to manipulate the weather, the consequences will be disastrous.

"You're talented! Take some of your men and follow the weather officer to find these devices. Make sure they are all destroyed!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left with a serious look on his face.

As the night deepened, I stood by the window, gazing at the inky black sky in the distance, my mind racing. Lurkers, torrential rain, Western witchcraft... Was all this just coincidence, or a carefully orchestrated conspiracy?

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened..."

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened..." The maid's voice trembled slightly, breaking my contemplation.

"What happened? Why are you so panicked?" I turned around and asked, with a hint of displeasure in my tone.

"Your Majesty, General Zhen... General Zhen..." The maid stuttered and couldn't say a complete sentence.

My heart tightened, "What happened to Youcai? Tell me!"

"General Zhen was ambushed near Qingfeng Temple and was seriously injured. His life or death is in danger!" The maid finally spoke, her voice filled with tears.

"What?!" My vision went dark and I nearly fainted. How could this happen? With all his martial arts prowess, how could he be so easily ambushed?

"Quick, prepare the carriage, I want to go and see it myself!" I suppressed the worry and uneasiness in my heart and walked out of the bedroom quickly.

In the night, the carriage sped along, and my heart was also fluctuating with the bumps of the wheels. My mind kept replaying every little detail of my acquaintance with Zhen Youcai: his hearty laughter, his determined eyes, and his promise to me...

I don't know how long it took before the carriage finally stopped. I lifted the curtain and was greeted by a sea of ​​flames soaring into the sky and deafening cries of killing. The area around Qingfeng Temple had become a battlefield!

"Your Majesty, don't go any further, it's dangerous!" The guard stopped me and said anxiously.

"Get out of the way! I want to see Youcai!" I pushed the guards away and rushed to the battlefield regardless of everything.

"Mengmeng!" A familiar voice came from not far away. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhen Youcai covered in blood, being supported by someone and walking towards me.

"Youcai!" I rushed over and held him up. "How are you? Are you seriously injured?"

"I'm fine, just some minor injuries." Zhen Youcai endured the pain and gave me a reassuring smile, "I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Who is it? Who hurt you like this?" I looked at the wounds on his body, feeling heartbroken and filled with anger.

"They are killers from the Western Regions. They have strange martial arts skills and we fell into their ambush..." Zhen Youcai briefly recounted what had just happened.

It turned out that they had surrounded Qingfeng Temple as planned, but they hadn't expected it to be filled with traps and even lurking assassins from the Western Regions. They were outnumbered and suffered heavy losses. If it weren't for Zhen Youcai's desperate escape, I'm afraid...

"What about those lurkers? Have they been caught?" I asked, suppressing the anger in my heart.

"We caught most of them, but..." Zhen Youcai paused, "the leader escaped."

My heart sank again. It seemed that the enemy's plan was more thorough than we thought. Their purpose was not only to create chaos, but also to have a deeper plot.

"Your Majesty, we captured a living man, he said..." A guard stepped forward, hesitant to speak.

"Say!"

"He said that they have people in the palace."

My heart sank suddenly. As expected, the enemy had planted a spy in the palace!

"I understand. You go down first." I waved away the guards, a cold light flashing in my eyes.

"Mengmeng, what's wrong?" Zhen Youcai noticed that something was wrong with me and asked with concern.

"It's okay, I'm just a little tired." I forced a smile and helped him into the carriage. "Let's go back to the palace first."

After returning to the palace, I immediately ordered increased security and secretly observed, searching for the traitor lurking in the shadows. I knew that this person must hold an important position and be deeply trusted by me, otherwise he would not have known about the plan I and Zhen Youcai had planned and set an ambush.

To lure the traitor out of his hole, I deliberately spread the news that a celebration would be held in three days to celebrate the suppression of the rebellion. At the same time, I secretly laid a tight net, waiting for the traitor to fall into it...

Three days passed in a flash, and the day of the celebration arrived as scheduled. Dressed in my finery, I sat in the throne room, watching the singing and dancing and the clinking of glasses below, but my heart felt cold.

My eyes swept across the people in the audience. Everyone had a smile on their face, but how much truth and how much pretense were hidden behind these smiles?

Suddenly, my eyes fell on a familiar figure. A flash of panic flashed across his eyes. Although it was only for a moment, it could not escape my eyes...

It's him! "Mengmeng, what's wrong with you?" Zhen Youcai noticed something was wrong with me and followed my gaze, but didn't see anything unusual. "Did you spot anyone suspicious?"

I looked away, shook my head slightly, and lowered my voice, "No, I'm just a little uneasy. This celebration went too smoothly, and I just feel like something's wrong."

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything. Nothing will happen." Zhen Youcai held my hand and gave me a reassuring look. "I've sent people to destroy the enemy's weather control device. As long as they succeed, the capital will no longer be in danger."

His words were like a reassurance, making me feel a little more at ease.

At this moment, a guard walked quickly into the hall and whispered a few words in Zhen Youcai's ear.

After hearing this, Zhen Youcai's face lit up with joy, and he said to me, "Mengmeng, good news! Our people have successfully destroyed the enemy's weather control device, and the danger to the capital has been resolved!"

When I heard this, a huge stone in my heart finally fell to the ground, and a relaxed smile appeared on my face.

"Great, really great!" I raised my glass and said to everyone, "Today, let's drink this cup together to celebrate this victory!"

Cheers suddenly rang out in the hall, and everyone raised their glasses to celebrate, and the atmosphere reached a climax.

I looked at the bustling scene before me, but I couldn't completely relax. As long as the traitor lurking in the shadows wasn't eliminated, he would always be a huge hidden danger.

While I was dealing with the ministers, I was secretly observing their expressions, trying to find clues from them.

However, these people are all old foxes in the court, each of them is extremely cunning and no flaws can be seen at all.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the celebration gradually came to an end.

My heart is growing heavier. Am I really going to let this traitor go unpunished?

No, I will never allow this to happen!

I took a deep breath, a look of determination flashing in my eyes.

"My dear ministers, I have another piece of good news to announce." I raised my glass again and glanced at the people in the audience. "I recently received news that a large amount of gold mines have been discovered on the border of the Western Region..."

I paused deliberately and observed everyone's reactions.

After hearing the news, most people showed surprise and excitement on their faces. Only one person had a subtle glint of greed and ambition in his eyes...

The corners of my mouth rose slightly, and I already had a plan in mind.

"Someone, bring the map here!" I said loudly.

A guard came up to the hall in response, holding a huge map in his hand and slowly unfolding it.

I pointed to a spot on the map and said, "This is where the gold mine is..."