There are vast grasslands, a blazing red sun, the clearest springs, pearl-like flocks of sheep, and the beautiful Second Palace.
It has everything that is the most open, free, unstrained, and refreshing in this world.
She possessed it briefly.
But on her third birthday, she lost it.
Never to return.
The clamoring from the hall beneath was loud yet distant. Amidst the calmor of cries, she could almost catch sight of a small child being carried on the shoulder, laughing and playing beneath the vast blue sky.
A hint of a smile curved at the corner of her lips, within it, there was a hint of loneliness that was far beyond what a child of her age should have known.
Amid that clamorous shouting cries, high atop the golden palace hall, Feng Zhi Wei suddenly heard her speak, slowly but very clearly:
“Father.”
At three-quarter past the hour, amid the thunderous chants echoing through the Grand Ceremonial Hall, that child softly uttered the only name that was in her heart.
Except Feng Zhi Wei, no one else heard it.
A quarter of an hour before that call, a bird chirping sound came from somewhere above the Flower God Temple. Helian, who had been boasting to the Regent with an arm flung around his shoulder, suddenly loosened his grip and laughed, “Your Highness, you see? How about it? Quite feasible, right? Ah, you mentioned earlier that you are attending His Majesty’s birthday celebration? Why didn’t you say something sooner? I wouldn’t dare to delay you. Please go ahead, please.”
Yin Zhi Shu looked at the King of the Wild Grassland, smiling brightly, guileless as could be, and thought inwardly, Didn’t I tell you that a long time ago? You are only remembering that now? But when dealing with such a noble-born rogue, there is not much one can do. He dared not waste any more time on polite talks, hastily took his leave of Helian, and hurriedly climbed into his carriage.
At three-quarters past the hour, he entered Yongkang Gate. Before the gate, he asked the guard beside him, “Where are the thirty thousand soldiers of the Longlie Camp now?”
“They are already stationed in Changping Palace.”
“Send 15,000 men over.” Yin Zhi Shu gazed at the jade step that seemingly reached into the heavens, “Wait outside of Yongkang Gate. Use my banner as a signal. Once the banner appears, immediately surround the imperial hall.”
The guard captain was taken aback. Surrounding the imperial hall was tantamount to treason, but he dared not utter a single question and simply bowed, “Yes!”
Yin Zhi Shu glanced around and asked, “Was there any activity in the palace today? Which gate did the guard change shifts at?”
The guard captain replied, “On the two consecutive days in the latter half of the month, it should be at De An Gate. As for the activities in the palace…please allow me to go and inquire.”
“Go and take a look at Empress Dowager’s Jianxi Palace.” After being lost in thought for a moment, Yin Zhi Shu handed over his personal token.
The guard took the order and left. Yin Zhi Shu thought for a moment before saying again, “Binghuo, Luoli, you two come up with me.”
Two men stepped forward at his words. One was short and fierce, his every step made a thumping sound. The other was tall and thin, his steps were light and airy. Both men had ordinary faces, but their eyes flashed with a sharp gaze, quite intimidating.
Everyone was taken aback again. According to the rules, only officials of the fourth rank or above could enter Yongkang Gate. On occasions such as today’s celebration, it was especially forbidden to bring attendants along. Entering from Yongkang Gate Square and ascending the jade steps to the imperial hall, this journey of about several dozen feet was always a journey made by the Regent alone. He did this every day. But then nothing ever happened on this route— the view was wide open. The courtyard and the steps were all white. Even a single ant could be seen clearly. There was nowhere to hide. Guards and sentries were placed at every third step, all of whom were the Regent’s own personal troops. To attempt an assassination here, would be more difficult than taking someone’s head in the midst of a thousand soldiers.
But today, much to everyone’s surprise, the Regent actually wants to break the rule and take people in with him. Yin Zhi Shu stood under the tall Yongkang Gate, squinted his eyes, and said calmly, “Something feels off today…besides, look.”
He pointed to the ground, where some fallen leaves were trampled to pieces. Normally, there are always eunuchs here at all hours, so there should not be any fallen leaves. However, it was late autumn, and all the trees were beginning to wither. The leaves of the trees in the distance were swept up by the wind and brought in continuously, making it impossible to finish sweeping. The yellowish and brittle leaves were crushed under people’s feet and ended up in some inconspicuous corner.
Yin Zhi Shu pointed to the scattered, crushed leaves and said, “The shoes eunuchs wear have soft soles, so even if they stepped on dry leaves, they wouldn’t crush them into pieces like this. Besides, if eunuchs saw these crushed leaves, they would sweep them away immediately instead of leaving them behind. Judging from the way these leaves are crushed, it seems they were crushed by relatively heavy leather boots. There are also some crushing marks around the leaves— only guards like to crush objects with their heels after touching them. These crushed leaves can be found both inside and outside Yongkang Gate, which means there must have been quite a number of guards here. But today the guard change was not done at Yongkang Gate, so why would there be so many guards here?”
His trusted followers came close and, after taking a careful look, exclaimed in admiration, “Your Highness is incredibly meticulous!”
“Having lived through so many years of constant danger with each step I take.” Yin Zhi Shu said with a smile, “I have learned the lesson that caution keeps a ship sailing for ten thousand years. I will bring the men in with me. If His Majesty blames me for it, then I will bear the consequences. It is better than being caught off guard and being helpless.”
He beckoned, and the two expert fighters silently followed him as they passed through Yongkang Gate.
By this point, Lu Rui in the main hall had also received the secret report. Hearing that the Regent had actually brought elite fighters through the Yongkang Gate and even mobilized the Longlie Camp, his heart tightened—- where had things gone wrong? The Regent’s meticulous vigilance was actually to this point!
He was unaware that Empress Dowager Dong was dead. His original plan was to first affirm Gu Zhi Xiao’s identity and have the ministers recognize their new master in public. He would then feign helplessness and urge the Regent to sacrifice Empress Dowager Dong, pinning the blame for the crime of swapping the imperial heir years ago entirely on her, allowing the Regent to continue holding the imperial power. After that, with the help of Wei Zhi and others, he would wait until Yin Zhi Shu let down his guard before he made his next move. Although the plan was risky, he believed he understood the Regent well. Given Yin Zhi Shu’s personality, as long as he could maintain his power, sacrificing a single Empress Dowager Dong should be acceptable to him. Once the Dong clan was removed from the inner palace, Consort Mi, bearing the status of the emperor’s mother, could then rise to power. At that point, other turning points could be found.
However, judging from Yin Zhi Shu’s actions, he had already sensed something was amiss and had mobilized the Longlie Camp already!
Once those 15,000 troops march into Yongkang Gate, as long as Yin Zhi Shu disregarded everything and surrounded the grand hall, if he could be truly ruthless enough to kill enough people, then even if Gu Zhi Xiao’s identity was acknowledged today, he could still dominate the whole situation with one hand!
The more Lu Rui thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Unable to keep up his act, he secretly made a hand signal at Feng Zhi Wei, pointing his pinky finger towards the inner palace, asking what had become of Empress Dowager Dong, why had she not followed them in.
Feng Zhi Wei looked down at him and thought to herself that this Grand Marshall came from a scholar’s background after all. He had a cunning mind, but he liked to make things too gentle, too ideal. He never dared to go all in or carry matters through to their bitter end. Always believing there was still room to maneuver, to still allow him to maintain his double-faced role. Little did he know that in political struggles, the veil of gentleness would get torn off sooner or later. In the end, it always came down to who was more vicious.
She smiled gently, raised her palm towards Lu Rui, and made a chopping motion with her hand.
Lu Rui froze for a moment, then understood what the gesture meant. He felt as if his brain just exploded with a roar as cold sweat instantly soaked through his back.
She had actually killed Empress Dowager Dong!
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