Chapter 63 - 2#
What Jing Zhe didn’t know was that these were specially ordered.
At the end of the day, as long as it was a small request from the Emperor, or that the servants of the Emperor felt it was suitable for their master, the Imperial Household Department would do it beautifully.
And even Zhu Erxi was specifically taking care of him.
Mingyu gave San Shun a look. San Shun knew that these two were going to discuss business, so he smiled and retreated.
There were only the two of them left in the room.
Mingyu lowered his voice: “I asked San Shun, he said…”
Jing Zhe looked at him seriously.
“Master always likes to stay alone in the room.”
This was what San Shun said.
Chen Mingde had a habit of staying in the room alone for a long time every day, not allowing anyone to disturb him. At first, San Shun thought he was resting, but later he accidentally found out that Chen Mingde seemed to be writing something.
“Writing something?” Jing Zhe frowned.
“San Shun also said that he once saw Master take out a thick stack of paper from a hidden compartment under the bed, looking secretive.”
Jing Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. Could those papers be the secret?
“Did San Shun see what was written on them?”
Mingyu shook his head: “No. Master was very cautious. Every time someone came in, he would hide the things immediately.”
Jing Zhe fell into deep thought.
Chen Mingde was just a eunuch manager of the North Room. What was he writing? And why did he keep it so secret?
Could it be related to the late Emperor, or even Emperor Jing Yuan?
“I suspect that what Master was writing might be some kind of record.” Mingyu analyzed, “Or maybe it’s evidence.”
“Evidence?”
“Evidence of something shameful.” Mingyu’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, “Otherwise, why would so many people stare at the North Room? Why did the late Emperor send Wu You to watch him?”
Jing Zhe nodded in agreement.
Indeed, if it were just ordinary trivia, it wouldn’t attract so much attention.
“Then where are those papers now?” Jing Zhe asked the key question.
Mingyu spread his hands: “San Shun said that after Master died, those things disappeared.”
Disappeared?
Jing Zhe was stunned.
How could they disappear?
Did someone take them first?
Or did Chen Mingde destroy them before he died?
“San Shun said he searched the whole room but couldn’t find them.” Mingyu sighed, “It seems that the clue is broken.”
Jing Zhe didn’t give up: “Maybe someone took them.”
“Who?”
“Concubine Kang? Wu You? Or… someone else?”
Jing Zhe’s mind flashed through the names of these people one by one.
Concubine Kang was dead, and Wu You was also dead. If they took them, where would they put them?
And if someone else took them, who would that person be?
Jing Zhe suddenly thought of a possibility.
Could it be Emperor Jing Yuan?
With Emperor Jing Yuan’s ability, it was not difficult to take something from the North Room without anyone knowing.
Moreover, he had enough motive.
If those papers recorded his secret, he would definitely want to get them back.
Thinking of this, Jing Zhe felt a chill on his back.
If the things were really in Emperor Jing Yuan’s hands, then wouldn’t his investigation be hitting the muzzle of a gun?
“Jing Zhe, what are you thinking?” Mingyu asked, seeing Jing Zhe’s changing expression.
Jing Zhe came back to his senses and shook his head: “Nothing. I was just thinking, since the things are gone, we can only find another way.”
“Another way?”
“Yes.” Jing Zhe’s eyes were firm, “Since we can’t find the things, we’ll find people. There must be someone who knows the inside story.”
“But who else knows?”
Jing Zhe was silent for a moment, then slowly spat out a name: “Talented Lady Yao.”
Mingyu was shocked: “Talented Lady Yao? Isn’t she crazy?”
“Maybe she’s really crazy, or maybe…” Jing Zhe paused, “She’s pretending to be crazy.”
In this deep palace, pretending to be crazy and acting stupid was sometimes the best way to save one’s life.
If Talented Lady Yao really knew some earth-shattering secret, then her madness might be her protective umbrella.
“Do you want to go find her?” Mingyu asked worriedly, “But the North Room is heavily guarded now. It’s not easy to get in.”
“I have my ways.” Jing Zhe smiled confidently.
He was from the North Room after all, and he was familiar with the terrain there. Moreover, he now had the token of the Imperial Guard Office given by Rong Jiu, so it shouldn’t be difficult to enter the North Room.
“I’ll go with you.” Mingyu said.
“No.” Jing Zhe refused, “It’s too dangerous for two people to go. I can go alone.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry, I will be careful.” Jing Zhe patted Mingyu’s shoulder, “You just wait for my good news here.”
Mingyu looked at Jing Zhe’s determined eyes and knew he couldn’t persuade him, so he could only nod: “Then you must be careful. If something happens, run away immediately.”
“I know.”
After bidding farewell to Mingyu, Jing Zhe returned to the Palace Sanitation Department.
He waited until night fell, changed into night clothes, and quietly headed for the North Room.
The night was dark and the wind was high. The palace was silent.
Jing Zhe moved carefully through the shadows, avoiding the patrolling guards.
Soon, he arrived outside the North Room.
The gate of the North Room was tightly closed, with two guards guarding the door.
Jing Zhe didn’t enter through the main gate but went around to a low wall at the back.
He looked around to make sure no one was there, then leaped lightly and flipped over the wall.
Inside the wall was a desolate courtyard. Weeds were overgrown, and it looked very dilapidated.
Jing Zhe distinguished the direction and walked towards the courtyard where Talented Lady Yao lived.
Along the way, he met several patrolling guards, but he cleverly avoided them all.
Finally, he came to the window of Talented Lady Yao’s room.
There was a dim light in the room.
Jing Zhe licked the window paper and looked inside.
He saw a woman sitting at the table, muttering something to herself.
Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were untidy, looking very sloppy.
But her eyes were surprisingly bright, without the muddy look of a madman.
Jing Zhe’s heart moved.
Could it be that she was really pretending to be crazy?
He gently pushed the window open and flipped in.
The woman was startled, turned her head abruptly, and looked at Jing Zhe vigilantly.
“Who are you?” Her voice was hoarse but calm.
Jing Zhe took off his face mask, revealing his face: “Talented Lady Yao, it’s me, Jing Zhe.”
“Jing Zhe?” Talented Lady Yao was stunned for a moment, seemingly trying to recall, “You are that little eunuch?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Jing Zhe walked over and whispered, “I have something to ask you.”
Talented Lady Yao looked at him, the vigilance in her eyes fading slightly: “What do you want to ask?”
“I want to ask about Chen Mingde.”
Hearing this name, Talented Lady Yao’s body trembled slightly, and a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.
“He’s dead.” She whispered.
“I know.” Jing Zhe said, “I want to know, what secret was he hiding before he died?”
Talented Lady Yao fell silent.
She lowered her head, playing with a corner of her clothes, seemingly hesitating.
“Talented Lady Yao, please tell me.” Jing Zhe pleaded, “This matter is very important. It concerns the lives of many people.”
Talented Lady Yao raised her head and looked at Jing Zhe: “Why do you want to know this?”
“Because I want to live.” Jing Zhe said frankly, “I don’t want to die inexplicably like Chen Mingde.”
Talented Lady Yao looked at him deeply, seemingly evaluating his sincerity.
After a long time, she sighed: “Fate…”
“Well, since you found this place, I’ll tell you.”
She stood up, walked to the bedside, and fumbled under the mattress for a while.
Then, she took out a small cloth bundle.
“This is what Chen Mingde left behind.” She handed the cloth bundle to Jing Zhe.
Jing Zhe took it with trembling hands and opened it.
Inside was a stack of yellowed paper.
He picked up a piece of paper and read it by the light.
The content on the paper made his pupils shrink suddenly.
This… this turned out to be…
“This is the daily life notes of the late Emperor.” Talented Lady Yao said slowly, “It records every word and deed of the late Emperor before his death.”
“Daily life notes?” Jing Zhe was shocked, “Why did Chen Mingde have this?”
“Because he was the personal eunuch of the late Emperor.” Talented Lady Yao revealed an amazing secret, “He was ordered by the late Emperor to hide here incognito to protect these notes.”
“Protect these notes? Why?”
“Because these notes record a huge scandal.” Talented Lady Yao’s voice trembled slightly, “A scandal about the royal family.”
Jing Zhe swallowed his saliva and continued to read.
The more he read, the more shocked he became.
It turned out that the late Emperor was not dead from illness, but was poisoned!
And the person who poisoned him was…
Jing Zhe’s hand trembled violently, and the paper almost fell to the ground.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
How could this be?
How could it be him?
“You saw it?” Talented Lady Yao looked at his reaction and smiled bitterly, “This is the truth. The cruel truth of the royal family.”
Jing Zhe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
He knew that he had got hold of a hot potato.
If this thing was leaked, it would definitely cause a huge earthquake.
Even he himself might be killed.
“Talented Lady Yao, why did you give this to me?” Jing Zhe asked.
“Because I can’t protect it anymore.” Talented Lady Yao said, “Concubine Kang has been staring at me. I know I won’t live long. Instead of letting this thing fall into her hands, it’s better to give it to you.”
“But…”
“Take it and go.” Talented Lady Yao pushed him, “Go quickly! Leave the North Room! The farther the better!”
Jing Zhe looked at Talented Lady Yao’s anxious look and knew that the situation was critical.
He put the notes into his arms and bowed deeply to Talented Lady Yao: “Talented Lady Yao, take care!”
After speaking, he turned and jumped out of the window.
He quickly disappeared into the night.
Talented Lady Yao stood by the window, watching the direction he left, and muttered to herself: “Jing Zhe, I hope you can survive…”
Just after Jing Zhe left, the door of the room was kicked open.
A group of guards rushed in.
The leader was Wei Haidong.
He looked around the room coldly and asked, “Where is the thing?”
Talented Lady Yao sat back at the table and resumed her crazy look: “Hehe… hehehe… butterflies… so many butterflies…”
Wei Haidong frowned, walked up, and grabbed Talented Lady Yao’s collar: “Stop pretending! Hand over the thing!”
Talented Lady Yao looked at him with a silly smile on her face: “Butterfly… fly away…”
Wei Haidong snorted coldly, released his hand, and ordered: “Search! Dig three feet deep and find it for me!”
“Yes!”
The guards began to rummage through chests and cupboards in the room.
Talented Lady Yao sat aside, watching their actions coldly, a trace of mockery flashing in her eyes.
It’s useless.
The thing had already been taken away.
The dirty secret of the royal family would eventually be exposed to the world.
…
Jing Zhe fled frantically in the night with the notes in his arms.
His heart was beating violently, almost jumping out of his throat.
He knew he was in big trouble.
He had to find a safe place to hide this thing.
But where was safe in this huge palace?
Jing Zhe’s mind raced, and finally, he thought of a place.
Qianming Palace!
The most dangerous place is the safest place.
Moreover, he believed that Rong Jiu would help him.
Thinking of this, he adjusted his direction and ran towards Qianming Palace.
However, just as he was approaching Qianming Palace, he was stopped.
“Stop!”
A cold shout came from the darkness.
Jing Zhe was startled and stopped quickly.
He saw a figure walking out slowly from the shadows.
It was… Shen Yu!
Shen Yu looked at Jing Zhe with a playful smile on his face: “Little eunuch, where are you going in such a hurry so late at night?”
Jing Zhe forced himself to be calm: “I… I’m from the Palace Sanitation Department. I have something to report to Lord Rong.”
“Looking for Rong Jiu?” Shen Yu raised his eyebrows, “What a coincidence, I’m looking for him too. Why don’t we go together?”
Jing Zhe cursed secretly in his heart.
Go together?
Wouldn’t that expose everything?
He took a step back and said, “No need to trouble Vice Commander Shen. I can go by myself.”
“Why are you so polite?” Shen Yu approached step by step, “Or… are you hiding something shameful?”
Jing Zhe’s heart tightened, subconsciously protecting his chest.
This action was caught by Shen Yu.
His eyes narrowed slightly, staring at Jing Zhe’s chest: “What’s in there?”
“Nothing…”
“Take it out and let me see.” Shen Yu stretched out his hand.
Jing Zhe stepped back again: “Vice Commander Shen, please respect yourself!”
“Respect myself?” Shen Yu sneered, “A little eunuch dares to talk to me about respect? I think you are tired of living!”
After speaking, he grabbed Jing Zhe.
Jing Zhe turned and ran.
“Want to run?” Shen Yu snorted coldly, tapped his toes, and chased after him.
His martial arts were much higher than Jing Zhe’s, and he caught up with him in a few breaths.
He reached out and grabbed Jing Zhe’s shoulder.
Jing Zhe struggled desperately, but couldn’t break free.
“Hand it over!” Shen Yu shouted sternly.
“No!”
Just as the two were struggling, a cold light suddenly struck.
Shen Yu was shocked and quickly let go of Jing Zhe to dodge sideways.
A dagger brushed past his cheek and nailed into the tree trunk beside him.
“Who?!” Shen Yu shouted angrily.
A figure fell from the sky and stood in front of Jing Zhe.
Black clothes, black hair, cold temperament.
It was Rong Jiu!
“Rong Jiu!” Jing Zhe exclaimed in surprise.
Rong Jiu didn’t look back, just stared at Shen Yu coldly: “Shen Yu, you are so bold, you dare to touch my people.”
Shen Yu looked at Rong Jiu, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down: “Rong Jiu, don’t misunderstand. I just saw this little eunuch acting sneakingly and wanted to interrogate him.”
“Interrogate?” Rong Jiu sneered, “Is it your turn to interrogate the people of my Palace Sanitation Department?”
“You…” Shen Yu was at a loss for words.
“Get lost!” Rong Jiu spat out a word coldly.
Shen Yu’s face turned blue and then white. He gritted his teeth, glared at Jing Zhe, and turned away unwillingly.
After Shen Yu left, Rong Jiu turned around and looked at Jing Zhe.
“Are you okay?” He asked with concern.
Jing Zhe shook his head: “I’m fine.”
He took out the notes from his arms and handed them to Rong Jiu: “This is for you.”
Rong Jiu took the notes, glanced at them, and his expression changed slightly.
“Where did you get this?”
“Talented Lady Yao gave it to me.”
Rong Jiu was silent for a moment, then put the notes into his sleeve: “You did well.”
“But… Shen Yu saw it.” Jing Zhe worried.
“Don’t worry about him.” A killing intent flashed in Rong Jiu’s eyes, “He won’t live long.”
Jing Zhe looked at Rong Jiu’s cold side face and felt a chill in his heart.
He knew that another bloody storm was about to begin.