vrcanaries Chapter 209 Fire in the Backyard
Chapter 209 Fire in the Backyard
"Report! There's a fire in the harem!"
Late at night, a startled cry shattered the stillness of the Prince's residence. The Third Miss and Mo Yunchen, who were discussing matters, immediately stood up upon hearing the news.
"Where?"
"It's...it's the imperial concubine's bedroom!"
The two exchanged glances: Wasn't the imperial concubine already imprisoned in the cold palace? Why was there a fire in her bedroom?
"Go and take a look." Mo Yunchen said in a deep voice.
When they arrived at the scene, the fire had been brought under control, but surprisingly, they discovered a secret room in the ruins!
"Another secret room?" The Third Miss frowned. "Why are there secret rooms everywhere in this harem?"
"Interesting," Mo Yunchen sneered, "It seems that the relationship between the imperial concubine and the Grand Tutor is deeper than we thought."
In addition to some letters, there was also a diary in the secret room. When the third lady opened it, she gasped: This is not an ordinary diary, it is clearly a record of conspiracy!
"Your Highness, look," she pointed to one of the pages, "not only does the Imperial Concubine know that the Grand Tutor is trying to harm you, she's also his accomplice!"
Indeed, the diary records in detail how the imperial concubine cooperated with the Grand Tutor: spreading rumors in the palace, secretly collecting intelligence, and even helping the Grand Tutor find useful people.
"This vicious woman!" Mo Yunchen said in a cold voice, "I always thought she was just a puppet of the Grand Tutor, but I didn't expect..."
"That's not all," the niece hurried over. "We also found this in the secret room."
It was a list of the spies in the harem, some of whom were palace maids and eunuchs, while others were close associates of other concubines.
"What a harem intelligence network," the Third Miss sneered, "No wonder the Grand Tutor knows every move in the palace."
"Catch them!" Mo Yunchen ordered immediately, "Don't let any of them go!"
Soon, these spies were caught in a sweep. During interrogation, they revealed more details: it turned out that the imperial concubine not only collected intelligence for the Grand Tutor, but also secretly arranged assassins!
"What? Killer?" The third young lady's face changed.
"Yes," the interrogating officer said, "They are said to be assassins from the Western Regions, ready to..."
Before he could finish his words, an arrow suddenly flew out from the darkness!
"Be careful!" Mo Yunchen pulled the third young lady over, and the arrow flew past her sleeve.
"Protect His Highness!" The guards immediately surrounded him.
But the killer had long disappeared, leaving only a letter on the ground: it said "This is just the beginning".
"It seems they've been prepared for this," the Third Miss said as she inspected the arrow. "This kind of workmanship is truly the style of the Western Regions."
"It's not just the Western style," my cousin suddenly said, "look at the pattern on the arrowhead..."
The three of them observed carefully: there was a special mark engraved on the arrow, which was exactly the secret mark found in the Grand Tutor's secret room!
"So that's how it is," Mo Yunchen suddenly realized, "This is the backup plan left by the Grand Tutor."
Indeed, according to previous discoveries, the Grand Tutor had been operating in the Western Regions for many years and had trained many assassins. These people were not only highly skilled in martial arts, but were also particularly skilled in assassination.
"Seal off the harem!" Mo Yunchen ordered, "Search every corner for me!"
For several days, the harem was heavily guarded. Even the most inconspicuous places were thoroughly searched, and sure enough, they discovered hidden weapons and poisons hidden in several remote corners.
"This imperial concubine," the third young lady said as she looked at these things, "is really very deliberate."
"It's more than just deliberate," the niece analyzed, "look at the placement of these hidden weapons..."
Look carefully: these hidden weapons appear to be randomly placed, but they actually form a circle. Once activated, the entire harem will be in danger!
"What a cruel thought," Mo Yunchen sneered, "He wants the entire harem to be buried with him."
At this moment, there was another new discovery: under the imperial concubine's dressing table, there was a special drawing hidden.
"This is..." Miss San looked carefully, "Escape route?"
Indeed, the blueprints showed several secret passages leading out of the palace. Furthermore, these passages were very hidden and could not be discovered by ordinary people.
"Interesting," Mo Yunchen said, "It seems she has already thought of a way out."
"But now..." Before the third young lady could finish her words, she suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from outside!
"Not good!" Mo Yunchen's face changed, "There's an assassin!"
Several dark shadows flew across the rooftops. They were none other than the Western Regions' assassins! Wielding sharp blades, they headed straight for the Crown Prince's chambers.
"Protect the emperor!" The guards immediately stepped forward.
But these assassins were so skilled in martial arts that ordinary guards were no match for them. Just as they were about to break through the defenses, the Third Young Lady suddenly stepped forward.
"Come on!" She drew her sword from her waist.
It turned out that the third young lady had been practicing martial arts with her father since she was a child, and her martial arts skills were not inferior to others. She was seen wielding her sword like a dragon and fighting with the assassins.
Mo Yunchen also joined the battle. Although the prince was usually gentle and polite, his martial arts skills were first-rate. Together, the two of them quickly subdued several assassins.
"Tell me! Who sent you?"
The assassin gritted his teeth and said nothing, but something was found on them: a jade pendant, which was the imperial concubine's token!
"This vicious woman!" Mo Yunchen said angrily, "How dare she assassinate me in the palace!"
"No," the third lady said suddenly, "this is too obvious..."
Indeed, a shrewd person like the Imperial Concubine would never hand over her token to an assassin. Unless...
"It's a lure to lure the tiger away from the mountain!" the third lady exclaimed, "Hurry and go to the cold palace!"
When they arrived at the cold palace, they found that the imperial concubine had disappeared! And under her bed, there was a secret letter hidden.
The letter stated: She had anticipated this day, and had secretly prepared a retreat plan. This assassination attempt was merely a diversionary tactic to create an opportunity for her to escape.
"Chase!" Mo Yunchen was furious, "Turn the entire imperial city upside down!"
But the imperial concubine seemed to have been prepared. Not only did she arrange multiple deceptions, she also set up an ambush on the road. By the time the pursuers found her trail, she had already left the imperial city.
"Don't chase her," the Third Miss stopped the guard who was about to pursue her. "Since she dared to do this, she must have a backup plan."
Mo Yunchen sneered: "It doesn't matter, even if she escapes to the ends of the earth, she can't escape from my palm."
Indeed, given the relationship between the Imperial Concubine and the Grand Tutor, her fate was already sealed. Escaping now would only extend her life by a few more days.
"But this incident reminds us," said the Third Miss, "that there may be spies of the Grand Tutor in the harem."
"That's right," Mo Yunchen nodded, "It looks like a big purge is coming."
Over the next few days, a thorough investigation of the harem revealed a number of suspicious individuals: some were close associates of the Imperial Concubine, while others were spies planted by the Grand Tutor.
"These people..." Miss San sighed as she looked at the list, "They're truly omnipresent."
"It doesn't matter," Mo Yunchen sneered, "Once we catch the imperial concubine, everything will be revealed."
At this moment, news came from outside: The imperial concubine was found outside the city!
"Where?"
"Yes..." The guard who came to report lowered his voice, "It's a manor of the Grand Tutor."
The three of them looked at each other: Sure enough, these two people were in the same group until death.
"Let's go and take a look." Mo Yunchen stood up immediately.
When they arrived at the manor, they found that the imperial concubine had committed suicide by taking poison! There was also a letter left beside her.
The letter read: She and the Grand Tutor were originally in the same boat, and now that he was dead, she had nothing to linger on. However, before she died, she wanted to give the Crown Prince a great gift.
"What gift?" The third lady frowned.
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a loud bang in the distance: There was a fire in the harem!
It turns out that this was the imperial concubine's real plan: she knew she was going to die, so she decided to drag the entire harem with her to be buried with her!
"Hurry!" Mo Yunchen's face changed drastically, "Go back to the palace!"
By the time they rushed back to the palace, the fire had been brought under control. Fortunately, the imperial concubine's plan was discovered in time, and no major damage was caused.
"This crazy woman," sighed the third young lady as she looked at the fire, "is truly insane."
"It's okay," Mo Yunchen said, "She is helping me clean up the harem."
Indeed, the fire actually helped them: the spies and hidden weapons hidden in the dark were exposed by the fire.
"It's finally over," the third young lady breathed a sigh of relief. "This was really thrilling."
"It's not over yet," Mo Yunchen said, "I always feel like there's something I haven't discovered yet."
But no matter what secrets still remain, at least now, the harem has finally returned to peace. And this turmoil has also made everyone realize a truth: conspiracy will never defeat justice.