As soon as they entered the bedchamber, Shangguan Qinglan could hardly contain her impatience as she led Shangguan Liqian toward the bed.
She cast a quick glance around the inner hall, and although she didn’t see the people her maid’s message had promised, she didn’t give it much thought. She simply assumed the maid was being cautious. Little did she know that the moment she turned her back, the very maid who had been her secret contact suddenly struck.
With a swift strike to the neck, Shangguan Qinglan collapsed. Before her eyes drifted shut, she caught a glimpse of the maid—someone who had always been timid and subservient in her presence—and her gaze filled with utter disbelief.
Wasn’t this girl someone our Shangguan family sent into the palace? Her younger sister is even a member of Chi’er’s household. How could she…
As Shangguan Qinglan slumped onto the mattress, Shangguan Liqian, who had previously looked dazed and barely able to walk, suddenly stood up straight.
She looked at the maid kneeling respectfully before her, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes. After a moment of thought, she asked, “You have been Her Majesty’s person all along?”
The girl looked familiar. She was a maid named Yueying, and previously, all correspondence between Liqian and the Shangguan Manor had passed through her hands.
According to something Shangguan Qingyun had let slip, Yueying was the elder of a pair of orphaned sisters he had rescued. Because she was clever, he had sent her into the palace, believing her to be absolutely loyal to the Shangguan family. As for her younger sister, she was currently a concubine to Shangguan Chi.
It could be said that the sisters’ fates were tied to the Shangguan family’s rise and fall. Logically, if only for her sister’s sake, Yueying should never have betrayed the Shangguans.
Unless… she had belonged to Wushuang from the very beginning.
Yueying hadn’t expected Lady Shangguan to see through her identity so quickly. After a moment’s hesitation, she thought of the Empress’s recent attitude toward this lady and decided to reveal a little.
“You are wise, My Lady. My sister, Yuechen, and I are both Secret Guards under the command of Lord Ling Yun.”
Kneeling on the floor, Yueying lowered her head and replied respectfully.
She had originally been a Secret Guard trained before the Empress ascended the throne. To keep a close watch on the high-ranking officials of the court, she and her sister had been planted in the Shangguan Manor.
Beyond monitoring the movements of Chancellor Shangguan, they had a special mission: to protect Lady Shangguan to the greatest extent possible without revealing their identities.
At first, the mission went smoothly. The sisters secretly helped Liqian resolve many difficulties and harassments. Unexpectedly, before long, Shangguan Qingyun chose them to be his secret “eyes” inside the palace.
To complete the mission assigned by the Empress, the younger sister, Yuechen, took the initiative to seduce Shangguan Chi—rest assured, a Secret Guard’s skills are vast, and she never let that scoundrel actually lay a finger on her—and remained at the Shangguan Manor.
As for Yueying, acting on the Empress’s instructions, she followed the plan and entered the palace. She became the Shangguan family’s planted spy, responsible for the letters between Liqian and her father.
She remembered the Empress sighing at the time: The people of the Shangguan family are so stupid; it’s no wonder they are in decline…
Precisely because of Yueying’s role as a double agent, Luo Wushuang had every letter sent by the Shangguan family at her fingertips.
In the past, Luo Wushuang certainly wouldn’t have exposed Yueying so easily. But now… she could feel that she finally had a place in her sister’s heart.
Since that was the case… did she really need to care so much about that heartless family anymore? If Liqian didn’t care for them, there was no need for the sisters to continue their charade with the Shangguans. Thus, Luo Wushuang felt at ease letting Yueying reveal herself.
Of course, Shangguan Liqian was not yet aware of these hidden thoughts. Hearing Yueying’s confession, she thought to herself, As I suspected.
She had wondered before how Wushuang could obtain the letters so easily without Liqian ever noticing they had been tampered with. It turned out the spy Shangguan Qingyun planted in the palace had been Wushuang’s person all along.
Everything made sense now.
However, Wushuang had truly gone to great lengths for her. It was fortunate that they were now of one mind. Otherwise, they might have spent their entire lives entangled in a cycle of suspicion.
Shaking her head slightly, her gaze fell upon Shangguan Qinglan, who was sprawled on the bed. Liqian frowned and asked, “What did Shangguan Qinglan intend to do by leading me here?”
Recalling the Secret Guard’s earlier report that Qinglan was wearing a sachet filled with mind-altering drugs, Liqian already had a rough guess. However, she was still curious to see just how far that foolish woman would go. After all, the severity of the act would determine her final fate.
Silence fell over the room for a moment at Liqian’s question.
Yueying thought of the things Shangguan Qinglan had ordered her to prepare in the hall… and the specific instructions the Empress had sent. She subconsciously shuddered.
For the sake of her own life, it was better not to go into detail right now!
“Reporting to My Lady: Her Majesty said that what follows is too vulgar and might offend your eyes. She instructed me to take you to Xiwu Courtyard to rest for a while. Once the ‘grand play’ concludes, we will come for you.”
Yueying chose her words carefully, trying to quell Liqian’s curiosity.
Sensing the strange atmosphere in the room, Liqian didn’t press further. She simply turned and followed Yueying out.
As soon as Liqian left, the incense in the burner was quickly replaced. Soon, an aphrodisiac scent, far more potent than the one in Qinglan’s sachet, wafted through the room.
The “preparations” Shangguan Qinglan had made were carried onto the bed by the remaining palace servants…
As time passed…
A loud rip echoed. Someone’s outer robe had been torn. Then came more tearing sounds, mingled with various indescribable noises…
Wisps of blue smoke curled from the incense burner, emitting a strange, intoxicating fragrance.
In the hall, the chaos continued for a long time. It lasted so long that Shangguan Qinglan’s people had already succeeded in leading the guests from the banquet toward this location.
“The Sixth Daughter felt unwell, so our Consort stayed to accompany her for a rest. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, the Sixth Daughter would vanish?”
“Our Consort is unfamiliar with the palace and feared something might have happened to the Sixth Daughter, so she sent me to report to Her Majesty immediately.”
The speaker was Shangguan Qinglan’s personal maid. These words were part of the script Qinglan had prepared beforehand to distance herself from the scandal. She wanted to ensure that when the Empress saw the “shocking” scene, she wouldn’t be implicated.
However, the Shangguan Qinglan of that moment could never have predicted that the situation would spiral so violently out of control.
[Xiaobai: Time to cause some trouble, heehee… Wait, I’ve been shut down by the censors. Not heehee. Shut down four times, ugh… I’ll behave now.]*
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