Within the majestic palace walls, the palaces and pavilions stood silently in the vast night. Grain snow kept hitting the ridge beasts in the verandah. The small wind whizzed past with scattered snowflakes, and the snow on the ridge beasts was blown away in pieces. , chasing each other around the painted building, adding a bit of vitality to the silent and solemn palace.
Suddenly, a shrill scream broke through the silence, quickly spreading through the huge palace. Immediately afterwards, a huge fire dragon suddenly shot up from the southeast of the palace, and the light of the sky lit up the night sky red. Just like day.
Snow was flying all over the sky, the cold wind was howling, and the world was originally in chaos, but it was painted with heavy colors by the burning temple, like a ferocious giant beast, with its bloody mouth open, wildly devouring the surrounding people. everything.
After the two eunuchs on duty in the imperial kitchen heard the screams, they immediately went out to investigate, only to see a black shadow flying up to the roof from the firelight, then leaping and disappearing.
The two eunuchs were immediately frightened and panicked. After being stunned for a long time, they stumbled out and ran out. As they ran, they shouted loudly: "There are people coming, there are assassins, there are assassins! The assassins burned the purchasing department!"
Soon, the news that an assassin had sneaked into the palace and that the purchasing department had been compromised spread throughout the palace. The originally peaceful night was finally shattered by the noise, and all the palaces were suddenly in chaos.
Lin Wanwan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, quietly waiting for the Queen Mother's people to take action. But at this moment, she heard a series of chaotic footsteps coming from outside. She immediately felt suspicious and asked: Could it be that the Queen Mother did this so blatantly? Attack yourself?
Just when she was confused, she suddenly heard a rapid knock on the door, and then heard Yun Chun calling outside the door: "Girl, girl, wake up!"
There was a bit of nervousness and anxiety in that voice. Lin Wanwan quickly realized that something must have happened outside. She immediately lit a candlestick, put on her cloak and opened the door.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged man dressed as a general standing next to Yun Chun, and several forbidden soldiers wearing armor were searching around the courtyard. When Lin Wanwan saw this formation, she secretly thought that something was wrong. Could it be that Eunuch Lu's body had been discovered, and these forbidden troops were looking for the murderer overnight?
She secretly looked at this general. He was about forty years old, tall and tall, with stern and sharp eyebrows, and a beard like a halberd. He was staring at her solemnly, and there seemed to be a trace of unnoticeable scrutiny and probing in his eyes.
This look made Lin Wanwan feel a little strange, but she couldn't tell why it was strange. Anyway, it made her feel a little uncomfortable. What puzzled her was why a Forbidden Army general with whom she had never interacted looked at her with such eyes.
Lin Wanwan calmly tightened the cloak around her shoulders, pretending to be sleepy and asked, "What's going on?"
Before Yun Chun could reply, the general asked, "Have you ever seen anyone suspicious coming in and out of this courtyard?"
Lin Wanwan's heart tightened. Could it be that she was accidentally discovered by the Forbidden Army when she came back? But she soon gave up this idea. If she really leaked her whereabouts, it would not have taken so long for these forbidden troops to find her.
With this thought, she immediately calmed down, shook her head and said, "I rested early in the morning. I didn't see anyone suspicious or hear any noise."
The Forbidden Army general narrowed his eyes slightly, and after circling Lin Wanwan with his sharp, razor-sharp gaze, he glanced towards the room behind her. Fortunately, this wing is not too big, and the furnishings in the room can be seen clearly at a glance, and whether anyone is hidden can be known at a glance.
Seeing how cautious he was, Lin Wanwan simply gave up half of her body so that he could see more clearly.
The Forbidden Army general slowly withdrew his gaze, glanced at her thoughtfully, and then clasped his fists at her and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, girl. Please stay in the house tonight and don't go out."
After saying that, he explained some words to the few forbidden soldiers behind him, and then strode away.
A trace of doubt flashed in Lin Wanwan's eyes, and she immediately pulled Yun Chun into the room and asked her, "Who was that person just now? Why are there so many forbidden troops outside? Did something happen?"
Yun Chun looked at the door nervously, seeming a little uneasy. Finally, he lowered his voice and said: "The man just now was General Zhou who was in charge of the imperial army. I heard that assassins entered the palace and set fire to the purchasing department. The whole place was set on fire." The Purchasing Department was burned to ashes. In order to ensure the safety of the Queen Mother, General Zhou searched every room, lest the thief hide in our Xianfu Palace."
When Lin Wanwan heard this, her eyes narrowed and she felt a little surprised.
General of the Imperial Guard? Since he is the commander of the imperial army, shouldn't he be staying by Emperor Dehui's side at this moment? Why would he stay in the Xianfu Palace of the Queen Mother? Although the imperial army has a special status and patrols the inner palace all year round, Xianfu Palace is the residence of the Queen Mother after all. Now, it is somewhat unreasonable to search the palace in such a grand manner. Aren't they afraid of the Queen Mother's punishment?
However, Lin Wanwan did not voice these questions. Just now she saw that Yun Chun looked so nervous. It was not as if she was worried about an assassin, but more like she was afraid of being overheard when she mentioned General Zhou. Could there be some taboo in it? ?
Lin Wanwan collected her thoughts and then remembered another thing, and couldn't help but ask: "You mean, an assassin sneaked into the palace and burned the purchasing department?"
"Yes, I just heard from the forbidden soldiers that when the fire started, the two father-in-laws on duty in the imperial kitchen heard a burst of screams, and then saw a black shadow flying out of the firelight, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye. There is no trace." Yun Chun nodded, patted his chest with some fear, and said: "I heard that the fire was very fierce, with thick smoke billowing everywhere, and even the snow from the sky was covered with ashes when it fell. It was scary. When we counted the people afterwards, none of the father-in-laws from the purchasing department showed up. They had probably already..."
Yun Chun sighed sadly and said no more.
Screams? All dead?
Lin Wanwan's heart trembled. Could it be that besides Eunuch Lu, there was someone else in the purchasing department? But when she entered the purchasing company, it was clear that only Eunuch Lu was there. Could it be that those people had died before she arrived? But who made that scream?
Lin Wanwan's thoughts were confused, so she comforted Yun Chun and asked her to go back to her room to rest.
She glanced at the few Imperial Guards standing upright in the courtyard, and felt slightly relieved. It seemed that the Queen Mother would not attack her tonight.
Lin Wanwan sat back on the couch and fell into deep thought.
She couldn't help but think of the man in black she met in the secret room. Could it be that he made the scream? he died?
Lin Wanwan shook her head and quickly rejected the idea. With that man's martial arts, even if he was poisoned or injured, he would definitely not be burned alive. The black shadow that rushed out from the fire should be him.
But who set the fire? What's the purpose of doing this? Is it to burn the mailbox in the secret room or to destroy the corpse and eliminate traces?
Lin Wanwan's mind felt like a mess that was difficult to sort out. What happened in the secret room tonight was like a cloud of fog surrounding her, and there were still many doubts that could not be solved.
For example, who was Eunuch Lu killed? Where did the music score in his hand come from? Why did the person who killed him know that he had piano music? And what role did the man in black she met in the secret room play? These truths seemed to be shrouded in layers of fog, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
But she was certain that although the man in black was unruly and unruly in his words and deeds, he was by no means just a thief.
That man appeared in Eunuch Lu's secret room unnoticed in the middle of the night, but blatantly said that he wanted to steal treasure, which was too much for the place where there was no money. What surprised her was that he had even arranged his identity and rhetoric for her. It was really hard to see what kind of medicine he was selling.
But if he really killed Eunuch Lu, then judging from the few words Eunuch Lu said before he died, the perpetrator should have come for the music score. But that person had obviously obtained the music score, so why didn't he kill himself to silence him? He still had to deal with himself there, even after being plotted by himself, he didn't have any murderous intentions, and finally gave up the music score?
But if it wasn't him, then who could it be?
