nycdaug Chapter 251: The Road to the Palace and the First Shocking Change
Chapter 251: The Road to the Palace and the First Shocking Change
Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting galloped all the way to the capital. The sound of horse hooves was just like their chaotic mood at the moment.
The towns on both sides of the official road seemed bustling with people. Drinkers in the tavern were playing games of guessing games, tea drinkers in the teahouse were chatting loudly, street vendors were shouting out all kinds of gadgets, and children were chasing and playing in the alleys, their laughter falling like silver bells all over the ground.
However, in the eyes of Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting, all this was just an illusion of prosperity. Their eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the surface and see the storm that was about to rise in the depths of the palace.
After several days of travel, the outline of the capital finally emerged in the distance. The towering palace walls, like an ancient beast lurking within, exuded a chilling aura of oppression.
The vermilion city gates were tightly shut, leaving only a narrow passageway in the center, as if silently proclaiming the palace's majesty and mystery. On the city walls, flags fluttered, and golden-armored guards stood like statues, their stern faces gleaming with the uniquely cold gleam of metal in the sunlight, a formidable sight.
In front of the city gate, the people and merchants lined up in long queues and were interrogated by the guards one by one. They were all silent and did not dare to act rashly.
The moment to enter the palace quietly approached. They walked slowly along the long and deep palace road, the stone pavement under their feet echoing crisply, and each step seemed to tread on the strings of fate, playing a tense and oppressive melody.
The gardens lining the palace path were ablaze with flowers, yet no one stopped to admire them. The maids and eunuchs hurried by, their occasional glances a mixture of awe and curiosity. Entering the main hall, the magnificent dazzle of gold and jade adorned the room.
The golden dragon on the dragon pillar is lifelike, with its fangs and claws bared, as if it will break through the sky at any moment.
The emperor, dressed in a gorgeous dragon robe and a crown, sat upright on the lofty dragon throne. His gaze, obscured by the crown, was like a cold arrow, darting between Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting. He looked them over and over again, and after a long moment, he slowly spoke, "Ling Xuan, Yun Mengting, I have heard that you are renowned in the martial arts world and have accomplished many great deeds. I am very pleased.
I intend to keep you and others here to serve in the palace. However, this palace is a place with strict rules and regulations, like a dragnet that is impenetrable. You must be extremely cautious and make no mistakes. "Those words seemed gentle, but they contained a hidden meaning, like a thorn in the back, which made people feel cold.
In the palace hall, Yun Mengting forced herself to remain calm, her beautiful eyes inadvertently sweeping over the palace guards.
In an instant, her heart suddenly tightened, and several familiar faces jumped into her eyes like ghosts. They were actually the minions of the former conspiracy group.
She remained calm and quietly tugged at Ling Xuan's sleeve. Ling Xuan was so perceptive that he understood what she meant instantly, but his face remained calm, as if he had not heard or seen anything.
The night was as dark as ink, slowly enveloping the entire palace. The palace they lived in was eerily silent, with only the candlelight in the corner swaying in the wind, its light and shadows dancing eerily on the walls.
Suddenly, a dark shadow darted past like a night owl, and then, like lightning, the cold gleam of a sharp blade flashed through the darkness. Ling Xuan was prepared, unsheathing his sword. The sound of the sword pierced the night sky, and his sword skills were as fierce as a violent storm, each move deadly.
The assassin, a ghostly figure, engaged Ling Xuan in a thrilling life-or-death contest within the hall. For a moment, sword shadows clashed, the wind howled, and it seemed as if the world was being swallowed by the vortex of this fierce battle.
Sometimes Ling Xuan would use an unconventional move to neutralize the assassin's attack with his cleverness; sometimes he would confront the assassin head-on and force him back with his overwhelming force.
The assassin was no ordinary man either. He displayed strange and unpredictable body movements, leaping and moving between the beams and pillars in the hall as agile as a monkey, trying to find Ling Xuan's flaws.
Even as the battle raged, Yun Mengting was not idle. With her sharp eyes, she carefully searched the surroundings of the palace, trying to find any trace of the assassin or any other suspicious signs.
She found that the assassin's actions seemed to have some pattern, and his attacks were always more fierce when he was close to a corner. Yun Mengting had an idea and quietly approached that corner.
Suddenly, the assassin threw a smoke bomb, and in an instant, the hall was filled with smoke and a pungent smell. Ling Xuan remained unmoved. He held his breath and continued to deal with the assassin with his keen hearing and years of combat experience.
Yun Mengting took advantage of the cover of smoke and finally came to the suspicious corner. She found a loose floor tile on the ground. She lifted it up and a small package was revealed inside.
At this moment, the smoke gradually dissipated. Seeing that the situation was not good, the assassin tried to escape. Ling Xuan would not let him succeed. He shouted loudly and unleashed his ultimate move. Sword shadows wove together, blocking all the assassin's escape routes.
The assassin had no choice but to fight desperately, but was stabbed in the vitals by Ling Xuan's sword.
Yun Mengting opened the package, revealing a specially marked token and a letter. The contents of the letter were cryptic, but it was clear that it was related to a certain faction within the palace and mentioned a larger conspiracy against Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting.
Ling Xuan took the token and examined it carefully, his expression growing darker. "Ting'er, it seems our arrival has affected the interests of certain people. They want to put us to death."
They knew this was only the beginning, and the power struggles within the palace were far more complex and dangerous than they had imagined. In the days that followed, they became even more cautious, constantly vigilant of every move around them.
At a palace banquet, Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting wanted to take this opportunity to observe the various forces. However, a strange atmosphere permeated the banquet.
Some concubines appeared to be smiling and flirting, but were actually flirting with each other and competing for favor; the ministers were testing each other at the wine table, with hidden meanings in their words.
Yun Mengting noticed that a concubine kept glancing at them, intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of resentment in her eyes. Ling Xuan, on the other hand, noticed that several ministers were whispering in a corner, but when they caught his gaze, they pretended to be calm and dispersed.
Halfway through the banquet, a palace maid suddenly screamed. It turned out that when she was pouring wine for a minister, she found an unknown object in the wine.
Suddenly, the banquet was in chaos, and everyone accused someone of deliberate murder. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting keenly felt that this might be another conspiracy against them.
They decided to take the initiative and look for clues in the palace to uncover the truth behind it.
They started with the palace maids and eunuchs, asking about the situation at that time, but found that the palace maids kept silent, as if they had been threatened.
After some effort, they finally found a young eunuch who was willing to speak.
The young eunuch tremblingly told them that a mysterious man had given him some money to put something in the minister's wine and put the blame on Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting.
But he had never seen the mysterious man's true face, he only knew that he often appeared in the back garden of the palace.
Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting immediately went to the back garden. In a bush in the back garden, they found a piece of cloth similar to the one on the assassin before.
Following the clues, they discovered a secret room hidden deep in the palace.
The secret room is filled with evidence of various conspiracies, including letters of collusion with underworld forces, plans to frame loyal officials, and so on.
However, just as they were about to leave with the evidence, the door of the secret room suddenly closed, and a sinister laugh rang out all around: "Do you think you can leave so easily?" It turned out that the villain who had been hiding behind the scenes showed up, and he led a group of men to surround Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting.
Ling Xuan protected Yun Mengting behind him and whispered, "Ting'er, don't be afraid, I'm here." They fought a desperate battle with the villain forces.
Ling Xuan's swordsmanship was as fast as a flying dragon or snake, and each sword move carried a powerful aura; Yun Mengting also used her medical skills to attack the enemy's acupuncture points with silver needles, causing them to temporarily lose their combat effectiveness.
In the fierce battle, Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting cooperated with each other and gradually gained the upper hand. Seeing that the situation was not good, the villain wanted to destroy the evidence and escape.
Yun Mengting was quick-witted and threw a stone, hitting the villain's wrist and causing the evidence to fall to the ground. Ling Xuan took the opportunity to stab the villain with a sword, and the villain fell to the ground seriously injured.
They walked out of the secret room with evidence and revealed the truth to the world.
When the emperor learned about this, he was shocked and praised Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting's performance. At the same time, he was angry about the corruption and conspiracy in the palace and ordered severe punishment for those involved.
After this series of events, Ling Xuan and Yun Mengting's positions in the palace have gradually become stable, but they also know that there are more challenges waiting for them in the future. The vortex of court intrigue is still turning, and they must uphold justice and protect each other in this vortex.