TICIEC Chapter 44.1

The fire at Linlang Palace had just been lit when it was extinguished by the eunuchs of the Weilin Division.

The Imperial Guards are stationed in the outer court and are not allowed to enter the inner palace. The inner palace of the Great Yan Dynasty is guarded by eunuchs from the Weilin Division. This division, like the Imperial Guards, is directly under the control of the Emperor and is managed by the Emperor’s trusted confidants.

Although the Emperor is somewhat restrained in the outer court, Helian Qi firmly holds the security of the palace and its surroundings.

Jin Zhong, the chief eunuch of the Weilin Division, was acting on the Emperor’s secret orders and had been secretly following Cai Ye all along, preparing to stop her from attacking Changchun Palace.

As a result, they followed her all the way to Linlang Palace.

Although he was very shocked, it didn’t stop him from catching her red-handed.

…

After several rounds of drinks and in the midst of singing and dancing, the entourage of Zhuang Fei and eunuchs from the Weilin Division arrived in a grand procession.

“Your Majesty, I am truly afraid that I will never see Your Majesty again!” Zhuang Fei bowed with red eyes.

She had recently caught a slight cold and was fast asleep in her bedchamber when she was woken up by the noise of the fire…

Zhuang Fei was shocked, angry, and frightened. She immediately went to find the Emperor.

The eunuchs of the Weilin Division threw the two bound eunuchs and three palace maids on the ground.

The chief eunuch, Jin Zhong, bowed and reported: “Your Majesty, these five people attempted to set fire to the Linlang Palace, but thanks to Your Majesty’s wise and insightful command, we captured them!”

The assembled concubines were shocked.

What? The Linlang Palace almost caught fire?

Helian Qi was also extremely shocked.

It was Linlang Palace that was the one that was in trouble?

His eyes darkened slightly as he helped Zhuang Fei up, asking with concern, “Are you and the Eldest Princess alright?”

“The Eldest Princess and I are both unharmed. The fire was put out as soon as it was lit.”

A warm feeling of gratitude welled up in Zhuang Fei’s heart, and her eyes were filled with sweetness as she looked at Helian Qi.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for protecting me. If it weren’t for the timely arrival of the people Your Majesty sent, I fear I would have already been in danger…”

Helian Qi patted her hand reassuringly, then turned to look at the palace servants, his eyes cold and sharp as blades.

“Who ordered you to do this?”

Xue Zhaoyi was surprised. How did the plan fail?

But her expression remained completely unchanged. The rules that the eldest daughter of a duke had learned since childhood prevented her from showing any abnormality on the surface.

“This servant was momentarily confused and accepted the silver she gave me…”

“This servant was following Cai Ye’s orders…”

The four palace maids and eunuchs unanimously pointed to Cai Ye.

Two of the maids were third-class servants from Linlang Palace, tasked with escorting Cai Ye and her party into the palace.

The other two were eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department who smuggled fire powder into the palace while on official business outside the palace.

Shu Fei looked at Cai Ye, the remaining maid: “And where do you work?”

“This servant is from Lingxue Pavilion.” Cai Ye replied tremblingly.

The other concubines gasped, all turning to look at Ning Wanyin.

“Ning Meiren, why did you do such a terrible thing to Zhuang Fei?” Shu Fei asked, feigning shock.

Ning Wanyin said calmly, “Although she’s from my palace, she doesn’t listen to me. Xiao Xiazi—”

Xiao Xiazi stepped forward and stated, “Cai Ye went to Xue Zhaoyi’s palace this morning.”

“This concubine has never seen her. You are Ning Wanyin’s eunuch, fabricating rumors about this concubine on her behalf.”

Xue Zhaoyi was not afraid at all and denied it directly.

“Xiazi is my man, and I heard about this from him long ago. What are you doing meeting with the palace maids of Lingxue Pavilion?” Helian Qi looked coldly at Xue Zhaoyi.

Xue Zhaoyi’s eyes flashed…

The Emperor had already noticed Cai Ye’s suspicious behavior and sent people to keep an eye on her; no wonder she was caught red-handed.

But even if you knew that Cai Ye had been to Qionghua Garden, so what?

 

 

 

You can support this lovely translator and your favorite series by buying me a cup of Ko-fi ( ˘▽˘)っ♨

I will really appreciate it. ♥️♥️♥️