northernbook Chapter 11 Palace Secrets
Chapter 11 Palace Secrets
Holding the ancient book in her hand, Su Yao felt her heart churning like a stormy sea. She knew the weight of this secret. If she told Xuan Yuanche, it might drag him into a cruel royal power struggle; but if she kept it from him, she felt she would betray his trust, and if the truth were revealed by someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After several sleepless nights, Su Yao decided to consult with Xuan Yuanche's trusted advisor. The advisor was alarmed upon hearing her words, but also admired Su Yao's frankness. The two carefully analyzed the situation and both agreed that caution was essential. Although the border was temporarily stable, Xuan Yuanche had not yet returned, and various factions within the palace were secretly watching his every move. The slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.
While continuing to act as if nothing was amiss in the palace, Su Yao secretly investigated those still alive who knew about the imperial edict. She learned from an old eunuch that a palace maid had also been involved, but had disappeared shortly afterward. Using her connections within the palace, Su Yao searched far and wide for the maid's whereabouts, finally finding some clues in a secluded corner of a cold, deserted palace.
It turned out that the palace maid had been secretly imprisoned here and was already mentally unstable. Su Yao had to use a lot of effort to piece together some vague memories from the palace maid. It seemed that besides the Empress, a high-ranking official in the court was also involved in altering the imperial edict, and this official still held a high position and great power in the court, with a deeply entrenched influence.
Just as Su Yao was conducting her investigation, Xuan Yuanche's campaign on the frontier took another turn for the worse. While the enemy suffered setbacks on the main battlefield, they colluded with bandit groups along the border to launch sneak attacks on supply depots, putting Xuan Yuanche's army in a difficult situation. Xuan Yuanche was caught between fighting the enemy forces on the front lines and eliminating the bandits, leaving him with no choice but to focus his efforts.
Upon learning the news, Su Yao was extremely anxious. She decided to petition the emperor again, requesting that a secret force be sent to support Xuan Yuanche. Although the emperor was somewhat displeased with Su Yao's overstepping of her authority, he was well aware of the importance of the border war, and Xuan Yuanche was his most capable prince, so he granted her request.
Su Yao knew the mission was arduous, so she painstakingly selected a group of soldiers who were not only highly skilled in martial arts but, more importantly, loyal and reliable. This elite force was entrusted to the command of a veteran general with extensive experience in countless battles. Bearing a heavy responsibility, they rode swiftly and tirelessly towards the distant frontier under the cover of night.
Meanwhile, Su Yao, within the palace, showed no signs of slackening, continuously accelerating her in-depth investigation into palace secrets. She understood perfectly well that if this potentially huge threat wasn't eliminated quickly, Xuan Yuanche, fighting bravely on the frontier, would never be able to focus on his mission.
However, the hostile forces lurking in the shadows seemed to sense the danger and keenly perceived Su Yao's ongoing actions. Thus, these treacherous individuals began to secretly and relentlessly obstruct and sabotage Su Yao. They used every means at their disposal, even brazenly setting up various dangerous and deadly traps and mechanisms in Su Yao's palace residence, attempting to kill her in one fell swoop.
Faced with such a perilous situation, Su Yao was not intimidated or backed down. On the contrary, relying on her extraordinary wisdom and courage, she cleverly evaded the enemy's meticulously planned assassination attempts time and time again. Each time, she narrowly escaped death, but she never lost heart and remained steadfast in her pursuit of the truth.
As for Xuanyuan Che, he also faced unprecedented challenges. On the frontier battlefield, enemy troops surged in like a tidal wave, forming multiple encirclements, attempting to trap and kill Xuanyuan Che's army. However, the brave and fearless Xuanyuan Che did not lose his composure. He calmly and resolutely directed his subordinates to fight back fiercely, searching for the best opportunity to break through the enemy's encirclement.
Will Su Yao ultimately be able to escape the successive assassination attempts unscathed? Will she be able to follow the clues and successfully uncover the mysterious conspiracy that shrouds the entire palace? And will Xuan Yuan Che, who is fighting a bloody battle on the frontier, be able to break through the encirclement and defeat his enemy? All of this remains an unpredictable mystery...