Chapter 916: Chapter 916: Beasts on the Loose
At that ti, Lian Hua felt sothing strange. After Minister Fan asked her a question, he turned away, seemingly talking to soone else behind him. However, the content sounded more like he was talking to himself.
She stood watching the spectacle for a while, seeing Minister Fan shaking his head and speaking ceaselessly about the classics and history. It was as if she was suddenly back in her childhood classroom, with the teacher nodding back and forth while she nodded off below.
Following along with the head-nodding for a while, Lian Hua couldn’t quite grasp the aning, and eventually, she grew sleepy. She couldn’t resist it and rembered that she still had to scout out the Imperial Garden.
She hesitated before deciding not to disturb Minister Fan. She left one extra box of pastries there, instructing the young eunuch from the Star Palace to give it to him after Minister Fan finished speaking, then left with her entourage.
Lian Hua led Xiao Qing and the others to the Imperial Garden, and from a distance, she saw soone waiting at a fork in the path. Upon closer inspection, she exclaid with delight, “Sister!”
Consort Xu De was dressed in a dark green cloak with cloud patterns, her attire neat, accentuating the heroic spirit in her brows. Turning around and seeing Lian Hua, her eyes lit up, and with a smile, she said, “What a powdered jade doll of a girl, Sister, your outfit suits you extrely well; you’ve truly stunned .”
Lian Hua bead brightly, and as she approached, she asked, “Sister, why are you here?”
Consort Xu De pinched her rosy cheek affectionately, saying, “Sister, already out and about, why not co find ? I’ve been longing to see you, my neck has drawn long with waiting, and upon hearing from your people that you would pass here, I ca to wait for you.”
Only then did Lian Hua notice Xiao Jizi was also present, understanding it was likely Xiao Jizi who ntioned that after visiting the Star Palace, she would head to the Imperial Garden.
She quickly explained, “I heard that Sister has been busy with court affairs lately, and I was afraid of disturbing your work. Sister, isn’t it worrying for you to be out? Won’t it delay your duties?”
Consort De replied, “eting my sister is the real business; the rest is just trivial matters.”
Behind her, Ming Jing promptly coughed in reminder, turning court affairs into trivial things, and doing so outside in front of so many people, Consort Xu De was truly the first.
Consort Xu De didn’t continue the topic, instead saying, “Sister, the pastries you sent were delicious; I ate quite a lot.”
Upon hearing Consort De enjoyed the pastries, Lian Hua smiled and said, “Sister, these are the first batch fresh out of the oven. With the New Year approaching, I had people make a lot, all kinds of them. Once they’re ready, I’ll send so over to you; Auntie Ming Jing and the others will have their share too.”
“Thank you, Sister,” said Consort De, whose playful mood was kindled. Like a gallant man, she gave a bow to Lian Hua, making Lian Hua giggle.
After Lian Hua recovered from laughter, Ming Jing, behind Consort De, offered a courtesy with a smile, “The servants of Huaying Hall thank Master Lian in advance for the festive pastries.”
Lian Hua happily waved her hand, saying it was nothing.
After exchanging pleasantries on both sides, Consort De asked Lian Hua where she wanted to go, offering to stroll together. Upon hearing Lian Hua’s destination, she was surprised, “Why always go to the lakeside? In this cold weather, the lake is frozen solid, there’s nothing much to see.”
“This… I just want to have a look…” Lian Hua mumbled, it was precisely because of the ice that she wanted to see it.
Consort De was unsure of her intentions, but since she wished to go, so be it.
The two chatted as they walked toward Lian Hua’s desired destination, the Huaqing Pool. Located a bit far from the central areas of the harem, the environnt was serene, with its position more toward the west. While not remote, concubines usually preferred the Jade Lotus Pool when visiting the Imperial Garden, seldom coming here, which was why Lian Hua had frequently succeeded in fishing here in the past.
Soon the group arrived at the Huaqing Pool, and as Lian Hua looked around, she quietly noted to herself: the Huaqing Pool seed of average size, the ice layer appeared thick enough, there were railings around to view the fish, a small corridor led to a pavilion at the pond’s center, and the south side had steps leading closer to the water. It was perfect; falling in from anywhere wasn’t scary as it was easy to climb back up, and she had observed before that the water wasn’t deep.
Pleased, she nodded. No wonder she had chosen this place for fishing and ice skating; not utilizing this pool was truly a waste.
Watching Lian Hua pacing the pond’s edge, deeply engrossed, Consort Xu De was about to inquire what she was up to, when suddenly, she sensed sothing amiss and looked up to the sky.
Just like her, Xiao Kunzi and others with Lian Hua sensed sothing was off.
Xiao Kunzi and another young palace maid quickly adopted defensive stances, shielding Lian Hua. Lian Hua, regaining her senses, looked at them in confusion, then she heard sothing as well. Glancing upwards, she saw a grey hawk swooping down like an arrow, its wings cutting through the air, targeting her and Consort Xu De.
The palace maid exchanged a look with Xiao Kunzi, nodded in understanding, and swiftly flew upward.
anwhile, in the Cold Palace.
“Master Wu, the drug is taking effect!” a middle-aged eunuch’s eyes glead with excitent as he watched the caged beast violently crash against the cage, increasingly thrilled.
For once, a smile graced Master Wu’s normally icy expression. He took out an object resembling a whistle, confirming once more with Ye Ying, “Are you sure it’s that direction?” To his knowledge, that courtyard had long fallen into disrepair. After the favored concubine lost favor, no master wanted to live there, avoiding it for its bad luck.
Ye Ying, trembling slightly with both fear and anticipation of the ferocious beast in the cage, hurriedly nodded upon hearing, “Exactly there, Master Wu, no ti to waste, act now.” The closer they were, the more likely they’d be detected by secret sentries.
Master Wu nodded slightly, indicating he understood, gesturing for the Cold Palace doors to be opened. The doors, long sealed, slowly creaked open, revealing a somber entrance.
In that mont, Ye Ying thought of sothing and asked, “That old bird that flew away, without eating a morsel of at, is it still alright?”
Master Wu cast her a cold glance, “It’s not an old bird; it’s the mighty eagle of the grassland!” He said, dismissing her question entirely, then lifted the whistle-like object to his mouth, raising a hand in command, “Go forth, my hero, no longer live in sha; reclaim your forr glory!”
With that, he began to blow into the object inserted between his lips.
Instead of the expected shrill sound, Ye Ying was about to question whether the thing was broken, but she saw the beasts becoming more agitated, seemingly giving their all to crash against their cages, their uneasy growls and roars rising in frequency. Terrified, she hid behind Master Wu, her mouth agape in shock.
The remaining people swiftly moved to open every cage door, and the liberated beasts zipped out like the wind, rushing through the Cold Palace gates, all heading in one direction, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The last one to leave, the king of beasts, paused at the door of the Cold Palace, unlike the others who quickly bolted, instead, turning back for a glance. It then roared angrily, leaping forward in a powerful stride and ran off wildly.
Ye Ying was so taken aback by the roar that she couldn’t utter a word, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She suddenly understood a phrase: even a forest king in its twilight years remains a king; the ferocity in its blood never changes…
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