"My lord, even with me carrying a token to lead the way, please do not walk so quickly. You could very well trigger the spell formations within the palace."
Hearing this, Chen Qing paused awkwardly and hurriedly offered a respectful apology. "Sorry for the trouble, General. Thank you for the reminder."
The military officer nodded slightly. This young scholar looked unfamiliar, but anyone who could keep company with so many capable people must be extraordinary. He replied courteously, "It is my duty, my lord. There is no need for such courtesy."
"May I ask, General, when did the crown prince enter the palace?"
The general froze. This lad was rather reckless, asking about the heir apparent's whereabouts right off the bat!
He glanced toward the Duke of Song. Only after Liu Yu nodded slightly did he reply, "His Highness the Crown Prince entered the palace two hours ago."
"Do you know where His Highness went?"
Hiss... this lad!
The guard commander replied helplessly, "My lord, that is hardly something a lowly general like me can inquire about, is it?"
Just then, Liu Yu's voice came from ahead. "The imperial study is just up ahead."
Chen Qing paused. That was surprisingly quick!
When he had entered the palace for the Qionglin Banquet after the imperial examinations, he had noticed how unusually small Great Jin's imperial palace was. Many of the trees in the surrounding gardens looked young. It really had been put together in haste.
Why had they not used the previous dynasty's imperial palace?
He remembered that the Heavenly Capital his partner had designed had been exceptionally grand and magnificent. The imperial palace in particular had been like a maze in one dungeon instance; many players could not find their way out once they entered.
Were they avoiding something?
"Wait here. I will go and ask." With that instruction, Liu Yu immediately strode toward the imperial study.
The others obediently waited outside.
Liu Yu walked briskly toward the imperial study and spotted palace maids tidying the room from afar. He froze.
The emperor had always been diligent in governing. Moreover, he had sent Liu Yu to capture the fox demon today, so by rights he should have been waiting here for news. Yet the palace maids cleaning the imperial study clearly indicated that the emperor had already left!
"Your Grace?"
The eunuch directing the maids hurried forward and bowed. "Have you come to see His Majesty about something?"
"Where has His Majesty gone?" A trace of unease rose in Liu Yu's heart.
"Oh, Her Majesty the Empress came earlier. Seeing how hard His Majesty was working, she brought him dinner. After eating, His Majesty went with Her Majesty to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility..."
Hearing this, Liu Yu grew increasingly uneasy and continued, "Has His Highness the Crown Prince been to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility?"
"Eh?" The eunuch paused, thought for a moment, then nodded. "I believe so. I seem to have heard someone mention it earlier. His Highness did indeed go to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility..."
Liu Yu nodded. Without even time for pleasantries, he strode back outside to Chen Qing.
"His Majesty went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility with Her Majesty the Empress. I also asked just now, and His Highness the Crown Prince did indeed go to see Her Majesty before them!"
Chen Qing immediately fell silent, his whole body trembling despite himself.
"From what my unworthy disciple Wang Ye told me about you, you seem to know a great deal about the Thousand-Faced Fox?"
"Through a chance coincidence, I learned a little..." Chen Qing knew he could no longer keep a low profile.
"Then if..." Liu Yu narrowed his eyes. "Things are truly as you suspect, and that fox demon has her way with His Majesty, what will happen?"
"It will be disastrous!" Chen Qing raised his head. "No one in this world will be able to resist her illusions anymore!"
"But according to the records of Xuanzong's case, that fox demon spent several years in the palace without becoming as terrifying as you describe..."
"This is different..." Chen Qing shook his head. "That fox demon feeds on the fortune of those she couples with. Xuanzong was the ruler of a fallen dynasty, while His Majesty is a founding emperor. As a spellcaster, my lord, you should understand the difference in their fortune better than I do!"
"You actually know that Xuanzong was the ruler of a fallen dynasty!" Liu Yu regarded Chen Qing with an unfathomable gaze. "The court has sealed away the previous dynasty's history and forbidden its circulation among the people. How did you learn of it?"
"Literary culture has always flourished in Jiangnan. With His Majesty establishing his capital in the north, restrictions in the south could hardly be enforced so strictly..."
"You certainly know how to find an excuse..." Liu Yu could not be bothered to pursue the matter further and said directly, "You understand the situation now. His Majesty has gone to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. If your guess is wrong, you will have offended both the heir apparent and the empress. No one will be able to protect you then!"
Chen Qing fell silent. Having come this far, he could not retreat even if he wanted to!
Without further hesitation, he dropped straight to his knees. "This student has received profound imperial grace. Though my writing was still immature, His Majesty placed me in the second tier. I have yet to render the slightest service to the court. Now, with danger looming over my sovereign, even if my guess is mistaken, I am willing to bear this risk. If I am wrong, I am willing to offer my head in atonement!"
"Good!" Liu Yu clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "Such courage! Young people these days truly are remarkable. In that case, this old man will accompany you!!"
"General, lead us to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility!"
"Well..." The guard commander's face turned bitter. The Palace of Earthly Tranquility was part of the inner palace. If an outside man entered, even with this duke beating his chest in guarantee, he feared he would still be implicated later!
"Hmm?"
"Please follow me, my lord!" Under that pressure, the guard commander had no choice. After all, judging by what he had just heard, something truly momentous did seem to have happened!
The group hurried to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility in a flurry. Upon reaching its gates, Liu Yu spotted the elderly eunuch who usually attended the emperor from afar.
"Eunuch He!"
"What brings Your Grace here?" The eunuch looked stunned. This was no place for outside men to barge into!
"Eunuch He, this is urgent. There is no time to explain. Where is His Majesty?" Liu Yu asked hurriedly.
"Well..." The eunuch immediately looked troubled. "His Majesty has already retired in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Whatever business Your Grace has, could it wait until tomorrow?"
"He has already retired?" Liu Yu's expression changed. He rubbed his fingers together, hesitating, then asked a moment later, "Did you see His Highness the Crown Prince when you arrived?"
"Well... no, I did not." The eunuch shook his head. "He probably left the palace..."
Great Jin's imperial palace was so shabby that it could not even provide palaces for all four noble consorts, much less construct an Eastern Palace that met the crown prince's required specifications. Thus, a residence for the crown prince had been added outside the imperial palace to the south.
This was also why the crown prince had opportunities to meet secretly with the daughter of the vice minister of rites.
Liu Yu looked at the guard commander, who hurriedly shook his head. "His Highness the Crown Prince definitely has not left the palace!"
Hearing that, Liu Yu looked at the eunuch again. "Eunuch He, are there entry and exit records for the Palace of Earthly Tranquility?"
"Well..." Eunuch He paused, then hurriedly nodded. "There are, but I only have the records from the hour of the dog onward. Eunuch Feng, who records the daytime entries, has already gone off duty. If Your Grace wishes to see them, I will send someone to find Eunuch Feng immediately!"
Liu Yu's expression grew darker still. He glanced inside and finally shook his head. "I fear there is no time."
Then he turned to Chen Qing. "Young man, what do you think we should do?"
Chen Qing's face instantly turned as black as a lump of coal!
What damned rotten luck. They were a step too late at every turn. Even if they made it in time now, the old emperor had probably already taken off his trousers. If they forced their way in, the heir apparent and empress would not be the only ones offended, and the offense would be far from minor.
One wrong move, and it might not be as simple as paying with his own life. His entire family could be convicted!
At the thought of his elderly mother, who had suffered for so many years and only just begun looking forward to better days, and his little sister, who was not even sixteen, Chen Qing lost all his earlier composure. Several times, the thought of backing down rose within him.
But having come this far, could he retreat?
If his guess was wrong, would the emperor spare him punishment just because he backed down? Would the forces behind the fox demon not seize the chance to dispose of him?
If his guess was right, once the fox demon completed her final form, would she spare him and his family?
There was no retreat...
"My lord..." Chen Qing looked at Liu Yu with bloodshot eyes. "This student... has no way back!!"
Liu Yu paused, then nodded. "Good!"
He formed seals with both hands, and daylight instantly blazed behind him. An enormous crystal-white elephant raised its trunk and trumpeted within that light, its scale countless times greater than the Dharma wheel that had appeared behind Wang Ye!
"My lord, what are you doing?" Eunuch He turned pale with fright.
Behind him, Yuchi Peng and Fei Jun were also startled. They were just about to speak when Liu Yu waved a hand, and both vanished from the spot.
Chen Qing stared blankly at the duke. To transport others through space with a wave of his hand-this duke was probably close to breaking through the ranks and reaching the level of a "Spirit"!
Far away, Yuchi Peng, who had been transported directly outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, froze for a moment. He instinctively tried to charge back in, only for Fei Jun to stop him!
"What are you doing?"
"Do you have a pig's brain?" Fei Jun's face was livid. "His Grace cherishes the younger generation. He is protecting us! Questioning the heir apparent and brazenly offending the empress-are those crimes we can bear?"
"Well..." Yuchi Peng immediately flared up. "Then what about Chen Qing?"
"He has already chosen to take a gamble!" Fei Jun's eyes were filled with complicated feelings as well. "His life and death are naturally in fate's hands!!"
"My apologies..." Liu Yu smiled. "Those two outstanding young men are future pillars of Great Jin. They cannot share this risk with you."
"This student understands!" Chen Qing lowered his head and cupped his hands.
"Then let us begin..." Liu Yu formed seals with both hands. "Dispel!!"
Countless spell barriers around the Palace of Earthly Tranquility crackled and exploded like fireworks. The dazzling spectacle and tremendous commotion instantly alarmed the entire imperial palace!
"Who!!"
A furious voice rang out from within the palace, soaring into the highest heavens. Its owner was clearly enraged to the extreme!
Liu Yu was helpless. He had not wanted to cause such a commotion either. The situation was urgent; if he wasted time having the eunuch report their arrival and went through all the cumbersome procedures, the old emperor would probably have finished his business...
After all, he was getting on in years, so he would not last long, would he?
Liu Yu's method was excessively crude, but it certainly worked!
In the next instant, golden flames shot into the clouds, then descended from the sky with an utterly terrifying might!
Chen Qing looked up, completely dazed. Golden flames filled his vision, covering almost the entire sky...
A thought suddenly rose in his heart: The powerful... really do cut an imposing figure...
"Liu Yu??"
The furious golden flames visibly paused upon seeing who had caused the disturbance. Then a streak of fire descended from the sky and took human form. "What are you doing?"
"The situation is urgent..." Liu Yu gave a bitter laugh. "Your subject had no other choice."
As he spoke, he hurriedly gave a brief account of what had happened.
After hearing him out, the emperor froze completely. A moment later, he glared fiercely at Chen Qing. "You are saying... the empress is an impostor??"