The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 863 - 863 395 Final Strike (Part 1)

Chapter 863: 395 Final Strike (Part 1) Chapter 863: 395 Final Strike (Part 1) Furthermore, who exactly is the owner of the Xianle Inn?

The Empress Dowager?

Gu Jiao did not tell Eunuch He about Mo Qianxue’s matter, and Eunuch He did not deliberately inquire. In his view, the twice-mentioned “Sister Qianxue” was just a courtesan. Even if she took care of errands for the brothel’s owner, it was not strange.

What he found strange was the movements of the Dragon Shadow Guard.

“When did the Dragon Shadow Guard appear at the Xianle Inn? Why did they go to the borderlands? How long have they been gone?”

After leaving the Xianle Inn, he rapidly fired off a series of soul-searching questions.

Gu Jiao relayed the information she had interrogated from Hua Xiyao: “It happened over two months ago, just a one-time appearance, and they haven’t been back since. The reason they went to the borderlands is unknown to Hua Xiyao.”

Hua Xiyao was the second-in-command at Xianle Inn, and her access to information was limited.

“What were they doing at the Xianle Inn?” Eunuch He asked again.

Gu Jiao shook her head: “I don’t know, Hua Xiyao only saw them coming and going here and discovered they had a map to the borderlands on them, but she had no chance to speak with them.”

Eunuch He nodded his head.

Having found out this much was already beyond his expectations and he had nothing to be dissatisfied with. It was this girl, instead…

He looked at Gu Jiao with a complex expression: “Is it really good for a young lady like you to frequent such places of ill repute?”

Gu Jiao gave him a mocking stare: “It’s not me who frequents these places of ill repute. Would you be able to get in tonight if it weren’t for me?”

Eunuch He was successfully choked by the retort!

Having harvested the leeks, Gu Jiao satisfactorily boarded her carriage with her silver notes and IOUs in hand.

Eunuch He, on the other hand, returned to the palace to report back to the Emperor.

The Emperor was in the Study Room reviewing memorials. Hearing Eunuch He’s report, he snapped the memorial shut and looked at Eunuch He with tightly furrowed brows: “What did you say? The Dragon Shadow Guard went to the borderlands?”

Eunuch He: “Yes, Your Majesty, they carried with them a map to the borderlands. It appears that was their destination.”

The Emperor: “How long have they been gone?”

Eunuch He: “Over two months.”

The Emperor pondered thoughtfully: “That means… it was before I brought her back to the Imperial Palace…”

This ‘her’ naturally referred to the Empress Dowager.

Given that the Dragon Shadow Guard had been taken over by her, only her commands could send the Dragon Shadow Guard to the borderlands.

The Emperor’s eyes grew colder, his hand slowly clenching: “Why would she send the Dragon Shadow Guard to the borderlands… could she be planning to kill Ning An?”

Eunuch He opened his mouth: “Your Majesty, a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs…”

The Emperor mockingly said: “Heh, such an excuse a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, then what is her motive towards me!”

Eunuch He dared not make another sound.

“The Dragon Shadow Guard has been gone for so long, if they truly went to kill Ning An…” Upon considering this possibility, the Emperor felt a cold sweat soaking his entire back. He slumped into the chair back, his heart in turmoil!

“Your Majesty…” Eunuch Wei beside him advised, “There’s been no bad news from the borderlands yet, please don’t rush to panic.”

The Emperor’s face turned deathly pale: “How can I not be anxious? That’s Ning An…”

His most beloved sister!

The Emperor tightened his grip on the armrest, his expression grave: “No, I cannot sit idly by!”

Eunuch Wei called out: “Your Majesty! Where are you going?”

But the Emperor paid no attention to Eunuch Wei and hurriedly left Huaqing Palace.

“All your fault!” Eunuch Wei glared at Eunuch He.

Eunuch He was genuinely baffled: “What does this have to do with me?”

The Emperor was praying that Ning An was still unharmed. Now, he was left with only one Dragon Shadow Guard. Of course, he also had skilled palace guards and the imperial family’s secret guard, but in one-on-one combat they were not a match for the Dragon Shadow Guard.

Thus, he needed enough manpower!

The first person he thought of was the Empress Dowager, as she also commanded a group of experts.

“Your Majesty!”

Outside the Renshou Palace, two palace guards saluted the Emperor.

Lately, the Emperor’s skin had grown thick enough that the palace guards couldn’t stop him. They turned a blind eye to his forceful actions and had no intention of intervening.

The Emperor entered the Renshou Palace.

The palace maids all bowed in salute.

“Your Majesty!” Jade also bowed.

“Where is the Empress Mother?” the Emperor asked.

“In the Sleeping Palace,” Jade said.

It was somewhat inappropriate for the Emperor to barge into the Sleeping Palace, so he said to Jade, “Inform her that I am here.”

“Yes.”

Jade curtseyed and turned to head towards the Empress Dowager’s Sleeping Palace.

Reaching the door, she reported softly, “Empress Dowager, the Emperor has arrived.”

There was no response from within the Sleeping Palace.

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Jade slightly raised her voice and called again, “Empress Dowager, His Majesty has arrived.”

Inside the Sleeping Palace, there was still no movement.

Jade frowned in confusion and said, “Empress Dowager, your maidservant is coming in.”

She gently pushed open the ajar door and stepped over the threshold, lifting her skirts.

In a moment, a shrill scream came from inside the Sleeping Palace—

The Emperor’s face suddenly changed color as he strode quickly into the Sleeping Palace, “What has happened?”

Jade sat on the ground, her face pale. In front of her lay an overturned brocade box, and beside the box was the unconscious Eunuch Qin.

“Your Majesty?”

Eunuch Wei had also arrived, stunned by the scene before him, then quickly walked over, squatted down, and checked Eunuch Qin’s breath. His expression slightly relaxed, he said, “He’s still breathing, I’ll fetch the imperial physician.”

The Emperor nodded, and Eunuch Wei got up and left, remembering to drag the petrified Jade out with him.

The Sleeping Palace was empty and eerily silent.

“Mother.”

The Emperor, with a face full of alertness, tried calling out again, but there was no response.

The expert guards from within Renshou Palace also heard the commotion and rushed over. Shock was written on each of their faces; clearly, they had not expected the Dowager Empress to vanish from the Sleeping Palace without a trace.

There were few signs of struggle in the Sleeping Palace—just an overturned box and the fainted Eunuch Qin.

The Emperor picked up the box.

He recognized this box; the Empress Dowager treasured it greatly. When he was a child, he often visited the Empress Dowager’s Kunning Palace. He could touch anything except for this box.

Though obedient, his curiosity was strong, and taking advantage of the Empress Dowager’s slumber, he once peeked inside the box.

It contained a pair of brand new tiger-headed shoes.

Though new, they weren’t exactly fresh; the color had faded slightly, yet they had never been worn and clearly differed from old shoes.

He once thought that the tiger-headed shoes belonged to Ning An, but it took him a long time to realize that the Empress Dowager had prepared them for her own flesh and blood.

But that child was dead, born still.

How cruel?

So, was it with these shoes that the kidnapper had coerced the Empress Dowager to follow them obediently?

This was just the Emperor’s guess, but when the expert guards searched throughout Renshou Palace and still could not find the Dowager Empress, the Emperor had no choice but to confront this possibility.

Eunuch Qin regained consciousness under the physician’s care, but unfortunately, he hadn’t seen anything; he only felt a pain at the back of his neck before fainting.

The Emperor mused, “To sneak into Renshou Palace under the watch of so many expert guards, the culprit is no ordinary individual and evidently came prepared.”

In the entire Imperial Harem, very few had the opportunity to know about these shoes. A suspicion immediately surfaced in the Emperor’s heart, and his expression chilling, he headed towards the Nunnery.

The incident had caused quite a stir; Eunuch Wei had someone call Eunuch He over as well.

When the Emperor arrived at the Nunnery, he immediately sensed something was amiss.

The Nunnery was too quiet, identical to the Empress Dowager’s Sleeping Palace.

The Emperor stepped forward.

Eunuch He approached and said, “Your Majesty, allow your servant to take a look first!”

The Emperor gave a silent consent.

Eunuch He entered the Nunnery, walked around, then came out and said, “Your Majesty, the Tranquil Imperial Consort and Momo Cai are missing, the rest have all fainted. We do not know if they were knocked out or drugged.”

A hint of danger flickered through the Emperor’s eyes, and his fist cracked with tension, “Good, very good!”

Eunuch He was not as gentle as Eunuch Wei with the servants. Summon an imperial physician? A basin of cold water would suffice.

The young nun Hui An from the Nunnery was the first to be splashed awake. As soon as she awakened, she bawled, “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Madam Tranquil Consort, do not kill me! I didn’t see anything…really…”

“What did you see?” Eunuch He asked, tossing aside the bucket he held.

Hui An’s screaming stopped abruptly as she looked at the unfamiliar face of Eunuch He, then turned towards the Emperor with an austere expression. Her eyes reddened as she kneeled and crawled over.

But Eunuch Wei didn’t let her approach the Emperor, stepping forward to block her path and admonishing, “How dare you!”

Hui An, frightened, pulled back her hands, tears streaming down her face.

The Emperor emerged from behind Eunuch Wei and looked at her dispassionately, “What did you see? Tell the truth, and I won’t harm you.”

Hui An sobbed fearfully, “I…I saw…Madam Tranquil Consort…with a sword…she hurt…hurt several…people…and with a group…of people in black…they left…from here…”

The Emperor understood. The Tranquil Imperial Consort had a group of skilled fighters in her hands; she had led those people, wounded the nearby guards at the Nunnery, and broke through the cordon.

It seemed certain that the Empress Dowager was abducted by her.

It was just uncertain whether they had left the palace.

The Emperor commanded in a cold voice, “Lock down the Imperial Palace, from this moment on, let not even a fly escape! Additionally, inform the imperial guards, close the city gates, and search the city meticulously…”

Eunuch Wei hesitated and asked, “An open or covert investigation?”

The Emperor frowned slightly and said, “Conduct it covertly.”

Eunuch Wei complied, “Yes! And you, Your Majesty…”

After a moment’s thought, the Emperor decided to personally leave the palace.

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