Huangxiu

Chapter 99 Cold Palace
Chu Zhiyuan slowed down his pace.

This young man's cultivation is shallow and not even at the innate level. It is considered normal for his age group and he is not a martial arts genius.

The young man was handsomer than most people, with a slender figure. Blood was seeping from many parts of his chest and shoulders, making his face as pale as paper.

Judging from his rapid breathing, it was obvious that he was seriously injured.

This is a life saved.

With such a level of cultivation, breaking into the underground secret room without knowing the mechanism is tantamount to seeking death. It is extremely lucky to be able to come out alive.

It may also be because too much time has passed and some mechanisms have been damaged, thus weakening their power.

His cultivation was so shallow that Chu Zhiyuan could see the flow of his internal energy at a glance without even having any physical contact.

What is being practiced is the martial arts skills of the Zhenyi Sect.

This is a disciple of Zhenyi Sect.

The disciple of Zhenyi Sect who knows about the underground secret room, could he be the disciple of Bai Jingmang?

He turned his head and said, "Lao Gao, there is a young man in here, check his background and don't alarm him."

"Yes." Gao Jiong said hurriedly: "Don't worry, my lord, I will take care of it!"

Chu Zhiyuan knew that what they wanted to do most now was to do something, so he assigned tasks to them. Instead of feeling bitter, they were happy.

The relationships between people are extremely complex. Being a grandmaster does not allow the servants and guards of the palace to quickly accept and become close to you. You need to establish more connections.

The quickest way is to do things together.

This will speed up their integration with the palace.

Chu Zhiyuan quickened his pace, turned into the alley and entered the bustling crowd, and met Huang Shirong and her two daughters on the west side of Fenghuang Avenue.

Huang Shirong was still wearing her apricot-yellow silk gown, with a slender waist and a sword dangling from her waist. She was as graceful as a willow and very elegant. The two women beside her were dressed in white as white as snow, beautiful and attractive, attracting the attention of the people around them.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists towards her in the crowd, and Huang Shirong also clasped her fists in return.

The two smiled at each other without stopping to say hello.

-

The bright moon is like a jade plate.

The streets of Prince Qing's Mansion are wide, white and neat.

Carved lanterns with the word "Celebration" written on them were hung high, one string after another, shining as brightly as day.

The guards patrolled in a cross-patrol manner, full of energy and vigor.

As soon as Chu Zhiyuan stepped into the palace gate, Feng Xi came up to him and said with a smile: "My Lord, the princess is waiting in the back."

"How long has it been since mother came back?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Feng Xi replied: "More than two hours."

"You must be waiting impatiently." Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

Feng Xi smiled and nodded.

The princess was impatient and decisive. She played chess and played the piano in the waterside pavilion, fidgeting and asking from time to time whether Chu Zhiyuan had returned.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand and quickened his pace.

Guo Chi and the other three went their separate ways; Feng Xi also went about his own business; only Zou Fang followed him to the back garden and onto the lake.

The pavilions and waterside terraces on the lake are brightly lit, illuminating the entire lake surface.

In a brightly lit pavilion, Bai Ningshuang was feeding the fish out of boredom. Occasionally, she would absentmindedly sprinkle a piece of fish food, causing the fish below to surge and the waves to vibrate.

Seeing him coming, Bai Ningshuang perked up, waved his hand, handed the fish food to the girl beside him, and sat on the Arhat bed in the pavilion.

"Mom, how is grandma?"

"It turns out he's poisoned!" Bai Ningshuang snorted coldly: "Take the antidote pill and he'll be fine immediately!"

"That's good."

After all, I had never seen the specific situation over there, and I was not completely sure whether it was really as I expected. Now it seems that my judgment was correct.

Bai Ningshuang said: "The Queen went directly to see the Emperor."

Chu Zhiyuan was stunned.

Bai Ningshuang said: "The Emperor directly banished Concubine Zhen to the cold palace!"

"So fast?" Chu Zhiyuan was puzzled.

The emperor will be furious when he hears the news.

In anger, the first step is of course to investigate thoroughly.

Who poisoned the person and what they wanted to do with him will be held accountable later.

But the emperor's first step was to banish Concubine Zhen to the cold palace?
Without any investigation, Concubine Zhen was directly banished to the cold palace. Did the Emperor know in advance that it was Concubine Zhen who poisoned her?

But if she knew, she wouldn't have been banished to the cold palace now, right?
Or does Concubine Zhen have a criminal record and has done such a thing before, or poisoned someone in this way?

But no matter what, we have to investigate thoroughly before we can deal with it, right?
What if someone framed her? What if she was wrongly accused? Concubine Zhen couldn't escape from the palace, so why rush to deal with her?

His royal grandfather was a wise king and would not be unaware of this simple truth, but he resolutely banished Concubine Zhen to the cold palace.

This matter instantly became shrouded in a mist in his eyes. The affairs of the inner palace were complicated and treacherous, and it was really difficult for outsiders to figure it out.

The situation in the inner palace is even more serious. None of the famous concubines are good people, otherwise they will have no chance to stand out.

Including Concubine Rou.

"Who is this Concubine Zhen?"

"It is said that Concubine Zhen was born a female martial artist."

"She must be extremely beautiful and has powerful skills." Chu Zhiyuan said.

In the previous dynasty, only noble ladies were qualified to enter the palace. However, in the Dajing Dynasty, the threshold to enter the harem was not high, but the standards were high.

The scope of selection of concubines includes the daughters of nobles, the daughters of officials, the chivalrous women of martial arts sects, and even the phoenixes among the people.

Although the emperor said he treated everyone equally, how could he truly do so?

The emperor should give some face to the daughter of his trusted and meritorious ministers.

It is very difficult for a female knight in a martial arts sect to make a name for herself.

This Concubine Zhen must be extremely beautiful and very capable.

"She is indeed naturally beautiful." Bai Ningshuang nodded in agreement: "Even I feel ashamed when I see her."

Chu Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows.

Bai Ningshuang snorted, "She is so beautiful, but she acts so cruelly!"

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Which sect of the martial arts world did Concubine Zhen come from?"

Bai Ningshuang said: "It should be some mysterious sect, at least not from the four major sects."

If it were the four major sects, everyone would have known about it long ago.

"Neither are they the four great sects from before?"

"...I don't know about that." Bai Ningshuang shook her head: "The Queen didn't say anything, she just told me not to ask about it."

"...Could it be Yaoyue Palace?" Chu Zhiyuan said.

Concubine Rou asked us not to ask too much, it is most likely the four great demon sects.

Bai Ningshuang said: "The one from Yaoyue Palace is in charge of the West Palace."

Chu Zhiyuan was even more surprised.

He really didn't know that the current Queen of the West Palace was actually from the Yaoyue Palace.

It has always been the Empress of the Eastern Palace who has appeared in public, and it was also the Empress of the Eastern Palace who appeared next to Chu Qingquan at the palace banquet that night.

It is said that the Queen of the West Palace is in poor health and seldom sees outsiders. She has always kept to herself in the palace and has very little socializing.

So many people don’t know the Queen of the West Palace, let alone have seen her.

Chu Zhiyuan had no chance to see it.

"Her Majesty reported directly to the Emperor and specifically mentioned you." Bai Ningshuang smiled and said, "Just wait, there will definitely be a reward."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and asked, "What's the reward?"

"My queen is probably a seventh-grade gong."

"Seventh rank... not bad." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

One consequence of his fleecing the emperor was that he raised his standards and was no longer as excited about the ninth rank merit.

The eighth-grade skill is passable, the seventh-grade skill is also okay, the sixth-grade skill is okay, and the fifth-grade skill is pretty good.

The seventh-grade skill couldn't give him a sense of surprise.

Bai Ningshuang said: "The emperor knows that you are very careful and meticulous, and you are also a martial arts genius. In the future, when you reach the level of a master, you will be able to get a good job."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "My queen, you've been working hard, too."

The Grand Master can then choose his mission once again.

His mother Bai Ningshuang didn't think that far ahead. Her concerns were about his food, clothing, housing, transportation, and marrying a wife. It was Concubine Rou who was concerned about his future.

My mother also knows that her vision is limited. She has been locked up for thirty years and is somewhat unfamiliar with the outside world. She dare not interfere with my decision.

"It's okay for me to be a little tired," Bai Ningshuang glared at him after hearing this, "You should go see Ruoling. Don't disappear after getting engaged. You should go out more often. You are indifferent to the most beautiful woman in Yujing!"

Chu Zhiyuan quickly agreed to prevent her from nagging any further, and stood up and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back to practice, mother, you should also go to bed early."

"……Fine."

Bai Ningshuang was still not satisfied and wanted to talk more about the changes in the palace.

Once Concubine Zhen was sent to the cold palace, the impact was enormous.

The entire inner palace was stirred up, undercurrents surged, and each palace and courtyard had its own actions, making it very lively.

She thought it was so interesting that she wanted to go and watch the fun every day.

Chu Zhiyuan didn't pay much attention to the palace. No matter how the situation in the palace changed, it had little impact on Prince Qing's Mansion, and had no impact on himself either.

(End of this chapter)