Love Lock

Chapter 275 A Man from Another Family Enters the Harem

A strong guard immediately closed the window, shutting out the wind, snow, and noise.

"I saw the Imperial Guards escorting the third young master of the Wei family to the Ministry of Justice prison on Chang Le Street," a guard with a scar on his face whispered. "The Wei residence is completely surrounded."

Dongfang Jiming walked to the charcoal brazier and reached out to warm his hands.

The flickering firelight reflected on his sharply defined profile, casting an eerie golden-red hue over his already alluring features.

"I have also seen it. What exactly did the Wei family do wrong?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I heard it's because of treason." A guard handed over a cup of hot tea. "The third master of the Wei family has also been taken away. He's a second-rank official after Prime Minister Wei!"

The teacup paused slightly in Dongfang Jiming's hand.

"The Wei family is colluding with an enemy state?" He chuckled, a mocking smile curving his lips. "The Wei family is the only powerful family left in the Great Jing Dynasty. This charge comes at just the right time."

A tall, thin guard in the corner chimed in, "That's right! The Sun family lost power after Emperor Jing's death, and with the Empress Su's passing, they scattered like leaves in the wind. The Song family is still active in court, but they adhere to strict etiquette and are out of step with other aristocratic families, which is a pity..."

“It’s a pity that Grand Secretary Song is too aloof and disdains associating with other aristocratic families.” Dongfang Jiming took over the conversation, placing his teacup on the table with a soft thud.

He walked to the window, placed his fingers on the thin paper windowpane, and felt the coldness of the world.

"The four great families were the foundation of the Great Jing Dynasty, but now that foundation has been severed..."

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.

As Dongfang Jiming turned around, his red robe flowed like blood in the candlelight. "Zhao Tie, you take two men and continue to keep an eye on the Imperial Guard's movements. Especially the situation of the Wei family members; don't miss a single one."

"Yes!" Zhao Tie clasped his hands in a fist salute, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"The rest of you begin to organize all the intelligence gathered during this period." Dongfang Jiming walked to the desk and unfolded a map of the capital. "The Great Jing court is about to descend into chaos. We must leave before the city gates are under martial law."

Outside the window, the wind and snow intensified. In the distance came the sound of horses' hooves and soldiers' shouts, but through the thick paper windowpanes, only a faint sob could be heard.

Dongfang Jiming's finger moved slowly across the map, finally stopping at the south gate. His nails were neatly trimmed, casting small shadows on the sheepskin map.

"Three days from now, at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), we will leave the city from here." He tapped his finger lightly, "We will travel south by water and change horses in Liangzhou."

The sound of a waiter bringing hot water came from the corridor outside. Dongfang Jiming cautiously raised his hand, and the guards nodded and fell silent in unison, then began to pack their belongings.

Dongfang Jiming stood by the window, listening to the faint cries that drifted through the wind and snow, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.

The internal strife and decline of the Great Jing Dynasty presented the perfect opportunity for the Eastern Ming Empire to seize control of it...

In the palace.

On a winter afternoon in the plum garden, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, but the snow covered the branches, and only a few withered plum blossoms could be seen shivering in the cold wind.

In the wind and snow, a palace maid wearing a gray squirrel fur cloak poked her head out of the dry well in the plum garden. After cautiously looking around the bottom of the well, she put her finger to her lips and made a few clear "cuckoo! cuckoo!" bird calls.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet plum garden, startling a nightingale on a distant treetop.

In the dark, secret passage beneath the dry well, Xiao Liuzi heard the signal and a look of joy appeared on his face.

He cleared his throat and responded with a few "ribbit! ribbit!" croaks.

The comical sound echoed through the cold well walls, sounding particularly abrupt.

"Ouch! My little darling!" Da Jiu slapped his forehead, utterly speechless. "In the dead of winter, where did these frogs come from? Are they afraid people won't know there's something strange about this place?"

Da Shisan, crouching in the shadows, couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this: "Ninth Brother is right, this code is too illogical."

Xiao Liu scratched his head sheepishly and explained in a low voice, "This is what I agreed to with Sister Yun Shu. If I didn't call her that, she would never put down the wooden bucket."

He paused, then added, "The palace has strict rules, and the stranger the code, the safer it is."

Sure enough, a moment later, the sound of wheels turning came from above.

An old wooden bucket was slowly lowered, with a few withered vines still hanging on its sides.

Xiao Liuzi skillfully hung a bamboo basket full of things on the hook next to the bucket, and then carefully sat down inside.

"Hold on tight!" a soft female voice came from above.

As the sound of the pulley rang out, the wooden bucket slowly began to rise, and Xiao Liuzi's figure gradually disappeared into the light at the wellhead.

Da Jiu and the others held their breath and listened intently as they heard clear conversations coming from above.

"Is this all there is this time?" The palace maid's voice was filled with obvious disappointment. "His Majesty cut off Consort Ru's supplies. How many days will this be enough to last?"

Xiao Liu's voice was somewhat urgent: "Sister Yun Shu, don't worry. This bamboo basket can only hold this much. But..."

He looked around and lowered his voice, "I also brought a few friends with me. They helped me get a lot of supplies."

"You brought people with you?" The palace maid's voice suddenly rose, then immediately fell back down. "They know about the secret passage too? Are you out of your mind?"

"Hehe, don't worry!" Xiao Liuzi seemed completely unconcerned. "They're all good people. Thanks to them, I managed to get so much grain. There's still plenty more down there!"

The wheel turned again, and the wooden barrel was lowered. Da Shisan tightened the bundle in his arms and stepped nimbly into the barrel.

With a creaking sound, he slowly rose, and the dim light from the wellhead gradually shone on his face—a face with sharp features and youthful vigor.

Da Jiu, hidden in the shadows at the bottom of the well, made a gesture, and the other brothers immediately raised their M16s, their dark muzzles neatly aimed at the well opening.

These modern weapons seemed somewhat out of place in the ancient secret passage, but Da Jiu and the others didn't care.

He originally planned to send some supplies back to the secret passage so that Xiao Liuzi wouldn't leave the passage and would find the bodies they had buried. He could then simply take the supplies back and complete the task.

However, when they delivered the supplies, they received orders from the prince to sneak into the palace without alerting the enemy.

So they had no choice but to come back with Xiao Liuzi.

After Da Shisan reached the wellhead, he didn't speak to the people above, and put the wooden bucket down again.

With Da Shisan above to provide support, the six brothers from the Da Zi team were pulled up one after another.

Each of them was either carrying a bulging bundle or a heavy sack.

Standing by the well, Yun Shu quickly picked up a dry branch from the ground and held it in her hand, her whole body trembling slightly.

As she watched these tall, agile men appear one after another at the wellhead, she couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Although these people were dressed in ordinary clothes, they exuded an indescribable air about them. They were neither farmers, nor merchants, nor soldiers.

When the last big nine was brought up, Xiao Liuzi began his introduction with a big smile on his face.

“Sister Yunshu, these are all the benefactors I met outside. This is Da Jiu, Da Shi, Shisan, Shiliu…” He pointed to each person in turn.

Yun Shu's gaze swept across the faces of these people one by one, noticing that although they all looked different, they all had a similar sharpness in their eyes.

What alarmed her even more was that these people all had strangely shaped black "iron rods" hanging from their waists or backs, which gleamed faintly in the dim light.

"Why...don't you have any names?" Yun Shu asked warily, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the branch.

Da Jiu stepped forward and nodded slightly: "Miss, there's no need to be afraid. We're not bad people, we've just been together since we were little, and we're used to calling each other that." His voice was deep and strong, with a reassuring tone.

Xiao Liu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Sister Yun Shu, we really owe them a lot this time. Look!"

He lifted a burlap sack, revealing white flour inside. "This grain, along with salt and cured meat, were all brought back with their help. I couldn't have brought all of this back by myself."

Yun Shu looked at the mountain of supplies piled up in front of her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by worry.

She bowed to the members of the large-character team: "Thank you all for your help. I don't know... I don't know how to repay you?"

Da Jiu exchanged a glance with his brothers, then looked directly at Yun Shu: "These are no need for repayment, but... I wonder if you could introduce us to Consort Ru?" "To Consort Ru?" These words struck Yun Shu like a thunderbolt, and her face instantly turned pale.

She instinctively stood between the crowd and the direction of the palace, her face showing both shock and anger.

"That's impossible! This is the forbidden area of ​​the inner palace, how dare you... Besides, Her Majesty's status is so high, how can outsiders just visit her?"

Da Shisan stepped forward, his tone softening yet firm: "Miss, we mean no harm. On the contrary, we might be able to help Consort Ru resolve... her current predicament."

Under the moonlight, Yun Shu saw a kind and sincere light shining in Da Shisan's eyes.

The cold wind whipped up the snow on the ground, and the plum branches swayed in the wind, making a "rustling" sound, as if someone was whispering.

“But… I can’t make that decision.” Yun Shu said hesitantly, “This is the inner palace. Your Highness cannot see any men outside the palace. That would cost you your head.”

Xiao Liuzi glanced at Yun Shu, then at Da Jiu, and his hand unconsciously reached for the purse in his sleeve pocket.

There lay two thousand taels of silver notes that Da Jiu had given him. He had promised Da Jiu that he would take them to see Consort Ru. If he failed to do so, he would lose the silver notes.

That's a full two thousand taels!

Regardless of whether Consort Ru will reward him in the future, two thousand taels of silver is enough for him to work like a slave in the palace for more than ten years.

“Sister Yunshu, they really helped a lot…and…” He hesitated before continuing.

Da Jiu suddenly took out a small cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Yun Shu: "Please give this to Consort Ru. She will understand once she sees it."

Yun Shu hesitated before taking the cloth bag, feeling its weight in her hand.

Just as she was about to ask a question, the sound of patrolling guards' footsteps and voices suddenly came from afar.

"Someone's coming!" Yun Shu's expression changed drastically, and she looked at everyone in a panic. "You all need to hide!"

The members of the Big Character Team, however, remained surprisingly calm.

Da Jiu made a gesture, and everyone immediately dispersed and hid behind the plum trees and beside the artificial hill. Their movements were as swift as ghosts, and they disappeared into the shadows in the blink of an eye, as if they had never appeared.

Yun Shu stared in astonishment at all this, and the cloth bag in her hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy.

Just as Da Jiu and his group had concealed themselves, the sound of armor clashing was followed by the sound of orderly footsteps.

"Who's there?" a gruff male voice shouted.

Yun Shu and Xiao Liu Zi had clearly spent a considerable amount of time in the palace, and their reaction to such an emergency was extremely quick.

Xiao Liu quickly scooped up snow and sprinkled it on the supplies to cover them up.

Yun Shu quickly walked a few steps and appeared at the entrance of the plum garden, pretending to collect the snow from the tree branches.

"Replying to Your Excellency, it is Consort Ru who wishes to drink tea brewed with snow water, so this servant has come to the plum garden to fetch snow." Her voice was clear and bright, neither humble nor arrogant.

The footsteps stopped at the entrance of the plum garden. The burly man peeked into the garden and saw that there were only two eunuchs and palace maids working with the snow.

The guard snapped irritably, "Why are you fetching snow on such a cold day?"

Yun Shu calmly stepped forward, the silver spoon in her hand clinking against the porcelain jar with a crisp sound.

"Your Excellency is wise. The Empress said that snow on plum blossoms is the most refreshing, and she specifically instructed me to fetch it, saying that snow water at this time is the best for brewing tea."

She bowed slightly. "If you do not believe me, you may come with me to Tangli Palace to ask Consort Ru."

When the guard heard her mention the title of a concubine and saw that her demeanor was natural and not feigned, his tone softened: "Alright, alright, hurry up and take it back. It's cold and windy, don't catch a cold."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." Yun Shu bowed again, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the footsteps faded into the distance. His back was already soaked with sweat.

Da Jiu emerged from the shadows, his eyes filled with admiration: "Young lady, you have great courage."

Yun Shu's face darkened: "As you can see, the palace is heavily guarded. If any outsider is discovered to have infiltrated, we will all die."

Da Jiu's expression turned serious: "Miss, we know this is a risky business. But right now, no one but us can help Consort Ru."

He pointed to the palace wall in the distance, "We live in a village near the entrance of the secret passage, and sometimes we travel around selling goods. We just want to earn some hard-earned money for the Empress, and once we've agreed on the terms, we'll leave. We will never implicate the young lady or the Empress."

Da Shisan added, "That's right! We only earn a little hard-earned money, which is better than selling goods outside. If you're worried, we can sign a contract, and you can do whatever you want with us if anything goes wrong."

Looking at their sincere faces, Yun Shu was torn by the thought of the dire situation Consort Ru was in.

The Empress has been incredibly kind to her; now that she is in trouble, how could she sit idly by?
"Sister Yunshu," Xiao Liuzi said softly, "Has His Majesty sent the imperial physician to examine Her Majesty's cold?"

"This..." These words shattered Yun Shu's last hesitation. She took a deep breath: "Then I will take you to see Her Majesty. If anything goes wrong..."

Da Jiu immediately replied, "If anything goes wrong, my brothers and I will take our own lives and will never implicate you, young lady."

Da Shisan looked down at his coarse cloth clothes and frowned, saying, "But it might not be appropriate to go like this. There are spies everywhere in the palace, and our attire will be too conspicuous."

Xiao Liu's eyes lit up: "That makes sense! Sister Yun Shu and I will go back and report to Consort Ru first, and also fetch a few sets of guard uniforms. You all wait here."

Yun Shu nodded in agreement, and the two hurriedly packed up the snow water and their belongings and left.

The plum garden returned to silence, with only the soft rustling of snowflakes falling to the ground.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yun Shu and Xiao Liuzi hurriedly returned with several sets of guard uniforms.

"Her Majesty has agreed to see you," Yun Shu said in a low voice, "but you must be careful. If anything goes wrong, Her Majesty will not be responsible."

Da Jiu solemnly replied, "Don't worry, young lady, we understand the rules."

After they changed their clothes, the group quietly left the plum garden with their supplies and walked along the shadow of the palace wall.

Yun Shu walked at the front, followed by Xiao Liu Zi, with Da Jiu and Da Shi San disguised as guards in the middle.

The group carefully made their way through several corridors, and the outline of the Tangli Palace gradually became clear.

This once bustling palace now appears unusually deserted, with only the sound of voices emanating from the main hall.

“We’ve arrived,” Yun Shu said, stopping in front of the palace gate. Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. “Remember, no matter what the Empress says, you must not look her in the eye.”

Da Jiu and the others nodded in agreement, and Yun Shu led them inside to pay their respects to Consort Ru, leaving Xiao Liuzi to keep watch outside the palace gate.

Although Yun Shu had already reported this, and Da Jiu and the others had changed their clothes, since they were men from outside the palace requesting an audience, Consort Ru did not receive them inside the house. Instead, she set up tables and chairs on the veranda outside the house to enjoy the snow.

Around thirty years old, Consort Ru dismissed all the palace maids and guards, wrapped herself in a light green embroidered plum blossom cloak, and sat alone by the vermilion balustrade.

She wore few jewels or ornaments, only a jade hairpin that matched her cloak, which seemed rather shabby compared to her former status as an imperial concubine.

The snow in front of the steps was already deep, but she wouldn't allow the palace servants to sweep it, as she simply loved to see the courtyard covered with the shattered snowflakes.

A gilded birdcage hangs from the eaves. Inside, a dark black myna is unusually quiet. Occasionally, it flaps its wings, causing the silver bells on the top of the cage to ring softly.

Perhaps it was too cold outside, but when Consort Ru reached out to tease the myna bird, it was not as noisy as usual. It just tilted its head and looked at her nails, which were painted with balsam juice, listlessly.

A small red clay stove sat on the table, simmering hot tea. She held the teapot in her delicate hand and looked up at Yun Shu and the others who had entered.

"This is Consort Ru!" Yun Shu introduced to Da Jiu and the others.

Upon hearing that the elegant woman before them was Consort Ru, Da Jiu and the others slung their M16s behind them, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, "We, the commoners, greet Consort Ru."

"Stand up and speak!" Consort Ru's gaze swept over them one by one, and she lazily raised her hand. "I've heard that you..."

Before Consort Ru could finish speaking, Xiao Liu's high-pitched and loud voice suddenly came from outside Tangli Palace—

"Your Majesty has arrived——"