The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
An Qiao’er was completely terrified by the sudden appearance of this impossible “King of Hell.”
Before she could even react, Wei Lenghou’s sharp eyes spotted something else in the charcoal brazier.
Following his gaze, An Qiao’er gasped—among the scattered ashes was unmistakably that youthfully shaped ‘object’ made of tree resin…
Qiao’er lunged forward, desperate to snatch it up, stuff it into her mouth, chew it to pieces, and swallow it—but the Grand Tutor kicked her away before she could.
When he picked up that exquisitely carved, lifelike object, even the dullest person would have a moment of clarity.
The Grand Tutor gritted his teeth and demanded, “Speak! Why would the Emperor need this?”
An Qiao’er clenched her lips shut.
She knew her carelessness had brought a catastrophic disaster upon her young master, who had only just escaped death.
The only thing left for her now was to die with integrity—never revealing that her young lord was still alive.
With that resolve, she charged toward the pillar at the entrance, ready to dash her brains out in the hall.
The Grand Tutor saw right through her intentions.
He yanked her back and struck her neck with a swift chop, knocking her unconscious.
Only then did he bellow for Eunuch Ruan and the others.
Pointing at the collapsed maid, he ordered, “Gag her and send her to the Ministry of Justice. I will personally oversee the interrogation. Be careful—she’s determined to die. Until we get answers, don’t let her have her way!”
Eunuch Ruan’s mind was in turmoil.
Normally, palace servants who erred would be dealt with by the disciplinary office.
But the Grand Tutor had sent this maid straight to the Ministry of Justice—just how grave was her crime?
Not daring to question further, he quickly had Qiao’er gagged with soft cloth and dragged away.
The Grand Tutor bent down and continued sifting through the brazier.
Soon, he found a letter—
“Hearts entwined in secret harmony, who knows of our midnight flight?”
This line from The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate hinted at a lovers’ elopement…
“Find out! Whose handwriting is this?!”
The accumulated tension of the past days now erupted into towering fury.
The Grand Tutor felt a dull ache spreading through his limbs.
In the past, when he held that little one in his arms, he had felt some doubts—but he had been so certain of the child’s gender that he dismissed them, assuming the Emperor was simply too frail and would grow more robust with age.
But now, all the inconsistencies came rushing back with startling clarity…
Nie Qinglin! You have some nerve!
When Grand Tutor Wei emerged from the bedchamber, the weariness of the past days was gone.
His phoenix eyes burned with a murderous light that sent chills down the spine.
“Prepare my horse! To the official road by Swallow Lake!”
During the previous mountain searches, the Grand Tutor had not personally overseen them.
At the time, he had harbored a faint dread—he feared that if he were present, he might have to witness the little one’s cold corpse with his own eyes.
But now, things were different.
If the child was dead, so be it! But if alive… he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t wrap his hands around that slender neck and squeeze the life out of that audacious brat!
At the mountain bend along the Swallow Lake road, the Grand Tutor dismounted and surveyed the surroundings.
“Where exactly did Lu Wenba fall?”
The nearby guard, having memorized the scene, quickly recounted: “Commander Lu was found near the slope, facing the road. There were eight dead assassins around him. He suffered twelve sword wounds, with the fatal one near the heart…”
The Grand Tutor frowned.
His old subordinate had never been one to retreat from battle lightly.
A fierce warrior of the Wei family tradition, Lu would never have abandoned his post.
Yet he hadn’t guarded the imperial carriage.
Instead, he had stood alone on the slope, cutting down several assassins without retreating a single step—as if guarding something behind the slope…
A thought struck him.
The Grand Tutor leapt down the slope.
At the bottom, he immediately spotted the exposed cave.
A large boulder stood lonely at the entrance, surrounded by freshly uprooted weeds.
His face darkened as he peered inside.
The ground inside was slightly sunken—a clear sign that someone had lain there for a long time…
Nie Qinglin! You’d better hide well. Pray I never find you!
As it turned out, Nie Qinglin had the same thought.
With no news of the deposed Emperor’s proclamation and growing unease about their safety, she decided it was best to leave sooner rather than later.
Though the checkpoints were strict, she had now switched to women’s attire.
With a little more disguise, she doubted the soldiers would connect this delicate young lady to the person they were hunting.
Nie Qinglin wanted to go to Jiangnan—her mother’s homeland, a place she had always dreamed of.
Zhang Shiyu, ever obedient to his young master’s wishes, immediately began packing provisions for the journey.
By the next day, they were ready to bid farewell to Huaxi Village.
Their courtyard was at the eastern edge of the village, near the mountains.
Old Physician Zhang had chosen this secluded spot when he bought the property.
On their last evening, Zhang Shiyu cooked a Huaxi specialty—a fish from the rice-paddy streams.
But Nie Qinglin took one bite and refused to eat more, complaining it tasted fishy.
Even the congee had an odd flavor.
Knowing his young master’s picky palate, Zhang quickly brought out snacks from the market.
Nie Qinglin happily nibbled on cakes and dried meat.
Village life was nothing like the palace, but thanks to Physician Zhang’s meticulous care, Nie Qinglin’s daily routines hadn’t changed much.
For instance, most villagers drew water directly from the stream for cooking, but Nie Qinglin’s drinking water was filtered through a basin of clean pebbles and sand for two nights before being boiled.
Watching Zhang Shiyu eat the fish she had rejected, Nie Qinglin felt a faint warmth in her heart.
For fifteen years, survival had been her only goal.
She had never dared to imagine a future.
But now, she could finally envision one—and this steady, gentle young man before her seemed to fit the role of the “good husband” from storybooks…
Once she felt full, Nie Qinglin retired to the main room alone, while Zhang Shiyu, as usual, slept in the western chamber.
Sometime in the dead of night, the village erupted in barking dogs—but the noise quickly died down.
Nie Qinglin, a light sleeper these days, stirred awake.
She sat up, draped her outer robe over her shoulders, and peered out the window.
The night was thick, the moon shrouded in dark clouds.
After listening for a while and hearing nothing more, she was about to lie back down when a heart-wrenching scream tore through the silence from Aunt Liu’s house next door—
“Bandits! Take whatever you want, but spare my children!”
Aunt Liu’s desperate cries echoed helplessly through the midnight air…
Nie Qinglin dressed swiftly and hurried to the western chamber, whispering for “Brother Zhang.”
But there was no response.
Panicked, she pushed the door open and shook him—but Zhang Shiyu lay motionless, as if in a deathlike stupor.
In fact, the entire village seemed to have fallen into a coma.
No one came out to check on Aunt Liu’s cries.
Nie Qinglin crept back to her room and pressed her ear to the wall.
What she heard sent a chill down her spine—a string of harsh, unfamiliar words that sounded like… Xiongnu dialect.
Then a familiar male voice spoke in broken Han tongue: “Liu the Blacksmith, your family’s lives are in your hands. Think carefully—will you hand over the iron formula?”
Xiu Tulie! Nie Qinglin’s heart clenched.
She never expected to encounter the Xiongnu prince here.
Hadn’t he escorted her elder sister back for the wedding? Why had he secretly returned?
But the answer came quickly—Xiu Tulie was here to extract the secret iron formula!
What now? Nie Qinglin clenched her fists, her mind racing.
Her first thought was to wake Zhang Shiyu and escape quietly.
But when she reached the door, she abandoned the idea.
Outside, Xiongnu warriors were piling firewood against windows and doors, dousing the houses with pungent pine oil.
This was a premeditated massacre!
No wonder the villagers were unconscious—they must have been drugged through the stream water at dinner.
Nie Qinglin had only escaped because her picky tastes had spared her from the tainted fish and water.
Whether Xiu Tulie got the formula or not, he clearly intended to leave no witnesses.
If an imperial blacksmith’s family vanished, the court would investigate, exposing Xiu Tulie’s ambitions.
But if the entire village perished in a fire, the charred bodies would suggest an accidental tragedy.
Who would notice one missing blacksmith?
If she guessed right, the village exits were already guarded.
No one would leave Huaxi alive tonight.
Escape was impossible—and she couldn’t escape.
Nie Qinglin smiled bitterly.
If the Xiongnu cavalry gained superior weapons, it would mean doom for Great Wei.
Ah, She thought her days as a puppet were over. Who knew she end up shouldering a mission to save the people? Her shoulders aren’t aching yet, but her teeth sure are!
She wonder if Old Hanlin Wu will record this lone hero’s tragic, valiant act in the annals of history?
With that thought, she changed into Zhang Shiyu’s clothes, wrapped a scarf around her head, and tucked LüuWenba’s whistle and the small scissors into her pocket.
After a quick glance in the mirror, she took a deep breath and stepped outside.
Standing outside Aunt Liu’s courtyard, she called out loudly:
“Prince Xiu Tulie, it’s been a while. Has my elder sister arrived safely?”
Her clear voice instantly drew dozens of burly warriors, their cold blades pressing against her slender neck.
Moments later, Xiu Tulie’s towering figure appeared at the gate.
The clouds parted, casting a cold moonlight over the scene.
The lone young man stood calmly, smiling as if receiving a foreign envoy in the grand hall.
Xiutu Lie was stunned to encounter the young Emperor of Great Wei here.
His first thought was that Wei Lenghou had discovered his movements.
But then he recalled the reports of the Emperor’s assassination attempt and pieced together the truth.
He laughed boldly.
“Fate truly ties me to Your Majesty! To meet again here—what brings you to my doorstep tonight? Finally willing to speak?”
Nie Qinglin smiled.
“I am no rebel like Wei Lenghou—I have no martial skills. Would the Prince kindly order these warriors to lower their blades? They’re weighing heavily on my shoulders.”
Xiu Tulie waved his men back and sent them to scout for ambushes.
Then he stepped forward, boldly hooking a calloused finger under the Emperor’s delicate chin.
“And what advice does the Emperor have for me?”
Nie Qinglin didn’t flinch.
“Wei Lenghou’s ambition is no secret. He oppressed me at every turn, staged my assassination at Swallow Lake Road… I only escaped thanks to loyal guards and disguise. To meet you here is fate. I offer half of Great Wei’s territory to aid your cause—to rid us of that traitor and avenge my ancestors!”
Her last words dripped with venom.
Xiu Tulie was taken aback.
His earlier suspicions seemed confirmed—this beauty must have been Wei Lenghou’s plaything, discarded when the tyrant grew bored.
He almost believed her—until she mentioned “half the territory.”
This stray pup probably doesn’t own a single coin!
“No need for territory. But if the Emperor has nowhere to go, my tent in the north always has space…”
Nie Qinglin flushed slightly, playing the grateful stray.
“If the Prince saves me, how can I come empty-handed? I offer Great Wei’s military defense maps…”
Xiu Tulie’s eyes sharpened.
He had thought this boy a fool, but military maps? That was a priceless treasure.
If the young Emperor had indeed stolen them from Wei Lenghou…
His teasing demeanor faded.
He invited Nie Qinglin inside.
Inside the blacksmith’s home, Nie Qinglin saw Aunt Liu and her daughters bound and gagged.
At least they couldn’t expose her as a girl.
The blacksmith, a bloodied man in his forties, knelt on the ground.
“Prince, he won’t talk. He must not know the formula. Let’s kill him!” a masked man urged in unaccented Han speech.
“Wait!” Nie Qinglin cut in.
“I’ve seen this blacksmith before—he oversees imperial weapon forging. Let me reason with him.”
She knelt before the blacksmith, subtly winked, and squeezed his hand.
“For your family’s sake, try melting the iron. Your backyard workshop is still there, isn’t it? Succeed, and you save the village.”
As the blacksmith was dragged away, Nie Qinglin sighed.
Let’s hope he’s smart enough to use the scissors she slipped him to fake the formula…
Soon, the bellows roared to life.
Nie Qinglin turned to Xiu Tulie.
“The moon is lovely. While he works, would the Prince join me for a ride to retrieve the maps?”
The masked man whispered, “Prince, it could be a trap—”
Nie Qinglin pouted.
“Says the masked one! Fine, don’t come. But don’t beg me later!”
Xiu Tulie’s gaze darkened with desire.
This delicate, clever boy was even more alluring angry.
He couldn’t resist.
Mounting up, they rode toward the outskirts.
Deep in the woods, Nie Qinglin dismounted.
“I need to relieve myself. Don’t follow.”
Xiu Tulie smirked.
“Don’t wander far, or I’ll help you.”
Nie Qinglin glared, then stepped into the grass.
From her robes, she pulled out the whistle—and blew.
The shrill sound pierced the night, scattering birds from the trees.
Xiu Tulie lunged—but it was too late.
The answering whistles from the city walls already echoed back.
Nie Qinglin smiled.
“Next time, Prince, visit openly. Despite tonight, for my sister’s sake, I’ll still receive you as a guest.”
Xiu Tulie’s face twisted.
He drew his blade.
“A shame to kill such a clever Emperor.”
Nie Qinglin remained calm.
“And how do you know my signal didn’t tell them who holds me? Kill me, and you declare war. Will Wei Lenghou’s next puppet be as… diplomatic as I?”
Xiu Tulie hesitated.
If the signal had exposed him, escaping Great Wei would be impossible.
With a laugh, he sheathed his blade.
“Wei Lenghou is a fool to pick you as puppet. Till next time!”
But as he turned, he froze.
The woods were surrounded.
A tall man in black stood at the edge, his robes billowing like dark wings.
His phoenix eyes burned with cold fury.
“Leaving so soon, Prince? After such a pleasant chat with His Majesty… won’t you stay and talk with me?”
Though his words were for Xiu Tulie, Grand Tutor Wei’s gaze never left the young Emperor—the one he hadn’t seen in half a month.
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The potato lives!! I just about died reading about what Qianer almost ate. Thank you for the updates.