The palace was ablaze again, and this time the fire was even fiercer than the one at Fengxi Palace.
By the time the guards outside noticed something was wrong, the abandoned halls of the cold palace were already shrouded in thick smoke, the flames so intense that no one could enter. Yu Yanfeng, limping and supported by his men, arrived at the cold palace gate. Seeing the fire lighting up half the sky, his face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
“Someone explain to me how a fire this big went unnoticed by all of you! Are you all blind?!”
The guards assigned to the cold palace, dragged from their beds in the corner post, knelt silently, not daring to speak.
Yu Yanfeng roared, “What are you standing there for? Put out the fire!!”
Chaos erupted outside the cold palace. People rushed back and forth with water, and only after great effort was the fire extinguished. The main hall of the cold palace was reduced to a crumbling shell, everything inside burned to ashes.
“Commander, we found a charred female corpse inside,” a reporting guard said, head bowed as if wishing to sink into the ground. There was only one woman in the cold palace: the recently deposed Empress Lu.
The corpse’s identity was obvious.
Yu Yanfeng glanced at the barely recognizable, charred remains, unable to tell who it once was. He took a deep breath. The emperor didn’t care if Empress Lu lived or died, sickness, starvation, or freezing would’ve been fine, but why did it have to be fire?
He could already imagine Emperor An’s fury upon hearing that another fire had nearly spread to other palaces and that the guards knew nothing.
His backside and back, still sore from his previous beating, throbbed painfully.
“Investigate the cause of the fire. The cold palace is damp, with no flammable materials or flint—it shouldn’t have burned this fiercely. All guards on duty tonight and those patrolling nearby are to be sent to the Ministry of Justice to await His Majesty’s judgment!”
“What about the corpse?”
“Collect the remains and store them somewhere for now. I’ll deal with it after seeing His Majesty.”
With a heavy heart, Yu Yanfeng went to face Emperor An. As expected, the emperor unleashed a torrent of curses. Eunuch Feng, standing outside, heard the relentless scolding and the sound of objects crashing. But soon, the shouting quieted.
When Yu Yanfeng emerged, he was unsteady.
“Commander Yu, are you alright?” Feng hurried to support him.
Yu Yanfeng’s lips were pale. “I’m fine.”
Feng steadied him. “Did His Majesty punish you?” He sounded concerned. “Your injuries from before haven’t healed, and you weren’t even on duty tonight. It’s unfair to blame you for the negligence of others. Commander Liu’s in the palace too—why single you out?”
Yu Yanfeng said quietly, “The palace guards are my responsibility. It’s right for His Majesty to punish me. Fortunately, considering my unhealed wounds, he allowed me to recover before receiving further punishment, so it won’t delay my duties.”
Feng’s eyes flickered. Hearing a noise from the hall, he said, “Shall I have someone escort you out?”
Yu Yanfeng, who had only been unsteady from kneeling too long and being struck by a heavy object, was fine after standing for a bit. “Thank you, Eunuch, but I’m alright. I still need to handle the cold palace matters.”
Hearing Emperor An call “Feng Lai” from inside, Yu Yanfeng added, “Go attend to your duties, Eunuch. I can manage.”
Feng released him. “Take care, Commander Yu.”
After seeing Yu Yanfeng off, with no one else at the hall’s entrance, Feng beckoned a young eunuch holding some items.
He whispered a few words to the eunuch, who nodded, handed over an incense burner, and quietly retreated.
“Feng Lai, you dog, where are you?!” Emperor An’s voice rang out.
Feng adjusted his robes, picked up the burner, and entered with his head bowed. “Your Majesty, this servant was preparing calming incense and is here now…”
…
Song Jinxiu was knocked out and taken from his residence. When he groggily awoke, he found himself in pitch darkness.
His mouth was gagged, his throat dry and itchy, unable to make a sound. His hands, feet, and body were tightly bound, confined to a cramped space where even slight movement made him bump into wooden panels. Something soft yet hard pressed against him from below.
He struggled, but the ropes held him fast, allowing only his head to move. A tiny hole above let in a sliver of cool moonlight. He twisted toward it, only to collide with something.
In an instant, his pupils dilated, and he froze.
A… skull?!
The skull, its flesh still fresh, tilted to one side, eyes wide, face bloodied and terrifying. He realized what was beneath him, human bones.
He was trapped in a coffin!
Song Jinxiu’s eyes trembled with fear, his back drenched in cold sweat. He struggled desperately, trying to scream, but the gag stifled him. He couldn’t even shift away from the corpse beside him.
Under the moonlight, his face was paler than the skull’s.
“Where is this?”
“Why are we here?!”
“Ah, a snake!!!”
Sudden voices outside made Song Jinxiu’s terrified heart pound harder. He recognized his grandmother’s panicked scream and his parents’ voices.
After the Song family’s exile, Song Jinxiu couldn’t clear their name. But using Song Shulan, he gained the Yongshun Earl’s “protection” and, by currying favor with the Second Prince, secured enough influence to care for them.
He spent a fortune hiring mercenaries to secretly look after the Song family. When he learned the escorting officials had died in an accident and the Song family had “escaped,” they’d actually been taken. Shocked, Song Jinxiu went to great lengths to intercept them, not daring to hide them elsewhere. He placed them near the capital in a farmer’s house, banking on the idea of hiding in plain sight.
He knew Tang Ning hated the Song family and sensed she wanted to wipe them out.
But the Song family was already ruined. Song Qin died on the road to exile, Song Hong lost an eye, his grandmother was constantly ill, and his mother, no longer the dignified lady, bore a weathered face and broken fingers. They’d suffered enough.
Song Jinxiu believed that, no matter the grudge, it should be settled by now.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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