The First Empress - Chapter 160

Chapter 160 Cold Palace Fire
The corner of Linglong’s eyes lifted slightly and she said, “Let’s go.” Qin’er lowered her long eyelashes and lit a bright yellow silk lamp in front of her. Linglong smiled and said, “It’s just passing through Eternal Alley. What’s there to be afraid of?” The corner of Linglong’s lips curled up slightly as she covered her lips and said, “It’s not like I told you to go into the cold palace. What are you afraid of?” The corner of Linglong’s eyes seemed to have a smile all the time.

Hua Qinggao and Nanmo Routiao were pressed down by the snow as if they had been poured with a thick layer of grease. They were green and lively.

Linglong looked at the scenery all the way and soon arrived at the Upper Forest Garden.

She didn’t expect the Empress to be in the Upper Forest Garden. Linglong swept her eyebrows and walked forward with spring in her eyes. Ji Zhuhua nodded slightly and said, “Are you here too?”

Linglong originally wanted to say that she had made an agreement with the Emperor to come over to look for plum blossoms in the snow at night, but it seemed to be a little provocative. Thus, Yan Xiaochun Tao said, “This concubine also wants to come over to look for plum blossoms in the snow. They say that Dong Mei wants to watch at night, so this concubine has no choice but to come over to be elegant.”

The two chatted and laughed as they entered Merlin.

Linglong’s curving white smoke cage dress quickly rippled on the ground. She walked into the merlin and suddenly asked, “Your Highness came to see the plum blossoms. I’ve never heard that Your Highness actually has such an interest.”

“To tell you the truth, this palace has always been very lazy. It was only because the Emperor said that he was going to see plum blossoms in Merlin tonight that this palace came over. It was just a coincidence that the Emperor said that something had happened in the previous dynasty and that he had left again.” It could be seen that Ji Zhuhua’s tone contained a faint sense of disappointment.

Linglong felt a little melancholy in her heart as she said, “Since the Emperor has already left, will it be good for me and the Empress to leave again?”

Ji Zhuhua turned to look at Linglong’s clear and bright eyes and said, “Alright, I’m fine anyway. Why don’t we go inside and have a stroll with you? I haven’t talked to you for a long time, so I have time now.”

Ji Zhuhua waved his hand. Behind him, Pei Lan, Zhu Qing, and Qin’er had already stopped.

Linglong didn’t know what Ji Zhuhua was going to say, but she was a little nervous. Her face, which was like a congealed fat, quickly turned a little flushed.

Linglong did not know what to say in her heart. She looked at Ji Zhuhua like flowing water. Ji Zhuhua’s long and slightly curled eyelashes moved and said, “Last time, we did a good job. However, this palace has heard of something, so this matter is not good.” Ji Zhuhua’s beautiful lips swayed as she looked at Linglong. Linglong smiled and asked, “What did Your Highness say?”

Ji Zhu Hua’s heart was pounding as she thought of a reason to defend herself. Ji Zhu Hua pointed at a branch in front of her and said, “It’s just like this branch. It can obviously break him under the snow, but you have the kindness of a woman.”

Only then did Linglong understand what Ji Zhuhua meant. She wanted Lan Zhenglin to be finished in an instant, However, the Thousand Miles Embankment was still very difficult to destroy. Linglong could only look up at the Empress. Ji Zhuhua was noble and awe-inspiring. Linglong said, “The Empress is a smart woman. She has destroyed everything. I don’t dare to be selfish. Letting Lan Zhenglin go is not what I meant. It was Seventh Prince who discussed it with me.”

Ji Zhuhua’s smooth skin was a little pale as he said, “Good, good. It’s just that there were many nights of dreams, and he was afraid that this matter would run aground at that time. Isn’t it because the water had run out of geese? Everyone was busy in vain.”

Linglong looked at Ji Zhu Hua and said, “The Seven Kings are smart people, and their wisdom is above their concubines. The Seven Kings are playing hard to get. When the time comes, the Empress will just watch the fire from the other side. I don’t believe the Seven Kings will let it go.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhu Hua’s charming red lips revealed an indifferent smile. “You are extremely good. It will be helpful for you to learn from the Seven Kings in the future.”

Linglong nodded her head repeatedly. “I naturally have to learn it. I’m never too old to learn it. I still understand this principle.”

Ji Zhuhua’s hair was as black as ink. In the darkness, it was even darker. The moonlight had disappeared. Even Ji Zhuhua’s thin body had some soul-stirring traces. Linglong did not dare to raise her head. She wanted to leave, but there was no reason.

Ji Zhuhua saw that Linglong’s face was slightly flushed red, and his eyes turned slightly as he asked, “You’re not in good health. I’m afraid you’re suffering from a cold. Go back.”

Linglong nodded hurriedly as if she had been granted an amnesty.

The two of them walked out side by side. Just as they walked out, Linglong was shocked. Ji Zhuhua was also shocked. He pointed at Yong Xiang and asked, “Pei Lan, hurry up and take a look. What happened there?”

Linglong also saw a bright and dazzling flame in the direction of the cold palace, and it was getting bigger and bigger. Linglong frowned as she looked in that direction and asked, “Is that the cold palace?”

Ji Zhuhua twisted his fingers tightly and sighed slightly, “I only wish that Royal servant could put out the fire earlier. In this dry season, if the fire spread, it would be unimaginable.” As she spoke, Ji Zhu Hua was already stumbling towards the direction of the flames. Although Ling Long did not know what had happened, her heart tightened and she grabbed Ji Zhu Hua’s wrist.

“Niang Niang,” Ling Long cried anxiously, “why would Niang Niang risk her life? Right now, the junior inspector is already putting out a fire. It’s probably easy to catch a fire when the sky is dry, so Niang Niang doesn’t need to be so arrogant.”

When Ji Zhuhua heard this, he turned around slightly and looked at Linglong, “What exactly is going on?”

Linglong was even more puzzled than Ji Zhuhua. She lowered her eyebrows and said, “The sky is dry and the candles were accidentally lit. I heard a few gossip after passing through the cold palace. Perhaps the imperial concubine inside was already unconscious. If she accidentally lit the main hall at night, she would have lit it up.” Her pure pupils made almost everyone believe her words.

Ji Zhuhua slightly reached out to wipe the corners of his forehead. The cold sweat on his forehead was like standing beside a fire, rustling down.

Linglong was also filled with anxiety. She looked at the fire and her heart gradually calmed down. She pointed at the fire and said, “Your Highness, take a look. Now that the fire has been extinguished, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Ji Zhu Hua’s charming eyes were like silk as he looked in the direction of Ling Long’s fingers. Then, he chanted a Buddha and said, “Alright, now it’s alright.”

Only then did Linglong and Ji Zhuhua slowly arrive at Eternal Alley. This place was still filled with smoke and dust. Linglong supported Ji Zhuhua and said, “Your Highness, just stay here. Don’t go ahead. Cough cough.”

Ji Zhuhua also coughed slightly, “Huang Quan, go and see if anyone was burned to death inside.”

Huang Quan hurriedly left and stumbled over after a while.

Ji Zhuhua coughed slightly from the smoke. Linglong hurriedly asked, “Eunuch Huang, how many women were burned to death inside?” Huang Quan’s face was a little embarrassed. He sighed and said, “This time, not a single concubine was burned. These women did not know. All of them knew how to seek good fortune and avoid evil. When they saw the big fire burning, they were all watching from the corner of the wall with their blankets soaked in water.”

Linglong sneered, “Looks like he is indeed the Spirit of All Creatures. It’s good that he didn’t burn him to death. You can go down.”

Linglong waved her hand, but Huang Quan did not walk away. Instead, she looked at Linglong with her ancient eyes. Linglong knew that there was still something she needed to report. She hurriedly asked, “What else do you need to say?”

Huang Quan stretched his eyebrows and said, “Although the concubines weren’t burned, there was a male corpse.”

“Male corpse?” Linglong frowned and lifted her lips, “Did you see right? Could it be that there’s someone else inside? This is the Cold Palace. Even the Little Internal Supervisor is unique. Tell me what you saw.”

“No, there’s no need. Let’s go in and take a look.” Ji Zhuhua held Linglong’s hand tightly. No matter what, the fire in the cold palace was something that Ji Zhuhua did not take care of. Whether it was public or private, he had to know the details.

Originally, Linglong didn’t want to go inside, but Ji Zhuhua needed her as a spiritual pillar. Linglong could only carry Ji Zhuhua into the inner hall with her hand. Before she could enter, she could smell an unpleasant smell. Linglong reached out her hand to cover her lips and said, “Don’t go in …”

At this time, Ji Zhuhua hesitated and asked, “Is the Emperor coming soon?”

Linglong turned around at the right time and saw Hui Qi walk in calmly. Without saying a word, the concubines in the cold palace saw Hui Qi coming and immediately rushed forward. When they were still a little distance away from Hui Qi, they were dragged away by the guards horizontally.

At this time, Linglong hurriedly helped Ji Zhuhua to Huiqi’s side and bowed.

“This concubine didn’t take good care of the candle. Please apologize, Your Majesty.” The usually graceful Empress, today’s Gao Hua bearing is no longer there. Huiqi’s bright eyes had a moment of thought, but it soon disappeared. She said, “I don’t blame you. Let’s go in and see if anyone was burned to death.”

Linglong’s heart beat violently. She looked at Ji Zhuhua, but for some reason, Linglong seemed to suddenly see Ji Zhuhua’s seductive eyes flickering. It was as if she had some other meaning. Linglong didn’t dare to think about it, so she could only lower her eyebrows and follow Ji Zhuhua inside.

The junior inspector had already sent over the handkerchief. Linglong had used one for herself, and the other had been sent to Ji Zhuhua’s hand.

The emperor walked first, and a few people arrived in the inner hall. Even Wu Mo Yang followed behind them, and a lot of concubines followed behind him.

Linglong glanced at Huiqi. Huiqi stepped into the inner hall. There were broken bricks and tiles everywhere. Huiqi stretched out his hand to remove the handkerchief from the corner of his mouth. His handsome nose was like a mountain.

“This corpse–”

Linglong did not notice that there was indeed a corpse on the ground from where she did not want to be when she heard Hui Qi’s reminder. The entire corpse was now burnt beyond recognition, but judging from the clothes she wore, it was easy to tell that it was a man.

Linglong didn’t know why, but she stared at the corpse. She always felt that the corpse wasn’t burnt to death. Ji Zhuhua waved his hand and said weakly, “Huang Quan, go find two coroners from the Ministry of Justice.”

Linglong looked at the corpses on the ground for the last time, and then they retreated.