Golden branches and jade leaves

Chapter 58 Thunder on the Ground
By the Weiyang Pool near Caiwei Palace, the blue waves are rippling and the water is blurry. Su Mi sits on a rock by the lake, enjoying the scenery and meditating.

After a while, a palace maid dressed as a sweeper gradually approached Su Mi while cleaning the courtyard. Seeing that there was no one around, he whispered: "Your Majesty, I have already contacted people outside, not us. people."

This seemingly ordinary handyman was one of the inside lines arranged by Ge Chengming in the palace.

Isn't it Nan Chen's action? !Su Mi was a little surprised. Now that Wang She is leading the army to confront Nan Chen, it is reasonable for Nan Chen's hidden forces here to send people to assassinate the Empress Dowager and stir up civil strife in Qi.

Moreover, although there is no evidence for that person, that apprentice... Su Mi recalled the sharp sword-like sight in the Palace of Compassion, and she had such an inexplicable intuition that she must be the person in Tsing Yi last time.Then his real identity should be Wen Xian under the command of Prince Nan Chencheng!

Su Mi pondered for a moment and then asked, "Have you asked where Wen Xian is going?"

"I asked, but Mr. Wen's whereabouts have always been elusive, and he is only a guest under Prince Cheng's command. Even if he is a prince, sometimes he can't be found. Now his whereabouts are even more difficult to determine." The subordinate reported according to the facts.

Who sent it?An inexplicable cloud enveloped Su Mi's heart.

When the weather came in June, it became hotter and hotter in the capital. After the prosperity of the Qi State, a palace was built outside the city by the beautiful Shuqing Lake. Every summer, people would go to the summer palace there to spend the summer.

Although there are a lot of messy affairs in the government and military affairs this time, Qi Taki still issued an order early on, ordering the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pack up and salute, and prepare to leave the palace to escape the summer heat.

Originally, the accompanying personnel included the relatives of the emperor and concubines in the harem, but this year there were a lot fewer.The Empress Dowager has been meditating for many years and does not like to work, so she spends every summer in the Palace of Compassion and Peace. This year, her condition has become more and more serious, and it is even more difficult to move.Because of the queen mother's illness, the queen served her personally, so naturally she couldn't walk away.Concubine Ni Gui originally wanted to go, but the queen is now ignoring the matter. She is taking care of all the affairs of the harem, and she also has to take care of Liu Qiyan's baby, so she even declined.Qiyan's child is almost eight months old now, and the imperial doctor has already asserted that it will be born in this summer, and the entire court attaches great importance to the arrival of this child.Pregnant women can't stand the fatigue of driving and horses, so naturally they can't go.

So among the concubines, only Concubine Wen brought the little Empress, and several newcomers had this honor.

On this day, when Su Mi came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he met Qi Hao who had entered the palace to report that the preparations for the carriages and horses to leave Beijing had been completed, and the two came out side by side.

"His Royal Highness, have you visited the Queen Mother these days?" Su Mi asked as if chatting, her tone was flat.

"The Empress Dowager is seriously ill. Of course we, as ministers and sons, should serve by your side. Every day greetings are also indispensable." Qi Hao replied indifferently.

"Oh, I don't know how the queen mother's condition is recently?" Su Mi asked, "Speaking of which, the concubine didn't visit her these days, it's really rude."

"Haha, Concubine Liangui is really telling a joke." Seeing that there was no one around, Qi Hao laughed, "Concubine Liangui doesn't want to see the Queen Mother, maybe it's because the Queen Mother has an extra Miracle Doctor Xuanji beside her recently, right?"

Knowing Su Mi's identity, he naturally also knew her relationship with foster father.It's just that they don't know the connection between Su Mi and the Nanchen forces controlled by Ge Chengming.

"It's a bit uncomfortable," Su Mi said with a calm smile, "Don't you feel the slightest discomfort, my lord?"

"This kind of opportunistic villain who seeks wealth and status is really hard to guard against." Qi Hao smiled wryly.

"My lord, are you joking? Don't you just think that they are a few villains who are trying to get rich?" Su Mi said lightly. She did not believe that Qi Hao would have no doubts at all. With Qi Hao's eyeliner in the palace, he must I have already noticed the unusualness of the counterfeit.It's definitely not just as simple as an opportunistic villain.

Qi Hao's eyes narrowed, and Su Mi looked at him without showing any weakness.

"I do have some doubts," he said with a smile, "especially when I saw the apprentice boy next to the genius doctor, there was always an indescribable familiarity."

"My lord really has good eyesight." Su Mi sighed, he really noticed it.

"I don't dare to accept this compliment from my mother," Qi Hao said with a smile, "you will find that these are only in the honor of your mother."

What Qi Hao said was true. If he didn't know Su Mi's identity and the relationship between her and Su Weiming, Xuanji's genius doctor, he wouldn't know that this person was a fake, and of course he wouldn't pay attention to a Physician.

"I don't know what kind of plan the Nanchen people have this time? If it's to kill the queen mother...it's easy to say, but now it looks like the situation is going to be delayed in the palace." Qi Hao sighed: "I'm afraid it's What other plots are there, it's really hard to guard against."

not him? !Su Mi's face remained calm, but she was surprised in her heart.She was already sure that it wasn't Nan Chen's scheme this time, and when she thought of the Wang family's enemies, Wen Xian was just a killer, not Nan Chen's internal forces, and might be hired by others, so she came to test Qi Hao, from the looks of it now, probably wasn't his method anymore.

She originally thought that he was the most suspicious person. After all, because of the death of Concubine Miaoyi, the hatred between him and the Queen Mother was added.

Su Mi didn't say anything, but said indifferently: "If there is any conspiracy, I will have to work hard for the prince."

The two had special identities, so naturally they couldn't stay together like this for a long time, and they left after talking for a while.The moon and stars are rare, and the lamps are bright.

The preparations for leaving Beijing are proceeding in an orderly manner. That night Su Mi didn't go to bed that night, and was checking the salutes packed by Xiaoluzi and the others in Caiwei Palace, thinking ecstatically that Ge Chengming would never hide himself. And Qi Hao didn't need to hide himself on this matter.After being ruled out in this way, the "Miracle Doctor Xuanji" this time can only be a force sent by the Ni family.But the Ni family is now keeping a low profile, both father and son are sick at home, it is a low-key time, why arrange this person?If they just want to kill the queen mother, there is no need to stay in the palace for such a long time. Do they have any conspiracy?

After thinking about it for a while, but without a clue, maybe she should go to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility tomorrow to "greeting for peace", Su Mi sighed helplessly.

She was about to go to sleep, when suddenly there was a commotion in the distance, the sound came from far to near.

"What's wrong?" Su Mi's hand that had just taken off her coat stopped.

Mi Qing ran in in panic, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's too bad, there are assassins, the emperor has been assassinated!"

"What?!" Su Mi was shocked, "How is it possible?"

who is it?The first thing that came into her mind was the pair of eyes that were as sharp as ice and snow.

"How is the emperor?" Su Mi asked quickly.It's not that they didn't consider that their target was Qi Long, but after knowing that it was not Nan Chen's plan, Su Mi ruled out this possibility first.

"Your majesty seems to be fine, but the palace is full of noise, I don't know what's going on." Mi Qing replied in a panic.

"Where was the assassination?" Su Mi asked, while raising her voice to order, "Xiao Luzi, tell the outside to prepare the chariot."

"It's at the Palace of Compassion, and it's said that it's on the way back to greet the Queen Mother." Mi Qing hurriedly helped Su Mi put on her clothes, and replied,

"At the Palace of Compassion and Ning..." Su Mi's hand froze, was this intentional by the assassin, or was it accidental?

"What was it like?"

"The servant girl is not very clear. I heard that after the emperor paid his respects to the queen mother, he was about to return to the Qianqing Palace. As soon as the imperial driver left the gate of the Cining Palace, an assassin descended from the sky. It was impossible to guard against it. Fortunately, Commander Mu who was beside the emperor blocked it in time. One blow. Afterwards, the guards rushed forward, but they were still not opponents. I heard that many people were killed in less than a moment." Mi Qing relayed the news from the eunuch in fear.She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Master, it's very dangerous outside now, the assassin is fierce and tight, I heard that he hasn't caught him yet, all the palaces are retreating and locking the doors, the empress is going out at this time, just in case..."

"There is no chance," Su Mi said, "Even if I do meet an assassin, I have to go."

She hurriedly put on her outer robe and left the palace gate, Xiao Luzi and the others had already prepared the chariot, Su Mi boarded the chariot and drove towards the Palace of Compassion and Peace.

As the light car drove across the green brick ground, the sound of "roll" was heard regularly, and Su Mi's mood also fluctuated accordingly.

Suddenly, the car stopped, and the body shook, "What's wrong?" Su Mi asked impatiently while supporting the side.

"The horse was frightened and disturbed the empress." The inner eunuch outside reported back.

Su Mi felt relieved.

The chariot walked quickly, and arrived at the Compassion Palace in a short while.

Outside of the Compassionate Ning Palace, there were people coming and going, very lively.The palace lanterns all over the place illuminated the entire western part of the harem as if it were daytime.Numerous guards and internal supervisors hurriedly walked around, checking the surroundings vigilantly.

Su Mi let the chariot park on the outside, got down and walked towards the palace by herself.A few inner eunuchs from far away saw Su Mi's figure, recognized him as the emperor's favorite concubine, and hurried forward to salute Qian.

"How is the emperor?" Su Mi asked.

"Reporting to your empress, the emperor is fine, and now he is resting in the side hall."

"Well," Su Mi nodded, but instead of walking towards the side hall in a hurry, she looked at the road next to her.

Mu Qinghan was explaining something to several guards there, Su Mi stepped forward, and immediately found that Mi Qing's description just now was too subtle.

The assassin was probably in this area.At this time, the casualties on the ground have been carried away, but from the remaining traces, we can know how fierce the battle was at that time.The clean blue bricks turned into large areas of dark red, blood flowed all over the place, the criss-crossed brick joints were filled with blood stains, and some fine and small things that could not be seen clearly in the night were still stuck to the ground, mixed with the smell of blood coming to the face The scent of blooming flowers made Su Mi feel uncomfortable.

She swayed slightly.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Mu Qinghan sent a few guards over and asked with concern.

"Are you injured?" Su Mi immediately heard that his footsteps were stagnant, obviously suffering from internal injuries.Thinking of what Mi Qing said, he blocked the assassin's sneak attack. Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, he can imagine how powerful, swift and fierce that sword was.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little pain in her chest.

"It's just a small injury. I just hit the assassin's sword." Mu Qinghan said calmly, "Your face is not very good, is it..."

"I don't have anything. What happened just now? Where did the assassin come from? Is there a clue?" Su Mi interrupted him, resisting the disgusting feeling, and asked a series of questions.

"Just now when the emperor's imperial chariot came out of the Palace of Compassion and Peace, it was blocked. Fortunately, the emperor had a lot of guards around him this time, blocking the attack of the assassins. It also happened that a group of patrolling guards passed by here and rushed to support in time. However, he was still killed by the assassin and wounded more than [-] guards in a row, and then he still couldn't hold them back, and he ran away. The martial arts are really amazing." Mu Qinghan couldn't help but sighed, such a high martial arts was really the best in his life. Only seen.

"Is the origin of the assassin clear?" Su Mi was most concerned about this.

Mu Qinghan shook his head, "The assassin covered his face and wore night clothes. It's just..." He lowered his voice, "The martial arts moves are very similar to the man in Tsing Yi who assassinated last time."

"However..." Mu Qinghan paused, and analyzed, "No matter how powerful an assassin is, even if Zen Master Kuye came here in person, it is impossible to break through the guards outside the palace and enter here. So ...The assassin this time must be someone from the palace, who has been lurking in the palace for a long time." Since the last assassin incident in Tianxiangyuan, the guards in the palace have been strengthened again, especially Qi Long, the queen mother and In the palace of important figures like the empress, the guards are extremely strict, and there are layers of vigilance, guarding in turns at all times, without the slightest gap.

"Since that's the case," Su Mi asked, "Is there a suspected target?" While talking, she looked into the Palace of Compassion and Peace, where there were two people who had just entered the palace.

"The humble job has been checked," Mu Qinghan said with a wry smile.Seeing Su Mi's eyes, he naturally understood what she meant.

In fact, the first thing he suspected was the pair of divine doctor and apprentices who had just entered the palace, and immediately led the guards to surround the Compassionate Ning Palace in the name of protection, and did a quick search.

Pushing open the door of the inner room where the genius doctor rested, he saw two masters and apprentices, one was studying medical books, and the other was grinding medicinal materials.The demeanor is peaceful and natural, without flaws.

"Is it possible that the assassin ran back and pretended to be one of the master and apprentice pair?" Su Mi asked in disbelief.

"Impossible," Mu Qinghan said affirmatively, "After the assassin fought with us, although he didn't die, he was seriously injured, and he just rushed out with reluctance. Such a serious injury cannot be concealed."

"Besides, with his injuries, he can't run far. He must be hiding nearby. Now the guards are searching repeatedly, and he must not be allowed to escape from the palace."

"En." Su Mi nodded in disbelief, she was already sure that the assassin was Wen Xian, but now Mu Qinghan's words have shaken her opinion.

Isn't it him?Then who else in this palace would assassinate Qi Taki?
She knows that there are some spies from Nanchen and Jiuliang lurking in the palace. If these two forces are involved, she will definitely get the news. Moreover, Daqi's palace censorship is extremely strict, and none of these people can penetrate deep , lurking into the palace, at most they can only serve as some rough envoys who handle chores.

Since it's not a foreign assassin...

While Su Mi was thinking, she walked into the side hall without stopping.At this time, the side hall was surrounded by layers of guards.Even when Su Mi went in, she was interrogated repeatedly.

Qi Long was sitting there drinking tea absentmindedly, when he saw Su Mi coming in, he asked, "Why is Mi Er here at this hour?"

"The concubine heard the news of the assassination of the emperor, how can she still sleep. I really couldn't let it go, so I came over to have a look."

"Yeah." Qi Taki nodded absently.

Su Mi stepped forward, and immediately realized that Qi Taki had been frightened just now, his face was still as pale as paper at this time, the hand holding the tea was still trembling, and a few drops of tea splashed on the skirt of his clothes without knowing it.

"Those rebellious officials and thieves are really despicable." Su Mi said bitterly.

"Mi'er just came in from the outside, but I heard that there is a clue to the assassin this time?" Qi Long said casually.

"Your Majesty, no matter what kind of expert Ren Assassin is, it is impossible for him to kill all the guards in the palace. This time, the assassin seems to have fallen from the sky, and there is no trace to follow. He must have ambushed in the palace a long time ago." Su Mi said seriously.Although there is no way to be sure about the origin of that assassin, it is not wrong to use him first to seek the greatest benefit for himself.

"I'm also thinking about this matter." Qi Long said worriedly, "What should I do?" Although he has been assassinated several times since he took the throne, they were all outside the palace.People sneaked into the guarded palace only once last year in Tianxiang Garden.

"Last time, the incident in Tianxiangyuan, even though assassins were killed, it was possible because of the far-reaching plans of the group of thugs, who pretended to be the people invited by the empress to come into the palace. This time, they were able to sneak into Ci Ning We are on the edge of the palace, I am afraid that the old queen mother will be frightened." Su Mi cried: "If this goes on, the ministers and concubines are really worried. Will there be a stable life in the palace like this? Even the empress dowager and the old queen mother They will all be used by assassins..."

Qi Taki's expression changed. The several assassinations since he ascended the throne were all innocuous, only these two times he was killed in front of his eyes. The last time was because of the empress, and this time he was assassinated at the gate of the Palace of Compassion. The worries about his life were all related to the Wang family, which made him suspicious.

Su Mi observed the words and expressions, and knew that the seeds of doubt had been planted, so she stopped talking, and just cried out a few words of worry.

"Forget it, I have already explained what happened this time..." Qi Taki waved his hand in a disturbed manner.At this time, Gao Shengnuo came to the door to report: "Your Majesty, people from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple are here."

"Since the emperor has to deal with official duties, the concubine should leave first." Su Mi stopped crying and said with concern, "It's just that the emperor must guarantee the dragon body."

"Okay, Mi'er will take my leave first." Qi Taki said with a heavy heart.

Su Mi quit and saw a group of officials walking towards the hall in a hurry with disheveled expressions.

I don't know how this matter will end?Su Mi walked out of the gate of Cining Palace upset and depressed, and came to the chariot parked beside a clump of birch trees in the corner outside the palace.

Supporting Xiao Luzi's hand into the chariot, she just poked her head in when she smelled a strange smell of blood.

not good!

Before she could react, a blade as cold as snow approached her throat, the approaching chill made the skin on Su Mi's throat shiver uncontrollably.

"Don't move, don't shout." A quiet and slightly hoarse voice came, and then a strong arm in the darkness pulled her into the car.

(End of this chapter)