Drei Mandarinenten und eineinhalb

Kapitel 8

"Oh!" Qingfeng snapped out of his daze and walked towards the direction of the voice. Because he felt guilty, he hadn't dared to look at the idiot queen, but when he took 'Qing'er' from her hands, their eyes met. This glance startled him again, and he quickly asked:

"What are you doing? Why are you disguised as Shui Rong'er's palace maid? You don't intend to go to the West Palace to serve her, do you?"

"Congratulations, you got it right!" Leng Jie said with a smile after handing 'Qing'er' to Qingfeng.

"If you became my sister, would you tell me the truth no matter what I ask?" Qingfeng increasingly found this foolish empress's actions too bizarre. He considered himself a man of vast experience and exceptional intelligence, yet he couldn't see through her thoughts, understand her actions, let alone grasp her motives. Therefore, he resolutely decided to sacrifice his own reputation in exchange for information.

Leng Jie fully understood Qingfeng's thoughts; her doctorate in psychology wasn't earned casually, but through genuine hard work. Although he was the one who caused her first failed attempt at hypnosis, after these few tens of minutes of interaction, Leng Jie had gained a thorough understanding of his personality. He was lively and cheerful, clever and shrewd, enjoyed novel and fun things, lacked a strong sense of right and wrong, and handled matters entirely based on personal likes and dislikes. Most importantly, he possessed excellent medical skills and martial arts. His ability to resist hypnosis was likely related to his martial arts. Having reached this conclusion, Leng Jie regained her confidence. She confidently answered Qingfeng, who looked on expectantly:

"Of course, how could an older sister hide it from her younger brother!"

[Main Text: Chapter Twenty-Four: Hellish Demonic Sounds]

With Qing'er in one hand and her older sister in the other, Qingfeng landed in the maple forest again. Then, as his "sister" had asked, he hid in a tree at a distance and quietly watched her act alone.

Seeing her walk expressionlessly to the group of imperial guards, and pull out an exquisite glass bottle from her person, Qingfeng recognized it as one of a set of cups and bottles he had picked out from the tribute from the Western Regions. It had always been kept in the cabinet of the Imperial Pharmacy; she must have smuggled it there that afternoon. He wondered what she had put inside. He was just wondering what she would do next.

She carefully uncorked the bottle, covered her nose with one hand, and poured a little of the contents onto the arm of one of the imperial guards. The moment the contents touched the guard's body, they sizzled like flesh being fried in oil, releasing a pungent, acrid smell. Then, large, burn-like areas appeared, as if the guards had been roasted. She then repeated this process, inflicting burns of varying degrees on all the guards. In an instant, the pungent smell of burning human flesh filled the entire maple forest. The rustling of maple leaves in the cold wind mingled with the sizzling sounds, creating a chilling, hellish symphony.

Despite having witnessed countless battles littered with corpses and countless ruthless acts of cruelty, Qingfeng was still stunned by the scene before him. Was she cruel? It didn't seem so. Although the wounds looked gruesome, they weren't actually serious. Because she hadn't injured their vital organs. But for a young woman to watch human flesh burn without batting an eye—he simply couldn't imagine what kind of person she was. He wanted to know even more: what was she trying to do?

Of course, what interested Qingfeng most wasn't what kind of person she was, but the contents of the bottle. He considered himself a connoisseur of countless poisons, yet he had never seen such a potent one. He thought that if that poison were forced down someone's throat, it would surely cook them from the inside out. For Qingfeng, nothing was more important than discovering new ailments and poisons.

Qingfeng's mind was filled with growing questions, like a wild cat scratching and clawing at him, an unbearable itch and pain. However, he had promised this younger woman that he wouldn't utter a sound or ask any questions, no matter what he saw, and would only obey her orders. She would only tell him everything he wanted to know after this was all over. Otherwise, she would rather die than say a word. Therefore, he could only suppress his questions and obediently watch from the sidelines.

Having settled everything, Leng Jie waved to Qingfeng and said:

"Alright, you can release their pressure points now."

"Ah---" "Mother!" "A ghost!"...

As Qingfeng released the acupoint, a series of shrill screams and painful groans echoed through the maple forest and reverberated throughout the entire palace. The first and loudest scream came from Consort Shui's maid, "Xiaolian".

Once everyone had finished shouting, the large contingent that had heard the commotion arrived. The timid eunuchs and their wives, both eager for attention and hesitant to enter the maple forest, blocked its entrance. The imperial guards and palace attendants who arrived first rushed into the forest with their weapons. When they looked around and found only wounded soldiers and no enemies, they all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

A tall man in official robes approached the wounded men who were lying haphazardly on the ground, their faces filled with terror and groaning incessantly, and began to ask what had happened.

Of all the conscious individuals involved, "Xiao Lian" suffered the least damage, with only a few pieces of her clothing burned. She was also the first to call out and the most conscious. Therefore, when someone asked a question, everyone focused their attention on her, waiting for her answer.

Xiao Lian was pale, her eyes filled with terror, her upper teeth clenched around her lower lip, and her arms tightly wrapped around her trembling body. The big man gently approached Xiao Lian, patted her shoulder softly, and encouraged her, "It's alright, don't be afraid, we'll protect you. Tell us what happened, okay?"

"Xiao Lian" first shook her head frantically and backed away in terror, then rushed forward as if she had seen a lifeline, tightly hugging the big man's arm and nodding vigorously. The big man seemed to understand "Xiao Lian's" reaction and smiled at her, saying:

"I know you are Xiaolian, the maid of Consort Shui, and I am Liang Xin, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. Just tell us what you have seen and heard truthfully. Don't worry."

"Xiao Lian" seemed to find a sense of security in the big man. Her trembling body slowly stopped, her frightened gaze softened, and her upper teeth, which had been biting her lower lip until it bled, unconsciously loosened.

She nodded to Liang Xin, then, in a hoarse, trembling voice, recounted her experience of being ordered to find the Imperial Guards to retrieve Qing'er from the East Palace. She described how she encountered will-o'-the-wisps in the maple forest, which then vanished. Afterward, they arrived at the East Palace, took Qing'er away, and on their way back through the maple forest, the will-o'-the-wisps reappeared and attacked them, causing her to faint. When she awoke, she saw that everyone was burned. She then recounted this "what she saw and heard."

When she spoke of the will-o'-the-wisp rushing towards them, the imperial guards, who had been groaning in pain, were all terrified and covered their heads in silence, as if the will-o'-the-wisp had reappeared. The imperial guards and attendants who were listening with trepidation immediately felt a chill run down their spines and trembled with fear.

"Xiao Lian" observed the changes in the expressions of the imperial guards and attendants, and could clearly feel the trembling in her hand gripping the tall man's arm. She couldn't help but inwardly applaud her acting skills, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips. Then, she closed her eyes and gracefully collapsed onto the tall man. The tall man cooperatively caught her as she "fainted."

Liang Xin, relying on his superior skills and daring, never believed in ghosts or spirits. However, the bizarre events before him made him unable to help but believe Xiao Lian's story. Nevertheless, being a man of experience, he quickly calmed his frightened mind. While holding the unconscious Xiao Lian in his arms, he began to give instructions on how to handle the aftermath.

The wounded imperial guards were taken back for treatment by their colleagues, while the only one who was unharmed and remained unconscious—"Qing'er," the one who instigated the whole incident—was taken to prison on the imperial concubine's orders. The tall Liang Jin personally acted as her protector, escorting "Xiao Lian" back to the West Palace.

Because Xiaolian had only recently entered the palace with Shui Rong'er and was known for her bullying and arrogance, not a single palace servant came to comfort or inquire about her after she returned to the West Palace, despite the great fright she had suffered.

However, her master, Shui Rong'er, treated her quite well. Not only did she have the big man escort her directly to her palace and place her on a soft footstool beside her bed, but she also ordered someone to summon the imperial physician.

After Liang Xin helped Xiao Lian into the room, he immediately bowed to the Imperial Concubine and recounted in detail what he had heard from Xiao Lian and what he had personally witnessed in the Maple Forest.

After hearing Liang Xin's retelling, Shui Rong'er's face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with undisguised terror. She then shouted sharply at the big man:

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! As the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, how could you believe in ghosts and spirits, and even blindly follow the crowd in spreading rumors? This matter must be someone deliberately playing tricks. I order you to thoroughly investigate this matter. By the way, didn't you say that Qing'er was alright? It must be her doing. If there really is a ghost, then she must be the ghost. Go back immediately and interrogate her. No matter what method you use, if she still doesn't confess, then burn her as a ghost."

Liang Xin knelt on the ground, stunned, respectfully listening to the noble and beautiful Imperial Concubine's hysterical roar. In his heart, however, he sighed for the Emperor: "To have such a wife is truly a misfortune!"

[Main Text: Chapter Twenty-Five - The Secret Passage Out of the Palace (Part 1)]

Half an hour later, Qingfeng, as promised, returned to Maple Forest carrying the real Xiao Qing'er. He still didn't understand why the Foolish Empress insisted on going to the West Palace. Why did she have to go through all that trouble and create so many elaborate schemes? If it were as she suggested, she could have just thrown those people into her medicine hut to be used as medicine subjects—it would have been easier, less strenuous, and a good way to make use of them.

Qingfeng carried the unconscious Qing'er and waited in the maple forest for a while, but still couldn't see the Foolish Queen. Just then, a cry of alarm suddenly came from the West Palace: "Fire! Fire!"

Qingfeng, realizing that the Foolish Empress was still in the West Palace and feigning unconsciousness, felt a growing, unprecedented worry creeping into his heart and rapidly expanding to his brain. Without time to think further, Qingfeng quickly placed the sleeping Qing'er against a maple tree. Then, gathering his inner energy, he rushed towards the West Palace.

Qingfeng arrived at the West Palace wall in the blink of an eye. The West Palace was already in complete chaos, with people scattered and horses galloping. Smoke curled from the main hall, but not a single flame could be seen. Palace servants shouted and yelled, but were only busy fleeing for their lives; not a single one dared to go in and put out the fire. Qingfeng immediately saw the West Palace's mistress, Consort Shui, fleeing in a sorry state towards the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace, accompanied by palace servants.

Qingfeng, unable to find "Xiaolian" beside Shui Rong'er, grew even more anxious. He hurriedly went to the side courtyard where the servants lived, only to find it deserted. When he rushed back to the main hall, the once bustling West Palace was now deathly silent. Qingfeng thought, "These people must have all fled for their lives because they're afraid of will-o'-the-wisps."

Thick smoke still billowed from the main hall, but the fire showed no signs of spreading. Just as Qingfeng was about to rush into the hall, a eunuch carrying a bundle emerged from the bedchamber and shouted at him:

"Qingfeng, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you to take Qing'er to the maple forest to wait?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Qingfeng's heart, which had been pounding, settled back into place with a "thud." He certainly didn't mind her unfriendly tone, and with a smile, he leaped to her side, naturally taking the bundle from her hands before replying:

"Qing'er is waiting in the maple forest. I saw that there was another fire here, so I came to see what was going on."

Dressed as a eunuch, Leng Jie glanced at the awkward Qingfeng with disdain and contempt, and said coldly:

"Hmph! How come you're just like those ignorant people, jumping to conclusions at the slightest sound and getting angry at the first sign of trouble! How foolish!"

Upon hearing the Foolish Queen's words and glancing at the rising smoke in the main hall, Qingfeng suddenly understood what was going on. Seeing the Foolish Queen's disdainful attitude, he could no longer maintain his already thin ego. He picked up his bundle, used his lightness skill, and with a "whoosh," rode the wind away.

Qingfeng's sudden action startled Leng Jie, who was completely unprepared. She then made a shooting gesture at his departing figure and chased after him at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.

-----------------------------------

Qingfeng, carrying Qing'er, followed the silly empress into a dark tunnel, watching in astonishment as she produced a luminous pearl from her person as if by magic. The deep tunnel was instantly illuminated as if by daylight by the bright pearl. She then murmured softly to the pearl:

"My darling, it's really unfair to use you like a light bulb, but it's better to stay with me than with that Shui Rong'er who doesn't care about you!"

Qingfeng was both amused and exasperated by her words. She thought to herself, "She really likes being someone's older sister, even Zhuzi's older sister. Does that mean I'm Zhuzi's peer?"

After walking for a while, Qingfeng could no longer hold back and asked cautiously:

"Miss, where are we going?"

Leng Jie turned around and saw Qingfeng asking the question cautiously, and couldn't help but tease him:

"Finally, you couldn't hold back anymore! I thought you'd been so easily swayed by my words of ignorance that you didn't want to acknowledge me as your sister or know my true identity?"

Qingfeng, his thoughts read, suddenly felt his cheeks burning, his handsome face instantly turning bright red. He mumbled, glancing left and right, "..."

"I didn't expect you to know the palace better than I do! You even found such a hidden passage. Where does it lead?"

As soon as Qingfeng finished speaking, he knew he had said the wrong thing again. Sure enough, the person in front of him suddenly stopped, turned around and stared at him for a while. The person's ambiguous smile made Qingfeng feel uneasy.

"Little brother, you don't seem to be stupid, so why do you keep talking nonsense? You know this place is called the secret passage, how could you possibly find it just because you know it well?"

Qingfeng glared at Sha Hou in annoyance. He was even more annoyed with himself for always being teased by this girl who was younger than him, and he had no way to refute her.

Seeing that Qingfeng remained silent, Leng Jie continued in her reply:

"I don't know exactly where this road leads. But it definitely leads out of the palace."

Qingfeng looked up in surprise and asked:

"You dare to flee here without knowing where it leads? Aren't you afraid this place leads directly to the Emperor's palace or the imperial prison?" Qingfeng knew she intended to escape with Qing'er amidst the chaos after seeing her carrying that priceless bundle in the West Palace. He also understood her purpose in creating such chaos in the palace. He had originally thought she would beg him to escort them out of the palace, but unexpectedly, she said nothing and simply told him to carry Qing'er and follow her. And he, as if bewitched, actually followed her.

"Escape? You think we're on the run now?"

"Isn't that right? You've turned the harem into a chaotic mess, making everyone panic, isn't that all so you can take the opportunity to escape?" And didn't you even steal a bag of gold and silver jewelry from the West Palace for travel expenses? Qingfeng only dared to say the last part in his heart.

But then she rolled her eyes, pouted her cherry-red lips, tilted her head back, and pretended to faint, looking incredibly playful and adorable. Qingfeng was stunned, almost blurting out, "I never imagined that besides acting crazy, playing tricks, being quirky, and sharp-tongued, you could also have such a cute side!"

But she suddenly looked at me with a regretful expression and said earnestly:

"Qingfeng, I feel sorry for you!" Then, after looking him up and down, she sighed, "Alas, what a waste of such a handsome appearance!"

Qingfeng was completely bewildered by her expression and asked, puzzled, "You pity me? Why?"

"Because you're stupid! Tell me, besides you and me, who else in the palace knows that I was the one who orchestrated tonight's events?"

The answer seemed obvious, as if he were truly a fool. Qingfeng skipped the preceding question and went straight to answering the following one:

Nobody knows.

"Since nobody knows, why should I run away? If I run away, wouldn't that be like admitting guilt without being asked? You're stupid, aren't you?"

"But didn't you say this path leads out of the palace?" Qingfeng seemed to understand, but was even more confused.

"Alright, seeing that you seem like a nice person, and that you have no ill intentions towards me beyond curiosity, and mainly considering your two insincere 'sister' calls, I'll clear things up for you this once." Seeing Qingfeng's confused expression, Leng Jie felt it was time to let him know her intentions. So, pointing to Qing'er in his arms, she said, "Our trip is only to send this extra Qing'er out of the palace, and you and I will return the way we came. The palace losing a concubine's maid is nothing, but losing a foolish empress is a different story, isn't it?"

She paused for a moment, and before Qingfeng could answer, she pointed to the secret passage and said, "This secret passage cannot lead to the two places you mentioned, because I discovered it the night before last with a 'spy' who was following the emperor." Of course, that spy was Shui Rong'er's lover, a fact she wouldn't reveal.

"As for why I went to all this trouble, firstly, it was purely to retaliate against Shui Rong'er's incorrigible nature. I had already shown mercy this afternoon, but she still wouldn't let Qing'er go. You wouldn't believe it, she actually wanted that big guy to burn Qing'er to death. Humph, if I didn't want to hurt innocent people, I really would have set fire to her West Palace."

Secondly, I want to spend a few peaceful days in the East Palace. Do you think that after tonight's events, anyone would dare to go to Maple Forest and the East Palace to cause trouble for the foolish empress? Of course, she had already planned to stop having to pretend to be foolish every moment, but she wouldn't say that.

Qingfeng finally understood her intentions. Thinking that she had turned the palace upside down just for a maid, he couldn't help but feel secretly glad that he hadn't become her enemy. However, when he thought of Shui Rong'er's disheveled escape and her reaction when she learned that the person she had personally ordered to torture her was none other than her own personal maid, Xiao Lian, Qingfeng found her methods both amusing and practical.

Just as Qingfeng was about to ask him what he most wanted to know—what kind of poison had she used on those Imperial Guards? And what was the cause of the thick smoke in the West Palace Hall? She, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and gestured for him to be quiet.

[Main Text: Chapter Twenty-Six: The Secret Passage Out of the Palace (Part Two)]

Seeing this, Qingfeng suddenly stopped, his face showing wariness. He immediately calmed his mind and focused his attention. He heard the sounds of fighting coming from outside, but the sounds were not loud and seemed to be quite far away.

"Listen, there's a fight outside. The exit shouldn't be far."

Qingfeng was very curious; he needed to use his internal energy to hear the sound, yet the Foolish Queen, who clearly had no martial arts skills, was able to detect it first. However, before he could ask, the brightly lit tunnel suddenly plunged into darkness. Just as Qingfeng was about to ask what happened, a whispered answer reached his ears.

"Shh! Be quiet. I've put the luminous pearl away. The situation outside is unclear, so we must remain in the dark while the enemy is in the open and proceed with caution."

Qingfeng had to admire her keen wit. The tunnel was pitch black, but Qingfeng could feel that her dark eyes, which were sometimes dull and sometimes bright, were shining like the morning star in the night sky.

Seeing Qingfeng stop, Leng Jie assumed he was afraid of the dark like she used to be, so she turned to him and said, "Don't be afraid, this is just the darkness before dawn. Just follow me." With that, she took his arm and pulled Qing's arm forward.

Qingfeng was taken aback by what the silly woman said at first, but then she realized that she thought he was afraid of the dark. The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and without arguing, she let the woman pull her forward.

The sounds of fighting grew louder, and a few faint rays of light came into view ahead. Needless to say, that was the exit. Qingfeng stopped and spoke to the back of the fool:

"You and Qing'er wait here. I'll go out and take a look."

Leng Jie stopped upon hearing the sound, turned around and took Qing'er from Qingfeng's arms before speaking:

"Alright! But you should be careful and not meddle in other people's business." Leng Jie knew that people who knew martial arts liked to stand up for the weak and were afraid that he would think he was so good at martial arts that he would run out and fight for others, and then bring trouble to them. So she gave him a heads-up.

But these words took on a completely different meaning for Qingfeng. He had grown up with his master, learning martial arts and medicine. His master had always doted on him, but when danger arose, he would always leave him behind, facing it alone, while his master would disappear without a trace. He even called it "training" for him. In the years since leaving the mountain, whether traveling the martial world or staying in the palace, he had rarely formed deep friendships. The only brother he considered a true confidant was the Emperor. Having grown up in the emotionless royal family, he was naturally even less capable of caring for others than Qingfeng. Therefore, the Empress's casual remark, "You be careful too!" sounded as warm as a mother's concern to Qingfeng.

Qingfeng excitedly placed both hands on the silly queen's shoulders and said seriously: