CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 13: DANCING PRINCESS (13)

Within the Imperial Palace, there remained one last assassin.

As the time for the court session approached, the Emperor had not yet appeared, causing both Xiao Lin and the guards to panic.

The Guard Commander thought for a moment and directly sent a guard to the Prince Qin Mansion to notify King Qin and see how to handle this matter.

The remaining assassin, Li Shuning, had no idea where he was hiding. If they brought the Emperor back and he was assassinated in plain view, it would be disastrous. But not bringing the Emperor back was also not a solution. What to do?

After thinking for a while, Li Shuning decided to control the hovercar into a side hall next to the Purple Cloud Palace. This side hall was originally a resting place for the Night Palace Maids and was currently unoccupied.

Then she assisted the Empress Dowager out and set her inside a hidden box, sprayed a special solution, and immediately drove the hovercar away.

However, before leaving, Li Shuning deliberately made some noise. Soon, guards entered the side hall, and gradually someone discovered the box and found the Empress Dowager inside.

The Empress Dowager was bewildered when awakened, not knowing what had happened. She truly had no idea what was happening—only that she had fallen asleep with Li Shuning beside her. What happened afterward, she was completely unaware.

Upon learning there were assassins, and the Emperor and Princess were missing, the Empress Dowager was extremely worried and insisted on heading to Yuyang Palace immediately.

By mimicking the earlier arrangement, Li Shuning found a very secluded, unused room in Yuyang Palace and placed the Emperor inside a tall cabinet, sprayed the special solution again, and then hid herself under the bed.

Since the Empress Dowager was found in the side hall, the guards began thoroughly searching other rooms in Yuyang Palace and gradually found the room where Li Shuning and the Emperor were located. They discovered the Emperor inside the cabinet but did not find Li Shuning. The bed here was quite low, and they didn’t think it was possible for the Princess to hide under it.

Upon waking up the Emperor, he was equally bewildered, recalling only that he fell asleep while talking with his Imperial Sister. With assassins around, where was his Imperial Sister?

The Emperor thought of a terrifying possibility: "Xiao Lin, did you see my Imperial Sister? Did she hide me here? Where is my Imperial Sister?"

Initially relieved to see the Emperor unharmed, Xiao Lin was dismayed when he heard the Emperor’s question and responded with a long face: "Your Majesty, Princess’s whereabouts are still unknown."

"Here, here, the Princess is here."

A Palace Maid noticed some signs under the bed, couldn’t help but look, and saw the Princess indeed underneath.

The Princess appeared to be asleep, and the Emperor directly ordered the guards to move the bed.

It was at this point that everyone noticed the Princess seemed somewhat off.

Her hair was disheveled, and there appeared to be beads of sweat on her face, her brow slightly furrowed as if she was uncomfortable.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager hurried over, and seeing Li Shuning’s state, she immediately shouted: "Quick, call the Imperial Physician."

Li Shuning was actually just pretending to be unconscious, but to make it look believable, she had dislocated her hand while in the hovercar. After all, this body belonged to a weak woman with no martial arts, and a dislocated hand was quite painful.

Although it was chaotic, the Guard Commander was still very careful, deploying guards all around to ensure the safety of the three leaders.

Soon, the Imperial Physician arrived and, after checking, relaxed: "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, Princess has only dislocated her wrist. Once reset, she should just rest for a few days and she’ll be fine."

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor both breathed a sigh of relief.

Both realized that perhaps An Ping had saved them this time, but they wondered why An Ping hadn’t directly told them. Why hide them instead?

After a while, Li Shuning awoke, and upon seeing the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, she immediately tried to pay her respects, prompting the Empress Dowager to embrace her: "Good child, don’t move, your hand is still injured. Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Mother, could you have everyone leave for the moment, but make sure the guards remain outside?"

After everyone left, Li Shuning began to speak: "Mother, Your Majesty, a few days ago, An Ping went to the Bright Gate to enjoy the scenery (indeed, Li Shuning happened to visit there that day). On the way back, I noticed something was amiss with a large stone beside the Bright Gate, but thought little of it at the time. That night, after Mother had fallen asleep, heading back to Sining Hall, I passed by Cloud Watching Pavilion. The terrain there was quite elevated, and I felt uneasy, so I used the Thousand-mile Mirror that Your Majesty bestowed to look at the Bright Gate. I unexpectedly saw a group of men in black emerge from beneath the large rock, and they quickly dispersed."

"Later, An Ping discovered that these people could even enter the inner palace. An Ping was incredulous—how did these thieves manage to enter the Imperial Palace? Could there be traitors from within? Could there be hidden passages? At the time, An Ping returned to Sining Hall, changed into more suitable clothing for movement, and planned to consult with the Empress Dowager, but she was already asleep. I thought of hiding her first, knowing there was a hidden door between her sleeping quarters and the side hall. That box would generally go unnoticed by anyone. As long as the Empress Dowager was safe, we could wait until finding Your Majesty; it would be timely then."

"At that time, An Ping didn’t know how to tell Your Majesty. What if Your Majesty didn’t believe An Ping? What if Your Majesty fell asleep? With assassins outside the hall, An Ping had no choice. Mother had once discussed the palace’s secret doors and passages with An Ping, so I brought Your Majesty here directly, waiting until the assassins were captured before speaking. However, given that Your Majesty is taller than An Ping, I accidentally dislocated my hand along the way...I’m sorry, it was my first time encountering such a situation, and I truly panicked. If I had explained the situation to Your Majesty clearly right away, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome."

Despite some flaws, Li Shuning believed that the original owner came from a civilian background; some mishandling could be understood.

The Empress Dowager didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but gazed softly at Li Shuning: "Silly girl, it’s all right now. All eight assassins have been captured. Emperor, it’s time for the court session, so you should proceed. Mother will handle things here."

"Yes, Mother."

Li Shuning trembled slightly, and the Empress Dowager immediately sensed it: "An Ping, what’s wrong?"

"Mother, how can there be only eight? I clearly saw nine of them back then."

The Empress Dowager was also shocked—where did the last assassin go?

If the Emperor were to attend the court session, what if the assassin was hiding in the shadows or mingled with the crowd, seeking to strike the Emperor then? What should be done?

Li Shuning thought for a moment and said: "Mother, why not have someone impersonate Your Majesty to test the assassin’s reaction? Surely, these people entered the palace with the intention of assassinating Your Majesty."