When she opened her eyes, she saw the luxuriously decorated bedchamber. A voice with a bit of eagerness sounded, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Are you having a nightmare? "
Yun Shang turned around and looked at her. After a long silence, she said in a hoarse voice, "Oh, Cai Yi. It's a dream." However, Yun Shang was still in a state of shock thinking of the gaze in the dream. She stared at Cai Yi in a daze for a long time before she calmed down. "Give me a cup of tea. Where is Qin Yi?"
With a smile, Cai Yi poured a cup of tea, and touched the edge of the teacup with her hand to test the temperature before she handed it to Yun Shang. "Sister Qin Yi has gone to the Imperial Household Department for some incense which could help sleep. She said that Your Highness didn't sleep well in the past two days."
She was lying.
Yun Shang's hand holding the teacup paused for a moment. Without thinking, she made a conclusion in her heart. After her pregnancy, almost all the servants knew that it was better not to use incense for pregnant people. There had been no incense in her room for a long time, but why did she say that Qin Yi went to the Imperial Household Department to take the incense?
However, if she was lying, didn't she fear that her lie would be exposed when Qin Yi came back?
Yun Shang looked up at Cai Yi and put down the teacup. After a long silence, she asked, "How long has she left?"
Cai Yi seemed to think for a while and said softly, "About an hour."
Yun Shang raised her head and rubbed her forehead to sober herself up. Then she said indifferently, "I dindn't know I have slept for such a long time. By the way, how is it going in the Neishi Bureau? Do they have any new clues about Qian Zhuo?"
Cai Yi shook her head and said softly, "The rain last night was really coincidental, and many traces were covered up. I went to the Neishi Bureau earlier and found that Lord Qi seemed to be at a loss."
Yun Shang knocked on the armrest of the chair and said softly, "A living people has disappeared in the inner Palace. Will they search the Palace?"
Hearing this, Cai Yi shook her head and said, "It's almost impossible to search the Palace. There are more than a hundred palaces in the imperial household. It's not difficult to hide a person, but it's very difficult to search it. There are many forbidden areas in the imperial household, where nobody is allowed to approach."
Yun Shang rubbed her forehead again. Seeing this, Cai Yi hurriedly said, "The tuckahoe and licorice decoction is done. Do you want to drink it now, Your Highness?"
Yun Shang shook her head. It was just an excuse to send Cai Yi away. "I forgot that I've been pregnant. I'd better not take these medicines. It doesn't matter. I'll be fine in a while."
Cai Yi nodded and stood aside without saying anything.
After a while, Qin Yi came in with nothing in her hand. Cai Yi said first, "Eh, didn't you say that you were going to the Imperial Household Department to get the incense? Didn't you get it?"
Yun Shang raised her h
Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.
To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.
"As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."
She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.
Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.
All of a sudden, Yun Shang remembered the news from the secret guards. When Lady Shu was locked up in the Cold Palace, the Empress wanted to go in and ridicule her, but was stopped by the guards at the door. At last, the Empress had to leave in anger.
Yun Shang glanced at the arrogant and cold Empress and thought, 'Although Lady Shu has made such a big mistake, Xia Huanyu still tries his best to protect Lady Shu. I'm afraid that made the empress hate her even more.'
The imperial guard took the token from the servant and examined it carefully. Then he nodded slightly and waved his hand, opening the door of the Cold Palace.
Yun Shang frowned and said, "The palace is really heavily guarded. If I didn't know this is the Cold Palace, I would think there must be an extremely important person living here since there are so many imperial guards guarding here. It seems that only Taiji Palace has so many guards like the Cold Palace."
Yun Shang saw clearly that the Empress' face suddenly changed.
The door was opened. In front of the hall was a yard, which had already been covered with weeds, looking dilapidated. Yun Shang saw the situation in the yard at a glance. There was an old rattan chair in the yard, on which lay a woman in plain clothes, with her hair disheveled and her eyes slightly closed. An old madam stood beside the woman and seemed to be talking about something.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the people in the yard turned around.
The woman's face could be seen clearly. She had thin arched eyebrows, almond eyes and a delicate face. Though she looked pale, her eyes were full of spirit.
The smile at the corners of the Empress' mouth became a little cold when she saw the woman. "Lady Shu, it seems that you have a good time in Wu Yan Palace."
Lady Shu smiled and turned her head, "Not bad. Although it's a little shabby, it's quiet without any disturb. How come Your Majesty look more haggard than me? Standing next to beautiful Lady Rui, you are overshadowed. Tsk, tsk..."