The maidservant is too charming. I want to help her become the queen.

In the darkness, Lu Qingqing was grabbed by the neck from behind.

The deep male voice coming from her ear went along her ear canal and directly stimulated her brain nerves. With a spasm in her heart, the emotions of tension and fear instantly filled her entire chest.

Is my life going to end here tonight?

She subconsciously closed her eyes, her crow-feather-like eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and her plump, red lips were pressed tightly into a straight line.

It was discovered so suddenly that there was not even any sign.

She stood stiff in the darkness, neither struggling nor able to struggle, and remained in a stalemate with the man behind her for a long time.

Seeing that she didn't say a word, the man gradually lost his patience. He took a step forward and dragged Lu Qingqing to the garden next to him. He pushed her against a thick tree trunk and moved the big hand that was holding her neck from behind to her chest.

The uniforms of the third-class palace maids were already rough, and now Lu Qingqing's back was pressed against a tree trunk covered with thorns. In addition to the strong feeling of suffocation in her throat, she only felt the pain in her back burning like a raging fire.

“Hiss~ It hurts~~~”

Her eyebrows were twisted together and a faint moan was barely squeezed out of her throat.

The man seemed to sense Lu Qingqing's pain, and his hands, which were tightly pinching her neck, loosened a little.

Lu Qingqing quickly detected the hesitation of his men, and taking advantage of this small gap, she took a deep breath with all her strength, and gradually calmed down from the panic.

In the moonlight, she could clearly see the man in front of her.

He was wearing a black nightgown and his face was covered with a veil, revealing only a pair of heroic eyebrows and sword-like eyes. He exuded a familiar sweet earthy fragrance.

She was in a trance for a moment, as if she had seen these eyes somewhere before.

"I ask you again, who are you?"

The masked man suddenly tightened his grip, as if he was very dissatisfied with the woman's silence. His eyes pierced into Lu Qingqing's eyes like a sharp blade, and the oppressive aura forced her to speak.

"I am...I am..."

The strong pressure from the man's palm made it extremely difficult for her to say every word.

She raised her moist eyes and cast a helpless look at the man in front of her.

The man in black received the signal she sent and suddenly loosened his hand from Lu Qingqing's neck.

Lu Qingqing lost her support instantly, her legs softened, and she fell to her knees. She looked up from the ground, and met the man's cold and stern eyes.

"You'd better be honest and tell the truth!"

The black-clothed man's tone was extremely firm. It seemed that he would not give up if he could not pry Lu Qingqing's mouth open tonight.

Lu Qingqing knelt on the ground, his brain working rapidly.

Based on the communication with the man in black just now, she could basically conclude that the man in front of her was definitely not the one who had an affair with the Queen Mother.

Judging from his attire, he is probably not a patrolling guard.

The most important thing is that the man in front of her was wearing night clothes, was agile, and secretly took her to the garden for questioning. He must have come to Mingjing Hall to investigate secretly!

I just can’t figure out who could enter and leave the imperial palace so late at night?

A myriad of thoughts were tangled in her mind, and she had no time to think about the true identity of the man in black. The most urgent task now was to get herself out of this situation.

"Please spare my life, my lord. I am a palace maid assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to guard the night."

Her voice trembled slightly, making people feel pity.

The man saw that the clothes she was wearing were indeed those of a third-class palace maid, so he no longer questioned her identity.

He then asked sternly, "Since you were assigned to guard the night, why didn't you stay outside the palace to guard it properly? What were you doing in the inner palace? Who did you see in there?!"

Lu Qingqing naturally couldn't tell the truth, so she had to make up a plausible reason, hoping that the man in black in front of her would be moved and let her go.

Before she opened her mouth, her eyes were already red and tears were sparkling in her eyes, looking very charming under the moonlight.

"I came here because... because..."

Halfway through his words, his voice began to sob uncontrollably.

"Because my father passed away yesterday, I wanted to... I wanted to come to this Mingjing Hall to pray for my father... But there was no incense table in the hall. I just walked out and I really didn't see anyone..."

Tears fell like beads, wetting her sleeves and ruining the ugly makeup she had put on in advance, revealing her stunning appearance gradually.

The man in black was startled.

I began to doubt whether what he had done was too much.

She was so beautiful and kind, she just wanted to come to Mingjing Hall to pay tribute to her deceased father.

However, he treated her as a spy with ill intentions and made things difficult for her in every way.

Thinking of this, his hard heart was slightly moved. After a long while, he took a long breath and gently helped Lu Qingqing, who was kneeling on the ground, to stand up.

"Forget it, you are also a poor man, don't go to such a place again."

Seeing that he did not continue to hold her captive, Lu Qingqing bowed and thanked him, then hurried back to her duty.

When the man in black saw her leaving, he tapped his toes, jumped up, and disappeared into the night.

……

The next morning.

Inside Prince Jing’s Mansion.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent a servant to ask if there is any news from yesterday's investigation?"

Eunuch Qing bowed his head and asked the man in front of the desk.

The man had a handsome face, with majesty in his brows. He was dressed in a luxurious plain suit embroidered with delicate cloud patterns and Chinese characters. He looked like a crane in the snow, elegant and dignified.

He is Prince Jing.

Li Xuanjing and the current emperor are brothers from the same mother and are the sixth son of the late emperor. He is one of the few princes who are still inheriting the title after the chaos of nine princes fighting for the throne.

He waved his hand and asked Eunuch Qing to wait for a moment.

Bent over the desk, holding a small white cloud in his slender fingers with distinct joints, he wrote down what he had explored last night on the paper:

"Your Majesty, I personally went to investigate yesterday. At midnight, I saw the Queen Mother and Zhao Ning enter Mingjing Hall together. About three quarters of an hour later, the two left together."

When he wrote this, Prince Jing's pen paused and he hesitated.

Should I report the little palace maid I met unexpectedly that night to my brother the emperor?

His hand holding the pen hovered over the letter.

Eunuch Qing was still waiting on the side, so he didn't have too much time to hesitate.

Soon, he continued writing.

"I then secretly followed Zhao Ning and saw him leave the palace through the corner gate used for transporting goods, then return to Zhao's residence and did not leave until the hour of Yin."

Last night’s chance encounter was ultimately not included in the letter by Prince Jing.

She is just a kind little palace maid. She has already caused her a lot of trouble last night. Please don't bother her anymore.

Prince Jing folded the letter, sealed it in a specially made newspaper box, and handed the newspaper box to Eunuch Qing.

"Yesterday's news has been recorded in detail on the letter. Please pass it on to my brother. Thank you very much."