From cute to empress

As Luzhu finished speaking, Zhen Youcai and I both turned grave. The contents of this anonymous letter were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples. Who was secretly warning me? What were they trying to tell me? The words "bedside companion" were like a thorn, piercing deep into my heart and filling me with a wave of unease.

"My queen, are you okay?" Zhen Youcai looked at me with concern.

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "I'm fine. It's just that the letter came so strangely that it makes me think too much."

"I also feel this matter is of grave importance. The letter's statement that 'the palace is rife with dangers' is absolutely not an exaggeration." Zhen Youcai pondered for a moment. "I believe the most urgent task is to investigate the origins of this letter and the identity of the 'person beside me' mentioned in the letter."

I nodded and looked at the anonymous letter, trying to find some clues from the handwriting, but the handwriting was neat and beautiful, obviously deliberate, and there was no flaw at all.

"By the way, Madam," Lu Zhu suddenly said, "I remembered something that may be related to this letter."

"What's the matter?" I asked hurriedly.

"A few days ago, while I was tidying up the storeroom, I overheard two old palace maids chatting. They said there seemed to be a secret hidden in the remains of the cold palace, but I don't know what the secret is."

The remains of the cold palace? My heart moved. Could this letter be related to the remains of the cold palace?

"Let's go to the cold palace and take a look." I made a quick decision and decided to go to the cold palace myself to find out what was going on.

The Cold Palace, located in the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace, is a long-abandoned palace complex, uninhabited year-round, making it particularly eerie and terrifying. Zhen Youcai and I searched the Cold Palace carefully, hoping to find some clues.

"My Lady, look!" Zhen Youcai pointed to a brick in the corner and said, "This brick seems a little unusual."

I walked forward and took a closer look, and found that the color of that blue brick was indeed darker than the other blue bricks, and there seemed to be some fine lines engraved on the surface.

"Could this be the entrance to the secret room?" I was excited and quickly ordered someone to find tools and carefully pry open the blue brick.

As expected, a dark hole appeared under the blue bricks. Zhen Youcai and I looked at each other, and we both saw surprise and anticipation in each other's eyes.

At this moment, an old voice came from behind, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing into the forbidden area of ​​the cold palace?"

We looked back and saw an old palace maid with gray hair and a hunched body standing behind us, looking at us warily.

I quickly stepped forward and bowed to the old palace maid. "Don't misunderstand, old lady. We are here to investigate a matter. May I ask if you know anything about this secret room?"

The old maid looked us up and down, as if trying to judge the truth of our words. After a long while, she slowly said, "Follow me."

We followed the old palace maid into a dilapidated room. She fumbled on a wall for a moment, then pressed down hard on one of the bricks.

"Rumble..."

With a dull sound, the wall slowly opened to the sides, revealing a secret passage leading underground...

"Come in, child. Everything here was told to you by the previous queen, my master, before she died." The old maid's voice was low and sorrowful, her eyes filled with complex emotions... A musty smell filled my nose, and I couldn't help but cover my mouth and nose. In the dim light, I finally got a clear view of the secret passage. The narrow passage, with its mottled walls on both sides, exuded a chilling atmosphere that made me shudder.

"Watch your step," Zhen Youcai whispered, stepping into the secret passage first. I followed closely behind him, feeling both nervous and excited. What secrets lay hidden in this passage? Was the "bedmate" mentioned in the anonymous letter connected to this?

We groped our way forward. The secret passage was eerily quiet, with only the sound of our footsteps and breathing echoing. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a ray of light finally appeared ahead.

"We're here!" Zhen Youcai's voice was filled with excitement.

The sight before me astonished me. This wasn't some secret room; it was clearly an underground palace! Its splendor and magnificence contrasted starkly with the dilapidated cold palace outside. However, the palace had long been deserted, leaving only some broken furniture and scattered gold, silver, and jewelry, silent reminders of its former prosperity.

"Be careful!" Zhen Youcai suddenly grabbed me. I looked up in shock and saw a sharp arrow flying over my head and nailed into the opposite wall.

"It seems that this place is not as peaceful as it looks on the surface." Zhen Youcai's face was solemn. He drew the sword from his waist and looked around vigilantly.

We advanced cautiously, taking every step with extreme caution, fearing to trigger any traps. The ingenuity of the designers of this underground palace was truly breathtaking. Along the way, we encountered all sorts of traps and tactical devices: hidden arrows, poisonous smoke, quicksand... but Zhen Youcai and I defied them all with our wisdom and courage.

Finally, we came to the depths of the palace and found an ancient diary bound with gold thread in front of a huge desk.

"What is this?" I asked curiously.

"Perhaps, this is the purpose of our trip." Zhen Youcai carefully opened the diary and read it carefully page by page.

The diary was written in an ancient language that I didn’t recognize, but from Zhen Youcai’s solemn expression, I could tell that the content of this diary was unusual.

"This diary records an unknown history of the palace..." Zhen Youcai's voice was low and hoarse, "Also, the secret about your life experience..."

My heart was shocked. Could it be that this diary contains clues about my life experience?

Just as we were about to leave the secret room and take the diary with us to find the truth, a cold voice suddenly rang out in the empty palace: "Who allowed you to touch it?"

We suddenly turned around and saw a man in black appear at the door, with a cold light flashing in his hand...

The diary slipped from Zhen Youcai's hands, and my heart skipped a beat. A man in black? When did he appear? We were completely unaware!

"Put down the diary and I will spare your life." The man in black spoke in a low voice, with unquestionable majesty in his tone.

Zhen Youcai protected me behind him, staring fiercely at the man in black, "Who are you? Why are you stopping us?"

The man in black sneered, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Leave the diary with me, and I can pretend nothing happened."

"This diary is very important to us. We can't leave it here." I peeked out from behind Zhen Youcai and said firmly. This diary might hold the secret of my life. I couldn't give it up.

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" The man in black moved and attacked us like a ghost.

Zhen Youcai reacted quickly, swinging his sword to meet the attack. A fierce battle ensued in the confined space, with flashes of swords and sabers. The man in black was a skilled warrior, his moves fierce and ruthless. Although Zhen Youcai was not outmatched, he gradually began to feel his strength wearying.

Seeing Zhen Youcai losing ground, I was extremely anxious, but I was at a loss. At this moment, an old voice suddenly rang out, "How dare you, a madman, trespass into this forbidden area!"

An old palace maid came out from somewhere, holding a dragon-headed cane in her hand and staring at the man in black with sharp eyes.

"Who are you?" The man in black was obviously surprised by the appearance of the old palace maid.

"I am an old servant in this palace. Who are you to dare to be so rude here?" The old palace maid said sternly.

The man in black seemed wary of the old palace maid and hesitated for a moment. This moment of hesitation gave Zhen Youcai a chance to catch his breath. He seized the opportunity and stabbed the man in black with his sword. He was unable to dodge and was cut on the arm, blood staining his sleeve.

"Just wait for me!" The man in black covered his wound, glared at us fiercely, turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

"Thank you for your help, old lady." I looked at the old palace maid with gratitude.

The old maid waved her hand and said, "You should leave quickly. This is not a place to stay for long."

"But this diary..." I looked at the diary on the ground and hesitated.

"This diary contains many palace secrets. It must not fall into the wrong hands," the old maid said, pulling out an oil-paper bag from her sleeve and carefully wrapping the diary. "Take it and leave quickly! Remember, you must protect it!"

I took the diary and nodded solemnly.

"Come with me, I know a secret passage that can lead us out of here." The old maid said, turning and walking towards the depths of the palace.

We followed the old maid through deep corridors and finally came to a hidden corner. The old maid groped on a wall for a while, and the wall suddenly split to the sides, revealing a dark passage.

"From here, you can go outside the palace." The old maid pointed to the passage and said, "Remember, after you go out, don't look back."

"Old man, won't you come with us?" I asked.

"I'm an old slave, I don't want to go anywhere, I'll just stay here." The old maid waved her hand, "You guys should leave quickly, it will be too late if you don't leave now!"

I looked at the old palace maid deeply, turned around and walked into the corridor with Zhen Youcai.

The passage was pitch black, and we couldn't see our hand in front of us. We groped our way forward, and behind us came the kind yet lonely voice of the old palace maid, "Let's go, let's go..."

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps behind me, and a familiar voice sounded in the darkness, "Want to leave? Not that easy!"

"Oh no, it's him!" My heart tightened. It was that man in black! He actually caught up with me!

"Hurry up!" Zhen Youcai grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.

In the darkness, we could only stumble forward based on our feelings. The footsteps behind us were getting closer and closer, like the drumbeats of approaching death, beating at my heart.

"Cough cough..." I couldn't help coughing. This secret passage was narrow and stuffy, and the air was filled with a damp and moldy smell, making it difficult for me to breathe.

"Mengmeng, hold on!" Zhen Youcai's voice was particularly clear in the darkness. He put one arm around my waist and groped his way forward on the wall with the other hand.

Finally, a faint light appeared ahead of us, like a twinkling star in the night sky, giving us hope.

"Hurry, the exit is just ahead!" Zhen Youcai quickened his pace and pulled me towards the light.

"Want to run? Dream on!" The figure of the man in black was very close, and a black shadow flashed by, blocking the exit.

"Hand over the diary and I can spare your lives!" The man in black said in a cold tone, with greed flashing in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it!" I tightly grasped the diary in my arms. This diary is not only related to my life experience, but also to the safety of the entire palace. I must not let it fall into the hands of the wrong people!

"You are so stubborn!" The man in black moved and attacked us again.

Zhen Youcai protected me behind him and swung his sword to meet the enemy. The two of them engaged in a fierce battle in the narrow cave entrance, with swords flashing and sparks flying everywhere.

"Mengmeng, you go first, I will stop him!" Zhen Youcai said to me anxiously while resisting the attack of the man in black.

"No, I won't go. I want to stay with you!" I shook my head firmly. I couldn't leave him alone to face danger.

"Be obedient and leave quickly! This is an order!" Zhen Youcai said in a stern tone. He knew that if I didn't leave, I would only become a burden to him.

I gritted my teeth, knowing that now was not the time to be willful. I had to trust him and protect myself so that I could better help him.

"Be careful!" I looked at him deeply, turned around and ran towards the exit.

I ran desperately, with the sound of swords clashing and Zhen Youcai's roar in my ears. I didn't dare look back, for fear of seeing him meet with an unexpected disaster.

Finally, I ran out of the secret passage, and the view in front of me suddenly became clear. The warm sunshine shone on me. I greedily breathed in the fresh air, but my heart was full of worries.

I can't leave like this, I must go back and save him!

I looked around and found myself in a forest with a path not far away.

"Let's find a safe place first, then think of a solution." I said to myself, and then walked towards the path.

After walking for a while, I came to a cave. The entrance of the cave was blocked by dense branches and was very hidden.

I slipped into the cave, took out the diary from my arms, and opened the yellowed pages in the faint light.

The owner of the diary was an old palace maid. She recorded in detail some secrets that happened in the palace at that time, including the mystery of my life experience.

According to the records in the diary, my biological parents are not ordinary people. They are both members of the royal family, and I am the legal heir to the throne.

However, my birth violated the interests of certain people. They secretly colluded, killed my parents, and secretly sent me out of the palace.

The diary also mentioned that my parents left some important items in the royal tombs that might prove my identity.

"The Royal Tomb..." I muttered to myself, and suddenly a bold plan came to my mind...

"Zhen Youcai, wait for me, I will definitely rescue you, find out the truth, and avenge you!"