From cute to empress

The thick smoke blinded me and choked me, making me speechless. I clutched Zhen Youcai's sleeve tightly, as if grasping at a last straw. His arm was as strong as steel, giving me a sense of incomparable peace of mind.

"Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. I will protect you even if I die!" Zhen Youcai's voice remained calm and powerful in the chaos, like a reassurance that gradually calmed my originally panicked heart.

We dodged falling beams and the panicking crowds until we finally reached the back garden of Kunning Palace. It was relatively safe here, but the air was still thick with the pungent smell of smoke.

"Come here! Go and gather people to put out the fire! Also, call the imperial physician to treat the wounded as soon as possible!" Zhen Youcai directed the palace maids and eunuchs while ordering people to ask the emperor for instructions.

I watched everything unfold before my eyes, my heart aching. The palace had suddenly turned into a sea of ​​fire. Some of the innocent palace maids and eunuchs fled in panic, while others were trapped in the flames, crying out in despair.

"Empress, are you okay?" Princess Zhao's voice came from a distance. She ran to my side anxiously, looking me up and down, her eyes full of worry.

"I'm fine, Princess, how about you?" I grabbed her hand and looked at her gratefully.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Princess Zhao shook her head, then turned to look at the burning Kunning Palace in front of her, her brow furrowed. "Why did the fire suddenly start? There must be something fishy going on!"

"Yeah, it's strange..." I muttered to myself, and the sinister and vicious face of Concubine Feng appeared in my mind.

The fire was finally brought under control thanks to everyone's efforts, but the Kunning Palace had been reduced to ruins. Looking at everything before my eyes, my heart seemed to be hollowed out.

"Your Majesty, I have already determined that the fire was arson, and..." Zhen Youcai walked up to me with a serious expression and said in a low voice, "We found several suspicious bodies in the fire scene. Judging from their attire, they look like... Concubine Feng's people."

My heart sank. As expected, all of this was caused by the remnants of Concubine Feng! They were trying to kill me!

"Empress..." Zhen Youcai looked at me worriedly. He knew how I felt at the moment.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the anger in my heart, and a sharp light flashed in my eyes.

"Pass the order down. Seal off the palace and thoroughly investigate this matter! I will make those behind this pay the price!"

The ruins of Kunning Palace still shrouded in smoke, but my heart, like the embers, burned with rage. Concubine Feng, between you and me, this is a life-or-death struggle!

"Youcai, you are right. We must root out the weeds. This time I will not be soft-hearted!" I clenched my fists and looked determined.

Zhen Youcai knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to go through fire and water for your Majesty and remove all obstacles!"

"Alright! Youcai, I'll leave this investigation to you. Make sure all those connected to Concubine Feng are apprehended and brought to justice!"

"I accept the decree!"

Princess Zhao also stepped forward, a worried look on her face. "Your Majesty, I am willing to do my best to help you."

I held her hand gratefully: "Princess, thank you. I feel more at ease with your help."

A vigorous investigation began within the palace. Zhen Youcai, acting with swift action, led the imperial guards through each palace, arresting and interrogating any suspicious individuals. Meanwhile, Princess Zhao and I meticulously searched Concubine Feng's chambers, hoping to uncover further clues.

"Your Majesty, look!" Princess Zhao found a jade pendant in a pile of burnt debris. Although it was badly damaged, one could vaguely see a phoenix with its wings spread out, ready to fly, carved on it.

I recognized it at a glance; it was something that belonged to Concubine Feng.

"This jade pendant... I think I've seen it somewhere..." I tried to recall, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to my mind. "I remember! The last time I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, I saw an identical jade pendant in her palace!"

"In the Empress Dowager's palace?" Princess Zhao covered her mouth in surprise. "How...how is this possible?"

My heart was suddenly filled with turmoil, and a bold hypothesis came to mind. Could it be... Could it be that this fire, and all the previous conspiracies against me, were...

I didn't dare to think further and just felt a chill on my back.

"Princess, there is no time to lose, let's go to the Cining Palace now!" I took Princess Zhao's hand and walked quickly towards the Cining Palace.

In the Cining Palace, the Queen Mother was resting with her eyes closed.

"Mother..." I was about to ask, but suddenly I caught a glimpse of a familiar jade bracelet on the Queen Mother's wrist. The pattern on it cleverly matched the phoenix on the broken jade pendant...

I gasped, and the last hope in my heart was shattered.

"Mother, why...why are you doing this?" My voice trembled, and I couldn't believe what was happening before me.

The Queen Mother slowly opened her eyes, a cold smile curling her lips: "Why? I did this because..."

Before she finished her words, a strange noise suddenly erupted from behind the screen behind me… Inside the Cining Palace, the atmosphere was stagnant, a suffocating tension hanging in the air. The empress dowager's sneer and the strange noise behind the screen were like sharp knives, piercing my nerves.

"Mother, at this point, what else can you hide?" I suppressed the fear in my heart and stared at the Queen Mother, hoping to find a flaw on her face.

The Queen Mother simply glanced at me indifferently and snorted coldly: "I have nothing to say."

"Your Majesty, please don't be impatient." Princess Zhao, standing by, tugged at my hand, signaling me to calm down. She turned to the Empress Dowager, her tone respectful yet firm: "Your Majesty, I know you have always loved the Emperor. Now that the Emperor is seriously ill and bedridden, can you bear to see him deceived by treacherous men and let the country fall into the hands of others?"

The Queen Mother's eyes flickered slightly, but she still didn't speak.

"Mother!" I took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in my heart. "Are you really going to be so stubborn? If you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame your daughter for being unfilial!"

My words seemed to touch the Queen Mother. She looked up suddenly, and a trace of struggle flashed in her eyes.

At this moment, Zhen Youcai walked out from behind the screen, holding a trembling palace maid in his hand.

"Your Majesty, I found this person behind the screen. His behavior is suspicious. Please give me your instructions." Zhen Youcai knelt on one knee with a respectful tone.

I recognized her at a glance. This palace maid was the one who served the Empress Dowager before. Her name was Xiaotao.

"Xiaotao, why are you here?" I stared at her, hoping to get some clues from her.

Xiao Tao lowered her head, her body trembling even more violently, but she still refused to speak.

"Tell me! Who ordered you to do this?!" I shouted harshly, unable to suppress the anger in my heart any longer.

Xiaotao was startled by me and finally raised her head, her eyes full of fear and hesitation.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life... This servant... This servant has no choice..."

"You can't help yourself? Who ordered you to do that? If you tell the truth now, I can spare your life!"

Xiao Tao looked at the Queen Mother, then at me, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes. She took a deep breath, as if she had made a major decision, and slowly said:

"Your Majesty... This servant... This servant wants to say..."

Before she finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the hall, followed by a sharp voice:

"The Empress Dowager's decree, Her Majesty the Empress..."

As he spoke, a figure dressed in eunuch's clothes rushed into the hall... "The Empress Dowager decrees that the Empress Dowager has committed treason and is to be immediately banished to the cold palace. No one is allowed to visit her!" The sharp voice echoed in the hall with unquestionable majesty.

Xiao Tao's words stopped abruptly and her face turned pale in an instant. She looked at the Queen Mother in horror, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a word.

"Mother!" I looked at the Queen Mother in disbelief. Anger, disappointment, sadness, all sorts of emotions intertwined together, nearly drowning me. "Are you actually going to banish your own daughter to the cold palace just because of a palace maid's words?!"

The Queen Mother seemed not to hear what I said. She just looked at me coldly without a trace of tenderness in her eyes.

"Your Majesty..." Princess Zhao pulled my hand worriedly, but I shook it off.

"I won't accept this!" My eyes were red as I stared at the Queen Mother. "What did I do wrong? Why do you treat me like this?!"

"Take him away!" The Queen Mother no longer looked at me, but waved to the guards outside the palace with a cold and ruthless tone.

The guards rushed forward and surrounded me. I struggled and resisted, but it was no use.

"Your Majesty, please don't waste your energy." A guard whispered, "The Queen Mother...is also doing this for your own good."

"For my own good?" I sneered, tears finally streaming down my cheeks. "Is this what you call doing this for my own good? Imprisoning me in the cold palace, leaving me to fend for myself, is this what you call motherly love?!"

My voice echoed in the hall, but received no response.

"Take him away!" The Queen Mother ordered again, her tone even colder.

I was forcibly dragged out of the hall by the guards. The world in front of me was blurry. Only the whistling sound of the wind in my ears and the empress dowager's cold laughter behind me were clearly audible.

"Your Majesty..." Princess Zhao's voice came from afar, filled with worry and reluctance.

I closed my eyes and let the tears flow freely.

Just as I was being dragged out of the hall by the guards, Xiao Tao suddenly rushed in front of me, knelt on the ground, and shouted at the top of her lungs: "My Lady, this servant...this servant wants to say...all this is..."

"Shut up!" the Queen Mother shouted. "Someone, drag her away!"

Xiao Tao's words were interrupted again. She was forcibly dragged away by the guards, leaving only a shrill scream echoing in the hall.

I collapsed powerlessly on the ground, Xiaotao's unfinished words kept echoing in my mind, and a strong sense of unease surged in my heart.

"All this is..."

What exactly does this sentence mean? What exactly does Xiaotao want to say?

I raised my head and looked at Zhen Youcai, but saw that his face was solemn and his eyes were full of worry and anxiety.

"Talented, I..."

Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Your Majesty, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Lord Zhen, requests an audience!"

I stood up suddenly, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart.

"Quick pass!"

Zhen Youcai strode into the hall. Before I could ask, he said anxiously, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Xiaotao..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a loud noise coming from outside the hall.

"Oh no! There's a fire! There's a fire in the Cining Palace!"

My face changed, and I suddenly felt an ominous premonition in my heart. I immediately ran towards the direction of the Cining Palace...