Chapter 203 - 201. Suspicion

Third-person POV

The night after Meiyun left Di Shang*

In an isolated alley in the Royal Palace, a woman and a man dressed like servants whispering to each other.

Man: "Listen to me, smear this on the …. and serve it to the Empress 2 days from now."

The woman was visibly trembling.

Man: "Don't hesitate or I will kill all of your family!"

Woman: "Pl-please don't! I-I will do it!"

Man: "Good.  Make sure she ….. like what I told you. I will immediately kill you and your family if you mess this up."

The man glared at the woman before he disappeared into thin air. He easily slipped out from the Royal Palace with the back door that was guarded by his own peers. Then he went into a glamorous inn located in the middle of Chang An.

He entered a VIP room and sat on a chair. There was a divider across the room and he could see a silhouette of a petite woman from his position.

Man: "Can't you choose a better place if you don't want your identity to be known?"

Woman: "Why do I have to? Is it because your status is too low to be in here?"

Man: "Don't piss me off or I will cancel our deal."

Woman: "I know you won't."

The woman walked out from the divider with a very thin cloth. She sat beside him and slid her hand into his clothes.

Woman: "You need me, you need my power…"

Man: "Talk less, do more."

The man smirked as he pulled the woman onto his lap.

Woman: "Did you give her the poison?"

Man: "I did, just get your ass moving."

Woman: "Be patient, I have to make sure you did your job properly before I reward you."

The woman kissed the man.

Man: "What makes you so desperate to kill her?"

The woman grinned slyly in the kiss.

Woman: "So I can have cousin brother….for myself."

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2 days later*

In Hong er's chamber*

Hong er tapped the corner of the table with her finger whilst looking over doc.u.ments that piled up in front of her. She placed down her brush and sighed. At the same time, Huayun came into the room with a cup of tea and a set of confectioneries.

Huayun: "Is something wrong, Your Majesty Empress?"

Hong er: "No. Any news?"

Huayun: "I checked Meiyun's location from her badge and it seems like they are about to arrive at Xi An."

Hong er: "En. Good. How about His Majesty Emperor?"

Huayun: "They are doing fine, it is just that the Bei Zhou's soldiers separated after they managed to break through the border."

Hong er: "Everything seems suspicious."

Huayun: "Why do Your Majesty Empress say so?"

Hong er: "I just got a report. The amount of people enters Chang An increased in an absurd amount. Why would people come here when there is a war? Usually, they would go to a place with the least risk of getting involved in war."

Huayun looked at the report that Hong er showed to her.

Huayun: "Indeed. Should I go check it?"

Hong er: "En. If you sense anything suspicious, immediately retreat. I have a bad feeling about this."

Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress!"

Hong er: 'I hope it isn't what I think it is.'

Hong er took the cup from the maid beside her and glanced at the confectionaries in front of her.

Hong er: "What is this?"

Ming Yu: "These confectionaries were made by the maids and it tastes really good, Your Majesty Empress."

Hong er unnoticeably knitted her brows, she became suspicious of everything that she eats and drinks. She passed the tea to Ming Yu and let Ming Yu do a poison test with a silver needle on both the tea and confectionaries.

The silver needle didn't show any kind of reaction such as color change. So Ming Yu nodded her head to tell Hong er that everything was safe to be consumed.

Hong er took back the tea from Ming Yu and opened the lid of the cup. She inhaled the tea fragrance and smiled softly, she took a sip of the tea and placed down the cup. Then when she was about to use a chopstick to eat the confectionaries, a maid slowly stepped up and bowed.

Maid: "Your Majesty Empress, may this servant tell you something?"

Hong er: "Go on."

Hong er smiled tenderly which only made the maid's heart heavier.

Maid: "These confectionaries were originated from Xi Bei and it will be more enjoyable if Your Majesty Empress uses one's hand to eat it. This servant will never lie to Your Majesty Empress."

Hong er: "En. Ben Gong believes you."

Hong er set down her chopstick and grabbed a piece of bunny-shaped sweets. She chewed the sweets and her face instantly brightened.

Hong er: "Wow, this is very delicious."

Maid: "Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty Empress."

After she ate a few more pieces of the sweets, Hong er cleaned her finger that was covered with sugar powder using her tongue then she wiped her hand with a handkerchief.

Hong er: "Thank you for making these delicious sweets."

Servants: "It is our pleasure."

Hong er rose from her seat.

Ming Yu: "What is the matter, Your Majesty Empress?"

Hong er: "Ben Gong wants to take a walk."

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At the top of the border wall, Weisheng narrowed his eyes as he stared at the soldiers 10 km across him. Lu Ping looked at the man who was exuding such an intimidating aura. Lu Ping walked towards Weisheng and stared at the same direction

Lu Ping: "From your expression, it seems like you noticed it too."

Weisheng: "En."

The qualities of the Bei Zhou's soldiers were very low, even lower than average standard soldiers. They noticed this right in the first time they fought Bei Zhou in this war.

The soldiers were trembling and struggling to hold their own weapons, nonetheless when they have to fight one of the strongest armies in the continent.

Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, Lu Gongzi, this is the result of the investigation on the poisoned water source."

Qiyi bowed and handed a scroll to Lu Ping. Lu Ping unrolled the scroll and knitted his brows.

Lu Ping: "This…. Your Majesty Emperor, please take a look."

Weisheng took the scroll and also frowned when he read the first area that was contaminated with poison.

Weisheng: "From inside?"

Lu Ping: "There must be a traitor or one of those Bei Zhou managed to sneak into the border."

Weisheng: "Traitor."

Lu Ping widened his eyes in shock.

Lu Ping: "For our classified information about the military base and Xu family's secret base to be exposed…"

Weisheng: "It is someone who is very close to us."