Actually, it wasn’t surprising that Zhu Qiyue harbored doubts.
After the Qingming Festival, Zhu Nanxian had repeatedly mentioned wanting to go to Minghua Palace again to visit Zhu Jingyuan. When asked for his reasons, he evaded and wouldn’t say.
One must be wary of others. Zhu Qiyue therefore decided to pretend to agree and go with him to see what was actually going on.
Before long, Commander Fu brought back the silver needle. Though the wine and dishes showed no abnormalities, Zhu Qiyue said, “I forgot to tell you—I already had my evening meal when I returned to the palace. You go ahead and eat. I’ll just wait.”
Zhu Nanxian smiled and truly followed Zhu Qiyue’s words. He went to the stone table and finished his meal. Only after the sky had completely darkened did he set down his chopsticks: “I won’t delay Twelfth Brother any longer. Let’s be on our way.”
From the Eastern Palace to Minghua Palace, the route passed through many palace compounds. Besides Zhu Qiyue, two Eagle Guards followed at Zhu Nanxian’s side.
Passing through a corridor and by the abandoned Orchid Garden, Zhu Nanxian seemed to glance casually at the sky.
The second quarter of the hour of xu had arrived.
As he walked, his steps slowed. He clutched his chest and groaned, then collapsed kneeling on the ground while supporting himself against a tall elm tree by the roadside.
Zhu Qiyue froze for a moment and asked, “What’s wrong?”
An Eagle Guard who had stepped forward to support Zhu Nanxian answered, “Your Highness the Twelfth Prince, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince has been frequently suffering from palpitations recently. The imperial physician said it’s caused by excessive worry.”
But Zhu Qiyue was skeptical. He looked at Zhu Nanxian, thought for a moment, and said, “Since you’re unwell, why don’t I accompany you to see Father Emperor another day?”
Zhu Nanxian shook his head and said, seemingly enduring pain with a hoarse voice, “No need. I’ll be fine after resting for a moment.”
The two Eagle Guards then supported Zhu Nanxian on either side as he sat leaning against the elm tree.
On the elm tree, someone—who knows who—had once prayed for blessings here, tying a red silk ribbon to a branch that hung down low.
Zhu Qiyue watched from the side. His gaze moved from the red silk ribbon to this tall elm tree. He saw its branches and leaves flourishing like a canopy, with something glimmering at the treetop.
Zhu Qiyue had originally thought this glimmering was water droplets reflecting the moonlight. But thinking more carefully, he felt something was wrong—it was true that it had rained last night, but the rain had stopped at dawn. Now it was already nighttime. How could there still be water on the treetop?
With this thought, he looked more carefully at the elm tree, only then discovering that what was glimmering wasn’t water at all, but a layer of silver powder painted on the underside of the leaves.
Zhu Qiyue’s heart tightened. Before he could shout “Be careful,” Zhu Nanxian, sitting beneath the tree, had already pulled the red silk ribbon tied to the branch with lightning speed.
The massive treetop tilted and fell down with this pull, and the poison powder painted on the leaves scattered in all directions from the shaking.
The two Eagle Guards couldn’t dodge in time. They inhaled the poison powder and had just tried to stand when they felt dizzy and their vision blurred.
Zhu Qiyue was about to cover his nose and avoid it when Zhu Nanxian moved a step ahead, restraining his wrist. Instead, he raised his own hand and made a sweeping motion from the treetop, then scattered it toward Zhu Qiyue’s nose and mouth.
When Zhu Qiyue raised his hand to block, he discovered there was actually no silver powder in Zhu Nanxian’s hand. The scattering motion was merely a feint, but it left his back exposed and vulnerable.
Zhu Nanxian immediately spun around, forming his hand into a blade and striking toward his neck, saying, “Forgive me, Twelve.” He plucked a leaf from the treetop and wiped it across his nose. Zhu Qiyue completely lost consciousness.
Every day after the second quarter of the hour of xu, the patrol guards outside Orchid Garden passed by once every incense stick’s duration. In other words, starting from the second quarter of xu, Zhu Nanxian had one incense stick’s worth of time before being discovered.
The wine and dishes he had prepared earlier in the Eastern Palace actually weren’t poisoned. Inviting Zhu Qiyue to dine together was only to drag the time out until the hour of xu.
Unfortunately, taking down Zhu Qiyue just now had already consumed considerable effort. Zhu Nanxian knew the time remaining to him was already very limited.
He dragged Zhu Qiyue and the other two Eagle Guards into a side room in Orchid Garden, quickly stripped the garments from one Eagle Guard to change into himself, then gagged all three of them and used rope he had already placed in the room to bind them head to tail.
Before Zhu Nanxian could leave the side room, he heard footsteps already outside Orchid Garden.
His heart sank. The time of one incense stick hadn’t yet passed, yet footsteps were already coming. Had something unexpected happened?
Just as he was considering this, the footsteps had already drawn near. Someone entered Orchid Garden, shouting, “Search that area carefully too!”
Zhu Nanxian didn’t hesitate further. He pulled the helmet lower, pushed open the door, and walked outside. Facing the guards in the garden, he asked somewhat ambiguously, “How did you all find your way here?”
The night was deep. Orchid Garden was a deserted garden with no lamps lit. The guards, looking through the shadows of sparse flowers and trees, couldn’t make out Zhu Nanxian’s features clearly, but they recognized his seventh-rank black armor.
One of the guard commanders immediately knelt to report, “Commander, we subordinates were ordered to come here to search for Her Imperial Noble Consort.”
Learning these people hadn’t come for him, Zhu Nanxian still couldn’t breathe easier.
From their meaning, the Imperial Noble Consort must have gone mad again and left Chonghua Palace. The rear palace patrol guards and imperial guards must currently be searching everywhere for her. At this critical moment, trying to escape the palace would be extremely difficult.
However, once the arrow leaves the bow, there’s no turning back.
Zhu Nanxian knew that if he missed tonight, he would probably never be able to leave the palace confines for the rest of his life.
Thinking of this, he said indifferently, “No need to search here. This official has already searched.”
The guard commander said hesitantly, “But…”
“Do you not trust this official’s word?” Zhu Nanxian said in a stern voice.
He stood in the darkness. The guards couldn’t see his face clearly, but he could see their clothing and attire clearly by the torches in their hands.
“You are from the ninth squad of the sixteen stations of the rear palace guard, responsible for patrolling the area from Orchid Garden to Weiyang Palace. This official has already searched here. If you don’t believe it, you may certainly search again. But if this delays finding Her Imperial Noble Consort, or if something happens to Her Imperial Noble Consort in the territory under your guard’s patrol, don’t blame this official for reporting truthfully and requesting the Commandant’s Office to punish you.”
Hearing these words, the guard commander quickly said, “Commander, please don’t be angry. We subordinates will go search elsewhere right away.”
Zhu Nanxian watched the guards walk away, but his expression became even more grave.
According to the original plan, he could have used this seventh-rank black armor and the patrol schedule he had memorized to avoid searches and reach the front palace. But now with the Imperial Noble Consort missing, the rear palace would surely be under strict patrol. News of his and Twelfth Brother’s disappearance from the Eastern Palace would certainly spread everywhere before long. Continuing to wear the Eagle Guard’s armor would only be counterproductive.
With this thought, Zhu Nanxian devised a plan.
He walked out of Orchid Garden, plucked two leaves with poison powder from the elm treetop and tucked them into his sleeve. He hid in the darkness and waited for a moment until he saw a lone patrol guard passing by. Only then did he emerge from the shadows and call out, “This young soldier.”
Seeing the newcomer in black armor, the patrol guard was about to bow until he saw his face clearly. Then he called out almost disbelievingly, “Th-Thirteenth Prince?”
But Zhu Nanxian paid no attention. As he strode before him, he held the poisoned leaf in his palm, raised his hand to cover the guard’s nose and mouth, then followed up with a hand chop. The patrol guard lost consciousness.
Zhu Nanxian dragged him into another woodshed in Orchid Garden, exchanged their armor and clothing, bound him in the same manner, and only then quickly left.
From Orchid Garden to the front palace was still quite a distance. Along the way, he not only had to pass through Weiyang Palace and Yuhua Hall, but also traverse the lengthy Changliu Passage.
If viewed from above, the rear palace was now in chaos. Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids were running through every lane and passage. Illuminating torches moved back and forth, accompanied by panicked shouting.
The helmet of the patrol guard from earlier was very large. When Zhu Nanxian pulled the brim down low, it could even cover half his face.
He simply ran forward. When passing through Changliu Passage and brushing shoulders with several patrol guards dressed similarly to himself, he paid no attention.
However, those patrol guards stopped in their tracks. After a moment, a rough voice called out, “You there!”
Seeing Zhu Nanxian ignore him, he chased forward a few steps with his men and asked, “Why are you alone?” He asked again, “What are you doing?”
Zhu Nanxian was just searching for an excuse to brush them off when suddenly he heard complex, fast and urgent footsteps coming from outside Changliu Passage.
Accompanying these footsteps, a line of torches like a long dragon also approached outside the vermilion palace walls.
Seeing this formation, Zhu Nanxian’s heart immediately gave rise to an ominous premonition.
With no way to avoid it, at one end of Changliu Passage appeared a person with a cinnabar mark between his brows, wearing a dark-patterned python robe.
It was none other than Zhu Zhaowei, who had rushed to the rear palace to question people upon hearing of the Imperial Noble Consort’s disappearance.
Zhu Nanxian lowered his head. Together with the other patrol guards beside him, he retreated to the side of the passage, all kneeling together and bowing in salute.
Originally, Zhu Zhaowei paid no attention to mere patrol guards. However, just as he passed by Zhu Nanxian, an Eagle Guard came running hurriedly from the inner palace and begged forgiveness from Zhu Zhaowei: “Your Highness the Seventh Prince, the Twelfth Prince and Thirteenth Prince have disappeared!”
Hearing these words, Zhu Zhaowei’s originally mild expression completely cooled. Fury suddenly arose in his eyes: “What happened?!” He added, “Isn’t Zhu Nanxian in the Eastern Palace? How could he disappear?!”
The Eagle Guard who came to report said, “Your Highness the Seventh Prince, after nightfall today, the Twelfth Prince was going to take the Thirteenth Prince to Minghua Palace to visit His Majesty. But just now when the Imperial Noble Consort went missing, the Tiger Guard who reported to the duty station said they had not seen either prince at Minghua Palace.”
Zhu Zhaowei erupted in fury: “Then what are you standing there for? Why aren’t you quickly sending people to search!” He then looked toward the Yulin Guard Vice Commander beside him and asked, “Where is Wu Yusheng?”
The Yulin Guard Vice Commander replied, “Your Highness the Seventh Prince, after the hour of shen today, Lord Su from the Ministry of Justice… summoned Lord Wu on charges of plotting to harm the Late Crown Prince. Right now Lord Wu is probably still at the Ministry of Justice.”
Zhu Zhaowei ground his teeth: “That Su Shiyu again.”
However, the Yulin Guard only secretly submitted to him. Without Wu Yusheng present, before the many officials from the Court of Imperial Clan behind him, he couldn’t arbitrarily deploy troops.
Zhu Zhaowei asked darkly, “When did they go missing?”
“Your Highness, after the hour of xu.”
Zhu Zhaowei glanced at the sky. The current time was still the hour of xu. Presumably, Zhu Nanxian was still in the inner palace. He calmed his mind somewhat and ordered, “Send someone to the Ministry of Justice to have Wu Yusheng come see this prince. Immediately dispatch people to guard all the rear palace gates.” Just as he was about to take a step, from the corner of his eye he caught sight of several patrol guards still kneeling in the night by the roadside. Impatiently he said, “What are you several doing standing around here? Why aren’t you hurrying to search for Twelfth Brother and Thirteenth Brother?!”
The patrol guards acknowledged the order. Immediately lowering their heads and bending at the waist, they were about to head toward the inner palace.
On the night of Guyu, cloud masses accumulated at the horizon. The moonlight appeared and disappeared intermittently through the clouds.
Zhu Zhaowei’s gaze casually swept over the patrol guards ahead. Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling flashed through his heart.
Before he could identify what this inexplicable feeling was, the words “Wait a moment” had already left his mouth.
Zhu Nanxian’s heart instantly sank to the depths. Fortunately, coming even earlier than the sound of Zhu Zhaowei’s footsteps was a shout from outside Changliu Passage: “Found the Imperial Noble Consort!”
A guard came running hurriedly and bowed before Zhu Zhaowei: “Your Highness the Seventh Prince, we’ve found the Imperial Noble Consort.” He paused, as if afraid of angering him. After hesitating for a moment, he added, “The Imperial Noble Consort is now… at the former residence of Yanhe Palace.”
The so-called former residence of Yanhe Palace was precisely the former residence of the late Consort Cen, Zhu Zhaowei’s mother consort.
Hearing these words, Zhu Zhaowei was truly enraged. The inexplicable feeling from earlier suddenly became impossible to grasp. He threw out one sentence: “Have these patrol guards follow along.” He immediately headed toward Consort Cen’s palace in gloomy silence.