“Stop her!” Taohua decisively released Qingtai, who leaped forward to block Mei Zhaoxue’s path.
Mei Zhaoxue’s heart skipped a beat. She stiffly turned her neck, slowly looking back.
“Where is the lady heading?” Taohua approached her with a smile, brushing dust off her shoulder. “In such a hurry?”
Mei Zhaoxue lowered her gaze, smoothing her skirt. She replied coolly, “I heard there’s a commotion at the gate. I merely wanted to take a look.”
“If I’m not mistaken,” Taohua smirked, “aren’t you supposed to be under house arrest? What concern is the fighting outside to you?”
Sweat formed on Mei Zhaoxue’s palms as she retreated half a step, remaining silent. Taohua quietly observed her for a moment before saying, “You didn’t think I was trapped in the palace, did you? Rushing to open the mansion gates for others?”
Realizing something was amiss, Mei Zhaoxue frowned. “Furen didn’t enter the palace?”
“Why would I go to the palace?” Taohua raised an eyebrow. “With such chaos outside, who knows what might happen?”
“Furen’s schemes run deep,” Mei Zhaoxue laughed bitterly. “There’s truly no winning against you.”
“You flatter me.” Taohua glanced at Qingtai, who swiftly bound Mei Zhaoxue and escorted her towards the gate.
As they neared the main entrance, the clash of weapons could be heard. The commotion seemed significant. The gates were tightly shut, with Pang Zhanfei leading men to guard them. Hearing movement behind him, he turned to look.
“Furen!” Pang Zhanfei’s expression tightened upon seeing Taohua. “You should return to your quarters. Don’t come out!”
“I need to understand the situation before I hide,” Taohua asked seriously, “Who’s outside?”
Pang Zhanfei hesitated, then pulled Taohua aside. “It’s the Imperial Guards. The Emperor is gravely ill in the palace. The Chancellor has sealed the palace, preventing entry. The loyal Imperial Guards seek to attack the Chancellor’s mansion to ensure the Emperor’s safety.”
However, Emperor Mingde was beyond saving.
Taohua nodded, recognizing the gravity of the situation. She pointed to the bound Mei Zhaoxue behind her. “This person is a traitor within the mansion. Keep her under guard. If necessary, use her as a hostage. It might buy us a chance for survival.”
Mei Zhaoxue exclaimed in shock, “Furen, I’m also part of this household. Why seek personal vengeance?”
“I bear no personal grudge against you,” Taohua turned to face her. “But you’ve schemed against both me and Shen Zaiye. I can’t afford to show mercy.”
Mei Zhaoxue pressed her lips together. She wanted to deny it, but Taohua’s piercing gaze seemed to see through her. Any explanation would be laughable.
Indeed, she had been plotting against them. She just never expected to fail even at Jiang Taohua’s first hurdle.
With the Crown Prince’s death, her father had seen through Shen Zaiye’s true nature but could do nothing against him. Knowing Shen Zaiye harbored treasonous intentions, he thought to at least protect the Emperor. Otherwise, the Mei family’s survival would be even more precarious. So he had her lure Jiang Taohua into the palace yesterday, offering her to the Emperor as leverage to thwart Shen Zaiye’s actions.
She had assumed Jiang Taohua was oblivious and would at least be curious enough to visit the palace. Unexpectedly, Taohua didn’t fall for the trap and even caught her instead.
Once again, she had lost, and the defeat still stung. She was no less capable than Jiang Taohua, so why could she never win?
Pang Zhanfei nodded in agreement and sent men to tie Mei Zhaoxue to a nearby tree. Taohua then rushed back to Lingwu Courtyard with Qingtai.
“Why are we hiding here?” Gu Qingying asked curiously. “Wouldn’t it be safer if we split up and hid separately? We’d be harder to find that way.”
“Because this is the Chancellor’s courtyard,” Taohua replied, striding towards the study without hesitation. “The situation is critical. Follow me!”
The group hesitated briefly, but a sudden cheer from soldiers outside the mansion, suggesting the main gate had been breached, sent them scrambling towards the study in panic.
Jostled by the crowd, Taohua frowned. She pushed through to the bookshelf in the study, feeling around until a soft click revealed a hidden door.
The women screamed, but Taohua hushed them sharply. “Quiet!”
Gu Huairou covered her mouth, staring in shock at the secret room illuminated before them. The walls were lined with swords and daggers.
They had never known such a place existed in the Chancellor’s mansion!
“Get in,” Jiang Taohua ordered, listening for outside movements. “Qingtai, go to the kitchen and bring as much food and water as you can. Hurry.”
“Yes!” Qingtai dashed off. The others rushed into the hidden room, complaining about the darkness and cold.
Taohua ran to the main house, gathering blankets from Shen Zaiye’s room with Huadeng’s help. She also grabbed candles and lanterns to light the secret room and make it comfortable. Then she crouched by the door, waiting for Qingtai’s return.
Qingtai, impressively strong, returned with two baskets of supplies. Taohua clapped in admiration. “Well done!”
“Mistress, quickly, inside!” Qingtai’s face was drained of color. “They’ve breached the mansion gates! They’re already inside!”
“Alright.” Taohua nodded, watching Qingtai enter the hidden room. She then locked Lingwu Courtyard’s main door, checked the yard for any traces, and finally entered the secret room, sealing the mechanism behind her.
“Keep your voices down and listen,” she whispered in the darkness. “Lingwu Courtyard has the sturdiest gates in the mansion. Even if they’ve entered the compound, it’ll take time to breach this place. Plus, we have this hidden mechanism protecting us. If they do discover the room, we’re surrounded by weapons. We’ll use them to fight back if necessary.”
Most of the women, raised in noble households, had never faced such a situation. At the mention of wielding weapons, Gu Qingying’s voice quavered, “We’re just weak women. How can we possibly fight? What’s happening out there? Why is this—”
Jiang Taohua quickly covered her mouth, cutting off her words.
The sound of banging doors echoed from outside, each thud striking fear into the hearts of those huddled in the hidden room.
Qingtai organized the food and water, then selected a sword from the wall, giving her mistress a meaningful look.
Taohua understood the message in Qingtai’s eyes—the maid would protect her with her life. She squeezed Qingtai’s hand reassuringly, then held her breath, listening to the commotion outside.
Unable to find anyone in the rear courtyard, the searching Imperial Guards muttered to each other, “Nothing here.”
“Nothing here either.”
Puzzled by the absence of people, the captain of the Imperial Guards frowned as he stood before Lingwu Courtyard’s gate. After watching his men struggle with the door for a while, he ordered, “Bring ladders. We’ll climb over and search inside. This door is too sturdy.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ten Imperial Guards scaled the walls into Lingwu Courtyard and began their search.
Some of the more timid maids in the hidden room had started crying, covering their mouths to muffle the sound. But hearing the searchers tapping on the walls around them, their hearts raced in terror.
Taohua passed out handkerchiefs while frantically devising a plan, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
She wasn’t worried about being found by those outside. Her greater concern was that these fragile women might break under the pressure and reveal their hiding place. After all, they were used to a life of luxury—even a small fright usually required days of herbal remedies to recover. This life-or-death situation was far beyond their experience. Perhaps because she had always appeared dependable, they were managing to endure, for now, trusting in her.
But in truth, she too felt uncertain.
No amount of clever scheming could stand against absolute military might. If caught, regardless of whether Shen Zaiye was threatened or not, they would have no chance of survival.
Including herself.
Gritting her teeth, Taohua gripped Qingtai’s hand tightly, listening to the sounds of searching outside. She could barely breathe.
As the Imperial Guards searched in vain, one accidentally knocked over a vase from a bookshelf. It shattered with a loud crash, spilling water across the floor.
Taohua’s pupils constricted as she drew in a sharp breath.
The water seeped under the hidden door into their room. If anyone outside noticed, they would surely realize something was amiss!
Gu Huairou saw it too and was about to cry out in alarm. Taohua quickly embraced her, whispering, “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be alright. Stay calm!”
The guard who had knocked over the vase simply kicked aside the broken pieces, oblivious to the direction of the water flow. He turned and reported, “Sir, there’s no one here either!”
Everyone in the hidden room let out a collective sigh of relief. Nangong Qin’s eyes reddened, while Gu Qingying bit her hand to stifle her sobs, her eyes darting wildly.
“Just follow my lead, and you’ll be fine,” Taohua said with a reassuring smile, noticing their distress. “Leaving now would be certain death. If we stay here, we might survive for a few days until the Chancellor returns to rescue us. Don’t give up hope.”
“What if they discover us?” Qin Huaiyu asked in a small voice.
“Then I’ll stand between you and them,” Taohua replied gently, looking at the group. “I am, after all, the mistress of this household. If the sky falls, and my husband isn’t here to hold it up, I’ll shield you all myself!”
Her words warmed their hearts, easing their panic somewhat. Taohua arranged the blankets to keep them comfortable, then assessed the food and water Qingtai had brought. By her calculations, they should be able to hold out for a while.
“Lady Nangong, I owe you an apology,” Gu Qingying suddenly whispered. “I deceived you before. I said we’d stand together, but I betrayed you to the Mei family.”
Nangong Qin started, looking at her in surprise.
“I wanted a better life,” Gu Qingying lowered her head. “Having finally become a concubine, I naturally wanted to climb higher, so I was momentarily misguided… I’ve betrayed you too, Furen.”
What was this? Deathbed confessions? Taohua couldn’t help but laugh, waving her hand dismissively. “I’ve known all along. Don’t worry about it.”
After all, she hadn’t suffered any real loss from it.
With Gu Qingying taking the lead, the group of women seemed to have a sudden awakening, and they all began to reflect on their past actions.
(End of Chapter)