Scheming Through the Heavens 047 Shadow Leader

  Yu Fei and the second prince were placed under house arrest in Liucheng Palace, awaiting trial on the second day. For Gu Ling and Liao Qingyun, tonight seemed to be another sleepless night.

  In the study, Liao Qingyun looked at Gu Ling, his eyes flashing, and after a moment of hesitation, he asked slowly: "What does Brother Gu think about Yu Fei and the Second Prince's demand for an open trial to clear their names?"

  Gu Ling's pen paused, and the tip of his brush opened up a drop of ink on the paper. It wasn't until after a good while that he calmly spoke out: "What is it that Qing Yun wants to say?"

  "There is someone manipulating this case from behind." Liao Qingyun frankly expressed her own thoughts.

  Gu Ling put down his pen and raised his head, his dark eyes gazing at him with a complex expression.

  Liao Qingyun opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent. He had already had some doubts in his heart since the time of that booklet. Although they knew nothing about this person behind the scenes, one thing was certain: this person behind the scenes was secretly manipulating and stirring up trouble.

  First, he sent historical data and then evidence, seemingly using Gu Ling, but in fact, he didn't truly harm Gu Ling. The only person who didn't want to hurt Gu Ling, apart from Prince Huai, was him.

  But he couldn't say these words, firstly because they were just speculations without any evidence, and secondly because the matter was too serious and sensitive to be casually discussed, not even as a guess or consultation.

  It might be slightly better if it were an ordinary day, but tonight, on the eve of the trial of Yu Fei and the Second Prince, it cannot be said.

  Gu Ling's eyes flickered, his expression somewhat obscure and complex. He was deeply grateful to Liao Qingyun in his heart. He was grateful that Qingyun had swallowed back the words he had wanted to say, and said lightly: "Tomorrow is the day of the trial, Brother Qingyun didn't rest last night either, so get some rest early tonight."

  The most important task at hand is still to investigate the case of Da Gongzhu, and as for the person who secretly manipulated this matter, he naturally has to think of a way to find out, but whether that person is his cousin Huai Wang or not, he does not allow himself to think about it now.

  Liao Qing's eyebrows furrowed slightly, wanting to say something but ultimately saying nothing, hoping that he was just being overly cautious, otherwise...

  Gu Ling returned to his own small building, staring blankly at the night outside the window, what Qing Yun said was something he had thought about in his heart.

  If the manipulator had no scruples about him, why would he need to go to great lengths to lure him into the plot and at the same time protect him from being implicated?

  Actually, after today, he basically confirmed that the person behind the scenes is not the emperor, on the contrary, the emperor is probably the one who wants to expose this person the most.

  Apart from Consort Mei and the Crown Prince, there were only Consort Ning and Consort Shan in the palace.

  He just didn't understand why Yu Fei wanted to frame the Crown Prince. What evidence would she use to implicate him? And what was the intention of this person lurking in the shadows?

  He and Qingyun originally thought the case had surfaced, but in the end it was a dead end.

  What does that person behind want? Why lift a stone to hit one's own foot? The emperor is not a fool, neither are Consort Mei and the Crown Prince.

  ……

  The palace seems quiet as usual tonight, but it's actually not quiet at all.

  In the imperial study, Emperor Qing sat on a precious chair with his eyes narrowed, looking at the memorial in his hand. The extremely cold atmosphere made all the eunuchs and palace servants present tremble with fear.

  Shi Ji stood aside, trying to lower his head as much as possible to avoid looking in the direction of his master. The cold aura emanating from his master's body seemed to be able to freeze the blood in his chest even with just a glance out of the corner of his eye.

  A faint shadow appeared quietly and respectfully stepped forward.

  Qing Di raised his head and asked expressionlessly: "What did you find?"

  Ying shook his head: "Reporting to Your Majesty, nothing unusual was found in the Liao Mansion, the Zhang Mei Palace, and the Crown Prince's Mansion."

  Qing Emperor frowned: "Yu Fei and the Second Prince have always been very quiet?"

  Shadow nodded: "Yes, it's been very quiet."

  "What about Prince Huai's residence?"

  "The Prince of Huai's residence is very quiet, and the Prince has been bedridden with illness for several days."

  Qing Di did not make a sound, but his eyebrows furrowed even tighter, could it be that he was just being overly cautious?

  ……

  Huai Wang Fu, Huai Wang half-reclined on the bed, looking at Tiao Yao with a slight frown: "When will the dark shadows in the palace make their move?"

  "After the incident at Liuching Palace."

  The king's mouth hooked coldly: "He is finally willing to face this problem? I didn't let you sneak into the side of Princess Worry-Free?" Although he was certain that Yuan Haotian would not discover her presence for now, having Xiao Tiaozi in the palace made him feel more at ease.

  "This is a letter from Her Majesty to Your Highness."

  The king's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and after taking the letter, he opened it and glanced at it. The mocking coldness in his eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by a faint, almost imperceptible smile: "Little runaway, this is the existence of me, the king, and Yuan Wuyou - don't you think this is fate?"

  Tao Yao didn't make a sound, Yuan Wuyou was indeed exceptionally blessed, her own plans were already astonishing, but her luck was even better, leaving him in awe.

  "Go." King Hua's voice had just fallen when he said another sentence: "Little runaway, be careful, I believe those people are not your opponents, and the dark shadow will not find you for a while, but don't underestimate your opponent either."

  Yao Gongjing replied respectfully: "I understand." From the first emperor of the Great Yuan Empire, their duty was to exist for the safety of the emperor. Without the emperor's permission, no one could break through their defenses and approach the emperor.

  In any case, the best of those who are closest to the Emperor would not be able to leave his side, but the Phantom is different. Although it exists in the shadows like Dark Shadow, it is not for the protection of the Emperor. The Phantom is an intelligence gathering organization that can infiltrate anywhere.

  When the previous emperor was in power, he was not the Shadow Master but the Dark Master. In that palace struggle, the Ninth Prince was also too cold-blooded and ruthless for the current Emperor, slaughtering several princes without regard for kinship, even wanting to exterminate the Eldest Grandson and Tenth Prince, which chilled the previous emperor's heart. After the Eldest Grandson's death, the previous emperor resolutely separated Shadow from him and ordered him to lead Shadow to serve under the King of Huai...

  After she left, King Hui's gaze returned to the letter in his hand, his expression slightly stunned. The Queen Mother's request had taken him aback, but it seemed that deep down, he didn't reject it. And this way, Yuan Wuyou leaving the palace also seemed more reasonable and natural. As for him, having such a daughter might make the rest of his life less lonely.

  ……

  No one knows the Imperial Palace better than Tiao Yu, including the strength of the dark guards beside Emperor Qing. As the former leader of the Dark Shadows, he can easily avoid their presence when entering and leaving the palace. It's not as easy as turning his hand over, but it's not difficult either, let alone just entering and leaving the desolate Cold Palace.

  So when he appeared in front of Yuan Wuyou's bed like a ghost, what surprised him was that in the darkness, the person who should have been fast asleep was staring at him with a pair of open eyes.

  He escaped for a moment, but soon realized that Yu Wu was deliberately waiting for him. His hands slightly moved, sweeping over the two chess pieces on the table with his fingers lightly tapping them onto Yu Zhu and Yu Cui before speaking in a light tone: "Did the princess discover my presence last night?"

  Yu Worry-free slowly got up from her half-seated position, calmly picked up the outer garment beside her and put it on: "I think you should be the protective charm held by the Tenth Wang Uncle."

  "How did the princess know?" Except for the Shadow Leader and the Emperor, no one knew of the existence of the Shadow organization, so although the current Emperor had always suspected that the Shadow organization was not complete, it was just a guess, and there was no basis.

  "Would Your Highness say it's just a guess? Do you believe me?"

  "Believe it." Anything in her hands, all impossibilities would become possibilities, this he completely believed.

  Yu Wuyou smiled slightly: "This imperial palace, which seems as solid as gold, you come and go freely, like no one's territory. If the current emperor knew, he would probably never dare to be at ease again."

  "The princess has been waiting specially, I don't know if there's anything that needs to be done by a servant like me?"

  "In order not to disappoint the tenth uncle's good intentions, this princess indeed has a matter that requires your assistance."

  "The king ordered his subordinates to come and protect the princess's safety."

  "But he didn't say you can't use it for me either. Maybe you can go back and ask him, it's not too late to do things for me now. It's still early, there's time before dawn. With your abilities, I'm not in a hurry."

  In the darkness, there was a moment of silence before a voice spoke up: "Your Highness, please speak."

  Digression

  A bit later tonight.