There was a slight change in his tone. “Just because Gu Hanjue wields great influence in the imperial court and has seized half of Chu Yinheng’s realm, you hate him to the bone?”
Jiang Yiyun was stunned for a moment. She had not expected the person before her to think that way, and was left speechless.
“For the sake of an emperor who divided his love among other women, you have no regard for life or death and make an enemy of Gu Hanjue. How laughable.”
Jiang Yiyun was helpless. The person before her truly had a strange temper—he became angry whenever he pleased, and this anger had come for no apparent reason.
She sighed softly. “Since master believes that is the case, then so be it.”
She offered no further explanation, much less did she wish to reveal the truth.
The masked man was silent for a moment before asking, “I only want to ask you this: what kind of person is Gu Hanjue in your eyes?”
“He is ruthless and vicious, plotting to harm loyal subjects. He is a treacherous and evil minister whom everyone has the right to execute.”
Jiang Yiyun could not see the twisted expression beneath his mask as she vented the fury in her heart.
“Hmph. Then what kind of person do you think Chu Yinheng is?”
At those words, she fell silent.
“You cannot answer? It seems that Chu Yinheng may not be a good person either.”
“What is wrong with him?” she asked.
“Have you not personally experienced how he favors one and discriminates against another?” he said with a laugh. “If an emperor cannot uphold fairness, how much can you expect from an eunuch?”
His words struck home, leaving her with nothing to say.
Seeing that she remained silent, he continued, “Because you love him, you can overlook his many faults. Then how could you possibly see any good in Gu Hanjue?”
There was some truth to his words, but to her, they were not only meaningless; they instead further stoked the anger in her heart.
Gu Hanjue was her enemy, her sworn enemy. Moreover, on that night, he had done something to her that she found difficult to Speak of. To this day, her hatred would only grow stronger, while the person before her had no way of knowing.
“No matter what you say, he is a treacherous minister and a criminal. That is an indisputable fact. Coveting the position of the son of heaven is a grave offense.” She spoke decisively.
Jiang Yiyun could not see the anger beneath his mask, but she could hear the obvious displeasure in his tone.
“Stubborn and impervious to reason. Let us disperse for tonight.”
Jiang Yiyun also wanted to calm herself properly. The mood she had finally managed to sort out had fallen into gloom once again that night.
As he left, the other party said, “You cannot judge a person by appearances alone. If you want to truly understand them, I can tell you of a place where many secrets are recorded, including everything concerning that person.”
The person indicated by the masked man was clearly Chu Yinheng, but Jiang Yiyun directly interpreted it as referring to Gu Hanjue.
Hearing this, a glimmer appeared in her eyes. If she could truly seize Gu Hanjue’s weakness, she could naturally bring him down with no effort.
“May I ask where?”
“Within the imperial palace is a forbidden place called Huanming Palace. It is said to have been the residence of a palace consort who was later falsely accused of adultery and executed. Not long after her death, all the servants who had once attended her died mysteriously, each in a grisly manner.”
“There must have been people in the imperial palace spreading rumors that the place was haunted. Thus, the emperor ordered it sealed off, turning it into a forbidden place. Over time, it became desolate. Am I right?” Jiang Yiyun continued his words.
She had heard something about this matter, but she had never visited that place.
“Does master also believe in such talk of ghosts and spirits?”
“What do you think?”
“I presume master wants to tell me that although the place has been described as supernatural, everything was done by human hands, and there must be clues within. Since that place has been abandoned for so long and no one pays it any attention, it is precisely the sort of place where many secrets could be hidden. Perhaps many secrets can still be uncovered?”
Seeing how clever she was, he laughed. “You are not entirely stupid. I do not know whether there are ghosts there, but in any case, people are often seen wandering about.”
The Six Palaces were never lacking in filthy thoughts and filth. Some people were more frightening than ghosts and gods.
“If this was done by human hands, then who could it be?” She suddenly grew interested, intensely curious.
Then he gave an answer that shocked her.
“There are quite a few people secretly carrying on activities there. You will have to investigate that yourself, but I can tell you about one of them... It is Chu Yinheng.”
This was an answer she had never expected. Before she could ask another question, the person before her had already vanished into the dark night.
All she could hear was a voice in the dark night, sometimes near and sometimes far, yet clear enough for her to hear every word.
“I do not care what position Chu Yinheng holds in your heart, nor do I know why you hate Gu Hanjue so much, but I believe you will uncover the secrets you want in that place.”
There was indeed much hidden meaning in his words, but she still believed that place would contain many secrets concerning Gu Hanjue, including secrets about Chu Yinheng. How could she not venture into such a place?!
Jiang Yiyun had always been decisive and efficient. Upon returning to her bedchamber, she immediately began making plans.
By day, she was under confinement in her room; only at night was she free.
An Jue would accompany her this time. A place like that certainly would not be haunted at night as the rumors claimed, but if they encountered someone, that person might prove even more difficult to deal with than a ghost.
The two of them carefully sneaked in, their footsteps lighter than any ghost’s. Even so, the moment they entered the grounds of Huanming Palace, they were already being watched, as though someone had been waiting for them for a long time.
This place had been abandoned for a long time. Since no one had swept or cleaned it in ages, fallen leaves lay in heaps, and spiderwebs densely covered the corners of the eaves.
Even the faintly visible carved beams and painted pillars had long since lost their former splendor.
Jiang Yiyun sighed for a long while. Since ancient times, the imperial harem had always shown only the smiles of newcomers, never the tears of those who came before.
After this reflection, she could not help thinking of herself. In a few more years, would her fate be like that of the palace consort who had once lived here? Would her palace become even more desolate than Huanming Palace?
She gathered her thoughts and continued walking into the palace chambers. At that moment, a hidden arrow shot out, heading straight for the two of them.
The two detected it easily and dodged the attack.
After coming to a stop, Jiang Yiyun discovered that the other party was also wearing a mask, bearing an appearance similar to that of her mysterious master.
Yet judging from the figure and posture, the person was clearly shorter.
Before she could probe them with a question, the other party had already seized the initiative.
The person said nothing and immediately launched the Twin Yue Axes in their hands. The axes were thin and razor-sharp; even the slightest touch would draw blood.
Although Jiang Yiyun diligently cultivated and trained, she had very little practical combat experience. How could she have encountered such strangely shaped weapons before? For a time, she was still trying to figure them out and could not immediately enter the proper state, making it somewhat difficult for her to cope.
Judging from the opponent’s build, she guessed that they were not very old, but she did not know which school they came from or why they were attacking them here.
An Jue’s internal power was not much different from Jiang Yiyun’s, yet he handled the attacks with ease, repeatedly blocking powerful strikes meant for her.
What shocked her even more was that the opponent’s weapons could actually fly from their hands, change direction in midair, and move in ways that were difficult to predict.
On the other side, Jiang Yiyun made the strange discovery that An Jue seemed to be the master of the Twin Yue Axes, as though he knew their movement patterns extremely well. He intercepted the opponent’s attacks every time at the earliest possible moment.
Jiang Yiyun did not waste words. She tried to withdraw from the battle and observe for a moment.
That observation confirmed that An Jue’s internal power was superior to the opponent’s, and so was her own; it was only that she had too little practical combat experience.
An Jue had always been taciturn, sometimes resembling a cold wooden figure. Yet at this moment, an unfathomable expression appeared on his face.
From the moment he saw that person, he had displayed unusual emotions, as though he knew the opponent, or perhaps was trying to identify them.
The two ceased hostilities for a moment. An Jue furrowed his brows slightly and asked in a low voice, “Who are you?”