Chapter 167: Turmoil in the Imperial Palace, The Princess Assassinated
“I… must escape the imperial palace as soon as possible.”
After a night of contemplation, Luo Xue came to this conclusion.
All the clues indicated that she was just a stand-in for Princess Xue, and the real princess was hidden in the imperial study.
And what were stand-ins usually used for…
Usually, they were used as sacrifices!
Coupled with Imperial Concubine Min’s current tragic situation, the Empress lurking in the shadows, and the Immortal Emperor whose attitude was still unclear…
The imperial palace was like a bottomless vortex.
Luo Xue, just standing outside and glancing in, felt suffocated.
These powerful figures, playing their mind games, with Luo Xue’s shallow cultivation and limited experience, she was no match for them.
They had lived for tens of thousands of years, she couldn’t play their game…
So, if she couldn’t play, she would run!
However, Luo Xue knew very well that as an important chess piece, a stand-in for Princess Xue, neither the Empress nor the Immortal Emperor would let her leave the imperial palace easily.
To escape this bottomless vortex, Luo Xue needed a trump card.
And now, the trump card was right before her.
—The real Princess Xue.
“Although I don’t know what illness she has, or why they’re using me as a stand-in, or why she’s hiding in the imperial study,” Luo Xue took a deep breath, “there’s no doubt that she is, at least to the Immortal Emperor, very important.”
The imperial study was a very private place, not even the Immortal Emperor’s closest guards could approach.
If not for her identity as a stand-in, Luo Xue wouldn’t be able to enter such a confidential place.
And the real Princess Xue could freely enter and exit… This showed the Immortal Emperor’s true affection for her.
“I finally have a reasonable explanation for the recent events, but it’s not enough.” Luo Xue’s eyes flickered. “If I want to leave the palace, the real Princess Xue… is the key.”
And… she also had to cause some chaos in the imperial palace.
As for how to cause chaos… Luo Xue had already thought of a plan. She had originally intended to use this after finding a Core Formation secret realm, to escape the palace.
Luo Xue turned slightly and looked at the mirror beside her. This fragile and beautiful face didn’t match her temperament.
“Senior Sister Li, I’m sorry, but I have to borrow your appearance…”
Luo Xue took a deep breath, and her face began to change.
Not Li Guijiao’s classic ghostly girl appearance, but Li Guijiao’s true face, that of a slightly melancholic, beautiful girl.
With Luo Xue’s current divine ability talent and her experience with disguise techniques, her Thousand Faces Cultivation Art was now almost on par with Li Guijiao’s. Even those closest to her couldn’t tell the difference.
This was a technique that truly changed one’s appearance with divine power. Even the most profound illusion-piercing techniques couldn’t see through it, unless they forcibly searched her soul.
Luo Xue put on a black veil, quietly left her palace, walked along a pre-planned route, then quietly returned and undid the disguise.
Finally, Luo Xue lay down on the bed, took out a dagger, and stabbed herself in the heart.
“Ugh…”
This feeling of being stabbed in the heart was indeed quite painful…
Luo Xue collapsed on the bed, blood soaking the sheets.
She had controlled her strength, putting herself in a near-death state, but not truly dead.
The will of withering approached, but couldn’t reach her.
Luo Xue didn’t completely lose consciousness. Only after hearing the panicked cries of the palace maids did she close her eyes, relieved.
“The Imperial Daughter… assassinated…”
“Find the assassin…”
“Your Highness… Your Highness…”
The last thing she heard was the etiquette official’s worried and panicked voice.
…
No one expected that Her Highness would be assassinated in her own palace.
This was an extremely serious incident!
His Majesty had just left for his southern tour, and an assassin had already bypassed the layers of security in the imperial palace and assassinated the little princess! The implications were terrifying.
Several Sea Crossing Realm experts intervened, using their power to retrace the scene, and were even more shocked.
The assassin was just a minor cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment…
But the route seemed to be planned, bypassing several restricted areas, making the remaining traces intermittent and impossible to follow. They couldn’t determine where the assassin appeared or where they left.
This incident caused panic among the palace guards.
For a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator to calmly assassinate someone within the imperial palace and escape could only mean two things.
First, the security of the imperial palace had decayed to the point where it couldn’t even stop a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This was a serious dereliction of duty. If not for the intervention of several Sea Crossing Realm experts, and the fact that changing the guards at this critical juncture wasn’t practical, all the guards would have been exiled to the southern barbarian lands.
Second…
Such a familiar route, such a casual assassination, if the assassin wasn’t familiar with the imperial palace, it would have been impossible.
In other words, there was an inside accomplice!
The entire palace guard immediately launched an internal investigation and did find a few spies, but none knew anything about the assassination.
However, putting aside these issues, the most pressing matter was the little princess’s injuries.
After discovering the assassination attempt, the imperial physicians immediately rushed to the scene. After examination, the little princess’s injuries were almost fatal, but she was still alive.
The dagger had completely pierced her heart, but it was slightly off, not instantly killing her.
As long as she was still alive, no matter how serious the injuries, the imperial physicians could save her.
The main problem was that the little princess hadn’t cultivated, her soul was weak, and she couldn’t withstand too much, otherwise, even if she died, they could still bring her back.
After careful treatment, Luo Xue finally woke up, and the first thing she saw was the worried face of the etiquette official.
“Your Highness, you’re finally awake…”
The etiquette official breathed a sigh of relief, her worried heart calming down slightly, but then another wave of worry arose.
All signs pointed to an inside accomplice.
She recalled the Empress’s recent words. Could this so-called accomplice be… the Immortal Emperor?
She hadn’t expected the Immortal Emperor to act so quickly…
“Are… you worried about me?”
Luo Xue looked at the worry and concern in the etiquette official’s eyes and blurted out.
After the truth was revealed, she could tell that the etiquette official knew she was just a stand-in.
A mere stand-in, was she really worth such worry?
“Of course, Your Highness,” the etiquette official said,
“If anything happened to Your Highness, this old servant would even give her life… This old servant is speaking nonsense. Your Highness is blessed and will naturally overcome this danger.”
“…I hope so.”
Luo Xue said softly.
At this moment, she saw a resolute look in the etiquette official’s eyes. These words seemed to be her true feelings.
But for a mere stand-in, was it worth it…
“Madam, you can leave now. I want to rest for a while.” Luo Xue closed her eyes wearily. “Just have the maids bring in my meals…”
This wasn’t an act. The dagger wound was real, and she was indeed near death. Only in this way could she avoid suspicion.
And in everyone’s eyes, Luo Xue was a powerless mortal. No one would think that she had staged this herself.
“Yes, Your Highness, please rest well.” The etiquette official stood up shakily and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I will definitely find the culprit for Your Highness.”
Just a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if it was an assassin sent by His Majesty, if she accidentally killed him during the capture… it shouldn’t be a serious crime, right?
Luo Xue shivered slightly upon hearing this.
The etiquette official’s words… sounded like she would kill the culprit once she found them.
But Luo Xue was the culprit…
Well, she was in disguise, and they couldn’t search her soul just with a retracing technique.
Many important palaces couldn’t be subjected to retracing techniques, to prevent secrets from being leaked. Luo Xue knew this, which was why she could plan such a perfect escape route.
She felt a bit sorry for Senior Sister Li. Luo Xue had her reasons for using her appearance.
Firstly, Senior Sister Li was probably still in the nine provinces and four domains. Escaping the caged world wasn’t easy. Even the ancestors couldn’t break through before their deadlines, let alone Senior Sister Li, who was only at Spirit Condensation when Luo Xue left that world.
Secondly, Luo Xue was more used to the ghostly girl appearance and would need it when she left the palace, so she couldn’t have it on the wanted notice.
The most important reason was that the faces Luo Xue created herself were too poor and easily exposed as disguises.
If her disguise was questioned, this seemingly flawless plan would unravel.
Now it seemed that no one doubted the authenticity of the assassination attempt, nor the existence of the assassin. The first step of Luo Xue’s plan was successful.
After the etiquette official, the imperial physicians, and the maids left, Luo Xue opened her eyes again.
Almost instantly, her injuries completely healed.
“Now, it’s time to prepare the room…”
Luo Xue took out the formation runes she had prepared and began constructing the formation.
The second step of her plan, the key to escaping the imperial palace.
“Fortunately, I’ve already deciphered the Dao inscriptions on the exit token and constructed the formation these past few months. Otherwise, this would be quite troublesome…”
Luo Xue muttered as she worked.
The reason she didn’t directly use the exit formation was that under normal circumstances, it would be easily detected, and she wouldn’t be able to leave the Imperial Capital.
The disappearance of an imperial daughter was even more serious than an assassination attempt… and once they started searching, her Thousand Faces Cultivation Art might be exposed.
Only with a detailed plan could she successfully escape the imperial palace.
However, after learning about the existence of the real Princess Xue, part of her plan had to be changed.
It could even be said that with the real Princess Xue, Luo Xue’s plan could become even more perfect.
After setting up everything in the room, Luo Xue took out her small storage pouch, filled it with the necessities she had prepared, tied it to her waist, and lay back down on the bed.
“Now, I just have to wait… for dinner time.”
…
“Princess Xue… was assassinated?”
The Empress was slightly stunned. It wasn’t the etiquette official who reported to her, but an ordinary maid.
The Nangong clan had many spies within the imperial palace, and the Empress had received the news even before the imperial physicians arrived at the princess’s bedroom.
“Yes, this is the recording of the retracing, please examine it, Your Majesty.”
The kneeling maid respectfully presented a Dao inscription token, holding it above her head with both hands.
The Empress reached out and touched it slightly, then after a moment, she chuckled.
“Heh, so that’s how it is, how interesting…”
The maid remained silent, her head lowered.
“You may leave.”
The Empress waved her hand, her eyes narrowed, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the blooming flower buds.
“You should be thankful that Dugu Di is on his southern tour. Otherwise, with your little trick… you wouldn’t be able to fool him.”
The image in the recording was of an unfamiliar girl, her behavior and movements completely different from Princess Xue’s. Even the Empress couldn’t find any flaws.
But after watching the recording, the Empress knew that this was just a self-directed act.
Because she controlled the entire imperial palace, even the spies within were known to her.
More importantly, the Empress already knew that Luo Xue possessed peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, just concealed through some method.
All of this allowed the Empress to instantly deduce the truth.
However, what the Empress couldn’t understand was Luo Xue’s motive.
“But it’s quite convenient. I was just planning to add some fuel to the fire in this boring imperial palace… This little girl has helped me. I’ll have to thank her when I have the chance.”
The Empress played with her slender fingers, a bright smile on her lips.
“Let Concubine Min and her daughter meet…”
“What a pitiful child, but dying in her mother’s arms should be a happy ending.”
The Empress couldn’t kill Concubine Min, because the Immortal Emperor had placed an unprecedented restriction on her, making it as difficult to harm her as facing the Immortal Emperor himself.
Even Concubine Min couldn’t commit suicide. Her life was no longer her own.
However…
Killing someone didn’t necessarily require taking action.
There was no greater sorrow than despair.
Not long after, another commotion arose within the imperial palace.
The Cold Palace… was on fire.
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