Chapter 123 - 122: Leader of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau: Zhuge Mingyue
Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Leader of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau: Zhuge Mingyue
Everyone has secrets, and Pei Xuan was no exception.
Even his attempt to assassinate Empress Taichu in the Imperial Palace four hundred years ago was never recorded in the annals of history. Only the few witnesses from that night knew the truth.
Jianghuai was nearly a thousand miles from Mingjing. Even by pushing a horse to its limits, the journey took two or three days.
When news of Shi Yaoguang killing her father and brother reached Jianghuai, it sent shockwaves through all of Jiuzhou. He resolved then and there to rid the world of this evil for the people.
On the first night of the first year of Taichu, it was already deep into the night by the time he reached Mingjing.
The palace gates were locked, and the Capital Commander was leading the Forbidden Army on patrols at every major entrance. The entire Imperial City was sealed so tightly not even a mosquito could get through.
But that was no obstacle for him. He was a master of Swordsmanship and possessed exceptional martial arts; leaping across rooftops and scaling walls was second nature.
The guards of the Forbidden Army seemed blind, completely oblivious to his presence.
’These men are a disgrace to the name of the Forbidden Army,’ Pei Xuan thought at the time. ’It seems that even after ascending the throne, Empress Taichu has no competent people to command.’
He cut straight through the vast Imperial Palace, arriving with ease at the Empress’s bedchambers—Ziji Palace.
There were palace maids keeping watch, but Pei Xuan paid them no mind.
If the Forbidden Army couldn’t spot him, the palace maids certainly wouldn’t.
He slipped inside Ziji Palace. The hall was silent, save for the sound of steady breathing.
’Letting this patricidal, fratricidal monster die in her sleep would be getting off too easy.’
That was why Pei Xuan’s first strike wasn’t aimed to kill.
He wanted her to be awake, to watch with her own eyes as his blade ended her life.
His journey had been so unimpeded that his guard was at its lowest. By the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.
A slender hand shot out from behind the bed curtains like a bolt of lightning, catching the blade of his sword as he thrust.
Its owner, using only their index and middle fingers, stopped the sharp weapon from advancing another inch.
’Such immense Inner Strength!’
CRACK! SNAP!
The blade fractured where the fingers held it. In less than half a second, the entire sword had shattered into pieces.
The profound Inner Strength did not recede. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and then the pressure points all over his body were sealed.
Throughout the entire exchange, he—known by the people of Jianghuai as the "Sword Immortal"—had been utterly powerless to resist.
The person on the bed hadn’t been sleeping at all. Clearly, she had been waiting for him.
A cold glint flashed. The next moment, her sword was pressed against his neck.
He recognized the blade. It was the Yao Guang Sword.
She had carried it ever since returning from the Xuan Sect at the age of thirteen.
He’d heard the rumors: that as a young girl she possessed herculean strength, a Divine Power she was born with.
But he didn’t believe in gods or spirits and had always scoffed at such tales.
Only now, having experienced the Empress’s immense Inner Strength firsthand, did he realize the rumors hadn’t been exaggerated. If anything, they had downplayed the true extent of her martial arts.
"Pei Xuan?" Her voice was cold. "To take the nation’s name as your own... you’ve got quite the nerve."
The moment she spoke those words, he knew he wasn’t leaving this place alive.
Worse, if this ruthless young Empress chose to make an example of him, the entire Jianghuai Pei Family would be annihilated.
He was forced to his knees, yet his back remained ramrod straight. He let out a cold laugh. "My actions are my own. I came here with no intention of returning."
"Not bad. You have some backbone." She raised an eyebrow, her tone unhurried. "Ming Yue, take him to the stables for the night. Come morning, he is to clean them. He won’t eat or drink until they’re spotless."
Pei Xuan hadn’t heard any footsteps, yet another person had appeared in the hall.
It was a woman with a long whip coiled at her waist. Her Inner Strength was clearly formidable as well.
’So she wasn’t a palace maid either,’ he realized. ’It’s the head of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, Zhuge Mingyue.’
It was then that Pei Xuan finally understood. The only reason his infiltration had been so smooth was that Empress Taichu had been expecting him all along. It was all a setup, and he had walked right into her trap.
Then again, with her level of martial arts, capturing him alive would have only taken a single move anyway.
’But why didn’t she kill me?’
"Young Master Pei, you must be sure to follow Her Majesty’s instructions to the letter," Zhuge Mingyue said with a grin. "The stables haven’t been cleaned in days. We were just waiting for you, Young Master Pei."
He looked at Zhuge Mingyue, his mind full of questions, but she clearly had no intention of elaborating.
He watched as she stretched a hand out toward a nearby shrub. "I won. Pay up."
A soft chuckle came from the shadows, and a gold ingot flew through the air, landing in her palm.
It was a large gold ingot, a full one hundred taels.
"My thanks, Young Master Pei. Lord Gu and I had a bet on whether you’d actually show up to assassinate Her Majesty." Zhuge Mingyue tossed the gold ingot in the air, her smile widening. "He said you wouldn’t dare. I said you were arrogant enough to try. And I won."
With that, she left, leaving him alone in the stables.
The stables were indeed filthy and foul-smelling. For Pei Xuan, a young nobleman accustomed to a life of privilege, it was sheer torture.
It was destined to be a sleepless night for him.
The next day, Zhuge Mingyue returned. She first complimented him on his fine work before producing an imperial edict. "Young Master Pei, receive this decree."
It was an imperial edict, appointing him to an official post and bestowing a noble title.
He was profoundly shaken.
He had shown such blatant disrespect, yet not only had Empress Taichu spared his life, she had even appointed him as an official.
"Congratulations, Lord Pei. We’re colleagues now." Zhuge Mingyue handed him the edict, raising an eyebrow. "But Lord Gu is out 100 gold coins because of you. You’d better watch out for him getting some personal revenge—maybe an ambush on your way home from court."
Pei Xuan finally found his voice. "Why?"
’Empress Taichu killed her own father and brother. Why wouldn’t she kill me?’
Zhuge Mingyue glanced at him. "Her Majesty cherishes talent," she said lightly. "She knows that Lord Pei has grand ambitions, and she knows you are willing to serve the nation."
His heart jolted once more.
"You, Lord Pei, dared to risk your life to assassinate Her Majesty because you thought you were ridding the world of a scourge for the people’s sake," Zhuge Mingyue said finally. "But from now on, you must remember something: what you hear may be false, but what you see may not be the truth either."
The events of that night shook him to his core. Later, he would learn the truth behind why she killed her father and brother.
Anyone in her position would have had only two choices: suicide or rebellion.
She chose the latter, and in doing so, shouldered the infamy forever.
She never spoke of his assassination attempt. Besides Zhuge Mingyue and the Capital Commander who also served as the head of the Imperial Guards, no one knew the real reason he had been kept in the Imperial Palace that night.
Rumors circulated among the people that Empress Taichu had been taken with his looks, had him abducted and brought to the palace, and forced him to submit to her.
She had preserved his dignity and cared little for her own reputation, asking only that he remember his duty to serve Da Xuan.
And he had made a vow to her in return—
The Jianghuai Pei Family will never betray the Xuan.
Pei Xuan’s eyes darkened. He repeated his question: "Xie Qingshi, how do you know?"