Chapter 20: The Flesh in the Quilt

  It was getting late into the night, and my eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. I finally couldn't resist closing them... Updates are coming so fast.

  Xuanyuanzi's soul pulled me out, the grand imperial palace was quiet, he pulled me all the way, I saw some palace maids wearing white clothes with uncombed hair, wandering in the imperial palace.

  Finally, Xuan Yuan Zi stopped in front of a courtyard, I saw the words "Forbidden Land" written on the gate, he took me through the wall and into the yard, where there was a tomb in the middle of the empty grassland.

  Then I saw several people wearing black robes enter the yard, one of whom was holding a bowl of blood in his hand, and the others were guarding him as he walked towards the tomb.

  Xiao Xiao Xuan Yuan Zi pointed inside and let go of my hand.

  I walked inside, I want to see how they would deal with Xuan Yuan Zi's blood. Who else wants his blood?

  As I walked to the grave, it suddenly cracked open. Those men in black went inside. At the crack of the grave sat a 'woman'. Her mouth corner was blood red, her mouth was wide open to the back of her ears, her eyes were all white, and she didn't have any pupils. She seemed to see me, and smiled at me with her wide open mouth.

  Then she took out a knife and cut out a piece of flesh from the red quilt that was dragging on her body, put it in her mouth and chewed...

  That quilt looks very familiar, and it seems like there's something wrapped inside?

  Her movements lifted the quilt a bit, I looked carefully and found that the person lying under the quilt was actually me. Suddenly, my vision blurred and I felt like I had walked in and lain down under the quilt, overlapping with myself, being cut by someone with a knife on my body...

  "Xue, Xue?" Xuanyuan Mu used force to push my body, waking me up.

  I felt weak all over, my eyes were dim and unfocused as I looked at Xuan Yuan Mu, then closed them.

  Back to the Wang Fu, Xuan Yuan Mu sent someone secretly to find 'Yin' Yang Gui Yi Li Mo, who was the same person that treated me for corpse poison last time. After taking some medicine, my body only got a little better.

  I told Xuan Yuan about what happened last night, and he was very surprised. Having grown up in the palace since childhood, he had never heard of any forbidden land, let alone a tomb?

  But I'm sure that everything is true, and Xuan Yuanzi's blood was sent there. The female ghost who eats human flesh guards the tomb entrance. Who is in the tomb?

  "The imperial edict has arrived!"

  Just as I was feeling a bit better, another imperial edict arrived at the palace. Xuan Yuan couldn't be bothered with anything else and carried me to receive the edict.

  "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Queen Consort has lost her virtuous ways. During her attendance on the Empress in the palace, she was remiss in her duties and caused the Empress to become deranged. Henceforth, the position of Queen Consort is stripped from her, and she is demoted to a commoner. Respect this, and give thanks!"

  I blinked my eyes, and suddenly understood that last night was indeed a trap. But even if it were a saint, this kind of trick would be impossible to escape, wouldn't it? The imperial decree is hard to disobey, the emperor used the method of issuing an edict to deceive me into entering the palace, and then this morning the empress went mad. Of course, this responsibility will fall on my head.

  "What did you say?" Xuan Yuan Mu stepped forward and grabbed the neck of the eunuch who was reading the imperial edict: "Take back the imperial edict, I want to enter the palace to pay my respects."

  "Whatever!" I gritted my teeth and stood up, grabbing Xuan Yuan Mu's arm "Let him go, let him go now!"

  Xuanyuan's eyes had turned golden, staring fiercely at the old man opposite him. The old man was so scared that his legs went soft and he almost knelt on the ground.

  "Xuanyuan!" I endured the discomfort in my body and shouted it out.

  Xuanyuan closed his eyes and then let go of his hand.

  That night, he didn't say a word and just stared at me foolishly in the room. Even Zi Xiao Gui, who was hiding on one side, felt his danger and secretly glanced at him several times.

  "Why don't you get angry or make a fuss?" Xuan Yuan Mu asked me with furrowed eyebrows.

  I just smiled and said "Is being noisy useful? Can getting angry solve anything? They want to give you a bit of color, I can only cooperate!"

  "Will you cooperate with me?" Xuan Yuan Mu asked softly, reaching out to grasp my fingers and giving them a squeeze.

  "Agreed!" I nodded firmly. Why did the Emperor demote me to a commoner? It was all because Xuan Yuan Mu took me too seriously.

  "Good!" Xuan Yuan nodded and took a deep breath.

  I smiled slightly, from young to old, have I suffered less harm? Who has ever told me, now he tells me.

  "Are you trying to harm me? Is the empress's madness related to you? I brought you back only because of your appearance, who do you think you are, daring to cause such a huge mess for me!" Xuan Yuan Mu suddenly stood up and slammed the teacup on the table to the ground.

  Has it started?

  I pretended to be startled and stared at him foolishly.

  "Come on, come on!" he roared in a rage.

  "Lock her up in the woodshed for me, don't let anyone approach, take good care of her for me, I want to make her unable to live or die..."

  Xuanyuan suddenly shook his sleeve and rushed out of the room.

  I was locked in a woodshed, with 'attendant' guards on watch. Even the two concubines from the Marquis of Dusk's estate who came to cause trouble were not allowed through by the 'attendants'.

  Growing up in a broken house, I quickly became familiar with the environment of the woodshed. However, thinking about the queen, my heart felt uncomfortable. That night, I had originally wanted to ask her some things, but she didn't tell me anything out of protection for me.

  It's precisely because of this that the Emperor found an excuse to demote me. He probably wanted to drive the Empress mad long ago, she knew too much and he couldn't tolerate her.

  But what is the emperor after? Not even trusting his own son, and wanting to harm them, Xuan Yuan Mu, Xuan Yuan Zi, and those children mentioned by the empress, are they all related to the emperor?

  A tiger does not eat its own cubs, and I even hope that these are just my speculations. He is not so ruthless as to kill his own children, dismember them, and let people frequently take the fresh blood of his son.

  But how can the empress's madness be explained? Is it that I'm thinking too much and everything is just a coincidence?

  "Aren't you heartbroken? Your mother doted on you so much, now she's gone mad, don't you want to go back and see her?" I looked at Little Purple Ghost, wanting to get some clues from him.

  The little purple ghost looked at me and then his eyes became sorrowful, pointing outside.

  I nodded and he left, going to see his mother.

  Locked in a cowshed for two days, eating and drinking when hungry or thirsty, sleeping comfortably, the rest of the time was spent being foolish and absent-minded.

  On the third day, I was released and greeted by Zhang Yiniang from the mansion. She used to be a person beside the empress dowager and is now in charge of the inner chambers of the Wang Mansion.

  "Your Highness..." Zhang Mama still called me as before.

  I saw the awkwardness on her face and couldn't help but say: "Just call me by name."

  "Alright! Xue Niang, the master has ordered me to inform you, please go to the rear kitchen to help!"

  This means I've been assigned a job, and since I've already been demoted to a commoner by the Emperor, I can only do work that a maid or servant girl can do.