From cute to empress

Chapter 313: Shadow Approaches

Zhen Youcai glided through the flowers as nimbly as a cheetah, his figure quickly disappearing behind the rockery. I held my breath, my heart pounding, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

All around me was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves and the faint sound of stringed instruments in the distance. Trying to remain calm, I scanned my surroundings, trying to spot anything suspicious.

Time ticked by, and Zhen Youcai still hadn't returned. My anxiety grew stronger, and my clenched fists were covered in cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" The voice of the maid Xiaolan came from behind, with a hint of doubt.

I suppressed my anxiety and said as calmly as possible, "Nothing, I'll just walk around. You can go back first."

Xiaolan hesitated for a moment, nodded, turned and left.

I took a deep breath, decided not to wait any longer, and walked straight towards the rockery. After walking around it, I found Zhen Youcai standing under a big tree, his brow furrowed, as if he was deep in thought.

"Youcai, how is it? Have you found anything?" I walked up quickly and asked in a low voice.

Zhen Youcai looked up at me, shook his head, and said solemnly, "I didn't find anyone, but there were messy footprints on the ground, as if they had deliberately avoided the sight of the patrolling guards."

"Am I worrying too much?" I murmured to myself, but I still couldn't let it go.

"Your Majesty, has there been any unusual movement in the court recently?" Zhen Youcai asked in a deep voice, his sharp eyes seeming to see through my heart.

I thought for a moment and said, "In the past few days, envoys from various countries have arrived one after another to prepare for the celebration in three days. Other than that, everything is normal."

"Emissary..." Zhen Youcai repeated in a low voice, a gleam in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that may be able to find out if there is something fishy going on."

Over the next few days, we secretly strengthened the palace's guards and sent people to secretly investigate the backgrounds of envoys from various countries. Soon, an envoy from the Western Regions named Ashina Tu caught our attention.

Ashina Tu appears to be gentle and polite, and shows a strong interest in the culture of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, he secretly has close contacts with several unidentified people, and each meeting is chosen in the dead of night, and the location is also very hidden.

"It seems that there is something fishy about this Ashina Tu." Zhen Youcai handed me the results of the investigation and said in a deep voice, "I have sent people to follow him, and I believe there will be results soon."

I took the secret report and read it carefully, my unease growing stronger. Could it be that someone really wanted to take advantage of the celebration to harm the Great Zhou?

At this moment, a guard rushed in, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Report... Report to Your Majesty, something bad has happened in the palace... There's an accident in the palace..."

"How can you be so flustered!" I stood up suddenly and shouted, "Tell me! What happened?"

The guard trembled with fear and spoke incoherently, "Reply...Replying to Your Majesty, a huge fire suddenly broke out in the Imperial Garden...in the Imperial Garden, and there are...there are assassins..."

"What?!" I was startled, a chill running through my body. The Imperial Garden was only a few hundred meters away from the Zhengyang Palace where the celebration was taking place. If the fire spread, the consequences would be disastrous. More importantly, the timing of the assassin's appearance was so coincidental that it was hard not to suspect this was just a diversionary plot!

"Youcai, take people to the Imperial Garden to put out the fire immediately and make sure to bring the assassin to justice!" I acted decisively and gave the order.

"Your Majesty, what about you?" A trace of worry flashed in Zhen Youcai's eyes.

"I'll be back soon, just be careful." I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.

After Zhen Youcai left, I immediately changed into a light nightgown, took a few trusted guards, and went straight to Ashina Tu's residence through the secret passage.

In the darkness of the night, Ashinatu's room was completely dark, and there was not a sound. My heart sank, and a bad premonition came over me.

"Break the door!" I whispered.

Several guards immediately stepped forward and forced the door open. The room was empty, with only an oil lamp on the table still emitting a faint light.

"Your Majesty, there is a letter here!" said a guard, pointing to a piece of paper on the table.

I walked quickly forward, picked up the note, and carefully identified the handwriting on it in the dim light.

"Your Majesty, we will meet at Luoxia Valley outside the city at midnight tonight. See you there. — Respectfully submitted by Ashina Tu."

"Oh no! I've fallen into a trap!" I slammed the note on the table, my face turning pale.

"Pass the order down! Seal the city gates and search the entire city for Ashina Tu!" I made a quick decision and turned to walk out. "Also, send someone to inform General Zhen to be extremely careful. The enemy may have a backup plan!"

"Your Majesty, are you going to Luoxia Valley in person?" a guard asked worriedly.

"I want to see what tricks this Ashina Tu is trying to play!" A cold light flashed in my eyes and my tone was cold.

It was a dark night, and a carriage was galloping through the darkness. The wheels made a dull sound as they rolled over the ground. I sat in the carriage, with a thousand thoughts in my mind.

Luoxia Valley is a remote location, a hunting ground for emperors throughout history. However, since the death of the previous emperor, it has gradually fallen into disrepair. What was Ashina Tu's purpose in choosing this place to meet? Wasn't he afraid this was a trap?

"Your Majesty, we're here." The guard's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I lifted the car curtain and looked around in the moonlight. I saw that it was desolate all around, with only a few dead trees swaying in the night wind, making it look even more eerie and terrifying.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" A guard suddenly exclaimed and threw me to the ground.

At the same time, a sharp arrow flew through the air and hit the tree trunk behind me...

"Protect Your Majesty!"

The guards drew their swords and surrounded me. I struggled to my feet, glanced around with a cold gaze, and said coldly, "Ashina Tu, since you're here, why are you hiding?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure slowly walked out of the woods. Under the moonlight, there was a wicked smile on that handsome face.

"Haha, as expected of the Empress of the Great Zhou, she is indeed extremely intelligent."

"What exactly do you want to do?" I asked coldly.

Ashina Tu didn't say anything, but just clapped his hands lightly. The next second, countless torches suddenly lit up, illuminating the originally dark Luoxia Valley as if it were daytime.

I looked closely and saw that the surroundings were densely packed with soldiers. They were wearing the military uniforms of the Great Zhou, but they all had fierce looks on their faces. It was obvious that they were not the army of my Great Zhou.

"You...you actually colluded with the enemy country?" I looked at Ashina Tu in disbelief, my heart filled with anger and disappointment.

"The victor is king and the loser is a bandit, it has always been so." Ashinatu's eyes flashed with a cold light, "Niu Mengmeng, your era is over!"

"Really?" At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind me, with a hint of sarcasm in its tone, "I want to see who gave you the courage to touch my woman!"

I turned my head suddenly and saw Zhen Youcai, holding a long sword, walking out of the darkness with a group of people. There was a trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes were still firm and sharp...

"Talented!" Seeing him appear, a glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in my heart, but it was soon replaced by worry. "Why are you here? How is the Imperial Garden going?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Everything is under control." Zhen Youcai gave me a reassuring look, then turned to look at Ashina Tu, his eyes full of murderous intent. "Ashina Tu, you have colluded with the enemy and plotted rebellion. Now you are holding Your Majesty hostage. Your crimes are heinous. Why don't you surrender?"

"Just a bunch of you?" Ashinatu sneered disdainfully and waved his hand, "Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

Suddenly, the cries of killing shook the earth, transforming Luoxia Valley into a bloody battlefield. Protected by the guards, I watched in terror as Zhen Youcai, a skilled warrior, wielded his sword like a silver dragon, whirling through the enemy ranks, leaving blood and flesh splattering wherever he passed.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" At this moment, an enemy soldier suddenly rushed over from the side, waving the big knife in his hand and slashing at me.

I was horrified and tried to dodge, but it was too late. At the critical moment, Zhen Youcai arrived and cut the enemy soldier in half with a single blow of his sword.

"Is Your Majesty okay?" Zhen Youcai asked anxiously, his eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine." I shook my head, suppressing the fear in my heart, "Youcai, be careful!"

Zhen Youcai nodded and threw himself into the fierce battle again. He was bloodthirsty and like a god of war, no one could stop him.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ashina Tu wanted to escape in the chaos, but was caught by Zhen Youcai.

"Want to run? Not that easy!" Zhen Youcai roared, and the long sword in his hand pierced Ashina Tu's chest mercilessly.

"You...you..." Ashinatu looked at the long sword in front of his chest in disbelief, his eyes full of unwillingness and resentment, and finally fell to the ground powerlessly.

With the death of Ashina Tu, the enemy army immediately lost their composure, abandoned their weapons and armor, and fled in all directions.

"Don't pursue a desperate enemy!" Zhen Youcai ordered, then walked up to me and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being late in rescuing you!"

"My dear, please get up quickly. This time it's all thanks to you, otherwise..." I didn't dare to think about it anymore, and felt a little scared.

Zhen Youcai stood up, glanced around, and frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, although the enemy has been repelled, we cannot let our guard down. I suspect there are accomplices in the palace!"

I was shocked, "You mean..."

"That's right. Ashina Tu couldn't have dared to launch an attack during the celebration on his own. He must have someone secretly helping him." Zhen Youcai said in a deep voice, "Also, this person must be of high status, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to mobilize so many troops and keep the news so tightly sealed."

I nodded. I already had a suspicion in my mind, but there was no solid evidence yet, so I couldn't alert the enemy.

"I'll leave this matter to you to investigate. You must bring the mastermind behind this to justice!"

"I obey your order!" Zhen Youcai bowed and accepted the order.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Although the storm had subsided temporarily, I knew it was only the beginning. A greater crisis lay ahead...

That night, I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, replaying the events of the night in my mind. Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, it's bad, it's...it's raining heavily!"