Because of the appearance of this jade pendant, the subsequent palace search was even more rigorous and meticulous, and all the concubines in the harem were in a state of panic.
The few concubines who were thrown into the Cold Jade Pond last night finally survived the ordeal after a night of warming and rescue.
However, with half a life gone, they lay weakly in their sleeping quarters. After Prince Lin's disturbance, the vast harem was in an uproar, and everyone was in fear.
Last night, it snowed. In the daylight, under the sun, only some residual snow remained, dotting the green branches, and under the cold moonlight, they swayed with dazzling light.
The entire imperial palace was submerged in the cold moonlight, silent.
Suddenly, a ball of white light shot up from the ground, fast and steady, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
That dazzling white figure turned out to be two people, one big and one small. A tall and sturdy man, raising his white cloak, wrapped a petite and delicate person.
With a few leaps, they had already slid far away, disappearing from the harem in the blink of an eye, heading straight for the Eastern Palace, separated from the harem by a high wall.
The Eastern Palace was still the palace of Shangguan Yao before he ascended the throne.
Since he became emperor, it had been deserted. Apart from a group of eunuchs and maids sweeping and tidying up, there were no other masters.
The new emperor had no offspring, nor had he bestowed a crown prince, so this Eastern Palace Crown Prince's Residence was left vacant.
In the cold night, within the Eastern Palace, the lamplight was hazy, and the scene was bleak. Murong Chong and Yun Xiao landed and stood on a large tree, gazing at the carved beams and painted rafters, the beautiful pavilions and towers, bathed in silver light.
The glazed roof emitted a lifelike radiance. On the tall lintel, two large characters, 'Eastern Palace,' were written with flying dragons and dancing phoenixes. Everything was so luxurious, yet within this luxury, there was a hidden desolation and dimness.
Yun Xiao did not understand why Murong Chong brought her here, and turned to snort coldly.
"Didn't you say we were going to see a ghost? Why did we come to the Eastern Palace Crown Prince's Residence?"
Murong Chong flicked his long robe, and he was already standing on the treetop. The white fox fur cloak, light in the wind, was like a white silver wave. His flowing ink-black hair danced like splashed peach blossoms.
Amidst the demonic charm, a thousand cold killing intents emerged. A chill permeated his body, his chin was raised, his proud, solitary line revealed.
Tonight, he seemed different from usual. Although he was as cold as ice, he would occasionally show a hint of gentleness. At least not as heavy-hearted as today. It was as if a thousand unresolvable clouds of sorrow were shrouding him, plunging him into despair.
"Look?"
His voice rose, and his cold, enchanting words rang out. Yun Xiao's attention was interrupted. She turned her head and looked up at the sky above the Crown Prince's Residence. She saw a white, headless, legless corpse floating in mid-air, carrying a lantern, and a chilling voice echoed.
"Return my life, return my life."
Yun Xiao's hair stood on end from fright. She grabbed the branch beside her and cried out in terror, "Ghost!"
The person on the treetop was momentarily stunned. The coldness around him receded, and his malevolence dissipated. He slowly descended to the branch, crossed his arms, and stared intently at her with a pair of cold, deep eyes.
This was that audacious, cunning little girl. xxs1
Sometimes cunning like a thousand-year-old little fox.
Sometimes muddled like a cute little cat.
Sometimes shrewd like a hunter, and sometimes as timid as a little mouse.
Who could have raised such a capricious woman? She was someone he had never encountered before.
Even the greatest and most painful scars seemed to have faded after being soaked in her presence. His heart would quickly recover, and he wouldn't need to kill people to vent his anger. Who was she?
Murong Chong's eyes were deep and profound, reflecting the moonlight, dark and unfathomable. Yet, a sinister smile played on his lips, like a Shura in the dark night, standing motionless on the treetop, gazing fixedly at Yun Xiao.
Yun Xiao, realizing her reaction, patted her own head.
"No, there are no ghosts in the world. What am I afraid of? How embarrassing."
When she looked up, she saw the man opposite her with a cool expression. The malevolent aura in his dark pupils had rarely dispersed, replaced by a profound and unfathomable light. He gazed at her with clear, tranquil eyes.
Yun Xiao felt she had lost her composure. Thinking of her earlier overreaction, her cheeks felt hot, and she glared at him angrily.
"Great Hero Murong, look, didn't I perform very well? Are you feeling much better? Actually, I know you had your subordinates arrange this."
She gave a dry laugh, a typical case of saving face at all costs, but it was indeed terrifying just now.
Yun Xiao turned to look again. The white, headless phantom had disappeared, but many eunuchs and maids in the Eastern Palace had been alerted. Lanterns were now moving, forming a line outside the empty palace gates, and trembling voices occasionally sounded.
"Oh no, I just saw a ghost."
"Headless and legless."
"Wow, that's so scary!" The timid maids directly burst into tears, curling into balls. A group of eunuchs and maids huddled together, cheering each other on.
"Don't be afraid, maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you."
"Yes, it must have been your eyes playing tricks. How could there be a ghost in the Eastern Palace? There were no wrongly killed people, so how could there be a haunting? It's absolutely impossible."
"Yes, we don't need to scare ourselves."
Just as their words fell, a gust of wind suddenly blew, extinguishing all the lanterns. A creepy atmosphere enveloped the surroundings, and shadows abounded.
Everyone screamed in terror and fled in all directions. At this moment, the white, headless corpse reappeared. A lantern floated past in mid-air, followed by a chilling voice.
"Return my life, return my life."
"Ah, ah!" In the open space outside the palace gates, the maids and eunuchs screamed together, covering their heads and scattering in all directions, letting out miserable cries.
These sounds quickly alerted the patrolling guards, who rushed over with lanterns.
As the lights appeared, the headless corpse vanished, leaving only the pale-faced eunuchs and maids. Many of them knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
The leading guard walked over and ordered in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
"There, there's a ghost."
Some timid individuals fainted directly. After shouting, the bolder ones fled, covering their heads. In the empty bluestone square, the eunuchs and maids had all run away, leaving only a row of guards looking at each other, bewildered.
"A ghost? How is that possible? The Eastern Palace has always been peaceful. Where would a ghost come from? These useless, meddlesome servants should be properly dealt with. How dare they say such things."
The guard finished speaking and led his men to turn and leave.
Suddenly, a magnified face floated silently in front of him, bloodless, as white as paper, with a red tongue. The eyes had no black pupils, only white…