An hour later, two secret guards returned in haste, their expressions grave and their eyes filled with terror. All the sights they had witnessed today far exceeded their life experience, making it difficult not to lose their composure.
"Reporting to my lord, as expected, all personnel from the Crown Prince's Death Guard and Private Soldier camps have vanished without a trace! Furthermore, all weapons, horses, and provisions from the camps have also disappeared! Nothing is left!"
"What?!" The Empress's hands gripped the armrests of her chair tightly. Even so, she felt unsteady, her head buzzing, and her thoughts in disarray.
Her secret guard camp, Xian'er's Death Guard and Private Soldier camps, totaling over a thousand people, had simply vanished into thin air?
And all the weapons privately stored in the camp's underground warehouse had been completely cleared out?
Even the numerous Blood-Sweating Horses had been stolen?
This... this was absolutely not the work of mortals!
The Empress suddenly looked around with great fear, her body trembling as she hugged her arms. She murmured, "Could it be... there are truly gods and spirits? Have I offended... offended gods and spirits?"
Granny Li and Yue Hong exchanged glances, their eyes also filled with deep fear.
If it wasn't gods and spirits, how could over a thousand people be abducted silently overnight? And these thousand people were all young, strong men, skilled in combat and with strong adaptability.
How could so many horses disappear without a sound?
Master... have you truly offended gods and spirits?
At this moment, Secret Guard 1 and 2 also secretly congratulated themselves for being stationed at Xiangyun Palace, otherwise, they too would have been among the secret guards who disappeared last night.
If those secret guards were abducted by thieves and could not be commanded or utilized, they would surely all be killed. Otherwise, no one would be foolish enough to feed so many useless mouths.
Oh my, they almost died; it was so terrifying! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The theft from the Crown Prince's Death Guard and Private Soldier camps could naturally not be publicized.
The Empress had no way to voice her distress. The immense shock and disbelief left her completely stunned.
She needed to confide, to have someone to rely on, and at this moment, only her own son was worthy of her trust.
The Empress sat blankly for a long time before slowly recovering. After doing her best to compose herself, she, along with Granny Li, headed to the Imperial Clan Court.
Along the way, they encountered many concubines.
Most concubines, in front of her, offered greetings and expressed concern, but as soon as they turned away, their faces showed gloating smiles.
These thieves were too amusing! They had stripped the Empress's and the Crown Prince's residences bare. It was said that the dignified Empress didn't even have a change of clothes and had to have shoes made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The entire Xiangyun Palace lacked even a table and chairs, so the Emperor had nowhere to sit when he visited.
Haha, it was simply hilarious!
The Empress must be the poorest woman in the harem now. Let's see how she could still be so arrogant in the future!
The concubines, in twos and threes, secretly gossiped about the Empress and the Crown Prince, simultaneously spreading rumors of the thief as almost divine.
They had originally thought Xian'er would escape calamity at the Imperial Clan Court, but unexpectedly, he too had been completely plundered, leaving him with nothing but his undergarments.
The thieves hadn't even spared the brocade cord for his hair. The Crown Prince, with his hair unbound, had no accessories on him, appearing as simple as could be.
What was even more infuriating was that the thieves had not even spared the Crown Prince's prized golden tooth.
As a child, the Crown Prince had accidentally chipped a molar while riding a horse, and later had it replaced with a gold tooth. Who would have thought that such a deeply hidden gold tooth would also fall into the hands of the thieves.
Ruthless, so ruthless!
The Crown Prince, already extremely angered by his own robbery last night, was so shocked upon hearing his mother's account of the bizarre thefts at Xiangyun Palace and the Eastern Palace that he fainted on the spot.
Granny Li, seeing this, sought the Empress's permission and immediately pinched the Crown Prince's philtrum, bringing him back to consciousness with great effort.
Lying on the bed, the Crown Prince stared blankly at the ceiling. The Empress seized the opportunity and told him about the theft of the Death Guards, private soldiers, horses, weapons, and provisions.
The Crown Prince fainted again.
Granny Li pinched his philtrum again. This time, the Crown Prince was stubborn and did not wake up immediately.
Empress became anxious and immediately ordered Granny Li to summon Imperial Physician Mo.
Imperial Physician Mo arrived in a flustered state and was momentarily stunned upon seeing the unusually simple Crown Prince.
In his memory, the Crown Prince's attire and accessories were always exceptionally ornate and dazzling. Suddenly appearing so simple, Imperial Physician Mo found it a bit difficult to adjust.
Hearing that Xiangyun Palace and the Eastern Palace had been robbed so thoroughly that not even their undergarments remained, the Empress and the Crown Prince must be extremely impoverished now. It was no wonder the Crown Prince, accustomed to luxury, would faint so resolutely.
The imperial physician quickly diagnosed the cause of the ailment and, using the finest silver needle, punctured the Crown Prince's Shaochong acupoint.
He then prescribed a medicinal decoction for Granny Li to prepare and administer to the Crown Prince later.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the Crown Prince slowly regained consciousness. He desperately wanted to pound his chest and wail, but seeing the Imperial Physician present, as a dignified Crown Prince, he felt it inappropriate to express himself. He suppressed his immense grief and loss, feigning an air of detachment, as if money were dirt.
He even exchanged a few jokes with Imperial Physician Mo.
Seeing the Crown Prince's condition improving, Imperial Physician Mo offered a few more words of advice and then left the Imperial Clan Court.
After the Empress closed the door, the two tears the Crown Prince had held back for a long time finally rolled down his cheeks.
He lay on the bed with vacant eyes, his face pale, and muttered repeatedly, "Mother, this is impossible... absolutely impossible... truly impossible... completely impossible..."
The Empress closed her eyes and sighed, "Xian'er, this matter is extremely bizarre. Even the Minister of Justice finds no clue. If you had seen the scene, you would also suspect it was the work of gods and spirits."
The Crown Prince turned to look at the Empress, then desperately pushed against the bed, propping up half his body. Tremblingly, he asked, "Mother, what... what did Father say?"
"This matter not only concerns our interests but also the dignity of the royal family and the Emperor's authority. Your father has ordered the Minister of Justice to thoroughly investigate this case. However, the Minister of Justice, Qi Weizhong, believes there are no leads and it will be extremely difficult to ascertain the truth," the Empress sighed.
"Mother, I don't believe in gods and spirits. Someone must be deliberately targeting me!" The Crown Prince clenched his fists tightly.
"But if it's not gods and spirits, who has the ability to, overnight—" the Empress was speaking when Xin Yao's anxious cry suddenly sounded from outside the door.
"Mother! Brother!"
The Empress motioned for Granny Li to open the door. This girl had gone to the suburban villa yesterday and said she would stay for a few days. Why had she returned so soon?
Xin Yao rushed in like a gust of wind.
"Mother, Brother, as soon as I returned, I heard that Xiangyun Palace and the Eastern Palace were completely ransacked. What exactly is going on? Who has such great ability to empty two palaces in one night?"