Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

Chapter 427: Hard to See

"How come I've never heard of this tunnel?" Ji Anni's eyes flashed in the darkness. She liked topics like secret passages and secret rooms the most. They were as exciting as martial arts movies. Maybe she could meet some hermit masters or a beautiful place. Moreover, Yun Zhen just said that it led to the outside of the palace... Could this be a godsend opportunity for her and Yun Zhen to leave the palace smoothly? It was really like a village that was just beyond the reach of a mountain and water, but there was always a way out.

Ji Anni was getting excited, and Yun Zhen said, "In fact, the Road of Life and Death is just a piece of history. It was not actually built, so people forgot about it over time. It's not surprising that Your Majesty doesn't know about it."

Besides, the tunnel is used for escape. If everyone knows about it, how can one escape?

"So, this tunnel is a semi-finished project?" Ji Annie finally understood. Although it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything, the gravel she stepped on from time to time could still prove to her that this tunnel was an unfinished project.

"When the tunnel was halfway through construction, an earthquake suddenly occurred, causing the tunnel to collapse. Almost all the craftsmen who built the tunnel were buried alive in the ruins, and even the design drawings were buried in the dust. Even though a few survivors escaped, they had no design drawings, so they could not carry out repair work. The tunnel was complex and full of traps, making it impossible for future generations to enter. So this life and death path was abandoned after only half of its construction. To this day, no one knows whether there is a so-called life gate in the life and death path..."

Because it happened a hundred years ago, Yun Zhen only heard about it vaguely and didn't know the details.

"What should we do then? Should we continue moving forward?" Ji Annie's heartbeat was getting faster and faster, almost echoing in the tunnel.

The further they walked, the colder the air became. Ji Anni's teeth were chattering with cold and she pulled Yun Zhen's clothes tighter.

"Of course we can't go forward, because we don't know what traps may appear ahead." Yun Zhen stopped and didn't move forward. He seemed to feel that it was too cold ahead and his body couldn't stand it any longer. "After the guards leave, we will find a way to leave here."

"Yeah." Ji Anni nodded and ran her hands down the wall until she reached the corner.

There were a lot of rubble piled in the corner. She swept all the rubble away with her hands before helping Yun Zhen sit down.

"My queen, tell me if you feel cold." Yun Zhen noticed that Ji Anni's voice was trembling when she spoke, and guessed that she probably couldn't stand the authentic coldness in the ground.

"What's the use of telling you? Can you still make a fire?" Ji Anni pretended to be angry, took the opportunity to hold Yun Zhen's arm, and pressed against Yun Zhen, "We might as well stay close to each other like this, so we won't be afraid of the cold in the tunnel."

She looked like a coquettish kitten, and Yun Zhen couldn't help laughing.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious." Ji Anni pinched Yun Zhen gently, "Tell me the truth... If I listened to you and drank the potion of fake death, when I opened my eyes again, would you be dead?"

"Don't make assumptions about things that have already happened. Aren't we saved now?" Yun Zhen understood that Ji Anni wanted to hold him accountable for taking all the blame, so he didn't dare to give a clear answer.

"You clearly said you would go back with me, why did you give up so easily?" This is what made Ji Anni most sad.

"It's not that Yun Zhen gave up, but... the situation forced him to do so." Yun Zhen paused for a long time before finally finding the excuse "forced by the situation".

"No, Yun Zhen, you can't just let things take their course and live your life peacefully. Although I admire your peaceful and calm attitude towards life, you should occasionally have some pursuits, some goals, and some determination to fight for your wishes."

Ji Anni knew that it was unlikely to transform Yun Zhen into a passionate person like herself, but at least the two of them could get through the difficulties together if they were united in heart. Otherwise, if she was the only one who tried every means to leave the palace with Yun Zhen, and Yun Zhen always gave up automatically in the face of all the small difficulties, the dream of "leaving the palace and returning to the original world" would never be realized.

"It is true that Zhao Ji died because of me, and I did commit the crime of deceiving the emperor. If I leave the palace with the queen without paying anything back, as if nothing had happened, I will never be at peace for the rest of my life... I will always feel like I owe a debt of sin."

Seeing Yun Zhen blaming herself, Ji Anni hurriedly argued, "You didn't mean to hurt Zhao Ji, nor did you mean to hurt me! You fought with Yan Niang to save Zhao Ji. You had good intentions, so why do you still regard yourself as a sinner?"

"Is it true that a bad thing done with good intentions is not a bad thing anymore?" Yun Zhen couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"It's a good thing done with good intentions... Of course..." Ji Anni wanted to tell Yun Zhen confidently that "it's not a bad thing", but she couldn't say it. After hesitating for several times, she finally said, "Of course it depends on the specific situation! In short, I think you did nothing wrong, Yun Zhen, and there is no need to blame yourself. Zhao Ji must think so too!"

Her serious look made Yun Zhen laugh.

"I'm serious..." In the darkness, Ji Anni couldn't see Yun Zhen, so she had to hold him tightly and use her strength to convey her seriousness to him.

"I understand." Yun Zhen's palm suddenly covered the back of Ji Anni's hand, patted it gently a few times and said, "But just because you understand it doesn't mean you can be free..."

The debt was owed after all, just like when he killed his brother...

After a day, the number of guards in charge of the search had increased from the original ten to one hundred. They searched almost every corner of the palace, but still found no trace of Yun Zhen and Ji Anni. In the end, they had to suspect that Yun Zhen had used Taoism to help Ji Anni escape.

The person in charge of this search mission was the commander of the imperial guards, Concubine An’s brother, An Youchen.

After finding nothing inside the palace, he decided to expand the search area and search outside the palace.

If Yun Zhen had already taken Ji Anni out of the palace, she was probably still staying in the mountains and forests and had not gone far.

Since a large number of imperial guards were sent to search the mountains, the number of guards patrolling the palace naturally decreased a lot. An Youchen concentrated most of the guards outside the emperor's bedroom to guard to prevent any rebels from taking advantage of the situation to cause chaos.

Long Mohan has not woken up since he vomited blood and fell into a coma, and the imperial physician cannot tell when he will regain consciousness.

An Youchen was guarding the gate personally, with the aura of a loyal minister and a capable general. However, there were still gossipers behind his back, saying that he was pretending to be so in order not to lose his official position because he was worried that the An family would be suppressed after the Queen Mother's death.

When the sun was about to set, Yizhen came to the outside of the palace to ask for a meeting instead of the palace maid who delivered the medicine.

Although An Youchen didn't know Yizhen, he guessed from her clothes that she was a concubine. He stopped her and asked, "It's obviously the palace maid's job to deliver medicine. Why bother the queen to come in person? Let me take it in for the queen."

As a military general, An Youchen's tone was very stiff, like a piece of stone, and every word sounded loud.

If it were anyone else, they would have given up and handed the medicine to An Youchen obediently. But Yizhen was a person who refused to give in. She finally got the palace maid to hand the medicine to her and she wanted to see the emperor no matter what.

"Commander-in-chief, I'm worried about the Emperor. Can you let me see him?" Yizhen pleaded pitifully.

"No, this is an extraordinary period and no one is allowed to enter the emperor's bedroom. Even if Your Majesty is worried, you have to wait until the emperor wakes up." An Youchen's broad body was like a wall, blocking Yizhen.

"Commander-in-chief, could you go and inform Eunuch Hua? Just say that I'm Su Yizhen and that the emperor met me before when he visited Prince Ming on his behalf." Yizhen didn't dare to mention that she was Zhao Ji's good friend, so she had to use Prince Ming's name to get a pass for herself.

Seeing that she was too clingy, An Youchen didn't want to waste any more words with her, so he said coldly, "Then I will send someone to inform them. Whether to meet or not is up to Eunuch Hua."

When Yizhen heard that there was hope, she nodded quickly to express her gratitude.

An Youchen did not respond, turned around indifferently, and asked a guard to report to Eunuch Hua.

After a while, the guard brought Eunuch Hua's reply, asking Yizhen to leave the medicine and go back.

After hearing this, Yizhen didn't dare to continue pestering An Youchen even if she was unwilling. She obediently handed the medicine to An Youchen and asked An Youchen to take it to the emperor. However, Yizhen didn't leave, but continued to stand outside the door waiting for something, waiting for more than half an hour. Although she stood by the roadside and didn't block the road, An Youchen could see her standing quietly every time he looked up, which made him feel annoyed.

"What on earth do you want to do, Madam?" An Youchen finally couldn't help himself and came to Yizhen again. The tone of this question was harsh, and it was obvious that he wanted to drive her away.

Yizhen said, "If the emperor drinks the medicine, I will take the medicine bowl away."

"The emperor is still in a coma and cannot drink the medicine."

"Then I will change the medicine for the emperor. If the medicine gets cold, I will change the bowl and bring a new one."

As soon as Yizhen finished speaking, she saw Eunuch Hua coming out with a medicine bowl and whispering to a guard. Although she couldn't hear what he said, she was probably asking the guard to get another bowl of hot medicine.

An Youchen couldn't help but sigh softly: "Your Majesty is really thoughtful."

"I just hope to do something for the emperor and thank him for his kindness to me in the past." Yizhen's words were not false. She could no longer contain her admiration for Long Mohan. Especially when she heard that Long Mohan was attacked by Zhao Ji and Yun Zhen and vomited blood and fainted, she was so worried that she could not sit still. If she did not see Long Mohan, she would not be able to sleep today.

An Youchen looked at Yizhen's serious face for a long time but did not respond.

Yizhen lowered her head when she was looked at by him, but did not dare to leave.

After the awkward atmosphere lasted for a few seconds, An Youchen suddenly turned around, called the guard who was ordered by Eunuch Hua to change the medicine, and ordered the guard to hand the medicine bowl to Yizhen.

After taking the medicine bowl, Yizhen looked at An Youchen in confusion, not knowing what he was trying to do.

An Youchen raised his hand and said, "Don't you want to change the medicine? Go ahead."