0p0 Chapter 165 Someone Died First
Chapter 165 Someone Died First
Concubine Yi calmed herself down and said slowly, "The body will be temporarily brought into the palace and examined tomorrow. Everyone must remain in the palace tonight and not leave without permission. The palace gates are locked tightly, and the Imperial Household Department must make proper arrangements. As for the performances that will follow, they will be suspended. All the actors and actresses from the performing troupes will be rewarded as a token of my compassion for them."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, everyone knelt down to express their gratitude.
Eunuch Hu also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, secretly praising in his heart: Lady Yi's arrangement is so thoughtful!
With this skill alone, it is probably hopeless for other concubines to replace Concubine Yi's position.
In the corner of the dressing room, the two Hu girls, Ayao and Axuan, have already changed into their specially made dance costumes, ready for the upcoming "Flying Goddess" performance.
This dance costume is the focus of their countless practices and expectations. Its uniqueness lies not only in its light and misty texture, but also in the secret of its ingenious integration into the fabric.
The main material of the dance costume is soft and delicate gauze, which is as light as if it can dance with the wind and the air.
But in order to present the magnificence and mystery of the goddess flying, slender bamboo strips are cleverly embedded inside the dance costume.
Some of these bamboo strips are carefully sewn under the hem, while others are hidden in the wide sleeves, which not only support the form required for the dance, but also give the dancers the visual effect of flying in the air.
More importantly, these bamboo strips can be transformed into deadly weapons at critical moments. As long as they use their internal force to stimulate them, the bamboo strips can shoot out like an arrow, making it impossible to defend against them.
However, at this moment, Ayao and Axuan looked extremely nervous.
Although they have received strict training since childhood and become death warriors, when faced with the critical moment of life and death, the desire for life and the fear of the unknown world in their hearts are still difficult to suppress.
They held each other's hands tightly. They had lived and grown up together, and now they were going to die together! I guess they wouldn't be alone on the road to the underworld.
I just hope that I can be an ordinary person in my next life!
Just as they were preparing to face their fate, a father-in-law hurried in, breaking the silence in the dressing room.
"Disband, disperse, today's performance is over, and there's no need to perform the rest." The father-in-law's voice was anxious, "Everyone go back to the laundry, and no one is allowed to run around, do you hear me?"
Ayao and Axuan were shocked. What was going on?
They had both prepared themselves mentally to die on stage, so why did they suddenly not have to act anymore?
They quickly grabbed their father-in-law's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Father-in-law, what's going on? Why did you suddenly stop performing?"
If anyone else had asked such abrupt questions, the father-in-law might have scolded them impatiently, but facing these two beautiful girls with innocence and confusion in their eyes, the father-in-law really couldn't bring himself to scold them.
He sighed and said with a gloomy face, "Oh, what bad luck! The Sichuan Opera performer up front, I don't know what kind of evil spirit got him. He was spitting fire on the stage, and then spitting blood, and finally vomited himself to death on the stage!"
"ah......?"
"Don't you see what day it is today? It's Concubine Yi's birthday! Can't they choose another time and place to die? I'm so pissed off! Tomorrow I'll have everyone in that troupe arrested and thrown into jail! What a bunch of bastards!"
Ayao and Axuan were stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.
They had been trained since childhood to have little personal emotion, but at this moment they couldn't help but be shocked.
How could this happen? Someone actually died on stage before them! Is there anyone who would "fight" over something like this?
But said the other side.
Xu Feng followed the emperor into the empress dowager's bedroom. Candlelight flickered in the room, and palace maids and imperial doctors were busy at work.
After some questioning, the empress dowager looked a little tired, but in good spirits, which did not seem to be completely consistent with the condition Xu Feng had described before.
The Emperor frowned slightly. After exiting the Empress Dowager's room, he immediately turned to Xu Feng, his tone filled with doubt: "Xu Feng, the Empress Dowager's condition doesn't seem as serious as you said. Why is that?"
Xu Feng lowered his eyes, his expression solemn. "Your Majesty, I do have a concern. I suspect something is amiss with the opera troupe performing at Yifang Palace, but they are acting cautiously, making it difficult to uncover the truth in such a short period of time. As the Empress Dowager is ill, I'm taking this opportunity to invite Your Majesty. This way, you can visit her and temporarily avoid possible danger – it truly kills two birds with one stone."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head: "You, you, today is the Imperial Concubine's birthday. I'm afraid the Imperial Concubine will be dissatisfied with me for coming here in such a hurry."
Xu Feng smiled calmly, "Your Majesty, I dare not interfere in your family affairs. However, this move is also a form of protection for the Imperial Concubine. Just imagine, if something unexpected really happened on your birthday, the impact on your reputation would be profound."
The Emperor was thoughtful upon hearing this. "Are you so sure there's something fishy about that performance?"
Xu Feng's expression was resolute. "To be honest, I recently captured an assassin from the Western Regions who was attempting to kill Your Majesty. Upon interrogation, I learned that he had accomplices lurking within the palace. I dare not slack off in the slightest, and therefore am exercising extreme caution."
Upon hearing this, the emperor nodded, his expression solemn: "I see, no wonder you are so cautious."
As the two were talking, a eunuch carrying a palace lantern hurried in and breathlessly reported, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened! The Sichuan Opera face-changing performer suddenly vomited blood after breathing fire on stage. He's... dead!"
The emperor and Xu Feng were both stunned when they heard this, and looked at each other with shock in their eyes.
The Emperor angrily slammed the armrests. "There really are assassins! How dare these people act so boldly under my nose!"
Xu Fengze didn't say anything, but seemed to be thinking about something, with a leisurely and fascinated look.
The emperor noticed that he looked strange, so he asked, "Xu Feng, what are you thinking about?"
Xu Feng looked up, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes. "I was thinking that the scene of spitting fire and blood must have been a spectacular spectacle. It's a pity that I didn't get to witness it with my own eyes. What a shame!"
The emperor was speechless, but then he thought that Xu Feng was indeed calm even in the crisis.
"Tonight, neither the Imperial Household Department nor your Imperial Guard will have peace. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. They dared to assassinate me under my nose. The situation in the Western Regions is clearly much more complicated than we anticipated."
After saying this, the emperor took out from his bosom a gold medal engraved with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. The medal had a warm and lustrous luster and was obviously extraordinary.
He handed the gold medal to Xu Feng and said, "Xu Feng, with this medal, you can freely investigate anywhere in the palace without reporting. I'm going to see the imperial concubine, so you don't have to accompany me."
Xu Feng took the gold medal with both hands: "I will obey the Holy Order! I will not let your Majesty down."