Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 267 Palace

Dark clouds pressed heavily on the glazed tiles of the palace. Suddenly, an army appeared and approached as quickly as a whirlwind. The guards guarding the palace held weapons in their hands and looked nervous, not knowing whether this suddenly appearing army was an enemy or a friend.

This army was the garrison troops coming from Mingxiao Mountain. Su Qing had already tied up Lin Nan and controlled the garrison troops. They set out from Mingxiao Mountain and went all the way to the palace on the outskirts of Lingyun City.

The situation is changing rapidly now. The master sent a letter from Yunyin City to tell her to follow Gu Zezhi to the palace to support His Majesty.

Although Su Qing fought with Gu Zezhi, he didn't have many other thoughts. He even missed Lin Ziqi a little and sent letters from time to time to ask about Lin Ziqi's recent situation.

Gu Zezhi and Su Qing led the army. Gu Zezhi rode on a tall black horse, and Su Qing followed closely behind.

Soon, they arrived at the palace's main gate. The tall, heavy gate was tightly shut, and the guards at the gate, fully armed and holding spears, stood like rows of solid city walls, blocking their way.

The leading guard took a step forward and shouted with a vigilant look: "Who are you? How dare you approach the palace without permission!" The voice echoed in the empty air with unquestionable majesty.

Su Qing raised his hand calmly, took out a garrison captain's token from his arms, and held it high. The token sparkled with golden light in the afterglow of the setting sun.

She shouted, "Garrison Lin Nan!" Her voice was loud and clear, revealing an aura that should not be underestimated.

Upon seeing this, the guards stepped forward to carefully check the token. After confirming that it was correct, the vigilance on their faces eased a little, but they still did not dare to let their guard down.

After the guards whispered to each other for a while, the leading guard looked embarrassed and said with a bow, "Sir Lin, although you have the token, there are strict orders from above. No one is allowed to enter the palace without special instructions. I hope you can understand our difficulties and not make things difficult for us." There was a hint of pleading in his voice and his eyes were full of helplessness.

Upon hearing this, Su Qing frowned slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

He was about to speak when Gu Zezhi raised his hand to stop him. Gu Zezhi gently kicked his horse's belly, and the steed took a few steps forward. He looked down at the guards, his tone calm but revealing unquestionable majesty: "The situation is critical now. It concerns the safety of the royal family. There is no time to delay. If you stop me, you will delay the important matter. No one will be able to bear the consequences when the time comes!"

The guards were hesitant after hearing this. They knew Gu Zezhi's identity and status, and they knew he wouldn't break into the palace without a reason, but the order from above made them hesitate to let him go easily.

For a time, the two sides fell into a stalemate.

Su Qing took out a scroll of bright yellow silk and said, "This is a secret order from Lingyun City. The garrison troops are to take the person from the temporary palace back. Hurry and open the palace gate! If you miss this opportunity, you will be held accountable!"

The guards saw the secret letter in Su Qing's hand and without hesitation, they turned around and ordered their men to open the palace gate. The heavy palace gate creaked open slowly.

Gu Zezhi led the army and entered the palace in a mighty manner.

Gu Zezhi raised his hand and gestured, and the team of guards guarding the gate were all knocked unconscious and captured.

Gu Zezhi and Su Qing strode into the palace, their cloaks fluttering behind them.

The palace was silent. The prosperity and bustle of the past were gone, leaving only the depression in the air. They walked along the wide stone road, and their footsteps echoed in the empty palace.

In the magnificent hall of the palace with carved beams and painted buildings, sunlight shines through the carved window lattices, casting mottled light and shadows.

Stepping into the hall, Gu Zezhi's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings and finally fell on the slightly thin figure on the high platform.

The emperor who was once high and mighty and glorious was now standing alone in the center of the hall. Yun Se was dressed in plain clothes, with her long hair loose, standing in the wind, her sleeves fluttering in the wind.

"Your Majesty, I am late..." Gu Zezhi said while kneeling on one knee.

Yun Se heard the voice of the person coming, turned her head, turned around after a moment, and smiled bitterly, "Gu Zezhi, you are indeed too late. What are you doing here?"

Gu Zezhi looked at Yun Se, and at her gray hair, his heart ached. "I will escort His Majesty back to the palace."

Yun Se ignored him and asked coldly, "Gu Zezhi, what is your relationship with Lin Hong?"

Gu Zezhi's breath caught in his throat. "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, as the sun and the moon bear witness to! I have no dealings with Mr. Lin. Before Mr. Lin went to Nanling, he asked me to investigate Cui Ti, and I exchanged intelligence on Cui Ti with him. At that time, I thought he was as loyal to Your Majesty as I was."

Yun Se asked coldly, "What happened next? Why did you volunteer to go and suppress the bandits? And why did you take Lin Nan with you and leave Beijing early?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty was wrong. I wanted to establish great achievements as a man, but I never expected that Imperial Fellow Lin would ally with the Second Prince to force Your Majesty to abdicate... Upon hearing what Imperial Fellow Lin had done to Your Majesty, I dared not delay a moment and immediately rushed here from Mingxiao Mountain."

Gu Zezhi glanced at Su Qing, who threw the tightly bound Lin Nan over. Gu Zezhi said, "Lin Nan is here. Your Majesty, you can kill him or chop him up."

Yun Se was slightly startled, but was soon replaced by suspicion. "Is that really the case? Wu Han and Cui Ti did nothing, and you, Gu Zezhi, didn't discover anything?"

Yun Se stared at Gu Zezhi, trying to find a hint of falsehood in his eyes.

"Your Majesty... I didn't know. I've only been in the palace for a short time. Aunt Fang is Cui Ti's teacher... Even Aunt Fang was deceived..."

"Yeah... I don't blame you..." Yun Se said, "It's my fault for not judging people well."

Gu Zezhi kowtowed heavily, his forehead touching the ground, and said in a firm and powerful voice, "Your Majesty, if I tell even a single lie, I will be struck by lightning! Since I became an official, I have been honored by Your Majesty's kindness and have always been grateful. I vow to serve Your Majesty with all my heart. I hope Your Majesty can trust me."

Yun Se was silent for a long time, and the suspicion in his eyes gradually dissipated.

She slowly walked down the platform, came to Gu Zezhi, and reached out to help him up. "Gu Aiqing, I was wrong about you."

Yun Se added, "Quickly untie Captain Lin. What Lin Hong did has nothing to do with the other members of the Lin family."

Lin Nan stood up, his eyes slightly red, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life."

Yun Se waved her hand and said, "You all step aside, Lord Gu, I still have something to ask you."

Yun Se asked, "Do you have any news about Aunt Fang and Yi Yuan?"

Gu Zezhi looked at Yun Se with a serious expression and slowly shook his head. "Your Majesty, I have not yet found any trace of Aunt Fang, Noble Maid Yi, or the little prince. I have dispatched a large number of people to search everywhere. As soon as I have any news, I will report it to Your Majesty immediately."

A trace of disappointment flashed across Yun Se's eyes, and he clenched his fists tightly. "I must find them, I must... If anything happens to them..."

Gu Zezhi knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will do my best, even if I have to search the entire Yun Kingdom, to bring them back safely."