Chapter Ninety-Three: The Inner Palace Plot of Treason Is Finally Broken, and Order Is Restored Through the Heroine’s Success

On the rough slip of paper in Lin Shiya’s hand, the ink still carried a faint dampness. She brought it close to the window and, under the pale moonlight, carefully made out the crooked writing. The words seemed like black beasts baring their fangs and claws, magnifying the ominous foreboding in her heart without limit.

Those men in black really were connected to the Empress.

She recalled the scene she had seen earlier behind the rockery in the imperial garden: the fabric of their clothing, and the perfume on them, an aroma used only by a foreign power.

Her gaze turned sharp and piercing as she swept the empty room with a cold look, as though she could see through the darkness and stare directly at the fiends hiding within it.

Her mind raced, and she immediately understood that this was not merely a plot against her alone, but a treasonous conspiracy that could overturn the entire court.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as if drumming the signal of battle; anger and a sense of duty intertwined, blazing into a fierce fire.

The whole inner court seemed shrouded beneath an immense black veil, the air thick with suffocating pressure.

At the same time, in the Empress’s chamber, candlelight flickered and cast her distorted face into sharp relief.

She clutched the silk handkerchief in her hand so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

“This Lin Shiya truly deserves to be the top scholar of the new examination. She is far too troublesome,” the Empress muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes vicious as poisoned blades.

Learning that Lin Shiya was investigating the origins of those men in black, she could no longer suppress the agitation in her heart.

She had to erase her completely before she uncovered the truth.

“Consort Li, have your people been arranged?” the Empress asked darkly, her voice carrying an authority that brooked no argument.

Consort Li, whose face was usually sweet and charming, now wore a mask of阴冷狠戾. A cold smile curved her lips as she replied, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. They are all handpicked dead men. They will never let Lin Shiya see the sun rise tomorrow.”

As her words fell, countless shadows stirred in the darkness. They were swift and agile, like venomous snakes lying in wait through the night, tongues of blood-red flickering as they poised to strike.

A dense killing intent spread like something tangible, chilling to the bone.

“Go. Make certain she is eliminated,” said the Empress, her voice icy, like a ghost’s whisper from the underworld.

The shadows obeyed without a sound, vanishing at once into the darkness as if they were part of the night itself.

Lin Shiya tightened her grip on the dagger once more. She could feel that the inner court tonight was more sinister than on any other night; murderous intent, like an invisible net, was slowly closing around her.

She gave a cold smile. Since they could no longer wait, she would play with them to the end.

She listened intently for any movement around her. In the utter silence, she seemed to catch a faint sound of footsteps.

“So they have come...” A thin, icy curve touched Lin Shiya’s lips, and a sharp light burst from her eyes.

With a light tap of her toes, Lin Shiya darted like a swallow, moving swiftly through the beams.

Moonlight poured through the latticed windows, casting mottled shadows on the floor and illuminating the cold gleam of the dagger in her hand.

The assassins clung to her like shadows, each strike lethal, yet she dissolved them all one by one.

At times she hid behind a folding screen; at times she leapt onto the rafters, using the complex layout of the inner court to outmaneuver them.

“Aaah—” A scream tore through the night. A palace maid, in her panic, knocked over a vase; shards flew everywhere, and the crisp crash was especially jarring in the dead silence.

More maids and eunuchs panicked and fled in all directions. Their cries and footsteps tangled together, making the already tense atmosphere even more chaotic.

Captain Xue arrived in haste with a squad of guards, only to see Lin Shiya holding off three attackers at once with effortless composure.

He marveled inwardly that this apparently frail top scholar could possess such extraordinary skill.

He had meant to step forward and help, but Lin Shiya stopped him with a glance.

Her movements were agile, her techniques fierce and precise. Like an elegant leopard moving through the dark, every attack she launched was accurate and fatal.

The assassins gradually found themselves at a disadvantage. They had not expected that this seemingly powerless scholar could be so difficult to deal with.

Seizing an opening, Lin Shiya reversed her hold on one assassin and pinned him, pressing the dagger to his throat as she asked in a cold voice, “Speak. Who sent you?”

The assassin’s face went pale, his lips trembling, yet he clenched his teeth and refused to answer.

Inside the Empress’s chamber, the Empress paced back and forth, the unease in her heart growing ever stronger.

“Why is there still no news? Could it be... failure?” she murmured to herself, her face as white as paper.

At that moment, a palace maid stumbled in, crying in terror, “Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The assassins... the assassins have all been captured!”

The teacup in the Empress’s hand fell to the floor with a crash, shattering into pieces. The fragments scattered everywhere, just like her shattered heart at that moment.

“What did you say?!”

Lin Shiya stood at the entrance to the Empress’s chamber, holding the token she had searched from the assassin’s body: a jade pendant engraved with the Empress’s private seal. Its cold touch only made the fire in her heart burn more fiercely.

She pushed open the chamber door and walked in with steady steps, like a victorious general returning from the battlefield.

The Empress’s exquisite face, lit by candlelight, looked grotesquely twisted. There was no trace left of her former dignity and splendor, only the ugly panic of someone cornered.

“Empress, long time no see,” Lin Shiya said, her voice cool and clear, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

She threw the jade pendant to the floor. The crisp impact rang out especially sharply in the silent chamber, as though tolling the funeral bell for the Empress’s final road to ruin.

“Does the Empress still remember this jade pendant?”

The moment the Empress saw it, her face turned deathly pale. She shrieked hysterically, “Lin Shiya, you wretch! How dare you frame me!”

Lin Shiya gave a cold laugh and drew a letter from her sleeve. On the paper were densely packed lines of secret correspondence between the Empress and a foreign enemy, every word revealing treacherous schemes to sell out the realm for personal gain.

She held the letter high so that every maid and eunuch in the chamber could see it clearly. “The Empress has colluded with a foreign power and seeks to overturn the dynasty. The evidence is conclusive. The crime is unforgivable!”

The news spread quickly throughout the palace. In the court, when Murong Fu heard it, he was thunderstruck with fury.

He could not believe that the Empress he had trusted would commit such a monstrous deed.

He immediately ordered that the Empress be taken to the prison to await judgment.

Consort Li was implicated as well and was locked up alongside her.

In the court, Lin Shiya presented the evidence one by one. The ministers were astonished and rose in condemnation of the Empress’s crimes.

Murong Fu, consumed with rage, publicly announced the Empress’s deposition, stripped her of her title, and consigned her to the cold palace.

Consort Li was likewise severely punished for her part in the conspiracy.

Because Lin Shiya had stood up and acted, the whole court was at last freed from the clouds and fog and saw light once more.

The inner court, too, finally shook off the shadow of intrigue and returned to its former order.

Standing in the center of the court, Lin Shiya received the respect and gratitude of the ministers and all the people of the inner court.

Her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment. Everything she had done was not only for herself, but for all living beings under heaven.

She lifted her head, her gaze resolute, and hope surged endlessly within her.

The radiance of the morning sun fell upon her, gilding her with a layer of gold. Her expression was solemn, and between her brows and eyes there was a righteous dignity that could not be violated. She was like a brilliant star, illuminating this decaying dynasty and lighting up the people’s longing for justice.

Night fell, and the imperial garden was ablaze with light.

Lin Shiya strolled beside the rockery when she heard familiar footsteps behind her.

She turned and saw Murong Fu walking toward her at an unhurried pace. On his handsome face there was a complex expression, which looked even deeper under the hazy moonlight.

Murong Fu came to stand before her and gazed at her fixedly before speaking slowly, “Top Scholar Lin, tonight I have prepared a banquet...”

In the imperial garden, the lanterns were as bright as stars, so many that they seemed to turn the night sky into day.

Murong Fu hosted a banquet for Lin Shiya. Exquisite dishes filled the table, and their fragrance drifted through the air, yet none of it surpassed the sweetness flowing between the two of them.

Moonlight fell gently upon Lin Shiya, tracing the contours of her lovely features and making the heroic spirit between her brows and eyes all the more striking.

Murong Fu raised his cup and looked at her with deep feeling. “Top Scholar Lin, I offer you a toast, in thanks for helping restore order to the court and returning clarity to the inner palace.”

Lin Shiya answered with a smile and lifted her cup in return. The crisp sound of cups meeting rang especially pleasingly through the quiet night.

“Your Majesty flatters me. I have merely done what was my duty,” she said. She took a light sip. The sweet wine slid down her throat, yet it was still not as intoxicating as the look in Murong Fu’s eyes.

Murong Fu set down his cup, walked to her side, and gently took her hand. His palm was warm and dry, carrying a comforting strength.

“Shiya,” he said in a low voice that trembled almost imperceptibly, “I know that everything you have done was not only for the court, but for all the people under heaven. Your talent, your courage, your wisdom—they all make me admire you deeply.” His gaze was fervent, as if he wanted to melt Lin Shiya beneath it.

“Shiya, I...”

Lin Shiya’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. She could feel the warmth in Murong Fu’s palm, and she could also feel the affection hidden in his words.

The air around them seemed to grow sweet. Blossoms, birdsong, and the blurred moonlight all made the world appear so beautiful.

Just then, a hurried series of footsteps shattered the lovely atmosphere.

A guard hurried over, dropped to one knee, and said anxiously, “Your Majesty, urgent report from the border!”

Murong Fu’s expression changed. He immediately took the letter from the guard’s hands and unfolded it, his brows knitting tightly.

Lin Shiya also sensed the gravity of the matter. Watching Murong Fu’s face grow darker and darker, an ominous premonition rose in her heart as well.

“The iron cavalry of Northern Yan are advancing south to invade...” Murong Fu’s voice was low, carrying anger he could no longer conceal.

The calm of the inner court was broken by this sudden news of war, and the air filled with tension.

Lin Shiya’s heart sank at once. She looked toward Murong Fu and said firmly, “Your Majesty, I am willing to...”