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Since that day, the people of Nanyang left Cloud Swallow. After Consort Qian was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, the palace had been stable for a while, and her belly was growing larger. However, such days did not last long before trouble arose.
As autumn gradually set in, the nights became somewhat cold and quiet. If there was nothing urgent, Mu Junqi preferred not to go out. She stayed in her chambers every day, only visiting the Empress Dowager's quarters on pleasant days to pay her respects.
One night, as the darkness deepened like ink, Mu Junqi finished her grooming early and prepared to rest. Just then, a eunuch's voice called from outside the hall, "There's a fire! There's a fire! Hurry and come help!"
Before the words could finish, Ziyue and Huixin rushed in anxiously, saying, "Your Highness, it's bad! Quickly leave here; there's a fire outside!" They hurriedly helped Mu Junqi change her clothes.
Due to her pregnancy, her movements were somewhat slow. Before she could step outside, she saw flames illuminating the night sky. The eastern side hall had already been engulfed by fire, spreading rapidly with the wind of the night. The main hall's entrance was already catching fire.
As Huixin and Ziyue assisted Mu Junqi out, the plaque above the main hall's door fell down. Outside was already in chaos, with cries for help echoing everywhere. The Imperial Forest Army also rushed to join in extinguishing the flames.
Mu Junqi looked at this scene, suppressing her fear as she stood there with a serious expression. She scanned her surroundings and coldly asked, "What is going on?"
A tall palace maid knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she nervously replied, "Replying to the Empress, I... I don't know either."
"Forget it. You may leave."
The sudden outbreak of fire was clearly man-made. It seemed that besides Consort Qian, someone else in this harem wanted her life. With this thought, her fear completely vanished.
At that moment, Mo Xiao Li arrived with others, urgently calling out, "Empress! Where are you?"
Hearing his voice, Mu Junqi hurried over and saw him safe and sound. Mo Xiao Li excitedly pulled her into his embrace. "It's good you're fine! I was so worried!"
Nestled in his arms, Mu Junqi listened to his heartbeat in his chest. At that moment, she felt a sense of security and gradually calmed down.
After a long while, Mo Xiao Li finally released her and turned to glare at everyone. By now, the fire had been completely extinguished; only a strong smell of smoke lingered in the air. The palace servants of Jingxian Palace looked utterly disheveled.
"Who is on watch tonight, and how could there be a fire?" he questioned loudly.
As soon as he finished speaking, two eunuchs stepped forward, kneeling on the ground, trembling as they said, "Replying to Your Majesty... it was Servant."
"What is going on?"
One of the shorter eunuchs respectfully replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, Servant was patrolling the front hall and saw a small flame igniting in the side hall. When he went to check, it quickly turned into a large fire. Servant... Servant does not know what happened."
"Did you see anything unusual or encounter anything strange?" Mu Junqi asked, stepping forward with a serious expression.
After pondering for a moment, the other eunuch finally answered, "Replying to Empress, Servant seemed to have seen a shadow. However, it was dark and windy, and Servant could not see who that person was. Could it be that someone intentionally set the fire?"
Upon hearing this, everyone around held their breath and looked at Mo Xiao Li. After all, this implied that someone in the palace wanted to kill Empress. Mo Xiao Li's face turned particularly grim as he surveyed the surroundings and said in a deep voice to the leader of the Imperial Forest Army who had come to extinguish the fire, "Lock up everyone here first. I will personally interrogate them tomorrow." After saying this, he picked up Mu Junqi and sat her in the Imperial Carriage.
Throughout this ordeal, Mu Junqi remained silent. Now that she was pregnant, she was relieved that nothing serious had happened today; otherwise, she would have regretted it for life.
After arriving at Tianming Palace, Mu Junqi sat quietly to one side while Mo Xiao Li listened to a report from a Black-Clad Shadow Guard. That Shadow Guard had been assigned to protect her, but unexpectedly such an incident still occurred.
Once the Shadow Guard left, Mo Xiao Li walked over to her side and gently said, "You weren't scared, were you? Do you want me to summon the imperial physician to take a look?"
"No need. Consort is fine; it's just that I never expected such a thing to happen. Who exactly wants my life?" she said with some confusion.
Hearing this, Mo Xiao Li remained silent and only held her tighter in his embrace...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace, a graceful figure stood by the window looking towards the direction of Jingxian Palace, a smirk of triumph appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Inside the Chancellor's Residence at Palace Exterior
Prime Minister Kang returned home right after court. Before even entering the door, he saw his wife standing at the entrance with a maid. He snorted coldly and walked inside.
Madam Kang anxiously asked while making tea, "My lord, how is our daughter? Is she still in the Cold Palace?"
Prime Minister Kang took the teacup from his wife's hand and drank it all in one go, saying with some anger, "Last night there was a fire in the Empress's palace, and it is said to have been intentional. Now the palace is in chaos, and the Emperor is personally investigating this matter. Our daughter is still suffering in the Cold Palace."
Upon hearing this, Madam Kang exclaimed in fury, "Why didn't they burn that Wretched Woman to death? Who knows if she is carrying the Emperor's child!"
"Nonsense! It's one thing to say such things in front of me, but if there are ears on the other side of the wall, our daughter will never get out," Prime Minister Kang warned, giving his wife a disapproving look.
"My lord, I cannot just stand by and watch my daughter suffer," Madam Kang said while wiping her tears.
"All you do is cry. Looking at it this way, there are more than just us who want to kill the Empress. If we remain still for now, we might be able to benefit from it," he said, stroking his beard while speaking insidiously.
Upon hearing this, Madam Kang quickly wiped away her tears and fixed her gaze on her husband, as if seeing a glimmer of hope. "My lord, does that mean that as long as we secretly help those people, we won't even need to step forward to deal with those obstacles?"
"Exactly," he replied, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
Meanwhile, in the Cold Palace, Consort Qian, dressed in simple palace attire, knew that even though she had been sent to the Cold Palace, her father would not just watch her live here forever. Although plotting against the Empress was a capital offense, the throne of Western Yan still needed her father's support.
Moreover, since the day she was sent to the Cold Palace, Prime Minister Kang had bribed the palace maids there. So although life was not as good as it had been in Guang'an Palace, she did not suffer much; at least she had enough to eat. However, ever since she arrived, she had completely regarded Mu Junqi as a thorn in her side.
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