Chapter Thirty-Five: Trapped in a Deadly Ambush, Peril Everywhere

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Noble Lady Su stormed in, pointed at my nose, and berated me. “Lu Wan’er, you’re incredibly bold! How dare you embezzle goods from the imperial palace!”

I thought to myself: Here she comes. Here she comes, carrying her precious little “script.”

Outwardly, however, I put on an innocent expression. “Noble Lady Su, what are you talking about? When have I ever embezzled anything?”

Noble Lady Su gave a cold laugh. “Caught red-handed, and you still want to deny it? Search the place!”

At once, a horde of palace maids and eunuchs swarmed in and began rummaging through every chest and cabinet in my room.

I watched coldly, perfectly calm inside.

Please. My treasures were hidden in places no one could ever find. Did she really think her people were capable of uncovering them?

Sure enough, after searching for quite some time, they found nothing.

Noble Lady Su’s face turned livid. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Lu Wan’er, don’t get smug! I’ll find the evidence sooner or later and expose your true nature!”

I shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned. “Then I’ll wait and see.”

Noble Lady Su departed in a fury, but I began to mutter anxiously to myself.

That woman was not someone to be trifled with. Since she had failed to find anything this time, she certainly would not let the matter rest.

I had to make preparations at once.

Just as expected, the very next day, an official named Censor Wang submitted a memorial accusing me of embezzling imperial property.

The emperor flew into a rage and ordered me thrown into prison pending investigation.

I cursed inwardly: So, Noble Lady Su, you’re playing dirty, are you?

The prison was cold, dim, and damp, with rats and cockroaches scurrying everywhere.

I, the esteemed inspector of the imperial treasury, had actually fallen into such a miserable state. The injustice of it nearly made me cry.

Just as I was sighing and lamenting my fate, I suddenly heard the sounds of a fight outside.

A moment later, a familiar voice rang out. “Sister Wan’er, I’ve come to rescue you!”

It was He Yunsheng!

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My heart warmed. That boy really was loyal!

He stood there with a longsword in hand, fighting ten men at once. His movements were swift and agile, like a猛虎 descending from the mountain.

Though he was highly skilled, his opponents had the advantage of numbers, and little by little, he began to struggle.

I stamped my feet in panic, but there was nothing I could do.

Suddenly, the prison door opened, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

“Yunsheng, look out!” I shouted.

The prison was freezing, and the reek of mildew made me cough uncontrollably. It was more unbearable than eating fish stew without a single pickled vegetable in it!

I rubbed my stiff, frozen hands, while my mind replayed every little moment I had shared with the young prince, He Yunsheng.

Although the boy looked soft and cuddly, he was surprisingly dependable when it mattered.

No. I, Lu Wan’er, was not some helpless vine waiting to die. I had to save myself!

I began examining the shabby cell. My eyes swept over it like a scanner, searching every inch without leaving a blind spot.

And sure enough, I discovered that one of the bricks in the corner was loose. It looked like the “legacy” left behind by some unfortunate prisoner whose escape attempt had failed.

Heh heh. Fortune was clearly on my side!

During the brief interval when food was being delivered, I secretly used a chopstick as a tool and began digging at the brick bit by bit.

The chopstick was made of fine rosewood, which I had “borrowed” from the imperial kitchen. Who would have thought it could come in handy at a critical moment? It truly was one of my treasures!

After digging for ages, I finally pried the brick loose, revealing a pitch-black hole.

I was secretly delighted. Could this be the legendary escape tunnel?

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Just as I was about to crawl inside and investigate, the prison door flew open with a loud clang.

He Yunsheng rushed in, his face full of worry, followed by several guards.

“Sister Wan’er, are you all right?” He seized my hand and looked me over from head to toe.

Before I could answer, a eunuch’s shrill voice rang out from outside.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

My heart gave a jolt. Why had the emperor come?

Could he be here to punish me?

I instinctively tried to hide the brick I had dug out, only to discover that my hands were empty.

I looked down.

The brick had somehow landed squarely in my…

Cleavage.

Me: “…”

He Yunsheng froze as well. His eyes were fixed straight on my chest, and his face instantly turned bright red.

Stammering, he said, “Wan… Sister Wan’er, you…”

I drew a deep breath, struggling to remain calm, and forced out a smile more painful to look at than tears.

“Your Majesty, greetings! I… I was just hiding a little private savings here. Would you like to take a look?”

The emperor: “…”

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