Chapter 1103 - 1105: Royal Guards Arrest Her for Questioning_1
The next day, Bai Ruozhu managed to see Jiang Yichun again in the palace and told him about Ling Shan’s matter. Jiang Yichun thought for a moment and said, "This discovery is good. Later, you should pay a visit to Director Gu and ask him to help leak this matter."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I was thinking the same."
The two wanted to say more, but suddenly footsteps came from the prison, and a lean and tall man dressed as a Royal Guard came over and said loudly, "Who allowed you to enter the Imperial Army Prison at will? The Emperor has not given permission for a jail visit. Who let you in?"
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Jiang Yichun, who evidently was also unclear about the man’s identity. She made eye contact with Jiang Yichun, signaling that she didn’t want to cause trouble with the Empress Dowager, and then she ignored the man and quickly walked out.
"Seize her and send her to the Imperial Study Room for the Emperor to decide!" The man suddenly ordered his men to capture Bai Ruozhu, his tone switching sharply.
Jiang Yichun narrowed his eyes, "Impudent, the Emperor did not say that visits are not allowed, you are overreaching!"
"You’ll see how overreaching I am!" The man signaled the Royal Guards next to him, and two of them moved to capture Bai Ruozhu.
Jiang Yichun also sensed something amiss and shouted angrily, "Dare to touch my wife, and I, Jiang Yichun, will never let you off!"
Everyone thought Bai Ruozhu was about to be captured, but unexpectedly, she twisted her body, eluding the two men, yelled to Jiang Yichun, "Don’t worry, I won’t have any trouble," and she dashed out.
A sharp light flashed in the lean man’s eyes, and he cursed fiercely, "Worthless, can’t even stop a woman. Chase her!"
The Royal Guards chased out of the prison, only to see Bai Ruozhu running towards the Imperial Garden. They hurriedly moved with lightness skills to pursue her, but then they suddenly lost track of Bai Ruozhu.
At this moment, Bai Ruozhu was hiding in a space, had opened a "big screen" to watch the situation outside; those people circled the area where she had disappeared for a few rounds, even searching an artificial hill not far away thoroughly.
The lean man also arrived, his face filled with a murderous aura, and asked, "Where is she?"
"She disappeared without a trace right here; by all accounts, her lightness skills shouldn’t have outpaced us. This is really strange," one of the Royal Guards said.
The lean man slapped one harshly across the face, "Worthless, can’t even catch someone and still making excuses? Do you want the Imperial Concubine to dispose of your families?"
That Royal Guard’s face swelled up on one side, but he didn’t even touch it, his body involuntarily trembling upon hearing the word "family."
"I deserve to die and am willing to accept punishment, but please, sir, beg Her Highness to spare my family," that Royal Guard suddenly knelt on the ground, and another Royal Guard also knelt down to admit fault, but it seemed he had no family to be threatened.
"Hmph, go and take your punishment," the lean man left them with those words and quickly departed.
Bai Ruozhu, watching this, also understood what was happening.
Her visit to the jail wasn’t exactly by the book, but it was endorsed by the Empress Dowager, and moreover, the Emperor did not wish to punish Jiang Yichun too harshly for hitting Zhou Jue; many in the court knew it, so it seemed unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to punish her for a minor trespass like this jail visit. These Royal Guards must have been acting under someone’s instruction, and it didn’t need saying, it was the Imperial Concubine who had always looked at her unfavorably.
Last time, she had just come out from the Empress Dowager’s Palace, and it was inconvenient for the Imperial Concubine to act or perhaps she had not had time to prepare. But this time, it was clear they had long been ready to capture her, then pin her down with false accusations and punish her on their own. Even if the Emperor learned of it and ordered her release, she could simply claim that she happened to discover an important woman not following the rules and secretly visiting the Imperial Army Jail, and she took it upon herself to ease the Emperor’s worries, handling the matter to some extent.
Given the influence of Imperial Concubine Liu’s family, even if the Emperor knew of her cunning thoughts, he wouldn’t severely punish her for Bai Ruozhu’s sake.
With this in mind, Bai Ruozhu’s expression darkened. Was she so easy to bully? The Royal Guards were the Emperor’s personal protectors and were not under the control of any of the concubines. How could Imperial Concubine Liu dare to threaten by holding a guard’s family member hostage? Would the Emperor really not mind if he knew?
It was a pity that she couldn’t bring Jianqi and the other dark guards with her into the Palace, as it would have been easy to capture evidence and bring the matter directly to the Emperor. But now, she had to handle everything on her own.
She quietly emerged from her hiding spot and followed two guards who were on their way to receive punishment from a distance. Thinking that their task wasn’t something typically assigned to Royal Guards, and they wouldn’t go to the Royal Guard camp to receive punishment, indeed, they were heading towards Imperial Concubine Liu’s Palace.
Bai Ruozhu was wary of the tall, thin man lurking in the shadows, and after following the two guards for a while, she quietly withdrew, but not before committing their appearances to memory.
She then returned to Cining Palace and told the Empress Dowager about her near-capture.
"What? Imperial Concubine Liu dares to be so brazen!" the Empress Dowager exclaimed angrily, slamming the table.
"I was hiding when I accidentally overheard it. One of the guards’ family members is still in Imperial Concubine Liu’s hands, leaving him no choice but to follow her commands," Bai Ruozhu explained.
The Empress Dowager stood up and paced in the hall. This was clearly beyond what she could tolerate. If the Royal Guards were controlled by Imperial Concubine Liu, how could the Emperor’s safety be assured?
"Empress Dowager, I remember what those three looked like. Let’s draw them right now," Bai Ruozhu said.
"Good, that would be best," the Empress Dowager immediately ordered someone to bring ink, brush, paper, and inkstone.
Bai Ruozhu took up the brush and quickly sketched the three men. The Empress Dowager did not recognize any of them, as she only remembered the core figures from the Royal Guards, evidently indicating the tall, thin man’s rank wasn’t high either.
"Rest assured, I will find out the truth and give you an explanation," the Empress Dowager ordered the portraits to be carefully stored away.
Bai Ruozhu bowed to the Empress Dowager, "Thank you for taking a stand for Ruozhu."
The Empress Dowager patted her hand and said, "Today was a close call. I will have Hao Mu escort you out of the Palace. She’s skilled in martial arts and can ensure your safety."
The called-upon palace maid stepped forward and bowed to Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu smiled gratefully at the Empress Dowager and followed Hao Mu out of Cining Palace.
Bai Ruozhu had never paid much attention to Hao Mu before, nor had she noticed her martial arts skills. It was said that only an expert could hide their abilities so well. Bai Ruozhu didn’t dare underestimate her and handed Hao Mu a purse, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, sister."
Hao Mu looked a few years older than her, and as a palace maid with rank, it was appropriate to call her sister.
Pleased with Bai Ruozhu’s politeness, Hao Mu accepted the purse, saying, "Mrs. Jiang need not be so formal, it is my duty."
The two of them walked out of the Palace, talking occasionally along the way. Hao Mu, having seen Bai Ruozhu a few times by the Empress Dowager’s side and already having a good impression of her, chatted with her even more.
"I didn’t have a chance to say this in front of the Empress Dowager, but among the three men you drew, I know one of them," Hao Mu said in a hushed tone, making sure no other palace maids were near. "The one with the long, thin face is a Squad Captain of the Royal Guards, named Wu Zhishang. Some say he has been seen getting too close to a palace maid from Yanyu Pavilion..."