False evidence

Chapter 508 Queen
Xiao Hong's eyes tell us that she was not lying.

A chill ran through me once again.

When I said we might be facing the Imperial Guards, it was mostly a joke, but Xiao Hong's serious tone made the situation seem increasingly unpredictable.

Xiao Hong used so-called illusion magic to transform me into the appearance of Zhu Yunwen, but at this time I could not be sure whether Li Meizhi's landlord Zhu Yunwen was the same person as Zhu Yunwen, who was remembered in history for his whereabouts being unknown.

But Xiao Hong said she wasn't a palace maid, but died because of Emperor Jianwen. Could she really be a ghost from the Ming Dynasty?
Looking back, the nine gold bricks I saw as soon as I entered No. 23A, Tanjiaqiao Lane, seemed to be conveying a very significant message.

Gold bricks were used to pave the imperial palace. If, as Old Li said, the gold bricks were buried beneath the bone dust of hundreds of people... the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" seems to be the exclusive domain of emperors and powerful figures.

The information Zhao Qi gave me indicated that all the missing women had close ties to someone surnamed Zhu. Could it be that these disappearances spanning hundreds of years are truly related to the Jianwen Emperor?

Could it be that all those ghosts and phantoms that came in before were, like Xiao Hong, closely related to Zhu Yunwen? Or perhaps they were actually people who served Emperor Jianwen, reincarnated and then died, becoming ghosts?

Although the clothes those people were wearing weren't exactly ancient costumes, the time span was quite large, so this guess could explain it.

I stared at Xiao Hong, thinking to myself, "This is getting more and more interesting. If I really see so many people from the Ming Dynasty palace all at once, even if they are reincarnations, it would be bizarre enough."

After a brief moment of doubt, Lü Xin's expression turned excited again: "Damn it, I really want to test my skills against these so-called imperial guards and see if they're just empty-headed good-for-nothings!"

He had already decided to kill, and after saying that, he didn't care about anything else and ran forward in two strides.

A sudden thought struck me: "Be careful..."

He uttered two words and then abruptly stopped. We were already quite close to the light and shadow at the end of the tunnel, and if the people outside heard the commotion, we would be in a very passive position.

My intuition told me that Lü Xin's impulsive actions, driven by emotion, might bring unnecessary trouble, so I shut my mouth and started chasing after him.

Just as Lü Xin was about to reach the end of the road, I caught up with him. Suddenly, I saw him stumble, and he suddenly shrank by more than half his height.

I gasped, realizing something was wrong. Gritting my teeth, I lunged forward and, at the last second, managed to grab one of his wildly waving hands.

As I felt my arm being suddenly pulled down, I fell face-first to the ground. When I came to my senses, the first thing I saw was Lü Xin, whom I had been holding onto.

When I finally understood the situation, I was completely stunned.

The passage truly came to an end, and outside stood a vast and magnificent palace.

What's strange is that we didn't emerge from the tunnel like groundhogs. The reason Lü Xin suddenly 'shrank' was because the secret passage was suspended above the dome of the main hall. Lü Xin had been pushing hard to get out, but he hadn't expected this, so he lost his footing, lost his balance, and almost fell straight down.

I thought to myself: This guy surnamed Lü is definitely a thief. He slipped and fell, but he managed to keep his mouth shut and didn't make a sound. When I grabbed him, he didn't immediately climb back up; instead, he turned his head to look down.

"Come up!" I whispered. As Lü Xin turned around, I suddenly used half of my body to swing my arm backward. Lü Xin, who had a background in martial arts, immediately followed the momentum and, with a rather ungraceful somersault, returned to the secret passage.

At that moment, neither of us looked at the other; instead, we both craned our necks to look outside.

It was indeed a large hall, though not exactly opulent, but it was as big as a small indoor football field.

The entrance to the secret passage we were in was right next to the dome, and this hall was over three zhang high. It's not hard to imagine that even if Lü Xin was incredibly capable, falling without warning would have cost him at least half his life.

"Shouldn't you thank me for saving you?" I said, my eyes fixed on the ground below.

There were indeed people in the main hall, and quite a few at that, but Xiao Hong wasn't lying. Because of the special environment, as long as we didn't speak too loudly in the relatively narrow passage, we probably wouldn't be heard by the people in the main hall.

The main problem is that the outside is so vast. In such a huge, open space, even the slightest sound can be amplified by the echo. Sound, like heat, rises, so the noise we make at the top is less likely to be heard by those below.

Lu Xin remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "There are more than forty-seven people down here. I counted them clearly, there are fifty-eight."

I counted as clearly as he did, but I could still see them clearly.

In this main hall, directly below us, is a high platform, with a blazing furnace burning on each of the left and right sides.

In front of the high platform were steps leading down, and below the steps, in the main hall, dozens of people were kneeling on the ground in the same posture.

No one looked up, so no one noticed us...

"Uh……"

I caught a glimpse of a detail and involuntarily let out a syllable.

"What's wrong? Never seen anything like this before? Got scared?" Lu Xin said with a hint of sarcasm.

I ignored him, squinted, and looked closely at the crowd below. When my pupils focused, I met a pair of eyes across the distance.

They only exchanged a glance, and the person quickly lowered their head.

Although I couldn't see it very clearly, I was able to identify the person based on the clothing of the person next to him.

It's Zhong Lan! The aloof woman who spoke to Zhou Xiaoman earlier. The old woman kneeling beside her, wearing a cheongsam, is the one Zhou Xiaoman called "Grandma."

I felt someone approaching from behind, so I turned around abruptly.

The woman near me seemed startled and took a half step back, but at the same time grabbed one of my arms with both hands.

Standing close to her, a question arose in my mind: "Who are you?"

This woman could only be Xiao Hong, who was using Fang Ling's body, but her expression right now...

"Three...three sevens." The woman was quite nervous, her eyes revealing an undisguised fear. "Where...are we?"

"Sister Ling!" I am 100% certain that the Fang Ling I am seeing now is the real her.

I know her so well that no one can imitate her demeanor and way of speaking so perfectly.

But why is she different from the one who flashed through my mind a moment ago? "She's Fang Ling! I'm sure she is!" Lu Xin said, turning his head. "But why did she suddenly regain consciousness? Where's Xiao Hong?"

“Xiao Hong should still be here.” For some reason, I gently pulled my right hand away from Fang Ling’s grasp, and after taking her hand in return, my tone became even more certain. “She’s still here, but she’s very scared. She’s probably afraid to face the people here, or rather, the environment here, so she’s hiding herself.”

I followed up with an even quieter curse: "Now that something's happened, you turn into a coward. What, are all people from all walks of life like this?"

I was obviously scolding Xiao Hong. It was obvious that she was afraid to face the situation and "stepped aside" at the crucial moment, letting Fang Ling herself deal with this bizarre scene.

"What do we do now?" Lu Xin stared down again, his tone somewhat nonchalant.

I couldn't help but frown: "Are you out of your mind? Don't you even know what's going on? Do you really think you're some kind of expert, planning to single-handedly storm the inner palace?"

Lu Xin turned his head, and the two looked at each other, the atmosphere suddenly becoming somewhat strangely eerie.

That's because the four words I blurted out unintentionally seemed quite fitting for the occasion.

"You also think this is really a royal palace?" After a moment, Lü Xin asked, tilting his head.

I was speechless for a moment.

The hall was vast, but empty of furnishings; only the raised platform below stood out. Calling it a hall was an understatement; it resembled more of a large air-raid shelter from a movie.

But it's precisely this kind of place, perhaps... more importantly because of the people kneeling all over the ground, that gives it a truly unique feel...

It's like... being in the imperial palace, facing the homage of high-ranking officials.

However, our position in this "Golden Palace" is rather "awkward." If the high platform represents the throne and dragon throne, we are not on the throne, but above it, near the ceiling.

"Sister Ling, how are you feeling?" I was genuinely concerned about Fang Ling. Ever since I came to this city to study, Liping, Mengniu, and others have given me the same kind of friendship as Erpang. After I started working at the pet clinic, Fang Ling and Uncle Cheng gave me the warmth of family.

Without Tong Jiawen and Xiao Hong's control, Fang Ling was truly terrified. She might not have realized exactly what had happened, but her inner fear was palpable.

So much so that, with her lips pursed, a series of crystalline tears silently rolled down her frightened eyes.

Tears dripped onto the back of my hand, making a soft "sizzling" sound, like water droplets falling onto a hot furnace.

The noise it made was shocking enough, but looking at that panicked and helpless face, I instantly ignored many details.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." I pulled Fang Ling closer to me and looked at Lü Xin again.

He happened to be looking at me, and before he could speak, I quickly said, "I've lost my patience. Let's end this as soon as possible, no matter what."

Lu Xin's lips curled into an arrogant smile: "I just realized that's where your name comes from."

I glanced down and asked myself, "How do we get down?"

The floor of the main hall is nearly ten meters above where we are, and the platform below looks only a little over a meter high, so it must be eight or nine meters high. That's much higher than a typical courtyard wall. Without a handhold, jumping down would be a disaster; breaking your leg would be the least of your worries!
Lu Xin looked at me with a strange gaze and said, "I won't break my leg if I jump down, but it seems like you'll have to rely on luck. As for the woman next to you... ha, I've always said that women are useless except in bed."

"You're more like a woman than a woman. No, you're not even as good as a woman." I've figured it out. If Lu Xin's previous performance was barely satisfactory, it was mostly because he understood his position, knew he was just a consciousness, and had to submit to me. Even if he was unwilling, he had to play along with me. He hid at least five or six parts of his true personality.

In reality, he was a lawless bastard who had no regard for others. Even if he knew it was wrong and that continuing would only bring temporary pleasure, he would persist in whatever feeling he wanted and whatever pleasure he desired, without considering the feelings or circumstances of others.

I am not him, nor could I possibly figure out his thoughts at this moment using the rudimentary psychology taught by Tong Xiangnan in a short period of time.

But I know very well that at this moment, only he, this selfish "little friend," is my only "reliance," or rather, the only tool that I can use.

I squinted and looked down for a moment, then pointed to a spot: "Do you think that person, yes, that old guy who looks to be in his sixties, looks like the opera troupe leader who 'kindly' took you in that year?"

Lu Xin's expression suddenly changed, and he stared at me intently, looking as if he might suddenly burst into a murderous rage at any moment.

I remained unfazed: "He's always been on your mind. Not because he did you any favors, but rather because he has peculiar fetishes. You almost froze to death on the street, and he took you in. You thought he was being kind, but you never imagined that from the first time he let you bathe, cut your hair, and put on a female role's costume... in his eyes, you were already being abused..."

"Shut up!" Lu Xin gritted his teeth and spat out the three words.

I scoffed, "Playing with women only allows you to superficially regain your masculine dignity. Killing is what truly proves you're a man. I don't mind letting you vent your emotions and rediscover yourself, but are you really not planning to start over?"

"What's this? The same old story?" Lu Xin's eyes held a hint of mockery, or perhaps self-deprecation. "Rework..."

“Yes!” I interrupted him. “You’ve been living a rebirth. If I remember correctly, you were a prostitute in your first five lives, and the lowest-ranking ones at that. Because of your hard work and struggle, your sixth life was different, wasn’t it? You were a top-tier ‘mid-level’ prostitute in Qiongzhou, already outstanding among ‘chickens’. Your seventh life was even better, the most beautiful courtesan. In your eighth life, you were a respectable woman, but unfortunately, you read too many bad books, tried to elope with a poor scholar like others, and ended up being deceived and going back to your ‘old profession’. As for your ninth life… tsk, I really can’t understand how you managed to reach such a high position. As far as I know, the only one who could reach that level of ‘chicken king’ seems to be Li Shishi, right?”

Lu Xin stared intently, his gaze shifting constantly, but his face remained expressionless.

"Go on, keep going!"

"No. I find it too gritty." I shrugged and looked down. "I just wanted to say that every time you 're-lived,' although it was still miserable, it got better each time. At least later on, you not only weren't starving or cold like before, but you were also able to keep the emperor company in bed. Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that your tenth incarnation was already in the Republic of China, would you have become an empress?"

Lu Xin's eyes were bloodshot: "But I'm a man who was fucking violated by that old monster!"

"Empress?" I uttered the two words.

"Your mother is the Emperor..."

Lu Xin finally snapped, yelling and cursing as he slapped me across the face.

His hand froze in mid-air, and then his entire arm trembled slightly.

I slowly withdrew my left hand from his private parts, raised my hand and pointed downwards, my voice sounding somewhat like a murmur in my sleep: "I mean down there, down there, that woman, doesn't she look like an empress?"

Send first, then revise;
I apologize for not being able to update regularly at the end of the year due to work commitments.

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(End of this chapter)