Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 146 I Made Another Discovery

Liu Sijun nodded and replied, "Uncle, don't worry, Sijun will remember."

"But today is the Seventh Sisters' gathering, and there are many people in the city. Aunt and Uncle should go back early to avoid any trouble later."

Liu Rumei, however, was in high spirits: "Oh dear, it's a rare treat to come out, let's stroll around a bit more. Si Jun, don't rush off either, accompany your aunt and uncle for a while longer."

Liu Sijun was anxious, still worried about Consort Shu and Consort Jing, as well as Gu Changzhou's situation in following the man in black.

But Liu Rumei was so enthusiastic that she couldn't refuse her directly.

Just as I was hesitating, I suddenly heard a commotion coming from not far away.

Everyone turned to look and saw a group of people running towards them in a panic, shouting, "Something's wrong! There are evil cultivators causing trouble!"

Liu Sijun's heart skipped a beat. Why would an evil cultivator appear at this time?
Could it really be, as she suspected, related to the conspiracy of Consort Shu and Consort Jing?
She immediately said to Liu Rumei and Chen Ran, "Aunt, Uncle, the situation is bad. You should find a safe place to hide right away."

Liu Rumei's face was a little pale.

For the past six months, there have been frequent appearances of evil cultivators in the city. It was thought that the city had been quiet during this period and that the evil cultivators had been eradicated.

I didn’t expect there is more!
She nervously grabbed Liu Sijun's hand: "Sijun, what about you? Why don't you come with us?"

Liu Sijun was somewhat moved.

It's only natural that Liu Rumei wanted to take advantage of her influence. Now that they're in danger, the fact that she immediately wanted her to come with her shows that she's still kind at heart.

Liu Sijun patted Liu Rumei's hand: "Aunt, I can't leave. I have to go and see what's going on. Don't worry, I'll be careful. Also, if you're going that way and it's close to home, you should go home as soon as possible."

Chen Ran also realized the seriousness of the situation and pulled Liu Rumei aside, saying, "Madam, listen to Si Jun's niece, let's find a place to hide first and not cause her any trouble."

Liu Rumei nodded helplessly. After watching them hide in a nearby shop, Liu Sijun immediately used his movement technique to rush towards the direction where the evil cultivators were causing trouble.

Upon arriving at the scene of the disturbance, Liu Sijun found it chaotic, with people fleeing in all directions and several men in black confronting the palace guards. Liu Sijun immediately recognized that these men in black exuded the aura of evil cultivators.

Liu Sijun wondered why these evil cultivators would cause trouble so openly at the Seven Sisters Association.

As she was pondering, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd—it was Consort Jing. Consort Jing looked nervous and was quietly making her way out of the crowd.

Liu Sijun's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Consort Jing was related to these evil cultivators?
She followed without making a sound.

Consort Jing seemed to realize that someone was following her, so she quickened her pace and turned into a secluded alley.

Liu Sijun followed closely behind, and as soon as they entered the alley, they saw Consort Jing talking quietly with a man in black.

Liu Sijun hid to the side, listening intently.

Consort Jing said anxiously, "What did you do? How could you be exposed at this time? The whole plan has been ruined!"

The man in black replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we have proceeded according to plan, although there was an unexpected incident along the way. However, as long as we continue according to the original plan, we still have a chance."

Consort Jing frowned and said, "I hope so. If anything goes wrong, none of you will have an easy time."

Liu Sijun thought to himself, it seems that these evil cultivators are indeed in cahoots with Consort Shu and Consort Jing. What exactly is their "original plan"?
Just as she was about to continue listening, she suddenly heard light footsteps behind her.

Liu Sijun was startled and immediately turned around, only to see Consort Xian standing behind her, making a shushing gesture.

Liu Sijun looked at Consort Xian with suspicion. Consort Xian whispered, "Consort Shu and I followed her here and found that she made contact with several men in black before leaving. I felt something was wrong, so I followed her, and I didn't expect to run into you."

Liu Sijun nodded slightly, signaling Consort Xian to listen as well. Just then, Consort Jing and the man in black seemed to have finished their conversation. The man in black quickly left, while Consort Jing straightened her clothes and prepared to walk out of the alley.

Liu Sijun and Consort Xian exchanged a glance and decided not to alert the enemy. After Consort Jing left, the two of them came out from their hiding place.

Consort Xian: "Alchemist Liu, it seems that Consort Shu and Consort Jing are indeed problematic. These evil cultivators were likely brought here by them. But what exactly do they want?"

Liu Sijun shook his head in silence.

"Looks like we're too late again. What should we do next?"

Liu Sijun lowered her eyelids: "Your Highness, you are all alone. Now that there are evil cultivators around, you should return to the palace as soon as possible, just in case."

"That's fine too."

Consort Xian headed towards the palace.

Liu Sijun sent a telepathic message to Gu Changzhou, and the two soon met two streets away from the Marquis of Molin's residence.

Gu Changzhou's expression was slightly solemn.

"Master Si, the man in black I had someone follow is in cahoots with the evil cultivators causing trouble here."

Liu Sijun said, "I just overheard Consort Jing talking to a man in black. They mentioned that the plan had been disrupted, but they still intended to proceed as originally planned. However, they don't know what the original plan was. Have you gotten any more specific information?"

Gu Changzhou shook his head: "Not yet. Those men in black are very cautious. My men finally managed to catch up with one of them, but they were almost discovered. However, what is certain is that they have a considerable force supporting them, and they seem to have intricate connections with Xuanji Hall."

Liu Sijun's heart skipped a beat: "You mean there are other forces that are being used by Xuanji Hall?"

Gu Changzhou nodded.

"correct."

Liu Sijun suddenly said, "I have made another discovery."

Liu Sijun told Gu Changzhou about how she was caught by Consort Xian while following Consort Shu, and how Consort Xian offered to help her. She pretended to agree and told Consort Xian some information.

"Consort Xian..."

Gu Changzhou analyzed: "Consort Xian is the only daughter of Prince Liang, who is not of the same surname. Prince Liang died in battle for the country forty years ago. At that time, His Majesty originally intended to confer the title of Noble Consort on Consort Xian, but she refused to use her father's death in battle as a reason for her promotion."

For many years afterward, she remained gentle and low-key in the imperial harem.

Why would someone suddenly say they want to help Liu Sijun and get involved in this?

Liu Sijun said, "I also find it suspicious."

"Consort Xian has always been low-key, so her sudden involvement in this matter must have some ulterior motive. Perhaps she is also making her own plans, but we don't know whether she is friend or foe."

Liu Sijun: "Yes, we can't completely trust her yet. But we can't offend her easily before things become clear. We might as well go along with her for now and see what she's up to. Maybe with her involvement, Consort Shu and Consort Jing will expose more flaws."

Gu Changzhou nodded in agreement.

Liu Sijun: "I was worried that their so-called plan would pose a huge threat to the royal family. Judging from the current situation, they don't seem to care about being exposed."

(End of this chapter)