Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 20: One Year Limit! A Needle Pierces a Leaf Three Feet Away

The news brought by Xiao Luzi was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool.

In the following days, the atmosphere in the Cold Palace was noticeably different.

When Jinshu went to collect her meal, she noticed that there was another eunuch watching her. He wasn't one of Wang Fu's men; he had a strange face and sharp eyes. He stood in the corner of the courtyard, silent, his eyes scanning every corner like searchlights.

"Your Majesty," Jinshu said, her face pale, "that person... looks like a martial arts expert."

Shen Qingci looked out through the crack in the window.

indeed.

The man stood steadily, his feet slightly apart, his center of gravity low. His hands hung naturally at his sides, but calluses were visible on the base of his thumbs—the result of years of wielding a knife. His eyes did not possess the numbness or obsequiousness of an ordinary eunuch, but rather a scrutinizing and wary gaze.

"Sent by Liu Ruyan," she said softly.

"Then, what should we do?" Jinshu asked nervously.

"Just continue doing what you were doing." Shen Qingci looked away. "But... we need to be more careful."

She walked to the table, opened the booklet that Eunuch Li had given her, and turned to the last few pages.

There is a hand-drawn simplified layout of the Cold Palace.

The lines are rough, but the key locations are marked: walls, houses, dead trees, wells... and even a few barely visible "roads" marked with dotted lines.

"Jinshu," Shen Qingci pointed to the picture, "starting tonight, we have two things to do."

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"First," Shen Qingci's finger traced across the map, "familiarize yourself with every escape route. Where the walls are lowest, where the guards have blind spots, where you can crawl out through the dog holes...memorize it all."

Jinshu nodded vigorously.

"Second," Shen Qingci looked at the pile of hay in the corner, "simulate how to fight back when surrounded."

"Counter-attack?" Jinshu was stunned. "Your Majesty, there are only the two of us..."

"Two people have their own tactics," Shen Qingci said calmly. "Use the terrain, use poison powder, use hidden weapons... as long as we can buy time, we'll have a chance to escape."

Jinshu seemed to understand but not quite, but still said, "This servant will obey Your Highness."

---

That night, at midnight.

Eunuch Li has arrived.

He didn't teach anything new today, but instead said directly, "Your Majesty, this old servant wants to conduct a crisis rehearsal with you."

"A rehearsal?"

"Suppose," Eunuch Li said calmly, "that five guards rush into the courtyard to kill you. They are all skilled in martial arts, not exceptionally skilled, but not weak either. What would you do?"

Shen Qingci was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"First, don't leave the house."

"Use the narrow space of the room to limit their numerical advantage. The door is narrow, allowing a maximum of two people to enter at a time."

"Secondly, use poison."

She pulled a small paper packet from her pocket—it contained the sleeping powder she had prepared over the past few days. Although the effect was not strong, it could cause temporary dizziness when sprinkled on someone.

"Sprinkle poison powder and attack while the chaos is in the air."

Third, concealed weapons.

She looked at the few embroidery needles on the table.

"Specializing in the eyes and throat."

"Fourth," she paused, "if you really can't stop them... then go out the back window."

She pointed to the withered tree outside the window: "Climb the wall from the tree and run west. That way is close to the Imperial Garden, where the woods are dense and it's easy to hide."

Eunuch Li listened without saying a word.

There was only a hint of approval in his eyes.

"And what if," he asked again, "the back window is blocked too?"

Shen Qingci was taken aback.

But soon, she pointed under the bed: "The bed frame can be removed. There's space underneath; you can hide someone."

"What if they search under the bed too?"

"Then..." Shen Qingci gritted her teeth, "fight with all your might. Use anything you can—shards of porcelain, chair legs, even... teeth."

Eunuch Li looked at her for a long time before slowly nodding.

"The approach is right," he said, "but it's not detailed enough."

He walked to the window and pointed to the withered tree: "The Empress said to climb the wall from the tree. But have you considered that the tree is three feet away from the wall? Can you jump over it in your current condition?"

Shen Qingci was speechless.

"Even if you jump over," Eunuch Li continued, "what's on the other side of the wall? Is it another alley, or a dead end? Are there guards patrolling? We need to find out all of these things beforehand."

He turned around and pulled a more detailed diagram from his sleeve.

That was a complete map of the Cold Palace and its surrounding area.

It is ten times more detailed than the simplified diagrams in the booklet.

"Your Majesty, look here," he pointed to the west wall of the Cold Palace, "Outside the wall is the northeast corner of the Imperial Garden, where there is a bamboo grove. Deep within the bamboo grove, there is an abandoned greenhouse that no one goes to usually."

"But to get down from the wall into the bamboo grove, you'll need a rope or grappling hook. Do you have any?"

Shen Qingci shook his head.

"Therefore," said Eunuch Li, "we need three escape routes, just in case."

He marked it on the map:

The first route is west wall - bamboo grove - greenhouse. It's the most secluded, but requires tools.

Secondly, under the woodpile in the backyard, there's a dog hole leading to an abandoned ditch outside the palace. It's dirty and smelly, but it allows you to leave the palace directly.

Article 3...

Eunuch Li's finger stopped in the direction of the main gate of the Cold Palace.

"The third one," he said in a low voice, "is the most dangerous, but also the most unexpected—go to the front yard and blend in with Wang Fu's group of eunuchs."

Shen Qingci's pupils contracted: "How is this possible..."

"Why not?" Eunuch Li looked at her. "Your Highness is dressed in a eunuch's robe, with some ash on your face, head down, blending into the crowd. Who would notice you? Especially in a moment of panic."

He paused for a moment: "Of course, this requires advance preparation. Eunuch robes, identification badges, and... familiarity with the speech and mannerisms of eunuchs."

Shen Qingci took a deep breath.

She understood what Eunuch Li meant.

Escape isn't just about running fast.

A plan is needed.

Be prepared.

We need to consider all aspects.

"Master," she looked up, "have you traveled all these routes?"

Eunuch Li nodded: "I've been there. I've been through every single one, more than once."

"For what reason?"

"So that..." Eunuch Li paused for a moment, "that one day, I can take Her Majesty away from here."

Shen Qingci's heart skipped a beat.

Looking at the hunched old man before her, she suddenly remembered what he had said that day—"The late Empress Dowager instructed this old servant to protect you."

It turns out, it wasn't just about protecting her so she could survive in the cold palace.

They even wanted to protect her... and get her out of this awful place.

"Master," she said, her voice a little hoarse, "thank you."

Eunuch Li waved his hand.

"This is all I can do." His voice suddenly lowered. "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Shen Qingci looked at him.

"This old servant is sixty-seven this year," Eunuch Li said calmly. "Although my health is still relatively good, I am getting old after all. I can only serve you for another year at most."

One year.

Shen Qingci's fingers tightened.

"A year from now," Eunuch Li continued, "regardless of whether Her Majesty is ready or not, this old servant must leave. The secret guard forces left behind by the late Empress Dowager... need a new master to integrate and lead them. This old servant cannot linger here any longer."

Shen Qingci bit her lip.

She knew that Eunuch Li was right.

The late Empress Dowager's secret guards were a trump card. But they couldn't remain hidden forever; someone needed to control and utilize them.

And that person...

"Master," she said, her voice steady, "I will take you away from here in a year."

Eunuch Li was stunned.

He looked at her.

Moonlight streamed in through the broken window, illuminating the woman's pale yet resolute face. Her eyes, dark and deep, like two bottomless pools, commanded respect without revealing their depths.

"Your Majesty means..."

"One year later," Shen Qingci said, emphasizing each word, "I will walk out of the Cold Palace with my head held high. Not by escaping, not by stealing, but by leaving."

"Then," she said, looking at Eunuch Li, "you won't have to guard this dilapidated courtyard anymore. You can go do what you're supposed to do—integrate the secret guards and rebuild your power."

"And me..."

She paused, then gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

"I will take the children to get back everything that is rightfully mine."

The room was very quiet.

Only the oil lamp crackled softly.

After a long while, Eunuch Li slowly bowed.

"This old servant... awaits that day."

---

In the days that followed, Shen Qingci practiced even more diligently.

They practiced light-body skills during the day and hidden weapons at night.

She can now walk steadily around the plum blossom stakes made of that pile of broken tables, although slowly, at least she doesn't fall anymore.

The accuracy of my embroidery needles is also getting better and better.

The rain had just stopped that evening.

The old locust tree in the yard gleamed after being washed by the rain. Water droplets clung to its withered yellow leaves, shimmering faintly in the setting sun.

Shen Qingci stood at the doorway, holding a needle in her hand.

The needle tip points three zhang away, where a withered leaf hangs on a branch.

The leaves were very small, only the size of a thumb, and swayed in the wind.

Eunuch Li stood behind her, saying nothing, just watching.

Jinshu nervously gripped the hem of her clothes.

Shen Qingci closed her eyes and regulated her breathing.

The internal energy circulated slowly, rising from the dantian, flowing along the meridians of the arm to the fingertips.

She could feel the needle getting slightly warm.

Then, she opened her eyes.

A slight tremor of the wrist.

"laugh--"

A very faint sound of something cutting through the air.

The needle transformed into an almost invisible silver thread, piercing through the damp air after the rain, and through the halo of the setting sun—

Then, it precisely pierced the petiole of the withered leaf.

The leaf swayed and drifted down.

The needle is still stuck to the leaf stalk, and the red thread at the end of the needle sways gently in the wind.

Jinshu let out an "Ah!" and covered her mouth.

Eunuch Li stood there, watching for a long time.

Then, he nodded slowly.

"That's fine."

There are only three words.

But Shen Qingci knew that this was the highest praise her master could give.

She walked over and picked up the leaf.

Where the needle pierces the petiole, the hole is very small and round.

There was no tearing or damage.

It's as if it naturally grew from there.

"Your Highness," Eunuch Li said, "you've now entered the realm of hidden weapons."

Shen Qingci gripped the leaf tightly.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her face, reflecting the increasingly bright light hidden deep within her eyes.

I've gotten the hang of it.

This is just the beginning.

But at least, she was no longer the deposed empress who could be slaughtered at will.

She now has the ability to protect herself.

An escape route has been found.

With... the means to survive.

"Master," she turned her head, "what will we learn tomorrow?"

Looking at her, Eunuch Li revealed a very faint, almost imperceptible smile for the first time.

"Tomorrow," he said, "I will learn how to use poison."

"The real poison."

Night falls.

The Cold Palace fell silent once again.

But this time, Shen Qingci lay in bed and did not fall asleep immediately as usual.

She opened her eyes and looked at the moonlight filtering through the roof.

Beside me lay the withered leaf pierced by a needle.

That phrase kept echoing in my mind—

A year from now, I will take you away from here.

One year.

She only has one year.

To detoxify, to nurture the fetus, to become stronger, to strategize...

There's so much to do.

There is too little time.

but……

She gently stroked her lower abdomen.

There, the fetus moved, as if responding to her determination.

"Baby," she whispered, "let's do it together."

"I definitely...can do it."

Outside the window, the autumn wind rises again.

The wind blew over withered trees, over broken walls, and over the cold palace that had imprisoned her for more than three months.

It also stirred the leaf that had been pierced by the needle.

The leaf twirled in the wind and drifted away into the distance.

It seems to be foreshadowing something.

It's like saying goodbye.