Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 42 I Secretly Sold the Tyrant's Rewards! Five Hundred Taels of Gold Launched the Revenge Dark Web

The first day of the Lunar New Year, at the third quarter of the Yin hour.

Before dawn, firecrackers were already going off in the palace.

Shen Qingci didn't sleep all night.

She sat at her desk, drawing something on a large sheet of rice paper by the dim candlelight. The paper was so large it almost covered the entire table. Intricate lines and symbols were drawn on it with fine brushstrokes, densely packed like a giant spider web.

When Jinshu brought in the hot water, she was startled: "Your Majesty, what's wrong...?"

"Awake?" Shen Qingci didn't look up, her pen continuing to move across the paper. "Turn the light on."

Jinshu quickly lit a few more candles.

The candlelight shone brightly, illuminating the contents of the Xuan paper.

That's not a painting, but a... structural diagram.

At the very top are three characters: Tingfenglou (Listening to the Wind Pavilion).

It is further divided into three main branches: intelligence gathering, intelligence analysis, and intelligence transmission.

Each main trunk branches out into countless smaller branches—

The intelligence gathering section is titled: Palace, Imperial Court, Martial Arts World, Merchants, and Common People.

Intelligence analysis includes: authenticity verification, importance classification, and correlation analysis.

Intelligence was transmitted via: carrier pigeons, secret letters, coded messages, and oral communication.

Each branch is labeled with detailed operating instructions and precautions. For example, next to "Palace Intelligence" it says in small print: "Important: Preferences, power relationships, and secrets of each palace master." "Precautions: Informants must have dual identities, rotate regularly, and maintain single-line contact."

Jinshu was dazzled by the sight, yet she vaguely sensed the importance of this thing.

"Your Majesty, this is..."

"Our eyes and ears." Shen Qingci put down her pen and rubbed her aching wrist. "Why was Liu Ruyan able to harm me for three years? Because she had spies in the palace and powerful backers in the court. Why did it take us so long to find even a clue? Because we didn't have our own intelligence network."

She pointed to the few squares at the bottom of the drawing: "These are the first batch of informants to be developed. Xiao Luzi will be in charge of the palace, Physician Chen will be in charge of the Imperial Hospital, and your father's side..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I'll try to contact him after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year."

Jinshu nodded emphatically, her eyes shining: "Your Highness, what can this servant do?"

Shen Qingci looked at her: "You still have a lot to learn. But for now, go and do something for me."

She took a small wooden box from a hidden compartment in the desk and opened it.

Inside were several pieces of jewelry—a pair of jadeite earrings, a gold hairpin, and a piece of mutton-fat jade pendant. These were gifts from Nangong Ye a few days ago; they weren't the most valuable, but their quality was excellent.

"After dawn, go find Xiao Luzi," Shen Qingci said. "Have him leave the palace and pawn these things. Remember, go to three pawnshops, and pawn everything. The price can be low, but it must be in cash."

Jinshu took the wooden box, her hands trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, what if His Majesty finds out..."

"He won't know," Shen Qingci said calmly. "There are thousands upon thousands of gifts bestowed by the palace. Who would care if a few items were missing? Even if he found out, what could he do? Was he supposed to tell the whole world that the gifts he gave to the deposed empress were pawned by her?"

She stood up and walked to the window.

The sky was already beginning to lighten, the snow had stopped, and icicles hung from the eaves.

"Jinshu, remember this," Shen Qingci said softly, his back to her, "In this palace, money isn't everything, but you can't do anything without it. We need to maintain informants, buy information, and pull strings... all of these require money."

"I understand," Jinshu said, clutching the wooden box tightly. "I'll go right away."

"Wait a minute." Shen Qingci called out to her, taking a folded piece of paper from his sleeve. "Give this to Xiao Luzi. Have him send a letter to the address on this page."

Jinshu took the paper, which had an address written on it: Huaihua Hutong, South of the City, third household.

"This is……"

"One of the secret agents left behind by the late Empress Dowager," Shen Qingci said. "It's the list that Eunuch Li gave me last night. This family ostensibly runs a silk shop, but in reality, they are the late Empress Dowager's spies outside the palace."

Jinshu gasped.

"Don't be nervous." Shen Qingci patted her shoulder. "There's nothing special in the letter, just a greeting. But the recipient will understand what to do when they see the code in the letter."

"signal?"

"Hmm." Shen Qingci pointed to the lower right corner of the letter—where a small phoenix with outstretched wings was drawn. "This is the mark the late Empress Dowager used. When they saw this mark, they knew it was me looking for them."

Jinshu carefully put the letter away and tucked it into her bosom along with the wooden box.

Just as she was about to leave, Shen Qingci called her back.

"There's one more thing." Shen Qingci took out a thick booklet from another hidden compartment on the desk. "Take this to Eunuch Li."

The booklet's cover was made of ordinary blue cloth, but when Jinshu opened the first page, she was stunned.

It contains a densely packed diagram of names, official titles, and relationships.

She recognized some of the names—they were high-ranking officials in the imperial court. Next to some names were notes indicating: how much bribe was received in a certain month and year; how close ties were maintained with the Liu family in a certain month and year; and how the person had sought help from Lord Shen on a certain matter in a certain month and year…

"This is……"

"My father compiled this book back then." Shen Qingci's voice was somewhat hoarse. "He served as an official in the court for thirty years. Although he was honest and upright, he didn't miss a single thing he was supposed to know. This book was given to me before he was demoted. He said that in case... in case the Shen family suffered a disaster, it might be able to save my life."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It seems that just being able to save my own life isn't enough." She opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife. "I'm going to use it to kill."

Jinshu's hands trembled even more violently.

"Go ahead," Shen Qingci waved her hand. "Remember, be careful."

"Yes."

Jinshu, carrying her belongings, tiptoed out.

Shen Qingci was left alone in the room again.

She sat back down at her desk, looking at the structural diagram of "Listening to the Wind Pavilion," her finger slowly tracing its surface.

An intelligence network is just the first step.

Only with eyes and ears can one see the open and hidden battles within the deep palace, and hear the whispers and murmurs in the court.

But not enough.

She also needs a knife—a knife that can kill.

We still need money—money that can buy people's hearts.

We also need people—loyal and reliable people.

The sky outside the window grew brighter and brighter, and the sound of firecrackers rose and fell.

The first day of the Lunar New Year should be a joyous occasion.

But Shen Qingci knew that from this day forward, her war had truly begun.

It wasn't just petty squabbles between women in the imperial harem.

Rather, it was... a war that would change the world.

---

At noon, Jinshu returned.

With an excited blush on her face, she entered the room and whispered, "Your Majesty, it's done!"

Shen Qingci was putting Bao'er to sleep when she heard this and looked up: "How is it?"

"Three pieces of jewelry, pawned for a total of 520 taels of gold!" Jinshu's eyes lit up. "Xiao Luzi said that the pawnshop manager could tell at a glance that the items were from the palace, but he didn't ask any questions and gave a fair price. The money was all exchanged for gold ingots and deposited in the 'Tongbao Money Shop' in the south of the city, under an alias."

Shen Qingci nodded: "Where's the letter?"

"It's been delivered too." Jinshu took out a small bamboo tube from her bosom. "This is a reply."

The bamboo tube was only as thick as a finger, and both ends were sealed with wax.

Shen Qingci took it, used a knife to pry open the wax seal, and poured out a small roll of paper.

Unfold it, and there's only one line of small text on top:

"The phoenix spreads its wings, and all birds come to pay homage. The thirty-seven former subordinates are ready to be deployed at any time."

Below is a list, densely filled with names and identities.

Shen Qingci's fingers trembled slightly.

Thirty-seven people.

There were merchants, bodyguards, restaurant owners, and even... brothel madams.

The late Empress Dowager left behind such a massive underground network.

"Your Highness," Jinshu asked softly, "are these people...reliable?"

"The people chosen by the late Empress Dowager should be reliable." Shen Qingci held the note up to the candle flame and burned it. "But people's hearts are fickle. So many years have passed, it's hard to guarantee that no one has been bribed."

She pondered for a moment, then said, "Here's what we'll do: have Xiao Luzi go again. Don't make direct contact; observe secretly first. See who among these people is still doing their old business, who has suddenly become rich, and who has dealings with the Liu family."

"Yes."

"Also," Shen Qingci picked up another sheet of paper from the desk, "these are some encryption methods I drew. Take them to Eunuch Li and have him choose the most secure one to teach you and Xiao Luzi. From now on, use ciphertext for all communications."

Jinshu took the paper, which was covered with strange symbols and tables.

"This is called a 'grid cipher'," Shen Qingci explained. "It looks like gibberish, but by using a specific grid, you can read its meaning. Even if the message is intercepted, the recipient won't understand it."

Jinshu nodded as if she understood, but her eyes were firm: "This servant will definitely learn it."

Just then, Xiao Luzi's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, Physician Chen has arrived."

Shen Qingci gestured for Jinshu to put her things away before saying, "Please come in."

Physician Chen entered carrying his medicine chest, his face looking rather pale.

"Your Majesty," he bowed and lowered his voice, "something has happened to Consort Liu."

"explain."

"Early this morning, a eunuch from the Cold Palace came to report that Consort Liu's madness has worsened. Not only is she having nightmares at night, but she's also started talking nonsense during the day." Imperial Physician Chen paused, "She said... that the witchcraft case three years ago was something she and Prime Minister Liu planned together. She also said... and revealed some secrets about the late Emperor's death."

Shen Qingci's heart skipped a beat: "What secret?"

"She said... the late emperor didn't die of illness," Physician Chen said in a very low voice, "he was poisoned. And the person who poisoned him... was Liu Xianghe..."

He dared not continue.

But Shen Qingci had already guessed it.

"With whom?" she asked.

"...Prince Hejing." Physician Chen uttered these two words, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The room fell silent instantly.

The only sound was the faint breathing of Bao'er in the cradle.

After a long silence, Shen Qingci finally spoke: "Who else heard those words?"

"It's just me and two trusted eunuchs," said Physician Chen. "I've already ordered them to keep quiet. But... if Consort Liu keeps making such a fuss, it'll get out sooner or later."

"It won't get out." Shen Qingci sneered. "In a place like the Cold Palace, it's perfectly normal for one or two people to die."

Physician Chen shivered.

"But now is not the time," Shen Qingci said thoughtfully. "Let her go crazy for a few more days. The crazier she is, the less people will believe what she says. When the time is right..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Physician Chen understood.

"I understand," he bowed. "Should the medicine... continue?"

"Half the number," Shen Qingci said. "Keep her in a state of semi-madness. I want her to live, to live to see the day the Liu family falls."

"Yes."

After Physician Chen left, Shen Qingci walked to the cradle and looked at the sleeping baby.

The little one was sleeping soundly, his little mouth slightly open, revealing his pink gums.

"Bao'er," she whispered, "did you hear that? How many secrets and how many sins are hidden in this palace?"

She leaned down and gently kissed Bao'er's forehead.

"But it's okay. Mother will dig out all this filth, bit by bit, and dry it in the sun."

"Let those who should pay the price pay the price."

"Let those who deserve to be exonerated be exonerated."

Outside the window, the New Year's sunlight shone in and fell on her face.

Half bright, half shadow.

Like her life right now.

It's like the future she's planning.