Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 48 She was drawing blueprints in the Cold Palace, while Consort Rou poisoned her outside the door.

Midnight had passed, and the Tangli Palace was completely silent.

Jinshu stood guard by the door, her ear pressed against the crack, listening intently to the sounds outside—it was Wang Fu's turn to be on night duty tonight, and the old eunuch, having drunk some wine, was already snoring in the side room.

Once she was sure it was safe, she tiptoed back into the room.

Under the dim light of an oil lamp, Shen Qingci was leaning over a small table beside the bed.

Two yellowed sheets of Xuan paper were laid out in front of her, their edges frayed. They were old papers that Jinshu had dug out from a corner of the storeroom.

At this moment, the paper is covered with dense lines and annotations.

"Your Majesty..." Jinshu lowered her voice, "You've been painting for two hours already."

Shen Qingci didn't look up; the tip of her pen traced the final arc on the paper.

"Come and see."

Jinshu leaned closer.

The first drawing on the paper was a complex and ingenious design.

Gears, connecting rods, pedals, and shuttles of various sizes mesh together, with their dimensions and materials marked in extremely fine print—rosewood shafts, iron gears, and sinew drive belts…

"This is... a loom?" Jinshu asked uncertainly.

"It's an improved loom." Shen Qingci pointed to the core component in the center of the drawing. "Look here, I changed the traditional single shuttle to a double shuttle linkage. Combined with this pedal design, the weaver can complete two weft interlacings with one pedal. And this automatic fabric winding shaft—"

She then pointed to the bottom of the drawing: "The woven fabric will automatically roll onto this shaft, eliminating the need for constant manual adjustments. In terms of efficiency, it's at least five times more efficient than current looms on the market."

Five times!

Jinshu gasped.

She had seen the weaving workshop when she was at the Shen family's house. The female workers sat in front of their looms from morning till night, weaving a maximum of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) of cloth a day. If it could really be five times faster…

"Your Highness, is it really possible to make this?"

"As long as the craftsman's skills are good enough, it's possible." Shen Qingci put down her pen and picked up a second sheet of paper. "But this isn't urgent. What's really important is this one."

The second sheet of paper shows a complex network structure.

A central dot bears the words "Main Building." Eight main lines extend from this center, each branching into several sub-lines, resembling a large, spread-out net. Each line is marked with smaller text: carrier pigeon route, location of hidden stakes, handover points, backup passages…

"This is..." Jinshu was stunned.

"The intelligence network structure of Tingfeng Tower." Shen Qingci traced the lines with his fingertips. "The headquarters is located in Hangzhou, with twelve branch headquarters covering Jiangnan, the Central Plains, the Northern Border, the Southwest, and the East China Sea. Each branch headquarters has a branch leader, and spies are divided into three levels: the eye of the storm, the sound of the storm, and the shadow of the storm. Intelligence transmission uses triple encryption, with carrier pigeons and manpower operating in parallel."

She spoke calmly, but every word she uttered was like a thunderbolt to Jinshu's heart.

The Empress is not simply waiting to die in the cold palace.

She is... weaving a net that can cover the entire world!

"Your Majesty," Jinshu's voice trembled, "when...when did you start thinking about these things?"

"From the day I found out I was pregnant," Shen Qingci said, looking at the sleeping baby in the cradle, "I can't let him be born and raised in the cold palace. I want to take him out and give him a world where... no one dares to bully him."

Jinshu's eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded vigorously.

"But these are just blueprints for now." Shen Qingci folded the two sheets of paper and handed them to Jinshu. "When Shen Fu delivers the vegetables tomorrow, give this to him. Tell him to go find the people according to the list I wrote down."

Jinshu took the paper and saw that it also had a small note attached, on which were listed a few lines of text:

[Category A: Qian Sihai, a descendant of the Qian family, a textile manufacturer in Jiangnan, currently residing in Qinghefang, Hangzhou. His father was forced to death three years ago for refusing to conspire with the Liu family. This man is skilled in accounting and business; he is suitable for employment.]

[Category B: Clues to former members of the Hundred Knowledge Hall; see attached page for details. Seeking individuals skilled in intelligence analysis and disguise/infiltration; must be trustworthy.]

"Qian Sihai... Bai Xiaotang..." Jinshu murmured.

"Qian Sihai is a pawn in business, and Bai Xiaotang is the foundation of intelligence." Shen Qingci stood up and stretched his stiff neck. "But remember—we have nothing right now. These blueprints and lists are seeds. We have to wait until we get out of here before we can plant them and let them sprout."

The sound of a night watchman's drum came from outside the window.

It's past midnight.

Jinshu carefully put the drawings into her inner pocket, and just as she was about to say something, her expression suddenly changed—

"Your Majesty, there are footsteps outside!"

Shen Qingci's eyes sharpened, and she quickly blew out the oil lamp, moving the cradle further inside the bed. Jinshu, on the other hand, swiftly tidied up the small table, then rushed to the bedside, pretending to doze off while keeping watch.

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

Then came a very soft knock on the door: "Miss Jinshu? Is Miss Jinshu asleep?"

It was the voice of a young palace maid, sounding timid.

Jinshu looked at Shen Qingci, and seeing her nod, she went over and opened the door a crack: "Who is it? Her Majesty has just gone to sleep."

A young, unfamiliar palace maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood outside the door, holding a food box in her hands. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm Xing'er, a newcomer in the small kitchen. Granny Liu said that Her Highness is unwell and asked that a bowl of bird's nest soup be stewed and sent over every night."

Jinshu frowned: "Bird's nest? I've never heard of it."

"Yes, it's the allowance that was just allocated today..." Xing'er lowered her head even further.

Shen Qingci spoke from the bed: "Jinshu, let her in."

Jinshu had no choice but to step aside.

Xing'er entered carrying a food box, bowed respectfully, and placed the box on the table. Inside was a still-warm bowl of rock sugar bird's nest, crystal clear and fragrant.

"Your Majesty, please eat it while it's hot." Xing'er stood to the side with her hands at her sides.

Shen Qingci sat up, glanced at the bird's nest, and suddenly asked, "What else did Granny Liu say?"

Xing'er stiffened: "N-nothing... I just told Her Majesty to take good care of herself."

"Really?" Shen Qingci smiled, picked up the bird's nest soup, and gently stirred it with a spoon. "Then please thank Granny Liu for me."

She made a gesture as if to drink, the spoon almost touching her lips—

"Wow--!!!"

In the cradle, the baby who was sleeping soundly suddenly burst into tears!

It wasn't ordinary crying; it was a heart-wrenching, piercing cry, as if something had stabbed her. Her little face turned bright red, and she kicked and thrashed her little hands and feet desperately.

Jinshu was so frightened that she rushed to hug her, but Bao'er cried even harder, waving her little hands wildly and knocking over the bird's nest in Shen Qingci's hand!

"Clang!"

The porcelain cup shattered on the ground, and bird's nest spilled all over the floor.

Xing'er's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Shen Qingci didn't even glance at her. She quickly walked to the cradle, picked up Bao'er, and gently patted and soothed her, saying, "Baby, don't cry, Mommy's here..."

Bao'er gradually stopped crying in her arms, but her little body was still sobbing, her eyes were fixed on the remnants of bird's nest on the ground, and her little hands were tightly gripping her clothes.

It was an instinctive fear.

Shen Qingci's heart sank little by little.

She looked up at Xing'er, who stood there dumbfounded, her voice as cold as ice:

"What's added to this bird's nest?"

Xing'er knelt down with a thud, trembling all over: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This servant knows nothing! It really was Granny Liu who sent it..."

"Jinshu," Shen Qingci interrupted her.

"Yes, sir!"

"Tie her up and gag her," Shen Qingci said, enunciating each word clearly. "Then go and invite His Majesty—tell him that someone is trying to poison the imperial heir."

Jinshu was suddenly startled: "Your Majesty, this..."

"Go quickly!"

"yes!"

Jinshu gritted her teeth, tore off the bed curtain ties, and started to tie up Xing'er. Xing'er tried to struggle, but Jinshu had learned some rudimentary grappling techniques from Shen Qingci these past few days, and she subdued her in no time.

Shen Qingci stood amidst the mess, holding Bao'er in her arms.

The oil lamp was relit, its dim light illuminating her cold profile.

Bao'er gradually calmed down in her arms, but her little hands still clung tightly to her. She lowered her head and kissed the child's forehead, her voice so soft that only she could hear it:

"Don't be afraid, baby."

"Mother will not let anyone... hurt a single finger of yours."

---

Half an hour later, the Tangli Palace was brightly lit.

When Nangong Ye rushed in wearing his outer robe, this was the scene he saw—

Shen Qingci sat on the edge of the bed, holding Bao'er in her arms. The child's face was still streaked with tears, and she was already asleep. On the floor knelt Xing'er, a palace maid bound like a dumpling, next to her were the remnants of spilled bird's nest.

The imperial physician is examining the poison.

"How is it?" Nangong Ye's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

The imperial physician knelt down tremblingly: "Your Majesty... something was indeed added to this bird's nest. It was... it was 'Nightmare Powder,' which can cause uncontrollable convulsions in infants, and in severe cases, brain damage."

Nangong Ye's face instantly turned so gloomy it could drip water.

He walked up to Xing'er, squatted down, and pinched her chin: "Who ordered this?"

Xing'er was already terrified, tears streaming down her face: "This servant didn't know... it really was Granny Liu who sent it..."

"Where is Granny Liu?"

Xuan Ying emerged from the shadows: "She's under control. She confessed, saying... it was ordered by Huayang Palace."

Huayang Palace.

Consort Rou.

Nangong Ye closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a sheet of ice.

"Even during her confinement, Consort Liu remained restless and plotted to harm the imperial heir." He stood up, his voice echoing throughout the palace. "By imperial decree—Consort Liu is demoted to the rank of Noble Lady and relocated to the Northern Third Palace. She is not to leave without an imperial edict. All those in her palace shall be handed over to the Censorate for strict interrogation."

The imperial decree caused a stir throughout the palace.

No one expected that His Majesty would punish his favored concubine so severely for the sake of a child born to a deposed empress.

Shen Qingci remained silent throughout.

She simply held Bao'er in her arms, patting her gently, as if the noise in the room had nothing to do with her.

After everyone had left, Nangong Ye walked up to her.

He looked at her, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end only asked one question:

"Is the child... alright?"

Shen Qingci looked up at him and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet chillingly cold.

"Your Majesty, don't you think it's too late to ask now?"

Nangong Ye's Adam's apple bobbed: "I..."

"Your Majesty, please return." Shen Qing turned her face away. "I am tired."

The order to leave was given swiftly and decisively.

Nangong Ye stood there for a long time before finally turning to leave. As he reached the door, he glanced back—

Under the dim light, she held her child, her profile slender yet straight.

Like a bamboo plant that has taken root firmly in the wind and snow.

---

Only when the night was deep and quiet did Jinshu dare to ask in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, how did you know there was something wrong with that bird's nest?"

Shen Qingci looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and said softly:

"I have no idea."

"It's Bao'er who knows."

Jinshu was stunned.

Shen Qingci offered no further explanation.

She gently patted Bao'er, the thought in her mind growing clearer and clearer—

I can't stay in this palace for even a moment longer.

She took out the two drawings, added a few more lines of text, and then handed them to Jinshu:

"Give it to Shen Fu first thing tomorrow morning."

Jinshu took it and saw a newly added line of text:

[The plan is being moved up. Three days later, the second plan will be implemented.]

"Your Majesty..." Jinshu's voice trembled.

"Don't be afraid." Shen Qingci held her hand. "We'll get out of here."

for sure.

---

At the same time, in the Cold Palace.

Liu Ruyan smashed the last vase in the bedroom.

"Bitch! Bitch!!" she screamed, her eyes bloodshot. "How come she's not dead?! How come that little bastard isn't dead?!"

The trusted palace maid knelt on the ground, trembling: "Your Majesty, please calm down... His Majesty is in a fit of rage, we..."

"In a fit of anger?" Liu Ruyan sneered. "He demoted me to a commoner for that vile woman! ...Is this cold palace even a place for a human to live?!"