As they were talking, Mo Jiuye took out Eunuch Liu's token and showed it to the soldiers guarding the gate.
The gate guard took the token, examined it, and then looked over Mo Jiuye's clothes. He immediately put on a smiling face.
"The eunuch can wait a moment, I'll open the gate right away."
The palace gates slowly opened, and Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran quickly went inside.
Mo Jiuye could navigate the layout of the imperial palace blindfolded.
There were many palace attendants inside, so it was not surprising that they did not recognize the two of them. Thus, they did not try to hide or avoid anyone, walking naturally along the bluestone paths.
As they passed a patrol of guards, He Zhiran glanced around before asking in a low voice:
"Husband, where should we go first?"
"I want to go to Concubine Yuan's palace first," Mo Jiuye replied softly.
He Zhiran had the same thought. If nothing unexpected happened, Concubine Yuan had always believed that Mo Jiuye was her own flesh and blood.
Moreover, Mo Jiuye had frequently visited Concubine Yuan since he was young, so he was quite familiar with her.
With the current situation inside the palace unclear and Emperor Shunwu's life or death unknown, the best approach was to find an acquaintance to inquire about the details. That way, they could make informed decisions before taking further action.
They encountered several patrol squads along the way, but none of them suspected the two. They arrived at Concubine Yuan's quarters without incident.
Concubine Yuan's residence seemed much quieter than Mo Jiuye remembered, and there were also noticeably more patrols heading in that direction.
There was no doubt that the Empress had taken control of Concubine Yuan's quarters, which likely meant that Concubine Yuan had lost her freedom.
Sure enough, as expected, the doors to the residence were tightly shut.
This was not too unusual, as it was normal for a concubine's residence to be closed at night.
As a high-ranking concubine, Concubine Yuan had the privilege of having four lanterns hung outside her residence, even at night.
Indeed, four lanterns were hanging above the main entrance to her residence. Strangely, however, none of the lanterns were lit.
There was only one possible explanation for this situation.
The concubine had made a mistake and was being punished, with the Emperor choosing not to 'flip her tile' – a euphemism for favoring her.
Given the current circumstances, it was not surprising that Concubine Yuan would receive such treatment.
Everyone in the court, both civil and military officials, knew that the Empress's greatest enemy was Concubine Yuan. After all, they had both borne sons for Emperor Shunwu, and both of their sons had been candidates for the crown prince at one point.
Now that the Empress had gained power, with her vindictive nature, it would be stranger if she did not take action against Concubine Yuan.
Mo Jiuye did not explain any of this to He Zhiran. Instead, he led her around to the east side of Concubine Yuan's residence.
That area was closer to Concubine Yuan's chambers, and even if they were discovered, it would only be by Concubine Yuan's trusted attendants, who would not divulge their arrival.
To their surprise, the courtyard of the residence was eerily quiet, no different from when they had first entered the He family residence.
It was unexpected that the courtyard of a concubine's residence, a status second only to the Empress in the imperial harem, would be completely deserted.
If not for the faint candlelight coming from the main chamber's windows, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran would have thought the place had been abandoned.
As it was the living quarters of women, it was improper for Mo Jiuye, an outsider male, to enter casually. If he barged in recklessly, it could damage Concubine Yuan's reputation.
He Zhiran, being aware of these ancient customs, took the initiative and approached the chamber door.
First, she took out a pouch of knockout powder from her pocket, holding it in her palm in case it was needed. Then, she pushed open the door.
She did not knock because she was worried about making noise that could alert the patrolling guards. Additionally, they were not certain if the person inside was actually Concubine Yuan.
The door was not locked from the inside, so He Zhiran only had to give it a gentle push to open it.
The creaking sound of the opening door instantly shattered the nighttime stillness.
An elderly female voice inquired, "Who's there?"
Unable to identify the speaker, He Zhiran did not reply. Instead, she stood at the doorway, using the faint light from inside to peer in.
However, there was a folding screen painted with a beautiful woman right across from the entrance, obstructing her view.
Nevertheless, she could still make out a wobbly silhouette moving towards the door through the screen.
At the same time, the elderly voice spoke again, tinged with resignation and disdain.
"You've already tormented the Concubine to the point where she can't even get out of bed, and now you're coming here again? What more do you want?"
Although Granny Wang's voice was not very loud, Mo Jiuye, standing outside the door, heard it clearly.
He strode across the threshold and stood beside He Zhiran, asking in a deep voice, "What did you say about the Concubine's condition, Granny?"
Mo Jiuye had always held a favorable impression of Concubine Yuan since childhood, even though her fondness for him was due to a misunderstanding about his identity. However, her affection had been genuine.
Now, hearing Granny Wang say that Concubine Yuan could not even get out of bed, Mo Jiuye knew without a doubt that it was the Empress's doing, which immediately ignited his anger.
Granny Wang was not unfamiliar with Mo Jiuye's voice.
Like Concubine Yuan, she too believed that Mo Jiuye was the true third prince, so she naturally remembered everything about him.
At this moment, Granny Wang had emerged from behind the folding screen and saw the two figures standing at the entrance. She froze in surprise.
She had thought it was the ninth prince coming to rescue his 'birth mother', but instead, she had gotten her hopes up for nothing.
The two people before her were clearly attendants from the Empress's entourage.
Fortunately, she had been cautious enough not to call out for the ninth prince before seeing who it was.
Granny Wang's expression changed as she straightened her back and glared defiantly at the two before her.
Although she feared them in her heart, she did not lose her composure.
"Go back and tell your mistress that the Concubine will not die so easily. She'll live to see the day when you pack of wolves and tigers meet your demise."
Granny Wang thought the two attendants before her had been sent by the Empress to check if Concubine Yuan was still alive.
Mo Jiuye realized that their disguises had caused Granny Wang's misunderstanding, so he stepped forward to explain:
"Granny, don't you even recognize my voice?"
That voice...
It was clearly the ninth prince's.
But the person before her was just an attendant, how could it be the ninth prince?
As Granny Wang was puzzling over this, Mo Jiuye spoke again.
"Granny, it's me, Mo Jiuye. I disguised myself to enter the palace undetected."
He raised his left sleeve slightly, revealing a small scar on his wrist.
"Granny, do you remember this scar?
I got it when I was playing with Nan Qi in the Imperial Garden as a child and fell down. You were the one who bandaged it for me back then."
