Chapter 123

As the night fell,

The sky, which should have been dark blue, was now stained red by the flames.

The flames soared into the sky, billowing black smoke,

As I approached, the acrid smell of burning charcoal filled the air.

Song Zhao hurriedly rushed to Feng Luan Palace, where the Water Dragon Army had already set up water cannons and stood on high alert.

The fire was even larger than Song Zhao had imagined.

The entire Feng Luan Palace was almost engulfed by the sea of fire, with twisting and rampant tongues of fire reaching for the sky.

Cries and screams filled the air.

Song Zhao saw palace maids being carried out from the fire, their tattered palace garments charred and fused with their festering flesh, just a glance at them made one's stomach churn.

In the surging flames outside the main gate, Song Zhao caught a glimpse of a bright yellow figure.

Xiao Jingheng kept shouting, "Quick, save the Empress!"

Not only did he shout, but he also seemed ready to rush inside,

However, there were several concubines surrounding him, each one pulling at him, preventing him from charging into the sea of fire.

In Song Zhao's view, these women were somewhat unnecessary.

Even if they cleared a path for Xiao Jingheng, he probably wouldn't dare to step inside,

After all, the Emperor's life was far more precious than the lives of the imperial harem and his own son.

Song Zhao's expression turned anxious as he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Is the Empress inside?"

Consort Shu covered her chest and said, "The fire is fierce, most of the Water Dragon Army who went in to rescue people were burned and carried out." Consort Ying, on the other hand, pushed and urged the hesitant Water Dragon Army soldiers nearby, scolding, "What are you all standing there for? If anything happens to the Empress, I will make sure you accompany her in death!"

"Your Majesty, look! That's the Empress!"

Someone exclaimed, and everyone turned their gaze towards the depths of the sea of fire,

Behind Eunuch Yan Jiude was a woman wrapped in a wet cotton quilt, wearing golden phoenix sleepwear, running towards the gate.

His clothes were scorched by the fire, distorting his face, but his movements did not slow down,

He only stopped rolling on the ground after safely carrying the Empress out of the palace gate, and the Water Dragon Army sprayed water on him, extinguishing the flames.

"Empress! Wake up!"

Xiao Jingheng held the unconscious Empress in his arms, calling out to her incessantly.

Song Zhao quickly examined the Empress and found that she had almost no burns on her body,

Whether it was due to the blessing of her position as Empress or the wet cotton quilt wrapped around her by Yan Jiude, it was hard to say,

In any case, apart from the black soot on her face, there was hardly any sign that she had just been rescued from the sea of fire.

Later, the Empress was taken to the Chaoyang Palace to be examined by the imperial physician.

The physician said, "It's truly fortunate! The Empress has not been burned, her fainting is likely due to excessive fright."

He performed acupuncture on the Empress at several awakening points, and she indeed woke up.

When she regained consciousness, she screamed in panic, but it was only when Xiao Jingheng tightly embraced her that she gradually regained her composure.

"Your Majesty!"

She held Xiao Jingheng tightly, trembling all over, and cried like a tearful person, "I thought I would never see the Emperor again..."

Xiao Jingheng gently stroked her back and reassured her in a warm voice, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. As long as you're safe, everything will be fine."

"What about our child?" The Empress protected her abdomen and tearfully inquired.

The imperial physician replied, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The Emperor's blessings have safeguarded you and the future heir in your womb. Both of you are unharmed."

With that, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense nerves relaxed.

This incident was truly an unwarranted disaster. In the morning, prayers were offered to the gods and Buddhas for protection in the palace. How could such a dangerous incident occur during the night?

Xiao Jingheng ordered a thorough investigation of the matter, and since the fire broke out, Jiang Deshun had already begun investigating the cause of the fire.

After a moment, Xiao Jingheng returned to the court to report, "Your Majesty, it appears to be an accidental incident. Frost Ruò and Yan Jiude, who were protecting the Empress, were present during the fire. They stated that the fire initially started in the meditation room, then spread to the side halls and the main hall. However, the central hall and inner chambers, which are the innermost parts of the palace, were not affected by the fire. It was only because the fire outside was too intense that it delayed the Empress's escape.

According to Mò'er, one of the palace maids rescued from the meditation room, after the key to the palace door was handed over, the Empress went to the meditation room to pray for the future heir. Mò'er was in charge of tending to the incense in the meditation room. However, she became lazy and didn't extinguish the embers with water before falling asleep. Unexpectedly, the embers reignited and set fire to the prayer flags, resulting in the massive fire in Feng Luan Palace today."

Xiao Jingheng's face darkened, and he said solemnly, "What about the maid?"

Jiang Deshun replied, "Your Majesty, Mò'er was severely burned in the fire and couldn't be saved."

Upon hearing this, the Empress wept in sorrow, "Mò'er was a clever maid in my palace, always diligent in her duties. If only I hadn't been so occupied with matters, she wouldn't have made such a careless mistake... She truly deserves pity."

Look at herself, almost burned to death, yet here she is grieving for the one who caused it,

This truly shows that the Empress has a compassionate heart and embodies the virtues of a mother to the world.

Since the incident was an accident and not the result of intentional arson, and the Empress and her child were safe, Xiao Jingheng did not pursue the matter further.

That night, the Empress stayed in the Chaoyang Palace, accompanied by Xiao Jingheng.

After returning to the palace, Song Zhao couldn't stop thinking about the incident and tossed and turned, unable to sleep no matter how hard she tried.

She felt that there was something suspicious about this incident:

If it was truly an accident, then the servants in the Empress's palace were incredibly negligent. Among all the servants in the palace, those in the Empress's palace were the most disciplined. Now that the Empress was pregnant, they should have been even more vigilant. So why did such an accident happen in their area?

But if this incident wasn't an accident, then it means the Empress set the fire herself.

She burned Feng Luan Palace like that and didn't even try to find an opportunity to frame someone else. Isn't that just foolhardy, with nothing better to do than to court death?

Song Zhao speculated that this incident was definitely not as simple as it seemed.

The Empress is in danger within the Imperial Palace, and the situation is grave. If everything is purely accidental, then most likely astrological signs will be used to explain it.

After all, baseless accusations of arson are not easily thrown around without evidence. It wouldn't be wise to splash dirty water without justification.

But if someone wants to label another as an 'ominous person,' it only takes a single sentence.

If the Empress truly has a contingency plan, then tomorrow she will surely summon the astrologers from the Bureau of Astronomy to make calculations.

And the person who will be branded as the 'ominous person' is undoubtedly Consort Ning, with whom the Empress has an irreconcilable conflict.

After this night's sleep, I fear that it is tomorrow when the real drama will begin.