From cute to empress

Chapter 115 The tranquility before dawn

The Cining Palace, with its carved beams and painted buildings, its soaring eaves and pointed corners, now seemed to me like the maw of a ferocious beast, ready to devour its prey. Hawkeye had abducted my mother here, clearly calculating my softness and using it as a threat.

"Your Majesty, rest assured," Zhen Youcai's voice rang out in my ears, carrying a soothing force, "I will definitely rescue the Empress Dowager safely!"

I took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in my heart, turned to look at him, and said with a firm gaze: "Youcai, Hawkeye is very cunning. We must be very careful in this operation. The area around the Cining Palace is definitely full of traps. Don't act rashly."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right." The iron-faced constable, who had been silent until then, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "We are willing to be the vanguard to investigate the Cining Palace and rescue the Empress Dowager!"

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease. Though the Iron-faced Constable came from the underworld, he was a man of integrity, skilled in martial arts, and deeply loyal to the court. With his assistance, the success of this operation was even more certain.

"Youcai, you go with the Iron-faced Constable. Remember, you must ensure the safety of our mother." I reminded him again, my tone unable to hide my worry.

"I obey your order!" Zhen Youcai and the iron-faced constable took the order and left. I watched their tall figures disappear into the night, praying in my heart that my mother was safe.

Returning to the Imperial Study, I forced myself to calm down. Although Hawkeye had been repelled, this incident also exposed the shortcomings of our intelligence network and the loopholes in the palace's defenses, which needed to be addressed as soon as possible.

"Master of the Black Wind Hall," I looked at the burly figure who had been standing silently by my side, "This time, I will rely on your connections in the martial arts world to capture those fleeing remnants in one fell swoop. We must not let them rise again!"

The Black Wind Hall Master clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will pass the order down immediately and mobilize all the brothers. We will dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

I nodded, feeling a little relieved. While the Black Wind Hall's actions can be both good and evil, they've always honored their promises. They're collaborating with us this time out of consideration for Zhen Youcai's sake. I'm sure he'll do his best.

"Your Majesty..." The scholar, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, wanting to say something but stopping himself...

"Your Majesty..." The Scholar finally spoke with a determined heart, "This incident has also exposed the shortcomings of our intelligence network. The Hawkeye Organization has been lurking for years, yet we knew nothing about it. If it weren't for..." He paused, as if he couldn't bear to continue, "If it weren't for the Empress Dowager being in danger, I'm afraid we would still be kept in the dark. I believe that the most urgent task, in addition to eliminating the remnants of this organization, is to strengthen the construction of the intelligence network to prevent disasters before they occur!"

I nodded in agreement. The scholar had hit the nail on the head; the importance of intelligence work was self-evident. "You're right. This matter cannot be delayed. What suggestions do you have?"

The scholar with extraordinary skills bowed and said, "I believe we can start with both the Jianghu and the common people. The Jianghu is well-informed, and we can recruit some reliable people to pass on information to us. At the same time, we must strengthen the guidance of public opinion and encourage the people to provide suspicious clues, so that we can work together to prevent it."

"Okay, let's do as you say!" I made a quick decision. "I'll leave this matter entirely to you. Just let me know if you need anything. We must build an airtight intelligence network to prevent this kind of thing from happening again!"

"Your humble servant obeys the order!" The scholar with great skills bowed in response with a gleam in his eyes.

At this time, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall, and Fairy Caiyun walked in hurriedly, followed by the iron-faced constable with a solemn expression.

"Your Majesty, we have interrogated several survivors..." Fairy Caiyun said in a heavy tone, "We have made some discoveries..."

Fairy Caiyun took a deep breath and said solemnly, "They confessed that this operation was only the first step..."

My heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. "First step? What else is there?"

"They said..." Fairy Caiyun hesitated, "Their target isn't just the Queen Mother, but also... Your Majesty."

"What?!" I exclaimed, a chill running from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

The Iron-faced Constable stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have already assigned additional personnel to guard your safety day and night. Please rest assured, Your Majesty!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. "Increase patrols in the capital, double the guards at the city gates, and strictly investigate any suspicious individuals!"

"Yes!" The iron-faced constable took the order and left.

I turned to look at Zhen Youcai. His face was solemn, his eyes filled with worry. "Youcai, the army must also increase their vigilance and be ready for battle at any time!"

"I understand!" Zhen Youcai clasped his fists and accepted the order, "I'll arrange it right away!" After saying that, he turned around and walked out with big strides.

I rubbed my aching forehead, feeling exhausted. The storm seemed to have subsided, but I knew it was only the calm before the storm; a greater crisis lay ahead.

For the next few days, the entire capital was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. The number of soldiers patrolling the streets increased significantly, and the city gates were heavily guarded, with everyone entering and leaving the city undergoing strict inspections.

I have promulgated a series of laws to strengthen public security management in the capital, and at the same time carried out publicity and education across the country to raise people's awareness of prevention and encourage them to actively report suspicious persons and incidents.

Zhen Youcai was also busy all the time. He personally organized the army to conduct actual combat exercises, simulated various emergencies, and improved the ability to respond to emergencies.

In the court, ministers expressed their opinions and made suggestions on how to deal with the next challenges.

Everything is going according to plan as we prepare for the coming storm.

Just when everything seemed peaceful, an urgent secret report from the border broke the tranquility...

Inside the palace, I reviewed memorials, my eyelids heavy with fatigue from the last few days. Outside the window, the night deepened, with only a few palace lanterns swaying in the night breeze, adding to the unusual stillness of the palace.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." Nanny Li gently advised while holding a bowl of calming soup.

I rubbed my sore eyes, put down my brush, picked up the bowl of soup and drank it all in one gulp. "In this palace, only Mammy loves me the most."

Nanny Li smiled kindly and was about to speak when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the hall, followed by a guard running in in a panic.

"Your Majesty, urgent secret report!" The guard knelt on one knee, holding high in both hands an envelope sealed with wax.

My heart trembled. Could this urgent report in the middle of the night be...

"Hand it over!" I tried hard to suppress my inner uneasiness and took the envelope.

The words "Border News" were printed prominently on the bright red wax. My hands trembled slightly, and an inexplicable chill shot up from the soles of my feet.

I opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and by candlelight, I quickly read through it line by line. The letter contained little, but it exploded like thunder in my ears, leaving me stunned for a moment.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" Nanny Li asked anxiously when she saw that I was pale.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and handed the letter to Nanny Li: "Something happened...at the border."

Nanny Li took the letter and read it carefully, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

"Your Majesty, this..." Nanny Li hesitated to speak, her eyes full of worry.

I leaned weakly against the back of my chair, the last words of the letter echoing in my mind: "...the barbarian army is approaching, the border is in danger!"