The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

Chapter 245 I know the Taiqing Palace still has power

"This way." Consort Ning lowered her voice and led Murong Xuewei into a narrow alley. The moonlight was fragmented by the layers of eaves, shining on the muddy ground.

Murong Xuewei followed Consort Ning through the secluded alleys of the city's outskirts. Her heart pounded involuntarily, and she walked with extreme caution. The terrain in this area was complex, with many forks in the road, and it was easy to lose one's way if one was not careful. Consort Ning, who was leading the way, was dressed in a plain-colored long dress and moved lightly, clearly very familiar with the place.

"Watch your step, there's a pit ahead." Consort Ning suddenly stopped.

Murong Xuewei looked closely and indeed saw that the road ahead was slightly sunken. Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar.

"Someone's coming!" Consort Ning pulled Murong Xuewei and quickly hid in the shadows of the corner. A carriage slowly drove by, the driver hurrying the horses past. The moment the curtain was lifted by the wind, a faint cry of a baby could be heard.

"Wait!" Murong Xuewei was startled and suddenly wanted to chase after them.

"What are you doing?" Consort Ning grabbed her arm. "If you're exposed, all our previous plans will be ruined."

"But that voice..." Murong Xuewei stared intently at the direction in which the carriage had disappeared.

“I know you’re worried about the child’s whereabouts, but it was just an ordinary carriage,” Consort Ning said in a low voice. “But now is not the time. Perhaps we can find out some information by meeting with the people from Taiqing Palace.”

Murong Xuewei took a deep breath, barely managing to calm herself. She knew Consort Ning was right; there were more important matters at hand.

After several twists and turns, they finally stopped in a secluded corner. Before them stood a somewhat dilapidated house, its walls covered in withered vines, and the gate tightly shut. Consort Ning took a brass key from her sleeve and gently turned the lock.

With a creak, the door opened.

"Who's here?" a wary voice came from inside the courtyard.

“It is I,” Consort Ning replied.

Then an elderly man dressed in gray emerged from the shadows; it was Doctor Li. Upon seeing Murong Xuewei, his eyes flickered: "This must be Miss Murong?"

“Indeed.” Consort Ning nodded. “She has important matters to discuss with you.”

Dr. Li hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please come in."

An oil lamp was lit inside the hall, casting a dim yellow light on several people already seated. Murong Xuewei looked them over one by one: besides Doctor Li, there was a young man and two elderly men.

"Speak, what do you want with us?" Doctor Li asked bluntly.

"I need to deal with Xiao Wanning," Murong Xuewei said directly, "and I need the power of the Taiqing Palace. In exchange, I can help you rescue Daoist Sun."

"Insolence!" The young man stood up abruptly. "How dare you mention the Daoist's name? If it weren't for you, Taiqing Palace wouldn't have suffered this plague."

"Xiao Zhang!" Dr. Li interrupted, "Let her finish."

“I know that Master Sun is currently in Xiao Wan Ning’s hands,” Murong Xue Wei continued. “And I also know that although the Taiqing Palace has seemingly been destroyed, it still wields considerable influence in the court and the martial arts world.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. An old man sneered, "That sounds nice, but I'm afraid you're a spy sent by Xiao Wanning."

“Impossible,” Consort Ning said. “I can vouch for her. And…” She glanced at Murong Xuewei.

Murong Xuewei understood and took out the sachet from her sleeve: "This was given to me by Uncle Lin before he was purged at Taiqing Palace."

"This is..." Doctor Li suddenly stood up, and the others' expressions changed as well.

The young man opened his mouth: "Uncle Lin... he really..."

"Although I still don't know what Uncle Lin's purpose is," Murong Xuewei said calmly, "before he protected me and helped me escape from Taiqing Palace, he told me a shocking secret."

“What secret?”

"The current Xiao Wanning is a fake."

These words struck like a thunderbolt in the hall. The group looked at each other, speechless for a long time.

After a long silence, Doctor Li sighed, "Master Sun had secretly told us about this before. However, without evidence, we dared not act rashly."

“That’s why you need me even more,” Murong Xuewei said. “I have not only this sachet, but also other evidence. But to bring down Xiao Wanning, these alone are not enough. I need your support in the court and the martial arts world.”

Dr. Li pondered for a moment: "If we agree, what are your plans?"

"Our first priority is to rescue Master Sun," Murong Xuewei said. "He is the soul of the Taiqing Palace; with him, we can mobilize more power. But until then, we must remain patient and avoid alerting him."

"What are your plans?" another old man asked.

“I’ve already found out that Master Sun is being held in a secret dungeon in the south of the city. It’s heavily guarded; a direct assault is impossible. But…” Murong Xuewei lowered her voice, “I have an inside man.”

Everyone leaned forward involuntarily. Murong Xuewei continued, "In three days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Xiao Wanning will host a banquet in the palace. The guards will definitely be lax then, making it the perfect opportunity."

“This plan is too risky,” Dr. Li frowned.

“Therefore, I need your cooperation,” Murong Xuewei said. “How many capable men do you have left in the city?”

The group exchanged glances. Doctor Li slowly said, "About thirty men, all of them suicide squads."

“Enough.” Murong Xuewei nodded. “Furthermore, I hope you can leverage your connections in the court to secretly gather evidence of Xiao Wanning’s crimes. When the time is right, we will bring her down in one fell swoop.”

Silence fell again in the room. Finally, Doctor Li spoke: "Alright. On behalf of the Taiqing Palace, I agree. However, we have one condition: if things fail, you must guarantee the safe departure of the remaining brothers from the capital."

“I agree.” Murong Xuewei said without hesitation.

By the time the negotiations ended, dawn was breaking. Doctor Li handed a jade pendant to Murong Xuewei: "This is our token. Show it to anyone you encounter from the Taiqing Palace."

As they were parting, the young man chased after them, calling out, "Miss Murong, please wait."

"Is there anything else?"

"I...I want to ask you how confident you are in rescuing Master Sun?" The young man asked, his eyes filled with tears.

Murong Xuewei's heart softened: "Although I can't say 100%, I'm still half confident."

The young man wiped his eyes and bowed deeply: "Thank you."

Murong Xuewei escorted Consort Ning back to the palace. On the way, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did Consort Ning help me?"

Consort Ning stopped and turned to look at her: "Are you aware that the Emperor has been seriously ill for quite some time now?"

"I've heard some of it."

"On the surface, the harem is supposedly managed by the Empress, but in reality, it has long been controlled by Xiao Wan Ning," Consort Ning said with a wry smile. "My freedom of movement is only possible because I am the Empress's younger sister."

"So you're doing this for the Empress..."

“Not entirely,” Consort Ning interrupted her. “It’s more about fulfilling a promise.”

"What promise?"

Consort Ning did not answer, but said softly, "Miss Murong, do you believe that anyone in this world is willing to give their life for a promise?"

Before Murong Xuewei could answer, Consort Ning had already turned and walked towards the palace gate.

Back at her lodgings, Murong Xuewei was preparing to rest when a carrier pigeon landed on the windowsill. She took the note from the pigeon's leg, unfolded it, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Tonight at midnight, at Changchun Temple. The matter is of utmost importance."

She immediately recognized Gu Ye's handwriting. It seemed he had made a new discovery as well. Murong Xuewei burned the note, watching the smoke dissipate. This game of chess was finally approaching its most crucial moment.