From cute to empress

Chapter 111 Shadow Emerges

Minister Liu's breathing was rapid, his words sputtering incoherently. I forced myself to calm down. "Master Liu, please speak slowly. What happened?" He took a deep breath, pulled a letter from his sleeve, and presented it to me with both hands. "Your Majesty, this... this is a secret report just delivered by the secret guards. It's of great importance. Please review it." I took the letter, unfolded it, and my face darkened. The letter stated that a mysterious organization called "Eagle Eye" was secretly recruiting troops and gathering forces from the underworld, intending to overthrow the imperial power and take over.

"Hawkeye..." I whispered the name, awestruck. This organization was secretive, something I'd never heard of before, yet possessed such ambition that it shouldn't be underestimated.

"Have you found out their background?" I handed the letter to Zhen Youcai beside me. He took it with a serious expression and read it carefully.

"Your Majesty, the secret guards are still tracking us. All we know now is that the leader of this organization is extremely mysterious. No one knows his true identity, and he is only referred to as 'Eagle Eye'." Minister Liu lowered his head, his tone full of worry.

"It seems we've encountered a tough opponent." Zhen Youcai put down the letter, frowning. "Mengmeng, what do you think?"

I pondered for a moment, thoughts racing through my mind. With our nation still in its infancy and its foundations still unstable, I couldn't let this "Eagle Eye" organization cause any major disruption. "Our most urgent task is to uncover their true identity," I said, a fierce glint in my eyes. "Pass the order down; order the Black Wind Hall Master to appear before the emperor immediately!"

The Black Wind Hall is a renowned information organization in the Jianghu, with close ties to the imperial court. I believe that with their power, they will be able to uncover any clues about "Eagle Eye."

As the night deepened, a dark figure quietly crept into the palace and knelt on one knee before Zhen Youcai and me. "I am Heifeng, your Majesty, and the General."

"No need for formalities." I said straight to the point, "I called you here because I have an important matter to entrust to you." After that, I told the leader of the Black Wind Hall about the "Eagle Eye" organization.

After listening to my story, his expression grew serious. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to investigate this matter!"

"Remember, be careful and don't alert the enemy." Zhen Youcai warned.

"I understand." The leader of the Black Wind Hall accepted the order, stood up and took his leave, and disappeared into the night in an instant.

I stared at the direction he left, my heart trembling with anxiety. This invisible war had quietly begun... and the news the Black Wind Hall Master brought back made Zhen Youcai and I realize that the situation was far more complicated than we had imagined...

In the days after the Black Wind Hall Master left, my heart was in suspense, unable to sleep or eat. Whenever I spent late into the night reviewing memorials, the words "Eagle Eyes" would always appear before my eyes, like two dim will-o'-the-wisp flames, burning my mind. Zhen Youcai, seeing me like this, would always silently accompany me, soothing the anxiety between my brows.

"Mengmeng, you haven't slept well for several days. If you continue like this, your body will collapse." He gently massaged my shoulders, his tone full of heartache.

I sighed softly, rested my head on his shoulder, and whispered, "I'm worried about Black Wind... Hawkeye is an organization that's too mysterious. I always feel like something's wrong."

"Don't worry, Heifeng has always been cautious in his actions, and he has connections with all the forces in the martial arts world. It is only a matter of time before he finds out the details of 'Eagle Eye'." Zhen Youcai comforted him.

However, his words did not completely dispel my doubts. My intuition told me that this matter was far more complicated than we imagined.

Seven days later, I finally received a secret letter from the Black Wind Hall Master. When I unfolded the letter, the contents horrified me.

The Black Wind Hall Master wrote in a letter that he had been infiltrating the Jianghu for many days and had finally uncovered some clues about "Eagle Eye." This organization's reach was even wider than anticipated, not only permeating the Jianghu but even infiltrating the residences of some high-ranking officials. Even more shocking, "Eagle Eye" possessed intricate ties with various martial arts sects, with even some Black Wind Hall disciples secretly siding with "Eagle Eye"!

At the end of the letter, the leader of the Black Wind Hall also mentioned that the next plan of "Eagle Eye" is to assassinate ministers in the court to create chaos and shake the foundation of the country!

Seeing this, my heart sank. A chill rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, and I couldn't help but shiver.

"What's wrong, Mengmeng?" Zhen Youcai noticed that something was wrong with me and asked quickly.

I handed him the letter and said in a trembling voice, "Look..."

Zhen Youcai took the letter, quickly glanced through it, and his expression became solemn.

"What a vicious plan!" he said, gritting his teeth. "They're going to destroy everything we've worked so hard to build!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. At this point, panicking wouldn't solve anything.

"Pass the order down..." I suppressed my anger and said word by word, "Strengthen the guards of the Imperial Palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order! Also, summon the commander of the Imperial Guards and have him immediately dispatch troops to patrol the palace day and night. No mistakes!"

"Yes!" The guard took his orders and left, but my heart remained heavy. The letter from the Black Wind Hall Master made me realize that the enemy we faced was far more powerful and cunning than we had imagined.

"Youcai, you must immediately take your trusted secret guards with you to secretly protect those officials who are associated with 'Eagle Eye' and ensure their safety." I turned to look at Zhen Youcai, my eyes full of worry.

"Don't worry, Mengmeng, I will bring them back safely!" Zhen Youcai nodded firmly and turned to leave.

"Wait," I called to him, pulling out a token engraved with a phoenix pattern from my sleeve and handing it to him. "If there's an emergency, you can use this token to mobilize all available forces."

Zhen Youcai solemnly took the token, looked at me deeply, turned around and disappeared into the night.

I stood alone by the window, gazing at the pitch-black night sky, my heart filled with anxiety and uneasiness. Outside, the cold wind howled, the shadows of the trees swayed, as if countless pairs of eyes were secretly spying on this palace, spying on me.

A few days later, I received news that Zhen Youcai had successfully escorted several ministers back to their residence and secretly strengthened their security. I felt a little relieved, but I still didn't dare to let my guard down.

As long as "Eagle Eye" is not removed, my heart will not be at peace.

However, just when I thought everything was under control, an accident happened.

Late that night, I was reviewing memorials when I suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened!" My personal maid ran in panic, "General Zhen... General Zhen..."

"What happened to General Zhen? Tell me slowly!" My heart tightened, and I had a premonition that something bad had happened.

"General Zhen...he was attacked!"

My heart sank suddenly, and the memorial in my hand fell to the ground with a "pa" sound...

"Attacked?" I leaped to my feet, my mind blank, only this sentence echoing. How could it be possible? With such talent and extraordinary skills, and surrounded by elite secret guards, how could he be easily attacked?

"Tell me, what happened? Speak slowly!" I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

The palace maid, looking pale, told me in fragments that Zhen Youcai was ambushed by a large number of men in black after escorting the last official back to the palace. Although he fought hard, he was outnumbered and was eventually seriously injured, his life or death was uncertain.

My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe. Anxiety, fear, and self-blame all mixed together, overwhelming me.

"Send the order down. Seal the city gates and search the entire city for the assassin!" I tried to steady my voice, but I couldn't hide the trembling in my tone. "Send the imperial physician and prepare the best medicine for the wound, immediately!"

"Also, prepare the horses!" I raised my head sharply, my eyes determined. "I'm going to pick him up myself!"

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!" The palace maids and the guards who had rushed over upon hearing the news all knelt on the ground. "You are worth a fortune, how can you risk your life so easily?"

"I have made up my mind, no need to say more!" I said in a firm tone, leaving no room for doubt.

I know this is risky, and I know the ministers won't agree. But I can't care less. My talented son, Youcai, is hanging in the balance, how can I stay in peace in this deep palace?

I quickly changed into a light nightgown and tied my hair up high, but a dilemma loomed. My appearance was already a secret, and leaving like this would only alert the enemy.

"Someone, go get Aunt Rong!"

Soon, Rong Mama arrived in a hurry, carrying a suitcase. She was the most skilled disguiser in the palace, and with her deft hands, my appearance changed dramatically in an instant.

"Your Majesty, I have followed your instructions and disguised you as an ordinary palace maid." Aunt Rong looked at me carefully and nodded with satisfaction. "I believe that even if General Zhen were here, he would not recognize you."

I looked at myself in the bronze mirror. My reflection had dark skin and ordinary features. I was indeed a completely different person.

"Very good." I nodded with satisfaction, tightly grasped the Phoenix Token in my hand, turned around and strode out of the bedroom, leaving only one sentence echoing in the night sky:

"Open the palace gate, I want to leave the palace!"