From cute to empress

Chapter 323: The Shadow of Enemy Attack Overshadows the Celebration

I pointed to a spot on the map and said, "This is where the gold mine is. I have decided to mine all of this gold and use it to improve people's livelihoods so that everyone can live a good life!"

Thunderous applause and cheers rang out once again in the hall. I watched it all with a smile, but inwardly I sneered. Gold mine? That's pure fiction. I want to see who's after this gold mine.

My eyes swept over the minister intentionally or unintentionally, and sure enough, a hint of imperceptible greed flashed in his eyes. Although he quickly concealed it, I still caught it.

"Great," I thought to myself, "the fish has taken the bait."

After the banquet, I summoned Zhen Youcai to the imperial study.

"Youcai, how are your preparations going?" I asked.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have already followed your instructions and set up layers of checkpoints in the army, strengthened patrols and vigilance, to ensure that nothing goes wrong." Zhen Youcai clasped his fists.

"Very good." I nodded. "You must be extra careful these few days, especially on the day of the celebration. Don't let your guard down."

"I understand!" Zhen Youcai said in a firm tone.

"And..." I paused and lowered my voice, "As for that traitor, I've found some clues. I believe we can catch him soon."

Zhen Youcai heard this, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty is wise!"

I waved my hand, signaling him not to say anything more: "We'll talk about everything after the celebration. You can go down first."

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and retreated.

I stood alone by the window, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky, my heart filled with worry and uneasiness. This storm has been brewing for too long, and I don't know when it will finally hit...

Suddenly, a carrier pigeon flew in from the window and landed on my desk. I walked over, took the note from the pigeon's leg, unfolded it, and my face suddenly became extremely solemn.

"Your Majesty..." My personal maid came in and was shocked when she saw my face. "What's wrong with you?"

I took a deep breath and handed her the note in my hand: "Read it yourself..."

The maid took the note with trembling hands, glanced at it quickly, and her face turned pale. She almost screamed out in shock. I covered her mouth with my hand and whispered, "Keep your voice down! This matter must not be leaked to anyone. Do you understand?"

Her eyes widened in horror, and she nodded vigorously. I finally let her go and said in a deep voice, "The letter says that enemy spies have learned we've discovered the traitor. They've decided to launch an early attack in an attempt to create even greater chaos at the celebration."

"What?!" the maid exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with disbelief, "This...what should I do?"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. At this point, panicking was no use, I had to act quickly.

"Pass the order down," I ordered calmly, "Seal off the palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave! Also, have the Imperial Guards increase patrols. If they find anyone suspicious, they will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!" The palace maid took the order and ran out in a hurry.

I turned and looked out the window. The night was dark, like a giant net enveloping the entire palace. I knew a storm was coming, and I was ready to face it.

I quickly walked to the desk and spread out a map with detailed markings of important locations inside and outside the palace. My finger moved across the map, and my mind kept deducing various possibilities.

"Your Majesty." Zhen Youcai hurried in. Seeing my serious expression, he immediately realized that something big had happened. "What happened?"

"Look at this." I handed him the note in my hand.

After Zhen Youcai finished reading, his expression became serious: "It seems that we have underestimated the enemy's determination."

"Yes," I said solemnly, "They are going to burn their boats and risk everything."

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Zhen Youcai asked.

I pointed to several locations on the map and said, "I've already ordered the palace to be sealed off and patrols to be increased, but these are only temporary solutions. We must take the initiative to disrupt their plans and prevent them from succeeding!"

"You mean..." Zhen Youcai's eyes flashed.

"That's right," I nodded, "We must catch them all in one fell swoop!"

For the next few hours, Zhen Youcai and I spent the night in the Imperial Study, strategizing and formulating our plans. We deployed our troops and secretly made arrangements within the palace, preparing for the coming storm.

As the night deepened, the entire palace was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. I stood by the window, gazing at the dark night sky in the distance, praying silently in my heart, hoping that everything would proceed according to our plan...

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps in the corridor, and then the door was violently pushed open...

"Your Majesty! We've caught them! The traitor has been caught!" The excited voice of Wang Hu, the commander of the Imperial Guard, came from outside the door, interrupting the plans of Zhen Youcai and me. Behind him were two soldiers, holding a man who was struggling desperately, his face full of fear.

"Let me go! You've caught the wrong person! I'm not a traitor!" the man shouted at the top of his lungs, but his trembling voice revealed his inner fear.

"You're still trying to quibble!" Wang Hu pushed him to the ground. "We've already found secret letters from your room that showed you were communicating with enemy spies. What else do you have to say?!"

"I..." The man opened his mouth, but no words came out. He slumped to the ground, his eyes filled with despair and regret.

I looked at him coldly, without a trace of pity in my heart. For fame and fortune, he betrayed his country and his conscience, and ultimately ended up like this, entirely to blame for his own fate.

"Take him away and keep him under strict watch!" I ordered Wang Hu.

"Yes!" Wang Hu took the order and escorted the traitor out.

"Your Majesty, it seems that everything is under your control." Zhen Youcai looked at me with admiration in his eyes.

I shook my head and sighed softly: "It's still early, the real test is still to come."

Now that the enemy spies know we've discovered the traitor, they'll definitely change their plans or even launch an attack prematurely. I have a strong premonition that a bigger storm is about to hit.

I looked out the window and saw that the sky in the east was already turning pale. A new day was about to come, and the grand celebration we were looking forward to would also be held today.

"I hope everything goes well." I whispered, a hint of worry in my eyes.

"Your Majesty, don't worry too much," Zhen Youcai consoled him. "We've made every possible preparation and will definitely protect your safety and the dignity of our country!"

I nodded, trying to convince myself that he was right.

The celebration went on as planned, the entire palace was decorated with lights and was bustling with activity. People came from all directions to offer me their most sincere blessings.

I suppressed my inner uneasiness, forced a smile, and waved to them.

However, at this moment, I suddenly felt an inexplicable chill rising from the bottom of my heart...

"Boom-thump-thump-"

The rapid sound of drums suddenly rang out in the silent night sky, breaking the cheerful atmosphere of the celebration...

I turned my head abruptly to look towards the city wall, only to see balls of fire shooting up into the sky, illuminating half the sky red...

"Enemy attack! There is an enemy attack!"