Wei Zhiruo was a bit nervous. How could she stop Huo Wei from going up there?
For some unknown reason, perhaps due to a woman's intuition, she always felt that there was something different in Huo Wei's eyes when he looked at Empress Dugu, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She quickly grabbed Huo Wei's arm. "Brother Huo Wei, there are already people up there. It seems that Her Majesty the Empress is there. Isn't it inappropriate for you to go now?"
Huo Wei pulled his arm out of Wei Zhiruo's grasp and took a step to the side to create some distance. His voice was calm.
"There are so many hot - spring pools in the hot - spring palace. There are still a dozen or so pools up there, and they're quite far apart. Does Her Majesty the Empress think she can monopolize them all?"
Wei Zhiruo was flung aside by his arm and staggered a bit. Anger welled up in her heart, and she said mockingly,
"I knew it. The matter of that jade hairpin last time was no ordinary thing. You, Prince of Yuzhang, have long been coveting your father's woman, right?
You know Her Majesty the Empress is up there, but you still insist on going. Are you going for a tryst, perhaps for a lovers' bath?"
Huo Wei's expression darkened. He shouted,
"Presumptuous! As a daughter of an official, where do you get the audacity to slander the Empress? If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll throw you out of the hot - spring palace right away!"
Wei Zhiruo tossed her sleeve and raised her slender eyebrows.
"What Empress? She's just a woman from Southern Chu who climbed up the social ladder.
But Prince of Yuzhang, you must really want to go, right? Then go ahead. If you have the guts, go!
The rumors in the palace have just died down, and now you're rushing to go. Could it be that your affliction is just a sham?"
Huo Wei shot a cold, fierce look at Wei Zhiruo and then stopped in his tracks.
Behind Wei Zhiruo was the Wei family, and her aunt was a noble consort in the palace. She was used to being arrogant in Northern Yan. Moreover, she often suspected his relationship with Dugu Luanyue. It was indeed inappropriate to go now.
Huo Wei didn't hesitate any longer. He turned around and left. "I'll go to the pool below."
Wei Zhiruo sneered and said to the maid beside her, "Xiangqin, is everything ready for the trap set by my aunt?"
Xiangqin nodded. "Everything is ready on the side of Noble Consort Xian. We just need to stay nearby and prevent anyone from going up to rescue her."
Wei Zhiruo folded her arms, looking like she was waiting to watch a good show. No matter how shrewd Empress Dugu was, she probably wouldn't be able to escape the inescapable trap set by her aunt.
The position of the Northern Yan Empress should have belonged to the Wei family, to her aunt. She couldn't let Dugu Luanyue sit in that position for too long!
The hot - spring palace of Northern Yan was built halfway up the mountain. The largest natural open - air hot - spring pool, the Azure - Clear Pool, was at the very top of the palace. It was not easily accessible to ordinary people. Concubines could only stroll below it at most.
There was a ring of snow hanging outside the Azure - Clear Pool, but inside was a large sulfur spring. The water was milky white, steaming in the cold winter. The temperature was quite high.
Dugu Luanyue walked back into the pool. Having drunk some wine, she was a bit tipsy. Her body became even weaker in the warm water, and her whole body started to turn red.
She wondered why Huo Wei was ignoring her. Why had his attitude changed so drastically?
All the kindness she had painstakingly shown him before had led to such strong aversion. Could it be that someone had interfered?
If Huo Wei completely cut off contact with her, what would she do in Northern Yan in the future?
If Northern Yan launched a southern campaign against Chu, if the general was someone else, Southern Chu might still have a chance of victory. But if it was someone like Huo Wei, a natural war god, there was hardly any hope.
The military officials of the Southern Chu court had specifically analyzed Huo Wei's military tactics.
Huo Wei was good at using devious strategies in his military campaigns. He would lead light - cavalry troops. When the enemy was happy that General Huo Wei had been missing for a few days,
Huo Wei had actually led his men deep behind enemy lines, completed a decapitation operation, and planted the flag of his own army on the enemy's main camp flagpole.
She said irritably, "Aunt, the time left for us is running out. I'm really afraid that Northern Yan will start conscripting soldiers after spring!"
For a long time, she didn't get a response from Aunt Meijiang. Dugu Luanyue looked back and found no one around.
There were some maids outside the hot - spring pool, but inside, because she wanted to talk to Aunt Meijiang about some private matters, it was just the two of them.
"Aunt, where are you?"
Dugu Luanyue frowned slightly. She walked a few steps in the pool and craned her neck to look around.
Dugu Luanyue was just about to call out for Yuzan when she remembered that she hadn't brought Yuzan with her today. Yuzan was in the back of her palace, watching Murong Min and those women.
Dugu Luanyue felt a sense of unease in her heart. Aunt Meijiang would never just disappear without a word. She had been standing behind her just now, saying something.
Dugu Luanyue quickly got out of the water, but was attracted by a noise. There were footsteps behind her. She suddenly turned around and saw a guard, who had even entered the hot - spring pool with a sword.
Dugu Luanyue quickly sat back in the water, covering her chest. She shouted angrily,
"Presumptuous! Guards are supposed to guard the outer perimeter of the palace. How did you get in?"
What she didn't know was that outside the Azure - Clear Pool, there was no one left. All the maids had been transferred away.
The red - clad guard's face was flushed. His eyes were fixed on her, his lips slightly parted, and drool was running from his mouth. His expression was a bit strange.
With a splash, the guard jumped into the hot - spring pool and lunged at Dugu Luanyue.
"Someone said there was a beauty here. Sure enough, there is a beauty!" The red - clad guard giggled and grabbed Dugu Luanyue's hair.
Dugu Luanyue's head was tilted to one side. It felt as if her whole scalp was about to be ripped off. The pain was excruciating.
She pinched his wrist in the water. "Let go of me at once, or I'll take your life later!"
She found that she didn't have much strength. After drinking and staying in the hot - spring pool for a while, her whole body was weak. The guard was a martial artist after all. It didn't take long for him to drag her over.
"Help! Where are the maids outside!" Dugu Luanyue shouted at the top of her lungs, but no one came. She knew something was wrong.
The red - clad guard said, "All the nobles in the hot - spring palace have countless beautiful women to accompany them. I want one too."
Dugu Luanyue struggled with the red - clad guard in the water. She was no match for this martial artist. The only red silk dress that covered her body was already in the guard's hand. Now she didn't dare to leave the water.
Dugu Luanyue said coldly, "You've been drugged with the madness potion."
People who were drugged with the madness potion would lunge at anything that moved like crazy. The more the other person struggled, the more excited the drugged person would be to attack.
It was very likely that after this guard had his way with her, he would strangle her to death.
The red - clad guard tightly grabbed Dugu Luanyue's neck. "Beauty, you're really so beautiful. I've never seen a woman as beautiful as a demon before."
Dugu Luanyue was being choked so hard that she could hardly breathe. She was forced back into a corner of the pool with nowhere to retreat. The guard leaned in. "Here I come, beauty!"