Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Investigation

Meanwhile, in another part of the inner palace...

Lan Suyao and Yue Lan carefully followed the Meridian Tracing Compass that Lan Suyao had brought from the sect.

"It is not only able to trace the malevolent energy inside the body, but also the residual traces left outside," Lan Suyao explained calmly in a low voice.

"As long as the plague has been active in this area recently, the compass will pick it up."

The small, ancient-looking compass floated gently above her palm.

Its needle glowed with a soft blue light, occasionally trembling as it pointed toward traces of malevolent energy lingering in the air and hidden within the palace structures.

Yue Lan stayed close, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings while following the direction indicated by the compass.

Unable to hide her concern, she couldn’t help but murmur,

"If that’s true... then the plague has already spread everywhere, hasn’t it, Senior Lan?"

Lan Suyao’s expression turned grave as she observed the layout of the inner palace.

"...Yes, and whoever is behind this is extremely cunning too. They’re spreading the plague slowly through the spiritual veins and arrays that connect the entire inner palace. This way, it’s almost impossible to detect those trace unless someone is specifically looking for it."

The two women exchanged a silent glance and nodded.

With the help of this special treasure, their hypothesis had now been confirmed.

The "plague" affecting the Emperor was indeed intentionally caused by someone... and it was not a natural outbreak.

Moreover, the culprit appeared to have deep knowledge of the inner palace’s layout, spiritual arrays, and daily routines.

The plague had been planted in multiple discreet locations, slowly contaminating the entire area like a hidden web.

Yue Lan’s voice was filled with worry as she whispered,

"Senior Lan... if this continues, not only the Emperor, but I fear many others inside the palace will eventually fall ill. The person behind this must have a very deep grudge against the imperial family... or they’re trying to create chaos for some bigger scheme."

Lan Suyao’s eyes turned cold.

"Yes, but I think we still have some time before that happens. It seems they put considerable effort into infecting the Emperor, so they likely don’t have enough resources to affect others... yet. Either way, we cannot let them succeed. Let’s keep following the compass, the stronger the reaction, the closer we are to one of the main source points."

At first, they had only planned to do a casual inspection while Li Feng secured the princess.

They hadn’t expected the Meridian Tracing Compass to give such a strong reaction.

The needle was now spinning more violently, glowing with increasing intensity as it pointed in a particular direction.

The malevolent energy in the air was far thicker than they had anticipated.

"It’s getting stronger..." Yue Lan muttered, her expression turning serious.

"Senior Lan, this reaction is too blatant. It seem whoever planted this didn’t expect anyone to actively search for it using such a high-grade treasure."

Lan Suyao nodded, her beautiful face cold and focused.

"Exactly. It seems they were too confident that no one would discover their methods. This is our chance."

The two women continued following the compass in silence.

The needle’s reaction grew stronger and more frantic the further they went.

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After showing the golden token to the guards who stopped them along the way, they finally arrived at a relatively secluded area.

And in front of them stood an elegant yet heavily guarded building.

The name plaque above the entrance read: Inner Palace Herb Treasury.

It was a special storage pavilion where rare spiritual herbs, precious medicinal ingredients, and high-grade pills for the imperial consorts and the Emperor were kept.

The spiritual energy around the building was dense, but the Meridian Tracing Compass was going almost crazy.

Its needle spun wildly while pointing directly at the treasury.

Yue Lan’s eyes widened slightly.

"The herb treasury...? Senior Lan, could the culprit be poisoning the medicines themselves?"

Lan Suyao narrowed her eyes.

She remembered the Empress mentioning missing high-grade spiritual herbs.

She couldn’t help but wonder how the two things were connected.

She stared at the heavily guarded building for a few moments, her mind working quickly.

"If the culprit can really get in there... it must be someone with high status or special authority."

After a brief hesitation, Lan Suyao made a decision.

She took out the golden imperial token that the Regent Empress had given them and nodded to Yue Lan.

"We don’t have time to wait and watch. Let’s go in directly. With this token, they can’t easily refuse us."

The two women walked openly toward the entrance of the Inner Palace Herb Treasury.

The guards stationed at the door immediately stepped forward, spears crossed.

"Halt! This area is strictly restricted—"

Before they could finish, Lan Suyao raised the golden token high.

The token shone with a brilliant light under the sun, causing the guards’ expressions to change drastically.

"By the orders of the Regent Empress, we are here to inspect the Herb Treasury for possible irregularities related to His Majesty’s condition," Lan Suyao said coldly. "Step aside."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances but ultimately bowed and opened the way.

Inside the treasury, the person in charge, an old eunuch with a sharp gaze hurriedly came forward to greet them.

After seeing the golden token, Eunuch Liu’s face turned respectful, though a trace of nervousness flashed in his eyes as he recognized the robes of the two women.

"This old servant greets the two honored envoys. May I ask what you need from this humble treasury?"

Lan Suyao went straight to the point.

"Who has accessed this Herb Treasury in the past month and year? Especially those who came to retrieve medicines for the Emperor. Give us the full record."

Eunuch Liu’s expression stiffened slightly.

This was the second time his post had come under questioning in such a short period.

He hesitated for a moment, but the golden token left him no choice.

With a sigh, the old eunuch led them to a side hall and retrieved a thick, heavily sealed record book.

"Here are the access records, honored envoys. Every entry is recorded in detail... who came, what they retrieved, and when."

Lan Suyao and Yue Lan immediately began flipping through the pages.

At first, the records looked normal, mostly senior eunuchs and trusted palace maids retrieving standard medicines for various palaces.

But as they went deeper, their expressions gradually changed.

Lan Suyao and Yue Lan’s eyes suddenly widened as they saw the name that stood out the most... the one with the highest status and also the most frequent visitor to the treasury in recent years.

Lan Suyao murmured in confusion,

"Concubine Zhao... and the Empress?"

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