Goblins and monsters, gentle eyes and soft eyebrows.

  It wasn't until they reached a deserted corner that Gu Yunxi caught up, taking three steps to match the other person's two. She grabbed the person's shoulder and the person immediately turned around in surprise. Gu Yunxi's eyebrows furrowed, "The princess can't go to the Yueting Palace——"

  This person was naturally Gongsun Ci, who had changed into a palace maid's uniform. She had been full of surprise and fear, but when she saw that it was Gu Yunxi, she let out a sigh of relief. A glimmer of unexpected hope flashed across her bright eyes, and then she looked around cautiously in the gradually falling night darkness, where there were no other people. "Why can't we go to the Yeting Palace?"

  Gu Yunxi pulled Gong Sun Ci into the corner again, "The guards at the Yueting Palace are strict, does the princess think that just by changing clothes she can sneak in? Is the princess secretly escaping? The princess can still move freely in her own palace now, but if someone catches you today for violating the emperor's orders and secretly escaping, those with ulterior motives will make a fuss and you will be locked up immediately."

  Gongsun's eyes were dim and sorrowful, "Lock up if you must lock up, as long as I can be with the Empress Dowager, even being locked up is nothing to worry about. These past few days, I've had enough of the coldness in Fuya Palace. The Empress Dowager has been locked up in Weiting Palace, and they say it's a terrifying place. I want to accompany her, I don't want her to be alone!"

  Gu Yunxi looked deeply at Gong Sun Ci, the little girl's eyes were full of energy and no longer had the arrogant air she used to have. She took a deep breath, "Princess, don't be anxious, if you go now, you definitely won't be able to see Ya Bao Niang Niang, and it's even possible that your impulsive actions will put Ya Bao Niang Niang in an even more unfavorable situation, so Princess must not act impulsively."

  Gongsun Ci's eyes widened in shock, and tears gradually welled up inside them. "I'm not being impulsive or reckless, I just want to see the Empress Dowager. She's been locked up for so many days, and Father Emperor hasn't even asked about her once. I told them to pass on a message, but they won't even do that for me. I want to know if she's doing well, if it's cold in the palace, if there's a fire in the stove, if she has anything to eat... will those people not even give her water to drink? I just want to see if she's okay..."

  As she spoke, big tears began to fall, and Gu Yunxi's heart tightened. Gong Sun Ci suddenly knelt down with a thud, looking up at Gu Yunxi, "I know you can let me see my mother, or help me find my second brother. I just want to see if my mother is okay, if everything is fine, I'll stay in the Fu Ya Palace obediently. Those people say that my mother will never come back, but I don't believe it, I want to see my mother, please, Gu Yunxi, I beg of you..."

  Gongsun Ci had always been cold towards her, but now she was kneeling humbly in front of her. Her tears fell one by one onto the bluestone floor of the corridor, and also into Gu Yunxi's heart. The scalding tears made Gu Yunxi unable to bear it any longer. She first helped Gongsun Ci up, hesitated for a moment, and said, "To see Ya Bao Niangniang, you'll have to wait until the sky is completely dark."

  Gongsun's eyes sparkled with delight for the first time as he revealed a hint of gratitude towards Gu Yunxi.

  The night grew darker, and the lights in the palace gradually lit up one by one. On the last day of the year, even though the emperor did not allow a grand feast, there were still various ways to celebrate throughout the palace. Colorful lanterns floated everywhere on the surface of the misty cloud lake, and fireworks also filled the imperial garden, creating a lively and festive atmosphere throughout the inner palace.

  Only the Yeting Palace was quiet and deserted.

  The night grew darker, the cold wind howled in waves, Gu Yunxi led Gong Sunji and others to wait at a rear door exit of the Yeting Palace, where two guards were standing guard not far from them.

  Gongsun's eyes shone brightly as she stared straight at that place, and at this time, she spoke in a low voice, "There is someone there."

  Gu Yunxi nodded, her eyes gazing at the moon on the horizon, then looking down at the tree shadows cast on the ground. She furrowed her brow slightly, "In just half an hour, it will be time for the imperial palace guards to change shifts. We just need to wait."

  Gongsun's eyebrows sank, "But there will still be people after the shift change."

  This time, Gu Yunxi didn't speak, but instead gazed at the palace with a cool and detached air. The Xie Ting Palace was the largest cold palace in the imperial palace, where many concubines who had committed crimes were imprisoned. Many people went mad here, many couldn't bear the loneliness and killed themselves, and even more people grew old and white-haired while waiting in vain, eventually turning into a wisp of fragrant soul.

  A gust of cold wind blew by, and Gong Sun Ci's body trembled as he leaned closer to Gu Yun Xi. Regardless of their outcome, Gu Yun Xi looked at the dark and ominous shadow cast on the ground by the towering buildings, feeling that the palace was filled with resentment. It was only natural, no matter what they were accused of, they were ultimately just sacrifices in the struggle for power within the palace.

  Entering the palace was a helpless thing from the start, living every day just for one man, and losing oneself to become another stranger in order to gain his favor is an unbearable torture. If one day, due to carelessness, I fall into a sinister plot, it will be the ultimate despair. The deep palace resentment, the deep palace resentment, it's probably like this.

  The gloomy feeling is getting heavier, tonight is fine, but the stars in the sky are not very bright, and the sound of firecrackers exploding can be heard from a distance, making this place even more desolate.

  Gongsun Ci gazed intently at the two guards standing at the entrance, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "Look!"

  Gu Yunxue looked in the direction of Gong Sunji, only to see that the two guards standing at the gate seemed to be acting strangely. The corner of her mouth twitched, and a hint of interest flashed across her eyebrows, while her gaze also fell heavily on the two guards.

  Tonight is New Year's Eve, in this deserted and cold palace, and at this unmanned back door, Gu Yunxi believed that no one would really stand at the shift-changing point, looking at those two people who seemed to be whispering something. Gu Yunxi glanced at Gong Sunji, "Get ready."

  Gongsun Ci seemed to have also seen the signs of those two people. At this time, he glanced at Gu Yunxi, "Did you know they would leave early?"

  Gu Yunxi's mouth curved slightly, but he didn't say anything. Under his gaze, the two guards in black armor had already gone off in another direction. As they walked further and further away, "Let's go!"

  Gu Yunxi let out a light cry, and immediately pulled Gong Sun Ci towards the small door. Gu Yunxi was originally confident, but when they reached the entrance of the small door, she discovered that it was actually locked. Gong Sun Ci's eyes were instantly filled with disappointment, "The door is locked, what can we do?"

  Gu Yunxi looked around, while Gong Sun Ci was very nervous, "Will they come back, will the shift change people arrive early——"

  Although these two things are unlikely to happen, Gu Yunxi still has some slight worries. She walks forward and carefully examines the lock on the door, then pulls out a fine hairpin from her head and starts fiddling with it inside the keyhole.

  Gongsun Ci's eyes were filled with a solemn expression, but when she looked at Gu Yunxi, her face slightly relaxed. She turned around and kept glancing around the small path, afraid that two guards would suddenly appear on the path and catch them in the act. Meanwhile, Gu Yunxi had sweat on his forehead, but his hands remained extremely steady.

  "Is it possible?"

  Gongsun Ci's voice trembled, Gu Yunxi's eyebrows were tightly locked, and all that could be heard was the continuous rattling of the chain. Suddenly, with a "click", the door lock was opened. Gongsun Ci's eyes lit up, and Gu Yunxi walked in to continue wrapping the not-so-long iron chain around the door handle in its original shape, but without locking it, making it seem as if the door was still locked.

  The two of them entered the door safely, Gu Yunxi turned around and looked at the dark and majestic hall behind her, frowning. So many rooms, where is Ya Pei? Gong Sun Ci was also a little dazed, looking at Gu Yunxi for a moment, the latter could only pull her towards a relatively spacious corridor first.

  The faint cold wind blew through the courtyard, like a low hum of whispers echoing in this gloomy and dilapidated palace. Gu Yunxi pulled Gong Sun Ci past one room after another, peering through the mottled windows to see only endless darkness inside. Gu Yunxi looked up at the sky tonight, which was clearly fine, but she couldn't help but see a patch of dark clouds. A bad premonition arose in her heart, as if there were evil spirits lurking in that darkness waiting for her.

  Taking a deep breath, she continued walking forward with her eyes cast down.

  Gongsun Ci had never seen such a scene before, and at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a lingering fear, so she tightly grasped Gu Yunxi's hand. Gu Yunxi looked at her expression and held her hand even tighter.

  Inside the Cold Palace, there were not many servants. The two of them walked in the darkness without encountering anyone. However, after wandering around the palace for a long time, they still had no clue. As time ticked away, Gu Yunxi deeply felt that continuing like this was not a solution. This courtyard palace was quite old, and as it was a Cold Palace, even though it was dilapidated, no one came to repair it. Everywhere were collapsed door panels, the window paper on the window frames had long been damaged, and cold wind poured in from the broken windows, accompanied by a mournful echo.

  "Gu Yun Xi, where is Mother Empress——"

  Gongsun Ci's heart was filled with fear, and she tightly grasped Gu Yunxi's hand, subconsciously looking around at the dark surroundings. The more she looked, the more she felt that something seemed to be lurking in the broken temple. The heavy curtains in the room fluttered back and forth with the wind, casting long shadows on the ground, as if a resentful spirit was reluctant to leave the world behind.

  "Don't look."

  Gu Yunxi raised her hand to block her view of the dimly lit small house, and pulled her towards a slightly more orderly temple. However, before they had taken a few steps, they heard an unusual noise.

  The two of them stopped in their tracks at the same time, Gu Yunxi pulled Gong Sun Ci's body down a little, and that strange sound came from the house in front of them. Gu Yunxi pressed Gong Sun Ci against her own side, raised her head and looked inside through the window.

  The house was shrouded in a thick, dark curtain that had turned black with age, emitting a strong musty smell from the old furniture inside. A cold wind blew in through the broken window, causing the curtain to flutter left and right. Gu Yunxi's eyes were fixed intently on the dimly lit house, and she felt a chill run up her legs.

  Just behind the curtain, there seemed to be a faint figure standing still. Suddenly, the figure moved slightly and was about to come out from behind the curtain. Gu Yunxi held her breath, while Gong Sun Ci beside her slowly raised his head as he saw that Gu Yunxi had not moved for a long time. He looked at the figure becoming clearer and clearer, and his eyes lit up.

  "Empress Dowager!"

  A soft cry suddenly fell in the quiet courtyard, and the people inside were stunned. Gong Sun Ci, however, didn't care about anything and pushed open Gu Yun Xi's hands, rushing into the house from the front door. Gu Yun Xi raised an eyebrow, only to see that the people inside the house were also hastily rushing towards the door. She felt a sense of relief in her heart, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then followed him in.

  Ya Pei saw Gong Sun Ci coming and was extremely worried, just about to ask her how she came when she saw Gu Yun Xi walking in with a man's attire, she slightly stunned, tightly embracing Gong Sun Ci in her arms.

  Gu Yunxi's gaze fell on Ya Bin, and the person who had not been seen for several days still had that calm and elegant demeanor in this cold palace, even though her clothes were already wrinkled, even though she was in a cold palace surrounded by frost and snow. Ya Bin was still Ya Bin, tightly holding Gong Sun Ci in her arms, patting her back gently, with a slight smile on the corner of her mouth.

  "Pay respects to the queen."

  Ya Pei pulled Gong Sun Ci's hand and stood up, looking at Gong Sun Ci with a doting gaze, "You came over at this time, it must be that Ah Ci doesn't understand things and is troubling you, I'm really sorry, Second Miss."

  Gu Yunxi shook her head and looked around, "Is it okay for the princess to be here? Isn't there anyone serving her?"

  "Only a few wives come over, and that's just at mealtimes."

  Gongsun Ci was already on the verge of tears, and Yajin looked at her again. "Ah Ci, don't worry, Mother is fine here. You should stay well in Fuya Palace. If your father finds out that you sneaked out, he will definitely punish you again."

  Gongsun Ci shook her head, wrapping Empress Ya's icy hands in her own small ones to warm them up. "Mother, I don't want you to be alone, I'll go find Father Emperor and come back to keep you company."

  "Ah, Ah Cai, you're not like the Empress. You're only 14 years old, and you haven't even had your hair pinned up yet, nor have you gotten married. Don't let this cold palace ruin your future. After meeting with the Empress today, go back to Fu Ya Palace and stay there peacefully. Your father loves the osmanthus cake that your mother used to make. She taught you how to make it before. Go make some for your father to eat, and coax him into being happy and loving you. Do you understand?"

  Gongsun Ci's tears fell again, and Ya Bin looked at her with a heartache. She let out a soft sigh and raised her eyes to look at Gu Yun Xi, "I knew that Second Miss was a kind-hearted girl, today since you can help Ci come see me, I also have an impolite request, I hope the young lady will agree."

  Gu Yunxi watched the mother and daughter embracing each other in tears, feeling a lump in her throat. Now that Ya Pei had spoken up, she naturally didn't refuse, "Your Majesty, please speak."

  Ya Pin lowered her head and glanced at Gong Sun Ci, took a deep breath, "Although I don't ask about external affairs, I also know about the plans of the young lady and the Duke of De. If one day the Duke of De really ascends to power, I beg of you, no matter what happens, please make sure to spare Ah Ci's life."

  Gu Yunxi's eyebrows and eyes slightly moved, "The princess is a thoughtful person, if that day really comes, the Duke of De is the second brother of the princess, he will naturally protect the princess too."

  Ya Pei shook her head, looking around the room at the darkness that was within reach. "I've seen so many people and things, I no longer dare to believe in the imperial family. They were born into royalty, with a natural desire for power in their bones. For these things, they can give up everything. As for the future, I don't know what it holds. The only one I can trust is you, Gu Niang. Can you promise me?"

  By her ear was the warm and gentle voice of Ya Pei, Gu Yun Xie glanced at Gong Sun Ci tightly holding onto Ya Pei's hands, nodded, "Yun Xie promises, please don't worry."

  Ya Pei nodded after hearing this, she touched Gong Sun Ci's hair bun and smiled, "Since we've already seen the Empress Dowager, shouldn't we head back? This place isn't safe."

  Gongsun Ci's mouth corners slightly moved, Ya Pei raised her eyes and looked at Gu Yunxi, "Gu——"

  The two words "young lady" were not finished, and Ya Pei's face changed greatly. Just because a heavy footsteps had already sounded, Gu Yunxi took three steps in two steps to pull Gong Sun Ci out, but only walked out for two steps, the footsteps became more urgent. If they went out, they would inevitably collide with the incoming person. Ya Pei's face changed several times, "Follow me!"

  Consort Ya hastily walked towards the back of the curtain, behind which was an inner room. The bed and bedding were all here. Consort Ya opened up a large, old cabinet that had lost its lacquer at the side of the bed: "First hide in here, it's possible that the serving maids have come, wait until they leave before you come out."

  Gu Yunxi and the other person had just hidden when a series of footsteps passed by the window next to the cabinet, and from the gap in the cabinet door, they could see the tall figure. Gu Yunxi's heart sank suddenly, it was definitely not a palace maid who came!

  Consort Ya hastily walked out of the inner chamber, and just as she regained her composure, she saw several tall figures flashing into the door. Her expression changed slightly, "Who are you——"

  The newcomers were several men wearing eunuch attire, each tall and strong with a sword at their waist. The first one had two slender eyes, his gaze was sharp as he glanced at Ya Gui, slightly bowed his head, "Your Ladyship doesn't need to panic, we are from the Ministry of Justice, today we came under the orders of His Excellency to ask you some questions. On that night, Princess Jing Ci and you were sitting together, she received the soup cup from whose hands, I suppose you also know, please tell us the truth."

  Consort Ya's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this, "You are from the Ministry of Justice, why are you wearing eunuch attire from the palace? Although I am currently in the Cold Palace, my position is still intact. If it was Lord Yu who wanted to question me, he should have come himself. Or do you have an imperial edict?"

  The person in front of him frowned, and under the dim light, his face was unclear, but he could sense a dangerous aura from his eyes. "Your Highness doesn't need to ask so many questions, just say whether you saw the princess receive something from someone's hand or not!"

  "Consort Ya's voice was cold as she smiled, 'It seems you are not from the Ministry of Justice. Go back and tell your master that I know nothing. I will wait for the day when the truth is revealed.'"

  The person in front of her raised an eyebrow, "Your Ladyship is certain you know nothing?"

  Consort Ya nodded, "This palace doesn't know, you'd best disappear quickly from here!"

  That person slightly narrowed his eyes, "Actually, Your Highness, you know."

  Yahui's heart tightened, the person in front of her slightly raised his head, and for an instant, his narrow and long eyes were filled with a fierce aura. His voice seemed to come from hell itself, Yahui's breathing paused, she wanted to take a step back, but somehow her body remained still.

  "You think I'll say whatever you want me to? Think again!"

  The man's mouth curled up, the smile at the corner of his mouth was cold enough to make one tremble. "Does Your Ladyship know that only when I'm dead can she say whatever she wants?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Ya Rou had a bad premonition again, and she suddenly grabbed him, her brow furrowed, "What do you want to do?"

  The person in front of him raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Whatever I want to do, the empress will know soon enough!"

  The leader gave a signal, and the two men behind him immediately walked in from outside. They were holding a food box in their hands. Ya Pei's eyes widened in shock, "How dare you! Who are you?"

  The loud shouting was blown away by the cold wind, and in the dead silence of the empty courtyard, only the endless darkness quietly mocked Yajun's powerlessness. The two opened the food box and took out a bowl of medicinal soup.

  "Mother, please."

  Yahui looked at the bowl of medicine with a dead heart, her eyes flickered, and she suddenly rushed towards the door. However, before she could step out of the threshold, a large hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. The leader kicked her leg bend, causing Yahui to kneel down on one knee. The leader's hand clamped around her neck, while the other hand took the medicine from his companion. As the medicine drew closer to her, Yahui suddenly turned her head away.

  The leader's eyebrows furrowed, and immediately a companion turned Yafen's head over. The medicine was already icy cold, with a pungent bitter taste that brushed against her mouth. The person in front of her tilted their hand, and the thick black liquid poured into Yafen's mouth.

  "Wooo——"

  The wind howled, the curtains fluttered back and forth in the house. In the old, tall cabinet, Gu Yunxi tightly locked Gong Sunci in her arms, covering her mouth with one hand!

  A sound came from the chest cavity and overflowed from Gu Yunxi's hand, Gong Sun Ci stared at the struggling figure behind the curtain with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face. She struggled with all her might, but the person behind her was so strong that she managed to free one hand from under her arm, digging her fingernails deep into the wrist of the hand covering hers, as if something sticky had wet her nails. However, the person behind her didn't budge. Gong Sun Ci felt like she was going mad, frantically searching everywhere, not even noticing when her fingernails got stuck in the wood shavings. Finally, she found a hard object at Gu Yunxi's sleeve opening - it was the hairpin she had used to open the door earlier.

  After the swaying curtains, the slender figure was coughing and struggling, but the man wearing the eunuch's uniform tightly grasped her neck, one hand forcefully hitting her shoulder. She had no strength left, allowing them to pour the medicine into her mouth. In an instant, Gong Sun Ci felt as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was shattering. Without hesitation, she deeply plunged the hairpin in her hand into the shoulder of the person behind her.

  A stifled hum escaped her lips, Gu Yunxi clenched her teeth tightly, but the hands that grasped Cong Sun Ci's body did not relax in the slightest. The pain on her shoulder was almost numbing half of her body, she lowered her head and said, "You can shout, call out, go out, they all have swords with them, you can die with your mother, but don't drag me down with you!"

  Scorching liquid spilled from her shoulder, quickly soaking half of her arm. Gong Sun Ci was shocked by her words and, without making any effort to struggle, her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. From the narrow gap, it seemed that Ya Rou had already lost all her strength. Gu Yun Xi didn't know what kind of medicine it was, but she knew those people were going to take Ya Rou's life. She took a deep breath and tightly wrapped her arms around the child in her embrace.

  At this moment, why can't Gong Sun understand!

  Yahui panted heavily, her eyes fixed intently on the person in front of her. The leader seemed to be intimidated by her gaze and slapped her face, causing her head to tilt towards the inner chamber. Yahui's eyes shone brightly as she stared at the curtain, behind which a tall cabinet stood alone and helpless.

  Her five internal organs seemed to be stirred up together, and her mouth began to flow out thick black blood. When the man below saw that the poison had taken effect, he kicked her body to one side with disgust. Yabao's body was like a lifeless doll, "thud" falling down, her eyes staring straight ahead, only looking at the curtain. A huge bloody smell spread throughout the room. The leader's eyes flashed towards Yabao's trembling body, and from his sleeve he took out something and forcibly pried open her already curled up fingers, stuffing it inside!

  Her slender and weak body gradually stopped trembling, her slightly raised eyes seemed to be looking at the cabinet with a hint of reluctance. In the last moment, she seemed to have slightly hooked up the corner of her mouth, and then, using the last bit of strength, turned her gaze towards the door.

  Everything stops at this moment.

  Gongsun Ci stared blankly at the person lying on the ground outside the curtain, her tears had stopped, her struggles had stopped, and even her breathing seemed to be about to stop. Gu Yunxi felt that the person in his arms was a bit unusual, so he hurriedly loosened his hand that was pressing down on her. Gongsun Ci's whole body stiffened as she looked at the people outside who seemed to be preparing to leave. Gu Yunxi also cast his gaze onto Ya Pei's face, and slowly pulled out the silver hairpin from his shoulder. His eyes were dark and gloomy, like a cold sword, waiting for the right moment to strike, to tear apart those wicked people.

  "Empress Dowager——"

  Two words suddenly slipped out of Gong Sun's mouth, and Gu Yunxi was startled, hurriedly covering his mouth again. Just as someone about to leave stopped in their tracks, their piercing gaze swept through the dilapidated room, and the foot that had stepped out retreated back inside.

  Gu Yun Xi suddenly held her breath, her heart racing like a drumbeat. She and Gong Sun Ci were both non-martial artists; if they were discovered, there would be no way to escape. Watching the man beckon them back as they tried to leave, Gu Yun Xi's heart sank straight to the bottom of the valley.

  She watched as the leader waved his hand, and the two behind him began to search around, from the outer room to the inner room, just a few dozen steps away. She slowly lowered her head, "At midnight, all the guards in the palace will change shifts again. Gong Sun Ci, you must remember, if you die, Princess Ya will not be able to close her eyes in death. Those who harm you will only laugh at your foolishness as they watch your rotting corpses!"

  Gongsun Ci's dull eyes gradually regained their luster, Gu Yunxi released her hand, gently and quietly leaned her against the corner of the cabinet, then took a deep breath...

  Gongsun Ci suddenly grabbed her, Gu Yunxi turned around, her tear-stained face moved slightly, and with a determined smile, she pushed open the cabinet door and ran towards the small ear room on the far left of the inner chamber!

  I will live on, said Gong Sun Zhi.

  The sudden noise was extremely jarring in the midst of the howling cold wind. The newcomer only saw a figure suddenly flash by from the inner room, his narrow eyes slightly narrowing as he glanced at Ya Bao's lifeless body on the ground, and then uttered a single word, "Pursue!"

  Three figures quickly chased in the direction of Gu Yunxi, leaving behind only Ya Pei lying alone at the door, her eyes slightly open as she stared at the gate, as if she wanted to walk out of this cold palace.

  In the midst of silence, suddenly a burst of colorful fireworks exploded in the sky above the imperial palace, and the dazzling lights instantly lit up half the sky. In the dark corner, a faint "creak" sound was heard, and the broken cabinet door was pushed open. A small figure emerged from the cabinet, her eyes dazed as she walked straight towards the person lying at the door. The ground was stained with thick black blood everywhere. She unknowingly bent down, raised her hand, and gently brushed away the open eyes of the person on the ground.

  On the last night of the 475th year of the Imperial Calendar, Gong Sun Zhi only remembered her mother's eyes that remained open until death, those eyes that once brought her warmth and encouragement. In that moment, all that was left was cruelty, coldness, and despair, and these three things filled her life with unknown joys and sorrows from then on.

  Gu Yunxue ran with all her might, the night wind whistling past her ears, she didn't even know she could run so fast. In that instant, she seemed to see again the endless vast expanse of snow, and she heard once more the cries of ten thousand horses and men. She was in the midst of those cries, watching as the people beside her fell one by one, then treading on their blood, fleeing all the way.

  The footsteps behind her grew tighter and more urgent, Gu Yunxi couldn't catch her breath or look at the road, she just kept running, suddenly there were bright fireworks exploding above the imperial city, Gu Yunxi subconsciously ran towards that direction, the person behind her seemed to be about to catch up, a breaking sound echoed, Gu Yunxi only felt a huge stab of pain on her back that made her vision go black for an instant, a long sword with blood fell beside her feet, she took a glance and continued running.

  She knew that if she slowed down for a moment now, what would follow wouldn't just be pain.

  Her arms were almost completely soaked, and the bloodstains fell onto the dark green stone corridor in droplets, splashing into different shapes. As she looked at the approaching lanterns, her footsteps quickened. Unbeknownst to her, the footsteps behind her seemed to gradually disappear. Gu Yunxi stopped in front of the side door of the Yueting Palace, panting heavily.

  Two palace lanterns were dimly lit, and two guards stood with their hands in their sleeves, leaning against the door frame, chatting idly. Gu Yunxi hid herself in the darkness, tightening her cloak to cover her wound, while staring intently at the two men by the door. If she couldn't escape tonight, her injuries would be fatal. She glanced back at the dark and oppressive palace buildings behind her, perhaps there were still people waiting for her there.

  Time was ticking away, and Gu Yunxi didn't dare guarantee that the guards at the side door would leave a blank space for her to escape during their shift change. What made her even more anxious was that she felt the little warmth in her body was almost gone, her head was getting dizzier, and she couldn't even feel the pain on her arm anymore.

  She shivered and suddenly saw two guards in the distance, one of whom said something to the other, then looked around left and right before bowing slightly towards the other person and running off in a hurry. Watching the guard walk away with his legs tightly closed together, Gu Yunxi's eyes deepened, she put on the hat from her cloak, took a deep breath, and walked towards the side door.

  His footsteps were extremely light, but the guard had not yet walked very close when he discovered Gu Yunxi. He furrowed his brow, "Hey, who are you? How did you get in here? Halt!"

  Gu Yunxi walked up to him with her eyes narrowed, and when she raised them again, it was a man of average height. Gu Yunxi's mouth curved into a smile that could captivate people's hearts, and the guard hesitated for a moment before Gu Yunxi's right hand swung heavily towards his neck!

  The man's daze solidified on his face, Gu Yunxi let go of her hand, the silver hairpin in her hand was deeply inserted into the blood vessel on his neck, and a thread of blood flowed down from the guard's neck. His lips moved slightly, but he didn't say a word after all. The smile at the corner of Gu Yunxi's mouth dissipated, "Sorry."

  She turned around and left without hesitation, even forgetting to take off her beloved hairpin. There was a loud noise of something heavy falling behind her, and Gu Yunxi's footsteps became faster and more urgent.

  Today's inner palace is naturally much more lively than before, Gu Yunxi let out a sigh of relief in her heart, and deliberately chose to walk in places with fewer people. She didn't care about anything else, but the blood flowing out of her was getting more and more, she stretched out her hand to touch her back, it was all wet.

  Even if she knew that Ya Pei had died miserably, she couldn't go to report the case. She felt confused and her forehead seemed to be burning with fever. She didn't have the energy to think about who was behind this tragic night. She was worried about Gong Sun Ci, whether she could get out of there by herself. She was also worried about herself, whether she could escape this disaster that shouldn't have belonged to her.

  Her footsteps became increasingly ethereal, and she was lucky to be able to lean against the railing of the corridor, not far from which was the Jin Yun Lake in the Imperial Garden, where it seemed that people were gathered, firecrackers and fireworks sounded continuously, bustling with excitement. She stopped her steps, took a deep breath, turned around and walked in another direction, on the palace path where one could not see five fingers, there was no one. She knew that from here she could walk to Zhengyang Gate, and then to Xuanwu Gate, she would be able to leave the palace, but with her appearance, anyone who saw her would surely alert the Imperial Guard.

  What to do——

  When Wan Qi left the palace, he happened to encounter firecrackers and fireworks exploding in unison. He lifted the curtain of his sedan chair to take a look at the colorful lights, furrowed his brow, and said, "Let's change routes."

  Mu Fang followed outside, and at this moment, he waved his hand and the sedan chair immediately changed direction. Today's Wan Xi Chen was here to receive rewards, and Lie Di, in addition to giving him golden silk carbon dragon incense, would also consider his body's fear of cold every year and give him extremely high-quality fur, rewarding him several times a winter, and he had to wear it on his body.

  He still vaguely remembers that in the second year of coming to Dayan, he once wore only a dark-colored brocade robe to meet Emperor Lie, and Emperor Lie frowned at his clothes. On that day, Emperor Lie publicly flogged one of his attendants to death with a hundred sticks, just because he didn't wear the brocade robe he had awarded him, saying that his attendant was not taking good care of him.

  Since then, he never forgot to wear the fur coat when attending various occasions. Even though he became increasingly frail and had difficulty falling asleep at night, what could he do? He didn't want to see anyone else around him die either. As a result, there were no longer any unnecessary servants in his mansion. From this point of view, he thought he was a kind person.

  The dark palace path was empty, with no one in sight. The palaces on both sides were vacant, and it was unclear what they were used for. Wan Xi Chen slightly closed his eyes, putting the purple gold warmer aside, he felt that the smell made him a bit suffocated. He lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, the cold air outside was icy and bone-piercing, but he found it smelled wonderful and took a deep breath.

  No.

  Wan Qi Chen furrowed his brow, his gaze swept deeply and mysteriously towards the palace chambers on both sides. In the midst of the darkness, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, but Wan Qi Chen knew it wasn't so. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, the sedan continued moving forward, just about to pass this section of the palace chamber, he lightly waved his hand and the sedan came to a stop.

  A row of neat and tidy palaces stood quietly in the darkness, Wan Xun walked down from the sedan chair, under Mu Yan's puzzled gaze, he walked past, a faint smell of blood condensed in the cold air, his nostrils moved slightly, straight towards a slightly closed vermilion gate, heavy footsteps fell one after another in the cold and quiet night.

  He gently pushed open the door, and when he saw the situation inside, Wan Zhen's breathing changed. In the darkness, Gu Yunxi slowly raised her head, and the dim light outside faintly shone in. She only saw a figure standing at the door, backlit by the light. Her heart had been filled with panic and desperation, but upon seeing that person, she subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

  She curled up the corner of her mouth and said, "It's you."

  A figure outside moved and walked in, and a faint light also entered at the same time. Gu Yunxi looked over and felt that his eyes were deep and mysterious, but when he looked again, he saw an unprecedented warmth in his eyebrows and eyes.

  "He said, 'I'm coming.'"

  Digression

  I don't know if there's any plot hole, but originally I said I'd wrap up the Crown Prince in 300,000 words, now it seems a bit suspenseful~ Next chapter next chapter, should I come up with something heavy~ Once again, I sigh~ Meat is on my mind~

  Although there were a few chapters that were slightly off in word count towards the end, I basically held it together for this month. Next month will continue to strive hard. Thanks everyone for your support!