The night was tinged with a red glow. Under the moonlight, Ouyang Qinglin's long sword was pointed at Su Cheng's chest.
"You truly are a menace, but if I were to kill you, she would surely be heartbroken."
Despite his inner struggle, Ouyang Qinglin was clear. This person was most likely Nangong Mo. If he killed him, and Gu Qianying one day learned of his true identity, she would resent him for life. Why bother doing something so thankless if it meant earning her hatred?
From the moment Su Cheng met this man, he had sensed his hostility. Now, seeing the sword pointed at him, he had his own thoughts.
"You like her too, don't you? It's better if I die, so this body doesn't continue to be a burden."
He spoke with such nonchalance that Ouyang Qinglin chuckled. Instead of advancing, he sheathed his sword. "If I killed you, wouldn't she resent me even more? I don't want to do such thankless work. Live well."
With that, he turned and walked towards the courtyard. Since he already knew this person's identity, there was no point in keeping it a secret. Ouyang Qinglin decided to reveal Su Cheng's true identity to Gu Qianying that very night.
"Knock, knock, knock."
He knocked several times. "Strange, she doesn't have the habit of not lighting a lamp to rest." Ouyang Qinglin had only come to knock after seeing the light on in Gu Qianying's room. He had assumed she was awake, but why wasn't anyone answering after so many knocks?
Noticing the anomaly, Su Cheng walked over. "Did something happen?" His question jolted Ouyang Qinglin. Without further hesitation, they kicked the door open and entered the room.
However, when they entered, Gu Qianying was nowhere to be found. A bad premonition washed over them. They exchanged a look.
"Madam Li and her son."
Speaking the suspected culprits in unison, they began searching the various rooms in the courtyard. It was true that after Gu Qianying left Old Madam Li's room that night, the mother and son had gone quiet. They usually took a stroll after dinner, but today they had not appeared.
Ouyang Qinglin slapped his forehead. It was all his fault for being so focused on Su Cheng that he had overlooked such an important detail. They eventually converged in Old Madam Li's room.
"I've searched the entire courtyard. There's no sign of anyone," Su Cheng reported.
"Nor outside. It seems we have encountered enemies." Concerned for Gu Qianying, whose health had only recently recovered, they could only search the room for any clues.
As Su Cheng ran his fingers over Old Madam Li's bed, his tapping stopped. "Listen to this. Does the sound seem off?" Summoned by Su Cheng, Ouyang Qinglin quickly came over and tapped on the bed board. As his brow furrowed, he put force into his hands and flipped the bed over. Revealed before them was an empty floor.
"I didn't expect there to be a secret passage here." They exchanged a look and descended into the passage with torches. After just a few steps, they reached a secret chamber. Su Cheng placed his torch on a stone pedestal, and the chamber was illuminated.
"This place is empty. It must be wrong." Ouyang Qinglin, with his years of experience, examined the surrounding walls and finally found a spot where the color seemed off. "Bring the torch closer." He directed Su Cheng to join him by the wall. Placing their hands on it, they pushed with their feet, and indeed, a seam opened in the wall.
"So there's another secret passage here. They were quite cautious." Su Cheng was astonished by the scheming of Madam Li and her son. He followed Ouyang Qinglin further into the passage. Moving slowly and cautiously, they finally saw a glimmer of light ahead after about an hour and a half.
They carefully climbed towards the light, emerging behind a rockery.
"This is the Imperial Palace!" Su Cheng exclaimed. He had walked through the Imperial Garden a few times when he entered the palace with the three Su sisters. This was the largest rockery in the Imperial Garden, and such architecture could only be found in the palace. He wouldn't be mistaken.
Hearing his words, Ouyang Qinglin's heart leaped. He never expected that the seemingly ordinary commoner old woman would have ties to the Imperial Palace. He looked towards the distant palaces, guessing that Gu Qianying had been taken to the Imperial Palace. Unsure of the current situation and knowing the vastness of the palace, they did not venture out but instead retreated back down the secret passage.
After all the commotion, dawn was breaking by the time they returned. Ouyang Qinglin and Su Cheng sat together, discussing their next plan.
"The terrain of the Nan Yi Kingdom's Imperial Palace is complex. It won't be easy to search. The best way is to enter the palace naturally." Su Cheng had plenty of experience and knew the dangers within the palace. Ouyang Qinglin was seething with frustration. How could he not have realized that the mother and son were people of the Empress?
Seeing his silence, Su Cheng waved his hand in front of him. "What are you doing? I heard what you said. I know that." Although he was reluctant to admit it, when it came to familiarity with the Nan Yi Kingdom, he truly couldn't compare to Su Cheng.
They fell silent again, and Ouyang Qinglin's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. "Right, when I entered the city yesterday, I found out that your eldest sister has returned to the manor, and Meng Qinghua has also followed. If we seek their help, entering the palace might be easier." He had intended to tell Gu Qianying this today, but the various events had made him forget.
Hearing that his eldest sister had returned, Su Cheng was overjoyed. He had heard about the palace matters from Gu Qianying before. He had thought they would never meet again, but unexpectedly, this situation had arisen. Thus, Su Cheng quickly got up, preparing to return to the manor.
"Eldest sister is the most soft-hearted. If we explain the situation here to her, I believe she will help us enter the palace to rescue Miss Gu." Ouyang Qinglin didn't quite believe Su Cheng's words. In his opinion, the women of the Nan Yi Kingdom were all troublesome and difficult to deal with. However, there was no other choice now.
After much discussion, they finally decided to send Su Cheng back to the Su family first, and then Ouyang Qinglin would find a reason for his identity to enter the palace. This way, they could coordinate from within. If the eldest daughter of the Su family was willing to help, the hope of rescuing Gu Qianying was quite high.
With their plan set, as the sky brightened, Su Cheng and Ouyang Qinglin appeared at the entrance of the Su family manor. The doorman, yawning, opened the gate and saw the pale-faced Sixth Young Master Su. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shouted inside.
"Sixth Young Master has been found! Sixth Young Master is back!"