"The Emperor has arrived!"
The eunuch, with a voice like a duck's, shouted from outside the residence.
Along the path, Nan Rong Qi frowned, having seen few serving maids.
"How dare you, Imperial Noble Consort! The Emperor is here, and you do not come out to greet him?"
The eunuch standing outside the room raised his voice even louder.
Seeing no one come out to welcome him, the haughty Nan Rong Qi showed his displeasure.
He kicked aside the eunuch who had followed him in, turned, and entered the sleeping quarters alone.
Before seeing Gu Qian Ying, Nan Rong Qi had already prepared to have this presumptuous woman, Gu Qian Ying, dragged out and beaten with twenty large planks.
But as he approached, his eyes fell upon a delicate woman in a seductive, alluring pink dress, adorned with a plum blossom makeup.
A vast expanse of snow-white skin on her chest was faintly visible, and her slender, exposed legs were equally enticing. Such a beauty, half-reclining on the imperial couch, possessed a unique charm.
"Emperor, why are you only arriving now? Your concubine has been waiting for you for so long~"
Her seductive, enchanting voice echoed at the edge of Nan Rong Qi's hearing.
He subconsciously walked over, looking at the exquisite face of "Gu Qian Ying." He maintained his composure with a stern expression, asking, "Gu Qian Ying, are you inviting me?"
"Gu Qian Ying" raised her eyes to look at Nan Rong Qi, her thin lips parting. "Emperor, from the moment I handed over what I brought back from the Southern Barbarian Kingdom to you, I also gave you my heart. Now, and forever, my heart belongs only to you. Emperor, you must treat me well~"
Listening to the gentle words of the beauty before him, and gazing at her alluring form.
At this moment, how could Nan Rong Qi remember that this captivating woman before him had once drugged him, opposed him, and become the consort of the person he hated the most?
But he did not know that the words spoken by "Gu Qian Ying" were not from her own mouth.
"Little vixen, I shall favor only you from now on."
Nan Rong Qi stroked "Gu Qian Ying's" delicate face, lifted her entirely from the imperial couch, and walked towards the bed.
Hmm... It's just that... this beauty feels a bit heavy now, and her head is a bit high. Perhaps since coming to his side and becoming his Imperial Noble Consort, her mood has been greatly improved, and she has been able to eat more.
The dim candlelight was suddenly extinguished by a gust of wind, plunging the room into darkness.
*Crack!*
The person holding "Gu Qian Ying" on the bed softly collapsed onto the couch.
"Gu Qian Ying" seized the opportunity, kicked him to the corner of the bed, and carefully examined Nan Rong Qi's face.
He frowned slightly.
Why did this man seem so familiar? Had he seen him somewhere before?
Though a doubt arose in his heart, he paid it no further mind. He rolled off the bed, casually tore off the dress he was wearing, and removed the human skin mask, revealing his true face.
The real Gu Qian Ying leaped down from the roof beam. She walked over, glanced at Nan Rong Qi, who lay on the bed, knocked unconscious, her eyes like ice. She extended her hand to Xiao Lin Zi, who stood beside her, "Give me the item?"
Nan Gong Mo handed the token he had just deftly taken from Nan Rong Qi to Gu Qian Ying.
Gu Qian Ying glanced at it, hid the token on her person, then took out a packet of medicinal powder from her small medicine pouch at her waist. She found an incense burner in the room and poured the powder into it.
Having done all this, she came to the bedside, stood, and shook the bed, shouting outwards, "Emperor, be gentle~ Emperor, oh, it hurts so much, Emperor... take it slow... Ahhh. Mmm hmm... Emperor, you are so amazing..."
Mimicking the playful banter between the girls and guests in the Spring Breeze Pavilion, she made sure these words were overheard by the eunuchs waiting outside.
In the dark night, a hand suddenly grabbed her. The person moved from her right to behind her, getting closer to her. "I never expected our little sect leader to know these tricks?"
Nan Gong Mo's sudden proximity made Gu Qian Ying frown. She turned to avoid him, "Be quiet, let's get to business!"
The moment she dodged him, he deliberately leaned in again, this time even closer, their breaths almost audible.
"Now, we are doing business, don't you think, my little sect leader?"
His long, well-defined fingers lightly tickled her ear. His voice was even more enchanting than before. "Little sect leader, did I perform well just now?"
Gu Qian Ying took a breath, her expressionless face in the darkness. "Mm, not bad. Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you."
As she spoke, she picked up the torn dress from the floor and placed it in Nan Gong Mo's hand.
Having someone by her side who could imitate various voices was indeed a great asset.
Perhaps, in the future, she could lead Xiao Lin Zi in accomplishing great deeds!
In the pitch-black night, two of the young eunuchs guarding the Nine Splendor Palace outside claimed they needed to relieve themselves and disappeared halfway.
These two were not easily distinguishable, and their disappearance went unnoticed.
The Imperial Palace Dungeon.
The dungeon was damp and dark. In the innermost cell of the gloomy dungeon, only one person was imprisoned. The person wore a dark black robe, their entire body stained with blood, pierced by countless knives, each drawing blood. It was likely that not a single piece of good flesh remained on them.
The person's face was as pale as paper, their handsome features scalded. From forehead to chin, there was a scar like a centipede. A dagger was also inserted into the person's chest. The dagger had not pierced his heart, only lodged in the surface of the skin.
A significant amount of blood had been lost, but it was not fatal.
Their limbs were bound by heavy iron chains, and any movement would produce a grating sound.
Outside the cell, heavily armed guards stood watch, and even outside the dungeon gate, several guards were stationed.
"Brother, what's the point of us guarding someone who's about to die every day?"
"You don't know, do you? Although that person is close to death, he is the personal guard of the Ninth Prince, Bai Qi."
"So what if he's a personal guard? The Ninth Prince is already dead, what use is there in keeping a guard? Just kill him."
"What do you know? Is the Ninth Prince really dead? Who saw it? Where is the body? Who saw it? Who knows if the news from the Southern Barbarian Kingdom is true or false?"
"Who are you..."
"What are you talking about? I haven't said anything. You should shut up too, stop chattering so much, or you might lose your head!"
The two guards standing outside the dungeon murmured for a while.
A carriage stopped about twenty paces away from the dungeon. The beaded curtain was lifted, and a woman wearing a black cloak stepped out.
Behind the woman followed two young eunuchs dressed in palace attire, their hoods pulled low.
The woman approached with the two young eunuchs.
"Who are you? You are not allowed in here."
The guards stationed outside the dungeon spoke simultaneously, blocking her path.
"It is I!"
Gu Qian Ying lifted her hood, revealing her exquisite face.
The two guards were instantly stunned and immediately knelt. "Greetings... Your Imperial Noble Consort."
"I am here on the Emperor's orders to interrogate the high-profile prisoner, Bai Qi!"
Gu Qian Ying's voice was cold and aloof, without any unnecessary words.
However, her words greatly frightened the two guards.
"This... this won't do. This absolutely will not do. His Majesty has ordered that no one can interrogate the prisoner inside without His Majesty's warrant. Your Imperial Noble Consort, please do not make things difficult for us."
"Warrant? I have it. His Majesty himself gave this warrant to me. As I said, I am here on the Emperor's orders. You don't believe me?"
As soon as the warrant was produced, the two guards dared not say anything further.
However... interrogating a prisoner late at night? This seemed a bit strange?
But with the warrant in hand, even though the two guards had doubts in their hearts, they did not dare to question it on the spot.
Gu Qian Ying entered the dungeon with the two young eunuchs. Along the way, their feet trod on blood-stained, uncleaned steps. Outside the cells, they encountered three or four more guards watching the prison.
As before, by presenting the warrant, these guards naturally allowed her to see the high-profile prisoner held there.
Standing outside the cell, Gu Qian Ying noticed the extremely tragic figure within the prison before she even got close.
It was a man whose face was obscured by blood, his body bound and hanging. He seemed to have fallen unconscious.
At this moment, Gu Qian Ying's feet felt heavy as lead, her body tensed, and her eyes overflowed with rage!