The events unfolded too suddenly. By the time everyone reacted, some of the sheltered daughters of noble families screamed, held tightly by their mothers as they retreated.
Several princes who had been watching were abruptly shielded by their own guards.
Bai Qi drew his saber in the first moment, positioning himself beside Nangong Mo, guarding against the possibility of the desperate palace maid harming his master.
The only ones present who spoke with urgency to the palace maid were Lu Zhu and the First Madam, pleading, "Quickly release my young lady."
"Please, don't hurt my daughter," the First Madam said, filled with extreme fear, worried that the palace maid holding the dagger might harm her daughter.
At this moment, no one noticed the killing intent in Nangong Mo's eyes.
Damn it!
"Ninth Prince, this concubine begs you, spare that palace maid's life and let her release my daughter."
The First Madam knew that only by seeking help from Nangong Mo at this moment could her daughter be saved from harm by the palace maid.
"Ninth Prince, this person actually attempted to poison you, she deserves to die. You absolutely cannot let her go. If you let her go, it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountain!"
Gu Mingyue, seeing the First Madam pleading with Nangong Mo to release the palace maid, rushed over and gently tried to stop her.
She wished more than anything that Gu Qianying would die at the hands of the palace maid holding her hostage.
As long as the Ninth Prince refused to release the palace maid, the maid would surely act desperately and kill Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying dying under such circumstances would, in a way, bring honor to their Gu family.
Actually, none of that mattered. What was important was that Gu Qianying would die!
Gu Mingyue's calculations were cunning, but who was Nangong Mo?
How could he be swayed by a mere concubine's daughter who couldn't even make it to the main stage? Moreover, the person being held hostage was his beloved, Gu Qianying.
At this moment, Gu Qianying, held hostage by the palace maid, showed no trace of fear in her eyes. She remained composed, as if she were not the one being held captive.
"Holding me hostage, do you think you can escape alive?"
The palace maid looked at her, tightening her grip on the dagger. "If I can't get out, I'll kill you. Even if I die, I'll take someone with me!"
"Heh!"
Gu Qianying actually laughed.
"I'm afraid that won't happen as you wish!
Gu Qianying subtly shifted her palm, gathering two-thirds of her power into it.
Suddenly, a clear, cold voice rang out, "Release her, and this Prince will let you go."
Gu Qianying was slightly stunned. She slowly dispersed her power and looked at Nangong Mo.
Though he sat in his wheelchair, creating a contrast with others, the faint silhouette refracted in the sunlight was so beautiful.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting strands of his hair.
At this moment, Gu Qianying felt a warmth bloom in her heart, a heart that had been scarred and broken by the vicissitudes of her past life.
Among all the people present, besides her own family, only he truly cared about her safety.
In her past life, although Nangong Mo harbored no ambition for power, anyone who could remain at ease and leisurely amidst the power struggles and schemes of the imperial family could not be a simple character.
And why would such a character care about her safety?
She truly couldn't fathom the reason.
The palace maid, holding Gu Qianying hostage, saw that Nangong Mo was willing to let her go and secretly rejoiced.
Having hidden in the palace for many days, she knew Nangong Mo was never a man of his word.
The palace maid glanced at Gu Qianying from the corner of her eye.
The Ninth Prince was willing to let her go for the sake of this woman, Gu Qianying. It seemed Gu Qianying was very important to Nangong Mo.
The princes present had a flash of shrewdness in their eyes.
It seemed they had found Nangong Mo's weakness, and their chances of dealing with him in the future had increased.
Nan Rong Qi, shielded by guards, his eyes filled with calculation, lingered on Gu Qianying for a long time.
The reason Gu Qianying garnered such attention from Nangong Mo was likely because Nangong Mo wished to enlist the support of General Gu.
It seemed he needed to handle some matters quickly to facilitate his future marriage to Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying, this woman, he was determined to have!
Seeing that Nangong Mo had relented, the palace maid holding Gu Qianying hostage became even more audacious. She dragged Gu Qianying backward, saying, "You can let me go, but I want your Yan Si Ling!"
The Yan Si Ling was a token that guaranteed one's immunity from execution in the imperial palace. With this token, even if you were a murderer, a criminal, or an assassin, no one in the palace would dare to touch you!
As long as she escaped the palace, with her masterful disguise skills, surviving outside would be effortless.
And this Yan Si Ling was currently possessed only by Nangong Mo, bestowed upon him by the late Emperor.
"Audacious assassin, to covet my master's Yan Si Ling, you overestimate yourself and deserve to die!" Bai Qi drew his sword, facing her.
The Yan Si Ling was an object of such noble status, how could it be taken by an assassin? Compared to the Yan Si Ling, Bai Qi felt Gu Qianying's life was no longer that important.
With a clang.
The sword in Bai Qi's hand fell, and a powerful resistance pushed him back several steps.
"Bai Qi, stand down!"
Bai Qi looked at his master in disbelief. "Your Highness!"
"The Yan Si Ling can be yours, but this Prince has no patience for repeated demands. The Yan Si Ling is with Bai Qi. You exchange her for it, hand for hand."
As Nangong Mo spoke, a golden-edged bronze token was tossed into Bai Qi's arms.
The appearance of the Yan Si Ling stirred the ambitions of the princes watching, but they could only covet it in their hearts.
With Nangong Mo present, who would dare to act rashly?
Bai Qi was shocked that his master would agree to hand over the Yan Si Ling. "Master, this is not permissible, absolutely not."
"Are you not obeying my command?"
Though it was a question, his tone was aloof and cold, like ice.
Nangong Mo was clearly angered.
"Yes, Master."
Bai Qi held the Yan Si Ling, his legs feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, unable to move.
Nangong Mo cast him a glance, and Bai Qi reluctantly quickened his pace.
The palace maid watched Bai Qi approach with the Yan Si Ling, her excitement growing.
The Yan Si Ling, such a valuable item, was finally hers.
Holding the dagger, the palace maid slowly lowered it from Gu Qianying's delicate neck. Before the Yan Si Ling was in her grasp, she dared not relax even a bit.
"Walk forward slowly. If you hurry, be careful, my dagger might just slice off your head."
The palace maid did not release Gu Qianying. Instead, she pressed the dagger against her back, making her inch forward.
There was still some distance between Bai Qi and Gu Qianying. Just as Gu Qianying was about to reach Bai Qi, a pink figure suddenly lunged forward.
The palace maid, to protect herself, without even looking, grabbed the dagger and thrust it forward fiercely.
Gu Qianying quickly turned and saw that the woman who had bumped into her had died under the palace maid's dagger.
"Ah!"
Everyone screamed in terror.
Bai Qi ignored Gu Qianying and ran towards Nangong Mo instead, wanting to protect his master.
Chaos erupted in the hall.
The palace maid knew she had lost her chance to escape unscathed and began wildly stabbing into the crowd with her dagger.
Hidden in the crowd, unnoticed by anyone, Gu Mingyue saw that Gu Qianying had dodged the palace maid, and the woman she had pushed forward had died. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes.
Everyone retreated, but Gu Mingyue stepped forward. She grabbed Gu Qianying's wrist, feigning sisterly affection, "Sister, hurry, don't let the bad guy hurt you."
Gu Mingyue pulled Gu Qianying and, with a turn, pushed Gu Qianying towards the frenzied palace maid, exclaiming, "Sister, be careful!"
Die, you wretched thing, go to hell!
Gu Qianying did not fall onto the palace maid's dagger as Gu Mingyue had expected. Instead, as Gu Mingyue pushed her, she immediately turned and dodged.
Gu Mingyue, unable to stop herself, stumbled forward.
"Ah!"
The tip of the dagger sliced across Gu Mingyue's face, and she screamed in pain.
At the same moment, over a dozen guards attacked from all directions.
More than ten swords were placed at the palace maid's neck.
The dagger fell from her hand, and the palace maid's face turned ashen.
At this moment, Gu Qianying was searching the crowd for the First Madam and Lu Zhu. However, with so many women present, all dressed in vibrant colors, finding familiar figures was difficult.
Fortunately, Lu Zhu, with her sword and saber slung over her shoulder, moved clumsily, making her quite noticeable in the crowd.
Gu Qianying quickly found Lu Zhu and the First Madam.
Just as Gu Qianying parted the crowd, intending to walk towards Lu Zhu, suddenly, her feet felt light, the world spun, and in her daze, she found herself falling into a warm embrace.