"Where is he taking me?" Anning asked.
The palace maid trembled and replied, "Let... let this servant take you out of the palace."
Anning frowned and asked again, "Out of the palace?"
The palace maid nodded, "Yes, someone is waiting outside the palace. The rest is not this servant's concern."
"Do you still remember what the person who gave you money to do this looked like?" Anning asked.
The palace maid shook her head, "This servant did not see clearly, but this servant feels he is very familiar with the palace. He should be someone who lives here."
"If he were in front of you, could you recognize him?"
The palace maid nodded, "Yes."
"Good, Rong Cui, arrange for her to stay here now," Anning said.
Rong Cui nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. This servant will go make arrangements."
Rong Cui stepped forward and said to the palace maid, "What is your name?"
"Sister can call me Min'er."
"Min'er, follow me," Rong Cui said.
As Min'er got up to leave, she suddenly turned and said, "Your Highness, this servant suddenly remembers, that person seemed to have excellent martial skills."
"This Highness understands," Anning replied.
Min'er followed Rong Cui out.
Anning fell into silence. After a long while, Mo Yuan, who was beside her, could not help but ask, "Your Highness, should this matter be reported to His Majesty?"
Anning looked up at Mo Yuan. Mo Yuan saw that the young girl's gaze held a chilling coldness, as if it had plunged him into a world of ice and snow.
"Mo Yuan, do you know the art of disguise?"
Mo Yuan was startled and said, "Yes. Your Highness wants Mo Yuan to impersonate Min'er?"
Anning nodded, "Yes."
"Your Highness, it is very dangerous, and Mo Yuan cannot guarantee your safety," Mo Yuan said truthfully.
"If you can protect me safely, they will also become suspicious."
Mo Yuan was slightly stunned and asked again, "Your Highness, Mo Yuan believes you should report this to His Majesty first."
Anning shook her head, "There is no more time. My eldest and second imperial sisters cannot wait any longer."
"Your Highness..."
"Rest assured, if anything happens to me, I will absolutely not let Father Emperor blame you."
Hearing this, Mo Yuan felt a surge of indescribable anger. Was Mo Yuan someone who would cower from danger?
Exiting the palace, there was indeed a carriage outside. Anning said in a low voice, "No matter what happens later, do not act. I will leave markings along the way. You follow behind."
Mo Yuan nodded, "Yes."
"You brought the person?" a voice came from inside the carriage.
"Yes," replied Mo Yuan, disguised as Min'er.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Anning saw a man sitting inside, a stranger whose face she had never seen before.
"Princess Anning, please!" the man said faintly upon seeing her.
Anning got into the carriage without hesitation. The man pulled down the curtain and said, "Who are you? Where are my eldest and second imperial sisters?"
The man chuckled softly, a hint of mockery appearing on his handsome face. "Princess Anning, do not be hasty. You will see them when we arrive."
"Where are we going?" Anning asked.
The man replied, "Where you wish to go."
"Princess Anning, the journey is long. Would you care for some tea?"
The man offered a cup of tea. Anning refused, "No, I'm not thirsty."
She dared not drink the tea.
The man smiled, "Are you afraid it's poisoned?"
"Isn't it?" Anning retorted.
The man picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp. Holding the empty cup, he said, "Now? Can you drink it?"
"I won't drink it," Anning still refused.
The man did not persuade her further, but simply drank cup after cup on his own.
After about half an hour of travel, Anning could not help but ask, "Have we not arrived yet?"
The man did not look up and merely said, "Princess Anning, what are you in such a hurry for?"
How could she not be anxious? She didn't know if Mo Yuan had followed.
"Are you someone from the Empress of Huang Ze?" she suddenly asked.
The man's gaze flickered slightly, and then he looked up, his eyes calm, without a ripple.
"Since Your Highness already knows, why ask? By the way..."
The man smiled, placed the empty teacup on the table, and then looked up, his eyes turning cold. "Princess Anning, your attendant will not be following."
Anning trembled all over and looked at the man. The man sneered, his mockery undisguised. "Princess Anning, you are a bit too clever for your own good."
"You won't hurt him, will you?" Anning asked.
The man chuckled softly, "Rest assured, I never harm the weak."
Was Mo Yuan considered weak? Then wasn't she even weaker?
"How did you get acquainted with the Empress of Huang Ze?" Anning asked.
The man glanced at her. "What does Princess Anning wish to know?"
Anning replied, "I want to know how you met."
"Will it be helpful to Your Highness?"
"No, but you said the journey is long. Why don't we chat? Wouldn't that make the time pass faster?" Anning said slowly.
"What does Princess Anning want to know?" the man asked, looking up.
"Was my eldest imperial sister also your doing?"
"Yes," the man replied without hesitation.
"What about my second imperial sister?"
The man shook his head, "I don't know about that."
"On this journey, will I be able to see my eldest and second imperial sisters?" Anning asked again.
The man blinked slightly and said, "I cannot tell you that."
"Then can I see the Empress of Huang Ze?"
The man frowned. "You want to see her?"
"Yes, I have some words I wish to say to her."
"No," the man refused.
Anning looked up, her eyes cold. "The Empress of Huang Ze wants to get rid of me?"
The man curved his lips and said, "If you are eliminated, wouldn't the Crown Prince of Xue Country remember Your Highness for a lifetime?"
"What does she want to do?" Anning asked coldly.
The man suddenly leaned forward, his voice becoming sinister. "Whatever the Crown Prince of Xue Country hates the most, Your Highness will become?"
Anning was stunned. Her mind raced, recalling what the Crown Prince of Xue Country hated.
"If Your Highness cannot recall, this subordinate can tell you..."
"What?" Anning asked.
Suddenly, powder-like substances were scattered in front of her. She was greatly alarmed, inwardly thinking, This man has found an opening.
Soon, she slumped softly onto the carriage.
The man withdrew his hand. "You are indeed difficult to deal with."
The carriage traveled for another half an hour before finally stopping in a desolate area. There was a courtyard ahead.
The man threw out a token. The gatekeeper saw it and opened the gate, allowing the carriage to enter directly.
Arriving in the courtyard, the man got out of the carriage, walked into a room, and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, Princess Anning has been brought back."
"Bring the person in," Xue Chang'an said coldly, sitting there.
Anning? She sneered. This time, you cannot escape my grasp.
A moment later, the man hurried in, his face somewhat pale.
Xue Chang'an saw this and said coldly, "Where is the person?"
The man knelt on the ground, guiltily saying, "She clearly took the sleeping incense just now, how could she wake up so quickly?"
"Useless..." Xue Chang'an said angrily.
The man kowtowed, "Please, Your Majesty, forgive me!"
Xue Chang'an said angrily, "Do not tell me that your people from Qianjin Tower are so incompetent? If the person is lost, you can't find her?"