A young eunuch ran in, his face beaded with sweat.
If it hadn't been an urgent matter, he would never have dared to disturb His Majesty…
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ming frowned, "What is it now?"
The ministers also looked at the young eunuch in unison, wondering what could have happened that a mere eunuch dared to barge into the imperial court.
"Your, Your Majesty, the two hostages you brought have escaped…" the young eunuch stammered.
"What?" Emperor Ming froze for a moment, then rushed to the young eunuch, "What are the palace guards and the imperial masters doing, not even able to keep an eye on two women?"
Truly, he had raised a bunch of useless people…
"Your Majesty, it's not what you think!" The young eunuch lowered his gaze, sweat trickling to the tip of his nose, yet he dared not wipe it.
Emperor Ming was furious, "Then what is it? Spit it out!"
"Your Majesty, they escaped very strangely. The guards didn't even notice. It was as if it was planned long ago, leaving not a single trace…" the young eunuch said fearfully.
To escape from the prison of the Ministry of Justice, it was evident that these two women were no ordinary individuals.
After all, since ancient times, no one had ever escaped from the Ministry of Justice's prison alive.
Emperor Ming gritted his teeth in anger, "Find them! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must bring them back…"
If Murong Qing disappeared, what would be the point of all his previous actions?
Emperor Ming's target was Murong Taotao. As long as Murong Qing remained in Yan, Taotao would definitely pursue her…
But now, he had messed things up.
"Yes, yes!" The young eunuch responded and left tremblingly.
At the same time, in a secluded corner of the imperial garden.
Murong Qing scooped half a basin of water and brought it over, moistening a handkerchief to wipe Shangguan Fang'er's face…
"I'm sorry to have made you suffer, Sister Fang'er. Don't worry, this place is very safe, they definitely won't find us here!" Murong Qing comforted her.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is also the safest. Murong Qing did not leave because she was waiting for her brother to find her and reunite with him…
Shangguan Fang'er smiled faintly, "Qing'er, if it weren't for you this time, we would probably have perished in Yan!"
She knew that Murong Qing wouldn't just surrender after being captured.
With her intelligence and resourcefulness, escaping from prison would be as easy as pie…
Moreover, the two of them had secretly discussed on the way that after arriving in Yan, they would first observe the situation before making further arrangements.
However, that dog emperor had merely thrown them into the prison as bait and ignored them. It was only then that Murong Qing took a drastic measure and fled with Sister Fang'er…
"Sister Fang'er, why are you being so polite with me?"
Murong Qing smiled helplessly and glanced towards the imperial study, "I have a premonition that this dog emperor is probably planning something big recently. So, after I investigate this matter, I'll take Sister Fang'er out of the palace…"
"Wh-what big move?" Shangguan Fang'er asked curiously.
Qing'er is indeed Qing'er, always able to look at issues with foresight and minimize all crises…
Murong Qing shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure, let's go and find out first!"
On the way to Yan, she had a vague feeling that Emperor Ming's trip to Liang was for some ulterior motive. If she could have foreseen his plan early on, it would have saved the people of Liang from more suffering…
That night, Murong Qing settled Shangguan Fang'er in a flower shed and quietly made her way towards the imperial study.
Although she was a transmigrator, she knew no martial arts, so to enter this study, she had to rely on wit and courage.
Outside the study, an elderly eunuch was on guard, leaning against a pillar with a whisk, dozing off…
The room was unlit, implying that Emperor Ming had already returned to his sleeping quarters.
Suddenly, a cry for help came from not far away, "Help, help! Someone is assaulting me, come quickly…"
Eunuch: "???"
Who would dare to commit assault in front of the imperial study? Did they not want to live?
He flicked his whisk and tiptoed over…
As soon as the eunuch left, Murong Qing slipped into the imperial study and began searching on the desk.
"Heh, it seems your Great Yan is not as prosperous and powerful as it appears on the surface!"
Murong Qing looked at a few memorials, her expression growing more disdainful, "A country like this, relying on an empty shell to deceive its people, its demise is only a matter of time…"
She had expected Yan to be stronger and more prosperous after occupying Chen, but she hadn't anticipated it would be squandered to this extent.
Alas, the Yan imperial family was rife with corruption and bribery was commonplace, with many contradictions slowly intensifying.
Murong Qing placed the memorials back in their original positions. Just as she was about to look at the bookshelf, a drawer beneath the desk caught her attention…
Upon opening it, she saw a thick stack of Xuan paper, covered with dense characters and various military route maps.
After reading just one page, Murong Qing let out a cold laugh, "Well, it's just as I thought, this dog emperor plans to invade Liang!"
This plan was written by Emperor Ming himself and had not yet been promulgated…
He was just waiting for it to be perfected before implementing it immediately.
Murong Qing dared not delay, quickly taking out her camera from her spatial dimension to photograph the plan, and then quietly left the imperial study.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to pocket two large apples and a plate of small pastries from the desk, intending to take them back for Sister Fang'er to eat…
Unexpectedly, not long after she left the imperial study, hurried footsteps could be heard, "Search! Search thoroughly, those two women can't have run far!"
The imperial palace was heavily guarded; not even a pigeon could fly out, let alone two women…
A large group of imperial guards, holding torches, rushed towards Murong Qing.
"This is bad!" Murong Qing's heart leaped, and she looked back towards the imperial garden.
Sister Fang'er was still hiding there.
But the garden was ablaze with torches, as bright as day. Returning now would be walking into a trap…
In her desperation, Murong Qing changed direction and ran for her life!
Sister Fang'er, you must hide well. I'll come to get you out of the palace after the imperial guards disperse.
Perhaps she had underestimated the guards of Yan. For the entire night, she was evading the imperial guards and had no time to rescue Shangguan Fang'er…
As dawn approached, cornered and with no other options, Murong Qing jumped into the artificial river and floated out of the palace with the current.
And Shangguan Fang'er was completely separated from her.
At noon, in the sleeping quarters.
Emperor Ming looked at the crestfallen woman before him and burst into laughter, "Hahahaha, run, let's see where you can run!"