This is the wonder of the state of 'water flowing by itself'.
She shut herself in and ignored the world. When Yan Qing returned to Liulan Courtyard, a homing pigeon, so fat it couldn't be fatter, was so tired its feathers were all ruffled. It landed listlessly by the window.
The two-finger-wide strip of paper was taken down. The fat white dove was too lazy to walk, so Li Le fed it a handful of rice to get rid of it.
"Madam, your letter."
Yan Qing sat lazily in a bathtub that was about half her height, while Li Le walked in, bending over and looking down at his nose.
Separated by a screen, Yan Qing let out a comfortable sigh.
"Let it go."
"yes."
A small strip of paper, about two fingers wide, was placed on the tea table.
Li Le stood guard outside the door, not allowing anyone to disturb him.
The door to the secret chamber inside the room opened, and Gu Chenzi, dressed in white, walked out calmly, his eyebrows raised: "I have a feeling that something good is about to happen."
She approached and looked down at the naked Miss Yan, her eyes filled with lewd intent.
Yan Qing closed her eyes, not wanting to talk to anyone.
The female Taoist priest praised him twice, then stepped over the screen to retrieve the letter.
As she unfolded the letter, her smile widened: "Second Miss, you've lost."
Yan Qing's eyes snapped open.
The small note was handed to her.
Fearing she couldn't see clearly, Gu Chenzi leaned on the edge of the bathtub with one hand: "The real old woman is hiding in the side hall of Gan Ning Palace. The Emperor and Empress tricked us, and your good daughter probably already knows your true colors."
"impossible!"
With a gentle expression, Gu Chenzi took her wet hands and wiped them a few times with his sleeve. After drying them, he placed the note in her palm.
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
With the sound of rushing water, Yan Qing stood up from the bathtub.
...
Fushou Palace.
The head palace maid, Ning You, knelt at the Empress Dowager's feet, and the atmosphere in the hall was somber.
"Are you sure you saw it clearly?"
"Look closely, that person is Nian Jiaojiao. Even if she were ashes, I would still recognize her!"
Yan Hui's expression shifted, then she suddenly laughed and asked, "Why have you come to see me?"
"Only the Empress Dowager can spare my life."
"You are Yan Xiu's person."
"The Empress is intolerant of any dissent and will not allow a traitor to live."
"You've come to surrender?"
Ning You shouted, "From now on, I will be the Empress Dowager's henchman!"
Yan Hui smiled and said, "Go back now. I will remember this favor."
"This servant thanks the Empress Dowager!"
Ning You left Fushou Palace with trepidation.
"Royal Grandmother——"
Princess Jiaorong's face was pale, and her body trembled slightly: "What should we do now? The Empress and His Majesty know!"
"If you know, you know. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Empress Dowager Yan was not in a good mood.
Time passed slowly, and Ji Qingyao remained silent, waiting for her instructions. She waited and waited, until her legs went numb, but the old woman made no move.
She was anxious and restless, like an ant on a hot pan.
Who would take the words of a mere servant girl seriously?
"Grandmother means..."
"Hold your positions and do nothing."
"Don't move?"
Yan Hui glanced at her: "Don't move."
She was in Fushou Palace. No matter how resentful Ji Ying was, could she possibly bring down the Empress Dowager with the help of a mere servant?
That's wishful thinking.
...
Gu Chenzi brewed tea and sat quietly.
She finished her cup of tea and sat with her legs crossed, not uttering a word.
Yan Qing sat motionless in front of the couch, wearing an overcoat. A small piece of paper, about two fingers wide, was crumpled up, along with Ning You's red clay seal that had been stamped on it.
She had become mute, and Gu Chenzi, resting his chin on his hand, asked, "Why is the Second Miss so listless?"
She was met with silence.
She wasn't offended and waited for the man to come to his senses.
Based on her understanding of Miss Yan Er... Gu Chenzi's lips curled up: No wonder I feel like something good is going to happen today.
This is truly a fantastic thing.
"Ah Si... Mother's good Ah Si..."
Madam Wei murmured softly.
"You can't have either Da Si or Xiao Si. I've said it before, the only one who can stay with you is me, and the only one who is willing to be good to you for a lifetime is me."
"Unable to obtain..."
"It's unattainable. Look at you, you've done so many bad things and you still expect your good daughter to be your kept bird in the yard? What are you thinking?"
Yan Qing shed a tear and then smiled foolishly.
After laughing enough, she said with a blank face, "Then let's kill him."
"Killed? Killed whom?"
She looked at Gu Chenzi with a cold expression: "Of course, I can kill whoever I want."
"As expected of the heartless and insane Miss Yan."
Gu Chenzi smiled brightly and continued to stab her in the heart: "Look, haven't all your efforts over the past eighteen years come to nothing? You wanted her to be with you for a lifetime, but you are ultimately her aunt. The truth will out, and now you can't even be her aunt anymore."
"You want to be with her forever, but she wants to be with someone else. A bird that isn't in your grasp is useless to keep."
Have you said enough?
"That's enough." Gu Chenzi pulled her into his arms: "You're ruthless and I'm wicked, we're a match made in heaven."
...
Wei Pingxi dreamt again of the scene of his death in his previous life.
The toxins of forgetfulness spread, causing endless, agonizing pain that felt like the intestines were being torn apart, and life was slowly being robbed away.
At this point, death is not the most terrifying thing.
What's scary is that you can't die immediately.
On the guillotine, the executioner chops off the head of the victim with a single stroke, separating them instantly. But in her case, if we were to describe it as a person and a head, it would be like the head and neck were still connected by a thin sliver after the stroke, both frightening and pathetic.
She was in so much pain she couldn't breathe.
An elegant and composed pace was then heard, accompanied by a faint sigh.
Unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Wei Pingxi was awakened from a hazy dream by pain.
Even after waking up, it seemed the poison of forgetting worries was still raging in her body.
My inner shirt was soaked with cold sweat.
The sky outside the window was dark, with no stars or moon. She slumped onto the bed, still shaken.
Normally, when she wakes up from a nightmare at this time, she can still say a few words to Yuzhi. Even if she doesn't speak, holding her is better than repeatedly reliving her past life's experiences before death by herself.
She looked forlorn.
After a good night's sleep, Wei Pingxi's Compassionate Subduing Magic had reached the fifth level of the second realm. Feeling the surging internal energy coursing through his bones and blood, Wei Pingxi took a deep breath and decided to stop sleeping and focus on cultivation.
She doesn't have much time left.
That deadly sense of crisis hung over her head, urging her not to let her guard down.
At the Marquis's residence, Yan Qing and Gu Chenzi were indulging in passionate lovemaking. Interestingly, the candlelight was still burning in the rooms of Marquis Yiyang and Old Master Wei.
This was another sleepless night.
Some people, driven by murderous intent, become unrestrained; some remain unchanged amidst change; and some strive to break free from their past lives' fate.
Some people practice spiritual cultivation, while others travel the world.
It's dark outside, and there are pedestrians in the distance.
The holy maiden from the Northern Region arrived on horseback.
In the south, a scruffy-bearded swordsman walked and drank a jug of wine as he went.
A group of beggars, arm in arm, came from the east.
In the West, some people carry a harp on their backs and walk with their eyes closed.
People continued to travel to the capital, those who dared to keep their appointments were not afraid of death.