"What is it?" Nan Xuzong closed the door and then came out.
Night has slowly fallen.
“Master…” Gong Shu immediately leaned close to Nan Xuzong’s ear and whispered a few words.
"Keep a close watch," Nan Xuzong said.
"yes."
Nan Xuzong waved for Gong Shu to leave and walked in another direction, but unexpectedly, he heard a crisp voice, "Where is my fourth brother?"
"Seventh Princess, please go back first!" Gong Shu stepped forward to help Huangfu Lan, but Huangfu Lan shook off his hand. "Let me see Fourth Brother. I heard that Fourth Sister-in-law is missing, is that true?"
"Master has already left the manor. Please, Seventh Princess, don't make things difficult for me, okay?" Gong Shu felt a headache coming on. This Seventh Princess, what was she thinking, why did she come out limping like that?
Nan Xuzong's eyes darkened. So this was all a scheme? He immediately turned and walked towards Huangfu Lan.
"Fourth Imperial Brother!" Huangfu Lan called out immediately upon seeing Nan Xu Cong.
Gong Shu immediately stood aside as Nan Xuzong approached, and the two maids behind Huangfu Lan immediately bowed to Nan Xuzong.
"What is it?" Nan Xuzong didn't come forward immediately, but just stood there looking at him. "Your leg hasn't healed yet, how could you walk out? Should I have your fourth brother acupressure you so you can lie down and rest properly?!"
"No, no," Huangfu Lan immediately shook her head. "I... I'm worried about my fourth brother and my fourth sister-in-law!"
"That's enough!" Nan Xuzong glanced at her coldly. "Beads and thread!"
“We’re here!” Zhu’er and Xian’er immediately stepped forward.
"Help the Seventh Princess into the guest room and watch over her until she falls asleep!" Nan Xuzong didn't want to linger here.
Huangfu Lan's expression changed upon hearing this. If Nan Xu Cong left, the plan would be disrupted, and the King of the Western Regions would likely not let her go! She would be tortured to death!
Ji Wushang was staring at the crystal ball, her angry eyes blazing with fury. "Huangfu Lan was someone you sent, wasn't she? What kind of show do you want me to see?"
"You're really clever. I'm just showing you who truly owns this world and who can bring you happiness."
"Hmph!" Ji Wushang snorted coldly, his gaze fixed on the crystal ball, thinking to himself, Nan Xuzong, you absolutely cannot get into trouble!
Just as Nan Xuzong was about to turn around, he heard the sound of two slaps!
"You wretched servants! You actually hurt me! Do you want to lose your heads?" Huangfu Lan's voice was fierce, and her jade hand swept across, hitting both Zhu'er and Xian'er!
Instantly, both maids had red handprints on their faces!
...
Ji Wushang was truly furious. "I wouldn't even dare to hit Xian'er and Zhu'er, but you hit them for no reason!"
Yi Yun looked down at her. "Are you angry? Angry because of those two maids?"
“Those were my dowry maids! They’ve served me since they were little, and Huangfu Lan actually hit them! Tell me, how can I not be angry?” Ji Wushang sneered.
Yiyun Shangcheng smiled and said, "Alright, how about I punish her for you another day?"
"I'll punish her myself! I don't need your fake kindness!" Ji Wushang glared at him coldly. "Hmph!"
Yiyun Shangcheng simply assumed that she was just being difficult and didn't blame her at all.
...
Nan Xuzong turned and stepped forward, "Zhu'er and Xian'er, you can go now! Apply some medicine and have the accountant give each of you ten taels of silver to make up for it."
"Yes, thank you, sir." Zhu'er and Xian'er immediately bowed to Nan Xuzong and then went downstairs.
Huangfu Lan looked at Nan Xu Cong with a hint of bitterness on her face, "Fourth brother, they really hurt me just now, please don't be angry!"
"Hongfei, Cuiwu." Nan Xuzong didn't say anything more, and Hongfei and Cuiwu immediately stepped forward.
"Help the Seventh Princess to the guest room and let her sleep!" Nan Xuzong sneered.
“Yes!” Hongfei and Cuiwu stepped forward. “Seventh Princess, please!” Both of them were maids who knew martial arts, so they were naturally resistant to Huangfu Lan’s arrogance.
Huangfu Lan looked at Nan Xuzong, "Fourth brother, won't you come to see Lan'er? Is Lan'er really that annoying to you?"
Nan Xuzong's eyes were dark and deep. He looked at Huangfu Lan, and some scenes seemed to flash through his mind in an instant. He stepped forward.
This was the first time he had gotten close to a woman other than Ji Wushang.
This made him feel a little nauseous, but he endured it.
He recalled what Ji Wushang had once said: this woman's purpose was unknown, but now that she was putting on an act with him at this critical juncture, it was naturally to uncover her true intentions!
Huangfu Lan and Huangfu Ting are siblings, and Huangfu Ting has been secretly communicating with Yiyun Shangcheng. Does this mean that Huangfu Lan is also a member of Yiyun Shangcheng?
Nan Xuzong held her arm with one hand for support, while Hongfei and Cuiwu each held Huangfulan's other side.
"Go back to your room!" Nan Xuzong's thin lips moved slightly.
Huangfu Lan smiled and said, "Thank you, Fourth Brother!"
"I'll take a look at your legs for you myself!" Nan Xuzong squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, sending a chill down Huangfu Lan's spine.
But there's no turning back now. If I don't continue, not only will Ji Wushang not let me off the hook, but Yiyun City certainly won't let me off the hook either!
Once I get the antidote, I need to disappear from these people as quickly as possible! I shouldn't have listened to Huangfu Ting and provoked Yiyun City in the first place! Damn it, I was so stupid back then to agree to work for Huangfu Ting!
After Nan Xuzong and the others entered the guest room, Nan Xuzong immediately had Hongfei and Cuiwu help Huangfu Lan lie back on the bed.
Nan Xuzong glanced at Huangfu Lan, "It's not that your fourth brother dislikes you, but there's a difference between men and women. Although we are related by blood, your fourth brother doesn't want to ruin your reputation. You are the seventh princess, and it's highly likely that you will marry a powerful nobleman from another country or a talented scholar or military officer who has made contributions to our Great Xia Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, you should cherish yourself!"
“Fourth brother is absolutely right.” Huangfu Lan lowered her head. “Originally, when Lan’er came to the manor to ask Fourth sister-in-law to teach me needlework and the zither, it was with this in mind.”
"Alright, since things have come to this, just lie down and rest!" Nan Xuzong looked down at her. "Hongfei, help me, let me see how the wound is."
"Yes." Hongfei immediately stepped forward and tore open Huangfu Lan's clothes a little, revealing the wound underneath.
Nan Xuzong's cold eyes darkened, and he immediately wrapped a golden thread around Huangfu Lan's wrist to examine her.
Huangfu Lan looked at him, feeling a little anxious. She had been poisoned by the Gu poison of Yiyun Shangcheng. She wondered if Nan Xuzong would find out.
Nan Xuzong's eyes were dark and deep. Strange, she had no injuries or signs of poisoning. Had he misjudged her?
He removed the gold thread, his cold gaze falling on the wound on her leg.
"Fourth brother, you used gold thread to treat my illness, so is there something wrong with my body?" Huangfu Lan asked tentatively.
"It's alright, you're in good health." Nan Xuzong said expressionlessly, then took out a packet of silver needles from his pocket.
Is it alright? Is it really because those medicines temporarily cleared the poison, which is why Nan Xuzong couldn't diagnose it for himself?
Nan Xuzong's gaze fell on Huangfu Lan's legs. The bruises had not disappeared, and some areas were dark black, as if they would spread.
Nan Xuzong took out a medicine bottle from his bosom and handed it to Cuiwu, saying, "Apply the medicated wine to the Seventh Princess."
"Yes." Cuiwu immediately obeyed and quickly applied the medicinal wine.
Nan Xuzong stood ramrod straight and looked at the women in front of him. "I have other matters to attend to. Hongfei and Cuiwu, you two stay here and take good care of the Seventh Princess!"
“Yes,” Hongfei and Cuiwu immediately replied.
Huangfu Lan watched as Nan Xuzong was about to leave again, while the two maids stayed behind to guard her. She was anxious, wondering how she could be alone with Nan Xuzong.
"Fourth brother, it hurts so much!" Huangfu Lan looked at Nan Xu Cong with her brows furrowed and her eyes brimming with tears. Her pitiful appearance would make any man feel pity for her.
Nan Xuzong narrowed his eyes. "It seems it's better to send you back to the palace. Father Emperor scolded me for not knowing how to take care of my seventh sister!" Nan Xuzong shook his head.
"Waaah, I don't want to leave. I heard that Fourth Princess hasn't returned yet. I'll wait for her to come back!" Huangfu Lan said, and immediately burst into tears.
Hongfei and Cuiwu exchanged a glance, both of them understanding that this seventh princess was not only willful but also cunning, and they wondered what kind of tricks she was playing!
After all, having been by Ji Wushang's side, he had naturally witnessed many of the struggles and conflicts within the mansion.
“I’m going out to find her; she’s waiting for me,” Nan Xuzong said, glancing at the three of them.
Hearing this, Huangfu Lan felt helpless and sighed, "Then Fourth Brother, please be careful! But it's getting late, so perhaps we should search again tomorrow." Huangfu Lan thought for a moment and continued, "I heard that someone kidnapped Fourth Sister-in-law with a cloth bag. I think, in that case, Fourth Sister-in-law should be safe. They probably just want something!"
“Seventh Princess is truly clever; she might indeed be after something. But I can’t see her, and I can’t find peace of mind,” Nan Xuzong said, before walking out.
Huangfu Lan watched Nan Xuzong leave, sighed inwardly, and looked at Hong Fei and Cui Wu, immediately saying, "You are Hong Fei and Cui Wu, right?"
"yes."
"Alright, Hongfei, you can stay here and guard me. Cuiwu, you go with Fourth Prince and see where he goes. If you find out he has returned to the manor, tell me."
"Yes." Cuiwu nodded and immediately went out to follow Nan Xuzong.
Hongfei stood to one side, quietly watching over Huangfu Lan.
Huangfu Lan covered herself with the brocade quilt and closed her eyes, but she was thinking about how to grasp and implement this plan.
The King of the Western Regions didn't have much time, so he had to make sure he didn't miss this opportunity...
Deep in the corridor.
Nan Xuzong stopped in his tracks. "Cuiwu."
Cuiwu immediately stepped forward and bowed to Nan Xuzong, saying, "Master."
"What is it?" Nan Xuzong's eyes were cold and deep.
"Replying to Your Highness, the Seventh Princess knew you were going out, so she asked me to accompany you. Then, when you returned to the manor, she asked me to inform her when you would be returning."
"I will be back in the study at 11:15 AM. You can tell her then!" Nan Xuzong said coldly, wanting to see what this woman was planning to do!
"Yes." Cuiwu immediately withdrew.
Nan Xuzong's eyes flickered, and he returned to his Moxuan Garden.
Ji Wushang watched as the people on the screen dispersed, while Nan Xuzong returned to Moxuan Garden, closed the door, and seemed to be doing nothing.
Yiyun Shangcheng gathered a ball of purple flame in her hand and pointed it at the crystal ball. Instantly, the crystal ball displayed another scene.
This is the furnishing of the inner room of Moxuan Garden.
But Nan Xuzong is nowhere to be found.
Ji Wushang frowned, "Where's Cong?"
Yiyun Shangcheng remained silent. There was no reason for it; they should be right here! How could they have disappeared?
Ji Wushang thought for a moment and suddenly realized that Nan Xuzong had probably entered the secret room, otherwise how could he not have seen him? Or perhaps he knew that someone was watching him, so he just disappeared like that.
Thinking of this, Ji Wushang smiled.
Nan Xuzong was in that secret room at the moment.
He took out the mute zither and the Nine-Bend Heavenly Palace from the secret room. He remembered that the Nine-Bend Heavenly Palace could be opened by inserting the phoenix jade hairpin, but he couldn't say which opening it was.