Wei Yuan took Mu Baiyu away, and Nan Shiying did not stop them.
The Gu masters from Miaojiang attacked her by surprise. The situation today was difficult to resolve, especially with the Princess of Dali.
The Princess of Dali had been assassinated in the Lin Yuan Imperial Palace. This incident was a grave handle for Dali. Moreover... that woman!
Would that woman, with the flames of desire burning in her eyes, deliberately escalate the matter and use it to return to Dali?
Was it possible?
No, not possible, it was certain!
However, assassination?
If she did not appear to testify, who could prove she had been assassinated?
...
Lü Wan watched Wei Yuan and Mu Baiyu run off, her fists clenched in indignation, as if she would have smashed Mu Baiyu’s skull if Wei Yuan hadn’t taken her away.
Nan Shiying smiled, pulled out a silver needle, and pressed it into herself to relieve the swelling of her jaw, but it only provided partial relief.
She opened her mouth, tested it, and could indeed make a sound, though her voice was hoarse and dry, like the grating sound of withered branches scraping against eaves.
Truly unlucky.
She stood up and looked towards where the Princess of Dali had fled. It seemed to be towards the Imperial Garden. Had she gotten lost?
Nan Shiying thought this, then got up to search.
...
The Princess of Dali ran along the corridors, unsure how far she had run. This imperial palace, like a maze to her, was vast and silent. She hadn't seen a single palace attendant along the way.
Where were they?
It shouldn't be far from the main hall.
The Princess of Dali felt uneasy. She slowly stopped, looking back at the winding corridors, and realized she couldn't remember the way back.
At that moment, a woman's figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
The person walked towards the Princess of Dali, bowed, and said, "Your Highness!"
The Princess of Dali cautiously regarded the woman who had suddenly appeared, frowning slightly. This person was likely an official's wife.
Why was she here, not in the main hall? Was she waiting for her deliberately, or was it a coincidence?
"Your servant is the wife of Marquis Xunyang, the mother of Zhang Silang. I wonder if Your Highness would do me the honor of chatting with me?" Madam Zhang smiled at the Princess of Dali. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed to hide sharp knives. Her attitude was gentle and polite, but she seemed to leave the Princess of Dali no room for refusal.
The wife of Marquis Xunyang?
Was this the mother of her future husband?
The Princess of Dali frowned slightly. Although she harbored doubts, she had finally met someone from Lin Yuan. For now, she could only suppress her reservations and quickly said, "Madam, I was just assassinated, and the Regent’s Consort single-handedly blocked the assassins to save me. Madam, do you know where the palace guards are? If not, could you please escort me back to the main hall so that the Emperor can send people to rescue the Consort? The Consort’s safety is at stake. Please do not delay."
Assassinated?
Why hadn't she been killed?
A flash of malice crossed Madam Zhang's eyes. If the other party could have killed her, wouldn't that have saved her the trouble of doing it herself?
But this was fine too. This way, she could frame that assassin for everything.
She also feigned a look of anxiety, stepped forward quickly, and grabbed the Princess of Dali's wrist. "Is that so? Very well, your servant will escort Your Highness back."
Saying this, she pulled the Princess of Dali forward by the wrist.
The Princess of Dali was forced to walk quickly with her. However, looking at Madam Zhang's back, the Princess of Dali's expression darkened slightly. The hand gripping her wrist was heavy, like a vise constraining her. She had tried subtly to pull her hand free several times but had failed.
This woman was not like an ordinary official's wife.
Judging by her movements just now, she likely had some martial skills.
But in the information she had gathered, there was no mention of Zhang Silang's mother being skilled in martial arts. Had someone deliberately concealed the information, or had she hidden it too well?
Whatever the case, it was not a good thing for her.
Bao Lan followed the two, walking quickly forward.
As they walked further, the Princess of Dali’s face grew increasingly somber. It was one thing to not see any palace attendants, but why were they walking further and further into an out-of-the-way area? Could all the palace attendants in this vast palace city have been assigned to the banquet?
How was that possible!
Furthermore, the direction she had fled earlier was the opposite direction of the main hall. Even if they were taking a detour, they should be circling back. Yet, Madam Zhang kept leading her forward.
Passing through the Imperial Garden, the scenery became increasingly desolate.
She suddenly stopped. Madam Zhang stumbled, and the next moment, she yanked her forcefully. She turned and said to the Princess of Dali with a forced smile, "Your Highness, why have you stopped? Are you no longer in a hurry to save the Consort?"
"Madam, what are you saying? It is just that, Madam, this path does not seem to lead to the main hall!" The Princess of Dali said with a cold face, interrogating her sternly.
A fierce and cold glint flashed in Madam Zhang's eyes. Her original intention was to lead the Princess of Dali to the cold palace, but this place was also quite desolate now.
She let out a cold laugh and flicked the hand gripping the Princess of Dali's wrist upwards.
Bao Lan, who had been following behind, immediately changed her expression. She stepped forward quickly, grabbed Madam Zhang's hand, and sneered, "I knew you had ill intentions!"
"You know martial arts?"
Madam Zhang looked at Bao Lan with a狰狞 expression, then glared fiercely at the Princess of Dali, "You said you were assassinated, the Consort..."
"You did it on purpose?"
Madam Zhang's eyes widened in fury. If not for the Princess of Dali's words earlier, she wouldn't have taken this maid following them seriously at all.
The Princess of Dali let out a scoff.
So what if it was on purpose? Even if the Regent’s Consort blocked for her, she wouldn't be in mortal danger. Since that was the case, why would Bao Lan make a move? If she made a move, how could she lure Madam Zhang out?
Moreover, with the Regent’s Manor present earlier, Madam Zhang could not have apprehended the assassin. Now that they were in this desolate place, by apprehending her, she would see how Ji Hong would give her and Dali an explanation!
"Bao Lan, apprehend her!" The Princess of Dali snorted coldly, giving instructions to Bao Lan while quickly retreating herself.
"Yes!"
Bao Lan forcefully twisted Madam Zhang's wrist upwards. Madam Zhang stepped back, and her wrist eased the force, preventing Bao Lan from succeeding. She clenched her left fist and quickly punched towards Bao Lan's wrist.
Bao Lan was forced to release Madam Zhang's wrist. After quickly retracting her hand to dodge the attack, she abruptly lowered her hand and struck Madam Zhang’s fist.
At the same time, she suddenly stomped on the ground and, using the force, kicked out quickly.
The two began to fight fiercely.