53 Song Shi and Qi Gu

He will absolutely not allow this "what if" to happen again!

"What! You mean the eldest princess is missing and the empress has ordered the capital to be sealed off?" Madam Guo's eyes, as clear as autumn water, gleamed with barely suppressed schadenfreude.

"Hahaha!" Her voice was clear and loud, devoid of its usual gentleness and melodiousness, filled with sarcasm. "Zhang Ling, Zhang Ling, you have made too many enemies. Now even your daughter has to pay off your debts."

The palace maid who was applying nail polish to her delicate hands bowed her head, not daring to speak. She carefully applied crimson nail polish to the last little fingernail, which was even more delicate and smooth than white jade.

Madam Guo withdrew her meticulously maintained hand, held it up to her eyes, frowned slightly, and said with dissatisfaction, "It's hideous."

The palace maid immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Madam, spare my life! Madam, spare my life!"

"You dare beg for my life after painting my nails like this?" Madam Guo sneered. "Guards, drag him away and give him twenty strokes of the cane."

"Madam, I was wrong, I will never do it again, please forgive me!" But no matter how the palace maid cried for help, the two eunuchs who were holding her down did not receive Madam Guo's instructions and continued their actions without stopping, dragging the palace maid to a deserted corner.

Lin Ao felt a pang of pity and stepped forward to plead for the palace maid. After all, the Empress had strictly forbidden that neither the concubines nor the princesses could arbitrarily punish the servants in the palace. If a servant made a mistake, they had to be sent to the torture chamber to find out what they had done and then be punished according to the severity of the mistake.

But Madam Guo's indiscriminate punishment of twenty strokes of the cane could easily have killed the palace maid if she wasn't careful.

But at this moment, Aunt Zhong stepped forward and said sternly, "It's fine to kill such a useless palace maid, but why can't Madam punish a mere palace maid!"

"Can……"

Zhong, believing herself to be Madam Guo's confidante, said with her hands clasped, "Lin, don't forget whose side you're on!"

Lin Ao had no choice but to lower her head. Now she had no way out in Pixiang Palace. Madam Guo had already sent Zhong Ao back by Marquis Huicheng. Madam Guo would no longer give her an important position.

She was now in dire straits, barely able to save herself, so Lin Ao finally backed down and stopped pleading for the palace maid.

"His Majesty has arrived!" came the voice of the eunuch.

The beauty who had just been lying down was about to stand up, but as soon as she put on her shoes, she turned her eyes and lay back down on the chaise longue.

Upon seeing her mistress's expression, Zhong Ao immediately understood her thoughts. Her lively eyes turned to Lin Ao, who was standing properly to the side, and she said, "Go to the kitchen and brew some nourishing soup for Madam."

The real reason for brewing the medicine was to send Granny Lin away. Granny Lin was personally selected by the Guo family from among their trusted confidants to serve Madam Guo. As an elder of the Pixiang Palace, Granny Lin was naturally an eyesore to them.

Lin Ao frowned, but could only leave quickly. Zhong Ao watched her departing figure, and curled her lips. "That dead ghost who won't live long is still standing in Pixiang Palace. It's just bad luck!"

The footsteps grew closer. Zhong Ao and Madam Guo exchanged a glance, and then Zhong Ao knelt down abruptly before the chaise longue. "Madam," she said, "no matter how heartbroken you are, you mustn't harm yourself. Your health is already poor; what will become of you if this continues..."

She managed to squeeze out a few tears from the corners of her creviced, wrinkled eyes, her earnest tone revealing her to be a truly loyal servant.

When Chu Pei entered, he saw his delicate and beloved concubine lying weakly in a chair, with an unfamiliar old servant kneeling on the ground, as if his beloved concubine was about to breathe her last.

Even Jin Fu felt a pang of anxiety. He had come earlier today and hadn't noticed that Madam Guo's "condition" was so serious.

"Oh dear, what's wrong, my beloved concubine?" Chu Pei stepped forward and sat down in front of the beauty, his dragon eyes looking at Zhong Ao kneeling on the ground. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"Your Majesty, I was specially sent by Marquis Huicheng to serve the Lady."

Chu Pei's bright eyes flashed with understanding. Well, the Guo family had been suppressed and beaten by the Zhang family these days, which was already quite unfair. Sending someone into the palace to serve his sister was nothing.

He turned to look at his beloved concubine, "My darling, what's wrong?"

The beauty, however, only had her long, dark hair hanging down her back to him, which made Chu Pei even more eager. He knew that Madam Guo was not seriously ill, after all, the physician was waiting here every day, it was just a means to curry favor.

It must be said that Lady Guo's approach was very much to Emperor Yuan of Jin's liking. He loved it when Lady Guo looked at him with her charming eyes and affectionate gaze, making him feel like the best man in the world.

Of course, he always was, but the reliance, admiration, and heartfelt love from the beautiful woman greatly satisfied his pride as a man. In addition, Madam Guo, despite her seemingly weak appearance, was actually, well, not weak at all; she was incredibly soft, softer than the finest silk...

Emperor Yuan of Jin had not visited the Pixiang Palace for many days because the Empress had ordered Lady Guo to rest. Now, seeing the beauty lying before him, how could he not have some erotic thoughts?

Chu Pei was never a virtuous gentleman to begin with; it was only because he had become emperor and was being watched by his ministers that he had no choice but to act as emperor in a conventional manner.

But with Madam Guo, there was no need for such formalities. She was there to relax, so he placed his large hands on the beauty's soft, rounded shoulders. "Madam, I've arrived. Your illness should be cured by now."

"Hmph~" The beauty let out a soft moan, turned over, and finally looked at him directly, her eyes misty and pitiful with tears in them. "I thought Your Majesty had forgotten me."

"I can forget anyone but you." Chu Pei leered at the beauty, his hand already touching her smooth, delicate face.

"You're just trying to coax me! I've been bullied to death, but the Emperor won't stand up for me. I might as well be dead!" The beauty shed tears, the beauty felt wronged, the beauty complained.

Chu Pei felt a surge of desire and tenderness, and couldn't resist any longer. He grabbed Madam Guo's jade-like wrist and said, "What are you talking about? I guarantee you'll be happy." With that, he bent down, picked Madam Guo up, and carried her towards the bedchamber.

"Hahaha!"

"Waaaaah~"

...

After their lovemaking, Lady Guo lay in Emperor Jin Yuan's arms, her voice still a little hoarse, "Your Majesty, I heard that the eldest princess is missing?"

Emperor Jin Yuan, with his eyes closed, didn't even open them when he heard this. "What nonsense are you talking about? Yuan Chu is perfectly fine in the Yuhua Palace."

"Then why did Her Majesty the Empress seal the city gates and send people to search for someone in the capital, causing such a commotion throughout the city?"

Chu Pei suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of the tenderness and lingering affection from their recent lovemaking, replaced by an overwhelming imperial pressure. "How dare you inquire about the Empress's movements?" he said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Madam Guo felt a chill in her heart and immediately moved closer to him, groaning as if she could swallow a sip of water, "Your Majesty, I just feel it's unfair. Besides, the Empress's unauthorized mobilization of palace guards is not good for you either. I am only concerned about Your Majesty's safety, yet Your Majesty still scolds her."

Chu Pei then lay back down, saying nonchalantly, "It's just tracking down a fugitive. The Empress has already informed me. You, serve me well, and I will naturally let your Guo family enjoy wealth and honor. As for the Empress, don't provoke her." After all, he couldn't handle his wife if she really got angry.

At Sima Bieyuan, Ah Feng arrived before Sima Hong under the cover of night. "My lord, the eldest princess has gone missing. Her Majesty the Empress ordered the city gates to be sealed off and a full search to be conducted, but they have not found her. Therefore, she has ordered Marquis Quzhou and Marquis Guangshun to search together."

Sima Hong frowned. A-Feng's words confirmed his guess. He immediately ordered, "A-Tai, take some men to find out the whereabouts of the martial arts expert who is with Chen Zhan."

Ah Feng didn't ask anything, and after saying "Yes," he disappeared back into the night.

After A-Feng left, Sima Hong summoned A-Tai and said, "Go and deliver a message to Marquis Guangshun. I want to see Chen Zhan."

Atai accepted the order and left. In the secret dungeon of the Court of Justice, Chen Zhan, covered in dried blood, leaned against the dark wall like a lump of mud.

Hearing someone come in, his eyelids twitched, but he quickly returned to a half-dead state.

Sima Hong looked at him and said, "Chen Zhan, the guy next to you named Song Shi has kidnapped Qi Gu." There was no one in the palace who wanted to kill Qi Gu. Even the Guo family didn't take Qi Gu seriously. The Guo family wouldn't be foolish enough to attack Qi Gu first if they were going to attack the eldest prince. As for the others, they had even less reason to kidnap Qi Gu.

The only person in front of him, the expert who had escaped back then, would surely come to rescue his master. After Qi Gu's identity was revealed, kidnapping Qi Gu naturally became the best way to rescue Chen Zhan.

Upon hearing the names Song Shi and Qi Gu, Chen Zhan tilted his head and opened his eyes, looking at Sima Hong, who was like a clear, cold moonlight illuminating the dark dungeon, bringing both light and a chill.

This light is so annoying...

"So what? Do you really expect me, a prisoner, to help you rescue your Great Jin princess?"

"Cough cough cough!" Chen Zhan coughed a few times, spitting out drops of blood from his mouth, but he didn't care. "What, is it that Lord Sima is willing to make a deal with me?"

“I am not worried about Qi Gu’s safety.” Because Song Shi would never kill Qi Gu.

Sima Hong took something out of his sleeve. "I just wanted you to see this."

It was a cold, silver hoe, no bigger than a little finger. This was the gift he gave to Qi Gu!

Chen Zhan's eyes, which had always been lifeless, showed a slight emotion for the first time upon seeing the small hoe. Although it was fleeting, Sima Hong still noticed it.

"With the current forging technology of the Great Jin Dynasty, it is impossible to forge such exquisite ironware. Chen Zhan, the secret you have been keeping will soon be no secret. I only need to hand this thing over to the blacksmith. Although it will take more time, he will eventually learn the forging method. As for you, you will die in this dark and sunless dungeon with the truth of your mother's death forever unknown."

"Sima Hong, your Sima family is truly despicable. You refused to lend my father a hand back then, but now you're acting as a lackey of the Great Jin. Don't you dare slander my father and mother; you're not worthy to do so!"

"The method of iron casting was brought to the King of Yan by Zhao Ji, wasn't it?" Sima Hong's tone remained calm, but his clear, bright eyes seemed to have seen through everything.

"So what? The Great Jin Dynasty wants the forging method? No way! Hahaha! No way!"

Chen Zhan laughed maniacally. It was already midnight, and there were hardly any people in this secret dungeon. His laughter was sharp and abrupt, sounding extremely eerie in the empty dungeon.

After leaving the prison, Atai asked with some concern, "Was the eldest princess really kidnapped by Song Shi? Is she in any danger?"

Song Shi kidnapped Qi Gu not to kill her, but to save Chen Zhan. But what if? What if, like in his previous life, he thought he had everything under control, but Qi Gu appeared in the palace, and in the end…

No, he would never allow that possibility to occur again!