Never said

Three days later, in the Prince's Study

Xiao Chengyan was reviewing documents at his long desk when he heard Changfeng's familiar voice from outside the door: "Your Highness."

"Enter."

Changfeng pushed open the door and entered, standing in front of Xiao Chengyan with a solemn expression.

"Your Highness, it has been confirmed. The suspicious individuals who appeared at the end of the alley in the south of the city on New Year's Eve, as well as those who have been active near the Prince's residence recently, are indeed 'Falcon' and his men. There are three of them in total. Their main hideout is Room 3, C, of ​​the Yue Lai Inn on North Street, where they gather information at the beginning of the 9-11 AM daily. The woodshed in the backyard of Li's Grocery Store in the south of the city is guarded by two men from 7-9 PM to 11 PM. The abandoned dye house pavilion in the west of the city should be Falcon's permanent residence."

As Xiao Chengyan listened to Changfeng's report, he mentally marked out several strongholds and times.

Room 3, Bingzi, Yuelai Inn, North Street – every day at the beginning of Si hour.

The backyard of Li Ji Grocery Store in the south of the city—two people take turns on duty from 7 PM to 11 PM.

The abandoned dye house pavilion in the west of the city is a frequent haunt of hawks.

Polygala tenuifolia, three parts, remove the core... Stone, Acorus calamus two qian, nine joints are best... Six qian is for two people to take turns... Take warm at the beginning of Si hour, avoid eating fishy food...

"The first quarter of the Si hour" corresponds to the crucial time for Yue Lai Inn to gather intelligence.

"Avoid eating fishy foods"—near Li Ji Grocery Store in the south of the city, there happens to be a sizable fish market.

Those Chinese herbs that were originally independent of each other actually became a secret code for exchanging information after Changfeng figured out the hawk's movements!

“Well done, what a touching story of amnesia, what a ‘wise awakening soup’!” Xiao Chengyan subconsciously clenched his fist and tapped the long table. The sound was like a blade tempered with ice, and the temperature in the study dropped sharply.

"How dare she use a lousy prescription to transmit information right under my nose!"

Changfeng's heart trembled violently: "Your Highness, what you mean by 'she' is...?"

Seeing the blazing anger in Xiao Chengyan's eyes, Changfeng immediately changed his tune, "You mean that prescription...?!"

"Is there even a need to ask?" Xiao Chengyan suddenly stood up, his tall figure exuding a terrifying sense of oppression. "The time, the place, and the number of targets all match up. She used the opportunity of going to the pharmacy to send out the hiding place and activity patterns of 'Falcon's Tail' through this underhanded trick."

Changfeng was startled—he had long felt that Gu Jinghong was a bit strange, but he had always thought she was just a young girl at heart. The prince had given her the Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Grass she wanted and allowed her to go and save people. He hadn't seen Gu Jinghong do anything out of line afterward... How did she suddenly become a messenger?

Wasn't she supposed to be the Prince's Princess Yongning? Could it be that someone else was impersonating her?

Changfeng immediately suppressed the thought that had just surfaced in her mind—if she wasn't Princess Yongning, why did the prince act that way on New Year's Eve...?

Changfeng then stopped offering his opinion, standing aside with his eyes downcast, like a statue, waiting for King Jin's instructions.

The last trace of hesitation in Xiao Chengyan's eyes because of "A-Ning" vanished completely, leaving only a bottomless, icy pool. He strode forward, his anger like thunder, heading straight for Chen Anju. "I want to see what tricks that clever tongue of hers can come up with this time!"

Changfeng followed closely behind, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face ashen.

Inside Chen'an Residence, Gu Jinghong was sitting in front of the flower stand by the window, seemingly focused on pruning an orchid.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on her lowered eyes and slender fingers, creating a serene and beautiful scene.

Qingwu was advised by Gu Jinghong that if she were to appear in the future, she should disguise herself as Zhixin.

Although Qingwu, dressed as "Zhixin," resembled Zhixin in appearance, she still exuded a hint of murderous intent, and her demeanor as she stood to the side lacked the obedient and gentle manner expected of a maid.

She stared incredulously at Gu Jinghong, who was diligently tending to the flowers: "What did the Grand Secretary say? You went to inform the acting Grand Secretary, and were caught red-handed by the King of Jin??"

With a "snip," Gu Jinghong's silver scissors cut off a withered leaf, her expression completely unchanged: "Yes."

Qingwu asked in confusion, "But why, Your Highness..."

Gu Jinghong glanced at Qingwu, then looked at a withered bud on the orchid. She put down her scissors and picked up a small shovel, trying to dig the entire orchid out little by little.

“The prince is such a clever man. If he suspects me of something, he will definitely catch me off guard when the evidence is complete. If he only suspects me, he will examine it carefully... Just like this orchid is the prince’s favorite. The buds have withered, but that doesn’t mean the orchid has to be thrown away. What if one of them is still good? Can it bloom again next year?”

Gu Jinghong looked at Qingwu as she spoke.

Qingwu's eyes darted away slightly; Gu Gefu's words...

Before they could even think, a loud "bang!" was heard as the door of Chen Anju slammed against the wall with tremendous force, producing a dull thud.

Then Xiao Chengyan burst in, accompanied by a biting wind, followed by his clear, cold voice: "My beloved possession?! What if this isn't an orchid at all?!"

Gu Jinghong paused in his actions—he had only been thinking about reminding Qingwu, but hadn't realized the prince was so close. He wondered how much the prince had overheard.

Qingwu's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously tried to step forward to protect Gu Jinghong, but Gu Jinghong stopped him with a very slight gesture of raising her hand.

Qingwu then remembered that he was now in the form of "Zhixin". He froze on the spot, his fingers clenched into fists, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

She could sense an unprecedented rage emanating from the prince, his anger directed directly at Grand Secretary Gu!

Gu Jinghong was horrified, but his expression remained unchanged.

She slowly put down the small shovel in her hand, raised her head, and calmly met those cold eyes that seemed to be spitting fire.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Gu Jinghong gave a slight curtsy, his posture impeccable, his voice clear and melodious, without the slightest hint of emotion.

Zhixin dared not utter a sound, and simply followed Fuli.

Xiao Chengyan completely disregarded their etiquette and strode up to her, his tall figure completely enveloping her in shadow, his icy aura emanating from him.

"Changfeng," Xiao Chengyan called out in a low voice.

"Your subordinate is here!" Changfeng followed closely behind, his face as solemn as iron.

"Take Zhixin out. Without my order, no one is to approach Chen'an Residence."

"Yes!" Changfeng did not hesitate and immediately looked at "Zhixin", whose face was pale and whose body was trembling slightly.

"Zhixin" dared not raise her head, her lips moved, but under Changfeng's silent, piercing gaze, she was "invited" out.

The door was tightly shut from the outside by Changfeng, isolating the inside from the outside.

Now, only Gu Jinghong and Xiao Chengyan remained in the vast Chen'an Residence, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.

Xiao Chengyan stared intently at Gu Jinghong, his voice escaping through clenched teeth: "Gu Jinghong, I will only ask you one question—what exactly is that prescription?"

Gu Jinghong tilted her head slightly, as if seriously considering his question. After a moment, she spoke softly with just the right amount of confusion and bewilderment: "Prescription? Is the one Your Highness is asking about? Is it the prescription I used to try to regain my memories from before I was ten years old?"

She even sighed softly, her tone carrying an almost naive honesty, "This servant doesn't understand why Your Highness is angry. Everything this servant has said is true. That prescription was indeed found by this servant, hoping to cure my heartache."

"Every word is true?" Xiao Chengyan laughed, his laughter icy and chilling, echoing in the silent room, sending shivers down one's spine. "Do you think I'm blind? Or stupid? 'Yuanzhi,' 'Shichangpu,' 'the first quarter of the 9th of the 1 ...

He suddenly leaned down, the immense pressure almost making Gu Jinghong take a step back, but he didn't give her any space. His voice boomed in her ears like thunder: "Speak, who sent you? What mission did they give you? Wearing this face and impersonating A Ning, what exactly are you plotting against me?!"

Outside the door, the faint sound of Changfeng deliberately lowering his voice to dissuade Zhixin from approaching added to the tension.

Gu Jinghong listened quietly to his roar, and only when the last word fell and only his heavy breathing remained in the room did she slowly raise her eyes. Those clear eyes were now like a bottomless, icy pool, clear yet cold.

“I see.” Her voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced through the oppressive air. “The prince suspects that I came to the palace with ulterior motives.”

She took a step forward, not retreating, but instead closing the distance between herself and Xiao Chengyan's dangerous aura. She slightly raised her face, looking directly into the surging anger in his eyes and... a faint, almost shattered hope deep within them.

“But Your Highness,” her voice remained calm, yet it pierced through the illusion like an icicle, “I have never said what I am…A-Ning.”

……a bolt from the blue!

Xiao Chengyan clearly felt something shatter inside his chest—

"You—!" Xiao Chengyan's pupils suddenly contracted to needle size, his jawline tightened to the extreme, and a violent aura suddenly erupted from his body, causing the air in the room to freeze.

He took a sudden step forward, almost touching Gu Jinghong's nose. In his unfathomable, cold eyes, there surged a devastating rage, as well as a kind of... almost scorching, profound pain.

He grabbed Gu Jinghong's slender wrist with such force that her face turned pale with pain instantly, as if her bones were about to be crushed.

But he seemed oblivious, or rather, the pain only fueled his deeper violence.

His voice was low and hoarse, with the roar of a wild beast that had been thoroughly enraged, each word sounding as if it were being ground from between his teeth.

"Good! What a brilliant 'I never said that'! Gu Jinghong, you've really put on a good show!"

"Was it just my imagination on New Year's Eve? Was that pitiful look you gave me in the pharmacy also an act?"

His gaze, like a poisoned knife, cruelly sliced ​​across the butterfly mark above her collarbone, that crimson mark that had once stirred his heart: "Using this face, taking advantage of my feelings for 'A Ning'... taking advantage of my feelings for you..."

Gu Jinghong almost saw a fleeting glimmer of tears in his eyes. In that instant, her heart felt as if it had been squeezed, a mix of pain and throbbing.

"Speak! Who sent you?! What mission did they give you?! You went to great lengths to infiltrate the palace and get close to me, what are you plotting?!"