While Li Hua was searching the world for Gan Qiongying, Gan Qiongying was shaving her head as a monk.

She had shaved half her hair off, yet she still had the nerve to mock Gan Lin, saying he looked like a boiled egg.

Gan Lin pretended to throw away her long hair, but Gan Qiongying quickly stopped her: "Don't throw it away! I specifically asked them to tie it up before cutting it. We'll keep it for later use!"

Dingzhen personally wielded the scalpel, his hand shaving the head with remarkable steadiness, but he couldn't stop Gan Qiongying from turning her head back and forth, talking incessantly with Gan Lin and the little monk next to her, chatting about when they would set off from the temple to the north.

Dingzhen, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Please, Princess, do not move. This humble monk does not wish to inadvertently start a killing spree."

Gan Qiongying finally sat up straight and instructed Gan Lin, "Put that hair away. We're not really leaving the mortal world; we're just temporarily shaving our heads. You keep that. When our hair grows long enough to be braided, this hair can be braided onto our new hair, just like it was never cut."

As for wigs, Gan Qiongying has many wigs in the modern world, and all kinds of hairstyles are much more convenient than getting her hair done.

After the hair is shaved off, it will grow back in a short time. Once it reaches the length of a bob, you can use these wigs to change your hairstyle at will.

Gan Lin realized that this was indeed the case; the siblings had not actually become monks, but had only cut their hair as a temporary expedient.

Therefore, Gan Lin carefully put away his hair, and felt very awkward touching his bald head from time to time.

Gan Qiongying praised Gan Lin: "You know what, your head is quite round, and you don't look bad even without hair. It makes your thick eyebrows and big eyes look even better."

Gan Lin couldn't help but smile when his older sister praised him. No matter how old he got, in front of Princess Duanrong, he would always be that child who wet the bed and still tried to cling to his older sister.

Princess Duanrong was relatively reserved in the past. When she was alone with Gan Lin as a child, she was a bit gloomy and didn't like to talk much. After she grew up and developed feelings for Gan Lin, she became even more silent.

Unlike Gan Qiongying, she never had an awkward silence, and no word could ever fall flat in front of her.

However, no matter what her sister looks like, Gan Lin likes her very much.

After Gan Qiongying's hair was shaved, Gan Lin's expression was indescribable. In the end, he praised her, saying, "Sister's head is quite round." Gan Qiongying kicked his shin and said, "If you want to laugh, then laugh. Don't hold it in."

Gan Lin let out a very clear laugh, a laugh that hadn't come from him for many years. If Li Quan were here at that moment, he would definitely laugh along with Gan Lin.

He would be filled with relief, or he would shed tears, then wipe them away and sigh, "If only His Majesty could smile more."

Gan Lin thought of Li Quan, and her smile gradually faded. After the siblings shaved their heads, Ding Zhen shook off the stubble and went back to sleep.

Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin couldn't sleep. Tonight had been truly terrifying. The two siblings dragged the brazier to the doorway, pushed open the door to the meditation room, and sat side by side at the door, looking out at the heavy snow falling.

Gan Lin said to Gan Qiongying, "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Gan Qiongying reached out and pinched Gan Lin's thigh. Gan Lin immediately let out a howl and glared at Gan Qiongying. Gan Qiongying smiled and said, "Does it hurt? It really does."

"This is not a dream. Although we haven't managed to escape the capital yet, we are indeed free."

Gan Qiongying stretched her hand out from under the eaves, and snow quickly fell into her palm, then melted into water.

Gan Lin followed Gan Qiongying's lead, sighed, and said to Gan Qiongying, "I wonder if Eunuch Li will be implicated when the truth comes out tomorrow and chaos erupts in the palace."

Gan Qiongying's hand curved, grasped Gan Lin's hand, placed it on her knee and patted it, then scratched the back of Gan Lin's hand. She took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped his hand, saying, "Don't worry, haven't you already arranged an escape route for him?"

"Besides, Eunuch Li has held the position of head eunuch in the harem for so many years. Do you still think it's because of you?" Gan Qiongying wiped Gan Lin's hands and then wiped her own as well.

Then, quite unceremoniously, he stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket.

“Eunuch Li is quite capable. He has managed to deal with the Regent and the Empress Dowager to this day while standing on your side. He must have the ability to protect himself.”

"Besides, Eunuch Li is old. You don't let him stand for long periods of time. He can't keep up with us on long journeys, hiding here and there."

Hearing Gan Qiongying say this, Gan Lin's worries gradually subsided.

No matter how reluctant he was to part with Li Quan, he knew that taking that old man around would ultimately harm him.

All good things must come to an end. Perhaps Eunuch Li will be better off without having to serve him so meticulously.

The siblings remained silent, watching the heavy snow falling outside.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless.

But it wasn't just the siblings who were sleepless tonight; Li Hua's men were also searching everywhere for Gan Qiongying.

There was also the matter of personally escorting Gan Lin out of the palace. On the way back to the palace, the Empress Dowager's people discovered something amiss, and at that moment, Eunuch Li, who had been invited into the Yinian Hall, was brought in.

The Empress Dowager had been questioning him for a long time, but Eunuch Li was very skilled at rhetoric, pushing and pulling from both sides and from the front and back. The Empress Dowager asked for a long time but still couldn't find out what Eunuch Li was doing in the palace of the lowly slaves in the middle of the night.

When pressed, Eunuch Li only said that he was looking for an old friend, who had been convicted of a crime long ago and might already be dead, so he couldn't find him.

It had started snowing heavily outside. Eunuch Li was quite old and usually served Gan Lin. Gan Lin rarely made him kneel unless he made a mistake.

He had been kneeling in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber for almost an hour and a half. His knees were aching as if pricked by needles, and he was swaying precariously, covered in sweat.

But he still didn't utter a single word. Whenever the Empress Dowager mentioned Ganlin, Eunuch Li would only say in a serious tone that His Majesty had already drunk the calming medicine and fallen asleep, and that he had secretly run away.

Kou Ning felt something was amiss, but she couldn't find any evidence. She didn't dare do anything to the emperor now, but she might not be afraid to make things difficult for this stubborn servant by the emperor's side who refused to side with her despite several attempts to win him over.

Therefore, Eunuch Li remained kneeling there. Kou Ning'an was already suffering from headaches due to drug addiction. Unlike Gan Lin, she didn't have the willpower to quit once she became addicted.

Although the nourishing soup she makes for herself is now very bland, it is still difficult to gradually give it up, and the daily medication is indeed affecting her health.

She was old, and after being tormented like this, she could only fall asleep after midnight, and she always had to take sedatives, which would prevent her from waking up during the day.

Therefore, Kou Ning'an could only endure the mild headaches, which only fueled her resentment and made her more and more distressed. Coupled with her frustration and helplessness, this created a vicious cycle.

This caused her health to deteriorate.

She couldn't sleep at this time, so she lowered the bed curtains and had Eunuch Li kneel outside. Inside the bedroom, incense burners emitted fragrant smoke, burning calming incense.

However, for the Empress Dowager, it was better than nothing, as it had little effect and only made her feel dizzy and lethargic. But for Eunuch Li, it was a bit difficult.

But the thought that his emperor had already flown far away filled Li Quan with joy, even though he had knelt until his knees were numb.

I wonder if the carriage will be able to travel well with such heavy snow. I hope that if we go a little further away, past the capital and through a couple more towns, the snow will lessen or stop altogether.

Li Quan knelt silently, intending to find a suitable angle to "faint" directly.

Although the Empress Dowager has never thought highly of him, Li Quan has never made a mistake and is an expert in handling palace affairs. Kou Ning'an is currently in poor health and needs his assistance, so she will not make things too difficult for him.

So Li Quan knelt for a while longer, and then the Empress Dowager heard a muffled thud from the front. Li Quan had "fainted" in the main hall of Yinian Palace.