But Li Hua didn't just leave. After passing through the small gate, he slowed down and waited for Gan Qiongying to catch up with him. However, he stopped and stood by the moon gate for a long time without hearing any footsteps behind him.

It seemed as if in the blink of an eye, the sky had turned black as if it had been covered by a large cloth.

Sanjiu, who was standing next to Lihua, couldn't help but step forward and say to Lihua, "Master, it's chilly at night, let's go inside first."

Li Hua turned around, bathed in moonlight, as if she were completely chilled.

Actually, it wasn't that cold at night, but he wasn't feeling well. He stood there motionless. His upper body was alright, but his injured leg was so cold that he couldn't feel it anymore.

He stood behind the small door, concealing himself, and saw that after he left, Gan Qiongying didn't even continue eating, but immediately went to the side hall with Manyue.

Is he really that impatient? Li Hua gritted his teeth. Hearing San Jiu's advice, he knew that Gan Qiongying would not come after him.

He pulled his hand, which had been supporting him against the wall, from the small door. A sharp pain shot through his fingernail, and he looked down to find that, without realizing it, a section of his fingernail had been torn off. Now, his finger was covered in dried blood, tinged with blue-purple, ugly and filthy.

He looked up at the moonlight, his face bathed in a cold glow. He recalled the night before, when he had waited in a corner, hoping to be discovered, but just like this time, he only saw the back of Gan Qiongying, who had abandoned him to find someone else.

Are those two people really that important?

Is it because they are twins?

Li Hua touched his face with his ugly, dirty hands, which trembled violently. Finally, he clenched his fist tightly, and blood welled up from his torn fingernails. However, the sharp pain temporarily brought Li Hua back to his senses.

"Prepare the carriage, go... back to the Prince Consort's residence," Li Hua instructed San Jiu in a low, hoarse voice.

Sanjiu hesitated, but having followed Lihua for many years, he knew that Lihua, though seemingly gentle and calm, would never allow anyone to question the decisions she made.

Therefore, Sanjiu hesitated for only a moment, swallowed his words of persuasion, and replied, "Yes!"

Li Hua left in a carriage, but Gan Qiongying was still unaware.

Gan Qiongying entered the side hall and ignored the two people. She only smelled a faint fragrance, which made her even more upset.

She went straight to the chair in the center of the side hall. She should probably say something to those two, after all, they were her subordinates, and she should at least greet them instead of being so cold. But she wasn't in the mood right now.

After sitting down, she stared at the ground at her feet, her brows furrowed as she thought about Li Hua. She didn't quite understand why Li Hua was angry. She had never slept with any of the young masters in the back courtyard, and she spent all her time sleeping with Li Hua. She was always focused on Li Hua and never paid attention to anyone else.

She's so angry, the way she looks at people is terrifying...

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Gan Qiongying quickly stopped thinking about it and decided to go back that night and hold Lihua to comfort her. Anyway, Lihua had gotten used to being held by her and couldn't sleep without her.

Gan Qiongying took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at the pair of twins who had been standing in the hall. Although the two had the same face, Gan Qiongying could easily distinguish them based on Duanrong's memory.

Gu Qingren lived up to his name, being aloof and self-possessed, elegant and refined, with his shoulders and back always straight. However, there was a faint scar around his neck, as if he had been strangled by something.

Gu Ming always had a smile on his face, with his eyebrows and eyes curved. He was slightly taller than Gu Qing and had broader shoulders. He looked bright and cheerful, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. However, upon closer inspection, his smile lacked soul. Simply put, he was a fake smile boy.

There were even some light-colored, healed scars on his neck.

When the two men saw that Gan Qiongying had finally raised her head to look at them, they immediately knelt down and performed a grand salute: "Greetings, Princess."

She had only eaten some vegetables and was a little thirsty. Manyue was the most considerate of them all. She immediately poured tea and placed it next to Gan Qiongying before leaving and closing the palace door behind her.

Gan Qiongying picked up her teacup and blew on it. Then she heard a "thump" and the two of them knelt down on the ground. Judging from the sound, their knees must have been broken.

“Princess,” Gu Qing said to Gan Qiongying, “I received a message at noon today that things at home have been taken care of.”

He said calmly, "My brother and I can set off for Zhangzhou at any time."

Gu Ming, standing beside Gu Qing, also put away his smile and became serious. "We brothers can never repay the life-saving grace of those years ago. After we leave, we hope that the princess will take care of our family."

After they finished speaking, they kowtowed deeply, and when they looked up again, their eyes held the same unwavering determination.

Gan Qiongying frowned. She raised her hand to signal the two of them to get up first. Then, after drinking some tea to quench her thirst, she drank her fill of water and began to quickly recall the plot based on Duanrong's memories.

These two men were originally sons of the Gu clan. In Jinchuan, twins were considered unlucky, but in Nanzhao, at least they wouldn't abandon one after the other. Moreover, they were not royalty, so there was no risk of them having a brother who looked exactly like them and causing trouble if they were to ascend the throne in the future. The common people were more tolerant of twins.

These two were quite renowned among the clan's young masters, and were known as the "Twin Heroes of Yindu." With their looks and talents, they were destined for a bright future as officials.

Unfortunately, they were born in the capital city, where power was deeply entrenched.

Their clan chief, Bai, the Minister of Rites, was falsely accused of colluding with foreign officials and stealing letters to betray the country. From the time of the accusation to his execution, only a few days had passed.

After the clan leader was imprisoned, it was like a building collapsing, and all the members of the clan were implicated.

Even if they knew that someone was secretly plotting against them, and that the other party was aiming to exterminate their clan, and that the charges against them were irrecoverable, and that there was no way to reverse the situation.

A large family suddenly suffered a tragedy, with all the women forced into prostitution by officials. The two men were also exiled to the harsh border region. However, their exceptional beauty tempted the slave trader to bribe the official in charge of escorting them, and he secretly replaced them with two similar-looking servants.

They were sold to Zhangzhou.

They were exceptionally beautiful and twins, and soon became the most sought-after courtesans in Zhangzhou. Countless people wanted to catch a glimpse of them. The young master of the clan naturally refused to suffer such humiliation, but their parents were still alive, their sister was in trouble, and their entire family of dozens of direct relatives were waiting for their lives.

They dared not die.