Seeing Qing'er's state, Ji Chu dared not act on his own initiative. He obediently sat on the stone bench, handed Qing'er her favorite flower tea, and then picked up a piece of Qing'er's favorite pastry and brought it to her lips.
Helpless, Qing'er could only take a small bite from Ji Chu's hand.
Anke felt that the time was about right, so she patted Ertai's hand, stood up, picked up her binoculars, and continued to observe.
Seeing that the White Lotus Sect members hiding near the palace gates were showing signs of making a move, An Ke narrowed his eyes and looked at Qing'er behind him. "Qing'er, you stay here. I'm at ease with General Ji protecting you. You can use this telescope to keep an eye on the surroundings in real time. I need to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation now."
Just now, I saw a member of the White Lotus Sect infiltrate the Hall of Mental Cultivation without anyone noticing. An Ke felt uneasy. Was this part of the Imperial Uncle's plan? Or was this person truly skilled enough to sneak into the heavily guarded Hall of Mental Cultivation undetected?
Qing'er knew that the more serious An'an's expression was, the more serious the matter was, so she naturally wouldn't hold An'an back. She quickly nodded and said, "I understand. I won't leave this rockery. Don't worry."
Ji Chu had already learned the whole truth from Fu Ertai, and knew what kind of calamity the Fu family would suffer after this incident.
After glancing at the composed Fu Ertai, Ji Chu stood still and solemnly assured An Ke, "Please rest assured, Princess, I will definitely protect Qing Gege."
An Ke took one last look at Qing'er and Ji Chu, then quickly descended the artificial hill, with Fu Ertai following closely behind. He was like a devoted and loyal bodyguard to An Ke, going wherever she went.
Following Anke's advice, Qing'er walked gracefully to the table, picked up the binoculars, and began to peer through the lenses. Ji Chu stood beside Qing'er, peering through the lenses with her.
An Ke walked along a secluded passageway and quietly sneaked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, entering through a window. Watching the agile An Ke, Ertai suddenly felt utterly useless.
Anke climbed through the window and smelled a fragrance that was different from the ones she was used to. She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and frowned as she prepared to explore further.
When Ertai entered, he smelled this unusual scent. Now, seeing the princess resolutely preparing to walk forward on her own, Ertai reached out and pulled her back.
An Ke covered her mouth and nose, unable to speak, but her eyes were full of doubt. Ertai gestured to An Ke, roughly meaning that he would go and scout the way for the princess first, and then let the princess come over when it was safe.
An Ke didn't understand what he meant, thinking it meant the two of them should act together. An Ke shook her head; the risk of the two of them being together was too great, and they would be too conspicuous. What if, by now, that remnant of the White Lotus Cult had already taken the Emperor hostage? An Ke shuddered; she didn't even dare to think about it.
When Ertai saw the princess shake her head, he thought she was reluctant to let him risk his life. He was deeply moved and hugged the princess before preparing to go on his own.
The two then engaged in a conversation that seemed completely unrelated to each other.
Just then, Li Yu, who was covering his mouth and nose, came out from inside and directed the eunuchs and palace maids to open the windows for ventilation.
Upon seeing the two people standing there locked in a stalemate, Li Yu was initially taken aback, but then he instructed the princess and Ertai to follow him inside. At that moment, both of them understood.
The moment An Ke saw Li Yu, she knew the Emperor was alright. Otherwise, how could Li Yu be in there, and unharmed?
Now that she knew the Emperor was safe, Anke was relieved of her anxiety. Ertai followed silently behind the princess as usual.
The incense inside wasn't very strong, and Anke was able to remove the handkerchief. Looking at the person who was tied up, Anke immediately understood.
It seems the Imperial Uncle wasn't entirely unprepared; he even prepared incense.
"Why are you two here?" The Emperor was not surprised to see An Ke. He already knew An Ke's exact location and that he was holding a telescope. If An Ke couldn't see this remnant sneaking into his Hall of Mental Cultivation through the telescope on the artificial hill, that would not be in line with his character.
"Isn't An'an worried about the Emperor? When I saw the Hall of Mental Cultivation where the Emperor entered a year ago, I was really worried for you." An Ke wasn't exaggerating when she said this. On the way here, An Ke had thought of no less than 20 ways to rescue the Emperor.
"Have everything been arranged for the Empress Dowager and Qing'er?" Although he knew that An'an would definitely handle these matters well, the Emperor still asked with some concern.
An Ke hadn't eaten breakfast due to her anxiety, and now seeing the tea and snacks laid out here by the Emperor, she was already quite hungry. Without any hesitation, she sat down to the side and reached out to take a piece of lotus cake.
"Everything is arranged. Qing'er is currently on the artificial hill with binoculars, taking over my task. With General Ji protecting her, there shouldn't be any major problems." An Ke acknowledged Ji Chu's skills; otherwise, she wouldn't have left Qing'er there.
The Emperor nodded knowingly. An Ke took a sip of her flower tea and smoothed out the pastry that had made her choke. "As for Grandmother? Fifth Brother is there watching over her and protecting Xinrong as well."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor glanced meaningfully at An Ke, implying that Ertai was also someone she had brought along.
Anke adheres to the principle that as long as she is not embarrassed, then embarrassment is someone else's problem. She either looks at the roof or at the Emperor's uncle's table and chairs, but she never looks at the Emperor.
The Emperor doesn't have time to worry about these things right now, and besides, it was he who gave the two children instructions, so of course he has no reason to dislike them.
"Ertai, you sit down too," the Emperor beckoned, instructing a palace servant to place a stool there for Ertai to sit. Only then did he continue speaking of the man bound hand and foot on the ground, "I just learned from him that they intend to kill me, and if they can't find me, they'll set me on fire."
At this point, the Emperor's brow furrowed deeply, like a knot of heavy iron, as if it could never be smoothed out. If a fire were set, aside from the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Palace of Cleansing, it's likely that every palace in the surrounding area with trees planted within its grounds would be doomed. How utterly audacious! Don't they care about human life at all?
An Ke glanced at the Emperor's gloomy face, then ordered several eunuchs to take away the person who had just been bound hand and foot on the ground and was still unconscious.
"Uncle, why don't we turn the tables on him?" Anke smiled slyly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. Ertai, who was also standing by, was eager to hear the details.
After hearing Anke's plan, the Emperor nodded with great satisfaction, "Good, let's carry it out according to your method."
The Emperor summoned Xiao Luzi and whispered a few words to him. Xiao Luzi immediately understood and picked up his whisk, heading out of the palace.
“But what if the White Lotus Sect members don’t see that person again and become suspicious?” Ertai still had some concerns and worries.
"That's easy. I've already memorized what that person looked like. Give me a few incense sticks' worth of time, and I'll make a human skin mask." An Ke finished speaking and went off to do her work.
The Emperor and Ertai were left standing there, staring at each other.
The emperor was unaware that his niece had acquired the human skin mask. He was curious but afraid of disturbing her, so he dared not approach and could only sit uneasily to the side and wait.
Ertai felt the same way. He looked at the princess with admiration and respect. The princess was like an inexhaustible treasure, constantly giving him new and exciting experiences.
In about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Anke had finished making a human skin mask that looked exactly like the person from before, even down to the fine lines on his face.
After looking around the Hall of Mental Cultivation, An Ke selected a eunuch from among the young eunuchs who was about the same height and weight as the person from before. "You put on this mask, and then..." An Ke whispered to the young eunuch.
The young eunuch was thrilled, her eyes shining. She never imagined she would one day participate in such a thrilling and exciting activity. She absolutely could not let down the Emperor and the Princess's trust.
Upon hearing the princess's orders, the little eunuch dashed out in a flash.
"Alright, everything is ready now, we just need the final push." Anke clapped her hands, preparing to return to her previous spot to eat her pastries and drink her flower tea while waiting for good news.
Seeing that his niece had finished her work, the Emperor could no longer suppress his curiosity. He pulled his niece to the soft couch and prepared to ask, "Tell me honestly, when did you learn this face-shaping technique?" The Emperor stared intently at An Ke.
Ertai, standing to the side, was naturally not as direct as the Emperor, but he couldn't hide his curiosity either.
An Ke, who hadn't felt particularly uneasy before, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine from their stares. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you then. Didn't I go traveling the world with my father back then?"
"I know about this matter, but your father never said you were capable of these things." The Emperor pinched his brow, looking slightly tired. After dealing with this matter, he really needed to rest properly.
Thinking that Yongqi had trained enough during this time and was gradually able to handle important and minor matters in the court on his behalf, he could gradually learn to let go.
"That's because Father didn't tell you the whole story. Do you remember the time when Father traveled with An'an, but left An'an alone in Shu?" An Ke never expected that she would get such an opportunity during that abandoned journey.
The Emperor frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "Yes, there was one time when it was true."
"It was that time, when An'an was out gathering herbs, that she met a white-bearded doctor." An'an recounted what happened, still feeling like it was a dream. "That old man insisted on taking me as his apprentice, saying that people from the Qing Dynasty were begging him for money, wanting to be his disciple."
The more the Emperor listened, the more he wondered if An'an was just making this up. "Are you sure where you met your master? I'll have someone go find him right now." If what An'an said was true, then this white-bearded doctor was indeed a capable person.
With such a capable person, how could the Qing Dynasty not appoint him to a position of authority?
An Ke looked at the emperor, who wished he could send the Imperial Guards to find the person right now, and several black lines appeared on her forehead.
“You can’t find him now, he says it’s all a matter of chance. He will only come out of the mountains when he is willing to appear. Otherwise, ordinary people can’t see him, let alone find him.” An Ke waved his hand, at the time he just thought what the old man said was very mysterious.
Two years ago, she actually sent out her guards to search for it, but they couldn't find it. Not only that, but she herself didn't encounter it when she traveled to Shu again.
"It seems that this is truly a matter of fate," the emperor said, not angry at all. He was just glad that his niece had gotten this opportunity, since it was good that the good stuff was within the family.
This disguise technique has come in very handy today.
The little eunuch who had just put on the human skin mask easily slipped in. Just as the princess had instructed, as soon as he entered, someone led him to another boy.
"Did you just sneak into the Hall of Mental Cultivation? Is there anyone inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation?" Indeed, this person was Xiao Jian.
Xiao Jian wanted revenge, but he didn't want to lose everyone in the process. After all, he needed to leave one or two people to cover the retreat.
The young eunuch repeated the princess's words verbatim. Upon hearing this, Xiao Jian frowned.
He was still wondering if this kid was lying to him, or if he had been turned by someone else.
When the young eunuch noticed that the man was staring at him, he immediately put on his superb acting skills, staring back intently at Xiao Jian, not at all at a disadvantage.
Xiao Jian couldn't help but wonder if this dog emperor had sensed something.
Before he could figure it out, Xiao Luzi arrived with the Emperor's decree.
Upon seeing Xiao Luzi, Er Kang immediately dismounted and knelt down. After hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Er Kang was somewhat dumbfounded, but then felt overjoyed.
After all, a wedding held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony would be truly a spectacle to behold. At this moment, Fu Erkang no longer cared about propriety; all he cared about was glory and crushing his younger brother. He happily accepted the imperial decree.
Xiao Jian curled his lips in a mocking smile. This was better; it saved him the trouble of searching for him like a headless fly.
Immediately afterward, Xiao Jian turned around, intending to call Meng Dan, that hothead, to be the vanguard. But in the blink of an eye, Meng Dan seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.
Xiao Jian was so angry he was practically steaming. He didn't even need to guess; that idiot Meng Dan had definitely gone to Baoyue Tower to find Hanxiang.
Xiao Jian gritted his teeth inwardly, deciding not to go looking for him and leaving his fate to fate. After all, Hanxiang was now considered the emperor's favorite concubine, so how could there be no guards protecting Baoyue Tower?
The original plan was to have Meng Dan as the vanguard, so that if he failed to kill the emperor, it would give him some breathing room. Even if he were to step in later, that would be fine.
Now all his plans have been disrupted, and Xiao Jian is so angry that he feels dizzy and lightheaded.
But the plan had already begun, and they had already infiltrated the palace, so it couldn't be canceled now.
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