Su Jinyue was startled, but Xiao Duo still held her hand tightly.

He quickly took Su Jinyue through several hidden paths, avoiding the heavily guarded main road, and came to a remote backyard of the palace.

"You are so bold that you dare to return to the palace at this time?" Su Jinyue asked in a low voice, panting.

Xiao Duo smiled slightly, "If I hadn't seen you in contact with the Queen, I wouldn't have taken the risk."

Su Jinyue frowned slightly, "The Queen sent someone to see me, saying it was about the reward."

Xiao Duo's eyes were solemn. "The Queen is a person that cannot be underestimated. She hides very well. You must be careful."

Su Jinyue nodded, "When I entered the palace this time, I also found that there was something wrong with the queen..."

Just as the two of them hadn't finished talking, they heard footsteps in the distance, as if someone was walking towards them.

Xiao Duo immediately pulled Su Jinyue and hid behind a big tree, holding her in his arms.

"Who's there?" a guard's voice sounded.

Su Jinyue held her breath, her heart beating like a drum!

Xiao Duo calmly pressed her shoulders with his fingers, signaling her not to worry.

"There's no one here, you must have seen it wrong."

"No, I did see someone come in."

"Where is anyone here? Let's go quickly, we still have to guard the Imperial Garden in front."

"Okay, let's go."

After a while, the footsteps of the guards gradually faded away, and Su Jinyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems you can't stay any longer today," Su Jinyue said in a low voice, "Hurry up and leave the palace, it's too dangerous here."

"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements."

Xiao Duo gently let her go, looked at Su Jinyue and said, "You still have to go somewhere with me."

Su Jinyue was puzzled, "Where?"

"Just follow me and you'll find out."

Xiao Duo held Su Jinyue's hand and came to the bamboo forest behind the palace.

There is a rockery behind the bamboo forest. Xiao Duo held Su Jinyue's hand and came to the back of the rockery. Behind it was a passage leading to the underground.

Su Jinyue was shocked when she saw the passage, "There is such a place in the palace!"

"Follow me." Xiao Duo said.

"Watch your step." He led Su Jinyue into the hidden passage.

The two of them walked deeper and deeper into the passage. The light in the passage gradually dimmed, and only a faint firelight flickered around them, casting their shadows on the wall. There was a moist smell in the air, as if it was hiding many unknown secrets.

"What is this place?" Su Jinyue asked in a low voice, a little nervous.

"This is a secret passage that the emperor ordered me to leave behind. Only a few people in the palace know of its existence."

"What are we doing here?" Su Jinyue asked.

Xiao Duo said: "It's hard to explain it in a few words. You will understand everything when you go there."

Hearing this, Su Jinyue was shocked.

As they went deeper and deeper, a stone door suddenly appeared in front of them, engraved with complex patterns.

Xiao Duo carefully turned a few mechanisms, and the stone door opened silently, revealing a hidden space inside.

"Come in." Xiao Duo said softly and escorted her inside.

The room was brightly lit, and when several guards saw them come in, they bowed and saluted.

"Little General, you are finally here!"

Su Jinyue was surprised that there was someone else in the tunnel.

Xiao Duo nodded slightly and led Su Jinyue to a long table full of files and maps.

"This is the intelligence we have so far," he pointed at some marks on the table, "This force is not simple. It involves many important officials in the palace and also has connections in Western Xinjiang."

"The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. We need to be extremely cautious once we take action."

Su Jinyue was a little worried. "This is in the palace, under the emperor's nose. Aren't you afraid of something going wrong?"

Xiao Duo smiled and said, "Do you think His Majesty would not know that I would appear here?"

This time Su Jinyue was really stunned.

Seeing Su Jinyue stunned, Xiao Duo took her hand and walked out, "You guys stay here, I'll go find His Majesty first."

"yes."

After walking out, Xiao Duo took Su Jinyue's hand and went deeper into the passage.

"Today's event was arranged by your majesty and me. I didn't know that you were so cautious today and let Su Chengjiang take action."

Su Jinyue was a little surprised, "So today's conferment of the title of consort..."

"Yes." Xiao Duo nodded, "Your Majesty's favor over the past few days was all for those people to see, in order to make them let down their guard."

As the two were talking, the passage reached the end.

Xiao Duo knocked on the door three times and waited for a while before pushing it open.

Following Xiao Duo out, Su Jinyue discovered that the two men came out from the bookcase behind the Emperor's Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

The emperor was leaning on the desk reading a book, "You two are here."

Su Jinyue immediately stepped forward and saluted, "Your Majesty, your servant is here to see you."

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you," said Xiao Duo.

The emperor put down the book and looked up at Xiao Duo and Su Jinyue. "Okay, you two don't have to be so polite. Stand up."

"Today's events are all thanks to you two."

The emperor smiled slightly, with a hint of relief in his smile, "If it weren't for this palace banquet, I'm afraid those spies would have been caught. I don't know how long they would hide."

"But please forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn't know that Your Majesty and General Xiao had already made a decision. Please don't blame my brother for his rash actions today."

The emperor smiled and said, "I know you are smart. If it weren't for you, your brother would definitely not have discovered that there was something wrong with the eunuch."

"You are concerned about my safety, how can I blame you?"

Su Jinyue nodded and said carefully: "Your Majesty is wise, but I never expected that all of this was arranged by Your Majesty."

"I have no choice." The emperor sighed, "The conspiracy behind this is not just for me, but for the overall situation."

The emperor then looked at Xiao Duo, "Xiao Duo, I'm sorry that you have been missing and pretending to be dead for a while, and stayed by my side."

"This is what I should do." Xiao Duo said, "I will do anything to help your majesty."

The emperor was very satisfied. He nodded and said, "It's just that Princess Xihe didn't show any flaws today, so we can't do anything to her."

"Your Majesty is right," Xiao Duo continued, "but the situation in the palace is complicated now, with many forces secretly competing. How to untie this knot still requires long-term planning."

"That's right," the emperor nodded and turned his gaze to Su Jinyue, "Miss Su, you are a smart woman. You did not disappoint me this time."

Su Jinyue bowed her head and replied, "I am not worthy of this, but I am doing my best."

The emperor smiled and did not continue the topic. Instead, he asked, "Since this matter has involved the Western Frontier, we cannot just let it go."

"Your Majesty, Xijiang has long been colluding with several important officials in the court. We must take precautions before it happens."