"What? Even the Empress Dowager's words no longer carry weight?"
The old woman snorted angrily, narrowed her eyes, and looked the two guards up and down.
Seeing that they were unmoved, she had no choice but to use her trump card and cupped her hands in greeting.
"No matter what, the Empress Dowager is His Majesty's mother. Even His Majesty treats the Empress Dowager with great respect. How dare you disobey the Empress Dowager's wishes? I will report this matter to His Majesty and demand an explanation!"
Seeing her so confident, the two guards exchanged a glance and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
After a fierce internal struggle, they finally gave in.
"Wait! Since it is the Empress Dowager's order, how can we disobey? Please wait a moment, Granny, we will open the gate and let them in right away!"
The guard bowed respectfully to the old woman before beckoning to the guards behind him.
"Open the palace gates!"
The old woman walked up to Su An, gave her a quick wink, and whispered, "The Empress Dowager asked me to tell Miss Su to be careful on the road. This is all she can do to help."
"Please thank the Empress Dowager on my behalf!"
Su An nodded gratefully to her, then brushed past her and jogged towards the palace gate.
Her footprints were exceptionally clear amidst the pure white snow.
She had only taken a few steps past the palace gate when it began to slowly close behind her. Just as only a crack remained, Chu Yi's angry shout suddenly rang out.
"Who gave you permission to let her go? Bring her back to me!"
These words shocked everyone present.
The old woman looked worriedly in the direction Su An had left, her hands clenched tightly together.
Reaching the old woman, Chu Yi glanced down at her with a fierce look in his eyes, and gritted his teeth as he snorted, "Mother Empress is now openly opposing me. It seems she's been living too comfortably."
"In that case, the Empress Dowager shall be confined to the Cining Palace from now on. Without my order, she shall not step out of the Cining Palace even once!"
After saying that, he walked straight past the old woman and gave orders to the guards at the palace gate.
"Open the city gates and bring her back to me alive!"
The old woman froze, then collapsed to the ground in a look of terror.
Upon hearing this, the guards panicked even more and hurriedly opened the city gate again, grabbing their spears and giving chase.
Hearing the chaotic footsteps behind him, Su An didn't dare to stop for a moment and ran out as fast as he could.
But she was, after all, a woman, and lacked regular exercise, so her stamina was naturally no match for that of the palace guards. As the footsteps behind her grew clearer, she became increasingly nervous.
"Grab her!"
A loud shout from behind startled her, causing her to slip and fall.
This caused her to fall uncontrollably towards the ground.
It's all over, it's all over!
This time, not only will she be unable to leave, but she will also likely be disfigured.
Su An closed his eyes resignedly, feeling utterly hopeless.
At the critical moment, suddenly two hands grabbed her waist, and then she leaped onto the wall beside her, bending over and moving back and forth across the rooftops.
The expected pain did not come; instead, I heard the whistling of the wind.
She quickly opened her eyes and looked around. She saw a man in black carrying her on his back, fleeing the palace at high speed. Several other men in black followed behind, cleaning up after them.
In no time at all, the pursuers behind them disappeared.
They skillfully navigated the alleyways, slipped into a secluded courtyard, and closed the door behind them.
Once inside the room, they removed their face coverings and knelt before Su An, respectfully revealing their identities.
"Miss Su, don't be afraid. It was His Highness who ordered us to protect you in secret."
Upon hearing the words "Your Highness," Su An's heart clenched instinctively.
She rushed forward and grabbed the leader by the collar, her brows furrowed, and asked anxiously, "Where is Fu Zhun? Where is he now? He's not dead, is he?"
The leader shook his head, lowered his eyes, and said in a muffled voice.
"Your subordinate has been guarding the capital and is unaware of the prince's whereabouts. Please forgive me, Miss Su!"
They are people who pay attention to details, and they have their own specific ways of communicating.
If even they don't know, it must be because the news from the border hasn't come back yet. In other words, the news of Fu Zhun's death was deliberately fabricated by Li Wanyue to deceive them.
At this moment, Su An finally regained some rationality and secretly analyzed the situation.
Thinking of this, she felt a little calmer and nodded and murmured.
"It's good that you don't know, it's good that you don't know."
Even though she knew the news was false, she still couldn't put her mind at ease. Li Wanyue's words had already scared her half to death, and she couldn't bear any more bad news.
She swallowed hard, her senses returning, and gave the order to the leader:
"Since Fu Zhun left you here to protect me, you are now my subordinates and should obey me. I now order you to take me to the border to find your prince!"
The last word faded, but the person in front of him remained motionless.
She urged him again.
"What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear me? I told you to take me to Fu Zhun! This time, whether I live or die, I'm with him!"
The leader frowned and clenched his fingers.
They also longed to go to the border and follow the prince.
But since the prince has ordered them to stay in the capital, he must have his reasons, and they cannot disobey his orders!
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Su An, his voice firm and resonant.
"The border is fraught with danger. His Highness specifically instructed that Miss Su must not be allowed to put herself in danger. I am afraid I cannot obey."
Seeing their resolute attitude, Su An could only shake his head helplessly, sighing inwardly: Fu Zhun is good in every way, but he is too meticulous, and the soldiers he trains are all too rigid.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
They silently fell silent, straining to hear what was happening outside.
"Su An, if you don't want your family to suffer because of you, give up resisting as soon as possible and return to the palace. If you don't return in a day, we will kill one of you..."
Hearing this, Su An's face turned green with anger.
The men in black clenched their fists, stood up angrily, and volunteered.
"That despicable emperor is utterly shameless! Miss Su, don't worry, we'll go and rescue Madam and the others right away!"
As they spoke, they turned to leave.
But Su An stopped him.
She gave a wry smile, sighed helplessly, and gave them instructions.
“No need. He must have been prepared. I’m still useful to him, so he won’t kill me. But it’s different for you. You don’t need to go and throw your lives away. He wants me, so I’ll just go back.”
"Just make sure to let me know as soon as you have any news about Fu Zhun!"
"Also, please take my mother and the others back."
After giving her a thorough and detailed explanation, Su An resignedly pushed open the door and left.
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