Chapter 13
The autumn night is deep and the cold dew is silent.
From time to time in the distant streets and alleys, the sound of night watchmen knocking on the gongs could be heard, which made people feel melancholy.
Yue Mingming followed Zhao Congyun with his head down, keeping a distance from him.
The palace at night was not as bright and clear as it was during the day. Zhao Congyun chose a small path with only a few firefly lights along the way, making it dim and unpredictable. Yue Mingming took one deep step and one shallow step, and almost tripped over the protruding stones several times.
This stingy guy definitely did it on purpose!
Yue Mingming walked carefully with his head down, his eyes wide open as if they were cat's eyes. As a result, he could see the ground clearly, but ran into his enemy head-on.
Zhao Congyun stopped at some point, stood with his arms folded, his brows relaxed, and looked at her with a half-smile.
"What are you looking for? Did you lose your purse?"
Yue Mingming was so frightened that he stepped back, swallowed the curse in his stomach, looked at him angrily, and said nothing.
The smile on Zhao Congyun's lips disappeared, and his arm, which was about to reach out to help her, froze in mid-air.
"Why aren't you talking?" His voice dropped coldly. "I've never heard that eating sunflower seeds can make you mute!"
Sure enough, someone reported the crime! Yue Mingming thought to herself, she had to remind Su Dingrou that there was a spy in Chenghuai Zhai!
"What's that expression on your face? Are you unconvinced?"
As he spoke, Zhao Congyun stretched out his long arm, and his slender fingers gently scratched the hair by her ear. Before Yue Mingming could react, the hand was withdrawn.
Yue Mingming responded as if he had been scalded: "What are you doing!"
Zhao Congyun opened his palm, revealing a peeled melon seed shell, black on the outside and white on the inside, shiny and smooth.
"Ahem..." Yue Mingming's cheeks felt a little hot.
Zhao Congyun: "If you don't want to be drowned, behave yourself when you get back. As for the punishment... I can't just ask you to clean the courtyard." He paused for a moment and whispered, "How about I make you embroider a sachet with your own hands?"
"I choose to sweep the yard!" Yue Mingming said anxiously.
If anyone dares to mention the sachet to her again, she will die...
Although sweeping the yard was hard work, she could use this job to find the place where he was imprisoned in the garden, which was exactly what she wanted!
A complex annoyance flashed across Zhao Congyun's eyes: "Isn't it unfair to do this kind of menial work?"
"Really not choosing the embroidered sachet?"
"No... I think it suits me very well." Yue Mingming tried hard to put on a polite smile.
"Very good." Zhao Congyun stared at her for a few seconds, then turned around and left.
I don’t know what words have offended this fox, and he looks very unhappy.
Yue Mingming didn't want to be left alone on the dark road at night, so she had to stagger after him. Unexpectedly, Zhao Congyun walked quickly for a distance and then stopped, leaving her with a tall back... as a "signpost".
After going back and forth several times, Yue Mingming simply slowed down, but found that the "road sign" also slowed down, always stopping where she could see it, waiting for her silently.
...How can there be such a weird person in the world!
Yue Mingming was both angry and amused, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.
*
The next morning, just as it was getting light, Uncle Dong brought Yue Mingming the tools for sweeping the yard.
"The prince specifically instructed me to give it to you early in the morning."
Yue Mingming rubbed her sleepy eyes and didn't even have the energy to get up. She resigned herself to her fate and took the tools and began her cleaning career in the palace.
As a result, there was no gain on the first day.
Zhao Congyun personally assigned a bunch of tasks, even the bird's nest under the corridor was not spared. Yue Mingming had no choice but to work all day. At night, he was so tired that his back and waist ached and he fell asleep.
The next day, Zhao Congyun was away, so Yue Mingming finally had the opportunity to stroll around the garden and gradually figured out the layout of the garden.
Zhao Congyun's study and bedroom are located in the center of the garden. To the south is a courtyard full of flowers and plants, connected by a corridor leading directly to the entrance rockery.
There are only a few servants' rooms on the northwest side, and a small kitchen on the east side, which provides Zhao Congyun with daily meals.
Yue Mingming sneaked into the kitchen and carefully checked even the stove, but found no trace of anyone hiding.
At night she lay in bed, recalling over and over in her mind what she had seen and heard in the garden, but she could not find any clues.
Could it be that... Zhao Congyun locked someone in his bedroom?
This is a bit perverted!
Yue Mingming shook his head. Zhao Congyun, though a pervert, was a rule-bound, mysophobic pervert. He could hide a beautiful woman in a golden house, but hiding a bloody, stinking prisoner... impossible!
She was thinking too hard and overexerting her brain, and her stomach couldn't take it anymore and started to growl in protest.
Yue Mingming stood up and grabbed two pieces of cake. As he ate, he suddenly had an idea.
Prisoners also get hungry and need to eat!
No matter how cautious Zhao Congyun was, he couldn't conjure food out of thin air, so someone must be responsible for delivering meals to the prisoners.
As long as we follow the clues, we can find the person!
Yue Mingming rolled over happily on the bed, stuffed the last two bites of cake into his mouth, took out his newly bought night clothes, changed quickly, and tiptoed out the door.
She hasn't figured out how to fly over rooftops and walk on walls yet, but she's already trying to learn how to stake out a place like a gossip reporter...
It really is the heart of a chivalrous woman and the life of a paparazzi!
Yue Mingming thought that she had not seen any suspicious people near the kitchen during the day, so in order to conceal the truth, the meal was most likely delivered at night.
She avoided Zhao Congyun's residence, sneaked silently to the outside of the kitchen, hid quietly among a bunch of flowers and trees, and began to wait silently.
It was late at night and the garden was quiet, with even the chirping of insects scarce. Zhao Congyun's study and bedroom were pitch black.
While Yue Mingming was cleaning, he heard someone mention that the prince would stay overnight at Yaoyue Tower tonight.
I wonder if the relationship between Zhao Congyun and the woman named "Jiang Huan" is real, or just a false illusion created for outsiders?
She was lost in thought when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind her.
Sure enough, someone came!
Yue Mingming held his breath and peered closely, only to see a man in black armor tiptoe into the kitchen. A moment later, he reappeared with two food boxes in his hands.
Yue Mingming had seen them dressed like this when he was capturing assassins in Yuhu Lake before. They were the secret guards raised by Zhao Congyun.
It seems that this person is the one who delivers food tonight!
Yue Mingming estimated the distance and followed from a distance.
The man walked very fast, but fortunately Yue Mingming was familiar with all the paths in the garden, like a diligent tail, and was never left behind.
As they walked, Yue Mingming felt a slight sinking in his heart. This was the way out of the garden... Could it be that Zhao Congyun hid someone outside?
That would be a difficult situation!
Fortunately, her fears did not materialize. At the entrance to the ginseng garden, the figure suddenly disappeared behind a rock. Yue Mingming rubbed his eyes, confirming that the person had truly vanished into thin air!
Is there a trap here?!
Yue Mingming didn't dare to go over to check, so he could only hide far away. He waited for more than half an hour, but didn't see the man come out.
She knew nothing about mechanisms, and the system was powerless to help her. So she carefully noted the location and quietly retraced her steps.
I must inform Su Dingrou and General Shen as soon as possible tomorrow... Yue Mingming thought, yawned, turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
On the beam, a black shadow waited until the house was quiet, then floated away without even startling a bird.
*
The next day, after Yue Mingming sent the message, he began to wait anxiously.
But until the time of lighting, the garden was still quiet. Not only did no one break in, but Zhao Congyun and Dong Shu also did not come back.
She was getting restless in the room, so she simply changed into her night clothes and headed towards the rock mechanism again.
Yue Mingming had never been one to mind her own business. She decided that if Shen Zongwu didn't come tonight, she would find the trap herself and sneak in to take a look.
This time she didn't have to wait too long. A secret guard came out from behind the rocks and quickly went to the kitchen.
Yue Mingming was delighted and was about to take the opportunity to step forward when his wrist was suddenly grabbed from behind.
Is there someone behind me?!
Yue Mingming's scalp went numb. She was totally unaware and was caught red-handed!
Was it Zhao Congyun? Uncle Dong? Or the hidden guards in ambush?
Then he heard the man whisper, "Is that Madam Yue... I am Shen Zongwu."
"..." Yue Mingming turned his head and saw the young general's face with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes and heroic spirit.
"When did you hide behind me?" Yue Mingming asked in surprise.
Shen Zongwu smiled apologetically and said, "I've been here for a while... I didn't expect that Madam Yue was also good at stealth tracking."
Yue Mingming thought to himself, in our time, paparazzi were all like this!
"Shall we go in and take a look?" she suggested.
"Wait a moment." Shen Zongwu led her back to the bushes and waited for a moment. Another figure sneaked over.
It was not the secret guard from before, but a strange young man whom he had never seen before.
This young man had a dark and rough appearance, but his movements were very light, and he had a bit of the boldness and carefulness of Zhang Fei.
Yue Mingming remembered that Uncle Dong had said that there were an old man and a young boy hiding under the water at that time. The old man was caught, and the young man ran away.
"This is the son of the old man we want to rescue, Sun Cheng." Shen Zongwu introduced.
Sun Cheng nodded silently to Yue Mingming as a greeting, then turned to Shen Zongwu and said, "Brother Shen, I've taken care of that secret guard."
"Mrs. Yue, thank you so much! Leave the rest to us. Go back and pretend you know nothing."
"...What about Sister Su?" Yue Mingming tactfully did not mention the word "Princess".
Shen Zongwu's eyes dimmed slightly, and he remained silent. Sun Cheng answered for him, "She is holding the token from the palace and will meet us at the city gate."
"..." Yue Mingming was shocked and angry: "You are crazy, letting her do such a thing! If she is discovered, not only will her reputation be ruined, she may even lose her life!"
"We didn't force her. She did it voluntarily." Sun Cheng said coldly.
Yue Mingming became even angrier upon hearing this, and glared at Shen Zongwu fiercely: "You're just taking advantage of her feelings for you...are you worthy of her? This is so despicable!"
She now deeply regrets having helped him and wishes she could turn against him immediately, release Zhao Congyun, and fight evil with evil!
Shen Zongwu said solemnly, "I have no choice but to do this. I will explain this to Madam Yue when I have the chance in the future! Please rest assured, even if I, Shen Zongwu, were to die without a burial place, I would never let anything happen to her!"
Yue Mingming was so shocked by the determined and crazy look in his eyes that he was speechless.
Sun Cheng said anxiously: "Hurry up! Don't waste any more time!"
Shen Zongwu clasped his fists towards Yue Mingming and said, "Take care."
The two quickly found the mechanism by following the rocks. After twisting it, they heard a crisp click, and a dark staircase slowly appeared on the ground, seemingly leading underground.
They walked in without hesitation.
Yue Mingming stood alone a few meters away, feeling inexplicably panicked.
Can they rescue the people? Will Su Dingrou at the city gate be in trouble? What worries her most is why Zhao Congyun hasn't returned yet...
She instinctively felt that she was overthinking it.
Given Zhao Congyun's thoughtfulness, would he leave such an important prisoner in an almost deserted garden and go off to indulge in wine and women?
In the eyes of outsiders, Zhao Congyun may be a playboy, but Yue Mingming has seen his acting skills and knows that he is definitely not a person who is not doing his job properly.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. That pitch-black entrance looked like a trap...
Thinking of Su Dingrou who was waiting for him in the cold wind, Yue Mingming made up his mind and followed the two of them down the stairs.
There was endless darkness before his eyes. Yue Mingming was so scared that he ran away, but he still didn't have time to call out to the two people.
At the end of the stairs, deep in the darkness, a familiar voice lit up along with the light.
"Great, another fish is on the hook."
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