Chapter 143 Chapter 143 How can this not be considered a form of dog training? ...
The person who came slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner.
He was still as tall as a mountain, but he was much thinner, with his cheekbones sticking out from under his skin, and his clothes were tattered. The clothes that once fit him were now loose on his body, leaving him feeling empty.
When she saw his miserable appearance, she was stunned and laughed.
"Oh, what's wrong? I haven't seen you for a few days, you look like a dead dog." Suddenly, she was stunned. His right sleeve was hanging down like a hollow tube. She raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, then laughed even harder. "Your right hand...what's wrong with it?"
"I'd really like to ask you that, Nan Qiong Shuang." He walked closer and without saying a word, he hammered his left hand on her dressing table, causing the entire table to tremble slightly.
Qinglian and Yuanxiang had no business dealing with foreign affairs and had never killed anyone, so they shrank back in fear for a moment.
She waved her hand and told them to go down, playing with her hair and asked with a smile:
"You fell into their hands, and you have the nerve to turn around and blame me. What happened? I only know that I asked you to contact your fellow disciples that day, and you said that they had agreed to send someone else to kill me. However, before I could jump off the boat, it was hijacked. We were rescued by a man named Gu and taken directly to the mountain. As for you... there has been no news since you reached Wuliang Mountain."
She hissed and smiled deeply, "Why? Did he find you on Wuliang Mountain and you ended up in his hands?"
"Stop your bullshit! How could he have discovered me?" Wu Dao's teeth were grinding. "It was you who betrayed us on the mountain and told him everything. Otherwise, how could I be in this situation?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" She laughed in disgust. "He didn't recognize me at all, and I came down from Wuliang Mountain unharmed. But you fell into his hands and came back with injuries. If there was someone who betrayed me, who was it?"
"How could he not recognize you?!"
"Are you doubting the ability of our Wangsheng Sect?" She glanced at him and combed her hair lazily:
"Different names, different personalities. I even have the Qinghe Xie clan behind me. I'm a beautiful lady who entered the palace through careful selection, and I'm favored by the emperor. These past few days, the Prince Regent has been calling me cousin. Xie Deyin's identity is nothing like Chu Jiaojiao. No matter how similar they look, he wouldn't dare to say that Concubine Zhen is the same person as the boat girl at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains."
"Even so, he loved you so much back then that it was like he was sick. How could he not notice you in front of him?" He chuckled, "Don't lie to me, I'm smart."
Nan Qiong Shuang couldn't help but laugh, and laughed twice without giving any face, "If he recognized me, how could I sit here peacefully?"
Wu Dao had nothing to say.
"He doesn't know who I am, yet he keeps calling me 'Mother'. If you still don't believe me, go ask Qinglian and Yuanxiang." She slowly put down the comb, turned around, crossed her legs, and smiled at him. "As for you, have you fallen into his hands?"
Her eyes slowly rested on his empty sleeves, and she curled her lips: "And, lost a hand?"
The expression on Wu Dao's face changed drastically, as if a gust of wind had blown past, clouds were surging in the sky, and the ground was alternating between darkness and light.
After a long time, he knelt down in front of her with his knees softened, and used his remaining hand to pull at her knees.
"Auntie, Auntie, please be kind and spare my life. I, Wu Dao, have been with you for so many years." Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes...? He grinned and said, "Please spare my life and don't tell the higher-ups. I, Wu Dao, will serve you well. Okay?"
Nan Qiongshuang suddenly realized that he had become much shorter. She had to look up at him just now, but suddenly he was down to her shoulders - he was tall, so even if he knelt, he still reached her shoulders - she was so scared that she stepped back.
Wu Dao never thought that this day would come.
Two days ago, when he opened his eyes, he was suddenly shocked to find that his mind was blank. Apart from vaguely remembering that her new job was in the Forbidden City, he could not remember anything else.
He glanced around again and saw injuries all over his body, severe pain, and a broken piece of his right arm.
The person in front of him was an old acquaintance he had seen on Mount Tianshan.
Apart from the woman surnamed Gu, there was no one left around him, not even her two maids.
He knew he was on trial, but he didn't know what the man surnamed Gu had asked him or what he had answered.
He knew the rules of the Wangsheng Gate best. Losing him was one, exposing your whereabouts was another, falling into someone else's hands was another, being tried was another, and then there was another—he might have already confided in them.
This last one alone was enough to make him suffer thirty-three tortures within the sect.
"Auntie, Auntie, I, Wu Dao, beg you, I really beg you." Tears welled up in his little eyes. He crawled over on his knees and hugged her legs. Nan Qiong Shuang was so scared that she dodged repeatedly.
"I've been loyal to you for so many years. Whatever you asked me to discuss with the sect, I'd help you with it. I've been with you for so many years... If you wanted to replace someone new, you'd have to teach them from scratch. How could you have such ease in commanding a servant like me?"
"You don't want me to report this to the people inside?" She frowned, playing with her comb. "This is a cover-up. You made a mistake, how could I hide it from my superiors and side with you? Even if I wanted to help you, I wouldn't dare to do such a big mistake." She sighed, "I will report the truth tomorrow."
"Auntie, Auntie, please don't!" The sweat on Wu Dao's face and his tears were all shining. "Please think carefully, is there any use for us? I, Wu Dao, will go through fire and water to help you!"
"I don't want anything recently." She turned the comb, "How about this. The situation is too tense, and I'm also afraid that the guy named Gu will recognize me. You go and keep an eye on Gu all the time..." She deliberately cut off the words halfway to see his expression.
He really looked dead.
She pretended to dislike his incompetence and made a "tsk" sound, then turned her head away.
Wu Dao knelt down two steps, stepped forward and hugged her feet: "Auntie, anyone else is fine, really, anyone else is fine. Except that creepy man!"
She rubbed her brows. "Then you go keep an eye on Chang Da. Find out who's coming and going in his mansion, what's going on, who Chang Da's meeting, and what the relationship is like between his two sons. Report to me daily." She added, "Two tigers in one mountain. The situation is too dangerous. I'm in it, but I don't have an informant in Prince Ding's mansion. I always feel uneasy."
"Yes, yes, yes." He responded repeatedly, grinning for a long time with his big teeth bared as if he had been pardoned.
"Okay, nothing else, you can go down." She frowned and pulled her legs out. "I'll hold it for you. I have to go wash up."
"Wait." He suddenly raised his head, revealing a row of sharp, jagged teeth. "I've been in Prince Ding's mansion all day. Who's watching you? Doesn't my aunt want me to watch you anymore?"
She grabbed his hair, slapped him, and slapped him twice.
"I was wrong to protect you. I don't know why I was so soft-hearted just now!"
"Slow down, wait, wait, you, you, listen to me, listen to what I have to say." Wu Dao didn't even dare to fart. "If my aunt wants me to keep an eye on Prince Ding, of course I can. But my aunt..."
"Of course I will kill that lunatic. Why should I be soft-hearted towards a lunatic?" she said. "As for Gu Huaijin, I was ruthless back then. He loved me wholeheartedly before, but I never stopped. How could I stop now?"
"You're right," Wu Dao said. "I'm just being kind and reminding you that you have many colleagues in Luojing. The former leader of the Qisha Hall is in front of the Daming Palace, and Qinglian and Yuanxiang are by your side. You're only one step away from redeeming yourself, so don't cause yourself any trouble."
She immediately raised her hand and was about to slap him again.
"Alright, ma'am. I'll obey your orders. As long as you do our job well, I won't bother you. I'll send you the news you want every day. Just one thing," he said, scratching his face with his remaining hand and laughing, "don't tell the higher-ups."
Mist Blade left and disappeared into the darkness.
Unexpectedly, late at night the next day, the person she had just sent away returned to her Handan Palace.
She was sitting in front of the dressing mirror combing her hair when Wu Dao appeared out of nowhere and knelt down respectfully and piously:
"Auntie, there are new instructions from above."
She waved her hand and sent Qinglian Yuanxiang away: "Speak."
"It's said that Gongsun Hong is in trouble and needs help." Wu Dao smiled shyly, "You are closest to her and have great abilities. The sect said that they want you to assist her."
"I can't help you." She closed her eyes and rested.
"This time, the higher-ups said that if you can help Gongsun Hong, even the half of the mission you took on in Tianshan back then will be completed."
She slowly opened her eyes when she heard that.
If she could pay off the debt she owed back then, it would be worth her consideration.
However, as a concubine, leaving the palace was already a risk for her. She had asked Li Xuanbai for the token to leave the palace in order to find her former colleagues who had redeemed themselves and inquire about their current situation. If it was just for half a mission...
She picked up the small bell on the dressing table and played with it between her fingers. "What did you ask about when you went to Prince Ding's mansion today? Tell me first."
"Today, I first took a general look at all the people in the mansion." Wu Dao scratched his head with his remaining hand, "From the maids to the grooms to the nobles, I followed them for a while."
"So, is there anyone interesting?"
"Prince Ding had a violent temper, and he would throw his arms and curse at anyone he disagreed with. Whether it was his staff, lieutenants, or even his son, they were all subjected to his beatings and scolding all day long, and they were terrified of him."
"His two sons appear to be friendly, but they don't really get along. Chang Da favors his second son, Chang Ping, because Chang Ping is more handsome and seems smarter. The eldest son, Chang Zhong, is stupid and lustful. He has so many beauties in the same house, and the noises in the house at night are really interesting."
As he spoke, he covered his mouth with his remaining hand and chuckled.
Nan Qiong Shuang glanced at him and asked, "How come Gu only knew to chop your arm, but didn't stab you in the crotch?"
Wu Dao didn't dare to talk back, scratching his head and smiling apologetically:
"Gongsun Hong's situation at the manor isn't very good. She's been trying to maneuver between Chang Da and Chang Zhong, flirting with both. As a result, Chang Zhong is trying to get ahead of her, and the Emperor recently assigned Chang Da a few beautiful women, so she can barely get a glimpse of him. Not only that, Chang Ping has noticed something, and he's in a state of panic, and her mentor is worried too. We were hoping to have a drink sometime..."
"Okay, okay, let's talk about Gongsun Hong."
"I went to ask her about it. She said that Gongsun Hong not only wanted to assassinate Chang Da, but also wanted to steal Chang Da's secret military letter. A few days ago, Chang Da called a few people into the house to play the pipa. She took the opportunity to take the secret letter while playing the pipa, but she didn't expect to reveal her identity. A blind old man in the mansion heard the noise. When he was young, the blind old man was a pipa master in Luojing. After hearing this, he told Chang Ping that the thief must be the best pipa player in the capital. Right now, Gongsun Hong is in a hurry to find someone to take the blame."
"I'm not good at playing the pipa, so even if you look for me, it's useless." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Stop talking, let's talk about something else. Is there anything new?"
Wu Dao thought for a while, then added, "Oh, there's another one. There's a former colleague of ours in Prince Ding's mansion. He was originally a member of the Seven Killings Hall. He redeemed himself a few years ago after doing enough work, and now works as a cook in Prince Ding's mansion."
She slowly opened her eyes.
Wu Dao explained his loyalty to her like he knew everything about her: "However, this man is easy to get along with. If my lady wants to take on the job at Prince Ding's Palace, she can go talk to him and ask for his help."
She rolled her eyes slowly, hooked the string of round copper bells between her fingers, and swung them back and forth to play with them.
After a long pause, she said, "Okay. Go back inside and tell them I'll take on this half of the mission."
"Also, Auntie, Gongsun Hong wants me to bring you a message."
She slowly raised her eyes and listened casually.
"She said she'd help, so I'll do it. But if you try to steal her credit..." Wu Dao bowed his head deeply, "Don't blame her for raising her Nine Treasures Pipa and firing a barrage of needles at you, smashing your teeth in half."
*
The next day, Qinglian Yuanxiang dressed her up as usual.
Yuanxiang was clever and carefully combed her long hair while saying, "Your Majesty, you were supposed to go to Mr. Gu's house yesterday to have a chat, but you stayed in the palace all day. Do you really have nothing to do?"
When she thought of this, she let out a sigh with a headache.
Yesterday, he didn't go to see her even though he should have. Today, he must go into the Forbidden City to capture her.
She picked up the two strings of bells on the dressing table with her fingertips and said to the two of them, "I'm going to Daming Palace again in a while. You two don't need to follow me. Just wait for me in Handan Palace. I'll go ask the Regent for a pipa player and will be back soon."
"But, Madam..."
"Nothing. If Mr. Gu comes, given his personality, he won't embarrass you in the palace no matter what. If he asks, just lie and say I went to Jingren Palace to visit the Imperial Concubine."
She smiled, looking at Yuanxiang's uneasy expression, and handed the two strings of small copper bells to the two of them with a pleasant face. "These two strings of bells are given to you as a reward. They look good in your hair. Here."
A round little bell strung with a red string rang as it was placed in the palms of the two men, and the string coiled up.
The two men were full of suspicion, looking at each other again and again, wanting to say something but stopping themselves.
So, when Gu Huaijin rushed in from outside the Forbidden City with great momentum, and even devised a clever plan to hide his attack from everyone in Handan Palace, all he saw were two maids with small copper bells in their hair.
In the Daming Palace, Li Xuanbai was discussing state affairs with the front court, and Nan Qiongshuang was the only one in the palace.
The chief eunuch Wu Shun found out that she recently liked to eat some plum ice cream, so he asked the kitchen to quickly make a bowl and put it in front of her.
She held the porcelain bowl, squinted at the sunny summer weather outside the window, and stirred the spoon contentedly.
Catch, catch, catch her all day long like a cat catching a mouse.
He has already been caught once, how can he be caught a second time?
Don't even think about it.
Is Gu Huaijin the only one in the world who has such a cunning mind?
Nan Qiong Shuang doesn't want to see him, and no one can force her to see him.
The porcelain spoon rested on the edge of the bowl and made a "ding" sound.
She raised her long eyelashes and rolled her eyes.
Ask him to come all the way to Jingren Palace to check Mao Linyan's pulse.
What she didn't expect was.
When Yuanxiang and Qinglian met Gu Huaijin, they never thought that Mr. Gu, who was always well-mannered and composed, would have such an expression on his face. They forgot her words for a moment, knelt on the ground trembling, and said that the Empress had gone to the Daming Palace.
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