Prison break
Gu Jinning put on Ji Lin's face, changed into Ji Lin's clothes, and swayed as she opened the door and left the hospital.
Gui Fang arrived just in time, followed by Chu Lang.
"Wet nurse," Gu Jinning instructed in Ji Lin's voice, "I want to eat snowflake cake today, go and buy some."
Guifang accepted the order and immediately left the mansion.
Gu Jinning shook her head and gave him a look. Chu Lang understood, made a gesture to her, and went to stand guard outside the Lotus Pond.
Gu Jinning and her companion went to Yunshu Courtyard.
Chu Lang has checked; Xiao Heng'an is not in the mansion today.
Two guards stood watch outside Yunshu Courtyard.
Gu Jinning stepped forward with a smile, "Hello, gentlemen. Is my cousin here?"
The guard replied, "His Highness is not here."
Gu Jinning said regretfully, "What bad timing. I left the embroidery pattern in the yard yesterday. I was thinking of coming to get it as soon as possible to sew new clothes for my cousin. What should I do? My cousin said he wanted me to finish it as soon as possible."
Ji Lin had been coming here every day for a long time, so the guard didn't think much of it and stepped aside, saying, "Miss, just take it out."
"Thank you, sir. Please take this and enjoy your drinks."
Gu Jinning stuffed a silver ingot into each person's hand and spun through the door with a big smile.
The young man thanked her politely, thinking to himself that Miss Biao was in a good mood today, and was very amiable.
As soon as Gu Jinning entered the courtyard, she slipped into the study, tiptoed to close the doors and windows, and began rummaging through the layers of documents on the desk.
It wasn't on the table, nor in the drawer.
Gu Jinning squatted down, opened the cabinet, and found a locked drawer hidden inside.
Gu Jinning pulled out the wire, inserted it into the keyhole, and opened the lock with a few turns.
Upon opening it, I found a file inside.
"Found it."
Gu Jinning took out the dossier, opened it, scanned it, and prepared to copy it. Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the courtyard. She quickly took out a piece of paper from it, rolled up the dossier, put it back, and locked the cabinet.
The door creaked open, and Xiao Heng'an immediately saw the person at the window, asking warily, "What are you doing there?"
Gu Jinning explained, "I came to retrieve the fallen patterns, and seeing that the wind had blown away many pages, I came to close the window."
Xiao Heng'an approached and scanned her from head to toe. Seeing that she was indeed holding a pattern in her hand, he said, "From now on, you are not allowed to step into the study without my permission."
Gu Jinning feigned obedience and bowed her head in response, "Yes, Lin'er remembers. Lin'er won't bother her cousin any longer, Lin'er takes her leave."
Gu Jinning moved away, looking aggrieved.
"Stop." Xiao Heng'an suddenly called out to her, his eyes sweeping across the table before landing on her face, a complex expression flashing across his face.
Gu Jinning felt uneasy under his gaze and asked, "Is there anything else, cousin?"
Xiao Heng'an moved closer to her, took the pattern from her hand, and asked meaningfully, "This is difficult. Are you really sure you want to do it?"
Gu Jinning replied, "Although my embroidery skills are not as good as my grandmother's, they are passable. Cousin, don't worry about it. Consider it as me practicing."
Xiao Heng'an remained silent, only staring intently at her, as if he had a thousand words to say but could not express them.
He instructed, "There will be an execution in the streets tomorrow, and it will be crowded and chaotic, so do not leave the mansion."
"Alright, thank you for reminding me, cousin. I will stay here peacefully and not worry you."
Gu Jinning curtsied and left timidly.
Xiao Heng'an watched the departing figure, then slumped back into his chair, opened the locked drawer, took out the file, and looked at the missing topographical map inside. A sense of unease and anxiety welled up inside him.
In the tea garden, Gu Jinning sat in the octagonal pavilion, struggling with the stolen topographical map.
"Xiao Liao has heavily guarded the area, all to lure the enemy out. He'd love for someone to die."
Hua Lingchen asked, "Since you know the outcome, why do you still want to go?"
Gu Jinning stubbornly replied, "I must go. I won't be at peace if I don't go."
She believes that people live for the sake of pride.
She could disregard the life and death of a veteran of three dynasties, and the death of a great Confucian scholar, but she could not protect her father's mentor.
"Brother Hua, you know that my parents are very kind people."
Hua Lingchen stopped trying to dissuade him and asked, "How many people have you prepared? How do you plan to break through the Heavenly Prison's defenses?"
Gu Jinning said, "With too many people around, it's easier to be exposed. Only if I go alone will I have a chance of winning."
Hua Lingchen tacitly approved of her plan, "Then let Bai Sheng and the others provide support outside. Remember, you must live first for him to live. Just do your best in everything."
Gu Jinning smiled, "I understand, you don't need to worry about me. Even if I can't rescue anyone, I still have the ability to escape. Xiao Liao isn't that scary."
Hua Lingchen knew that she had made up her mind, so he said nothing more.
As darkness fell, Gu Jinning changed her attire, donned soft armor, hidden weapons, a soft sword, and other equipment, and then leaped into the night.
Zhao was already uneasy. "Young master, are you just going to let the princess go like this? Why didn't you try to persuade her?"
Hua Lingchen shook his head and said helplessly, "No one can persuade her."
He glanced at the moonlight, turned and went back into the house, instructing, "Prepare water and incense; I want to take a bath. Also, go to the teahouse."
Night deepened. Gu Jinning moved silently through the darkness.
She already knew the buildings in the capital like the back of her hand, and with the help of the topographical map, she was able to find her way around very easily and soon arrived outside the prison.
It was the time of shift change, and several squads of guards were going in and out. Gu Jinning stole a set of military uniforms, blended into one of the squads, and successfully entered the prison.
The prison was dark, with poor visibility, and there were quite a few soldiers.
Gu Jinning disguised herself as a patrolman, took the food box from the table, and walked all the way inside, making several turns until she reached Zuo Wenzhong's cell.
Four heavily armed soldiers guarded the prison gate.
Gu Jinning said in a rough voice, "Open the door. By order of His Highness Prince Qin, I'm delivering his last meal before his execution."
The soldier opened the door, and there lay an old man with white hair on the weeds. He was emaciated and covered in blood.
He heard the door open, struggled to look up, and let out a mocking laugh, "Very well, you've come to send this old man on his way."
The moment Gu Jinning saw Zuo Wenzhong, her nose suddenly stung, and an indescribable sense of guilt welled up inside her.
Is this still the same arrogant old man? His pride was probably worn away when he was wrongfully imprisoned.
Gu Jinning tried her best to calm herself down and stepped in. She placed the food box next to his legs, squatted down to help him up, and said, "Eat up, every meal is one less you'll have to eat."
Zuo Wenzhong struggled to sit up; his right leg was broken, and he couldn't stand.
Zuo Wenzhong opened the food box and was immediately surprised to find it empty.
Gu Jinning pressed her hand to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Although Zuo Wenzhong did not recognize the man in front of him, he knew that his life was in danger on this trip. He was anxious for him to leave, but dared not disturb the guards. He could only roll his eyes in worry.
Gu Jinning turned around, gesturing for him to lie down on top of her.
Zuo Wenzhong was very light, like a feather that could drift away at any moment.
Gu Jinning held him tightly, afraid that he would run away.
With a loud bang, a huge plume of white smoke exploded, filling the entire cell.
The guards were shocked and rushed in to check. Upon smelling the sleeping gas, they collapsed one after another, and Zuo Wenzhong was no exception.
In the white mist, Gu Jinning carried Zuo Wenzhong out of the cell, turned into the left-hand alley, and slipped into the torture chamber.
The loud noise attracted guards from all over the prison, but they couldn't keep up with the speed at which the white smoke spread.
Wherever the white mist reached, everything fell into a deep sleep.
The people who rushed in later hurriedly covered their mouths and noses to disperse the white smoke, while searching for the people who had broken into the prison.
Gu Jinning turned around the alley to the iron gate and swung her arm to deliver another thunderbolt.
In a flash, even thicker smoke enveloped the area, blocking the only exit. The person in the fog, blinded by a blinding light, opened their eyes momentarily. Gu Jinning took a step and flew away, slipping through the gaps in the prison.
A giant net descended from the sky.
Gu Jinning drew her sword from her waist and unleashed dozens of slashes, shattering the giant net into countless fragments that drifted down. Gu Jinning landed steadily on the tree trunk.
Dozens of people surged out from the ground and rooftops, drawing their swords and bows, and surrounded her.
"Hahahaha." Xiao Liao strode over, arrogantly saying, "I told you someone would always step forward. You can't escape, sir. Why don't you tell me who sent you, and I'll spare your life."
Gu Jinning swept her gaze over the crowd from her elevated position and said calmly, "Who said I was going to escape? It's just that there's not enough room for me to maneuver inside."
She stood up, flicked her sword-wielding hand, and the soft sword rippled with silver light, making a crisp sound, transforming into a sharp, thin sword.
“You,” Gu Jinning said sarcastically, pointing her sword at Xiao Liao, “are not enough for me to kill.”
Xiao Liao sneered, "Then let's see if you can protect the people behind you!"
Xiao Liao raised his hand and pressed down, and dozens of arrows flew out from behind Gu Jinning.
Gu Jinning spun around to dodge, while arrows rained down from the other three sides.
Gu Jinning pulled a miniature black umbrella from her sleeve, twirled it twice, and the umbrella quickly spun open, revealing itself to be an iron umbrella.
The iron arrows made a clattering sound as they struck the patch.
Gu Jinning retreated to the tree trunk, protecting her back. She suddenly twisted the hand holding the umbrella, and the arrows on the black umbrella were knocked away by the force, accidentally injuring many soldiers.
"My umbrella is made of pure iron, impervious to swords and spears. Let's see if your arrows outnumber mine or my umbrella is stronger."
Xiao Liao looked at the person under the tree with unfathomable eyes, as if he had seen through them and revealed his understanding.
"Smoke, blast bombs, defensive umbrellas—you have plenty of weapons to save your life. Since you're a member of the martial world, then follow the rules of the martial world. I'd like to see how martial artists fight."
Gu Jinning heard the sound and knew something was wrong. In the blink of an eye, a sharp blade flew towards her, and Gu Jinning instinctively raised her umbrella to block it.
The iron umbrella instantly split in two. Gu Jinning quickly dodged to the side and retreated dozens of steps.
Before she could even stand still, two long swords flew from her left and right sides, their sword energies clashing, threatening to stab her to pieces.
Gu Jinning tiptoed and leaped to dodge the longsword, then swooped down, sword in hand, breaking through both sword energies. With another spin, she sent flying needles from her sleeve towards the incoming broadsword.
This swift and decisive move forced all three sides back. Gu Jinning slid back dozens of steps before regaining her balance.
The three men closed in.
Two men in black were lying on the rooftop not far away.
One person asked, "The martial arts techniques are indeed impressive. When should we make our move?"
Another person said, "Let's wait and see if the King of Qin has any backup plans."
After two rounds, Gu Jinning recognized the three men's lineage and mocked, "Swordsmen of the Blade Sect, how did you end up as lackeys of the imperial court?"
The burly man wielding the knife slashed down, roaring, "Aren't you also paid to work for others? What's with the high and mighty attitude!"
Gu Jinning raised her sword to parry, but the sword became entangled with the blade. With a forceful flick, Gu Jinning sent the blade flying several feet away. Taking advantage of the burly man's unarmed moment, she pierced his wrist with a silver needle.
The burly man felt a sharp pain in his wrist and was momentarily suspended in mid-air. Gu Jinning then kicked him away.
The swords of the other two swordsmen then entangled with them.
The burly man fell to the ground and yelled, "Watch out, she has silver needles!"
Gu Jinning crossed her arms and flicked out several hidden arrows, saying disdainfully, "I have plenty of treasures."
The two swordsmen dodged the arrows to the side, and Gu Jinning seized the opportunity to fly away.
As she reached mid-air, dozens of flying knives came hurtling down from behind her. Gu Jinning tried to dodge at the sound, but it was too late, and two knives pierced her back.
Gu Jinning staggered to the ground, kneeling on one knee to support her body. Her right shoulder was grazed by the flying knife, leaving a small wound.
Gu Jinning glanced at the wound on her shoulder, slowly stood up, and turned towards the direction from which the knife had been thrown. There, in front of Xiao Liao, stood another knife-throwing assailant.
Gu Jinning recognized him; he was Dao Wuqing, a renowned knife hunter in the martial arts world.
Xiao Liao said from afar, "The person on your back is already dead, aren't you going to confess?"
Gu Jinning smiled wryly, "Who said I have someone behind me?"
She untied her cloak, ripped it off forcefully, and the cloak, along with the throwing knife, fell to the ground, revealing a pile of straw on her back.
“I never said I was here to kidnap people.”
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