A loud splash suddenly rang out.
"Help, help me, gurgle, help gurgle~ help." Anning's desperate cries for help suddenly broke the quiet night.
The oppressive feeling that surged up from the pool seemed to gather in An Ning's chest, making her face turn pale and unable to breathe.
The panic and helplessness of suffocation made An Ning instinctively open her mouth to breathe, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she swallowed another mouthful of water. She reflexively tried to spit it out, but could only see bubbles bubbling on the surface of the pool.
"Help!" An Ning cried out repeatedly. Due to panic and tension, her body began to sink uncontrollably, and the cold pool water surrounded every inch of An Ning's skin.
The emperor stopped and turned around to look, and saw a figure struggling desperately in the lotus pond, about to sink.
"Who fell down? Quick, go save them!"
Suddenly, Anning's arm was grabbed forcefully, and with a splash, she was pulled out of the water.
"Huff, huff, huff." An Ning took deep breaths of fresh air, her arms crossed over her chest. The cold clothes clung to her skin, making her teeth chatter.
"What happened? How could I fall into the pool while walking on the road? Luckily, most of the water in the pool has been drained, so it only goes up to my thighs now."
Looking at her, Eunuch Wu was filled with disappointment. Just a few days ago he thought she was clever, but now she seemed to be getting more and more stupid.
An Ning didn't hear anything, except for the sentence that the water was just above her thighs, and she was so scared!
When the emperor looked closely and realized that the person who had been rescued was Xiao Ningzi, he was filled with remorse. He couldn't help but think: if he had just drowned, there would have been no need for Black Wind to intervene.
"What's going on?" The emperor's tone was harsh, his patience almost gone.
An Ning knelt on the ground, shivering, and said, "Your Majesty, it was dark and I couldn't see the road clearly. I slipped and fell into the pond, delaying Your Majesty's journey. This servant is willing to accept punishment."
The emperor was in no mood to deal with her and waved his hand impatiently, "Never mind."
After saying that, he continued on his way.
"Your Majesty?" The Imperial Concubine feigned surprise and called out "Your Majesty" with a hint of coquettishness.
Listening to that affected, pretentious voice, who else could it be but a concubine?
"Great! The Imperial Concubine has arrived! Sister Yun is saved!"
"Your Majesty, where are you going in such a hurry? Your Majesty, it has been a long time since you visited my palace."
An Ning suppressed the urge to give the Imperial Concubine a thumbs up, and her tense nerves relaxed a little.
"I have been very busy with official duties lately."
The imperial concubine grabbed the emperor's arm and pretended to lean against him: "Your Majesty, I've missed you so much."
The emperor forced a smile: "Alright, alright, I know. How about I visit you again tomorrow? It's already late, and the Imperial Concubine is still wandering around outside. She might catch a cold. Quickly, send the Imperial Concubine back to the palace."
"yes."
An Ning frowned involuntarily: How could she have been defeated so quickly? Wasn't the Imperial Concubine usually the most skilled at vying for the Emperor's favor?
The imperial concubine felt extremely aggrieved and was forcibly sent back to the palace by the emperor for the first time.
Watching the imperial concubine depart, the emperor continued his journey.
At this time, there was still half an hour left until Hai hour.
"Achoo." An Ning couldn't help but sneeze, and helplessly wrapped her already soaked clothes tighter: What should I do? What should I do in half an hour?
"Xiao Ningzi, you should go home first tonight. It's chilly at night, be careful not to catch a cold."
Eunuch Wu came over and kindly told her to go back. An Ning agreed on the surface, but secretly followed closely. Sometimes, doing something bad in secret might be more effective.
At the entrance of Liuyun Palace, the Emperor stepped inside, and An Ning, who was hiding in the shadows, was so anxious that she was almost in tears.
"Hurry, think of a solution quickly."
Time ticked by, and Anning kept stomping her feet and even slapping her head, but she was still at a loss.
"Or else? The old way?" Time was running out, and there were no other options. An Ning took a deep breath and decided to go all in!
Ignoring her wet clothes, she ran back to her little room, rummaging through drawers and cupboards looking for something.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
A slightly unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from behind, its tone cold, gloomy, and chilling, instantly transporting one to the depths of winter.
An Ning felt a chill run down her spine and froze on the spot: It was Black Wind!
"You've come to kill me," An Ning said in a trembling voice.
Black Wind stood not far behind her and saw that she was soaked to the bone, with water dripping from her clothes, and she was shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
'He... fell into the lake?' Just as Hei Feng was confused, An Ning turned around and looked at him.
It was a deathly pale face, with slightly red eyes that stood out starkly. Even though he was trying his best to hide his panic, his hands were still trembling slightly.
"Please don't kill me yet. I need to save someone. She's very important to me. Please, I'll let you do whatever you want with me when I get back."
Hei Feng gently tugged at the pure black sleeve of her clothes, her dark eyes filled with pleading, her words earnest, her voice trembling violently.
Please.
She repeated it again.
"Okay." Black Wind looked away, secretly vowing in his heart: This is the last time, and I won't do it again!
An Ning quickly thanked her and turned around to continue looking for her things.
Hei Feng watched her retreating figure, only to see her sway slightly, on the verge of fainting. For the first time ever, he stretched out one of his hands. By the dim candlelight, Hei Feng still managed to examine the calluses on his hand carefully; they were calluses left from years of killing people with a knife.
Thinking of this, he abruptly pulled his hand back and put it behind his back, asking, "What are you looking for?"
Anning quickly said, "A tinderbox."
Black Wind took out his tinderbox and said, "Here you go."
An Ning was stunned for a moment, then understood: "Thank you, I will pay you back."
Black Wind strolled leisurely to the door, leaned lazily against the doorframe, crossed his legs, and watched her departing figure, whispering, "I'll wait for you here."
At this very moment, in the Third Prince's Mansion.
On Mu Ange's study desk was a map of the palace's defenses, with several locations marked on it.
Chen Xun stood aside, his expression grave: "Third Master, isn't this trip too risky? We've been biding our time for years to secretly cultivate this force. Now that it's been exposed, your revenge plan may be difficult to carry out."
These people were personally trained by Mu Ange with painstaking effort; how could he not know the hardships and difficulties they had endured? And now, there was still a long way to go to achieve his ultimate goal. This was not the best time to launch an attack, but...
"Auntie, we must save her."
His aunt raised him from childhood, and was like a second mother to him. He still remembered how they had no charcoal to burn in the winter, and how his aunt had to beg from house to house in the freezing cold, wearing only a thin coat. He had endured so many cold looks and ridicule in those years. Now his aunt was trapped in the palace because of him. If he did not save her, he would be disloyal and unfilial, and would be worse than a beast.
Chen Xun naturally knew that the relationship between Third Master and Sister Yun was as close as that between mother and son, but there was one thing he had to make Third Master understand.
"Third Master, your ultimate goal is the same as Sister Yun's goal. Sister Yun said that even if she dies, she will clear the name of the Meng family!"
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