"Nine thousand years old!"
"The Emperor..."
August 28th, at the hour of Hai.
Guo Dongbing, who was given a day off by the emperor due to illness, was about to go to bed when he suddenly received a message from the eunuch serving in the imperial study, saying that the emperor was secretly meeting with a mysterious man brought back from outside the palace by the secret guards.
"The mysterious man outside the palace?"
Guo Dongbing raised his orchid finger slightly, narrowing his eyes dangerously. The Emperor had just two days ago consulted with the Imperial Noble regarding Shan Wushuang's dismissal and exile two years prior, and now he was secretly summoning a mysterious figure from outside the palace...
This matter seems to be strange!
"We know! This is a reward for you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will take my leave!"
Guo Dongbing threw one or two taels of silver to the eunuch who delivered the message. The eunuch kowtowed to express his gratitude and left.
So, Guo Dongbing, who was supposed to lie in bed and rest because of his weak body, changed into a neat black nightgown, covered his face and head with a black scarf, avoided the eyes and ears of the guards and secret guards, and nimbly climbed the eaves and walls in the palace and went to the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, Kang Fulai has been brought here."
Inside the imperial study, An Ba knelt on one knee before Nalan Yunzhi. Before returning to the capital, she had already sent a pigeon to the emperor in the palace, and now she was reporting back.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After a while, a figure wearing a black cloak, covering his entire body with only a pair of eyes exposed, walked in from the door of the imperial study.
"Your humble servant pays respect to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!"
As soon as Kang Fulai entered the imperial study, he took off the cloak he was wearing and knelt down and kowtowed to Nalan Yunzhi.
"Look up!"
"yes."
Nalan Yunzhi, seated at the large imperial desk, immediately observed a face markedly aged and haggard. The man kneeling before him was gaunt and withered, his face dark, dry, and wrinkled. His eyes were dry, his cheekbones prominent, his cheeks sunken, and his lips shrunken and slightly pale. Although it was mid-autumn, he still wore a patched, brown, coarse-lined shirt.
Nalan Yunzhi looked at Kang Fulai below, his eyes slightly narrowed with a look of scrutiny.
"You're not Kang Fulai! My Lingyan is a man of extraordinary character and grace, how could he have an ugly person by his side? The guards of Bixia Palace were carefully selected from thousands of people to prepare for Lingyan, and every one of them is first-rate in appearance. How could the dignified commander of the 'Bixia Flying Eagle' look like this?"
"Your Majesty, I am indeed Kang Fulai."
Kang Fulai, who was originally kneeling with a hunched back, straightened his back. He then raised his hands and used his internal force to open the seams of the human skin mask on his face. As he tore off the mask bit by bit, a beautiful face appeared.
Heroic sword-like eyebrows, piercing eyes, a high nose bridge, and clear, sharply defined facial features… this is undoubtedly a handsome man! Although Kang Fulai is nearly forty, he does not look old. Instead, he has a certain calmness, perseverance, and composure that comes with the passage of time.
Seeing a familiar face suddenly appear, Nalan Yunzhi, who was originally sitting in front of the imperial desk, clenched his fists slightly, then stood up from his seat and strode towards Kang Fulai below.
"Is Hua Qingcheng the blood of me and Ling Yan?" Nalan Yunzhi's eyes were filled with anger as he looked down at Kang Fulai who was kneeling at his feet.
"Your Majesty, Hua Qingcheng is indeed the legitimate daughter of the Emperor and Empress Feng."
Kang Fulai narrowed his eyes slightly, blinking away a hint of helplessness. He was afraid that his young mistress was destined to have an unhappy life.
"Tell me! What happened when Lingyan gave birth to Princess Civet Cat? Were you the one who stole Lingyan and I's own child? Who on earth instructed you to do such a heinous act?"
Nalan Yunzhi's hair was furious and he grabbed Kang Fulai's neck in anger, with the raging rage in his eyes suddenly bursting out.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please calm down!"
"Things haven't been clarified yet, he can't die yet."
Seeing that the situation was not good, An Ba was afraid that Nalan Yun would kill people in anger, so he quickly knelt down again.
"Humph! Tell me everything clearly. If you dare to lie to me even a word, I will tear you into pieces!"
Nalan Yunzhi angrily shook off the hand that was pinching Kang Fulai's neck. Kang Fulai, whose face had turned pale and lips had turned slightly purple, suddenly saved his life.
"Your Majesty, Queen Feng... was wrongly accused! The so-called birth of a raccoon cat demon child is completely false. Someone deliberately harmed her, and that person is..."
When Kang Fulai was about to tell the truth, a hidden arrow suddenly flew down from the roof and pierced his heart. Before Kang Fulai could even say the man's name, he fell to the ground and fainted.
"How can this be! Do you think I am dead?"
"Someone, call the imperial physician!"
When An Ba flew to the roof to fight with the man in black who was plotting against Kang Fulai, Nalan Yunzhi also chased after him with a sword in hand.
"Who are you? I never thought there was such a top master hidden in my palace!"
After fighting with the man in black for dozens of rounds, although the opponent could not hurt Nalan Yunzhi, Nalan Yunzhi could not hurt him either.
"Bang!"
Seeing that he could not win, the man in black stopped pestering and flew away after throwing a smoke bomb.
"How can this be possible!"
"Search for me! I want to see who this daring thief is!"
After all, the black-clad man's familiarity with the palace meant he couldn't possibly be from outside. Following Nalan Yunzhi's order, the Imperial Guards immediately began a carpet search of the palace.
"Where's Kang Fulai?"
When Nalan Yunzhi and An Ba returned to the imperial study, Kang Fulai, who had been lying on the ground, had disappeared. Looking at the empty ground, Nalan Yunzhi's eyes were bloodshot and he was burning with anger.
"I had no idea that there were people in this palace who dared to play with me like a monkey!"
…
Kang Fulai awoke in a place that resembled a basement, a cave, and a dark, gloomy place, lit only by two candles on the wall. After pulling out the hidden arrow from his chest, Kang Fulai spat out blood with a "puff!" sound. He then raised his hand and quickly pressed a few acupuncture points on himself, temporarily staunching the bleeding.
The man in black originally wanted to kill him, but his heart was different from that of ordinary people. It was located on the right side, so he escaped. However, he didn't know who abducted him here again.
Just as Kang Fulai was looking around and thinking, a black figure walked in from the door or cave entrance and was approaching him step by step.
"Commander Kang, it's been a long time!"
The man narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Kang Fulai with a wicked smile. Then he took off the black cloak, revealing a beautiful face and figure. Immediately, a monk came over and took away his cloak.
"I'm asking you, where is that baby from back then? Is he dead or alive now?"
"Why did you carry out the mission but didn't come back to report?"
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