72. The plot was exposed.
Nothing happened today.
Fu Lian tied Hong Hu's hands behind her back and put a strip of cloth over her mouth. Hong Hu looked at Qi Gu in disbelief, shaking her head and whimpering, as if asking, "Why did the eldest princess tie me up?" or "How did the eldest princess know that I betrayed you?"
Qi Gu looked at Hong Hu, who was being forced to kneel on the ground by Fu Lian, and shook her head. "Shh, be quiet. You'll find out what you want to know later, okay?"
"Princess, what should we do next?" Hongyan asked.
"Let's suppress Honghu for now. We still need to watch the show. If we don't finish watching the grand show that Second Sister prepared, wouldn't it be a waste of her efforts?"
She pointed to the low wall and said, "Let's climb over here and then hide in the shadows to watch the show."
Qi Gu rubbed her hands together, feeling the long-lost excitement of doing something naughty. Back in Lijia Village, when she took Gouwa to climb over the wall to pick ripe pears from Wu Ao's house, she climbed over the wall in the same way.
Fu Lian looked troubled. "Princess, there's actually a back door at the back of the palace. You can just go in through the back door." There's no need to go through the trouble of climbing over the wall.
Qi Gu looked at Fu Lian accusingly, "Fu Lian, you really don't understand romance."
Fu Lian gave up, deciding to just let the princess be happy and let her flip over; after all, it wasn't high, and she could just be careful.
So she half-squatted in front of the wall and said, "Princess, please step on my knees to climb up."
Qi Gu wanted to show Fu Lian and Hong Yan her light and graceful figure, but she couldn't refuse Fu Lian, so she said, "Alright then." She then said to Hong Yan, "Hong Yan, come in from behind."
Then, stepping on Fulian's knees, she easily climbed up the wall. Before Fulian could even get up, she confidently jumped down from the wall, startling Fulian so much that she almost screamed.
"Princess! Are you alright?!" Not hearing the princess's reply, Fulian was startled and quickly jumped up and down again.
At the back gate of the palace, it was pitch black all around. Fulian could only look for people by the faint moonlight, but there was no sign of the princess.
Fu Lian couldn't help but worry. Had the Second Princess's men kidnapped His Highness? Just as she was about to shout, someone behind her said, "The princess is alright."
She immediately turned around: "Who goes there!"
It turned out to be Atai. Atai pointed to the gap between two walls not far away, where the princess and Lord Sima were standing.
Hongyan also came over, and she and Fulian looked at the two blurry figures of their princess Sima, who were tightly intertwined.
In the dim light, his princess struggled, but Sima Langjun did not let go.
Even the slow-witted Fulian understood what was going on. Hongyan remained silent. Atai rubbed his nose. His husband was no longer shy about it at all. He looked up at the moon in the sky, thinking, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see."
Seeing this, Fulian and Hongyan followed Atai's example, turning their backs and looking up at the moon in the sky. The moon was so round tonight.
Not far away, Sima Hong held Qi Gu tightly by the back with one hand, pressing her into his arms, the two pressed close together with almost no distance between them. He gently covered Qi Gu's mouth with the other hand, without applying any force.
"Qi Gu, don't move, it's me." Holding the person in his arms, Sima Hong felt a long-lost sense of peace.
When Qi Gu heard that familiar voice, she wondered how he could be here. He should be in the room or in bed, and he shouldn't be in the wall at all!
Qi Gu reached out and saw Sima Hong remove his hand from her mouth. "You, how did you get here?"
At this moment, the two were face to face, and Qi Gu could feel the warmth of Sima Hong's body and smell the faint scent of bamboo on him. He had his long arms around her, as if to prevent her from escaping.
Sima Hong bent down and whispered in Qi Gu's ear, "I'm just like you, waiting for the show to begin."
Qi Gu felt Sima Hong's breath brush against her ear, and her ear involuntarily turned red in the darkness.
She pushed against Sima Hong's chest, but she couldn't budge the man in front of her at all. He had no intention of letting go of her. "Sima Hong, stay away from me!"
"Don't move, someone's coming."
A commotion arose outside the palace: "Hurry! Hurry! Ninth Sister is in here!"
The footsteps drew closer, and judging from the sound, it was quite a large entourage. The palace servants held up torches high, and through the gap between the two walls, Qi Gu could see the Empress, Madam Guo, and the Second Princess leading a group of palace maids and eunuchs into the room.
They stopped in the courtyard, and in the torchlight, Qi Gu could see the expectant look in Madam Guo's eyes, while her mother's expression remained calm.
The second princess seemed very anxious, saying, "Your Majesty, Mother, Ninth Sister has come here drunk. We must find her quickly, otherwise..."
The Empress smiled sneer and looked at the mother and daughter indifferently. "Is that so? Then hurry up and find Xiao Jiu, lest she get hurt or injured, and Zhao Ji will worry."
“Sister is right,” said Madam Guo in a charming voice, then ordered the servants in her palace, “Hurry up and go find them!”
"Oh dear, what's going on!" At this moment, a eunuch ran in. Seeing the Empress here, he immediately knelt down and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress and Lady Guo." Another eunuch knelt on the ground and curled up like a shrimp.
"Why are you so panicked?" the queen asked the person on the ground.
"Your Majesty, this is where Lord Sima changes his clothes."
The Empress looked at Madam Guo and the Second Princess. Madam Guo looked shocked, and she put on quite a good act. The Second Princess looked anxious to find someone. The mother and daughter were both good at pretending.
The Empress asked again, "Why is there not a single lamp lit in this palace?"
"This...this...this servant doesn't know either."
"Sister, the most urgent thing is to find Xiao Jiu and Lord Sima as soon as possible."
The Empress turned to look at Madam Guo, and this glance made Madam Guo feel a little guilty. She was also a person who had experienced many storms, and she quickly calmed down and allowed the Empress to look directly at her.
"Then search each room one by one!"
Instantly, the palace, which had been pitch black just moments before, was illuminated by palace servants who filed in carrying torches.
"There's someone here!" came the eunuch's exclamation from inside the room!
The Queen led the way toward the house.
Sima Hong and Qi Gu, who were hiding between the two walls, watched the entire "show" from close proximity.
Once everyone had gone inside, Qi Gu finally managed to shake off Sima Hong. "You knew all along that the Second Princess and the Ninth Princess were plotting against you?"
Sima Hong looked at his empty arms, feeling that the play had ended too quickly. "Didn't Aunt Qi know in advance, but she just watched from the sidelines, and even thought that it wouldn't be bad if it really worked out, right?"
Qi Gu said, "Lord Sima is so clever, you didn't fall for such a little trick."
When Fulian and Hongyan saw the princess emerge from the crack in the wall, they hurriedly asked, "Princess, are you alright?"
Qi Gu shook her head to indicate that nothing was wrong, and then she saw Atai, so the Second Princess's plan was destined to fail.
Then, as if remembering something, Qi Gu asked, "If you're here, who's in that house?"
Inside the palace, the Empress, Lady Guo, and the Second Princess watched as a palace maid stepped forward and lifted the blankets from the bed, revealing a young eunuch who had just been bound hand and foot and was unconscious.
The Empress sneered, "What has happened today is truly bizarre, isn't it, Consort Guo?"
Madam Guo glanced at her daughter and saw that her daughter's eyes were somewhat unfocused. Oh no, Rong'er's plan had made such a big mistake. She immediately realized that the current situation was very unfavorable to them. If not handled properly, she and her daughter would probably not fare well.
As Madam Guo was pondering how to clear herself of today's events, she heard a voice from outside the hall: "Oh, how lively!"
Zhao Ji entered, bowed to the Empress, and asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
“It’s Zhao Ji. The Second Princess said that the Ninth Princess got drunk. On the way back to the palace, the Ninth Princess broke free and ran away. We searched for her for a long time but couldn’t find her, so we told Guo Ji and me.”
Zhao Ji feigned surprise, "But Xiao Jiu has already returned to the palace and is sleeping soundly in bed right now."
Lady Guo and the Second Princess both looked at Zhao Ji and exclaimed, "What! How is this possible!"
"Then, what about Sima Xiuyuan?" Madam Guo couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Ji asked in confusion, "What does this have to do with Lord Sima?"
The Empress smiled mockingly. "Just now, this eunuch said that Xiuyuan was changing clothes here, and the Second Princess's people said that Xiao Jiu ran into this place."
The Empress scoffed, "However, it seems that neither Xiao Jiu nor Sima Xiuyuan are here."
"You despicable person who spouts nonsense! I, Xiao Jiu, have already returned to the palace. How dare you slander me, Xiao Jiu!" Whether it was anger, a veiled insult, or both, Zhao Ji raised her eyebrows and looked at the Second Princess. "Second Princess, who said they saw Xiao Jiu running here? I will throw her into the torture chamber and tear her apart!"
The second princess finally panicked. How could this be? Her meticulously planned scheme hadn't even gone as planned in the first step! What happened? Why wasn't Xiu Yuan here? Why wasn't Chu Xiang here...?
She looked at the people behind her. Had they all been bribed by the Empress? Or had the Empress already figured it out?
The second princess broke out in a cold sweat. This was impossible. How could this be? Suddenly, the second princess thought of someone. Could it be her?
Seeing her daughter's grim expression, Madam Guo immediately spoke up: "These palace servants are talking nonsense, causing Rong'er great worry and making Xiao Jiu suffer such slander. Not only are they negligent in their duties, but they also dare to shout and ruin the princess's reputation! Guards, drag them all away and beat them to death!"
"Wait a minute." The Empress looked at Lady Guo. "Lady Guo, the matter hasn't been investigated yet. Why are you in such a hurry? Are you feeling guilty?"
The Empress's sharp gaze pierced Madam Guo. "What do I have to feel guilty about?"
The Empress stopped looking at her and stared at the palace servants who were already kneeling on the ground. "How dare they deceive their master and tarnish the princess's reputation in Changyang Palace! I will never allow it!"
The Empress called out towards the door, "Someone come here."
A burly maidservant immediately entered, saying, "Your Majesty the Empress."
"Arrest all of them and take them back for thorough interrogation."
He then said to Madam Guo, "Princess Guo, rest assured, I will find out the truth and make sure you are satisfied."
At this moment, Qi Gu and Sima Hong entered the already crowded room one after the other.
"Oh dear, Second Sister, why do you look so weak? Are you worried too much about Ninth Sister?"
"It's you?" The second princess looked up at Qi Gu, who was walking slowly towards her with a gloating smile on her face. Her expression darkened. "How could you..."
Qi Gu walked to the Second Princess's side. "Second Sister, I sent a palace servant to ask in Ninth Sister's palace. It turns out that Ninth Sister returned to the palace a long time ago. Didn't I send someone to inform you? When Second Sister saw my people, did they say that nothing happened today, but Second Sister wouldn't allow it?"
The second princess stubbornly maintained her composure, believing that as long as there was no evidence, she had nothing to do with these matters! Most importantly, she still had a trump card; she wouldn't lose!
"Why do you say that, elder sister? I was only thinking of Ninth Sister. Now that Ninth Sister is safe and sound, that's wonderful."
The second princess looked utterly exhausted. "Your Majesty, Madam Zhao, since Ninth Sister is alright, my mother and I will return to the palace first." She thought that she must leave this place as soon as possible. As long as she could leave, as long as her mother could see her father, there was still room for things to turn around.
[Author's Note]
Qi Gu: [Sunglasses]
Sima Hong: [Heart eyes]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
