On the third, fourth, and fifth days, they wandered around in a tiny area, and Nan Yi felt extremely bored. The two tried every possible way to find a way out of the valley, but to no avail.
Zheng Yong was also anxious. The people outside must be going crazy with worry. Even if there was no road, he would forge one.
He came up with a plan: he found a sturdy green vine in the valley, tied it to his body, with one end around Nan Yi's waist, and then climbed up the mountain wall, with Zheng Yong in front and Nan Yi behind.
It started smoothly, but after climbing a few feet, Nan slipped and lost his grip, falling to the ground.
The mountainside was smooth and there weren't many easy places to hold onto. Zheng Yong, who was hanging on the mountainside, couldn't withstand the strong pull and fell down as well.
Just as Nan Yi was about to fall to the ground, Zheng Yong flipped in mid-air, pushed off the stone wall with his foot, and quickly reached out to grab Nan Yi. The two instantly switched positions, with Zheng Yong acting as a cushion for Nan Yi, who then crashed heavily onto him.
"Ugh~" Zheng Yong groaned, his pupils rolled back, and he almost died.
Nan Yi was also badly hurt when she fell. She clutched her chest, gasping for breath, and muttered a complaint, "My chest, if it falls a few more times, it'll probably be flattened."
She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and rolled to the side. "Brother Yong, let's find another way. We can't climb that mountain; it's barren, and I'm afraid of heights."
Nan Yi didn't notice that when she mentioned her chest, Zheng Yong's ears turned bright red, especially since there was a slender, soft body with a faint fragrance lying on top of him, and the softness of her chest pressed against him made people's imaginations run wild.
Zheng Yong turned his head, trying to calm his agitated heart.
He always thought he had a calm and peaceful mind. His father-in-law had told him that as a palace attendant, he should not have any emotions or desires.
Being a monk is better than being a eunuch. Monks have the chance to return to secular life, while for them, losing their virginity and indulging in lust will only lead to their quicker death.
Throughout his years in the palace, he had always done a good job. Among the emperor's confidants, there were many who fawned over him. When he went out on official business, many of them had been bribed with beautiful women, and many of his colleagues had benefited from it, but he had never entertained such thoughts.
The women were beautiful, but he saw the resistance and fear in their eyes, which made him even less inclined to touch them.
Nan Yi, from her clear eyes, he never saw any contempt for him; she truly considered him a friend.
Zheng Yong rubbed his aching chest and stared blankly at the stone wall in front of him. He had thought he was naturally cold-hearted, but it turned out he wasn't. Although he was a eunuch, he was still a human being, and how could a human being be without feelings?
Nan Yi was unaware that she had unintentionally stirred someone's heart; she was always careless and oblivious in certain aspects.
There was no way out of the valley; the only way to leave was to climb the rock face.
After some deliberation, Nan Yi had no choice but to accept his fate and climb the mountain.
Following the traces of the fight, Yinzhen and the others found themselves at the edge of the cliff, but none of them expected that the person they were looking for was at the bottom of the valley, or rather, was currently climbing the mountain.
"Is it possible..."
"Impossible, Xu Huaiyu is no match for Yi'er." Yinzhen sternly interrupted Thirteen's deduction.
Thirteen didn't want to believe it either, but there were trampling marks on the edge of the cliff, and he couldn't just pretend he didn't see them.
"I'll go look elsewhere," Yinzhen said with a stern face. Yi'er was accompanied by Li Yi and Li Er. With the abilities of the three of them, Xu Huaiyu was no match for them.
Thirteen understood Fourth Brother's feelings. If he were to say at this moment that Sister-in-law Tong might fall off a cliff, Fourth Brother probably wouldn't be able to bear it.
"Hey, Ninth Brother, what are you doing?" Thirteen reached out and grabbed Ninth Brother, who was standing on the edge of the cliff. "Be careful not to fall."
The Ninth Prince brushed aside the Thirteenth Prince, his expression sorrowful. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Nan Yi must be down there."
Thirteen was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Ninth Brother, please stop making things worse. Sister-in-law Tong is no ordinary person; the one at the bottom of the cliff might be Xu Huaiyu."
"Why don't we go down and take a look?" the Eighth Prince suggested calmly.
Thirteen was taken aback. "Eighth Brother, why are you joining in this nonsense? Nobody knows how deep it is down there. Besides, how do we even get down? And even if we do get down, can we come back up?"
The Eighth Prince, clutching the jade thumb ring on his thumb, peeked out and looked around at the trees. "Loosen the rope, as long as it is. Have a guard with good agility go down and check it out."
“That’s right. No matter what, it’s better to give it a try than to just wait around,” the Ninth Prince agreed.
From early morning, the ropes were lowered for an unknown length. Several groups of guards were sent down, and those who came back up all said that there was nothing at the bottom of the valley, just a pile of boulders, and there was no way out.
But how could that be?
On the seventh, eighth, and ninth days, there was still no result. Li Yi and Li Er returned three days after Nan Yi disappeared, bringing back Yan Liuer's head.
After being separated from their master, they chased Yan Liuer all the way out of Hebei Province. After several fierce battles, they finally managed to trick her. Because they were worried about their master Tong, they rushed back without stopping.
"Master, your subordinates failed to protect us properly. Please punish us." Li Yi and Li Er knelt on the ground.
Li Er kowtowed three times, his head drenched in cold sweat, and continued his report, "That night it was too dark. The mistress and her men lured Xu Huaiyu outside. At first they were still together, but they separated as the fight progressed. The mistress and Xu Huaiyu were evenly matched in martial arts. She instructed her men to capture Xu Huaiyu's maid. Xu Huaiyu entrusted her to her with peace of mind. The mistress said that the maid must not be allowed to escape. Her men dared not disobey the mistress's orders, so they strangled the maid to death and only dared to return after taking her head."
Yinzhen was angry. The people he sent to Lady Tong were there to protect her, not to be ordered by her to capture Xu Huaiyu's maid.
But he also understood that Yi'er was doing this for her own sake.
Xu Huaiyu is treacherous and cunning, and cannot be left unattended, including his highly skilled maid.
This woman, sigh.
Yinzhen sighed inwardly, a dark cloud gathering between his brows, fearing that if something had really happened to her, she might have followed in the footsteps of Li Yi and Li Er and gone after Xu Huaiyu.
Fortunately, Guard Zheng was with him, which was the only good news for him at the moment.
Li Yi and Li Er knelt below, their hearts filled with unease. They only knew how to carry out Master Tong's orders, forgetting their own duties, which constituted dereliction of duty. Master Tong would surely punish them.
Hopefully, Master Tong will return safely; otherwise, the two of them might lose their lives.
"I will not pursue your dereliction of duty for now. You have been following Madam Tong for a long time and know her better than others. I will give you a chance to make amends and bring her back. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Li Yi and Li Er quickly kowtowed to express their gratitude. "Master, you will not punish us for now. As long as we can find Master Tong, you might be so pleased that you will pardon us."
To be honest, given that master's fierce nature, he's bound to be alright. He's probably hiding somewhere. If they could take down Xu Huaiyu's maid, then Master Tong can take down Xu Huaiyu too. The two of them have this inexplicable confidence.
With a mountain of unresolved matters in the mansion and the Empress Dowager's birthday approaching, Yinzhen was utterly overwhelmed with work. Just then, Consort De sent word from the palace, ordering Nala to bring several of her concubines to the palace for a chat.
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