Gan Qiongying said, "I didn't ask Xiji's husband for help. If it implicates them, wouldn't we be gaining freedom by stepping on other people's corpses? How can we be happy living like that?"
"I am the one who sent Shadow Eight to explore the route, letting the gyrfalcon roam the waters around Qinzhou."
“I still have a gyrfalcon,” Gan Qiongying smiled at Gan Lin, a hint of cunning in her eyes. “These two gyrfalcons are a pair. We forcibly separated them. The reason the mother hasn’t chased after them is because a brood of chicks is about to hatch. After they hatch, the gyrfalcon will wait for the chicks to be able to fly completely.”
"If we calculate the time, by next spring, when the breeding season arrives, even if the two of them are thousands of miles apart, they will fly together."
"These two gyrfalcons will be the ones to guide us and help us cross the Qinzhou sea area when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Gan Lin's eyes flashed with amazement, but at the same time, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart: "Sister...you've really suffered these past years."
My sister had secretly done so much, and only now is she revealing it to him.
Gan Qiongying pulled Gan Lin, who was about to cry again, aside and continued to tell him about several routes and how to deceive people.
Although Gan Qiongying was not a woman of exceptional talent in both literature and martial arts, she had devised a great many ways to escape from the very beginning.
Without any cheat codes, in this ancient world where travel was slow, the seemingly simplest yet most deceptive strategy was multitasking.
Moreover, Gan Qiongying possessed the most beautiful "get-out-of-jail-free card"—Li Hua.
Of course, it wasn't about the money in Li Hua's hands, nor was it about how much Gan Qiongying trusted Li Hua so much that she entrusted herself and Gan Lin to him, gambling their lives on whether Li Hua was kind enough and whether he would betray them to Jin Chuan.
Gan Qiongying's get-out-of-jail-free card was the human skin mask that Li Hua wore on his face.
From the day Gan Qiongying saw Li Hua's true face, she knew that what he wore on his face was her best life-saving weapon.
She had been observing carefully, and Li Hua's face was flawless. She had even checked it last night; kissing didn't affect anything.
Gan Qiongying had been patiently waiting, pretending to be completely unaware of Li Hua's true nature, quietly lying in wait, hoping to find a suitable opportunity to expose Li Hua's mask so that she could legitimately obtain the method for making human skin masks.
The process must be gentle and gradual. If necessary, Gan Qiongying even prepared herself mentally, and she could kneel down and beg Li Hua to teach her.
Gan Qiongying felt no shame whatsoever; she was willing to bend and stretch for her life, and that was nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, there was nothing wrong with her kneeling before the God of Wealth, since the God of Wealth really did give money.
She never wanted to have a falling out with Li Hua; she hoped that Li Hua would also have a good ending.
Hopefully, when the story comes to an end, Li Hua, her, and Gan Lin, even if they are separated by vast distances, living in different countries and on different sides, will all be able to live well.
However, the method of making human skin masks has become easier now because the relationship between Gan Qiongying and Li Hua is no longer what it used to be.
Once she and Gan Lin have a way to make and wear human skin masks, they can naturally live a carefree and anonymous life.
When Nanzhao and Jinchuan merge in the plot, the story of this book will come to an end. Ten or eight years later, Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin will switch identities and live different lives.
Throughout Nanzhao, and even in the surrounding countries, wherever Gan Lin wants to go, they can go.
“There are some things we don’t need to rush. We still need to make careful arrangements,” Gan Qiongying said, putting her hand on Gan Lin’s shoulder and patting him. “I will tell you everything slowly.”
Three of the four lines are false and only one is true. Gan Qiongying said, "As the saying goes, 'the darkest place is under the lamp,' and 'the greatest hermit lives in the city.'"
"We need to find a lively place, preferably near water, with a pleasant climate suitable for recuperation and convenient for getting around."
"What do you think of these two towns?" Gan Qiongying asked, pointing to the map.
Gan Lin followed her hand and nodded without any objection. Gan Qiongying's confident demeanor gave Gan Lin immense confidence. He looked at the small punctuation marks on the map, his heart filled with boundless anticipation.
Gan Qiongying then asked Gan Lin, "Do you have any other capable people at your disposal?"
Gan Lin moved his lips, about to speak, when Eunuch Li's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Son-in-Law has arrived."
The siblings abruptly stopped talking. Gan Qiongying pinched her own mouth and pretended to pinch Gan Lin's as well.
He gestured to Gan Lin to stop saying anything more.
Gan Lin nodded, sat down at the table looking somewhat tired, and coughed a few times with his fist to his lips.
The ground was still a mess. Gan Qiongying patted his back to relieve his cough, while Gan Lin rolled up the map and carefully put it away.
Then he said to the outside, "Send word."
Gan Qiongying stood next to Gan Lin. Before Li Hua entered, she leaned down and whispered in Gan Lin's ear, "Don't put on any imperial airs later. Be polite and treat it like a warm family meeting. He gave me the 800,000 taels of silver, and he also found someone to get me those gyrfalcons. He's a really good person."
Gan Lin nodded, and Gan Qiongying said again, "Look closely at the prince consort's face later. After you've seen it, you'll understand why I said that as long as we run away, no one can catch us."
As Gan Qiongying straightened up, Li Hua had already entered the hall.
"This humble subject pays homage to Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty a long and prosperous reign."
Li Hua knelt down with his legs bent and bowed properly. Before Gan Lin could tell him to rise, Gan Qiongying rushed forward, grabbed Li Hua's arm, and pulled him up from the ground.
"I have already told His Majesty that your legs are not good and you should not kneel. If the bandages loosen, it will cause trouble. Please get up."
Gan Qiongying held Li Hua's hand, and she had been smiling ever since he entered the hall, even her tone of voice was gentle as water.
"Did anyone say anything rude to you among the male customers? Did anyone harass you?"
Gan Qiongying glanced back at Gan Lin, and like showing off her "child," proudly said to Li Hua, "If anyone provokes you, just tell me, and I'll have His Majesty summon him to kneel outside until you're appeased!"
Although Gan Lin was a puppet, apart from the regent Sima Rui, any official in the court could be forced to kneel outside, and that person could only swallow their anger and resentment. This was the power of the emperor.
Li Hua was both pleased that Gan Qiongying had spoken like that, and worried that she might anger the emperor by saying it in front of him.
He tried to shake off Gan Qiongying's arm, but his fingers involuntarily tightened around her hand. Under the cover of the wide sleeves of his robe, he quickly squeezed Gan Qiongying's hand back.
Even after such a short time apart, Li Hua already missed her terribly.
Gan Qiongying spoke to Li Hua in such a soft and gentle tone, every word of which was protective of him, that Li Hua felt his body tingling as he leaned against her.
Even though the two had only been apart for a morning, Li Hua was already annoyed with herself for being so weak-willed.
However, he didn't forget etiquette, and bowed again respectfully in Gan Lin's direction, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
“Sister is right. There’s no need for formalities among family.”
Gan Lin sat at the table amidst the mess, his expression very gentle. Although he was frighteningly thin, he was in much better spirits.
He had always listened to his elder sister since he was a child. Gan Qiongying told him not to act like an emperor to Li Hua and to be very polite. Naturally, Gan Lin did as Gan Qiongying said.
Gan Lin stood up from the table and smiled at Li Hua: "Since the Prince Consort married my elder sister, I have been busy with many affairs and have not had much opportunity to have a proper talk with him."
"Today happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunion. Prince Consort, please don't be so formal. Let's sit down and have a good chat as a family."
Gan Lin gave Eunuch Li a wink, and Eunuch Li quickly dispatched several maids to tidy up the mess in the room quietly and efficiently.
As Gan Lin walked towards Gan Qiongying and Li Hua, he didn't put on any imperial demeanor. His forced smile made his dimples even deeper because he was so thin, and his phoenix eyes curved up, making him look somewhat adorable.
He said to Li Hua, "My sister looks much better than before when she came to the palace this time. She is also much more radiant. This is all thanks to the care of the Prince Consort. My sister keeps talking about how good the Prince Consort is."
Li Hua was actually a little uneasy; he felt that the atmosphere in the hall was not right.
In fact, he had met the emperor privately many times. Although they had never spoken, Li Hua knew that before he married Gan Qiongying, the emperor had secretly run out of the palace and followed him with his men.
"Your Majesty is too kind."
Li Hua remained composed, his mind racing, wondering what had happened to the pile of things on the ground. He feared that Duan Rong had angered His Majesty again, which was why His Majesty had swept all the memorials onto the ground...
Li Hua was extremely nervous and immediately tried to say a few words in support of Gan Qiongying.
However, Gan Qiongying had already grabbed his hand and, disregarding all etiquette, rushed into the emperor's bedroom.
"Princess!" Li Hua lowered her voice, slowed her pace to stop Gan Qiongying, and turned to look at Gan Lin.
As a result, Gan Lin followed, and even reached out and tugged at Li Hua, which startled Li Hua. Li Hua wanted to dodge but dared not, for Gan Lin was, after all, the emperor.
Gan Lin exchanged glances with Gan Qiongying privately and said more gently, "It's past noon, the prince consort must be hungry. I have already ordered some food to be sent over. The palace banquet is still a long way off, let's have a meal together as a family first."
So, Li Hua, who was already tense and nervous, was pulled into the inner room by the siblings and made to sit down at the table.
Soon, the maids filed in and quickly set out a table of food.
The three sat together intimately, but none of them touched their chopsticks much. Each of them had their own ulterior motives and kept an eye on the other.
Gan Qiongying looked at Gan Lin, Gan Lin looked at Li Hua, and Li Hua looked at Gan Qiongying.
This forms a perfect closed loop.
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