Xiao Yan paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on her hand that was tugging at his sleeve, then looked away, frowning as he said, "It's not the right time yet."
"Why?"
"If you and the Empress Dowager suddenly disappear together now, Gu Heng will easily find out and send people to chase after you. Then you won't be able to leave."
So you'll have to wait until his wedding day. That day will be the busiest, with palace staff and guards too busy to attend to anything else. It will be easier for you to leave with the Empress Dowager on that day.
"And by the time you were discovered, you had already run to a safe place," Xiao Yan explained.
“It seems that there is some truth to it,” Atuo Jianghua murmured.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here eventually," Xiao Yan reassured him. Then, remembering something, he asked, "By the way, I just heard a baby crying in your palace. What happened?"
As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but fall on her stomach. He paused, then joked, "You didn't give birth to a baby in just a few days, did you?"
A-Tuo Jiang Hua was stunned for a moment, then rolled her eyes at him without any politeness, "Are you a pig? How am I supposed to give birth by myself?"
Being called a pig didn't anger Xiao Yan at all; in fact, he felt a strange sense of pleasure. He jokingly said, "Don't worry, once you leave the palace, you'll have plenty of opportunities to have children."
A-Tuo Jiang Hua pinched his arm in annoyance, "What? I didn't say I wanted to have a baby."
Xiao Yan hissed as he was being pinched; this girl was really rude.
What he didn't say was that once she left the palace, she would have to go back to Xinjiang before anyone would want her.
"It's late, so you should get some rest. I'm leaving." He pulled her hand away, squatted down to move the floor tile, and then jumped down.
Watching the man walk away without looking back, A-Tuo Jiang Hua felt inexplicably lost.
She squatted at the entrance of the tunnel, staring blankly into the dark tunnel.
Just then, Xiao Yan returned. "By the way, before you brought the Empress Dowager here that day, try to get the palace servants away first."
A-Tuo Jiang Hua was caught off guard by his sudden return. In the darkness, a head suddenly popped out, startling her so much that she fell backward to the ground.
Xiao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then scoffed lightly, "How can you be so timid?"
When Atuo Jianghua saw it was him, she calmed down and complained, "Who knew you would suddenly come back?"
"It was my fault, okay?" Xiao Yan said helplessly. "You remembered what I just said, right?"
Atuo Jianghua nodded, "Yes, but why send everyone away?"
Xiao Yan gave her a deep look. "You are a princess from Huijiang, and you have come to Daye for a marriage alliance. If Gu Heng finds out that you ran away, he will definitely make trouble for Huijiang."
A-Tuo Jiang Hua's heart sank. "So what?"
"So remember to set this room on fire the night you leave," Xiao Yan said.
Atuo Jianghua's eyes lit up. "That's right! In this way, the Emperor will think that I perished in the fire and will not make things difficult for Xinjiang."
"Yes, so remember to send everyone away to prevent the fire from spreading to innocent people," Xiao Yan instructed.
"I understand." Atuo Jianghua nodded, then asked, "I'd like to take my two maids with me as well, is that alright?"
"You can arrange it yourself," Xiao Yan said.
"Duke Jingguo, thank you." Atuo Jianghua smiled and said sincerely.
Xiao Yan paused for a moment, then waved his hand, "Alright, I'm leaving."
"You need to be careful!" Atuo Jianghua remembered that he had said something might happen to him earlier, so she quickly lay down at the entrance of the tunnel and shouted urgently.
Xiao Yan paused, his voice softening, "Okay." Then, he suddenly turned back to look at her, "Don't worry, I'll be fine." With that, he strode away.
A-Tuo Jiang Hua squatted there, and it took her a long time to realize what was going on. She wasn't worried about him at all! She was just being presumptuous!
...
As Xiao Yan had predicted, Gu Heng summoned him to the Imperial Study the following day after court.
"Uncle, please sit down." Gu Heng was unusually gentle, contrary to his usual behavior, and even poured him a cup of tea himself.
Xiao Yan glanced at him, readily sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then exclaimed, "The tea here is still the best, my nephew."
Gu Heng paused upon hearing his form of address, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he suppressed it, remembering the question he would ask later.
"If Uncle enjoys the tea, I will have someone send the tea leaves to the Duke of Jingguo's residence shortly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Xiao Yan said with a smile, appearing carefree as he held his teacup and sipped his tea.
A hint of impatience flashed across Gu Heng's brows, but he suppressed it and said, "Uncle, I heard that my grandfather left behind a will."
"Is that so?" Xiao Yan was very surprised. "How come I've never heard of this before? Who told you this?"
Gu Heng scrutinized him, as if to see if he was lying. "My grandmother told me."
Xiao Yan sneered inwardly upon hearing this.
This brat, how could he tell such a lie? Does he think I'm an idiot?
"My older sister is so biased! How could she not tell me something so important?" Xiao Yan said angrily, then looked at Gu Heng and asked curiously, "Then tell me, what was written in that will?"
Gu Heng looked at him intently and said, word by word, "Pass the throne to Gu Linchao."
Xiao Yan looked surprised. "Really?"
Gu Heng said, "This is a question I should ask my maternal uncle."
Xiao Yan was puzzled. "Why are you asking me?"
"Since the will is in my great-uncle's hands, he can just take it out and see what it says," Gu Heng said calmly.
Xiao Yan suddenly stood up and said incredulously, "You actually think I have a will? How come I didn't know about this?"
Gu Heng glanced at her and said, "This is what my imperial grandmother told me. For the sake of the stability of the empire, I hope that my maternal uncle will not show favoritism and will hand over the edict to me for handling."
Xiao Yan said helplessly, "I really don't have any imperial edict. What do you expect me to give you? Besides, if the Emperor hadn't mentioned it today, I wouldn't have known there was any imperial edict at all."
Gu Heng scrutinized him for a moment, then suddenly said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. Those who understand the times are heroes. Uncle, please think it over carefully."
Xiao Yan cursed him in his heart, but smiled bitterly and said, "I understand this principle. I also want to serve Your Majesty, but the problem is that I really don't have any imperial edict. Please believe me, Your Majesty."
"It seems that my uncle has not yet fully grasped my meaning. In that case, my uncle should reflect on his actions at home for the next few days. When he has figured things out, he should send someone to inform me." Gu Heng's expression turned calm, and his tone was not one to question.
Xiao Yan sighed, "Why won't Your Majesty trust me?"
"I have already given you a chance." Gu Heng said, too lazy to waste any more words with him, and called out, "Si Luo, escort the Duke of Jing back to his residence. Recently, assassins have been rampant. To ensure the Duke's safety, you must send people to keep a close watch on the Duke of Jing's residence."
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