As the tall, thin man in black carrying the unconscious Ji Fengyao emerged, he witnessed this scene and immediately shouted, "You bastards! Stop! Who gave you permission to hurt someone!"
"Miss Xique!" Lin Shuang's exclamation had barely begun to escape her lips.
The man's knife barely stopped in front of the magpie. Turning around, he saw that the tall, thin man in black had already succeeded. He quickly sheathed his knife, leaped away, clasped his hands, and bowed his head.
"Hold them off for a moment and then retreat. Do not harm anyone," the slender man in black gave his final order. He carried Ji Fengyao in a few leaps and quickly disappeared into the dense cluster of palaces.
Jiang Zhenning, also dressed in black and masked, was hiding with his men in the alley behind Ji Fengyao's room, and had not yet made a move.
"Father-in-law, shall we still make a move?" a disguised lackey asked.
Jiang Zhenning felt a sharp pain in his heart when he heard those two words, and angrily slapped his henchman across the face: "The people have already been kidnapped, what are you still doing going out? Are you going to help those thieves kill the Ninth Prince's lackeys, or are you going to help the Ninth Prince's men kill those thieves?"
The little follower covered his face in grievance:
Why did you hit someone? You're the leader, can't they even ask you questions?
The commotion here is quite loud.
Those sitting near the doors and windows in the banquet hall could vaguely hear the noise, but not a single person came to take a look, and not a single Imperial Guard appeared.
Shang Beiyu gently twirled the jade cup a few times with his long fingers, and glanced at the empty seat of the Ninth Prince out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he couldn't help but get up.
Seeing that Shang Beiyu had stood up, Shang Chuyue bit her lower lip and opened her mouth to call out to him.
But then she heard the Empress at the banquet call out to her: "Yue'er, come here."
Shang Chuyue clenched her fists lightly under the table, obediently stood up, and walked towards the Empress with her head bowed.
The Empress reached out and touched Shang Chuyue's rosy face with a loving expression, and said in a gentle voice, "You child, it must be because the fruit wine was so sweet and easy to drink that you got greedy. Look, your face is all red from drinking."
Shang Chuyue turned to look at her mother, Consort Rou.
Seeing how kind and affectionate the Empress was to Shang Chuyue, Consort Rou felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Mother feels a bit chilly, so why don't you go with Aunt Songshan to fetch me a cloak? You can also get some fresh air and sober up a bit, okay?" The Empress gently stroked Shang Chuyue's bangs.
Shang Chuyue knew that she was urging her to make that matter happen.
Shang Beiyu had already left his seat; the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.
She could only bow and reply, "Yes, Mother."
As Shang Beiyu left the banquet hall and arrived near the Ninth Princess's resting place, he saw Wu Shang and the other guards frantically chasing after several men in black.
With her hair disheveled, Xi Que followed closely behind Lin Shuang as if she were in a frenzy.
She kept sobbing, "Miss, Miss, you can't be hurt."
Shang Beiyu lightly tapped his foot and moved from another direction to block the path the man in black had taken.
The group gradually caught up with the cold palace.
Suddenly, Shang Beiyu caught a strong, unusual fragrance. Following the scent, he discovered an inner palace within the Cold Palace, decorated with red and colorful ornaments and arranged in a festive and grand manner.
Soft, slightly rapid breathing could be heard from inside the hall, mixed with a woman's panicked murmurs and sobs.
Shang Beiyu held her breath, stepped to the door, and looked inside, only to be slightly taken aback: it was her!
Ji Fengyao's face was flushed, her delicate eyebrows were furrowed, and she was curled up in the bed with its light gauze curtains. Her small body was curled up, and she kept muttering to herself, as if she was trapped in a nightmare.
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