By the time they left the palace, it was already dusk.
Gu Yan said goodbye to everyone as usual and then took the carriage back to the residence.
When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the General's residence, the servant had already placed a stool beside the carriage. A Nuo called out softly, "Princess, we're here."
There was no sound in the carriage. A Nuo thought that Gu Yan had fallen asleep and called her louder, "Princess, Princess."
It was still quiet in the carriage. A Nuo could not help but panic. She lifted the curtain and saw Gu Yan sitting upright in the carriage. She was in a daze.
A Nuo did not know what she was thinking. She patted her and said, "Princess, we're here."
Gu Yan suddenly came back to her senses. Her eyes darkened and A Nuo's heart skipped a beat. But in the blink of an eye, she returned to normal, "Help me down."
They went straight to the room and closed the door. A Nuo asked worriedly, "Princess, what happened?"
Gu Yan lifted her hand and a small cloth bag was revealed under her wide sleeve. A Nuo asked, "What is this?"
Gu Yan did not answer. She only said, "It's something very important. You must remember that you are not allowed to tell anyone about what happened this afternoon."
A Nuo quickly nodded, "Don't worry, Princess." A Nuo saw her expression and said with concern, "Princess, why don't you rest for a while?"
Gu Yan nodded and lay down. A Nuo pulled down the curtain and left. Gu Yan lay straight on the bed, holding the small cloth bag tightly in her hand.
— — —
The continuous autumn rain made her clothes seem to be covered in a layer of moisture. The accumulated rain dripped down the room like a curtain of beads. Gu Yan was holding the letter that had just been delivered. She sat by the window and read it carefully. Yi Ling's handwriting was vigorous and strong, but there was a hint of tenderness between the lines.
Gu Yan sat for a long time. A Nuo teased, "What important matter did the general write that made my Princess so worried?"
Gu Yan smiled gently and put the letter away, "You're good at talking." She then turned to look at the rain outside the window, "It's been raining for days. Why don't you stay for a while?"
A Nuo said, "Isn't that so. I heard that the rain in the south is heavier and there's a disaster."
Gu Yan heard this and said to herself, "This time, something bad is going to happen again."
A Nuo did not understand, "What's going to happen?"
Gu Heng didn't explain, but asked, "How do you know that the south is in trouble?"
"A few days ago, when I entered the palace, Miss Cao's maidservant and I talked about it," A Nuo replied.
As usual, Princess Anle would summon the young ladies into the palace to chat when she had nothing to do. She could always hear some news from their conversations.
Prime Minister Xiao Ze recommended Li Mofeng to go to the south to help. Li Mofeng was the deputy commander of the British Martial Army. Once he left, the entire British Martial Army lost half of its power. The Duan Of Silla flatly refused. Han Wenfu recommended the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, Cao Yuanzhi. The two parties argued for what was right and for a while, the situation became serious.
At this critical juncture, Han Wenfu and the other old officials thought that no matter what, they should invite the Emperor back to take charge of the government. A group of old officials sent people to Bai Zhou to welcome the Emperor, but they were stopped before they could even see the Emperor.
Yi Ling passed the secret letter to Jiang Xun and the others. Jiang Xun said, "We really underestimated Xiao Yun. Now that the Emperor is in the hands of the Xiao family, it seems that the Duan Of Silla is powerless."
Li Feng heard this and said, "It must be them who secretly contacted Xiongnu."
"What a good Xiao Clan. I'm afraid that soon, there will be changes in the palace. General, we should go back immediately! "
"That's right. Once the Xiao Clan succeeds, you and I will be fish on the chopping block."
Yi Ling said slowly, "Without an imperial edict, you and I can't go anywhere." Without an imperial edict, if they rashly marched, they would be charged with treason and their heads would fall to the ground.
Jiang Xun sighed, "Are we just going to watch as the Xiao Clan tramples on Dai Yin's land?"
These words struck a chord in Yi Ling's heart. He had originally adopted a wait-and-see attitude. A good subject would choose his master. Now that Huan Xuantong had betrayed his country and violated his greatest taboo, everything went without saying.
In the blink of an eye, it was late autumn. The situation in the imperial court was becoming more and more tense.
At night, A Nuo was sleeping in Gu Yan's outer room. He vaguely heard Gu Yan tossing and turning. After a long time, he heard her call out to him, "A Nuo. A Nuo. "
A Nuo hurriedly answered, "Princess, what's wrong?"
"Come in."
A Nuo hastily put on a coat, kicked off his shoes, and entered the room. Just as he was about to light the lamp, he heard Gu Yan whisper, "Don't light the lamp. I have something to say to you."
A Nuo felt strange, but still walked to the bedside and sat down. He asked, "Princess, what's wrong?"
Gu Yan lifted half of the curtain and came down. She took something out from beside the pillow. The cold autumn moon was shining brightly in the room. Through the moonlight, Ah Nuo recognized at a glance that this was something that Gu Ling had brought back from the palace a few months ago.
Gu Yan glanced at A Nuo and asked, "Do you still remember this?"
How could A Nuo not remember? That day, Gu Yan had repeatedly asked her not to tell anyone about this. She had already faintly felt that this matter was of great importance, so she had to keep it in mind.
"That day, you asked me what was inside. Now, I'll show it to you." After Gu Yan finished speaking, he untied the outer layer of cloth. Inside, there was a small wooden box, engraved with dragon patterns. When the box was opened, the five dragons intertwined. The warm jade color was like silver water against the moonlight.
A Nuo knew that this was a very important thing when she saw it. He asked, "Princess, what is this?"
Gu Yan said faintly, "Dai Yin's Imperial Jade Seal."
His voice was extremely soft, but it was like thunder exploding in A Nuo's ears. He was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time. "Jade … Jade …"
Gu Yan smiled slightly and looked at her with watery eyes. He asked, "A Nuo, are you afraid?"
A Nuo acted as if she didn't hear anything. She only murmured, "This … This … How … How …"
"How did it end up in my hands?" Gu Yan already knew what she wanted to ask. "It's a long story. I just want to ask you. Are you afraid?"
A Nuo finally reacted. She looked at Gu Yan and said, "As long as Princess is here, Nuo Nuo is not afraid."
Gu Yan sighed with relief, "That's good. A Nuo, this is a critical moment. You and I have no one to rely on. There's something I need you to do."
A Nuo's gaze was firm. She nodded and said, "Princess, I'll do as you say."
A handsome horse galloped from afar. The person on the horse held up a token in his hand. The guards at the gate were about to stop him from afar, but the horse had already galloped closer. When they saw that it was Imperial Consort Yi's token, they didn't dare to stop him. They hurriedly opened the side gate of the Summer Palace.
The person on the horse looked nervous. He galloped all the way to the Summer Palace. He jumped off the horse and rushed to Liu Hua Palace.
Imperial Consort Yi's maidservant was guarding the door. When she saw him, she didn't say anything. The person hurriedly said, "Requesting an audience with Imperial Consort Yi."
The maidservant at the door didn't dare to neglect. She hurriedly turned around and entered the main hall. After a while, Qing 'er opened the door and came out. She reprimanded angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to come here?"
The person lowered his voice and said softly, "Something happened in Shengjing."
When Qing 'er heard these words, her expression changed. She said, "Wait here. I'll go and report to Imperial Consort Yi." After saying that, she turned around and went inside.
Imperial Consort Yi was sitting in front of the bed. She gently tucked the Emperor in and watched him fall asleep. The floor was covered with a soft blanket from the Western Regions. Stepping on it was soft and silent.
Qing 'er quietly entered the inner hall. She softly reported to Imperial Consort Yi in her ear, "Imperial Consort Yi, someone from the capital came."
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