allonlinenovel Chapter 131 Rescue
Chapter 131 Rescue
The southern courtyard of Helan Mansion.
Xiao Zhu was telling Helan Xuenuo the news she had heard. "Miss, you asked me to send someone to watch over the palace. Today, they reported that a group of people were expelled from the palace yesterday. They were beaten terribly! And... they even carried out a body."
"Carried one?"
"I asked someone about it, and they said it was an old maid in the mansion who died of illness."
"Died of illness?" Helan Xuenuo already had an idea. It seemed the fortune teller, disguised as a Taoist priest, had done a really good job, and the old princess and Aunt Cui had taken his words to heart. They must have offended Master Gu, otherwise how could he have died? Aunt Cui was the only one oldest in the palace. Who else could have died if not her?
"That should be the case, right? But... there was a huge commotion at the palace yesterday. I heard that the old princess was taken to the Guanyin Temple to chant sutras and pray for blessings. I guess she didn't die of illness, but committed a crime!"
"Not bad...quite smart." Helan Xuenuo poured a cup of tea, smiled, drank it, and then rinsed it with hot tea, with steam rising from it.
It seemed... Gu Shicheng was truly enraged. Aunt Cui was dead, and the old princess had been sent to the Guanyin Temple for chanting! She suspected... that the drugging had something to do with Gu Shicheng's rage and murder! Could it be... that Aunt Cui had instigated the old princess to drug him and Princess Mengnan? Or perhaps the drug given to Qi Didi to eliminate her family lineage had been discovered?
So what if she was discovered? It was too late now! She had specifically asked for the medicine to last longer to ensure it was safe, but in reality, after taking just one or two doses, she would no longer be able to conceive. It was worth all the trouble she had spent on the medicine, and it was also a blessing to have those two helpers.
This would eliminate some future troubles, preventing Qi Didi from experiencing the same pain of being unable to conceive as she had in her previous life. Otherwise…if Qi Didi gave birth to several children in a row, just like in her previous life, and gained the attention of Gu Shicheng and the old princess, they would surely turn their attention to her again. She couldn't guarantee whether Qi Didi's children would harm her or her children in the future. After all, the disparity in status meant she couldn't fully predict the future! She could only take every step with caution.
Now she is in extreme pain. Even if she doesn't know it now, she will know in the future that she cannot get pregnant. After some investigation, the old princess will be unable to escape suspicion. Then she will really go crazy. This will be more satisfying than killing her directly.
Helan Xuenuo laughed, but she felt a little uncomfortable. She wouldn't have done these things before... If she hadn't experienced those things, she wouldn't have changed so much.
What about Gu Shicheng? Now... he's able to handle these things so swiftly. It's obvious that Aunt Cui, an old slave who plays along with the wind and instigates her master, should have been dealt with long ago! In his previous life, he turned a deaf ear to her, but in this life, he's acting so swiftly... He really loves Qi Didi so much!
Gu Shicheng! Gu Shicheng! What would he do if he knew that the woman he loved most would never be able to conceive, or that she was murdered by his mother?
In her previous life, he had given her child away with a bowl of abortion medicine, yet he allowed Qi Didi and the pharmacy clerk to falsely accuse her of aborting the child. She was heartbroken. That day, she confronted him, but he called her crazy, saying she could even harm her own child. She accused him of killing his child, saying he and Qi Didi had killed his child, but he said, "What if it was really Qi Didi who did it? He didn't want this child, obtained through such filth, in the first place."
It was him, closing his eyes and pretending not to see everything that happened, every single thing! He was an accomplice! He was helping the evildoers!
She sighed in amusement, thinking of his strange behavior over the past few days. How could such a man easily apologize to others? He must be thinking of some way to harm her again. He even wanted to attack her? Was he planning to marry her into the palace and have fun with her?
Then let her attack him first!
She counted the days with her fingers and realized that Chen Shian would soon return to Beijing.
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On the day Chen Shi'an returned to Beijing, the streets of the capital were much clearer, and his reputation for disaster relief had reached the capital before him.
The people were all discussing what this Qingzhou prefect looked like. He must be a righteous official, akin to Lord Bao! And a proper, upright official! And he was reportedly unmarried? And what kind of girl would marry the Qingzhou prefect?
Chen Shi'an's return to the capital wasn't particularly grand, but his carriage was escorted by elite soldiers. Helan Xuenuo had seen these elite soldiers before, and she recognized them; most of them came from the royal palace. His carriage, covered with a mahogany board, was so thin it looked like it could be blown away by a strong wind. But... he did indeed travel with these carriages to provide disaster relief and successfully returned to the capital to report on his work.
By the time they returned to the capital, the sun had already set, and the crescent moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the entire city. Their carriages and horses stayed at the Beijing Post Station, a place reserved for foreign officials and envoys, and therefore rather prosperous. The post station occupied a street all to itself, yet it was quiet and heavily guarded. Ordinary people were barred from entering, and unless they had a postal permit, it was closed to the public.
Late at night, the only sounds were the night watchmen's beating and the occasional barking of dogs.
Helan Xuenuo and Yuan Xu were standing near the post station in their night clothes, plotting how to get in. Helan Xuenuo couldn't help laughing when he saw Yuan Xu, who was covered up like a thief.
Yuan Xu asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Helan Xuenuo stopped laughing, but couldn't help laughing again.
Yuan Xu, “…”
"Smile again and you'll attract someone!"
"Okay! I just think you look funny dressed like this. You look a bit like... a thief..."
Yuan Xu looked himself up and down. Did he really look like a thief? He turned and stared at Helan Xuenuo. He was also wrapped tightly, with only his two eyes showing, rolling around like a little thief. But just looking at his eyes, you could tell he was a handsome little thief.
Yuan Xu joked, "If I were a thief, I would steal you back, you little thief." Yuan Xu reached out and rubbed her wrapped round head. Looking at her fiery eyes staring at him, he found it very interesting.
Helan Xuenuo twisted his arm, and Yuan Xu gritted her teeth and dared not cry out. The little thief had a strong grip. He touched his arm, pulled her head over, and whispered in her ear, "I've observed that they change shifts every Chou hour. We can climb over the wall and get in without being noticed. Now, the time is almost up."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." This answer made Yuan Xu feel energized. He confirmed, "You'll do as I say?"
"Well... I'll do as you say." Helan Xuenuo lowered her voice and spoke into his ear, fearing that Yuan Xu didn't hear because his ears were covered. She then reached out and made a gesture to strangle him, "Can't hear? If you can't hear me again, I'll strangle you!"
"I heard it... I heard it..." Yuan Xu had a wanton smile on his face as it was covered.
Yuan Xu hadn't wanted to take any risks with her, but Helan had said so, and she had to come. He couldn't let him take risks all the time, so he had to plan his route and take precautions. In fact, it wasn't just him and Helan who were coming today. He had also deployed his own troops around the area, ready to come in and rescue them if needed. He didn't dare risk Helan Xuenuo's life.
When the guards changed shifts, the two of them turned over and entered the yard, walking along the yard to a corridor. At this time, there were fewer people on duty, and the two of them took a lot of effort to get to Chen Shi'an's room.
There was still a light on in Chen Shi'an's room. Seeing the two people turn over and enter the house, he did not panic. He picked up the candle on the table and threw it at Helan Xuenuo. Helan Xuenuo dodged it. Chen Shi'an took the opportunity to run towards the door. When he was about to shout, Yuan Xu stopped him and said, "Prefect Chen, no offense, we are here to save you!"
Chen Shian sensed something was wrong and broke out in a cold sweat. He stopped and asked, "Save me?"
Helan Xuenuo picked up the extinguished candle on the ground, blew it out again, and placed it on the table. Chen Shian was also standing at the door. Yuan Xu stopped him with one hand. He realized that Yuan Xu was a skilled martial artist and had no intention of killing him. He asked again, "Who are you? Why did you say you wanted to save me?"