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When her father and eldest brother were at home, they had taught her some anti-wolf techniques and how to save herself if she were taken hostage, but back then she was only interested in playing and didn’t learn seriously.

Concubine Xu felt like crying without tears, wishing she had paid attention to the lessons, so she wouldn’t be so powerless to resist now.

Seeing that Concubine Xu was not cooperating, the person in black had no choice but to take her out of the bedchamber through the window to avoid alarming others and inviting unnecessary trouble.

Concubine Xu turned pale with fear as she saw the place where she had lived for a year fade into the distance, nearly frightened out of her wits.

Where on earth was the person in black taking her?

In the midst of Concubine Xu’s terrified heart, she saw the person in black leading her scaling walls and leaping roofs, afraid that at any second, a slip of the hand would send her plummeting to the ground.

She instinctively clung tightly to the arm of the person in black, thinking that if she fell, she would drag her captor down as a cushion.

But in the blink of an eye, they arrived at a secluded and deserted spot.

The person in black let her go, not fearing she would scream or shout.

As soon as Concubine Xu got her freedom, she opened her mouth and shouted, "Help! Someone, there’s a flower thief, an assassin here!"

After wailing for what seemed like an eternity, the only responses were a few chirping crickets and nothing more.

The person in black spoke lightly, "You can shout yourself hoarse, but no one will come to your rescue."

Concubine Xu suddenly stopped calling for help. She realized she was in a secluded yard with no residents, scared she hid behind a column, secretly watching the person in black leaning against the wall, noticing they were quite tall, but she couldn’t make out the person’s face due to the dim light.

"I’ll give you money, how about you let me go?" she proposed.

In the moonlight, the person in black calmly looked at the woman hiding behind the column, "How much?"

Concubine Xu extended one hand, "Five thousand taels, how about that?"

The person in black let out a low laugh, "You think you’re worth only five thousand taels?"

"That’s all I have, I don’t have any more." Concubine Xu had previously sent word home for her mother to send some silver to support her.

She hadn’t even warmed the money in her hands yet!

The person in black took a few steps forward, and Concubine Xu, frightened, hastily retreated until her back hit the wall, with nowhere left to go.

"What are you going to do? I’ll have you know, my father is a general, and so is my elder brother. If you touch me, they won’t let you get away with it." Concubine Xu trembled violently, but she didn’t forget to talk tough.

The person in black chuckled lowly twice, clearly not taking her threats seriously.

"I need to ask you something."

Concubine Xu asked back, "If I answer, will you let me go?"

The person in black nodded readily, "Mmhmm, if you answer, I’ll send you back."

Concubine Xu was somewhat skeptical about the truthfulness of the person’s words, but she had no other choice at the moment.

"Then ask."

The person in black inquired, "Is there someone called Xiao Jiu in the palace?"

Concubine Xu told the truth, "Among the people I know, there’s no one called Xiao Jiu."

The person in black frowned, stepped forward a few paces, and pulled out a dagger, pressing it against Concubine Xu’s neck.

Concubine Xu was so scared she dared not move, feeling the icy dagger against her neck, knowing that a little pressure would cause blood to spray on the spot.

"Didn’t you say that if I answered, you would send me back? How can you, a man, not keep your word?"

The person in black asked coldly, "Are you sure there is no one called Xiao Jiu in the Imperial Palace?"

Concubine Xu was close to tears, "The palace is so vast, how could I possibly know everyone? Can you ask someone else, please? I really don’t know anything."

The long fingers of the person in black touched Concubine Xu’s cheek, and he sighed softly, "You are so young, with such good skin, and you’re pretty too. How about I scar your face?"

Upon hearing the threat of disfigurement, Concubine Xu trembled terribly, "If a woman’s face is ruined, what’s the point in living? You might as well kill me with one blow."

The person in black demanded, "So tell me, do you or do you not know someone called Xiao Jiu?"

"I truly don’t know..." Concubine Xu paused, then said, "I’ll help you search, won’t I?"

The person in black paused, considering the suggestion feasible.

"All right."

Concubine Xu let out a sigh of relief secretly, thinking once she escaped, she would make him pay!

The person in black took out a medicine pill from his chest, and with his other hand, gripped Concubine Xu’s chin, forcing her mouth open before stuffing the pill inside and then letting her go.

"It’s poison."

Once freed, Concubine Xu desperately attempted to induce vomiting, trying to spit the pill out, but nothing came out.

The person in black reminded her, "The pill dissolves as soon as it hits your mouth, you can’t throw it up, and it won’t take your life immediately. I alone have the antidote. If you help me find the person, I’ll give you the antidote."

Concubine Xu’s gagging paused as she felt dejected, thinking how she could possibly find Xiao Jiu in such a vast palace.

After escorting Concubine Xu back, the person in black promised to give her the antidote every three days.

Just as the person in black was leaving through the window, Concubine Xu called out to him, "Is Xiao Jiu male or female? How old? Pretty or... are they just an ordinary palace maid or eunuch?"

"Xiao Jiu, fifteen years old this year, soon turning sixteen," the person in black said, pausing for a moment, "She’s very pretty and cute."

Concubine Xu impulsively asked, "Could she be the one you love?"

The person in black did not answer Concubine Xu’s question and left nimbly through the window. In the blink of an eye, his agile figure vanished into the night.

Concubine Xu felt as though she had walked out of Ghost Gate Pass, feeling petrified and soulless, and slumped onto the bed, whispering, "That scared me to death."

Qimeng Hall

Xueyan sat on the bed the whole night without changing her posture, the scarf on her cheeks still properly in place.

The red candle with the happiness character had burnt out.

All through the night, Xiao Jinyan did not show up.

Xueyan clutched the scarf, thinking that as a Princess, Xiao Jinyan should have come.

Shuiyao felt sorry for her young mistress and gently suggested, "Princess, maybe His Highness was occupied until very late and thought you were resting, that’s why he didn’t come. Why don’t you rest for a while?"

Xueyan didn’t know whether Xiao Jinyan was genuinely busy until late or avoided coming deliberately, but either reason was embarrassing for her as a Princess.

She said gravely, "Prepare my bath and clothing, I’ll pay my respects to His Highness."

Shuiyao responded, "Yes."

Hehuan Hall

Shen Chuwei turned over and touched something solid. She instinctively felt it, appreciating its smooth texture, and then pinched it...

A muffled groan came from the bed.

Suddenly, her hand was clasped tightly, and Shen Chuwei was taken aback. There was someone else in bed.

She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a pair of bright phoenix eyes, and she was stunned for several seconds.

When did His Highness climb into bed?

"Your Highness, weren’t you busy with official documents in the study last night?" she asked.

Xiao Jinyan, catching the implication in her words that he must be busy all night, remarked, "I can’t work on documents without resting."

Shen Chuwei, not yet fully awake, pondered his words and nodded in agreement, "What Your Highness said makes sense."