无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

Gucheng quietly followed her.

His steps made no sound.

If not for his slender shadow in the moonlight, Jiang Ning would have almost believed he wasn’t human.

“There are people guarding outside.” Jiang Ning pressed her ear against the door, “Now should be the time when people are the most drowsy. I wonder if they have dozed off.”

“No.” Gucheng answered.

His tone was very certain, obviously, he had seen it when he flew down from the roof earlier.

“Why aren’t they tired?” Jiang Ning wondered.

“They change shifts every four hours.” This time Gucheng explained quickly.

“No wonder.” Jiang Ning was slightly annoyed, speaking softly, “That damned Li Hongyuan, treating me like a thief and guarding me so tightly, yet he claims he doesn’t suspect me. Is there any way to avoid these imperial guards…”

She mumbled to herself, deep in thought.

Unexpectedly, Gucheng’s voice came again: “I can.”

“You?” Jiang Ning looked back at him.

“Shall we go?” Gucheng asked.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

Suddenly, Gucheng reached out, grabbed the collar of her robe, and lifted her up.

The next moment, Jiang Ning found herself in mid-air.

She was dumbfounded.

Not that her mind was muddled, but she looked like a fool.

A grown person like her, being carried in mid-air by Gucheng holding her clothes.

If not a fool, what was she?

“Let go of me!”, Jiang Ning whispered angrily.

“You’ll fall.”, Gucheng said.

“You’re carrying me so ostentatiously, those imperial guards aren’t blind, can’t they see us?”

“Even if they see us, they can’t catch up. Besides, they can’t see us.”

“Why not?”

“I knocked them out.”

“When?”

“When the Seventh Miss called me.”, Gucheng said slowly but clearly, “It was convenient.”

Jiang Ning: “…”

She was questioning her life choices: “Then why didn’t you say it earlier, I could have just opened the door and walked out myself, right???”

“This is faster.” Gucheng paused, then added, “If you insist, I can put you down now.”

“Never mind.”

Jiang Ning dangled her arms and legs, resigning herself to feeling like a cat.

A cat being held by the scruff of its neck, floating in mid-air.

Soon, they arrived at the Splendid Palace.

There were not many people around the Splendid Palace.

The Emperor had already gone back to the Crystal Frost Hall to sleep.

Gucheng gently put Jiang Ning down.

Jiang Ning looked around.

The once magnificent palace now lay desolate and dark, evoking a sense of melancholy.

On such a mid-autumn night, the few palace maids and eunuchs of the Splendid Palace were all sneaking off either to play cards and drink or to find a place to sleep.

After all, there was no longer a master here.

“I don’t know where Denghua used to live before she died.” Jiang Ning looked around hesitantly.

Splendid Palace was enormous, with many rooms.

It was unrealistic to search them one by one.

Even if they found it, they couldn’t be sure.

At this moment, Gucheng suddenly said, “Seventh Miss, there’s someone.”

“Where?” Jiang Ning felt a chill down her spine.

“Wait for me.”

Gucheng turned and left, disappearing in an instant.

Jiang Ning almost burst into tears, “Gucheng, don’t leave me!”

Before her tears could fly out, Gucheng reappeared, now holding a person in his hand.

He was holding them up as well.

Jiang Ning instinctively touched her own neck and leaned in, “What’s this?”

“A woman.”

Gucheng casually pressed a point, and the woman let out a moan, waking up and looking around alertly.

This was a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in ordinary palace maid attire.

“I think I’ve seen you before?” Jiang Ning felt that the girl looked familiar.

However, the maid recognized Jiang Ning immediately and knelt down: “This servant greets the Seventh Miss.”