In the martial arts world, he threatens Yin Susu from the start.

After all, Tao Hongying knew that she was skilled in martial arts.

Unfortunately, they couldn't make a move right under Gu Hanyuan's nose.

He could only say cautiously:

“Young master. That palace maid is named Tao Hongying. She seems to know the layout of the palace very well. She wanted my help to expose the fake empress dowager, which is why she saved me.”

Su Quan secretly applied eye drops.

This exposes suspicious aspects of Tao Hongying, reminding Gu Hanyuan that she might have ulterior motives.

Gu Hanyuan found it somewhat amusing, but said calmly on the surface:

"It's alright, just go and call her over."

Su Quan had no choice but to call Tao Hongying after hearing this.

Gu Hanyuan watched Su Quan's slender figure disappear into the distance, a playful smile playing on his lips.

Sending Su Quan to call Tao Hongying was to give her time to act.

As expected, the wait was a little long.

Tao Hongying, who was standing next to Su Quan, also looked rather unwell.

Su Quan's expression was much calmer, as if she was no longer worried about Tao Hongying leaking the secret.

However, after Gu Hanyuan took Tao Hongying away alone, she immediately became nervous and uneasy again.

Tao Hongying, who had been led into the bedroom by Gu Hanyuan, was startled by Gu Hanyuan's words before she could even take in the scene.

"I am Princess Changping's man."

Chapter 643: Tao Hongying's Pledge of Allegiance

P.S.: My eye corner is inflamed, and it hurts and itches.

Tao Hongying was stunned by Gu Hanyuan's attempt to take advantage of Zhu Meichu's reputation.

Gu Hanyuan knew very well that if he couldn't gain the trust of an undercover agent like Tao Hongying as soon as possible, he would only waste time on endless testing.

He didn't have much time to spend on Tao Hongying, but Tao Hongying happened to have a lot of intelligence about the Qing Dynasty.

Gu Hanyuan deliberately used the ambiguous term "Princess Changping's man" instead of "the prince consort" to hint to Tao Hongying that Zhu Meichu's situation was not good.

As expected, Tao Hongying was taken aback at first, then frowned and asked:

"Please explain further, Young Master Gu."

Zhu Meichu's current situation in the Ming Dynasty is very awkward.

Although she was called the eldest princess, she was actually only a cousin of Emperor Zhu Houzhao.

Strictly speaking, Zhu Meichu could be considered a princess of the previous dynasty.

Unfortunately, the Ming court still had many loyal old officials supporting her, giving her considerable political power.

There were also a few brothers who had escaped from Yanjing (Beijing) years ago who were unwilling to accept Zhu Houzhao's rule. They stirred up trouble in Qing China and attempted to restore the previous dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Meichu became a great eyesore in Zhu Houzhao's eyes.

Zhu Meichu was an extraordinary woman with a strong sense of national righteousness. Her greatest wish was to drive the Qing Dynasty out of the Central Plains and restore the ancestral temples.

Although the Ming Dynasty is now powerful, it has a regrettable shortcoming.

That is, after the fall of Yanjing, all the ancestral temples and ancestral halls fell into the hands of the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, there was an irreconcilable hostile relationship between the Ming and Qing dynasties.

However, Zhu Houzhao was busy balancing the power in the court and consolidating his power, and had no intention of launching a northern expedition.

This was also the reason why ambitious princes in the Ming Dynasty attacked him.

Zhu Meichu became the person they tried their best to win over.

However, Zhu Meichu was unwilling for the Ming Dynasty to fall into internal strife, and had no choice but to leave the capital.

Even so, Zhu Houzhao was still worried about Zhu Meichu and only wanted to marry her off as soon as possible.

If there hadn't been a suitable candidate at the moment, Zhu Meichu would probably have been forced into marriage.

Zhu Meichu's awkward situation and lack of freedom in her marriage made her seem distant and aloof when facing Gu Hanyuan. She wanted to get close to him, but always became estranged at crucial moments.

After Gu Hanyuan relayed the information he had obtained about Zhu Meichu to Tao Hongying, he said calmly:

“Ajiu said that when they escaped from Yanjing City, some people stayed behind. You were mentioned among them, Tao Hongying.”

That's obviously pure nonsense.

He simply wanted to use Zhu Meichu's relationship with Tao Hongying to establish basic trust.

Information about Tao Hongying is also based on the plot of "The Deer and the Cauldron" and some documents preserved in the palace.

Compared to the "History of Ming" that circulated outside the palace, the documents preserved in the palace were naturally much more authentic.

There are even records of Tao Hongying almost being taken as a concubine by Emperor Chongzhen.

Gu Hanyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"So, Tao Hongying, are you still loyal to the Ming Dynasty? Or will you choose to be loyal to the current Ming emperor or Ajiu?"

Tao Hongying said firmly without much hesitation:

"Naturally, I am loyal to Princess Changping."

These words indicate that she will not waste any more time on pointless tests for the time being.

Of course, there will be plenty of testing in the future, but Gu Hanyuan doesn't care about it.

In fact, Tao Hongying's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty was based on the kindness of Empress Zhou, and it was also for the sake of the deceased Empress Zhou that she went to great lengths to infiltrate the palace for more than ten years.

Now, after learning from Gu Hanyuan about Zhu Meichu's difficult situation, she even felt hatred towards Zhu Houzhao.

After all, Tao Hongying had taken care of young Zhu Meichu back then, so their relationship was naturally very close.

Zhu Houzhao's failure to treat the former dynasty's princess Zhu Meichu well after ascending the throne greatly angered Tao Hongying.

They even abandoned the idea of ​​sending intelligence to the Ming Dynasty court.

Gu Hanyuan, however, gained Tao Hongying's trust by using the nickname "Ajiu".

After all, not many people know Zhu Meichu's affectionate nickname "Ajiu," which shows that she had a good impression of Gu Hanyuan back then.

It was only because of his own awkward situation that he never responded.

Gu Hanyuan's indifferent voice interrupted Tao Hongying's thoughts.

"That being said, you have been an undercover agent in the palace for many years, and I do not fully trust you. Therefore, you still need to present your pledge of loyalty."

Tao Hongying was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, he quickly understood what Gu Hanyuan meant.

Even if Tao Hongying were to return to the Ming Dynasty, it wouldn't be an easy thing.

After all, it's indeed difficult to gain the trust of an undercover agent who has lost contact for more than ten years.

Even the slightest deviation in the transmitted intelligence can cause enormous losses.

Such things have happened countless times throughout history and across the world.

However, this put Tao Hongying in a difficult position.

Even if she were to reveal the secrets she obtained in the Qing Dynasty palace at this moment, their veracity would be questionable due to a lack of trust.

The so-called pledge of allegiance was something he didn't know how to present for a moment.

Looking at the hesitant Tao Hongying, a hint of amusement flashed in Gu Hanyuan's eyes.

He said calmly:

"It's not difficult to prove your loyalty. I see that you are still a virgin and have obviously not had any dealings with any man. In that case... Shuang'er, you teach her."

Shuang'er, who had been silently watching from behind Gu Hanyuan while taking care of the unconscious Wu Xingyun, was taken aback upon hearing this.

A blush immediately spread across her pretty face.

She obediently came to Gu Hanyuan's side, and when she lowered her head, she tucked the hair from her temples behind her ears, revealing her delicate, bright red ears.

. .. .......

When Tao Hongying heard Gu Hanyuan reveal her physical condition, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she felt a sense of unease.

Immediately afterwards, we saw Shuang'er's live demonstration.

I felt a sense of relief, but also a great deal of shame and hesitation.

Although she knows a lot, she has not yet put it into practice.

Even when Emperor Chongzhen wanted to take her as a concubine, Empress Zhou stopped him.

Therefore, for Tao Hongying, who is of noble birth, what she is doing now can barely be considered a pledge of allegiance.

Gu Hanyuan gestured for Shuang'er, whose eyes still held a hint of lingering satisfaction, to step aside, and said calmly:

"Since you are A-Jiu's maid, it is your duty to help serve her man. Such a pledge of loyalty is not too difficult for you, is it?"