So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

Behind the treasure pavilion, there is a large lake along the path. After crossing the lake and crossing the bridge, you enter the woods, where a man dressed as a guard is waiting.

The man's expression was solemn. Upon seeing the two approaching, he immediately came forward. Ning Yu took the token from his hand, glanced at the keepsake Xie Yan had given him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yun Shu, you can no longer stay in the palace. Once I leave, Xie Xun will quickly find out about you."

"Princess Consort, rest assured, I understand."

"Let's go, Princess Consort."

Ning Yu put away the token, went into the nearby artificial hill to put on the clothes he had brought, and left with the guard.

They left through a secret passage in the treasure pavilion and arrived at a secluded palace garden. There were fewer imperial guards patrolling there, and hardly any palace servants to be seen.

"Princess Consort, please go in first and let her change your face."

An old woman led Ning Yu into the dilapidated abandoned garden. In less than half an incense stick's time, Ning Yu saw an inconspicuous face, which was also somewhat sallow and thin.

"I'm sorry to have troubled the Crown Princess."

Ning Yu touched her neck and used the remaining powder to cover her delicate neck. "I'm not upset, thank you for your help."

"Are you done yet? It's time to go."

The voices of the guards urging him on came from outside, but Ning Yu couldn't hear their footsteps. This shouldn't be a guard; he must be from the Dark Guard Camp, and his martial arts skills must be quite good.

She got up and walked out of the garden.

The guard glanced at her, nodded to the old woman with satisfaction, and led her straight to Xuantian Gate.

Today is the prayer ceremony, and there are many people coming and going at the palace gate, as well as a lot of ceremonial items and goods being transported.

They navigated through various troubles, taking a long time, before finally reaching a corner near the palace gate.

Ning Yu was led to a carriage, where a noblewoman sat.

When she saw her come up, the noblewoman was stunned. Wasn't she supposed to be a beauty sent by the Donghu envoy? Why does she look like this?

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness. Just take her to West Street."

The noblewoman lowered the curtain. "Of course I must help with your master's affairs. Let's go."

The clattering of hooves came from outside. Ning Yu noticed the noblewoman's subtle scrutiny and sat silently to the side without saying a word.

The carriage left the palace road and was stopped at Xuantian Gate. "Routine inspection, stop."

The Imperial Guards searched very carefully, checking each carriage as it came in and out. After all, it was a prayer ceremony, and they were naturally afraid that some assassins might have infiltrated.

The people leaving the city were thoroughly checked. After handing over their exit tokens, the guards with swords looked at Ning Yu sitting in the carriage and asked her suspiciously.

"Who is this woman that Consort Lin brought with her? She looks unfamiliar; I've never seen her before."

"A niece of mine from my maternal family has come to the palace to see the Empress Dowager."

As everyone knows, the new emperor has not taken in many concubines since his ascension to the throne. The empress dowager often summons some noble ladies to the palace for a consultation. The guards register them and return the tokens.

"Please take care, Your Highness."

Sure enough, connections make it easier to get out of the palace. Ning Yu's racing heart calmed down the moment the curtain was lowered, and she glanced gratefully at Consort Lin.

Looking into her beautiful eyes, Consort Lin said, "You don't seem to be a Donghu person to me."

His Majesty dotes on the lady who lives in Changxin Palace. Most of the beauties sent from various countries have been sent to work in different palaces, and some have gone to music halls. It is said that the Crown Prince Xie Yan has taken a fancy to a dancer and asked her to help bring her out.

She had initially doubted whether the new emperor needed her for this matter, but now she felt uneasy, wondering if she had been tricked by that brat.

"I was a refugee who fled to the Donghu before, and then I was sent to the capital."

Where is your hometown?

Ning Yu replied without batting an eye, "Fuzhou."

"That's a good place indeed." Seeing that she was a little nervous, Consort Lin comforted her, "Don't be afraid, there are two more palace gates ahead, and you'll be able to leave the palace soon."

Inside Changxin Hall.

"Madam has been gone for so long, why hasn't she returned yet?" a nanny asked as she brought in some medicine.

The palace servants cleaning the bedchamber replied respectfully, "Auntie took the Madam to the viewing tower to watch the grand ceremony. They should be back soon."

"It's cold outside, so take a hand warmer with you and tell her it's time for her to take her medicine to prevent miscarriage. It's also cold outside, so tell Madam to come back early."

"Yes."

The old woman sighed. The lady hadn't stayed in the palace voluntarily. As palace servants of Changxin Palace, they naturally had their own sense of right and wrong.

If she didn't see anyone for more than half an hour on a normal day, she would go looking for the lady's whereabouts.

An hour ago, Yun'er accidentally fell into the well and died. She rushed out to deal with the matter and thought that the madam would be back soon, so she hurriedly came back to serve her, but the madam had not returned yet.

The old woman felt uneasy and ordered someone to quickly prepare a table of dishes to keep warm. She would peek out of the palace every now and then to see if the person had returned.

The palace servant who went to the viewing platform to look for the lady rushed back, saying that he couldn't find her at all, as she wasn't at the viewing platform.

This news stunned the palace servants of Changxin Palace. "Where is Auntie? Isn't Auntie on the viewing platform either?"

"Not found."

"Quickly, go find them!" The old woman immediately relayed the message, instructing the guards of Changxin Palace to also hurry and search for the person.

The head maid returned in the late afternoon, having been slapped on the back of the head. She winced in pain, clutching her head and ordering people to search the palace.

Upon hearing the head maid mention that someone had been knocked unconscious after leaving Changxin Palace, everyone realized that the lady had escaped.

"What should we do? His Majesty is still at the ancestral temple."

"Send people to search first, and then announce it after the prayer ceremony."

By the time Xie Xun finished his work, it was already evening. He had just come down from the brightly lit high-rise building, the cold wind whipping up his fluttering clothes, followed by a full complement of civil and military officials.

Qingfeng saw his master being surrounded by people from afar. Only after the emperor's carriage returned to the palace did he enter the main hall and explain the whole story.

The atmosphere inside the hall changed abruptly. Xie Xun paused as he stepped into the inner hall, turned around, and asked, "What did you say?"

"A palace servant from Changxin Palace reported that the lady has not returned home all day and cannot be found."

"In this heavily guarded palace, you're telling me a living, breathing person is nowhere to be found?"

The angry voice startled Qingfeng, who immediately knelt on the ground. Xie Xun walked over, grabbed him by the collar, and bent down. "When did this happen?"

"It was discovered around mid-morning."

"So long?!" Xie Xun shoved him away, angrily saying, "I think your time as the leader of the Dragon Scale Guard is over."

Qingfeng dared not refute. He had already sent people to search everywhere. The palace was too big, and it was easy to hide a person. He had also searched the lists of people who left the palace through the four palace gates and found some clues.