In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Zhu Qingyu stopped in the face of this group of guards.

What does Gu Zhao mean? Does he mean he won't let her leave?

She turned around and saw Gu Zhao still standing under the eaves, taking a pair of shoes from a nanny.

It was her shoes, and he just carried them in his hand without any hesitation.

Gu Zhao, holding her shoes, looked at her and greeted her in an extremely familiar tone:

"Qingyu, come here and put your shoes on."

From the moment she woke up, Gu Zhao's treatment of her changed drastically compared to before.

Although he still appeared as gentle, polite, and harmless as before, something extremely important was missing in their relationship.

That is, in a world that places the separation between men and women above all else, the sense of distance and boundaries that should exist between two people based on their status.

He used to be polite to her, but now he has clearly crossed the line.

Moreover, he makes no attempt to hide it.

This is an extremely dangerous sign!

Escape is the most important thing she should do right now.

Zhu Qingyu then looked at the group of guards outside the door. A weak woman with no weapons had no chance of winning against a group of guards with knives.

She immediately realized that she couldn't possibly get out of here by force on her own.

She still had to persuade Gu Zhao to let her go. He didn't try to hide it, but he didn't make it clear either.

Perhaps he crossed the line, but he still guarded a certain line in his heart.

As long as he is willing to keep watch on the line, she can pretend to be deaf and dumb and avoid confronting him head-on.

Zhu Qingyu walked back step by step:

"Shouming, I know you mean well, and I'm very grateful to you for taking me in last night and protecting me all night. I will always remember your kindness, but my sister is still at home, and I don't know how she is now. I have to go back."

Gu Zhao had imagined many possible reactions from her after she woke up. His attitude was so obvious; given her intelligence and quick wit, he didn't believe she wouldn't know his feelings for her.

He wanted her to notice and respond to him.

When a person faces a major change, he can understand her reaction, no matter how extreme it may be, and he is willing to be considerate of her.

But what he didn't expect was that she neither cried, panicked, nor scolded him, and didn't even show fear or anger. She actually used the word "gratitude" to appease him.

She knew that resistance would be futile, so she tried to use gratitude to put him in a position of saintly composure, thus manipulating him.

Gu Zhao watched her flee in a panic, then walk back step by step until she returned to his side, and only then did he smile:

"Qingyu, perhaps you don't know me that well. You need to know that I'm not some kind of gentleman, much less a paragon of virtue. I..."

Zhu Qingyu stopped in her tracks, her face filled with tension and fear, worried that he might say something terrible again.

There are some things and some words that, as long as they are not explicitly stated, still leave her room to maneuver.

But once it's brought to the surface, once it's laid out in the open, and a clear-cut black-and-white distinction is made, she has no way out.

Gu Zhao had made up his mind to get a response from her on the spot.

Having completed his mission, he should naturally return to the capital to report immediately. In fact, he should have boarded the ship escorting Lei Dawu and left at dawn.

It was for her sake, in order to wait for her response while she was conscious, that he waited these extra hours.

Lord Gu, who had already made up his mind and was always resolute and unwavering, softened inexplicably when he saw her face full of fear.

But in the end, he couldn't bear to see her fall into fear and anxiety, living in constant dread.

He could give her more time to face reality and accept the fact that, at this point, she had nowhere else to go but him.

Gu Zhao softened his tone and placed the shoes at her feet:

"No matter how urgent the situation, you must put on your shoes."

Zhu Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't make it clear and maintained the status quo, preserving the current precarious balance was in her best interest.

The most urgent task is to get out of here as soon as possible to confirm whether Third Sister is still safe and whether Zhang Shen has really been taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Qingyu didn't want to provoke Gu Zhao, lest he change his mind again, so she obediently stepped forward to put on her shoes.

Even when he reached out to help her, Zhu Qingyu paused for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse and let him hold her arm.

After all, compared to an angry Lord Gu, a gentle Lord Gu is naturally easier to communicate with.

Gu Zhao helped her put on her shoes and said:

"Qingyu, I don't want to keep you locked up. You can leave anytime. But you need to know that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is likely lying in wait at the Zhang family's residence, waiting for you to walk into their trap. You've never been to the Imperial Prison, so you can't imagine what it's like. It's not a place for a weak woman like you. And the Embroidered Uniform Guard reports directly to the Emperor. If you fall into their hands, I can't intervene, nor is it convenient for me to. Even so, do you still want to go back? How about I arrange for someone to go to the Zhang family to check on you?"

Zhu Qingyu was almost completely embraced by him. She put on her shoes, and gently but firmly pushed against his chest, expressing her refusal.

"I know you mean well, and I'm very grateful, really, but I have to go back. I have to go back in person."

How could Zhu Qingyu dare to entrust the safety of the Zhang family to Gu Zhao? In this matter concerning the Zhang family, she and Gu Zhao had a life-or-death conflict of interest.

If she were Gu Zhao, she would have absolutely no reason to care about the Zhang family's life or death, let alone offer to help them.

For her, Zhang Shen and Zhang Ruohua were her closest relatives, but for Gu Zhao, wouldn't it be better if the Zhang family were gone?

Gu Zhao sensed her non-aggressive resistance. Even though she was full of gratitude and smiling at him, the woman in his arms was trembling slightly, like a caged bird.

If she relied solely on force, the strength she used to resist would be utterly ineffective, unable to budge him in the slightest. However, the soft palm that pressed against his chest revealed her attitude.

In the end, Gu Zhao let her go:

"Alright, since you really want to leave, I certainly won't force you. I've finished my business in Yangzhou, and I'll be returning to the capital by boat at 9:45 AM. Take care, and if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me."

Zhu Qingyu didn't expect him to let her leave so readily and easily, but since Gu Zhao had said so, before he changed his mind, she immediately bowed deeply to him to express her gratitude and turned to run away.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, the guards, seeing the signal from Lord Gu following behind, silently withdrew.

Without any guards to stop her, Zhu Qingyu adopted the style of a long-distance runner from her student days, running out as fast as she could without caring about her image.

As Gu Zhao reached the courtyard gate, he saw a figure rushing towards the covered walkway, seemingly oblivious to everything else.