Youzhu Garden.

In the middle of the night, a squad of Honor Guards broke in and searched around.

The head of the Garden, Nanny Gu, was awakened in a hurry and found herself fearfully amidst a courtyard of soldiers.

A few hours ago, something went wrong in the Palace, but the Garden had been kept in the dark because the information had been closely guarded that the Palace had been infiltrated by enemies posing damsels who tried to assassinate Emperor Jingxiao.

The damsels lighted oil lamps and saw many solemn armed soldiers when they opened the door. Hearing the cold and sharp scraping of heavy armors, all the girls were frightened. Stunned, they stood in the courtyard, hugging each other for comfort.

Nanny Gu did not know the men's purpose, but she had to greet them. Even without the foundation, her old face was paler than any makeup.

She curtsied to the officer and then stuttered,

"Si... Sir, what's wrong..."

"Are you the rank-fifth madam of the Garden?"

The officer kept his hands behind his back and looked her up and down. His face was calm with an extremely solemn expression.

"Ye... yes. I... I'm Nanny Gu..."

Nanny Gu spoke incoherently.

The burly man before her had very sharp eyes and an aggressive posture, which made her uneasy heart even more panic. She lowered her head in horror as she replied.

Unexpectedly, the officer slammed his hand up and ordered his subordinates.

"Soldiers, seize and turn her over to the Court of Justice!"

"Sir, what's this for?"

Still clouded by confusion, Nanny Gu's arms were bent back by several soldiers. She wailed and struggled as her legs shivered nonstop.

"I want to see Master Leng. Let me see Master Leng!"

Nervous and bewildered, Nanny Gu yelled, feeling that she had been wronged.

The Garden had been the lower branch of the Imperial Ceremony Office for many years, under the seal keeper, Lord Leng Qingtang's direct charge.

Under the current circumstance, Nanny Gu mistakenly thought that she had somehow offended the Master so he sent the soldiers.

"Huh! Master Leng? It's his people that I'm looking for!"

The officer sneered coldly. Before he could say more, a voice sounded from behind,

"As the head of the Garden, you have fornicated with the enemy and instructed assassins to disguise as damsels to attack His Majesty. I'm arresting you for interrogation."

The officer turned and saw the Western Depot Master, Ming Lan, who was surrounded by guards, approaching in a dignified manner.

The gorgeous white Master's robe echoed his exquisite and glamorous fair face, adding a unique charm to his femininely beautiful appearance.

Just after finishing his sentence on Leng Qingtang in the Palace, he rushed to the Garden in a hurry.

The officer frowned quietly and courteously bowed to him.

"Master Ming, greetings."

Ming Lan stopped and proudly shook the fur cloak. His piercing eyes went past the bowing officer and were fixed on Nanny Gu, who was about to collapse in fright. Then he said straightforwardly,

"His Majesty has given the order that the Garden will be taken over by my Western Depot, and I'll take the suspect to the Western Depot for questioning!"

"Umm…"

Hesitated, the officer's face froze for an instant.

Before he came, the Eunuch Superintendent, Lord Hu, had secretly instructed him to take the suspect to the Court of Justice, which was under his power.

If the Western Depot had beat them to it, the suspect would have been unlikely to withstand the torture and made some fictitious confessions, sending things into a hopeless muddle.

Regardless of the officer's countenance, Ming Lan walked directly to Nanny Gu. He tilted his head to examine the embarrassed old woman, smiled and said kindly,

"Don't be afraid. I'll only ask you about one person. If you answer well, you don't have to go to the Western Depot."

Nanny Gu was trembling, still not daring to raise her head. She mumbled as if her tongue was tied.

"Plea... please ask. I... I'll tell you all I know..."

"You must know her!"

Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, Ming Lan interrupted her anxiously. Staring at Nanny Gu with his eyes shining with madness, he blurted the question,

"Tell me, was here a damsel around fifteen or sixteen years old named 'Yun Guaner'..."

As he interrogated, he closely studied Nanny Gu's expression. Seeing her sudden realization, he hinted gloomily,

"She was later spotted by the Eastern Depot Master and brought there..."

Hearing this, panic flashed over Nanny Gu's face, but she immediately put on a calm mask and replied,

"There has never been a damsel called 'Yun Guaner' in the Garden."

"Oh?"

Ming Lan raised his eyebrows slyly and suddenly put his cold and thin palm on Nanny Gu's shoulder.

The old woman raised her head in surprise and met Ming Lan's sharp eyes.

In a panic, she saw a sinister smile quietly blooming at the corner of his mouth.

"What I want to know is if Lord Leng had taken a damsel from you to the Eastern Depot!"

Nanny Gu opened her mouth in shock but remained speechless for a while. On her dull wrinkled face, astonishment that had been deliberately hidden for long was released at this moment against her will.

Ming Lan observed her despair and knew that he had asked the right question.

At this time, Nanny Gu was even more frightened.

Intuitively, she could feel that the Eastern Depot Master was in trouble.

What was worse, she could tell from Ming Lan's questioning that the trouble was directly related to Gu Yunxi!

How to reply?

How should she answer to save herself and the Garden?

While hesitating, someone spoke softly,

"Your Lordship, are you asking about the girl Yunxi by Lord Leng's side?"

"Yunjin."

Nanny Gu's face immediately turned pale as she stared at her in awe. When she saw Gu Yunjin in the crowd, she exclaimed to stop her, but it was too late.

The revelation thundered everyone present. They all cast their surprised eyes on willowy Gu Yunjin.

And she remained calm and composed, delicate and graceful.

She wore an elegant long dress and tied her dark hair loosely behind her head. Focused and bold, she calmly cast her gleaming eyes on Ming Lan. With a vague smile on her delicate pink lips, she looked haughty as if she was on the top of the world.

With a single shocking glance, Ming Lan went silent for a long while.

"Your Lordship, if you have any questions, I'll answer."

Seeing that Ming Lan had lost his composure, Gu Yunjin curled her lips triumphantly in a smile and spoke further with her mellow voice.

Ming Lan returned to his senses and nodded in satisfaction. He ordered solemnly to the officer next to him,

"I'll take this girl and the old woman to the Western Depot now. Don't try to stop me!"

Helpless, the officer cupped his hands to salute and stepped aside.

Ming Lan picked up his cloak by the duck feather piping and paced relaxedly towards Gu Yunjin.

The girl was young and had stunning facial features. She was thin and full of radiance.

Compared to Yun Guaner, she was also a beauty.

Gu Yunjin saw Ming Lan approaching and curtsied. She smiled at him and said softly,

"Your Lordship, I have grown up with a sister in the Garden. Her name was 'Yunxi'. She was brought to the Eastern Depot by Lord Leng, the head of the Imperial Ceremony Office. I do not know if the person you're after is her or not."

Ming Lan's pupils dilated with excitement, and his eyes were lit up as he heard the information.

With a wicked smile, he looked straight at Gu Yunjin and said,

"Good. You can come with me to somewhere else and tell me about her in detail."

...

The Western Depot, Capital.

After Ming Lan listened to Gu Yunjin tell the past of the Garden, his pale and pointed face was filled with complex emotions.

In his wide sleeves, he clenched his fists. Casting his sharp eyes into the distance, he pondered quietly for a while.

As Gu Yunjin said, eleven years ago, Leng Qingtang took three orphans and sent them to the Garden, raised by Nanny Gu.

Among the three girls, one was Gu Yunyao, who had been forced into the Palace and became Zhaoyi Yu, one was Gu Yunjin standing in front of his eyes, and the last girl was Gu Yunxi!

"Humph! Yunxi... Yun Guaner!"

Ming Lan laughed secretly.

"Leng Qingtang, you are truly resourceful!"

"I have long suspected that you having been hiding imperial damsels, and now I've finally caught your tail!" Ming Lan thought.

Yet to think further, he still found something that made no sense.

If Leng Qingtang had been a lewdster, why would have he only favored Gu Yunxi? In terms of appearance, Gu Yunjin was first-class!

Why did he fall in love with the frail and sickly Gu Yunxi?

On the side, Gu Yunjin noticed Ming Lan's silence. She knelt on the ground and begged earnestly,

"Master, please trust me. What I said is true. I do not dare to deceive you."

Ming Lan waved his hand lazily, motioning her to get up, and spoke generously,

"Well, I do not doubt you. Don't be nervous."

Gu Yunjin stayed on the ground and groveled to him.

"Master, may I make so bold to ask for a favor."

"Speak."

"I was brought up by Nanny Gu with my two sisters. I could not repay her ten years of kindness. Nanny Gu has worked long in the Palace and has always been cautious."

"When you mentioned Yun Guaner just now, the name must have been unfamiliar to Nanny Gu, so she dared not speak out. She did not deliberately conceal the secret from you and meant no offense. Master, please show mercy to her, and do not make her suffer in the Western Depot jail."

Ming Lan did not utter a word and looked at her with meditative eyes.

As the girl kneeled on the ground, graceful yet alluringly submissive, a playful smile flickered across his lips. He slowly got up from the fauteuil and approached her gently.

When Ming Lan lifted her chin with his cold thin fingers, Gu Yunjin intuitively felt uncomfortable.

Although she was disgusted, she had to be patient and suppressed the panic in her heart. She looked at Ming Lan respectfully and affectionately with eyes so obedient that he found it hard to resist.

Ming Lan was surprised at once and secretly said to himself, "The slut is not only beautiful but more aware of the situation than the stupid girl Gu Yunxi."

"You just said that Yunxi was jealous of you. She wanted to ruin your face and bewitched Lord Leng to lash you in public?"

"Yes, it is true."

Gu Yunjin's face changed quickly. Her grieving eyes were firmly locked on Ming Lan, so watery and shining that he was turned on within a second.

"So... Would you like the opportunity to enter the Palace and serve His Majesty?"

Ming Lan's bright eyes touched the charming petite face in front of him as greed intensified in them. His voice was seductively soft and insinuating.

Gu Yunjin's eyes widened as she heard the unbelievable offer. Then she threw herself under Ming Lan's feet again.

"Master, you are so kind and I'm very much obliged to you. If I can be favored by His Majesty in the Palace, my life is at your disposal!"

"I do not want your life..."

Ming Lan smiled maliciously and stretched out his hand to stroke the flawless face in front of him.

His slender index finger slid all the way down along her neck and stopped at her bosom.

"Since you want to enter the Palace and get ahead, you have to take orders from me. You shall obey me no matter what I require you to do, understand?"

Inexplicably flustered by his strange action, Gu Yunjin nodded numbly. Resisting dread and displeasure, she responded in a trembling voice,

"Yes, Master. I shall do as you command..."