The pain of the slap lingered on his cheek before it died away with elapsing time.

Gu Yunyao's weep dawdled by his ears.

"You might hide what you had done from Yunxi, but it would not escape my eyes. You know Yunxi loves you, yet you abandoned her to wed the maid of the Kunning Palace for the Eastern Depot's sake. You were ambushed and to keep your own life, you schemed to sacrifice Yunxi for the antidote. Yunxi is so silly to not have seen earlier that she's not your love. Otherwise, how could use your dearest for yourself and the Eastern Depot?"

Taking all her anger in his vision, Leng Qingtang turned his head at Gu Yunyao silently with a calm expression.

Then, he muttered hoarsely.

"Has Your Grace released all your fury? If so, please take your servant back to the palace and worry me no more. Sneaking disguised out of the court in broad daylight does not suit one of high status like you!"

Gu Yunyao's eyes shone coldly as she snorted.

"I value not the title of 'Zhaoyi'. You only think highly of me because it's useful for you. Just like when you took Yunxi away, you picked her because you can deploy her like a pawn!"

Leng Qingtang's gaze changed into a glare at Gu Yunyao as he narrowed his long eyes solemnly.

The bright eyes were bloodshot, quietly showing that the anger in his heart was brimming due to failing suppression.

Feeling her hair stand on her back under his stern stare, Gu Yunyao halted her reproach half-way. Instantly, her face turned pale nervously, and her hands were clenched into fists in her sleeves.

"My lady!"

Zhao An realized the coming crisis.

Leng Qingtang's calm charms and gentle vibes were merely a prelude to bloodthirsty killings!

Their visit today was unbecoming.

Zhao An knelt on his knees and kowtowed, begging with a soft voice that trembled as if he was about to cry.

"Lady, I sincerely plead you to return to the palace. Please come with me now!"

Startled, Gu Yunyao glanced at panicked Zhao An and then cast her gaze back to Leng Qingtang.

She then met his sight cold as metal, gleaming darkly in absolute ruthlessness.

Being stared at by such frightening and desperate eyes, Gu Yunyao immediately felt uncomfortable all over as if she was clasped and immobilized by an invisible but powerful force.

Even though her teeth shivered with horror, Gu Yunyao still made up her mind on the thought of missing Yunxi. Her brows sank as she girded up to confront Leng Qingtang aggressively.

"I come to the Eastern Depot today to tell you that Yunxi was taken away from the Garden by you and then abandoned by you. You will find her for me. Or else, I shall cooperate with you no longer!"

Leng Qingtang raised his eyebrows at her and gave a faint smile.

"Do you mean to break off from me, Your Grace?"

Her face was frozen. Gu Yunyao squinted her eyes and replied coldly.

"So what?!"

"Hah..."

The man in the python robe snorted. A trace of grimness emerged on his handsome face.

Marching to her step by step, he forced the woman to mince back until she slumped in the chair.

Leng Qingtang had already been overwhelmed by a series of bad news.

Yunxi was missing and the tenth captain was crippled...

Right at this moment, Gu Yunyao came up to make a mess, smacking and threatening.

Her extremeness and impatience finally drove the man mad who was usually calm and introverted.

How could Leng Qingtang be restrained and threatened uncomplainingly like this?

"Gu Yunyao, do you think you are strong enough now to spread your wings and fly out of my palm?"

Heartbroken deep-down, he still held his head proudly high. Covering the overflowing sadness in the depths of his eyes with indifference, he rebuked her.

"The things you have now, your title, your pride, your gifts from His Majesty, are all thanks to me! Whatever I can give you I will. Even if you don’t want it, you'll have to!"

His scorching eyes flashed past Zhao An's with implication and then returned to Gu Yunyao's horrified and worried face. The reproach continued.

"As to what I cannot give you. I advise you to keep it in mind that you should not even think about it! Yunxi is my business. She's gone and I'll look for her. Don't bother yourself or threaten me with it!"

"You!"

Gu Yunyao flushed at Leng Qingtang's unrelenting words. She straightened her back but did not stand up to him in the end.

"Please wait, Master Leng!"

Zhao An stepped forward to protect his quivering lady. He managed to suppress his panic and reminded Leng Qingtang seriously.

"Master, behave yourself. Zhaoyi Yu is our lady."

"Humph!"

Leng Qingtang curled his lips triumphantly, but the sharpness in his eyes was somewhat converged.

He tidied his clothes emotionlessly and then bowed to Gu Yunyao.

"Zhaoyi Yu has not forgotten ten years' upbringing and personally visited me in the Eastern Depot. I'm the most grateful. The time is late. It's inconvenient for you to stay longer. Please allow me to respectfully send you back to the palace."

"..."

Leng Qingtang had made it clear. To stay here any longer would be self-humiliating.

Gu Yunyao got up helplessly and said to him angrily.

"Keep your promise. Ten days later, I will await Yunxi's return!"

Then she decisively left with resentments.

Leng Qingtang stood blankly for a while unit he suddenly collapsed and spit blood on the ground.

"Master!"

Cheng Wanli was shocked at the sight. He came up to support him and put him in the chair.

Cheng Wanli knew him the best. Had the Master not put on a charade of cruelty and vileness under the situation just now, Gu Yunyao would really have been at odds with him and the Eastern Depot.

Gu Yunyao had held a grudge against the Master for forcing her into the palace. Her hate for him was deep-rooted and was reluctantly restrained for Yunxi and Zhao An.

Her crying reprimand just now mercilessly punched the Master's heart like a heavy hammer, bleeding and weakening his soul.

If it weren't for love but false affection, the Master would never be so anxious for Yunxi's disappearance.

Seeing the Master's sallow face that was twitching in agonies, Cheng Wanli's heart ached.

"Let me lead the search for Yun. You've just recovered and traveled a long distance. A few more days of rest are needed. Master Zhaoyi was too upset for Yun just now. Don't take her words to your heart."

Leng Qingtang wiped the blood on his lips with a handkerchief, rinsed his mouth, and shook his head sadly.

"She's right. I'm to blame for Yunxi's missing. I should have tried to save her first after recovery. Or I should have accepted my fate instead of releasing her from the prison and enticing her to find Ming Lan for the antidote. In the end, I am selfish and wicked."

His black eyes dim due to the intense pain in the heart, Leng Qingtang bowed his head with sorrow. Holding his forehead helplessly, he squeezed the order out his grinding teeth,

"Send more men to search. If the capital is short of hands, use the provincial forces. After finding Yunxi, I will flay the kidnapper with my own hands."

"Yes, Master."

Cheng Wanli frowned, speechless.

After a short time, Leng Qingtang's complexion improved. Rising from depression and regaining his composure, he asked Cheng Wanli.

"Make arrangements. You and I will enter the palace tonight."

...

The night was dark as ink. Above the majestic imperial city, a crescent moon hung.

When Leng Qingtang arrived at the Kunning Palace, he was stopped by a reckless servant.

The corners of Leng Qingtang's mouth creased. Without his order, Cheng Wanli reached from behind and grappled the servant's head with five fingers.

With a cool breeze across his neck but no glimpse of the attacker, the servant's breath was curbed by horror.

Crack.

His neck was snapped.

The next push cost little strength and shot the body away with the chill of death.

The servant's limp body was swept up to the gate of the Kunning Palace by the powerful push and then flopped on the floor.

"Ah!"

A maid was terrorized by the dead body dropping on the blue brick floor.

With a smash of overturned porcelains, screams flailed in the courtyard.

While the swarm of headless flies running around, Leng Qingtang had stepped over the vermilion and gold-traced threshold and walked into the palace on the carpet of moonlight.

The night breeze blew gently and stirred his blue python robe. His tall black gauze hat embroidered with a dragon was circled by a faint halo.

The slightly pale face remained calm, unaffected by the surrounding chaos.

Empress Qian rest her arm in the hands of the chief maid Sulian and walked into the main hall casually.

A soft-voiced eunuch announced.

"Her Grace is here."

Around, the panicked servants and maids muted themselves and knelt on the ground.

"The Royal Palace is not where you can yell aloud!"

Empress Qian's voice was not loud but infused with indescribable reverence.

After all, she was the Empress. And it only took a low voice for her to awe the servants into silence.

Instantly, the entire Kunning Palace quieted down. But the strange silence reeked of an eeriness that made one's hair stand up.

Empress Qian looked at the corpse outside, and her eyelids twitched.

Although she wore a mask of composure, she was already frightened in her heart.

Eunuchs were known for their intolerance, and all were aware of the fate of offending Leng Qingtang, who was already showing his mercy by leaving the intact corpse.

Since hearing that Yanwan had been thrown into the Royal Prison of the Eastern Depot, Empress Qian knew that the cunning eunuch would not easily surrender his faith in her or join forces with the Eastern Palace.

However, she did not expect he would come so soon and catch her off guard.

"The moonlight tonight is marvelous. Is Your Grace in the mood to grace me by enjoying the scenery together?"

His hands held back, and Leng Qingtang squinted his eyes. In the middle of the yard, his remark was sweet from his exquisite lips.

But the tone of his speech discharged biting coldness.