Cuiqiao's query made Gu Yunxi tense every muscle in her body instantly and keep her mouth a slightly thin line.

Gu Yunxi pretended to run her fingers through her hair to smooth it back and made an excuse.

"Oh, it was too dark that I fell while returning to the Palace."

Cuiqiao stirred her eyebrows slightly and seemed to fall into thought and doubt. She suddenly darted a sharp gaze out of her watery eyes, which almost pierced Gu Yunxi.

"Why is there blood on your dress?"

For suddenly discovering something, Cuiqiao raised her eyebrows and stared her bright eyes wide.

Da*n it! It should be left while she was in the masked man's arms—

Gu Yunxi bowed her head to look at her dress, and her breathing speeded up a bit.

"It happens to be my menstrual period these days..."

The explanation was reasonable.

Cuiqiao kept staring at her for a moment and then said unhappily.

"You went playing and came back so late. Do you forget that you'll have to get up early tomorrow? Wash up and go to bed quickly."

After finishing the words, she took her basin and headed to fetch water to wash up.

Gu Yunxi and Lanxin glanced at each other, and then they also went to wash up and went to bed, staying silent all night.

——

After leaving the Palace and rushing back to the Eastern Depot, Leng Qingtang had a meeting with his men and then returned to Southern Residence.

Before he rested, Cheng Wanli came in hastily and asked straight to the point.

"Master, I heard that there is news about Madam Yun. Is it true?!"

Ai Qing secretly told it to Cheng Wanli as soon as he came back with Squad One.

However, Master Leng didn't share this exciting news with captains during the meeting. Cheng Wanli couldn't restrain his excitement, so he went to Master Leng's room and directly asked him.

"Yes."

Leng Qingtang nodded and smiled at Cheng Wanli.

"That... That's great—"

It suddenly went red around Cheng Wanli's eyes. He was so excited that his voice became choked and wobbly, cracking with emotion.

Over the past year, Cheng Wanli and other captains never talked about the disappearance of Gu Yunxi, but they all felt depressed in the heart as if there had been tremendous pressure on their chest.

The Eastern Depot was still the Eastern Depot, but it seemed to lack the past's vitality and vigor without Gu Yunxi.

Now that there was word about Gu Yunxi finally, how could Cheng Wanli sit still?

Before Master Leng could say more, Cheng Wanli clenched his fist to his chest and volunteered.

"Master, I will step up efforts to search the capital from house to house tomorrow, and I will definitely bring her to you in three days!"

Leng Qingtang shook his head and drooped his long eyelashes, quietly gazing to the tabletop.

"I hope my sense didn't make mistakes this time, but it feels really incredible."

"The Eastern Depot has sent many guards to search for her in the capital from house to house over the past year, but there has never been any news. Besides, it is strange that she is in the capital. It was who that robbed her at that time? Now that she can come out freely to float the river lantern, why doesn't she return to the Eastern Depot and come to me?"

Cheng Wanli also got puzzled and startled at the moment of eye contact.

Leng Qingtang lost in deep thought for a moment. Then his eyes flashed, and he changed the topic.

"Beyond that, there's another thing that puzzles me still. The masked man seems to have high Kungfu that he comes and goes like a shadow. Why didn't he escape after being injured by the Eastern Depot but sneaked into the Palace tonight?"

Cheng Wanli crossed his arms in front of his chest and slowly said in a deep voice after thinking about it.

"The masked man was able to place the yellow-robed dummy in the Palace at that time and successfully escape tonight. In my opinion, his lucky escape several times should have reasons. Except for his high Kungfu, there should be someone in the Palace on the inside to help him! Maybe he was to meet the one this time."

"Yes. If the masked man is for the previous Emperor, he will never take action alone..."

Leng Qingtang squinted his eyes and nodded in agreement from time to time while listening carefully.

After Cheng Wanli finished speaking in one breath, Leng Qingtang squinted his eyes and curled his thin lips to make a strange smile.

"I will order the Imperial Ceremony Office tomorrow to narrowly search the Palace and offer rewards for seizing him when necessary. We can investigate the reported suspicious individuals one by one."

"As long as we find out the masked man's details, I have the confidence to make him our ally."

Leng Qingtang stood up and walked to the window. He pushed the window open and looked out.

In the courtyard, the moonlight mixing with the darkness of night formed different shades of colors.

Leng Qingtang's straight eyebrows frowned slightly. His dark eyes looked colder than the moonlight, faintly glinting with indescribable coldness.

He clenched his pale fingers on the windowsill and spoke through his gritted teeth.

"I cannot wait any longer! Both I and Yunxi have paid too much to fulfill Father's dying wish. Within two years, at most two years... I will overthrow Da Yi completely!"

——

On the night of July 7th, it was bustling both inside and outside the Palace, and so was the Marquis's Mansion in Nanyuan, the suburb of the capital.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, many carriages came to Marquis's Mansion one after another and stopped in front of the vermilion gate.

The servants at the gate greeted the officials with a smile and led them into the Mansion.

The capital seemed uneasy in recent days. Some officials began to routinely gather in the new house of the Shenle Marquis Wan Li and talk to Lord Shen in secret since the mannequin case in the Palace.

The southern suburb was far away from the Palace, which happened to facilitate the clique-forming activity of the Wans.

After drinking for a while, Yang Kang, the Minister of Justice, showed a worried expression and asked cautiously with scare sparkling in his triangular eyes.

"Your Grace, it is said that the mysterious sound of the flute could be heard in Beilu Temple again a while ago, and the Eastern Depot's Commander-in-chief failed when he personally led people to arrest the suspect. Your Grace, in your opinion, is it possible that the flute player... is the insider of the thing in that year?"

Wan Zong put down the wine cup and stroked his beard. The deep wrinkles between his eyebrows became clearer.

He lowered his eyes and said in a slow voice.

"It is said that Zheng's army personally killed the three people at that time, and the others who knew about it were also dealt with one after another by the Emperor."

"The Emperor ordered us to kill all of them and not leave any troubles to prevent accidents. Finally, Zheng Ran and his whole family also got slaughtered. How come was there anyone else that would know the event twenty-four years ago after so many years?"

Yang Kang sighed.

"According to Zheng Ran's words, the three people all died from jumping off the cliff. When Zheng's army went down to the gorge to find the corpse, they found that the three were all disfigured by wild beasts' biting."

"However, it is eventful in Jing City recently. I hazard a hypothesis. If Zheng Ran had lied, the youngest of the three would have grown up now, and perhaps the one was precisely the flute player who placed the yellow-robed dummy in the Palace at night! After all, Zheng Ran secretly returned to Jing City to report to the Emperor at that time, and no one knew what he said was true or false."

As soon as he finished speaking, all officials at present were horrified, and their eyes suddenly widened.

Secretary-General Nan Zhenting threw his bamboo chopsticks away and covered his violently beating heart with his hands. His face turned pale.

"Master Yang, be guarded in what you say! If that person had any heir alive, then the heir would be..."

"The brother of the Emperor!"

An impatient voice came suddenly.

The officials all got frightened, and some even twitched and slid under the table.

The Shenle Marquis Wan Li strode in from the outside. He glanced at everyone present and then raised the corner of his lips proudly.

Wan Zong squinted at him with an angry face, sullenly saying.

"Li, how can you forget the rules and break in without authorization when so many elders are discussing matters with me?!"