When Wan Li swaggered into Yongning Palace, he saw Ming Lan kneeling in the courtyard for punishment. His head was drooping and his appearance was embarrassing and funny.

One side of the thick black sword eyebrow was raised playfully and Wan Li walked over with his hand down. Wan Li kicked Ming Lan, bent over to approach him, and smiled slyly,

"Hey, why are you kneeling here? Do you make my eldest sister angry?"

Nearly half an hour later, Ming Lan supported himself with one hand, and the tiles made his knee sore. The pain had already spread all over his body. At this moment, the facial features of his awkward face were shifted and he grinned,

"Please don't mention it..."

"OK, OK!"

Wan Li straightened his upper body and waved impatiently,

"I understand it. I will beg Eldest Sister for you later."

After speaking, he stepped into the Main Hall with ease.

Wan Yuyao was sulking in the seat and her exquisite face was shrouded in frost, as if she could kill people in an instant. Under her feet was Tu Muxue, who was humbled and worshiped. Her body was trembling and she didn't say a word.

After greeting Wan Yuyao, Wan Li chuckled,

"How did Ming Lan offend you, Eldest Sister? You are so reluctant to forgive him."

Wan Yuyao rolled her eyes coldly, throwing a sharp cold light towards the door and said harshly,

"The d*mn servant has become more capable and now he dares to deceive me!"

"He grows bolder now. How about beating him to death with sticks immediately!"

With cold eyes, Wan Li turned his head to look outside. When he was about to question the cause, Wan Yuyao's cold voice slowly sounded, like a cold blunt knife sharpening his skin, which made him feel strange. She said,

"Xier, you reveal useful information to me and I will judge your merits and reward you. But if you are like the one outside who may betray me, I must punish you. Are you clear?"

The girl's drooping, narrow eyes passed the sharp light, but she restricted her feelings. Her complexion was light and submissive and her lips opened slightly,

"Your Grace, I'm clear."

"Okay, help Ming Lan up outside. Tell him to go back and rest first. Don't have to come in."

"Yes."

The girl got up and walked out of the Main Hall with her hands together.

Coming to the courtyard, Tu Muxue stopped under the steps and her cold and unconscious eyes met Ming Lan's scarlet and unwilling eyes. She approached him expressionlessly, stretching her arms to help Ming Lan up,

"Your Grace has an order. Please get up, Master."

With a slight movement, the bones of Ming Lan's body hurt so much that they seemingly fell apart and his limbs were no longer controlled by him.

With Gu Yunxi's support, Ming Lan glared at the girl. His voice was as sullen as a blade,

"Ms. Muxue is really smart. Do you hurry to kick down the ladder when you entered the palace not long? But your tactic of two birds with one stone may not work in Yongning Palace!"

The girl's face was calm and she cast her eyes to Ming Lan,

"Master, what are you talking about? What a bird is? Who is the bird? I'm dull and don't understand."

Ming Lan pursed his lips and narrowed his peach blossom eyes,

"You not only want Gu Yunxi to die, but also want to use her origin to kill me. However, you underestimate Her Grace. I tell you that as long as Her Grace wants to keep Leng Qingtang here, Gu Yunxi will not die. "

The girl looked directly at the coquettish face of the glamorous man and a sly smile appeared on the cold face suddenly,

"Then what about you? If Leng Qingtang is here, Gu Yunxi will live, but your life and death are unpredictable. No matter what, the current situation for you...may not be dead."

In the Main Hall, Wan Li tilted his head in the direction Tu Muxue walked all the way, sniffing the remaining surging fragrance wind with his nose flapping greedily.

"Whoops!"

Wan Yuyao yelled irritably when she saw it. She slapped her hands at Wan Li, frowned in anger, and questioned,

"Tell me quickly! Why do you come here today?"

Wan Li narrowed his squinted gaze and turned back to face the woman. He smiled with his hands crossed,

"This time it is God who helps me. Today, I come here to tell you a secret."

"Another secret?"

Wan Yuyao pressed down the corner of her mouth in doubt and looked at Wan Li quietly. Wan Li took out a page of art paper from the sleeve of his brocade robe and opened it to Wan Yuyao.

"Eldest Sister, look! Who is he on the portrait?"

Wan Yuyao lowered her eyes slightly with the stream of light in her eyes flashing. She looked at the portrait for a moment and was suddenly shocked,

"Is he...Is he Zheng Ran?"

Wan Li smiled wickedly with cold eyes and waged his head,

"After obtaining this portrait, I checked with my father and confirmed that it was Zheng Ran undoubtedly."

Wan Yuyao furrowed her brows and waved to Wan Li to approach her. She lowered her voice to inquire,

"Where did you get it?"

Wan Li smiled,

"Eldest Sister, you may not believe it. Lei Huan was in the Swift Tower not long ago and he got a glimpse of the portrait from the mind of the person who broke the matrix and drew it.

Those who broke the matrix that day wore masks and their face could not be seen. However, among them, there was a rank-fourth female close guard of the Eastern Depot. It can be inferred from this that the Eastern Depot or Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot himself has an inseparable relationship with Zheng Ran. "

It was Leng Qingtang...

Wan Yuyao stared swiftly and her eyes were mottled with brilliance and unclear complexity,

"Does it mean that Leng Qingtang can break the matrix?"

Wan Li's face was slightly impatient and he shook his head desperately,

"How confused you are, Eldest Sister. Even if Leng Qingtang cannot break the formation, with the fake Tu Muxue as evidence, it is enough to show that the person who broke the matrix is related to the Eastern Depot and Zheng Ran will appear in his mind. This is the good opportunity God has given us to pull down Leng Qingtang!"

Wan Yuyao's crystal face quietly displayed a frightening look. She narrowed her eyes for a moment and her words suddenly changed,

“Well, I feel tired today, so just stop here. You can leave here and go back to Nanyuan as soon as possible before it rains.”

Wan Li widened his eyes suddenly, not knowing why his Eldest Sister's suddenly changed her attitude. He clenched a fist in anger and he wanted to continue to say something. He saw Wan Yuyao close the art paper in her hands, and give it to Lihu without turning her head back,

"Go, find a safe place, and put it away carefully."

"Eldest Sister?"

"Okay, you can go back. In the imperial harem, you are a duke but also an external official, so staying longer may cause inconvenience."

"...I ask for leave now."

After getting an expulsion order inexplicably by his own sister, Wan Li looked embarrassed but couldn't stay longer. Therefore, he left with anguish.

In the Eastern Depot...

It was getting dark and Gu Yunxi turned over and over in her own room in Southern Residence.

Qinger opened the door and walked in, carrying a pot of hot water to wait for Gu Yunxi to bathe.

Gu Yunxi took out a small wooden box from the carved cabinet with blooming flowers and said with joy to Qinger,

"Unexpectedly, the things I left here before are still there."

Qinger put down the kettle and said,

"Indeed. After you left Master's Mansion that year, no one dared to move furnishings in your house. The servants only did daily cleaning, not alone in the Eastern Depot."

Gu Yunxi smiled and sat down at the table with the wooden box in her hand,

"Don't be busy, Qinger. Come over. While the Master is busy in the front hall, sit down and talk to me."

Qinger was pouring water into the washbasin. When she heard that, she stopped her work and wiped her hands, coming to Gu Yunxi with a look of confusion,

"Miss, what are you going to tell me?"

"Sit down."

Gu Yunxi's clear eyes turned to the round chair facing her and she raised her jaw with a smile.

"It..."

Qinger frowned slightly, hesitating,

"It is against the rule."

The girl in her memory had a lovely face and a sweet smile, which was very easy to get close to.

Now, the accent of the person in front of her did not change, but her face was not sweet. Her expression was as cold as an empty valley spring, sharp and cold.

"Qinger, you know me best. I have never regarded you as a servant since the day I met you. I am the master, but we are close sisters."

Qinger pressed her pink lips lightly, smiled, and nodded. She slowly sat down on the opposite side.

They looked at each other. Memories in their minds were like revolving lanterns with scenes changing endlessly.

That year, they were all young and free, with their own dreams in their hearts. However, time flew. When they met again, they were not the young girls like before.

The eyebrows twitched suddenly and a flow of heat rushed to the eyes. Qinger raised her hand to wipe her face and sucked her nose,

"Miss, whenever I see you like this, I always think that we were in Master's Mansion in the past and I really cares you. For the Eastern Depot, for our Master, you have paid too much."

Gu Yunxi chuckled softly, her eyes wet and red. The water under her eyes shimmered and gleamed,

"The Master has saved my life. He has been working silently for many years in order to investigate the real culprit behind the murder of my family. I am willing to do anything for him."

Raising her teary eyes, Gu Yunxi looked at Qinger directly,

"Don't mention the past and let's talk about Xiaoshen and you. Now that I see you like this, I think he must treat you very well. How? are you determined to only marry him?"

Qinger was shy as her small chubby face flushed quickly. Her eyes were quite bright and she fluttered for a while before turning her head aside. She clasped his fingers tightly and said confidently,

"Yeah! I have made the decision. I will be his girl in this life."

Gu Yunxi was moved delightedly,

"I can tell that he really cares about you."

Qinger lowered her eyes slightly, with a bitter aftertaste filled her mind. Her eyelashes were slightly cool and her voice trembled in a daze,

“That year, I went to Mansion of Ming with the tenth captain to save you, but fell into Ming Lan's trap. Those beasts treated me... I thought all my life was ruined. If I didn't want to know your whereabouts, I might just kill myself and couldn't meet Xiaoshen.”

“The night when I returned to Jing City, he stayed in front of my door for a whole day and night. He told me that he would never leave me in his life and he wanted me to live well, waiting for you to come back with him and the tenth captain...”

Gu Yunxi raised her eyelashes suddenly. While her heart was shaken by this indestructible love, she also had a lot of doubts.

With blinking eyes, Gu Yunxi said,

"Qinger, do you have a misunderstanding? How do you know that you are no longer a virgin?"

Qinger was sad and looked at Gu Yunxi in surprise. She muttered,

"They are all beasts of the Western Depot... Ming Lan has already hated the Eastern Depot so much. How could he let the invaders go?"

Gu Yunxi's complexion was shining and she kept shaking her head,

"No, I was there that year. You lost your consciousness and were almost raped, but Ming Lan did tell guards to stop. He failed to vent his spleen, so he ordered his men to persecute the tenth captain.

Qinger's clear eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth with her hands. The inside of her chest was like a rising tide and the ups and downs were unstoppable,

"That is to say..."

The girl was so excited that she cried and laughed in front of Gu Yunxi,

"I, I'm still a virgin?!"

In tears, Gu Yunxi nodded firmly and her voice trembled,

"I saw it clearly. It was true. Fortunately, you haven’t refuse Brother Xiaoshen for this. Otherwise, for two years, he will be very sad."

Qinger burst into tears in an instant and she was pleasantly surprised.

Gu Yunxi wiped the corner of her eyes and took a deep breath,

"Now it’s okay. There is no misunderstanding and you and Brother Xiaoshen will cherish each other more in the future. The Master has said that after dealing with the current matters, he will choose an auspicious day for your marriage. This is a little bit of my kindness. Take it."

Gu Yunxi pushed the wooden box on the table to Qinger.

Qinger was puzzled,

"Miss, what's inside?"

Gu Yunxi smiled,

"It Your dowry. Open it and take a look."