When Suzhen emerged, she lightly covered her mouth. Si Lanfeng saw this and felt somewhat anxious, but then noticed her expression seemed like tears of extreme joy—probably because Lian Jie and Lian Qin could finally be released.
He didn’t know Suzhen’s joy had another reason entirely.
She had always harbored some hope in her heart and had Lian Jie check her pulse. Unexpectedly, Lian Jie immediately told her little lotus seed was fine. It turned out Li Zhaoting had summoned him when she was unconscious.
Lian Jie said this child was extremely stable in her womb, and the child itself was remarkably hardy.
How could Suzhen not be overjoyed?
Not knowing the details, Si Lanfeng asked, “May I ask Miss, when do you plan to send them out? Lanfeng will arrange it immediately.”
Suzhen smiled, “Wei Wujun is still in the palace—let’s wait for now. If they leave and he follows immediately, when the time comes he’ll capture them again. What difference would leaving or not leaving make? Better to wait—at least in a few days when their injuries heal, they’ll have some chance of survival if pursued. Though I know the odds are slim, it’s better for my peace of mind.”
Si Lanfeng knew her earlier inquiry about Wei Wujun showed such concerns. He hadn’t expected her to state her thoughts so directly and was stunned for a long while before saying, “Then we’ll await Miss’s instructions.”
“Thank you.” Suzhen smiled, not lingering long before leaving with Director Guo.
Returning to the side hall, she said to Director Guo, “Please trouble yourself to send someone out of the palace to deliver a message for me.”
With Li Zhaoting having lifted her restrictions, she could contact Wuqing anytime.
After Director Guo left, Suzhen stood in the courtyard for a while before feeling tired. Her body hadn’t fully recovered from serious illness. No matter how anxious she felt, thinking about how to help the Lian brothers escape safely and how to protect herself in the palace, she dared not force herself.
She couldn’t let herself fall ill easily—not every time would there be a Lian Jie to “rescue” her. She must protect her little lotus seed well.
When going inside to rest, she unexpectedly found little Luzi in the corridor. She was quite surprised, “You’re still here?”
Little Luzi scratched his head with a face full of smiles, “The Young Master allowed this servant to return to serve. Magistrate Li…” He said this then quickly corrected himself, “Miss had matters on her mind, so didn’t notice this servant. I’ve been here since early morning.”
Suzhen nodded with a smile. When she left that morning, she had briefly noticed the palace servants on duty outside had changed—some were palace maids sent by Director Guo, others were eunuchs newly assigned by Li Zhaoting. But preoccupied with other matters, she truly hadn’t noticed this little father-in-law.
But changing personnel was within her expectations.
Yesterday she had deliberately let little Luzi go for the reward. In this world of human fickleness, especially in the palace, she knew other eunuchs would certainly seize this opportunity. After Aluo was taken hostage, Li Zhaoting would definitely punish people, but since Aluo wasn’t brought back by little Luzi, when it came to execution, it wouldn’t be this boy’s turn.
Seeing some pallor on his face, she knew he had received some punishment, but not severe.
This was all she could do. In the past, she would have tried every way to keep all palace servants out of harm’s way, or she’d rather not proceed at all. But those palace maids and eunuchs weren’t good people—they refused to relay her messages and nearly harmed her child. Why should she care about their lives?
Apparently, when she hardened her heart, she could be quite ruthless too.
She thought slowly as she walked inside.
“Miss, Director Wuqing of the Six Gates requests an audience.”
Just as she lay down properly, little Luzi announced outside. She was somewhat startled—Director Guo had just left. It seemed Wuqing happened to be visiting her.
“May I come in?” Wuqing’s voice followed from outside.
“Please enter,” she politely replied.
Before outsiders, Wuqing was her former guard, now Director of the Six Gates—nothing more. The fact that he was a Feng family member absolutely could not reach Wei Chenghui and Wei Wujun’s ears!
The door quickly opened. Wuqing entered with two people—a man and woman wearing hats with Six Gates constable accessories.
Their hat brims were low. Initially, Suzhen thought they were unnamed female and male constables. When Wuqing turned to close the door and the two removed their hats, she stood there half-dazed for a long time before running to the female constable, trembling all over.
The other reached out to embrace her.
“Huaisu.” The voice was slightly choked.
Such sorrowful emotion appeared for the first time on this person called Xiao Zhou’s face.
Behind her, the male constable was also Suzhen’s old friend—the tall, thin man Ji Fufeng.
“Wuqing found you both,” Suzhen said with a choked voice. Xiao Zhou was also one of her best brothers and friends, who had nearly died saving her before.
Xiao Zhou held her tightly.
It turned out that during the chaos that day, she and Ji Fufeng had been thrown by Chao Huang into a dark corner of the city wall. Ji Fufeng’s constitution was strong with amazing willpower. Though severely injured, the drugs couldn’t make him sleep deeply. Later he struggled awake, and despite his serious wounds, chased into the imperial city where he secretly witnessed Li Zhaoting rescuing Suzhen. Seeing this, he relaxed somewhat, knowing rash appearance would cause trouble. So he returned the same way, rescued the still-unconscious Xiao Zhou, and quickly left to find an inn in the capital.
They were fortunate too. Lian Yu’s death made Wei’s forces stop their strict searches in the capital, while Li Zhaoting focused more on the Murong army and Xiao’an and others who had already withdrawn from the capital than on escaped guards.
Two days later, when his injuries improved slightly, though knowing the chances were slim, he still disguised himself and lingered outside the imperial city, hoping to learn about Suzhen’s situation.
The imperial city had returned to its former appearance, but the guards had changed from imperial troops to Wei forces. Not only did these ordinary soldiers know nothing about Suzhen’s situation, even if they did, they wouldn’t tell him.
He just wouldn’t give up hope, but this persistence led him to discover some coded messages at the city gates.
It turned out that after hearing Suzhen’s words, Wuqing had both sent subordinate constables to secretly search for them and left coded messages Suzhen had created at the city gates.
This code was something Suzhen had made up playfully before, but now it truly proved useful. Ji Fufeng saw it and immediately sought out Wuqing. The Six Gates had constables skilled in medicine whom Wuqing brought to treat Xiao Zhou.
When Xiao Zhou and Ji Fufeng were captured along with Suzhen, Ji Fufeng had given the critically injured Xiao Zhou an antidote. Her later injuries were mostly from overexertion damaging her internal organs, with little poison remaining. She couldn’t get treatment at the Wei residence, but Wuqing brought skilled medical practitioners who used acupuncture and medicine to gradually stabilize her condition.
After three days, though still injured, her life was no longer in danger.
Both she and Ji Fufeng urgently wanted to see Suzhen, so despite their poor condition, after Wuqing learned of Li Zhaoting personally leading the border campaign, he immediately arranged this meeting.
Hearing this, Suzhen suddenly looked up at Ji Fufeng behind Xiao Zhou.
By now, she had no more doubts about who he really was. Among people in this world who could understand her nonsense codes, there were only a few.
Ji Fufeng looked at her deeply with complex emotions—most obviously, some timidity.
Suzhen’s feelings were also complex. Perhaps when she left the Wei residence that day, she still didn’t blame this brother too much. But Lian Yu’s death—even though she still asked Wuqing to find him—had forever created a barrier, a wound, a trace of hatred in her heart.
“Master is dead.” Xiao Zhou’s voice held deep sorrow, pulling her thoughts back.
Suzhen didn’t know how to respond. Xiao Zhou slowly released her, panic in her expression, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
She gripped Suzhen’s hand, “With Master gone, I’ll guard you and the young master from now on. Huaisu, don’t worry—I’ll protect you.”
Suzhen was startled, realizing Wuqing had told her about the child. Seeing her firm gaze with determination and comfort in her reddened eyes, she felt inexplicably distressed.
“Xiao Zhou, I’m trapped in this deep palace and can’t leave, while you can’t enter either. Live well outside. If I think of a way to leave the palace, I’ll definitely find you,” she said.
Xiao Zhou glanced coldly at Wuqing and the others, her expression turning to great hatred.
“No, Huaisu, I can get in. Haven’t they all changed their appearances? Wei the thief knows my identity, but if I can find Huichun Hall to change my appearance too, I can enter the palace as a female constable recommended by the Six Gates Director to protect you. Given the Feng family’s relationship, that Li fellow probably won’t object. One more person means more safety and more ideas in the palace—maybe we can find a way out.”
…
After the three left, Xiao Zhou’s words still echoed. Before leaving, Ji Fufeng asked if he could speak privately with her—she refused. Ji Fufeng said softly, “I know you won’t forgive me. I’ll explain my situation slowly later. I don’t dare hope for your forgiveness, but I’ll also change my appearance again to enter the palace and guard you.”
Time passed—over half a month. Suzhen had wanted to thank Miaoyin personally, but Miaoyin refused to see her, while Aluo had also kept to her quarters during this period.
Suzhen hadn’t arranged for the Lian brothers to leave the palace, only letting them recover in the palace prison until this day when she had made arrangements and prepared a way for them to completely escape Wei Wujun’s pursuit.
Meanwhile, half a li outside the capital, Li Zhaoting returned victorious again. Wei Chenghui led rear guard forces, and traveling with Li Zhaoting was a man of extraordinary beauty with remarkably sinister phoenix eyes.