To avoid the eyes of the King of Huyi watching from outside the manor, the Marquis of Nanguo only came over late at night.

This was also just in case.

And Gong Chi had not left this secluded residence either.

He was currently sitting in the hall.

Just waiting for the Marquis of Nanguo!

The great hall was extremely crude, with many of the wooden beams and pillars eaten through in circles by insects.

There were also many spider webs!

The courtyard was also overgrown with weeds.

At first glance, it clearly hadn’t been inhabited for many years and was only being used temporarily to house Lian Que.

He sat upright on that worn pear wood chair, his gaze fixed tightly on the courtyard.

At this moment, snow began to fall again.

Snowflakes drifted down with the gentle breeze, the dim light around glimmering faintly, reflecting on the snowflakes with quite a bit of lonely beauty.

Gong Chi couldn’t help but think of his son.

There was only half a month left until New Year!

It should be a time for family reunion, yet he, a white-haired person, had sent off a black-haired one.

All alone!

Thinking of this, his hand resting on the chair gradually clenched into a fist.

Until the Marquis of Nanguo entered wearing a black cloak.

He rose to greet him, and the pained expression on his face gradually dispersed.

The Marquis of Nanguo removed his cloak and handed it to the servant beside him.

Then he dismissed the servant.

“Where is he?” he asked urgently.

Gong Chi said, “Rest assured, he’s fine now and has woken up.”

“I’ll go see him.”

“The Marquis need not be so anxious!”

“…”

Gong Chi looked at him seriously. “I think we should discuss other matters.”

The Marquis of Nanguo knew what he wanted to say and stated directly, “I said that as long as you helped me rescue him, I would trust you. Naturally I won’t go back on my word now.”

“Which is to say, the Prime Minister and the Marquis are now in the same boat.”

“As long as the Prime Minister doesn’t abandon ship and leave, I think this boat… won’t capsize.”

Gong Chi received a satisfactory answer and smiled, saying, “With the Marquis’s words, I’m relieved. However, there’s another matter that I think the Marquis may not yet know—just today, the Great King has issued an edict entrusting the ancestral ceremony to the Second Prince.”

Hmm?

The Marquis of Nanguo asked, “So what?”

“So… our opportunity has come.”

“What do you mean?” Gong Chi took two steps, circling behind the Marquis of Nanguo. His eyes darkened, the corners of his mouth bearing a smile as he said with great certainty, “There’s only half a month until New Year’s Eve, and that night the ancestral ceremony will be held on the Heaven Worship Platform in the palace. Everyone’s attention will be focused on the ancestral ceremony. That time will be our best opportunity.”

The ancestral ceremony!

Surround the palace?

These were the two phrases that suddenly sprang into the Marquis of Nanguo’s mind.

He was startled and immediately felt hesitant.

Frowning in thought for a long moment. He turned to look at Gong Chi and told him, “The Prime Minister should know that I never do things without certainty. Right now there’s only half a month until the ancestral ceremony—time is tight, it’s simply not enough! If we act rashly, I’m afraid there will be defections when the time comes. Not only will you and I fail to achieve our goal, we’ll lose our lives at the ancestral ceremony.”

But Gong Chi held a completely opposite attitude. “That’s because before it was only your strength alone, but now it’s different—it’s the combined strength of the two of us! Half a month is more than enough time.”

Definite!

Very confident.

But—

The Marquis of Nanguo still had concerns and said, “I understand the Prime Minister’s meaning, but whether to act during the ancestral ceremony, I still need to think it over.”

“Fine, but the Marquis must give me an answer quickly. In any case, I’ll have everything prepared on my end, just waiting for your word.” Gong Chi spoke earnestly, and seeing that it was already very late, added, “Then I won’t disturb the Marquis from going to see your man. I take my leave.”

He then left the hall and departed from this old residence!

The Marquis of Nanguo stood in place for a short while.

Still contemplating Gong Chi’s suggestion.

Unable to make a final decision, he went to visit Lian Que.

After drinking his medicine, Lian Que had told Zhao Qi to rest first.

He was waiting!

When the Marquis of Nanguo entered, disregarding his wounds, he was about to get out of bed.

But the Marquis of Nanguo immediately pressed him to sit on the bed.

“You have injuries. Don’t move.”

Lian Que’s eyes couldn’t help but moisten, his heart both happy and excited. “I never thought I’d see the Marquis again.”

“How are you now?”

“This subordinate is fine. The Marquis need not worry. It’s just that this time I acted rashly and troubled the Marquis—it’s this subordinate’s fault.”

“This matter has already passed. There’s no need to mention it again. As long as you’re all right.”

Lian Que nodded, then suddenly asked, “Marquis, the matter with Left Prime Minister Gong… exactly?”

The Marquis of Nanguo said, “It’s a long story. You rest for two days first, and we’ll discuss it then.” Though Lian Que didn’t understand the full process, he still spoke with a tone of reminder, “Marquis, although this time it was Left Prime Minister Gong who intervened to help save me, this subordinate still must remind the Marquis—one cannot be without vigilance against others. After all, back then…” Among those who surrounded the palace was also Left Prime Minister Gong.

He didn’t speak this last sentence aloud.

The Marquis of Nanguo understood and said, “Of course I know. You don’t need to worry, just focus on recovering from your injuries! Tomorrow morning, I’ll leave the city to inform A’Jin and the others that you’ve been rescued, so they won’t worry.”

“The Marquis will go personally?”

“Yes.”

Lian Que sensed something and asked with concern, “Is there something else?”

“We’ll decide after tomorrow’s discussion.”

The Marquis of Nanguo never told Lian Que everything clearly, also considering his injuries and not wanting him to worry too much.

The next day.

The Marquis of Nanguo left the city under the pretext of going out to purchase commercial goods and materials.

The guards at the city gate knew he had been an honest merchant for many years, so they didn’t inspect him carefully and let him through.

Arriving at the bamboo cottage, he informed Ji Yunshu and the others of Lian Que’s news.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he also told them about reaching a cooperation agreement with Gong Chi.

Upon hearing this, Third Master was extremely shocked. “Marquis, do you really trust him?” The Marquis of Nanguo let out a sigh and said, “It’s not about trust or distrust, but that we truly do need him right now. Back in the day he was after all a great general, and many of his old subordinates are scattered in various places outside Gaoding. With just one word from him, those troops will still serve him! We have the forces left over from the previous dynasty in our hands, and there are also many officials we’ve planted in the court! Entering the royal palace wouldn’t be difficult, but if we truly want to surround the palace and seize the throne, what we need are troops! And this is something only Gong Chi can provide us. Moreover, he only wants to avenge his son, which doesn’t conflict with our interests. Plus, this time he did indeed save Lian Que, which proves everything.”

“But he has after all served the King of Huyi for over twenty years. Now he’s switching sides, saying it’s to avenge his son, but I fear there may be deception involved!” “I’ve also considered this point, which is why I haven’t told him about A’Jin and Yunshu’s matter—also just in case. No matter what, we can’t fully trust him. If something really does happen, even if I can’t extricate myself, you all can still be safe and sound.”