Jing Hengbo was first shocked, then angry, then suspicious.

Shocked that Gong Yin had learned to flirt? Angry that he dared flirt with a dancer? After the anger, she immediately felt the contrast was too great – could this guy have seen through her identity long ago?

At this moment, his eyes were too deep, like an ink pool with no flowing water visible, only someone standing there for a long time. She saw herself in his eyes – changed in form and dress, with only her eyes sparkling like spring tides touched by rain.

Their gazes met for just an instant when suddenly the pressure on her back increased. Her body involuntarily pressed downward, her face moving directly toward his lips.

In her vision, she seemed to see his expression half-smiling, his lips also slightly curved upward. That hint of a smile drew closer and closer, and she couldn’t help but smile too, deliberately grinding her teeth, preparing to give this stubborn and troublesome fellow a good bite.

But the smile at the corners of her lips grew wider, an irrepressible curve. She just loved seeing his smile, even if faint and shallow. It was too precious – each time was stunning and surprising. Each time she saw it, she felt as if her efforts had borne fruit, life had gained hope, and the gloom had parted to reveal an endless expanse of clear blue sky beyond.

She stared intently at his smile, thinking that all she sought in life was precisely this – cool as water on the celestial steps in the night, embracing each other with smiles while picking grapes. She noticed he actually had a shallow dimple by his right cheek – should she lick it later?

At this moment, Gong Yin was gazing at the line of red lips beneath her silver-white mask, thinking this woman had become increasingly pretentious lately, forcing him into all sorts of awkward situations. Should he give her a little punishment too?

Their lips were separated by just a hair’s breadth, their eyes blazing brightly.

Suddenly – “BANG!” A loud crash as the courtyard gate was kicked open. Someone shouted loudly, “Catch the assassin! I saw the assassin dart in here!”

Jing Hengbo’s head shot up, her face flushed red with annoyance.

What troublesome cur had come to spoil the mood!

Before she could lose her temper, Gong Yin suddenly waved his hand. The flower basket she’d been holding all along whooshed into the air, flying viciously toward the gate.

Jing Hengbo once again stared dumbfounded as the flower basket traced an arc across the night sky – indeed, when a man’s mood was interrupted, it touched his bottom line. Even an iceberg would hit people because of it!

Then she remembered what that flower basket actually was and instinctively wanted to shout “Don’t!” before closing her mouth again.

Never mind. Disturbing His Majesty’s pleasure-seeking – serves them right.

“BANG!” The flower basket struck the intruder.

The intruder hadn’t even finished saying “Search and investigate—” when he saw an object flying through the air with fierce wind sounds. A crowd of guards hurried to block it, but how could these cats and dogs stop Gong Yin’s attack? The flower basket flashed with colored light, and after a muffled impact, fragrant mist of five colors filled the sky. The Crown Prince got a mouthful of fresh flower petals while a pile of guards collapsed.

Before they could react, another series of “thump thump thump” rapid footsteps approached. This time several women rushed to the door. The first one hadn’t even steadied herself before shouting harshly, “Guards! Bring that vixen to me…” She hadn’t finished speaking when she saw Crown Prince Ge Heng collapsed on the ground. Stunned, she rushed over calling, “Your Highness! Husband! What happened to you?”

Jing Hengbo held her forehead and smiled bitterly – was this the royal palace or a marketplace? What a performance of one act following another. Where had this woman emerged from?

Some guards on the periphery who hadn’t been poisoned struggled to shout, “Crown Princess…” Only then did Jing Hengbo realize this was a jealous wife chasing her husband.

The Crown Princess was dazed for a moment, instinctively looking up to search. When she saw Gong Yin’s back, she paused, then her gaze sharply fixed on Jing Hengbo. A woman’s natural intuition told her this dancer was absolutely a beauty, and probably the very one who had made her husband pursue relentlessly today.

She looked at Jing Hengbo, then at the unconscious Ge Heng, immediately concluding that this vixen had entered the palace to assassinate, and her lustful husband had chased here and fallen right into the trap. Seeing that Jing Hengbo wasn’t rushing to escape but was actually standing there smiling with arms folded, watching, she flew into a rage and immediately pointed at Jing Hengbo, shouting, “Eastern Palace guards! Surround this place! Don’t let a single person escape! Capture them all for the dungeon and severe punishment! You few – seize this slut first!”

“Who are you calling a slut?” someone suddenly asked ominously.

“Her!” The Crown Princess pointed at Jing Hengbo without thinking.

“Does look like a slut. Should she be beaten?” that voice asked again.

“Beat her!”

“SMACK!”

The slap rang out as crisp as a firecracker, so loud it made ears ring. The Crown Princess spun around like she’d been kicked in the face by a firecracker and crashed into the dust with a thud.

Amid the screaming, a crowd rushed over – “Your Majesty!”

The one who struck stood in place, blowing on his palm and saying contemptuously, “I don’t hit women, but I can hit sluts.”

Jing Hengbo drew a breath and sighed. The hot-tempered young marshal had arrived.

Pei Shu stood with arms folded by the doorway, coldly watching the group of people. His very presence was intimidating – everyone hesitated and dared not advance an inch.

Pei Shu’s eyes swept over Jing Hengbo and Gong Yin, then looked at the people on the ground, roughly guessing the situation. He seemed quite satisfied that Jing Hengbo and Gong Yin hadn’t managed a successful private rendezvous, and his expression improved somewhat.

The Crown Princess lifted her head from the ground, half her face already swollen like a pig’s head. As a Floating Water tribe princess pampered since childhood, when had she ever experienced such humiliation? When she raised her head again, her eyes were red. She pushed away the crowd and lunged at Jing Hengbo – “Kill this slut for me—”

Jing Hengbo was both angry and amused. Pei Shu was the one who hit her, yet she didn’t go after him but came for herself instead. Did she really think she was a soft persimmon to squeeze?

Watching the woman pounce with claws bared, a trace of faint disgust flashed in her eyes. She thought that the Floating Water tribe had been determined to send her away, but from the looks of it, the grudges that should form would still form. This tribe was still unavoidable.

She looked coolly at that woman with the vicious expression.

When she was only three feet away, already reaching into her robes as if to pull out something with joy showing on her face, Jing Hengbo waved her sleeve.

Sending you away, a thousand miles distant.

The Eastern Palace guards watched helplessly as their Crown Princess, before even getting close to her opponent, inexplicably flew up, over the courtyard, over the palace gate, over the walls – “BANG!” accompanied by a scream.

After a moment of silence, a crowd rushed out screaming.

Lights gradually brightened throughout the royal palace, and footsteps approached. The commotion here had finally alerted the palace’s Feathered Forest Guards.

Jing Hengbo looked at the sky – time to go. She’d already been delayed too long by this boring couple. She hoped nothing had gone wrong on Zuoqiu’s side.

As for Gong Yin, she was certain he’d seen through those dancers’ tricks, so she didn’t need to worry about him.

Just as she moved to leave, the group guarding the Crown Prince while waiting for the imperial physician immediately drew swords and blocked the doorway.

Jing Hengbo frowned. She didn’t want to teleport away in front of so many people.

“Deploy troops! Deploy troops! Feathered Forest Guards! Deploy heavy crossbows! Deploy cannons! I want to blast this place flat! I want to kill them!” The Crown Princess’s shrieks came from beyond the wall, though she didn’t dare step foot in the courtyard again.

Someone rushed in and carried off the unconscious Ge Heng, then the door slammed shut with a bang. Rapid footsteps mixed with the clicking sounds of crossbows being loaded – clearly the outside had followed the Crown Princess’s orders and entered full combat mode.

But armed action in the palace always required the king’s orders. Another series of hurried footsteps, then the somewhat weary voice of King Ge Shen of Luoyun rang out: “What’s happening?”

“Father King, there are assassins in the palace! They injured the Crown Prince and wounded your son-in-law!” The Crown Princess had apparently lost some teeth, making her tearful complaint sound somewhat garbled.

Ge Shen, probably seeing her injuries clearly, was also shocked and angrily demanded, “How audacious! Where are the assassins!”

“In the hall! Please Father King order the palace guards to mobilize. If anyone rushes out, rain arrows from powerful crossbows!”

“Guards…” Ge Shen suddenly paused, his voice turning puzzled, “This palace… who is staying here tonight?”

Silence fell around them, followed by whispered conversation as someone quietly reported the situation to Ge Shen.

Ge Shen was silent for a while, then asked the Crown Princess somewhat uncertainly, “The one residing in this hall is an honored guest warmly invited by our royal family. Logically, they wouldn’t attack without reason. Who injured you?”

“A woman! Dressed as a dancer, and a black-clothed man.” The Crown Princess replied resentfully, “They look like outsiders. The one staying in this hall – I could see has a noble temperament and didn’t make a move. It was that black-clothed man who came later – rat-like features, wretched appearance…”

“BANG!” The closed door was kicked open with one foot. Through the flying dust, someone angrily shouted, “Noble your ass! Wretched your head! Foolish woman – blind in heart and eyes!”

Through the dust, Young Marshal Pei stood at the doorway with an iron-blue face, glaring at the Crown Princess.

He could tolerate being insulted, but praising Gong Yin while insulting him was intolerable.

His gaze carved into the Crown Princess’s face, desperately seeking a reason to hit a woman again.

“It’s him! It’s him!” the Crown Princess shrieked, hiding behind Ge Shen. “He came out! And there’s that woman in the courtyard! Father King, please give the order! Kill them!”

When Pei Shu kicked the door, Ge Shen had stopped talking. His face now alternated between green and red.

Pei Shu looked at him with cold mockery while Jing Hengbo waved at him with a smile from the courtyard.

She knew what Ge Shen was thinking – troublemakers will be troublemakers; couldn’t stay quiet for even one night after arriving.

But she felt no guilt whatsoever.

Heaven had eyes – she, Jing Hengbo, had never been one to seek trouble. It was trouble that loved finding her.

Ge Shen’s expression changed for a long time before he finally gritted his teeth, raised his hand to stop the Crown Princess’s wailing, and said grimly, “It’s a misunderstanding. Guards, escort the Crown Prince and Crown Princess back.”

“What?” The Crown Princess whirled around, her pupils dilating in shock. “Father King, what are you saying!”

“A misunderstanding!” Ge Shen said each word clearly. “Go back!”

“Father King, what’s gotten into you! This person injured your daughter-in-law and your beloved son!” The Crown Princess rushed over in shock.

“Don’t you dare say that,” Jing Hengbo said with a smile. “What exactly your Crown Prince was poisoned with, the imperial physician will know with one examination. Such exquisite and shameless devices – I’ve never had anything like that.”

“Bah! Slut, shut up!” The Crown Princess spat back and grabbed Ge Shen’s sleeve. “Father King, please reconsider…”

“Escort the Crown Princess back!” Ge Shen roared.

Immediately people stepped forward, expertly covering the Crown Princess’s mouth, restraining her hands and feet, stuffing her into a phoenix carriage nearby. The carriage sped away with clicking hoofbeats.

The Crown Princess made no more sounds – she’d probably been drugged when her mouth was covered. But until she was stuffed into the carriage, her eyes kept glaring viciously at Jing Hengbo.

Jing Hengbo shrugged indifferently. Having offended so many people, she didn’t care about one more.

The muscles in Ge Shen’s face twitched. Remarkably, he managed to maintain a peaceful tone, asking nothing, acting as if he hadn’t seen the Crown Prince on the ground. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Jing Hengbo, asking her to rest early, then hurriedly took his leave.

Watching him turn to go, Jing Hengbo suddenly laughed leisurely, “Your Majesty, I forgot to remind you – your Crown Prince was drugged, but supposedly the antidote is in those dancers’ bodies. You just need to… cough cough you understand. If you want to save him, don’t waste effort on other things. Just take those dancers away. Only, he took quite a large dose…” She sighed sorrowfully and said with great sympathy, “Tonight, His Highness the Crown Prince will probably be very, very busy…”

Ge Shen seemed to stagger. Jing Hengbo heard his voice sounding somewhat like gritted teeth: “Yes. This humble king understands. Thank you for Your Majesty’s reminder.”

Jing Hengbo watched the group quickly carry Ge Heng away, then turned to look at Gong Yin. He had actually lain back down on the lounge chair and was eating grapes again. He didn’t seem at all worried about whether the Crown Prince might die of exhaustion tonight.

Jing Hengbo felt that in this world, one could offend heaven and earth, but the one thing absolutely not to be offended was a great god in heat…

…

While the royal palace was in complete uproar, near the Criminal Justice Bureau, though surrounded by thousands of troops, there was complete silence.

The soldiers were waiting for the next orders.

In the darkness, a pair of cold eyes full of hatred stared fixedly at the carriage carrying the Ge sisters.

Zuoqiu Mo had initially waited silently, but as time passed, she gradually became restless and anxious.

She couldn’t help but think.

What did it mean that the Queen had mysteriously disappeared at this moment?

The Ge sisters had been disturbed and frightened, not immediately acting, but such a state couldn’t last long. Once the Ge sisters came to their senses and acted, while the Queen still hadn’t returned, what should she do? Really watch helplessly as the family retainers she regarded as uncles were all killed?

In this world, relying on others was never as good as relying on oneself. She and the Queen were neither relatives nor old friends – the Queen had just taken some interest in her. Now seeing the situation becoming complex, about to be drawn into the Luoyun tribe’s power struggles and affect relations with the royal family, it was natural for the Queen to hesitate and change her attitude. Should she really entrust the lives of hundreds in the Zuoqiu family to the Queen’s momentary interest?

In any case, this wasn’t her style – sitting without acting, foolishly waiting for others’ unknown moves.

However, she was alone now. Stopping thousands of troops would be absolutely impossible. But military strategy always said: to catch bandits, first catch the king!

In the darkness, Zuoqiu Mo unfolded her form. After several quick maneuvers, she had approached the Ge sisters’ carriage.

Inside the carriage, the Ge sisters sat facing each other. Ge Shao looked around uneasily while Ge Lian sat quietly, her hands folded in the wide, heavy brocade skirt with apricot-yellow mud-gold lotus patterns, her posture serene as always.

She seemed to be listening to the sounds outside, or perhaps thinking. Suddenly she said softly, “Her Majesty the Queen has finally left.”

Ge Shao was startled, then delighted, exclaiming, “How do you know…”

Ge Lian suddenly looked up and glared at her fiercely. Ge Shao paused, then understood. She glanced out the carriage window and quietly made a “someone’s here?” gesture.

Ge Lian mouthed back, “Guessing.”

Ge Shao smiled coldly, feeling her sister wouldn’t guess wrong. They both understood Zuoqiu Mo – that woman was definitely nearby and definitely wouldn’t rely on others. She’d want to save people herself. What could she do to save them at this point? Nothing but catch the king first.

She laughed, “Her Majesty naturally had to leave. Otherwise, if fighting breaks out later and she gets hurt, how could we face her painstaking effort to lure someone here?”

Someone in the darkness seemed to tremble slightly.

Inside the carriage, Ge Lian looked at Ge Shao approvingly and smiled, “Her Majesty truly deserves to be the queen who rules all directions. Though initially deceived by Zuoqiu Mo, she later understood the Zuoqiu family’s arrogance and misconduct. Being royalty herself, she naturally understands best how such families that control military power threaten royal authority. Feeling the same way, it’s natural for Her Majesty to help us. Besides, it won’t be for nothing – afterward, the King will surely show his appreciation to Her Majesty.”

“That’s not for us to inquire about.” Ge Shao smiled. “We just need to wait quietly for Zuoqiu Mo to walk into the trap and the Zuoqiu family to bring about their own destruction. Sister, when do you think we should act?”

“I was planning to wait until the Queen was farther away, to clear her of involvement – that’s what I promised Her Majesty.” Ge Lian’s eyes shifted. “It looks about right now. We can act.”

As she spoke the last sentence, she and Ge Shao simultaneously drew daggers from their sleeves and forcefully pulled the carriage windows!

From Ge Lian’s sleeve, a firework shot through the carriage roof with a sharp “whoosh!”

As they acted, Zuoqiu Mo, who had heard this conversation in the darkness and could no longer bear it, also moved.

She first lunged at the carriage window.

Ge Lian smiled behind the window, her smile sweet yet ice-cold.

The window had already been fitted with an iron spike net – poisoned, made of refined iron, all with barbs, sharp and tough. Given Zuoqiu Mo’s nature, she would certainly try to tear the window barehanded. When that happened, if not poisoned, she’d at least be injured.

A whirlwind rose in the night, and in it the young woman’s eyes were blood-red. Her form was so fast it stirred up dust from the ground. Through the dust, her snow-white fingers clawed violently toward the carriage window.

She wanted to drag these two sluts out first, then confront the Queen face to face!

Suddenly a shadow flashed past. Her foot caught on something and her body pitched forward, brushing past the carriage window.

Turning around, she saw Feifei crouched on the carriage roof, frantically waving its paws at her. Its tail slapped against the roof with a patting sound, clearly trying to stop her.

She understood the meaning, but at this moment, she didn’t want to be blocked by one of the Queen’s pets.

Feifei was very alert, firmly guarding the carriage window with an expression that said “if you dare come over, I dare slap you – hurry up and go back.”

Zuoqiu Mo snorted coldly and lunged at the carriage window again. Feifei immediately met her, but Zuoqiu Mo suddenly twisted her body, avoiding Feifei, and with a leap, had jumped onto the driver’s seat.

Seeing that the window trap hadn’t injured Zuoqiu Mo, Ge Lian and Ge Shao immediately grabbed their knives and jumped down from the carriage. But Zuoqiu Mo’s momentum was too fast. Seeing they couldn’t get out of the carriage in time, the two didn’t panic but unhesitatingly struck out together.

Zuoqiu Mo twisted her body sideways, sucked in her breath and shifted, making her body thin as paper as she squeezed between the two, entering the carriage. She grabbed both their backs and yanked them backward forcefully.

Ge Lian and Ge Shao screamed as they were both pulled down, and all three rolled into a pile in the small carriage.

Ge Lian reacted extremely quickly. Before hitting the ground, she punched somewhere hard. With a snap, something sprang out from the carriage wall, aimed directly at Zuoqiu Mo’s back as she pulled them backward. Sensing something wrong behind her, Zuoqiu Mo could no longer get up and could only barely shift her body to avoid vital points. “Crack!” A crisp sound, and faintly Zuoqiu Mo’s muffled groan.

The carriage lamps had gone out, plunging everything into darkness. All three had fallen into the carriage and temporarily made no sound, not even breathing. Ge Lian and Ge Shao were also ruthless people. Knowing this was a matter of life and death, Ge Shao recklessly swung her knife wildly while Ge Lian desperately lunged toward the carriage corner to activate all the mechanisms.

Zuoqiu Mo had recovered somewhat from the sharp pain in her back. Touching it, she felt wetness everywhere and knew she was injured. In this narrow, dark space full of mechanisms, with cunning opponents familiar with the mechanisms, she probably couldn’t gain any advantage. Gritting her teeth, she sucked in breath and suddenly stood up, rushing out.

The two women thought Zuoqiu Mo was coming to attack them. If Zuoqiu Mo fought desperately, killing one person was still possible. Without thinking, Ge Lian reached to pull Ge Shao.

At the same time, Ge Shao grabbed Ge Lian’s arm and pulled her toward herself.

In that split second, both women froze.

In that instant, both had evil thoughts – wanting to drag the other as a human shield. But the moment they grasped each other, both felt their hearts turn cold.

Before life and death, their sisterhood of over ten years finally showed cracks.

A moment of racing thoughts, a moment of human nature tested.

Zuoqiu Mo hadn’t considered so much. Taking advantage of the moment when these two were stunned by their collision of scheming thoughts, she squeezed between them quickly as before.

As she leaped from the carriage, she collided with a shield-bearer who had come to the rescue and jumped onto the carriage shaft.

Zuoqiu Mo gave a loud shout, grabbed the soldier’s spear with one hand and swung it to knock him down, kicked the other men off the carriage shaft, snatched the shield with one hand and wedged it against the carriage door behind her, then leaned back against the shield.

At this moment, the Ge sisters were about to jump from the carriage again, but because they were too eager to go first, they got stuck in the doorway. The two looked at each other again.

Ge Lian’s eyes narrowed. All these years, her sister had always yielded to her!

She was about to tell Ge Shao to step aside when she suddenly noticed a cold flash in Ge Shao’s eyes.

She knew that light too well – it was killing intent!

Ge Lian’s heart jumped, then she wondered if the same light was flashing in her own eyes.

Both simultaneously made motions to raise their knives.

Just then, snap! The shield blocked the carriage door.

With this blockage, both women actually felt relieved – if they had truly turned on each other in that instant, neither would probably survive.

Both broke out in cold sweat, not daring to look at each other as they turned away.

Zuoqiu Mo was unaware of the sisters’ scheming behind her. If she knew that her shield blocking them a moment later might have saved her the trouble of these two killing each other, she’d probably vomit blood. Though she was already vomiting blood – her back injury was serious.

The carriage was already moving. Zuoqiu family members were skilled at everything, and her driving was also extremely fast. One crack of the whip sent the four horses flying.

Zuoqiu Mo spat blood while shakily fumbling for a fire starter from her robes, lighting it and throwing it into the carriage.

The carriage was full of soft satin and brocade cushions, silk curtains and drapery – all highly flammable. In just moments, flames were already rising.

The Ge sisters’ terrified screams brought a faint smile to Zuoqiu Mo’s lips.

She was seriously injured now, coughing blood, her back stuck to the shield with blood and iron fused together. Moving even slightly was agonizing.

But she smiled with great pleasure.

If she could kill the Ge sisters, save the retainers here, then drive to rescue the Zuoqiu residence, even if she died, she could rest in peace.

The carriage raced very fast. Those soldiers in heavy armor couldn’t keep up. The carriage careered through the streets while the Ge sisters stopped screaming, replaced by sounds of banging from inside.

The outer curtains were already on fire. In the deep night under the vast sky, on the blue-green streets, the golden carriage blazed as it rushed along.

The driver looked up to the sky and laughed, her long hair flying.

Ahead, a figure suddenly appeared – slender and graceful with extraordinary lightness skills. Ghost-like, in one flash still ten zhang away, in another flash already three zhang ahead.

This inhuman speed made Zuoqiu Mo’s eyes narrow.

At this moment, sparks seemed to flash in her eyes.

The Queen!

Jing Hengbo on the opposite side also spotted Zuoqiu Mo and immediately rushed over.

Zuoqiu Mo stared fixedly at that figure. Her mind was somewhat unclear after the serious injury, and someone fighting desperately had even more uncontainable hot blood. At this moment, only the Ge sisters’ conversation echoed repeatedly in her mind.

“…can’t let down Her Majesty’s painstaking effort to lure someone here…”

“It’s natural for Her Majesty to help us…”

“Afterward, the King will surely show his appreciation to Her Majesty…”

She had to get answers from the Queen!

She demanded an explanation!

Even if she died, she’d die understanding!

Her body was numb, her mind chaotic, with only obsession remaining in her consciousness. She drove the burning carriage, thundering forward without hesitation toward the rushing and completely unguarded Jing Hengbo.