Chapter 558: In this life, having you, Duan Rongshi—how fortunate!

Zongzheng Xingyao: ……

Well, her father the emperor might indeed do such a cruel and inhumane deed.

"But I also can't…… help you hand over my father the emperor……"

Li Qingluo: "Do you want to use the merit of rescuing the emperor to exchange for the possibility of no longer becoming a nun and marrying off to the Western Regions?"

Zongzheng Xingyao: "Your Highness, what should we do?"

Li Qingluo curled her lips: "Easy."

Just as she had spoken a few words with Nangong Xingyao, Zheng Mama rushed in: "Not good, a large group of guards is coming this way to search!"

Li Qingluo looked toward Zongzheng Xingyao.

Zongzheng Xingyao immediately waved her hand and shook her head: "Not this palace!"

"I, I never intended to betray you."

"Perhaps because this cold palace is where Father the Emperor stayed as a child, so they might have come here to look."

Li Qingluo: "What did you say?"

"This is the cold palace where your father the emperor and your aunt stayed?"

"Isn't that where your mother consort was born and raised?"

Li Qingluo looked at the pitch-black bed, recalling that the mother consort was born on it.

Looking at the little horse and little stool, they might have been objects the mother consort used in her childhood.

Looking again at this dilapidated room, my heart felt instantly warm.

Her gaze also unconsciously softened.

Seeing her suddenly fall into a daze, Zongzheng Xingyao couldn't help but push her: "Nangong Qingluo? Nangong Qingluo, what's wrong with you?"

Li Qingluo took a deep breath: "Let's first hide, then talk."

Li Qingluo raised her head to look around.

"The beams can't be used for hiding."

"This house leaks rain; when these guards come in and see the puddles on the floor, they will definitely look up."

"However, the big tree in the courtyard has lush branches and leaves; over the years, presumably no one has trimmed it, and no one dares to cut it, so it has now grown into an extremely exaggerated giant tree."

"Go!"

"The four of them hid in the tree."

After the guards rushed in, searched around and found nothing, they indeed never thought this tree could hide people.

After everyone had left, Li Qingluo then took the lead in bringing Zongzheng Xingyao down from the tree.

Zheng Mama lingered behind, after placing the person under the tree, Li Qingluo was examining the pit on the ground.

"Back then, the former empress was buried here, right?"

Zongzheng Xingyao: "How do you know?"

"Father the Emperor never allowed anyone to approach this cold palace."

"Including himself; it's said that after he left, he never came back."

"How do you know the imperial grandmother is buried here?"

Li Qingluo: "Just a guess."

"Isn't there just this one big tree in the courtyard?"

"Anyone who has heard the story of the former empress would be able to guess that, right?"

Li Qingluo recalled the former empress's fate and silently sighed, "What a pity."

"But it was precisely because she lacked decisiveness and ability back then that it caused the mother consort to be born in the cold palace, and further caused the brother and sister to endure countless difficult days and nights in the cold palace, suffering endless hardship."

"However, I myself have no right to blame her."

"After all, in my previous life I was also useless."

"Let's go."

Li Qingluo turned her head and met the Chu Emperor's gaze, which was fixed on her like a poisonous snake.

"When did he wake up?"

Li Qingluo looked at Zheng Mama, whose face was full of bitterness; she dared not speak.

Zongzheng Xingyao rolled her eyes and simply fainted.

After Li Qingluo made the person faint again.

Zongzheng Xingyao cried, her face full of sorrow.

"It's over, it's over!"

"Sniffle, originally I was supposed to rescue the emperor, but now that Father the Emperor sees me and you, it's basically a conspiracy; I fear that upon waking, not to mention the marriage alliance, he might just kill me outright."

"Sniffle sniffle sniffle..."

Li Qingluo: "Why give him a chance to kill you?"

"If he can't live, wouldn't everything be easily solved?"

Zongzheng Xingyao choked twice: "Are you crazy? I will never commit patricide!!"

"Moreover, even if Father the Emperor died, the crown prince elder brother would surely follow Father the Emperor's original plan and marry me off to the Western Regions."

"Everything is in vain! Sniffle..."

Li Qingluo felt a headache.

Her voice involuntarily rose a few notches: "Stop crying!"

Zongzheng Xingyao truly looked choked up.

A look of being frightened by Li Qingluo.

Li Qingluo hurriedly said, "I've tied you and your father together. When he wakes up next time, he'll realize you're being held hostage by me."

"As for whether your father will be moved by you, or be moved and then go back on his word, given your understanding of him, can you be sure about this?"

Zongzheng Xingyao shook his head.

Li Qingluo: "I thought only by—"

Speaking, she gave her neck a hand chop, fiercely saying: "To eliminate future troubles!"

"As for the crown prince you mentioned, altering the drafted document, is that difficult?"

Zongzheng Xingyao's eyes lit up.

His heart felt suddenly enlightened.

"Nan Gong Qingluo, you're so clever!"

"As expected, it's still you!!"

Li Qingluo: "So, are you willing to kill your father?"

Zongzheng Xingyao certainly didn't dare.

Li Qingluo was just teasing her.

In the blink of an eye, it was night again.

The entire palace remained brightly lit.

Although the crown prince's search grew more perfunctory, his act grew more thorough.

On the surface, no one could find fault with his lack of dedication.

As for the matter of the Chu Emperor's disappearance, although it hasn't yet become known to the whole court, some rumors have already leaked out.

Now the whole Nan'an has become somewhat panicked.

In the palace, people began constantly coming and going.

Ironically, the crown prince governed this place the most loosely.

The guards at the palace gate no longer paid close attention to the carriages entering and leaving these two days.

Zongzheng Xingyao took the opportunity to sit in a carriage and leave the palace.

Although he said he was going to the former princess's residence, now the Zhang mansion, to find Princess Changning, but after turning onto three streets, Zheng Mama took over the carriage.

The carriage quickly disappeared on the main street.

When it reappeared, it had already been taken over by the assassins.

"Are we leaving the city?"

Zongzheng Xingyao leaned against the carriage window, quite excited about having done such a major deed in his life.

Li Qingluo: "The city gates are locked; we can only leave at dawn tomorrow."

She said this and opened the floor mechanism; seeing that the Chu Emperor below was still drowsy, she felt completely relieved.

To be safe, she had Zongzheng Xingyao get some bewitching drugs.

This Seventh Princess, although she said she didn't want to, was still quite adept at being ruthless toward her own father.

Zongzheng Xingyao nodded.

Afterwards, he gave a strange look to the wooden horse and small stool in the corner.

"These things are about to rot; it's really strange—why did you steal them out of the cold palace?"

Li Qingluo: "Of course, it's to remind myself of someone upon seeing an object."

Zongzheng Xingyao:?

Sometimes, she feels that this Nan Gong Qingluo Ye is not quite normal.

The carriage didn't go straight to Nan Gong Fu.

Instead, it went to the Flower Pavilion Wine House.

"Watch him. If he wakes up, give him the decoction."

The Chu Emperor was still thrown under the carriage, letting the assassins take turns guarding him.

Just a single blanket, and he wouldn't freeze to death.

Li Qingluo and Zongzheng Xingyao secretly entered the wine house, each staying in an elegant room.

They had been weary from traveling for several days.

Li Qingluo had just soaked in the hot water tub when a sound came from the room.

She turned her head and was met by someone who came forward and covered her mouth.

"Mmm... shi..."

A "splash" sound of water.

Li Qingluo's just-wetted body was then lifted out of the water by someone.

Duan Rongshi couldn't help but embrace her, pressing tightly against himself.

He didn't mind that the freshly changed, clean robe he had purposely put on got wet from her.

Until Li Qingluo was kissed by him, her waist leaning back more and more, finally with a "splash" she sat back into the water, and this hot kiss finally ended.

She was lifted out again.

The two looked at each other and gave a "pfft" laugh.

"You've come."

Li Qingluo stared at the person before her, her face flushed.

Their eyes met, and they tightly embraced each other.

"Let's take care of business first."

Duan Rongshi's voice hoarse, he no longer wasted words, quickly rose and removed his outer robe.

Right after, one or two things fell to the ground.

As the water sounded, he also sat down into the tub.

The room was full of spring.

A faint low murmur.

In the candle's flickering light, shadows overlapped and shifted.

Until the candle was about to burn out, the room grew dim, and only then did they each put on clean silk inner garments again.

Li Qingluo trimmed the wick of the bedside oil lamp.

She lit the candle again.

When she sat down again, she took out the small wooden horse and small stool from the nearby chest.

"Ah Shi, this is what the mother consort used when she was young."

Duan Rongshi originally, upon seeing these two blackened, almost rotting things, still wore a look of disdain.

But hearing her words, his expression suddenly stalled.

"Mother consort?"

"You went to that cold palace?"

Li Qingluo nodded, "I've already wiped off the dust, hurry and take a look."

Duan Rongshi touched those two items, and a sour, bitter feeling welled up in his heart that he could not suppress.

He gently pulled her into his embrace, lightly holding her: "Luo'er!"

"Having a daughter-in-law like you is her blessing."

"And I, Duan Rongshi, having you in this life, how fortunate I am."

"Having you, even if I had nothing else in the world, I would be content."

Li Qingluo's eyes reddened as she listened.

Besides her grandmother, the person she loves most and holds dearest now is also him.

Just as the mother consort said, she is his destined star of marriage.

Her rebirth, her revenge fulfilled, was originally for his sake.

"Ah Shi, to have the mother consort's love and yours is also the happiest thing in my life, Li Qingluo."

"By the way, did you open the package I had you bring home?"

Duan Rongshi: "Without your permission, how could I dare to move your things at will?"

"What treasure is it?"

Li Qingluo did not know what reaction Duan Rongshi would have after learning of the existence of those things.

She could only say: "It's just a few paintings."

Or else, after I return home, let's view them together?

Duan Rongshi would certainly not hesitate to agree: "Good."

"At dawn, I will leave."

"Luo'er, it's late; I should go to rest."

Having said that, he easily scooped her up in a horizontal hold and then strode swiftly toward the bed.

Just as the two lay down together, Sha Yi knocked on the door outside.

"Miss."

"The person you wanted, your subordinate has already brought out from the heavenly prison!"

Duan Rongshi lowered his head to look at Li Qingluo, whose hair had already come loose in his arms.

He reached out and tapped her nose: "Your people act quickly, but they're somewhat lacking in tact."

"In the middle of the night, how could there be any reason to have the miss rise again to attend to affairs?"

"Alright, you go to sleep."

"I'll get up right away."

In fact, this matter is his own scheme.