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墨書 Inktalez
Mu Hai was tense all over, his keen eyes peering outside. When a few people hidden in the shadows emerged and gestured to him, he quickly retreated into the room and shut the palace door tightly.
Qing Wu noticed his unusual expression and hurriedly approached to ask.
"There are assassins," Mu Hai whispered. "We've already taken down a few, but there are still some we haven't caught. We need to hide quickly."
Qing Wu instinctively looked towards the palace door.
Mu Hai understood her intention and said, "The Emperor has made preparations. We will use the secret passage."
As soon as he spoke, Granny Lu's eyes flickered, and she began to move towards the palace door.
However, as soon as she made a move, Mu Hai struck her down with a chop of his hand, rendering her unconscious. He then grabbed her sleeve with one hand and dragged her in a certain direction.
— He had kept her around earlier only because he feared someone might notice something amiss, so he refrained from acting rashly. But now that the assassins had infiltrated the palace, ensuring the safety of the Empress was the top priority.
Mu Hai entered the hall, moved a flower stand aside, and lightly tapped three times on a previously concealed spot. Then he crouched down and tapped three more times on another area close to the ground. He repeated this five or six times at different spots until a door that could only fit one person sideways opened.
Deng Bu Wen and Azalea each took a lit red candle and entered one after the other. Seeing that there was nothing amiss inside, they signaled to Qing Wu that it was safe to enter.
Once the three of them had walked in a bit, Mu Hai tossed Granny Lu inside, kicked her a few times to clear space by the door, then dragged over the flower stand to block the entrance before slipping inside and closing the door behind him.
After entering, Qing Wu took seven or eight steps and discovered stairs leading down to an underground passage. The passage was narrow, allowing only single-file movement. After reaching the bottom, they found themselves still in a passageway. Cautiously walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they finally arrived at a very spacious room.
The room had few items but each was practical. On the table lay a stack of brand new candles and several fire starters. In a nearby cabinet without doors were various dried foods and jerky. There was also a large barrel containing water.
Somewhere there was a ventilation opening through which they could see the flickering light of red candles; however, the frequency and amplitude of the flickering were minimal, suggesting that the opening was quite small. Still, it was sufficient; at least within this space, they did not feel stifled or have difficulty breathing.
Qing Wu did not expect that this hall would lead to such a place. Fearing that speaking loudly might be overheard outside, she stepped back a few paces intending to quietly ask Mu Hai.
Mu Hai was dragging Granny Lu downwards.
Granny Lu's mouth was tightly bound with a long strip of cloth. The skin on her face and mouth was pulled taut by the fabric, with the edges turning pale.
Since Mu Hai was directly pulling her by the hand, he paid no attention to her struggles. Granny Lu whimpered as she was jostled down the steps, twisting her body in discomfort.
However, whenever she struggled too much, Mu Hai would simply loosen his grip, allowing her to move around on the steps. The steps sloped downward, and her struggles caused her to roll down a bit. The pain intensified, making her too frightened to move again. But after being dragged a few more steps, she became unwilling and struggled once more. Mu Hai would then loosen his grip again.
After several rounds of this, when she finally landed on solid ground at the bottom, Granny Lu was already in so much pain that her eyes rolled back, breathing heavily with little strength left to whimper.
Mu Hai turned back and kicked her once more, only to notice Qing Wu approaching. He quickly shifted to block Granny Lu's pitiful appearance and silently greeted Qing Wu.
Qing Wu couldn't be bothered to look at Granny Lu and only asked Mu Hai about the place.
"This place has always existed. However, His Majesty was worried about changes occurring, so he specifically had a tunnel dug from the palace leading here."
Mu Hai's voice was neither loud nor soft; he didn't raise it nor deliberately lower it. Seeing Qing Wu's puzzled expression, recalling her earlier quiet tone, Mu Hai couldn't help but chuckle.
"This location is extremely secluded; as long as one doesn't deliberately shout loudly, no one outside can hear anything."
With that, he cast a sidelong glance at Granny Lu.
Granny Lu immediately stopped stamping her feet and slumped down weakly on the ground, shoulders drooping in defeat.
Being underground provided excellent sound insulation, so what was happening outside remained unclear.
Since they were underground and could not see any light from outside, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed.
Qing Wu and Mu Hai sat in near silence. Deng Bu Wen said nothing at all; he moved a stool to the corner and leaned against it, remaining quiet with his eyes barely open.
Azalea was the only one in the room with a bit of energy.
At first, she found it quite novel, walking back and forth in the room, occasionally taking out some snacks to give to Qing Wu.
Gradually, she began to feel a bit cold. Her walking turned into running, and sometimes she even had to jump a few times.
At this moment, Qing Wu also noticed the cold. Even though she was wearing two layers of clothing, her skin still felt tight from the chill.
Mu Hai, being a martial artist, naturally did not feel the temperature changes as acutely. For him, lying down and sleeping in this place posed no harm to his body. Therefore, he initially did not pay much attention. It wasn't until Qing Wu asked him if he had any warm clothing that he suddenly realized and repeatedly apologized in embarrassment.
He walked to the side of the room and opened a box in the corner. He took out several pieces of clothing and distributed them to everyone.
The clothes were not pretty; they could even be considered ugly. However, although the fabric was ordinary, the stitching was tight and they looked very warm.
"I bought these from outside. I was afraid of drawing attention, so I got these kinds sold on the street," Mu Hai said, looking at the coarse cloth clothing in his hands and then glancing at Qing Wu's splendid attire. He felt a bit embarrassed and added, "I didn't think much of it at the time; I hope Your Highness won't mind."
Qing Wu understood that they always prioritized confidentiality and safety in their actions. How could she blame him? Moreover, Huo Yun'ai and they had thought of everything needed for their stay below and had taken the time to prepare it. With such meticulousness, how could she find fault?
So she smiled and nodded, saying, "It's quite good. I remember when I was in the Northwest, I also wore a flower-patterned coat bought from the street."
Upon hearing this, Azalea couldn't help but laugh.
She had heard her Highness mention this before.
The flower-patterned coats in the Northwest were different from those in the capital; they had their own patterns and styles that were both warm and lively when worn.
During their time in the Northwest, He Family found everything there fresh and interesting, so they tried various things. Naturally, the flower-patterned coats were not overlooked.
When their mother called someone to buy flower-patterned coats, how could the siblings refuse? They wore them that winter. Although they only wore them occasionally for fun, the feeling of novelty and interest remained vivid in their memories even now. Qing Wu would occasionally bring it up when chatting with people in the palace.
After warming up, a wave of fatigue washed over her.
Azalea saw that there was a thick blanket in the room, so she spread it on the floor for Qing Wu to lie down and rest.
Mu Hai took a quilt from the chest and handed it to Azalea, asking her to cover Qing Wu with it.
Since there was only one room without any partitions, Mu Hai took out an opaque long cloth he had prepared earlier and called Deng Bu Wen to help him hang it up in the room.
The long cloth divided the room into two halves.
On one side was Qing Wu, lying down, and Azalea, who was dozing off in a chair beside her.
On the other side were the still-silent Deng Bu Wen and Mu Hai.
As soon as Qing Wu settled down, she looked around and thought about her Grand Wedding night, shaking her head with a wry smile. Then she remembered Huo Yun'ai's situation and became worried again.
However, despite her concerns, she did not ask Mu Hai anything. She only thought about that young man, silently praying for him over and over again.
Exhausted to the point where her mind couldn't even think straight, she finally fell asleep.
To save on supplies and air, Qing Wu mostly lit just one candle when there was nothing to do. It was only when everyone gathered to eat dry rations that she would light two candles.
As for Granny Lu...
Aside from Mu Hai often using various methods to force her to reveal information, no one paid her any attention.
Granny Lu could only nod or shake her head to express herself.
She had tried to seek help, constantly nodding and showing a pleading expression in hopes that someone would loosen her bindings. But who would be patient enough to deal with someone who had betrayed them?
It truly felt like there was not even a glance to spare. As for food and anyone else, no one wasted anything on her.
The days here passed slowly.
At first, she could roughly estimate how much time had passed by the amount of candle wax used. Later on, she became too lazy to count. She mechanically repeated the actions of eating and drinking, watching the water in the tank decrease little by little, her heart sinking bit by bit.
Azalea felt a bit scared. While helping Mu Hai fetch water for Qing Wu, she quietly asked Qing Wu, "Your Highness, are we just going to wait here for someone to come in and take us? What if something happens over at His Majesty's side...?" As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly stiffened and slapped her own mouth, saying, "Your Highness, I spoke carelessly. Just pretend I was talking nonsense!"
As soon as those words left her mouth, Mu Hai couldn't help but laugh. But thinking about it made her feel a bit sad; she patted Azalea's head and said, "What are you talking about? His Majesty is just making sure everything is handled properly and that the palace is safe enough before he can come to take you. That's why he's delayed."
Qing Wu also smiled, but her smile was mixed with worry and anxiety; slowly, as she smiled, tears began to flow.
Deng Bu Wen timely handed Qing Wu a handkerchief to wipe her face. Once she finished wiping her tears, he took it back and hung it on the wall again before sitting back down.
Just when everyone's hearts were about to sink to the bottom of despair, the door of the tunnel was finally opened from the outside.
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