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"Quick! Quick! Quick! Water!"
A sergeant was commanding the soldiers to run around and fetch water, creating chaos on the scene.
The silverfox-clad man grabbed a soldier rushing to fetch water, demanding urgently, "What happened?"
The soldier exclaimed in fright, "My Lord! Your residence has caught on fire!"
His residence?
The silverfox-clad man's expression changed again. He left the soldier behind as he rushed forward.
The fire started inside his study. Initially, the soldiers hadn't noticed it, and by the time it spread outside, the fire had already grown quite large. Almost all the documents from the study, as well as important items, were consumed by the flames.
The jade disc.
It was the imperial jade disc of the Great Li Dynasty!
The genealogical records of their Huangfu Family!
The genealogy of every imperial descendant from the Great Li Dynasty was recorded on that jade disc, the only thing that authenticated their lineage!
Without the jade disc, who would know if there were any remaining descendants of the Huangfu Family? Who would recognize his, Huangfu Zheng's, connection to the imperial family of the previous dynasty?
The imperial jade seal could be found if lost, it could be remade if damaged, but once the family records of the imperial lineage spanning hundreds of years were lost, they could never be recovered again.
This fire wasn't just burning the records of the Great Li Dynasty, it was destroying the fate of the entire Huangfu Family.
The Huangfu Family was done for...
Huangfu Zheng stared in disbelief at the fire, as if it was scorching away the fate of the Huangfu Family. Anger surged within him, his body trembling slightly.
He vehemently refused to accept the thoughts that flashed through his mind! His hand holding the sword began to quiver!
"Is the princess safe?" He forced himself to ask a nearby soldier.
The soldier replied, "The princess has gone outside."
"What do you mean she’s gone outside?" Huangfu Zheng frowned.
The soldier answered, "The princess said she wanted to take a walk outside."
Huangfu Zheng had never restricted Princess Ning'an's freedom to leave the residence. As long as she remained on the mountain, she was free to wander around.
But she hadn't stepped outside in days, and today she chose to go out?
Huangfu Zheng suddenly remembered that Princess Ning'an had called Physician Tong over to treat her illness. He hurried here because he felt that something was amiss. However, upon seeing the raging fire, he momentarily forgot about the original purpose of his return.
No, the burning of the jade disc was the real issue.
But now that the fire had engulfed it, could he still retrieve the ashes of the jade disc and piece it together?
Huangfu Zheng reached Princess Ning'an's room. Everything seemed unchanged, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that Princess Ning'an's token was missing, and the refreshments and food on the table were gone.
Huangfu Zheng narrowed his eyes coldly. Ning'an, you better not betray me!
……
Meanwhile, in the woods behind the mountain, Princess Ning'an, dressed in a sable cloak, slipped and fell heavily.
"Princess!" Lian'er hurriedly helped her up.
"I'm fine." Princess Ning'an shook her head.
There were four of them in total: Princess Ning'an, Lian'er, Physician Tong, and Gu Jiao.
All four wore face masks, braving the biting cold wind as they traversed the woods behind the mountain.
In reality, Princess Ning'an wasn't as delicate as rumored in the capital, at least not now.
She had lived in the harsh and cold borderlands for so many years, often mingling with the herdsmen. She had tended sheep, farmed the land, and done all sorts of dirty and tiring work. Her hands were no longer delicate and pampered; they had long ceased to be the slender jade-like hands. Her face, weathered by wind and harsh sun, had also lost the jade-like snow-white skin.
However, she still carried an air of imperial elegance.
"Ah!"
Princess Ning'an fell again.
Soon after, Physician Tong also slipped and fell.
It couldn’t be helped. The snow was too deep.
"Princess! Let me carry you!" Lian'er said with concern.
Princess Ning'an waved her hand. "You won't be able to carry me. I'm too heavy."
As she spoke, she glanced back at the path they had taken.
At this moment, even though it was nighttime, the entire back mountain still appeared very bright due to the moonlight reflected off the snowy ground, to the extent that their footprints were visible all over the ground.
"Hurry, they'll catch up soon!"
Princess Ning'an gasped for breath.
Gu Jiao focused her gaze and asked Princess Ning'an, "Where is the secret passage?"
Princess Ning'an lifted her slightly sore hand and pointed to the back of the woods. "Through this forest, there is an ancient well. The secret passage is below the well... if I remember correctly."
The last part made Physician Tong's eyelids twitch. "Princess, what do you mean if you remember correctly? Do you know about the secret passage or not?"
Princess Ning'an replied hesitantly, "I've just seen the blueprints of the secret passage in the study, so I should remember..."
"Oh..." Physician Tong was speechless.
If she remembered incorrectly and they arrived at a dead end, wouldn’t they die even more miserably?
"Let's go." Gu Jiao said.
Physician Tong gritted his teeth and followed.
There was no turning back after their escape.
Lian'er and Physician Tong supported Princess Ning'an, while Gu Jiao held the red-tasseled spear, maintaining a safe distance from the others.
They crossed the woods and arrived near the old well.
The well was covered thickly with snow, and it took them a while to find the well cover.
"It's locked!" Physician Tong said in despair.
Gu Jiao extended the red-tasseled spear, effortlessly breaking the lock with a swift motion.
Physician Tong who was left dumbfounded. "..."
Gu Jiao lit a flame stick and threw it down the well. By the light of the flame, she was able to see the walls of the well and the scene at the bottom.
There was a rope ladder hanging on the wall of the well, and the bottom seemed empty without any apparent danger for the moment.
"I'll go down first."
Gu Jiao said.
"Be careful!" Princess Ning'an warned her.
"Mm." Gu Jiao nodded back and then leaped into the well holding the red-tasseled spear.
The group was surprised to see Gu Jiao jump directly into the well instead of using the rope ladder.
Gu Jiao picked up the flame stick, glanced around, and said, "There's a passageway down here, and I haven't noticed any danger for the time being. You guys can come down."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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