strictlysupreme Chapter 261 Xianglan!
Chapter 261 Xianglan!
Well—
Chu Qingyin deliberately dragged out the last syllable, whetting Lu Zhiheng's appetite, "If you kill Empress Wang for me, and wipe out the Wang clan while you're at it, I'll be with you and become your wife, how about it?"
Hearing this request, Lu Zhiheng felt relieved.
"The Wang family was always part of my plan. Their complete annihilation is only a matter of time. Just wait for my good news."
Seeing how readily he agreed, Chu Qingyin originally wanted to subtly probe further, but unfortunately, Shen Ran's urging voice came from the doorway—
"Master, it's getting late, we need to hurry back."
Chu Qingyin and Lu Zhiheng exchanged a glance, both seeing reluctance in each other's eyes.
"Go ahead, I'll take good care of myself here."
Chu Qingyin knew that Lu Zhiheng bore a heavy responsibility and could not let personal feelings interfere with important matters.
Lu Zhiheng nodded, gave her some more detailed instructions, and then left with Shen Ran.
That night, thinking of Lu Zhiheng's injuries from earlier that day, Chu Qingyin tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
The current situation is unpredictable, and anyone's fate can change dramatically overnight.
She is able to rest here peacefully now thanks to Lu Zhiheng and her brother, who are out there protecting her from the wind and rain...
"Miss, it's already midnight, you should get some rest."
Xianglan, who was staying in the outer room, heard the sound of someone turning over inside and said softly.
"Okay, you should get some rest too."
Chu Qingyin sighed softly and forced herself to drift off to sleep.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, a loud rumbling noise suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.
Before she could react, she heard Xianglan's shrill cry: "Girl, run—!"
Chu Qingyin was startled. She sat up abruptly in bed, put on her coat, pushed open the door, and rushed out.
Flames were raging in the courtyard, where several men in black stood, and the servants of the courtyard lay on the ground.
The leader in black was none other than Gu Li, the head of Pei Yuanling's secret guards.
Upon seeing Chu Qingyin emerge, Gu Li bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I have come on His Majesty's orders to escort you back to the palace."
Chu Qingyin's heart tightened suddenly; she hadn't expected Pei Yuanling's men to find this place so quickly.
Xianglan shielded Chu Qingyin behind her and whispered, "Miss, you go first, Xianglan will buy you some time."
"No."
Chu Qingyin gripped Xianglan's hand tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes: "If we're going to leave, we'll leave together."
Last time, she failed to take Xianglan away from the palace, which almost led to Xianglan's death.
This time, she will never repeat the same mistake!
Seeing that Chu Qingyin showed no sign of compliance, Gu Li's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Since Consort Liang refuses to listen to reason and will instead drink the penalty cup, then don't blame your subordinates for being impolite."
Before the words were even finished, the men in black drew their swords and approached Chu Qingyin and Xianglan.
"Xianglan, run!"
Chu Qingyin shouted and pulled Xianglan towards the back door.
The two women were simply too weak and lacked the strength and skill to fight against this group of well-trained guards.
"Trying to run? No way!"
Gu Li raised his arm slightly, and the black-clad guards immediately followed.
Chu Qingyin and Xianglan ran towards the back door as fast as they could, but how could they escape from these well-trained guards?
Before even reaching the back door, Gu Li used his lightness skill to gracefully appear in front of Chu Qingyin.
"Your Majesty, I've offended you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Gu Li forcibly pulled Chu Qingyin into his arms.
Seeing this, Xianglan was about to step forward to stop them, but Gu Li ruthlessly kicked her away.
"Get lost!"
"Gu Li, don't hurt her!"
Chu Qingyin was tightly bound by Gu Li and could not move.
She knew in her heart that once she was taken back to the palace, everything she had done would be ruined.
She might even become a pawn to threaten Lu Zhiheng and her brother.
"Let me go!"
Chu Qingyin struggled, but her strength was insignificant in front of Gu Li.
Although Xianglan was kicked away, she did not give up. She quickly got up and rushed towards Gu Li without regard for anything else.
However, Gu Li's martial arts skills far surpassed hers. With just a wave of his hand, Xianglan was knocked to the ground again.
Seeing this, Chu Qingyin anxiously called out, "Xianglan, are you alright?"
"Girl, I'm fine."
Xianglan coughed up a mouthful of blood, enduring the pain as she tried to stand up again. "You audacious thief, release my girl at once!"
Gu Li sneered and said to Chu Qingyin, "Your Majesty, you'd better save your energy."
After saying that, he lifted his foot to leave with Chu Qingyin.
However, he simply couldn't take a step.
Gu Li looked down and realized that Xiang Lan was tightly hugging his left leg.
Blood was already seeping from the corner of Xianglan's mouth. She gritted her teeth and said through gritted teeth, "Your Majesty, you must escape! Don't go back with them!"
Seeing her like this, Chu Qingyin became even more flustered, "Xianglan, let go!"
Gu Li also frowned.
He never expected that this seemingly weak little maid would be so tenacious. He tried to shake off Xianglan, but Xianglan was like a vine, tightly wrapped around his leg.
If it weren't for Chu Qingyin's sake, he would have already drawn his sword and killed the maid.
"open!"
Gu Li roared angrily, and seeing that the other party still wouldn't let go, he drew his sword from his waist and was about to strike.
"do not want!"
Chu Qingyin's face turned pale instantly, and she shouted, "Xianglan, their target is me, let go quickly—!"
Before she could utter the last word, Gu Li's longsword had already pierced through Xiang Lan's heart.
Xianglan's body jolted violently, her eyes filled with astonishment, and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
"Miss... young lady..."
Before she could finish speaking, her frail and petite body collapsed softly to the ground, and after a few struggles, she was lifeless.
In an instant, Chu Qingyin felt as if her heart had been torn apart, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.
"Xianglan! Xianglan!"
She frantically broke free from Gu Li's grasp and rushed towards Xiang Lan, tightly embracing her gradually cooling body.
Seeing this, a hint of gloom flashed in Gu Li's eyes, but he quickly regained his usual coldness.
If they fail to fulfill His Majesty's orders, their fate will only be worse, so how can they have the energy to pity others?
Thinking of this, he raised his hand and gestured to his men: "Knock them out and take them away."
Chu Qingyin was forcibly dragged up. She struggled and cried out, but she was powerless to change anything.
The guards, following Gu Li's orders, showed no mercy and immediately knocked Chu Qingyin unconscious.
The night was as dark as ink, and the pale moonlight silently spilled into the courtyard, illuminating the corpses lying scattered on the ground.