Gu Jiao made another trip to the Imperial Palace, heading again to the corner in the southwest.
The Beekeeper, seeing her arrive so late, hurriedly came over and asked, "Miss Gu, do you need more honey?"
He had heard Grandfather Qin of the Renshou Palace call her Miss Gu at noon.
Initially thinking that she was just a girl related to the Renshou Palace, he dared not show the slightest bit of negligence when he saw the Empress Dowager’s courtier treating her more respectfully than the Crown Princess.
At this moment, the sun was setting in the west, the sky a hazy bluish-gray, with only a trace of the setting sun’s red glow illuminating the last bit of evening light.
Gu Jiao’s gaze fell on a pavilion bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. The building was some distance away and from her angle, she could only see a roof with flying eaves.
"What is that place?" Gu Jiao pointed in a direction and asked.
Following Gu Jiao’s pointing, the Beekeeper looked towards the roof tiles under the setting sun and said, "Ah... That appears to be the residence of the hostage from Chen Kingdom."
Chen Kingdom and Zhan Country had been at odds for a long time, so the hostage from Chen Kingdom naturally wouldn’t be housed in a luxurious palace. Instead, he was given a quiet little courtyard, separated from the Imperial Harem by a beekeeping lane, with guards at both ends.
Watching the roof with flying eaves slowly disappearing into the darkness, Gu Jiao gradually understood the meaning of the phrase "Imperial Palace, southwest corner".
It was not that the other party lived in the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace, nor was it that the other party came and left through the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace, but that someone could watch them from the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace.
The summers in Zhan Country were hotter than in Chen Kingdom.
The cicadas in the trees kept chirping, adding an extra layer of heat.
There was also a little lotus pond nearby, with the occasional sound of frogs, truly not a comfortable place to relax one’s body.
Gradually, palace maids lit the lanterns in the corridor, and the patrolling guards with their long swords looked severe.
Suddenly, a small figure entered.
The small figure moved extremely lightly, it startled none of the guards, but without warning, a figure in gray suddenly darted out from an unassuming corner at amazing speed, like a flash of lightning, holding a curved knife to the small figure’s neck in the blink of an eye.
"Alright, Songye, let her in. She’s my honored guest," a lazy voice with a hint of playful amusement came indifferently from the room.
The figure in gray coldly withdrew the curved knife, but his eyes were still alert.
He was watching Gu Jiao intently, as if the moment she made an irregular move, his knife would be back at her neck.
Gu Jiao had no intention of concealing her identity anyway. She wore her own clothes and didn’t even bother with a mask.
Gu Jiao looked completely open and frank, even more so than he, who was being watched.
This woman was indeed interesting.
"You may all leave," Yuan Tang instructed the palace maids in the room.
Everyone silently exited the room.
The figure in gray earlier stayed by the door, showing no intention of leaving.
Gu Jiao sensed a very strong aura from the man in gray, almost on par with Lord Hou, though she couldn’t tell who would have the upper hand if they had to fight.
Of course, if it were herself at her peak, it wouldn’t be a problem to slit his throat.
"No need to pay him any mind," Yuan Tang said with a smile.
Gu Jiao had already encountered Yuan Tang once before in Liu Yisheng’s courtyard. At that time, she merely thought Yuan Tang was handsome, but not extraordinarily so.
At least compared to his cousin Liu Yisheng, he was somewhat less refined.
But upon seeing his physique today, she realized that this hostage from Chen Kingdom was indeed a top-notch man.
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