Secret Rendezvous and Adultery

Coming out of the side hall, a slightly chilly night breeze immediately blew against his face.

Gu Chengyin stood under the eaves of the corridor, looking up at the night sky.

The deep blue canopy of the sky spread out endlessly like the finest velvet.

The stars were bright and dense, and the Milky Way stretched across the heavens like a hazy band of light, shedding a cold and mysterious radiance.

Magnificent and silent, it carried an eternal, unchanging majesty.

Gu Chengyin sighed silently. He had never expected to be kicked out of his own room.

If he were just a bit more of a scumbag, he would not have been reduced to such a state.

Gu Chengyin took a step, walking into the nighttime tranquility of the Crown Heir's Palace.

During the day, the Crown Heir's Palace was a symbol of power and an embodiment of order.

The halls were towering, the palace roads were straight, the guards stood solemnly, and the female officials walked hurriedly. The air was filled with a tense and efficient atmosphere.

Every detail demonstrated Luo Zhao's majesty and control.

But at night, when the vast majority of people had dispersed and the night watchmen only moved around their fixed posts, the Crown Heir's Palace revealed its other side.

Mysterious, profound, and so quiet that it felt somewhat empty.

Most of the palace lanterns hanging under the eaves had been extinguished. Only a few ever-burning stone lamps emitted a dim, soft halo, barely illuminating the bluestone paved path underfoot.

Gone was the daytime clamor and human presence. The night wind wove through the halls and pavilions, making a soft howling sound.

Gu Chengyin followed the path, walking towards the outskirts of the side hall area.

After Gu Xiaoli made such a fuss, he had lost the mood to sleep, so he simply began to wander aimlessly.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, his footsteps completely silent.

At the same time, the true qi in his body circulated, and his perception quietly spread out like an invisible spider web.

The Crown Heir's Palace was very large, covering a rather vast area.

Just as Gu Chengyin was about to cross a courtyard and continue his stroll, his footsteps suddenly paused.

In his perception, there seemed to be movement coming from the shadows of the rockery ahead.

It was not the sound of the wind, nor the chirping of insects, but a deliberately suppressed breathing sound, as well as the rustling of clothing.

Someone was there?

It was so late, who would be behind a rockery in such a remote courtyard?

Gu Chengyin became instantly alert, his true qi flowing silently within him.

He did not immediately go forward to investigate. Instead, as if taking a leisurely walk, he naturally changed direction and walked towards the other side of the rockery.

At the same time, he focused his perception more intensely on that direction.

As the distance closed, the voices behind the rockery became a bit clearer.

It was two people, a man and a woman?

Their voices were kept extremely low and intermittent, making it impossible to hear the content.

But their tone carried urgency, tension, and perhaps intimacy?

Gu Chengyin frowned slightly.

A secret rendezvous at night deep within the palace was a major taboo.

The rules of the Crown Heir's Palace were strict, and under Luo Zhao's rule, private exchanges between palace servants were strictly forbidden.

If they were caught by the patrolling female officials, they would be expelled at best, and lose their lives at worst.

Just then, the female voice behind the rockery raised slightly, carrying a sobbing and desperate tone:

The time you gave is truly too little. I really have no way. I beg you, give me a little more time, I will definitely find an opportunity for that thing...

Gu Chengyin's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

It wasn't a secret illicit affair?

Listening to these words, was it some kind of transaction?

Curiosity and vigilance rose simultaneously.

Gu Chengyin held his breath. Under the cover of the shadows and the night sky, he completely concealed his figure, elevating his five senses to their limits to listen carefully.

The male voice sounded, deep and hoarse, carrying obvious impatience and threat: If there was enough time, do you think I would have sought you out?

If you still cannot get that item before tomorrow morning, you know the consequences! The lives of your entire family are in my hands!

The female voice let out a suppressed sob: No! I beg you, I will... I will definitely think of a way. But the guards at the Wenli Hall are too strict, especially the second floor. I simply cannot get close...

Wenli Hall! The second floor!

Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes.

Wenli Hall was the place where the Ministry of Revenue's accounts were stored, and the second floor was the core of the core.

Other than him, Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli, everyone else was only allowed to enter but not exit.

Someone was actually targeting the second floor of the Wenli Hall?

That is your problem! The male voice viciously interrupted the female voice. I do not care what method you use! In short, you must sneak in! Remember, the key is that purple sandalwood box!

Even if you cannot get the item inside, you must find out what is stored in it!

If you cannot even do this, then wait to collect the corpses of your whole family!

The female voice seemed terrified. Her crying became even more suppressed, and she could only repeatedly answer yes.

After the male voice finished his threat, there was a faint sound of clothing rustling and footsteps, as if he was about to leave.

Gu Chengyin's heart turned cold.

He could not let him just leave like this. At the very least, he needed to know this man's identity or track his whereabouts.

Just as he was about to make a move, suddenly, from another direction, the sound of footsteps and the glow of lanterns approached. It was the night patrol team coming over.

The two people behind the rockery clearly noticed it as well, and there was immediately a flurry of panicked rustling.

The male voice cursed softly and quickly hurried away in the opposite direction from where Gu Chengyin was located.

Gu Chengyin stepped out from the shadows, watching the man's figure disappear into the darkness.

If the man had run towards him, he could have been captured on the spot. Running in the opposite direction made it difficult to pursue without alerting the enemy.

Who goes there!

A sudden shout rang out. Seeing someone ahead, the patrolling female official immediately drew her sword in vigilance.

This scared the woman behind the rockery out of her wits. Thinking she had been discovered, she desperately shrank her body further inside, not even daring to breathe loudly.

When the patrolling female official walked closer rapidly and saw Gu Chengyin's face clearly, she was instantly stunned. She hastily sheathed her sword and bowed in salute:

Marquis Gu, why is it you? This humble subordinate has offended you, please forgive me, Marquis Gu!

The several female officials behind her also quickly followed suit and bowed.

Gu Chengyin raised his hand, pointing ahead to indicate: Someone has intruded. Go and investigate.

The patrolling female official's expression instantly became solemn, and she immediately cupped her fists and replied: Yes!

She then turned around and shouted softly to her subordinates behind her: Quick! Follow me!

Saying so, she circulated her true qi and, along with several elite female officials, sped away in the direction Gu Chengyin had pointed.

Gu Chengyin, on the other hand, took a lantern, turned around, and slowly walked behind the rockery.

By the light of the lantern, he saw a thin, middle-aged woman wearing coarse cloth garments slumped on the ground.

Her hands tightly covered her mouth, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably like a sifting sieve. Her face was covered in tears, written all over with despair and fear.

Gu Chengyin asked in a calm voice:

You should know who I am, right?

Hearing the voice, the woman jerked her head up. When she saw Gu Chengyin's face clearly, the color instantly drained from her face.

She sprang up from the ground and fell to her knees before Gu Chengyin with a thud, kowtowing desperately:

Lord Marquis! Lord Marquis, spare my life! This lowly one did not do it on purpose! This lowly one was just momentarily foolish and forced by others!

I beg the Lord Marquis for mercy. You are magnanimous, please spare this lowly one just this once! This lowly one will never dare to do it again! Never again!

The woman spoke incoherently, kowtowing like pounding garlic. Very soon, blood appeared on her forehead.

Gu Chengyin frowned slightly and raised his hand to gesture.

Two female officers stepped forward in silence, grabbing the woman by her arms from either side to stop her frantic, self-mutilating kowtows.

A lantern was brought closer, its light clearly revealing the woman's features.

She appeared to be around forty years old. Her weather-beaten face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and her skin was rough and dark.

She wore the coarse clothes of a kitchen servant, stained with grease and grime.

Her hair was a disheveled mess, and her face was smeared with a mixture of tears and blood. With eyes full of boundless terror, she trembled violently like a fallen leaf in the wind.