Not Released

The small pavilion in the courtyard was quiet, the stone table cold to the touch.

Gu Chengyin had not gone very far. He chose this place because it was out of sight from the Wenli Hall.

More importantly, it was open and spacious.

Being open meant there was nowhere to hide, ensuring that any conversation held here would take place completely out in the open, under the sun.

Gu Chengyin sat down on a stone stool and motioned for Gu Xiaoli to sit opposite him.

Between them was a round stone table carved with the grid of a chessboard, though it was currently empty save for a few fallen leaves.

"Xiaoli, you should know why I'm looking for you, right?"

Gu Chengyin's gaze fell on Gu Xiaoli's face. There was no probing, no beating around the bush.

Gu Xiaoli sat opposite him, her back perfectly straight, her hands resting properly on her knees.

Hearing the question, she nodded. Her movement was slight but certain.

"Xiaoli knows, but Xiaoli hasn't told anyone, not even His Majesty."

She said this so frankly that even Gu Chengyin was taken aback for a moment.

He looked into the world-weary little girl's overly clear, large eyes. There was no evasion in them, only an almost naive honesty.

Hearing such a direct answer, Gu Chengyin smiled.

He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the stone table.

"So that night, you were right there, weren't you?"

Gu Xiaoli nodded gently.

Having received confirmation, Gu Chengyin stared straight at the world-weary girl in front of him.

Sunlight slanted in from the eaves of the pavilion, falling across half of her face and making her expression somewhat indistinct.

"So, is your surname truly Gu, or is it Luo?"

The question was blunt, so blunt that it tore away all pretenses.

Gu Xiaoli did not answer immediately.

She lowered her head, looking at her hands resting on her knees, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.

This gesture betrayed her inner turmoil; no matter how calm she appeared on the surface, this question had struck at her core.

She thought for a long time.

So long that Gu Chengyin thought she wouldn't answer, so long that the wind in the courtyard blew through the bamboo grove, rustling the leaves.

So long that the bell signaling the changing of the guard echoed from the distant palace walls, marking exactly the hour of Chen.

Only then did Gu Xiaoli raise her head. Her large eyes met Gu Chengyin's gaze as she spoke with unprecedented seriousness:

"Xiaoli's surname is Gu."

The words were articulated clearly, without the slightest hesitation.

Gu Chengyin's pupils contracted slightly.

He had expected Gu Xiaoli to hesitate, to evade, or even to lie.

But she didn't. She confessed it openly, acknowledging that her surname was Gu.

Acknowledging that she was someone Gu Chengyin had brought back, acknowledging that, in name, she belonged to him.

Yet it was exactly this frankness that made Gu Chengyin even more vigilant.

He immediately pressed further, "Then what did you do?"

He gave no room to breathe, striking at the heart of the matter once more.

Gu Xiaoli looked unblinkingly at Gu Chengyin and softly replied:

"Xiaoli ensured the safety of Her Highness, big sister."

Gu Chengyin frowned.

This answer... was very clever.

She didn't say what she did, only what she confirmed.

So in the heart of this world-weary girl, Luo Zhao's safety was the top priority?

Gu Chengyin tapped his fingertips against the table. Suddenly remembering something, he asked a crucial question:

"Was it His Majesty's order?"

In Gu Chengyin's view, since Gu Xiaoli was arranged by the Luo Emperor to begin with, it was only natural for her to ensure Luo Zhao's safety.

But Gu Xiaoli nodded, then shook her head.

The shake of her head was very firm.

She did not answer, falling silent instead.

This silence was even longer than the last, so long that Gu Chengyin could see the struggle in her eyes.

It was an internal battle, a weighing of whether to speak or remain silent.

Finally, Gu Xiaoli took a deep breath. As if having made up her mind, she spoke:

"Brother... actually, Eunuch Lyu... didn't serve His Majesty in the past."

These words stunned Gu Chengyin.

Eunuch Lyu? Lyu Fang?

That grand eunuch of the Internal Affairs Department who served by the Luo Emperor's side?

What did she mean Lyu Fang didn't serve the Luo Emperor in the past?

Then who else could he have served?

Who else in this palace... Wait.

A flash of realization struck Gu Chengyin's mind, and he asked in profound astonishment:

"Lyu Fang was Empress Lin's man?"

Empress Lin.

Luo Zhao's mother, who had passed away early.

Lin Qingyan's older sister.

If Lyu Fang hadn't served the Luo Emperor before, then it could only be her.

The sheer amount of information implied here forced Gu Chengyin to take the matter incredibly seriously.

Gu Xiaoli's expression told him he had guessed right.

She nodded at the same time, offering no denial.

A rare, complex mixture of emotions appeared in her large eyes—nostalgia, reverence, and a sense of inherited mission.

This meant...

Gu Chengyin's mind raced.

Gu Xiaoli wasn't part of the core group the Luo Emperor cultivated for Luo Zhao; she was left to Luo Zhao by Empress Lin?!

If this was true, then many things needed to be re-evaluated.

Gu Chengyin took a deep breath, suppressing the tempest surging in his heart.

He looked at Gu Xiaoli and asked the most important question:

"So..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Gu Xiaoli already understood.

She nodded heavily, her expression more serious and solemn than ever before:

"Xiaoli grew up by Her Ladyship's side."

She spoke slowly, every word seemingly dug out from the bottom of her heart:

"Protecting Her Highness's safety was the task Her Ladyship entrusted to Xiaoli on her deathbed."

She paused for a moment. Her large eyes looked straight at Gu Chengyin without the slightest hint of yielding:

"So... not even you, brother."

The words were spoken softly, but they carried immense weight.

So heavy that Gu Chengyin was left speechless.

A mother protecting her daughter was only natural and right.

Since Gu Xiaoli had said this much, it meant that Luo Zhao had once again broken free from the hypnosis.

Everything she was displaying right now was actually just an act to fool him.

But there was nothing he could do. She was the Crown Princess, after all; her protective measures were layered one after another, impossible to guard against completely.

Gu Chengyin shook his head helplessly. He leaned back, tilting his head up to look at the cloud patterns carved into the pavilion's eaves.

In his mind, he was already starting to figure out how to make his escape.

"Mhm."

Gu Chengyin sat back up straight, looked at Gu Xiaoli, and praised her, "Xiaoli, you did well."

His tone was very sincere, so sincere that Gu Xiaoli was taken aback for a moment.

"If Her Majesty the Empress's spirit in heaven knew, she would definitely be very comforted."

These words were spoken very gently, too gently to be addressed to a betrayer.

Gu Xiaoli's eyes widened slightly. She seemingly hadn't expected Gu Chengyin to react this way.

She bit her lip, her fingers twisting together once more, looking somewhat at a loss.

Gu Chengyin looked at her and suddenly felt that this world-weary girl didn't have it easy either. After all, she was caught between the dying wish of her old master and the kindness of her new master.

But what was done was done; one must accept the consequences of their bets.

Gu Chengyin didn't dwell too much on this. He needed to confirm one last thing.

"So you helped Her Highness lift it?"

He was asking about the hypnosis.

If Gu Xiaoli was someone left behind by Empress Lin, and if her mission was to guarantee Luo Zhao's absolute safety.

Then she would definitely have lifted the hypnotic control. That was the most reasonable deduction and the most logical course of action.

However...

The emotion in Gu Xiaoli's eyes suddenly changed.

That solemn sense of mission completely dissipated at this moment.

But because her head was lowered, Gu Chengyin did not see it.

Then she spoke, giving Gu Chengyin a completely unexpected answer:

"Xiaoli did not lift it."