her name. She asked, "What is your name"Chunliu respectfully replied, "Returning to madam's words, my slave name is Chunliu."Meng Jinyao nodded lightly and asked again, "Chunliu Is there also one na...For a moment, Mei Qingyun was at a loss for words. She also couldn't figure out how Gu Jingxi had discovered the secret room in her study. Could it be that she had mentioned the study to Meng Jin Yao several times that day, always circling back to topics about the study

If so, then Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao were acting from the beginning. Gu Jingxi's sudden illness was probably not real either, he just used it as an excuse to delay time and stay for a few more days. Now that he has the evidence, he will immediately return to Beijing.

But she still couldn't figure it out, couldn't understand where the problem lay. Even though she repeatedly mentioned the study, raising Meng Jin Yao's suspicion, the key had always been with Wei Heng. How did Gu Jing Xi discover and open the secret room She had never mentioned anything about the key.

Just now, she was unusually calm and felt that it wouldn't be bad to have Wei Heng stand by her side. After all, she was tired and weary, and didn't want to live this life anymore. She would just go down together with him if things went bad. But now that she had truly calmed down, she felt a bit uneasy.

Corrupt officials, depending on the severity of their crimes, would face various punishments: execution of the entire family, execution of the official alone, exile to a harsh or remote region. Members of an official's family who committed offenses would either be publicly beheaded, exiled, sent to the Ministry of Education (教坊司) for labor, or even forced into prostitution. Men, in most cases, faced conscription or exile.

Neither exile nor being sent to the teaching office was what she wanted. Exile, while not death, meant enduring a life of hardship beyond her imagination. Being sent to the teaching office was no different from being a prostitute; at best, she might be taken as a concubine by some high-ranking official. But even as a concubine, it would be a humiliation of the highest order for her.

Once upon a time, she was the first beauty in the capital city, with outstanding talent. Many aristocratic sons sought her hand in marriage. However, if she were eventually exiled to the Teaching Hall (教坊司), the women who once envied her would surely ridicule and mock her. Even the men who had been unable to marry her before might go to the Teaching Hall to find her, and she would have to bow and scrape to serve them. She couldn't bear to imagine such a life; it would be better to die than live like that.

After about half a watch, Lord Wei returned. Seeing her sitting quietly with furrowed brows and a distracted mind, she didn't even notice him enter.

Lord Wei sneered, "My lady, you only regret it now Isn't it a bit too late If you had known this beforehand, why did you tell on him in the first place"

Mei Qingyun slightly raised her head to look at him and replied, "It wasn't me. I didn't go to report you, and I've never touched the key. As for why your ledger and letters have disappeared, I have no idea."

Lord Wei was also looking at her, his tone surprisingly calm: "Whether it is or not doesn't matter anymore. You don't hate me to the extreme and want to go bad with me Then let's all go bad together."

However, Mei Qingyun listened and was immediately agitated. She frowned and asked, "Wei Heng, are you just going to sit back and wait for death"

"What else can we do" Lord Wei responded nonchalantly, his expression calm as if the anger and despair he had displayed moments ago were mere figments of imagination.

Mei Qingyun was stunned, looking at him incredulously. After a long pause, she asked again, "Do you already have a plan"

"What plans could I possibly have How could I ever compete with your heartthrob" Lord Wei shifted his gaze away, a tranquil expression on his face. He then spoke in a soft voice, "It's getting late, my lady. Perhaps we should bathe and retire for the night."

He stopped speaking and, without another word, dragged Mei Qingyun up. He held her tightly as they went to the clean room together for a bath. After bathing, there was another round of chaos, not allowing her to refuse.

After it ended, Mei Qingyun turned her head to look at him, realizing that she couldn't quite see through him right now. Could he have really accepted his fate

The more calm and quiet he was, the more panicked Mei Qingyun felt inside. She didn't want to be exiled to a life of hardship, nor did she want to be sent to the Jiaofangsi, serving people like a courtesan in a brothel.

On that side, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jin yao's party took a boat northward. The weather was fine, with no wind or waves on the canal. After three days of sailing, their onboard supplies ran out. Upon reaching the next wharf, they stopped to replenish food for the next few days.

It's tiring to sit on the boat all day, and the boatman is a couple with a helper. They don't continue sailing at night either. It's better to rest on shore than to rest on the boat.

Gu Jingxi and his group decided to disembark and find an inn to rest for the night. They would continue their journey the next morning. The boatman, unwilling to waste money on an inn, chose to spend the night on board.

Gu Jingxi took several upper rooms, with all the servants living on the same floor as their masters, so they could look out for each other in case of anything.

After a simple wash, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao changed into their nightclothes and were just about to go to sleep when the sound of fighting came from next door.

Meng Jinyo's heart skipped a beat: "Husband, what happened outside suddenly"

Ai Yao, we're going to have trouble tonight. Put on your clothes first.

Gu Jingxi's expression turned serious. He hurriedly took the clothes and put them on Meng Jin Yao, and then put on his own outer robe. As soon as he fastened his shirt, a group of black-clad men burst in.

The couple turned to the sound, only to see a figure in black with a mask burst into the room.

The man in black saw Gu Jingxi and, upon spotting his target, brandished a sword that gleamed with a cold light. He lunged at him with the speed of lightning.

Things happened suddenly, Meng Jin Yao was frightened pale, she didn't react at all and was pulled by Gu Jing Xi to quickly hide aside, successfully avoiding that sword.

The man in black saw his attack miss, and quickly pressed forward again. Gu Jingxi stepped forward to engage him, saying to Meng Jin Yao, "Ayao, don't move."

Meng Jin Yao eagerly nodded her head and hid in the corner watching the two fight. The assassin's figure was like a ghost, with cold light flashing in his hand, each move dangerously trying to kill his opponent. But her husband was no match for him either, moving quickly like lightning, parrying every attack, even without a weapon, he kept the assassin at bay.

Although the assassin was not getting the upper hand, she was still terrified. She had never seen such a scene in her life. She hadn't even been safe staying at an inn; encountering bandits like this meant either robbery or murder. It looked like it was going to be murder. Then she thought of Lord Wei, guessing that he had already discovered the missing ledger and suspected them, sending people to silence them.

A moment later, four more agile men in black emerged into the room.

Gu Jingxi, facing four masters alone, had to constantly be aware of his unarmed wife hiding in the corner. He also had to block assassins from approaching her. Without any weapons, he found himself in a very difficult situation.

He could only seize the opportunity to snatch a sword from one of them. The situation was finally less passive. In the already small guest room, swords clashed and sparks flew, the sounds of their collisions echoing through the room, sending chills down one's spine.

Meng Jinyu dared not move, she could only hide between the bed and the wall, in a narrow space that could only accommodate one person.

Suddenly, Meng Jinyao saw an assassin's blade aimed at Gu Jingxi's back. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly shouted, "My lord, be careful behind you!"hing, he froze. He opened his eyes and saw that he was holding a moon-white silver thread embroidered men's winter coat. The embroidery was exquisite, the satin fabric soft and smooth to the touch.He...