Before the commander could react, Gu Lianzhang vanished, his voice echoing: “Seal all exits and capture Wei Shu and the Crown Prince’s wife!”
Min Shi had been transferred to Nanjing and, if no one was secretly sabotaging him, he would not have known about Ruan Ning and Gu Lianchang being together or returned to the capital so smoothly.
Gu Lianchang looked uncertain, fearing Ruan Ning still had feelings for Min Shi. At that moment, Ruan Ning stood on tiptoe and gently kissed him, softly saying, “Don’t worry.”
“Ning Ning!” Min Shi felt heartbroken, thinking she was trying to save him.
“Min Shi, leave. I stopped liking you long ago,” Ruan Ning said, waving him off. “I’m doing fine here. Don’t come looking for me again.”
She hooked arms with Gu Lianchang, who felt more at peace despite the blood on his sword. Ruan Ning then whispered, “Something’s wrong with Xiu Xin. I never instructed her to keep people from entering. We must catch her.”
Gu Lianchang realized the previous scene was ambiguous and that Xiu Xin’s actions were intended to mislead him into thinking Ruan Ning was meeting her old lover. He struggled to understand who wanted this outcome and why.
He felt he was missing clues in the situation, such as the Virtuous Concubine’s sudden suicide and Xiu Xin’s motives. Finding Xiu Xin might provide the answers he needed.
But after searching everywhere, they couldn’t find Xiu Xin.
In the darkest moment before dawn, the rebellion was completely suppressed. The Eastern Palace’s personal guards suffered significant casualties, with the remaining captured. The Imperial Guards and Tiger Cavalry soldiers mutinied, killing their commanders and surrendering. However, Wei Shu and Qin Zhi were still unaccounted for.
“Qin Zhi,” Gu Lianchang recalled, “Bring all the people she has used. I want to interrogate them personally.”
From her proposal to collaborate, to fainting and returning to the Eastern Palace, to the palace fire, traces of the Crown Princess were evident. Wei Shu’s hesitation suggested the uprising wasn’t his doing.
Qin Zhi had already taken over the late Empress’s people, and her spies were spread throughout the inner palace. Gu Lianchang interrogated her less important subordinates for an entire day, piecing together Qin Zhi’s actions.
