...

"Speaking of which, after Yuan lost his memory, the first time he called me, he called me ’sister’. If he finds out I’m a woman, he’ll surely be calm about it, unlike you. It’s been seven days, and you still haven’t recovered."

In the side hall of Yongming Palace, Gu Lan was munching on crispy winter jujubes as she spoke in a low voice.

Beside her, Lin He, dressed in a red eunuch robe, wore a pained expression and said, "I really can’t imagine you as a woman."

Gu Lan: "Of course, I wouldn’t show you my female attire."

Lin He: "..." It was quite sudden, as if he was fed something unexpected.

After discussing the meeting between Yuan and Wei Junzhuo, he began reporting other intelligence to Gu Lan:

Ten days ago, the news that the Young Master Gu was a woman reached the Southern Border. Rong Heng, without any hesitation, had already raised the banner of "eliminate traitors, purify the emperor’s side" and was leading troops back to the Capital City.

This was the second time Lin He came after Gu Lan was confined in Yongming Palace. His first visit was seven days ago. It seemed the Inner Supervision had a shift every seven days.

Lin He, being one of the four commanders of the Inner Supervision, shifted his duties from intelligence to security after Zhong Liang’s death. With Rong Jing not allowing Miaoyan’s men to handle anything related to Gu Lan, manpower was short, so it was logical for Lin He and his men to be assigned to watch over Gu Lan.

At this moment, inside and outside the side hall of Yongming Palace, all were Lin He’s people, making the conversation quite safe, but only for today.

Seven days ago, Lin He hurried to inform Gu Lan about the situation in the Southern Border. Upon learning that Wei Junzhuo’s target was Qi Country and that Rong Heng had realized and rushed to Qingzhou to confront Wei Country’s army, Gu Lan sighed in relief.

Lin He added that currently, there were no signs of Marquis Gu raising an army in the Northern Territory. The old lady of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion had sent out a message saying that the matter of Gu Lan disguising as a man was a secret decree from the former Emperor out of compassion for the marquisate’s lack of heirs, and the mansion had never harbored disloyalty.

Because of the old lady’s statement and Marquis Gu’s lack of rebellious actions, Rong Jing had been extremely irritable these past few days, repeatedly flying into a rage in court and implicating several innocent officials who pleaded for the marquisate.

Gu Lan finally felt at ease, realizing her father ultimately chose to trust her.

As long as no reckless actions were taken, Rong Jing couldn’t touch the marquisate. He would increasingly struggle to understand why Rong Heng would be with him.

And what she was waiting for was the day Rong Jing completely lost his patience and took desperate measures.

Seven days ago, after Lin He finished delivering the intelligence, he cautiously inquired about Gu Lan’s identity. After receiving her confirmation, he left in a daze, probably needing a long time to accept the reality that the Young Master Gu was a woman.

So, seven days passed, and Lin He finally returned, although... his eyes were still filled with shock when he looked at Gu Lan.

"Ten days ago on the way back from the Southern Border....." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Gu Lan murmured to herself, raised her hand to count, and based on the time, estimated that Rong Heng might be able to return to the Capital City in another five days.

Lin He knew about Rong Heng, so Rong Jing could receive the message too. This meant within five days, Rong Jing would definitely come to interrogate her. If he couldn’t get the answers he wanted, or if she still remained unfazed, Rong Jing would no longer hold back and would kill her swiftly.

"Five days later, Rong Jing will kill me."

Gu Lan’s expression was calm as she continued eating the crispy winter jujubes, but her words made Lin He’s heart jump.

"Fi... five days later?"

Gu Lan said, "Rong Jing has given my father plenty of time, yet he still hasn’t rebelled. He can’t subdue me, and Rong Heng has aggressively returned to the capital with his army. Keeping me only serves to aggravate him. Oh, maybe he wants to kill me in front of Rong Heng."

Lin He’s pupils constricted, realizing, "Yes, you’re right... If the Emperor were still rational, he could keep you alive to threaten the Dingyuan Marquis and the Prince. But if he loses his mind, he would indeed kill you in five days. So... so you must leave with me now!"

Gu Lan calmly said, "If you rescue me now, the imperial guard still surrounds the marquisate. Rong Jing would become desperate. Brother Hang hasn’t returned yet, and I can’t confront Song Zhi’s twenty thousand imperial guards with two hundred household soldiers. That would solidify the charge of rebellion."

Lin He gritted his teeth and quickly devised another plan:

"Senior Li of the Marquis Mansion’s Dark Hall has already made contact with Nian Xia. Tonight, Dark Hall will rescue the people of the Marquis Mansion. I’ll rescue you, and at that time, you will meet the old lady and others outside the palace, and Crow Building will hide you all...."

Gu Lan gave him a slight smile, "Don’t be nervous."

"How can I not be nervous? I’m on duty here for a seven-day rotation, but you said the Emperor will kill you in five days. I only have today to get you out of the palace!"