Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 840: Li Xingsheng · Ling Yuezi Side Story (10) Secret Assistance
As dawn broke, Li Xingsheng walked out of Ling Yuezi’s bedroom.
Ah Qing and Ah Lan sat on the steps, staring blankly at the sky.
Upon hearing footsteps behind them, both turned their heads to look.
"Mr. Li?" The two maids stood up together.
They hesitated internally, wondering whether to tell him to leave.
Yet worried that if they said it, Li Xingsheng would be hurt and angry.
"No need to chase me away, I will leave on my own." Li Xingsheng smiled calmly.
Speaking so peacefully, he left Ah Qing and Ah Lan feeling embarrassed.
The two exchanged a difficult glance and then looked at Li Xingsheng together.
Ah Qing said, "Sorry, Mr. Li, we’re just thinking of your safety. It’s not safe here in the palace."
Ah Lan said, "Mr. Li, please follow us."
Li Xingsheng looked at her in confusion, then nodded.
The two maids led him to a side chamber in the Moonlight Palace.
Inside were over a dozen palace maids and eunuchs.
Something had likely been done to them, as they slept heavily and unmoving.
"Every night, the Princess orders us to lock them up, to prevent them from spying on her." Ah Lan glanced at the side room and sighed.
Li Xingsheng furrowed his brows, "I already know about your Princess’s situation, she just told me."
Ah Qing said, "So, Mr. Li, it’s not that our Princess is heartless, it’s just... she’s in a difficult situation too. Take advantage of this moment before dawn breaks and leave quickly. Delay any longer, and when others wake for the morning court, the patrols will increase, making it hard for you to get away."
Ah Lan was also anxious, urging Li Xingsheng, "Don’t worry, Mr. Li, we will safely escort you out."
Li Xingsheng glanced back towards the east wing of the Moonlight Palace, "No need to escort me, I can leave on my own. Go and attend to your Princess."
He headed towards the door, opened it himself, and departed.
Ah Qing, uncertain, said to Ah Lan, "You go check on the Princess, I’ll see Mr. Li out."
She was still curious how Mr. Li had found this place.
Ah Qing caught up with Li Xingsheng’s steps, "Mr. Li, I have a question."
Li Xingsheng walked as he surveyed the surroundings, the Nanyue Palace scarcely showing signs of early risers.
"What is it?"
"How did you find this place?"
Li Xingsheng chuckled, "I traveled to Luocheng, and heard the Princess’s name was also Ling Yuezi. Out of curiosity, I came for a closer look, only to discover she is indeed the same person."
Ah Qing sighed softly, "There are some things that the Princess must have already told you. She didn’t mean to deceive; it’s just..."
With good hearing, Ah Qing noticed someone approaching from the front and immediately fell silent, "Mr. Li!"
Li Xingsheng had already seen them and quickly moved to the shadows.
Ah Qing didn’t hide; she walked forward openly.
These were the palace guards patrolling, all under the Regent King’s control.
The lead guard saw Ah Qing and shouted to his companion to bring the lantern over, "Oh, it’s Miss Ah Qing. It’s not dawn yet, why is Miss Ah Qing here alone?"
Ah Qing replied calmly, "Princess sent me to Cuihua Palace to pick early-blooming camellias and gather dew from the flowers. If I waited until daylight, the dew would be dried by the sun."
The patrolling guards suspected nothing, waved their hands, and continued with their men.
Ah Qing proceeded forward.
Li Xingsheng emerged from the shadows.
"The Emperor ascended the throne young, with the Regent King controlling the government for many years; everything is under his command and palace security is all arranged by his men. Mr. Li, don’t come again; this time you luckily entered the palace, next time, you might not be so fortunate. If caught by the Regent King’s men, it could cost your life. He’s deceitful and dangerous." Ah Qing quietly warned Li Xingsheng again.
Li Xingsheng smiled serenely, "Rest assured, the Regent King can do nothing to me."
"Mr. Li, please remember my words. If anything happens to you, our Princess will also be worried." Ah Qing looked anxious.
Li Xingsheng thought of Ling Yuezi, not wanting to cause more trouble for Ah Qing, "Alright, I’ll remember."
Behind the Moonlight Palace is Cuihua Palace.
Cuihua Palace is adjacent to the Imperial Garden, and on one side of the garden, there’s a watchtower with a small gate for palace maids and eunuchs’ entry and exit.
But Ah Qing is Ling Yuezi’s person, unable to leave the palace now, much less take Li Xingsheng out.
She found an unguarded spot, took out a prepared rope, and tossed it over the wall, "There’s no one outside this wall, Mr. Li, you can leave safely."
Li Xingsheng flicked his sleeve, grabbed the rope, tapped his toes against the wall, and with a few steps, he climbed over the wall, then his figure flashed as he jumped out beyond it.
Ah Qing watched, stunned. This Mr. Li, his skills are impressive!
The wall-climbing was even more agile than their Princess.
Seeing no one around, she quickly retracted the rope and left.
.
After Ah Qing saw Li Xingsheng off, Ah Lan entered Ling Yuezi’s bedroom.
Ling Yuezi hadn’t slept, and upon hearing Ah Lan’s steps, she weakly asked, "Is Mr. Li gone?"
"Ah Qing saw him off. Princess, with Ah Qing accompanying him, Mr. Li will be safe." Ah Lan replied, glancing towards the curtained bed, "Princess..., you and he..."
"We consummated our marriage just now," Ling Yuezi said despondently, "I didn’t want him to have any regrets, nor did I want to leave myself with any regrets."
In her power struggle with the Regent King, she might die!
She pulled Li Xingsheng into her life, she disturbed his heart, tricked him into marrying her, yet they didn’t even enter the bridal chamber; if she died, he would surely hate her.
"Princess, don’t overthink it. While it’s still dark, rest a bit more."
"...Alright." Ling Yuezi closed her eyes again.
She was indeed very tired.
Earlier, she wasn’t being pretentious at all; whatever Li Xingsheng wanted, she cooperated.
Though it was hard, she did not regret it.
.
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Li Xingsheng did not go to the inn but headed to the southwestern corner of the Imperial City.
There was a secluded little palace courtyard, Mingyu Pavilion.
It was said to be a Buddhist temple of the former Royal Family.
Now it has become the Regent King’s private territory.
Initially, Ling Yuezi refused to reveal the location of Mingyu Pavilion.
Under his repeated soft and hard questioning, Ling Yuezi, muddle-headed in his arms, disclosed the location.
At dawn, Li Xingsheng arrived in front of Mingyu Pavilion.
It was a five-story stone tower with wind chimes ringing in the breeze at its corners.
At this moment, the gates were tightly shut, and there was no one around.
Li Xingsheng swung a rope and climbed up the stone tower.
After removing the window lattice of the stone tower, he easily leaped into the second floor of the pavilion.
He remembered Ling Yuezi said that the ashes of the late Emperor of Nanyue were hidden in a well.
Well...
Li Xingsheng found the well in the courtyard.
There was water in the well, but no rope to go down.
However, there were grooves extending down the well wall.
Li Xingsheng’s eyes slightly flashed, and he slipped into the well.
There were indeed mechanisms in the well, but it wasn’t a challenge for him.
Li Xingsheng had been playing with Mechanical Techniques since childhood. Such mechanisms were child’s play in his eyes.
He dismantled all the mechanisms in the well, and finally, he found a black pottery jar.
Inside was something that looked like ashes.
Li Xingsheng held the jar and climbed out of the well.
On leaving, when he reached the second floor, a servant came to open the gate.
Li Xingsheng climbed out through the second-floor window lattice, then reinstalled the window lattice and left easily.
No one knew someone had been there.
.
Ling Yuezi didn’t wake up until late in the morning.
She rubbed her sore waist and legs and lifted the curtain.
Outside the bed, Ah Qing and Ah Lan said excitedly, "Princess, great news."
Ling Yuezi thought they were talking about consummating her marriage with Li Xingsheng last night; she wasn’t happy but remained calm, "Thank you for standing watch. Get me some water to wash."
Seeing no reaction from her, Ah Qing added, "Princess, Mr. Li came by earlier and delivered something—it’s the ash jar of the late Emperor."
Ah Lan said, "He’s amazing. He disguised himself as a eunuch to come in, and no one suspected him. He came to the bedroom, saw the Princess sleeping, and then left."
Ling Yuezi looked up in amazement, "What did you say? He... he retrieved it?"
Ah Qing nodded, "I’ve placed the late Emperor’s ashes together with the late Empress’s ashes."
After coming to Nanyue, Ling Yuezi brought back her mother’s ashes.
She was preparing to bury her parents together when she learned that her father’s ash jar had been withheld by the Regent King.
Worried that her mother’s ashes would also fall into the Regent King’s hands, she kept them in the left wing of Moonlight Palace.
She never expected Li Xingsheng would help her retrieve her father’s ashes.
"Take me to see them." Ling Yuezi got out of bed excitedly.
"Princess, there are people guarding there, nothing will happen. Change your clothes first, tidy yourself up, you look..." Ah Qing resisted a laugh and frowned at Ling Yuezi.
Ling Yuezi blinked and looked at herself.
Only then did she realize her clothes were disheveled, randomly hanging on her.
Ling Yuezi turned to look at the mirror on the dressing table, where a woman with disheveled hair and a weary face appeared.
The skin exposed outside her clothes was almost entirely marked.
Seeing herself in the mirror, Ling Yuezi felt both angry and amused.
When she first met Li Xingsheng, she constantly worried he was too gentle and would be bullied by the second-in-command; she protected him everywhere, sending people to follow him wherever he went.
But now it seems, he was like a wolf; what protection did he need?
"Alright, change clothes." Learning that her father’s ashes were back, Ling Yuezi felt a sense of relief overall.
