Su Jing softly spoke and slowly leaned against him, falling asleep. When she woke up again, the moon was already high in the sky and the stars were scattered all over the heavens.

  She sat up, feeling a bit embarrassed, and saw him staring at her with a straight face. She quickly got down on all fours and went over to help massage his shoulders, "Your Majesty, are you tired?"

  Zong Zhengjin's face was complex as he glanced at her, shook his head, and used his internal force to relax his muscles, half of his arm had been numbed by her.

  "It will cool down at night, aren't you cold?"

  Su Jing suddenly didn't think so, he said she immediately shrunk her body, "A bit, Your Majesty, or I'll help you get warm"

  Zong Zhengjin secretly found it amusing and said lightly, "I'm not cold."

  Su Jing whispered softly, "Your Majesty, aren't you tired? Do you want to rest for a while? I can keep watch."

  Zong Zhengjin's expression did not relax, and he remained on high alert for almost five hours, naturally feeling somewhat fatigued, but not to the point of collapse.

  "I'm not tired, you're hungry, there are some fruits here, just eat something."

  He didn't tell her that he had inner strength, could hear voices farther away than she could, and was more protective of them both.

  Su Jingxi didn't hesitate, nor did she show any restraint. She picked up two green fruits from the side, wiped them vigorously on her clothes, and handed one to him, "Your Majesty, have one too, it'll give you energy."

  Zong Zhengjin took a bite, and for someone who was used to eating mountain delicacies and seafood, it didn't taste good, but she still ate it mouthful by mouthful, so that she would have the energy to speak.

  Su Jingxi saw that he didn't mind at all, and in the blink of an eye, a fruit was left with only its pit. He also started eating the one in his hand, which was sour and had no sweetness to it.

  Zong Zhengjin felt a pang of sympathy for the person who was still frowning and forcing herself, so she pulled her over and hugged her in her arms. "Someone will come to rescue us."

  Su Jingxi didn't ask much, "I just want to be with Your Majesty."

  "Uh-huh."

  Two people chatted intermittently, basically only Su Jing was talking, he just listened quietly. In fact, she didn't know why she had so much to say at this time, and she also knew that the most important thing should be to conserve energy, but she couldn't help it.

  Because she was afraid, she feared missing this opportunity and never having another chance again.

  Zong Zhengjin noticed that the people around him were getting quieter, their eyes drooping, already sleepy. He hooked up the corner of his mouth, just about to let her fall asleep, when he suddenly thought of something and called out to wake her up.

  Su Jing opened her eyes, somewhat dazed, and immediately realized where she was. "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Has someone arrived?"

  Zong Zhengjin saw that even though she was dazed, her subconscious still knew to lower her voice, "It's cold here at night, let's warm up a bit, you can sleep again."

  "If we light a fire for warmth, there will be light and it's easy to attract people," Su Jing woke up with a start and hurriedly refused.

  Zong Zhengjin unfastened her belt and slipped her hand into the lower hem, successfully seeing her shiver, "Only by warming up like this can one truly warm up."

  "Don't come near me" Su Jingyi tried to reach out and stop him, but couldn't catch up with his agility.

  "I can stay up all night ah"

  Zong Zhengjin's mouth curled up in a sly smile, "I'm also cold, don't be afraid, no one will come at this time." As he spoke, he untied his belt, ready to strike.

  Su Jingxi wanted to cry, in the desolate wilderness, being chased and killed by people, is this really what wild combination is all about?

  Even if the heart is unwilling, the body follows its most primitive reaction, and his teasing has already formed a natural reaction, shameful words uncontrollably spilling out of her mouth.

  Zong Zhengjin didn't care about many things, and it was precisely because he had nothing better to do that he went outdoors, which could stir up a man's primal instincts. Although it was euphemistically referred to as warming up, it was clear who benefited from it.

  Choosing a quick battle, Zong Zhengjin did not take the usual protracted war, after venting out, holding her and waiting for her to calm down, "He'er is still cold or not"

  Su Jing viciously bit down on his shoulder, not caring that her upper body was half exposed, using all her strength until a bloody smell could be detected through the fabric.

  She hastily relaxed her mouth, saw his eyes slightly narrowed, staring at him like that for two seconds, Su Jing pouted and wanted to cry, then she really cried.

  Zong Zhengjin felt a bit helpless, he had just gotten angry, but when she looked at him with pitiful eyes, his anger dissipated and he struggled to hold back his smile.

  "All right, all right, I didn't blame you, why are you crying so much?"

  Su Jingxi didn't care, and instead let out a low sob, which wasn't just due to shame or anger, but more because of fear. Even if she had lived two lifetimes as a person, no one had ever so simply and brutally tried to take her life before.

  Zong Zhengjin rubbed his eyebrows, put on her clothes, and didn't coax her. He just waited for her to cry until she was exhausted before letting her lean against him. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

  He wasn't unaware of her fear, her unease, but since he had chosen this path, there was no turning back. Hiding here was to lure out the mastermind behind him, and he had also arranged for people outside, just not without any risk, but these were things he couldn't tell her.

  Years of deep palace life had long made him distrust anyone, the imperial power struggle had taught him strategy and conspiracy, but not how to give trust.

  "I'm not afraid at all," Su Jing said stubbornly.

  Zong Zhengjin was in a good mood, "Hmmm, you're not afraid."

  “”

  “”

  The two of them spent a night in this small cave, while outside it was already chaotic.

  "General Shen, why haven't you sent someone to look for the Emperor? Instead, you've locked us up here. What's going on?" Xiang Jieyu and others had not seen the Emperor since noon, and only the corpses of the Emperor's guards remained, with no sign of Zong Zhengjin and Su Jingbing.

  Shen Tongling, the commander of the Imperial Guard, responsible for the safety of the imperial palace in the capital, heard this and cupped his hands, saying: "This general is thinking of His Majesty, you are all here, no one will harm you, once we find His Majesty, this general will naturally send someone to let you out."

  "How dare you lock me up here? Do you know who I am? Let me out quickly, the Emperor won't forgive you, and neither will my grandmother"

  Shen Tongling didn't listen to her continue talking nonsense, waved his hand and someone came over to guard, stepped out, "Fifth Master, are you sure this is okay?"

  The fifth inkstone touched his beard, with a profound meaning, "Shen Tong is afraid"

  "The emperor is fine, isn't he? It's just a few women," he said, before realizing his mistake and hastily changing the subject.

  "Don't worry, the Emperor's good fortune is boundless, nothing will happen," said the Fifth Inkstone, not bothering to argue with him. Both of them had been following the Emperor for a long time and knew each other's loyalty.

  "However, that group of old guys can really hold their breath, it's been so long and there's not a single movement, it seems they're not all foolish people after all, they still have some brains," Shen Tongling said in a low voice as he looked up at the moon.

  "That's natural, the Yuan family is also a century-old family, and they have been thriving in Chu Zhou for so long, naturally they won't be ordinary people. This time, I'm afraid it's still impossible to uproot them," Diwu Xian said objectively, he never underestimated others.

  Meng Wen was cunning and clever, skilled in unusual strategies. Shen Tian was bold and impulsive, skilled in military tactics. Diwu Xian was calm and composed, skilled in plotting. All three were the most loyal subordinates of Zong Zhengyi, serving as both ministers and friends, helping him overcome countless difficulties whether he was a prince in the palace or an emperor on the throne.

  Shen Tian patted his shoulder, "Don't be discouraged, the Emperor must have anticipated this and there must be a reason for doing so."

  Di Wuyan nodded in deep agreement. Among the four, Zong Zhengjin was not the oldest, but he was the most ruthless to himself. Everyone said that Mr. Di took one step and looked at a hundred steps, while Zong Zhengjin took one step and thought of all the subsequent steps, leaving no room for retreat.

  Sly as a fox, fierce as a tiger, with unusual means and a cold temperament, this is the evaluation they secretly gave him. It was precisely because of this that he was able to stand out among the dozen or so princes of the previous emperor and leap into being the master of others' lives.

  "You said the news has reached the palace, but why are these people so slow? They're really useless," Shen Tian sat on the ground, pulling out grass from the earth, and asked casually.

  At the fifth watch, the corners of their mouths twitched. In order not to let others see through the crack, they didn't give up at all. Those people were still able to secretly pass on the news under such circumstances, even if it was a bit late, but it showed that they also had some ability. "Let's wait and see."

  Kunning Palace

  "What's going on? How dare Father do this to me?" The Empress was holding a piece of paper in her hand, which was the message that had just been delivered to her by her informant.

  Jin Momo took a look and was shocked, covering her mouth for half a day without saying a word. Finally regaining her composure, "Your Majesty, this old man wants to..."

  Treason

  "What should I do? What should I do?" The empress paced back and forth in her room, constantly thinking.

  Jin Momo, although a servant of the Yu family, was also a woman living in the inner courtyard. Such a big matter had already frightened her out of her wits. "Will Master be successful?" she asked.

  Failure is a capital offense punishable by death of nine clans.

  "How would I know?" the empress replied loudly. She had called Jin Mo into the palace to tell her something, precisely because she couldn't make up her own mind and wanted to discuss it with someone.

  Jin Momo was startled back to her senses by this shout, "The princess is still in confinement and should be kept in the dark about everything."

  "How can I possibly know nothing? I already know, I know nothing. I am in confinement, I know nothing." The Empress Dowager grasped this sentence, repeated it to herself, and secretly made up her mind.

  If her father succeeded, she would be the empress; if he failed, she would be innocent and ignorant of everything, as for what her father said in his letter about asking her to help him, just ignore it.

  "There's no need, let's not get flustered, after all, there are still some days before Father's deadline, no rush, just take our time to plan."

  Palace Concubine (Yi) / 33 / 33265

  Gong Shu