The beginning of the siege, met Shu Fei again

  In the 475th year of the Imperial Calendar, on November 10th, the biennial winter hunt of Yan took place in the Jialing Mountain enclosure. This time, it was touted as the most labor-intensive and costly winter hunt in Yan's history, which would last for a month.

  The ancestors of the State of Yan were fighting on horseback, so this hunting game was a grand event for the nobles of the State of Yan. In addition to Emperor Lie bringing his palace family members to attend in person, there were also royal relatives and officials above the third rank from the capital city of Yanjing, as well as their family members, and young heroes selected from various military camps all entered the hunting grounds together. During this month-long hunt, the bustle of the city of Yanjing decreased, because all the royal relatives had gathered in the hunting grounds.

  The cold wind whistled by, and Gong Sun Mo's carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the main gate of the Weichang Palace. The majestic and grand buildings sat quietly among the mountains, with row upon row of imperial guards patrolling at the palace gates, giving off an air similar to that of the Imperial City.

  A slender small hand opened the car curtain for Gongsun Mo, and Gongsun Mo got out of the car door. As far as his eyes could see, the carriages of various officials' families stopped one after another in front of this temporary palace. Gongsun Mo's face was frozen as he stood still in front of the car, waiting for someone else to come out of the car, while a light and nimble footsteps came towards him from the other side.

  "I pay my respects to Your Highness."

  Gu Yingxue's complexion was not good, the cold air in the mountains was heavier than that of Yanjing City, and she was already a bit weak and tired from traveling. However, at this moment in front of Gong Sunmo, her gentle bow still looked like a lotus flower in shallow mist, delicate and beautiful.

  Gongsun Mo didn't notice Gu Yingxue, and even now that he saw her, his expression was indifferent, merely nodding slightly, "You may rise."

  As soon as the words fell, a small hand stretched out from behind him, still the thin and small hand that had lifted the car curtain earlier. Gong Sun Mo noticed the sound behind him and turned around abruptly, his words filled with concern, "Be careful, the snow is deep and the ground is slippery!"

  A youth in a green robe emerged from the carriage of the Duke's mansion, his slender waist and narrow shoulders giving off an impression of frailty. However, his eyes shone like stars in the sky, and his pale face radiated a brilliant light. He descended to the ground with the support of the Duke's arm and bowed slightly to the approaching beautiful woman, "Sister."

  Gu Yun Xi!

  Gu Yingxue's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Gu Yunxi, who was dressed in men's attire, and for a moment, she couldn't react. She knew that Gu Yunxi would also be joining the Duke to go hunting, but seeing them both emerge from the same carriage made her heart tighten slightly. She smiled faintly, "So it's my younger sister..."

  Gu Yunxi naturally knew about Gu Yingxue's discomfort, and she didn't want to get too entangled with her either. Fortunately, Gong Sun Mo spoke in a low voice, "For the past few days, Yunxi has been by my side as an attendant, I hope the young lady won't intentionally reveal her identity."

  The two words "intentionally" carried a subtle weight, and Gu Ying Xue's complexion changed slightly, her lips curling into a bitter smile. "I understand."

  However, after staying for a moment, many eyes were already scanning towards Gong Sun Mo. Seeing this, Gong Sun Mo nodded at Gu Ying Xue and headed into the palace, Gu Yun Xi followed closely behind him, indeed like an attendant by the side of De Wang.

  "Miss——"

  Jin Xin hesitated to speak, Gu Ying Xue took a deep breath, and a hint of gloom flashed in the corner of her eyes. "Let her be proud for now, just wait and see, one day she'll come crying to beg me."

  One of the palaces already had people from the Ministry of Rites waiting there, and Gong Sun Mo led everyone to his own palace, with Sun Lu and Sun Zhe following at the end. They looked at the magnificent palace with its intricate carvings and flying eaves, and a hint of dark anger appeared in their eyes.

  "The generals on the northern border can barely get a few meat dishes all year round, but this palace is built so luxuriously, the Ministry of Works has become more and more skilled in recent years!"

  Sun Lu couldn't help but mutter a curse, and although he was a bold man, even his lowered voice sounded extremely loud in the quiet courtyard. As soon as his words fell, another voice rang out.

  "This imperial palace was expanded by the emperor's order for this year's hunting trip, how did it become inconsiderate of the people's feelings? Since the northern border is short of military expenses, why didn't King De report the truth?"

  As soon as the cold words came out, Gu Yunxi turned her head and saw a woman in palace attire swaying towards her. The bright makeup combined with the overbearing tone of voice, there was only one person in this inner courtyard of the imperial palace.

  Gu Yunxi slightly lowered her head, and Gong Sunmo was also somewhat surprised, "Princess Shu."

  This time the empress was ill and did not accompany the emperor, so among the concubines who followed him, this Shu Fei was the highest in rank. Gong Sun Mo and others had just entered the inner gate of the palace when they unexpectedly met Her Highness.

  Xiao Yu Jin covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes glanced at Gong Sun Mo for a moment, "It's actually the virtuous king, I've heard that the virtuous king has returned to the court for a long time, but has never been seen in the inner palace. This time, it's indeed my good fortune."

  Gongsun's eyes flickered slightly, "Your Majesty is joking."

  As soon as the words were spoken, neither of them said anything more. Xie Yu Jin's eyes stuck to Gong Sun Mo's body without moving, and Gong Sun Mo slightly inclined his head, "This king has something on hand, so I'll take my leave now."

  Xiao Yu Jing's eyes flickered slightly, a dark color flashing across her enchanting face. "In that case, let the virtuous king take the lead for now. Since we're both in this palace, I suppose we'll have plenty of opportunities to meet again."

  Although Gu Yunxi was standing on the side with her head down, she had taken in Zuo Yu's appearance. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she felt that there might be something more complicated between these two people.

  As she turned around, Xiang Yu's gaze still lingered on Gong Sun Mo. Gu Yun Xi followed behind him, looking at his tall back and lost in thought.

  "Your Highness!"

  A sudden shout made Gong Sun Mo's footsteps pause, and when he turned his head, Jin Wen was standing at the gate of the inner courtyard with a package in her hand. Because of her identity, she could only live in the outer courtyard and was stopped from entering. He frowned slightly, and all he heard was Jin Wen saying hastily, "Your Highness, this is from Eldest Miss..."

  It seems that Jinwen had just seen Xie Yuqin, and his complexion changed slightly. He bowed to Shu Fei, who waved her hand lightly with a faint expression. Jinwen stood up and stuttered, "Th-this is the package that Big Sister gave to Guardian Wei!"

  Gongsun Mo's face darkened, but his eyes didn't show much reaction. He waved his hand and Sun Zhe hastily came forward to take the package, but instead of handing it over to Gu Yunxi, he stood there stiffly, afraid that Jinwen would say something else.

  Fortunately, Jin Wen handed over the package and left the entrance. Gu Yun Xi looked at the bulging package with a hint of cold smile on her lips. It was indeed Gu Ying Xue. Coincidence? Was all this too coincidental?

  Xiao Yu Jin looked at the departing crowd and her gaze fell on one of the shortest guards, she slightly turned her head, "Wasn't that girl just now a personal attendant of Miss Gu's?"

  The maid standing behind her nodded, "Miss Gu often enters the palace, and if I'm not mistaken, it's about time."

  Xiao Yu Jin suddenly covered her mouth and smiled, her slender figure trembling with laughter. Her eyes swept over Gong Sun Mo at the end of the corridor, and the words she spoke were laced with sarcasm: "One sister, one younger sister, this play is quite something to watch!"

  Digression

  Sorry everyone, I came back very late last night, the school suddenly lost internet connection, and it was still unreachable at dawn, so I can only update now, there will be another one tonight which is today's.

  You think nothing was said in the previous chapter? Then you're wrong, two big foreshadowings were buried in the previous chapter ~