There was a stone lantern lit at a distance along the path in the Imperial Garden.

Princess Duanjia's expression was anxious. She kept urging the young eunuch who was leading the way and reporting the news.

The young eunuch didn't dare to delay and quickened his steps.

Jin Xiu, who was following behind, frowned. She urged, "Princess, let's report this to Wang Fei. Even if we don't tell Wang Fei, we can tell the Empress Dowager."

The inner palace was treacherous and not safer than the court. Even though the Empress Dowager loved Princess Duanjia and Princess Duanjia often stayed with the Empress Dowager in the palace for a period of time, she had not grown up in the palace and did not know the shady methods in the palace.

The Wei Wangye and Wang Fei were very close and didn't even have a concubine. The eldest and youngest junwang both doted on Princess Duanjia. Princess Duanjia had never experienced the shady methods of the inner courtyard.

Princess Duanjia was not as innocent as Jin Xiu thought, but it was a fact that she was not good at using methods.

Jin Xiu had suggested telling her mother and Imperial Grandmother. Of course, she had thought of it, but she immediately rejected the idea.

Because the eunuch had reported to her that the person in trouble wasn't someone else, but He Erlang …

She didn't want her mother and grandmother to know that something had happened to He Erlang. If it was inconvenient, wouldn't it benefit another woman?

Princess Duanjia had already inquired before that He Erlang was on duty in the Imperial Palace today.

The eunuch who had reported to her was someone she had placed in the inner palace, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.

Princess Duanjia walked quickly and quietly replied to Jin Xiu, "No need, I can handle such a small matter. Also, I'm familiar with the terrain here. Nothing will happen."

Princess Duanjia's personality was sometimes stubborn. Jin Xiu was her most trusted servant girl and naturally understood this. Hearing this, she knew that it was useless even if she stopped her.

She could only sigh inside and follow her mistress closely. She hoped that the eunuch who had come to report was reliable and wasn't being used.

About fifteen minutes later, the eunuch led Princess Duanjia to a remote pavilion behind the Imperial Garden with a lantern.

The pavilion was cold and quiet. There wasn't even a eunuch or palace maid guarding the hall. She didn't know if they had been transferred away or had sneaked away to slack off during the Emperor's birthday.

The eunuch who came to report pointed at the door and said timidly with his head lowered, "Princess, Official He is inside …"

Princess Duanjia looked suspiciously at the cold palace door, then her gaze fell on the young eunuch in front of her.

The young eunuch trembled and lowered his head even more. "I … I don't dare to deceive Your Highness."

In the end, the worry in Princess Duanjia's heart took over. She turned and walked towards the door of the hall.

She stretched out her hand and pushed, and with a creak, the palace door was pushed open.

There was a dim yellow oil lamp in the inner room of the hall. The flame of the lamp swayed slightly. From Commandery Princess Ruanjia's perspective, she could see a person lying on the bed with the curtain opened.

It was a man in a guard uniform. He had a broad back and a tall figure. The jade pendant on his waist was carved with the Toad Palace laurel. It was quite familiar.

Princess Ruanjia's eyes narrowed. This figure was too familiar. It was He Erlang!

Just as she was in extreme shock and disbelief, Jin Xiu's short shout suddenly came from behind her. In the next second, the door of the hall was slammed shut from the outside.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia's body trembled and her brain stopped working for a moment. In the next second, she ran to the door and banged on it. Unfortunately, no matter how much she shouted, no one answered.

After a moment of confusion, Commandery Princess Ruanjia regained some of her rationality.

Her mind raced for a solution, but she couldn't think of anything useful at the moment.

She recalled the methods Chu Lian had used to save her at De 'an Building. Her eyes instantly turned red. Why wasn't Chu Lian here at this time?

She forcefully wiped away the tears in her eyes and recalled the scene on the bed in the inner room. Taking a deep breath, Commandery Princess Ruanjia walked towards the bed in the inner room.

The person lying on the bed was definitely He Erlang. She couldn't be wrong.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia came to the side of the bed and carefully reached out to push the tall and strong man lying on the bed.

The man lying facing the bed didn't move. Commandery Princess Ruanjia pushed him a few more times.

In the end, Commandery Princess Ruanjia had no choice but to turn the man right.

Under the dim light in the hall, she took a closer look. It was indeed the second young master of Count Jing 'an's estate, He Changjue.

He Changjue was currently unconscious. His forehead was covered in a layer of sweat and his lips were red. His rough and manly face had a tinge of red.

Even though the two of them had a good impression of each other and had interacted a few times in private, it was only out of politeness. They didn't do anything out of line. This was the first time a man and woman were alone in a room like this. Furthermore, He Erlang was still unconscious …

Commandery Princess Ruanjia patted He Changjue's face. However, the unconscious He Erlang still didn't show any signs of waking up.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia frowned. She got up and looked at the table beside her. Suddenly, she had an idea and poured a cup of cold water into the teacup. She carried the teacup to the bed and splashed the cold water on He Changjue's face.

This cup of cold water splashed on He Erlang's face finally woke him up.

He slowly opened his eyes. At first, he couldn't focus because of his headache. His vision was blurry.

He shook his head hard and pressed a few acupuncture points on his body. He rubbed his temples. After a while, he could finally see clearly.

When his vision cleared and he opened his eyes, he saw Commandery Princess Ruanjia sitting beside him.

He Erlang was slightly agape. He stuttered, "Princess … Commandery Princess?"

Commandery Princess Ruanjia saw that he had finally woken up and sighed in relief. However, she raised her chin proudly.

She laughed coldly. "You still remember it's me, He Erlang. If I wasn't here right now, you wouldn't even know that you were being sold!"

Commandery Princess Ruanjia glared at He Erlang and huffed. She couldn't help but place her hands on her waist. It was as if this made her look even more imposing.

As his vision cleared, He Changjue's mind also became clearer.

He caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. His pupils shrank and he stood up abruptly. He poured all the cold water in the teapot on the table onto that thing.

There was a soft "puff" sound in the room. Green smoke rose into the air and the incense burner was completely extinguished.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia was startled by his sudden action. She momentarily forgot about her arrogant attitude.

She asked fearfully, "What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong with this incense."

"Ah?" Commandery Princess Ruanjia's eyes widened as she looked at the extinguished incense burner.

He Changjue pulled Commandery Princess Ruanjia to his side. "Don't get too close. I don't know if this incense has any effect on women."

Commandery Princess Ruanjia stumbled from He Changjue's pull and almost fell on He Erlang. Commandery Princess Ruanjia's face instantly flushed red.

She gripped the hem of her clothes and asked, "You couldn't wake up earlier because of this incense?"

He Changjue nodded.

This was a special type of incense. It wasn't a problem to burn it normally and was even beneficial to one's body.

However, as long as a man drank the special carved flower wine and smelled this incense, he would fall into a deep sleep and even stimulate his Passion Valley.

He had heard about it from the Dragon Guards before, but he had never seen it for himself. He didn't expect to fall for it today.

He was on duty today and was patrolling the imperial garden with his men when he was suddenly led to this secluded palace by a black shadow.

When he entered the room and smelled the incense, it was too late by the time he reacted.

Fortunately, Commandery Princess Ruanjia had splashed him with cold water to wake him up. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to wake him up in his current state.

Even if he was woken up, he would be stimulated by the incense if he continued to smell the incense.

He had extinguished the incense in time, so he wasn't affected much. He only felt a slight heat all over his body. Although Little Erlang's head was slightly raised, it was still bearable.

In addition, the light in the room was dim, so it wasn't easy for others to notice the uncontrollable changes in his body.

He Erlang supported Commandery Princess Ruanjia slightly. His mind raced and he realized that they had fallen into a trap today.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia sat up straight with He Erlang by her side. She could almost smell the unique masculine scent on He Changjue.

He Changjue took off his cloak and placed it on Commandery Princess Ruanjia's shoulders before asking her, "Where is your servant girl?"

Commandery Princess Ruanjia couldn't have come alone. Even if she had been led here on purpose, she wouldn't have come alone.

"She was plotted against." Commandery Princess Ruanjia's voice was calm, but He Changjue could hear the worry in the depths of her voice.

He Erlang thought of the servant girl who often sent messages to the two of them. He reached out and wanted to place his large palm on Commandery Princess Ruanjia's head to comfort her. However, he recalled that the two of them still had no status and withdrew his hand awkwardly.

"Your servant girl is fine. Their goal was to plot against me. Your servant girl's life won't be in danger."

Commandery Princess Ruanjia glanced at him and pursed her lips.

"Then what should we do next?"

He Changjue's eyes darkened. "Bide our time. I want to see who's plotting against me."

Princess Duanjia was startled by his sudden ruthlessness. She was stunned for a moment. She had never known that He Erlang could be so decisive and take charge of a situation.

She couldn't help but smile. She found this man more and more attractive the more she looked at him.

Commandery Princess Ruanjia took advantage of He Changjue's thoughts to stare at him without restraint.

This was the first time the two of them had been so close to each other!

She only needed to stretch out her arm to touch his large palm that was propped up on the edge of the bed.

His hand was very large. At a glance, it was almost twice the size of hers. His fingers were long and slender. If she spread them and placed her hand in his palm, his hand would probably be able to wrap around her entire hand.

There was hair on the back of his hand. It wasn't dark, but it was very masculine. It was clearly different from the delicate back of her hand.

In this dangerous situation, Commandery Princess Ruanjia's heart was filled with sweetness because she had discovered every little difference between them.

Her gaze shifted slightly and her eyes suddenly widened. In the next second, she looked away with a red face. This time, she really didn't dare to stare without restraint.

Noticing that Commandery Princess Ruanjia had looked away, He Erlang finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Normally, he wouldn't be afraid of her looking at him. It wouldn't hurt a man to be stared at, let alone a woman he liked.

However, the situation was different now. He was in an awkward situation. Because he had inhaled that fragrance, his body was moving uncontrollably.

He Changjue shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide the changes in his body.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard a sound from outside the hall.

Chu Lian had arrived with Wenqing.

Chu Lian frowned as she looked around. The darkness of the night covered the bustling palace. It was cold here at night. There wasn't even a palace maid or eunuch guarding the hall.

She asked Wenqing in a low voice, "Are you sure it's here?"

Wenqing nodded with certainty. "Third Young Mistress, it's here. This servant saw the princess walk in this direction with my own eyes."

Those who practiced martial arts had sharper senses than ordinary people. Wenqing's vision was also better than Chu Lian's. In the dim light of the night, Wenqing could see more clearly than Chu Lian.

Chu Lian's gaze fell on the tightly shut door in front of them. "Could the princess have gone in?"

Wenqing shook her head. "This servant only saw the princess walk in this direction. I don't know if the princess is in the hall or not."

There was only one small path from the imperial garden in this direction. It could only be that way.

Chu Lian frowned slightly. Just as she was wondering if she should go in and take a look, Wenqing suggested, "Third Young Mistress, let's wait. This is the imperial palace. The consort's people will be here soon."

Chu Lian nodded. She still couldn't confirm whether Princess Duanjia had been schemed against and was in danger. If this was a series of traps, she couldn't drag herself into it as well. The harem had always been a place of trouble.

Plus, she didn't know what would happen next or what dangers she would encounter. It was better to be careful.

He Erlang and Commandery Princess Ruanjia, who were carefully observing the situation outside, saw that the person who had come was Chu Lian. Commandery Princess Ruanjia was about to open the window and call out to Chu Lian when her eyes lit up. However, before she could make a sound, He Changjue covered her mouth.

"Don't make a sound. Someone's coming."

As expected, He Erlang saw two men walk out from the shadows as soon as he stopped talking.

The man in front was very young. He wore a black brocade robe and was tall and thin. Commandery Princess Ruanjia didn't recognize him until he walked to a brightly lit area.

He Erlang stared closely at the man with perfect features outside the hall, not missing a single movement or expression.

Xiao Bojian leisurely walked out of the darkness. Behind him followed Wei Jia, who seemed to be invisible.

Chu Lian looked up. When she saw that it was him, she felt like f * cking a dog.

Xiao Bojian was too much of a "lingering spirit"!

As expected of the male lead in the original novel. Did they forcefully increase his screen time?

Xiao Bojian was dressed in a low-key but luxurious black brocade robe. Looking at the dark patterns reflected on the material, one could tell that the material was definitely not ordinary. It was a pity that such a good material was wasted on him. If it was made for He Changdi, it would probably look better than him wearing it.

Chu Lian hurriedly chased away these strange thoughts that suddenly popped up in her mind. She raised her chin slightly and frowned at the man who was walking closer.

Wenqing didn't expect Xiao Bojian to appear at this time either. She hurriedly took a step forward and shielded Chu Lian behind her. She held her hands in front of her, ready to rush forward the moment Xiao Bojian made a move.

Unfortunately, Xiao Bojian completely ignored Wenqing's protective actions. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and his peach blossom eyes looked at Chu Lian with a hint of resentment and affection.

In the next second, Chu Lian heard Xiao Bojian's voice. However, before Xiao Bojian could finish speaking, she felt goosebumps all over her body.

"Lian 'er, you're finally willing to see me." When he finished speaking, he looked at Chu Lian with even more affection.

Chu Lian was speechless.

What the hell? They hadn't seen each other for so long. Was there something wrong with this guy's brain?

Since when was she willing to see him and come to see him?

She had clearly been lured here. If Princess Duanjia hadn't suddenly left and she wasn't worried about Princess Duanjia's safety, she wouldn't have rashly come to this secluded palace!

Was there something wrong with Xiao Bojian's brain? Or was he born without a skull? His imagination was off the charts?

Chu Lian's eyes were guarded. "Why are you here?"

Xiao Bojian smiled and his eyes became increasingly gentle. However, when such a docile expression appeared on his face, it made people feel increasingly out of place.

Xiao Bojian was the kind of person who naturally wore a gloomy expression on his face. Suddenly acting like this made people feel even more guarded.

"I was waiting for you."

He said these words with a faint smile. It was as if he was a devil holding chocolate to lure a greedy child.

Chu Lian's face was full of disgust. Was he really treating her like a three-year-old child?

"What on earth do you want?

Princess, what's wrong?

Why did you lure me here? "

Chu Lian didn't want to beat around the bush with him. If she had a choice, she simply didn't want to spend another second with someone like Xiao Bojian.

Perhaps he saw the disgust and disgust in Chu Lian's eyes. In an instant, the gentle smile on Xiao Bojian's face seemed to freeze. Then, it cracked into pieces and fell.

In an instant, it was as if he had changed his face. His expression was gloomy and his perfect face was slightly ferocious.

His eyes were also fixed on Chu Lian.

It was as if he wanted to completely see through Chu Lian and see through her deepest and most secret thoughts.

"Lian 'er, do you really not like me at all?"

When he said this, a trace of regret flashed across Xiao Bojian's face.

Chu Lian really wanted to roll her eyes. She was really wronged. From the beginning to the end, she had never developed any feelings for Xiao Bojian!

Chu Lian said mercilessly, "Lord Xiao, please conduct yourself with dignity. I am the wife of Marquis of Anyuan. I have nothing to do with you. How can you say that you like me?"

Xiao Bojian lowered his head slightly. The shadow covered his face, so Chu Lian couldn't see his expression.

After a moment, he raised his head again. The ferocious expression on his face had disappeared. All that was left was the perpetual gloominess.

He suddenly said, "Lian 'er, do you want to know about your biological mother?"

The appearance of the wife of the deceased second master of the Ying family was almost a mystery when she was alive.

When the second madam passed away, it was as if no one in the Ying family remembered her. If it wasn't for Chu Lian, the Sixth Miss, everyone would have thought that the second master was still unmarried.

Later, when Chu Lian grew up and became more sensible, she asked the people around her about her biological mother. Almost no one knew. Even the closest person to her, Gui momo, had only heard a little bit about it.

Ever since she was young, the thing that Chu Lian wanted to know the most was about her biological mother. However, no one told her. Her father, Chu Qizheng, would get angry at the mention of Chu Lian's biological mother. The second master quickly remarried and treated Chu Lian harshly. When the second madam had her own woman, she would often make things difficult for Chu Lian.

Chu Lian began to miss her mother, whom she had never met before.

She often fantasized about what she would be like when her biological mother was alive, especially when she was bullied by her stepmother and Sister Yuan.

Later, when Xiao Bojian moved into the Ying family, Chu Lian started to contact him. When they chatted, Xiao Bojian found out about Chu Lian's desire to know more about her biological mother.

Xiao Bojian, who was full of ambition, kept this matter in mind. Today, there was finally a time for him to use it.

If the person standing here was the real Chu Lian, without a doubt, she would immediately ask Xiao Bojian what her biological mother looked like and what her personality was like.

Unfortunately, the current Chu Lian had already changed.

The original Chu Lian's biological mother had passed away a long time ago. She wasn't in the mood to find out what a dead person looked like.

Even if she found out, she wouldn't feel anything.

Apart from being a foodie, the current Chu Lian wasn't someone who liked to pry into other people's secrets. She was also a curious person.

Just as Xiao Bojian was about to succeed and excitedly hoped that Chu Lian would take the bait, Chu Lian calmly replied, "I don't want to."

Chu Lian thought, what does it have to do with me? I might as well go home and hug He Sanlang to sleep …

Xiao Bojian's excitement seemed to have been doused with a bucket of cold water in an instant. His slightly feminine face was filled with an expression of disbelief.

He couldn't help but ask, "What did you say?"

Chu Lian pouted. "My mother passed away many years ago. I don't even remember what she looked like, and I'm not interested in her.

You can tell me where Princess Duanjia is now. "

Xiao Bojian's expression suddenly turned sinister. Chu Lian didn't know if he was angry, or if he was angry that Chu Lian didn't play according to his plan. Chu Lian heard him say angrily, "Chu Lian, that's not what you said in the past!"

Chu Lian's eyes flickered. She wanted to stall for time.

"People change. Even if I wanted to know before, I don't want to know now."

"You!" Xiao Bojian was seething with anger.

Chu Lian shot Wenqing a look.

"Lian 'er, you've changed!"

The corner of Chu Lian's mouth twitched. Xiao Bojian didn't realize it either. She didn't just change, she was a completely different person.

"You don't need to give your servant a look. Her martial arts skills are no match for my bodyguards." With that, Xiao Bojian glanced at Wei Jia, who seemed to be invisible behind him.

He opened his mouth and spat out two words, "Take her away!"

Wei Jia rushed forward like a gust of wind. Although Wenqing's martial arts skills weren't bad, she was still a far cry from the specially trained death guard Wei Jia.

It only took Wei Jia a few moves to knock Wenqing unconscious. When Wei Jia was about to grab Chu Lian, he was blocked by a figure that quickly flashed out from the shadows.

Wei Jia saw the long sword in front of him and stared at the young man in disbelief.

He Changdi's handsome face was cold and his eyes were cold. His cold gaze landed on Xiao Bojian and he said in a low, magnetic voice, "Xiao Wujing, where are you taking my wife?!"

Xiao Bojian stared at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him. He was so angry that he almost fainted. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.