"How can I not be nervous? I’m on duty here every seven days, but you said the Emperor will kill you in five days, which means today is the only day I can rescue you from the palace!"

Lin He seemed about to cry, the paint at the tail of his eyes deepened, his handsome face darkened, his features all scrunched up.

"There was originally another person I was supposed to bring to see you today, but it seems there’s no time for that now. Let’s run!" Lin He suddenly remembered another purpose for his visit.

Gu Lan was moved inside but didn’t ask any questions, continuing to munch on winter dates.

Lin He stared at her dumbfounded, seeing her remain silent as time ticked by, he finally calmed down a bit.

Only then did Gu Lan explain:

"The Crow Building can hide just me, the old madam, and my mother—three in total—but it can’t hide an entire mansion. Five days is a long time, as long as I’m in the Capital City, how can Rong Jing not find me? Once he discovers me, he will deploy the imperial guard to have a fight to the death."

"The Dingyuan Marquis Mansion has more than just three or five people. Not to mention the servants, even the nearby Gu Changting and Gu Chengye, the second aunt, and Zhou family’s relatives, do we just leave them alone? How can all these people be hidden for five days?"

Lin He hesitated: "Once we rescue the old madam and you, we can immediately leave the Capital City..."

"Two hundred household soldiers and the Hidden Guard from the Crow Building, how can they compete against the Capital City Guard? Even if we manage to break out of the Capital City, how do we escape the pursuit of twenty thousand imperial guards in five days? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Therefore, I can only leave the Imperial Palace on the fifth day, or rather, on the day when Rong Heng and the army return to the Capital City, the people from Dingyuan Marquis Mansion and the army will immediately rendezvous to ensure absolute safety."

Lin He gritted his teeth and said, "But... my next guard duty here isn’t for another seven days. If you want to leave Yongming Palace in five days and miss today, the only way to rescue you would be to forcefully reveal my identity and take you out."

Gu Lan lowered her gaze and spat out a winter date pit, saying, "The imperial guard isn’t as strict with the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion as before, right?"

Lin He was startled and nodded:

"Yes, yesterday during the morning court, Rong Jing sent Minister of War Fan Hongyan to the Northern Territory to deliver an edict, promoting Marquis Zhongcheng to Marquis Zhongcheng. Along with Fan Hongyan went three thousand imperial guards, supposedly to ensure Lord Minister’s safety."

"Delivering an edict doesn’t necessarily require the Minister of War personally; there isn’t any major turmoil or disaster within Dayan that justifies an escort of three thousand men." Gu Lan’s eyes turned a bit colder.

Previously, escorting Empress Dowager Su to Qingliang Temple required just a mere hundred people, yet three thousand imperial guards to escort a minister delivering an edict—does this make sense?

"Are you suggesting that Fan Hongyan went to the Northern Territory for another purpose?" Lin He asked.

Gu Lan replied, "At this time he went to the Northern Territory, if my father brings troops back from the Northern Territory, he will certainly encounter him. If my father lacks enough men, or if Fan Hongyan suddenly acts, my father’s fate rests on his single thought.

Furthermore, Rong Jing elevating Duoji’s rank is also an attempt to provoke his ambition."

Lin He came to a realization: "Indeed, by elevating Marquis Zhongcheng to Marquis, he stands on equal footing with the Dingyuan Marquis. If Marquis Zhongcheng eliminates the Marquis, he could dominate the Northern Territory on his own. Rong Jing is trying to sow discord, and those three thousand imperial guards are a ’gift’ from Rong Jing to Marquis Zhongcheng."

"I still trust my nephew. Rong Jing thinks everyone is like him, desiring only power and status, but there is one thing he can never control, and that is the human heart."

Gu Lan asked again, "What about Song Zhi? The imperial guard’s slackening isn’t just because of the three thousand who left the Capital City with Fan Hongyan, is it?"

Lin He was surprised and responded, "How did Young Master guess that Song Zhi made a move as well?"

"You mentioned earlier that the Crow Building could join forces with the Dark Hall to rescue the old madam, but if Song Zhi and his elite imperial guards were still around, even if you joined forces, you couldn’t silently move dozens of people from the Marquis Mansion out."

Lin He suddenly understood and said:

"I just found out too—this morning at 5 a.m., Song Zhi left the Capital City with five thousand imperial guards. Rong Jing did not publicly issue an edict for this, so no one knows where he went.

With Song Zhi gone, only a few hundred imperial guards remain outside the Marquis Mansion for show, and with some disturbance from the household soldiers and the Dark Hall, we can seize the opportunity to get the old madam and others out."

After finishing, Lin He couldn’t help but ask, "What does Young Master think, where did Song Zhi go?"

Gu Lan sneered, "Of course, to find Brother Hang."

Fan Hongyan encounters Marquis Gu on the way back to the Capital City, while Song Zhi is ambushed on Rong Heng’s return route. Rong Jing intends to capture them all in one sweep.