Cold Palace.
The Han Family had already retired to the eastern courtyard.
Suddenly, a Hai Dongqing flew past the roof, crashing into her window frame, dropping a small bamboo tube from its beak, and then swiftly flying away.
The Han Family was startled awake and called Xu Gao, who was guarding outside the door, to see what was on the windowsill.
Xu Gao pushed open the window, and a small bamboo tube fell to the ground. He went around and picked up the bamboo tube from the courtyard: "Your Highness, it’s a bamboo tube."
"What’s inside?" Han Family asked.
Xu Gao stretched his arm long, trying to hold the bamboo tube as far away from himself as possible, making sure the opening and base of the tube didn’t face him.
He pointed his fingers elegantly and, with a hardened resolve, quickly pulled off the bamboo tube’s lid.
No hidden weapons flew out, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"It’s a note, Your Highness."
Xu Gao presented the note from the bamboo tube to Han Family with both hands. After reading it, she punched the table: "Damn it! They’ve actually kidnapped the prince!"
Xu Gao took the note and glanced at it, only to see it read — tonight at 2 hours, meet at Baifeng Pavilion, or the prince will die.
The chicken-scratch writing made Xu Gao’s eyelids twitch.
"Your Highness, this may not be true," Xu Gao said.
Han Family calmly replied: "I know, so go to the prince’s residence immediately and investigate the truth."
"Yes!"
Xu Gao accepted the order.
Though Han Family was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, she controlled today’s "ruler". The palace gates’ guards had long been replaced with Han Family’s people, making it easy for her and her men to go out.
To Xu Gao’s surprise, the prince was indeed not in his residence, and the ten imperial guards the prince took with him had also returned to mobilize forces, saying the prince had been abducted!
After hearing Xu Gao’s report, Han Family’s veins throbbed with anger: "Prepare the carriage!"
...
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Prime Minister's Darling