Ye Ningjie woke up pretty quickly even though she slept very late. Zhou Lin's maid was already waiting for her outside the door. When she opened the door, the maid named A-Yin immediately greeted her.
"Miss Ning...."
Ye Ningjie nodded with a smile. "Where's Aunt Zhou?"
"Madam Zhou is waiting for you downstairs."
"Thank you."
Ye Ningjie stepped downstairs followed by A-Yin. There was already Zhou Lin in her light green clothes that looked soft, along with the man who had fallen under her feet last night. She immediately approached them.
"Ning Jie'er, this is Zhou Yan. You met him last night, right?" Zhou Lin pointed at the man beside her.
The young man smiled widely at Ye Ningjie. "Ning Jie'er. What a good name," he praised cheerfully.
Ye Ningjie smiled. "Your wound looks even scarier than before," she said. The bruises on Zhou Yan's face had indeed turned dark purple. Maybe last night was not treated immediately.
"You are right." Zhou Yan put on a depressed face. "I doubt my parents would still recognize me if I came home like this."
"I can help you ease it," Ye Ningjie said. During this time she has learned a lot about medical science. As long as there were herbs needed, she could help Zhou Yan.
"Leave him like that. A brat deserves it," Zhou Lin replied, she stepped over to the table set there. There was already some food on the table.
Zhou Yan immediately glared. "Auntie, I was just toying with the young master of the Li family. Wasn't it you who asked me to be quiet? It seems that you had planned to bruise me all over." He snorted displeasedly.
"Boy, shut up! I don't have time to argue with you," Zhou Lin said which immediately made Ye Ningjie suppress a smile. The two of them turned out to have a very relaxed relationship.
"Aunt Zhou, are the soldiers coming again?" Ye Ningjie asked.
"It might come again, but that's fine. You two can leave after filling your stomachs," Zhou Lin replied as she took the hot tea and poured it into a cup.
"Wait …." Ye Ningjie frowned. "You two? What do you mean?"
Zhou Lin smiled faintly in response to Ye Ningjie's confusion. "Zhou Yan will take you to the imperial capital. He understands the situation of Jin An city better. You two may only be one or two years apart in age, it's a good thing to be friends," she said softly.
Finally, Ye Ningjie nodded in understanding. Jin An is the name of the imperial capital of Baixi. That's where the imperial palace was. She couldn't remember the last time she went there. That's a very long time.
She looked at Zhou Yan. "Sorry, maybe that will trouble you."
"What's so troublesome? Not at all. After all, I don't have much to do." Zhou Yan replied casually.
"Come here. You guys must eat first." Zhou Lin invited them to eat together. Finally, the two young people approached and began to eat obediently.
During the meal, Ye Ningjie kept thinking about the state of Xianqi Palace. The place is probably still being watched. However, if she left just like that her feelings would not be at ease. Even if her father and mother died, she wanted to see their graves.
Where are they buried? Were they properly buried? Do they have death memorial tablets? The question kept haunting her mind.
A feeling of sadness suddenly seeped into the heart. Ever since hearing the news about her family's massacre, she had always been holding back from crying. However, how long could she endure it?
"I want to go to Xianqi Palace first," Ye Ningjie suddenly said.
"Do you have anything to do there?" Zhou Lin asked. "That place must be under surveillance. They might even suspect you'd come there and use the opportunity to catch you."
"I know it." Ye Ningjie became gloomy. She bit her chopsticks silently.
"Auntie, we might be able to infiltrate there," Zhou Yan said then. "Do you know the secret passage? After all, it was where you lived as a child."
Ye Ningjie tried to remember. Secret passage... Her eyes immediately lit up after remembering a secret passage to enter Xianqi Palace.
In the past, when she was only 7 years old, she had used a secret passage while trying to sneak out with a maid. The secret passage is very hidden. As long as the palace was standing, she was sure the path would still exist.
"I think I know the secret passage. Let's go now!" Ye Ningjie said excitedly. She immediately put down her chopsticks and stood up. "I'll get my things first."
Ye Ningjie quickly ran upstairs, back to the room to get her things. Zhou Yan who saw that immediately shook his head.
"Auntie, it looks like you guessed right. A girl like her wouldn't stay in the palace for long."
Zhou Lin chuckled, then nodded. "You must take good care of her. The ancestor of the Ye family once helped our Zhou family in Jin An. Perhaps it is time to return the favor."
"I see," Zhou Yan replied solemnly.
Ye Ningjie returned a moment later. She was wearing white clothes which made her appearance look even purer. Her hair was clipped in half, her appearance this time was much more feminine and graceful than before.
Zhou Yan was slightly flabbergasted when he saw it. Previously Ye Ningjie didn't think much of her appearance, even last night her appearance wasn't much different from men's. If it weren't for her pretty face and the few bulges on her body, one might think that the girl was indeed a man.
However, today, not only was Ye Ningjie extremely beautiful, the girl even looked like the incarnation of a celestial fairy. Maybe that's the bloodline of a king. Even in simple white clothes, she looked so charming.
"Yan'er, what are you looking at?" Zhou Lin asked.
Zhou Yan immediately came to his senses from his admiration. He scratched his head, then chuckled. "If she wasn't Ye Ningjie, I would probably have seduced her to get into bed."
Zhou Lin snorted. She ignored her nephew and stepped closer to Ye Ningjie. "Please wait a moment," she said and then went into a room. After a while, she came back with a wide bamboo hat.
"You need this." Zhou Lin put the bamboo hat on Ye Ningjie's head with great care.
"Thank you." Ye Ningjie said sincerely.
"Are you ready?" Zhou Yan asked. He couldn't wait to go on a trip.
"Yes. Let's go!"
They said goodbye to Zhou Lin. After that, immediately set off by riding their respective horses. This trip may be an unexpected one.
The two horses moved at high speed towards Xianqi Palace. Luckily they are great horse riders, so there's no need to be afraid to let the horses run at high speed.
It took a long time to get to Xianqi Palace. It's a good thing because there aren't any obstacles in the way. They arrived near Xianqi Palace the next day when it was already afternoon.
Ye Ningjie stopped her horse a few meters away from the tightly closed palace gate. There were several soldiers standing guard at the gate. Sure enough, the palace was being watched.
Her left hand gripped the sword tightly. Her mouth was tightly shut. Seeing the placard that said "Xianqi Palace" above the gate made her a little emotional. It should be her home!
Now, the place looked much bleaker, much scarier than before. No more the sounds of soldiers training, no more screaming and playing children, no more joyful humming of servants.
Some traces of blood were still left on the streets and gate walls. Even the rain refuses to wash it away. Maybe to remember that there was a great battle in that place to defend a house.
Ye Ningjie wiped the corners of her wet eyes. She took a deep breath, then straightened herself up. Her eyes and facial expression turned cold.
"Wait until nightfall then we will make our move," Ye Ningjie said flatly.
Zhou Yan nodded in agreement. "Alright."
What Ye Ningjie didn't know was that an emperor had secretly left his palace. The man moved towards the east. Not to go anywhere else, the goal is only one, which is to go to Xianqi Palace.