Sunrise and sunset in a blink of an eye.

Compared with the mourning everywhere in the palace, the Changqiu Pavilion is unbelievably quiet.

After rushing to the attic, Wu Jie and Chi Rui were not idle either. Since they are determined to hide here for a period of time, food and water are indispensable.

Before came, had brought enough food for two people for more than ten days, and there was not so much water.

Fortunately, there is a small stream behind Changqiu Pavilion, the terrain is relatively high, and it has not been polluted by the surging sewage. The two moved several wooden barrels and tubs, and climbed up to fetch clear water.

There is a huge willow tree by the river. This season, only dead branches and leaves are left rustling by the cold wind. In the dark weather, it looks like a ghost.

Wu Jie and the two of them broke out in a sweat, and finally prepared the water they needed for the past few days.

He was resting against the big willow tree when suddenly a black figure flashed overhead.

The two were startled, and when they looked intently, it turned out to be a little wild cat, jumping down from the top of the big willow tree, watching the two people who invaded its territory vigilantly.

The kitten was quite cute, with jet-black fur, white fluffy forehead and four paws, big green eyes staring at Wu Jie, meowing imposingly.

Even Chi Rui, who was full of worries, couldn't help laughing, bent over and hooked the kitten,

It's a pity that the kitten was very shameless, turned its head away in disdain, and ran away.

Wu Jie still had an impression of this cat. It seemed that there was a wild cat entrenched near Changqiu Pavilion in her previous life. She was the leader of the wild cats nearby. The little palace maids of Changqiu Pavilion often fed it with small dried fish.

I watched the kitten run away. Wu Jie sighed, this flood could not help the people in the palace, even these elves might not be able to escape.

Just as she was about to walk back with the basin in her arms, Wu Jie's foot hurt, as if she had stepped on something.

She moved her foot and looked down, it was a small hard round bottle. It seems that the little black cat brought it down when it jumped just now.

"What is this?" Chi Rui looked at the radiant little thing, couldn't help but bent down, and picked it up.

Wu Jie took it from her hand, her gaze straightened. never thought would find this little thing in life.

It was a small dark blue bottle with silver lotus patterns painted on it, and the mouth of the bottle was tightly plugged with a cork. It looks like a pill bottle provided by a hospital, only more delicate and beautiful.

"Could it be that the water is so big that it flushed out all the pills that any lady in the palace took?" Chi Rui speculated curiously.

"It's not a elixir, it should have fallen from the hole on the top of this big willow tree." Wu Jie laughed,

The big willow tree behind the Changqiu Pavilion was left over from the previous dynasty. It is hundreds of years old, and it is still flourishing. It stands by the river and covers half of the river. There were legends of tree immortals in the palace of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and this big willow tree would occasionally receive a little incense as an offering or something.

In her previous life, Wu Jie lived here for several years, so she knew everything about the surrounding scenery like the back of her hand. I know that a few "motivated" young maids in the palace often come here to pay homage and pray for a new master who will be favored and in power.

Occasionally, when she was bored, she used to pray devoutly under the tree, hoping that her relatives in her hometown would be healthy and that she could live in peace. Once, in the middle of praying, there was a heavy rain, and she stood under a tree to take shelter. The rain was too heavy, and the things in the hole of the big tree were washed out. Most of them are yellow papers for prayers, mixed with mud, and the special one is this small porcelain bottle.

At that time, she picked up the porcelain bottle, and also suspected that the elixir from the Taiyuan Hospital was taken away by birds and thrown into this tree hole. took it back and opened it, only to find that there was another stery inside.

Under Chi Rui's curious gaze, Wu Jie uncorked the porcelain bottle again.

A small folded note was poured out from the inside, and when I opened it, there were four crooked words on it, "Don't be beaten."

I don't know which little maid or eunuch is praying. Compared with those desires to climb higher branches, this simple prayer undoubtedly touched Wu Jie's heartstrings more.

Looking at the familiar handwriting, Wu Jie really had the illusion that she had traveled through time.

Chi Rui never expected it to be such a thing, and sighed, "In any palace, the life of the servants is not easy."

Seeing that the water was getting higher and higher, the two hurried back to Changqiu Pavilion.

Soon, the flood flooded in. Fortunately, the attic was located high, and the water only submerged more than a foot in the lobby, and then stopped.

Wu Jie reckoned that this should be the highest peak of the water level. After that, wait for the descent.

The two shared snacks upstairs. After Wu Jie finished eating, she cleaned up the study room, fell asleep, and tried her best to preserve her energy.

Chi Rui was not as calm as Wu Jie, she was always worried that the barbarians would come in at any time.

The reason why Wu Jie is so calm is because she still has a trump card to escape. There is a tunnel in this Changqiu Pavilion, which is in the study at the east end of the sleeping hall.

In her previous life, she lived here for several years and was bored in a cage. Wu Jie almost felt the whole attic from front to back. The tunnel is behind the bookshelf.

It was a coincidence that she discovered the authenticity. One day, she was tired from reading in the study, so she simply slept on the small bed. She slept until midnight, when she suddenly felt cold and opened her eyes in a daze.

Unexpectedly, she saw a dark shadow on the bedside, which woke her up in a fright, and she looked intently, but there was nothing there.

She got up, lit the candle, and looked around, but when she walked to the back of the bookshelf, she saw that the candle was blown by itself.

She immediately became suspicious, and without disturbing the palace servants, she exercised her strength and pushed the bookshelf to the side. Fortunately, there were not many books on the bookshelf, so she was really pushed.

Then Wu Jie discovered this secret passage, which was extremely deep. She went down to investigate once, and found that it was a dead end, but there was a vent on it. If some barbarians broke into the palace, she could hide inside with Chi Rui.

I don't know why the people who built Changqiu Pavilion built a secret road here.

Pushing the bookshelf away again, sure enough, the secret path is still the same as in memory. Wu Jie felt relieved. He listened for a moment, but his face suddenly changed.

There was the sound of water gurgling inside, oops, it's flooded. Wu Jie got a headache, this was the last place she planned to escape. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the candle on the table and lit it, and walked in along the hole.

There are steps paved with stones at the foot, all the way down, and the end is submerged in water. Wu Jie held up the candle to observe the rise of the water level, and she was sure that it was impossible to rise too high, at least leaving enough living space for the two of them, so she felt relieved.

Just as he was about to turn around and go back, he suddenly felt something was wrong. This is a sealed passage, how could there be so much water coming in? Surrounded by hard stone walls, it is impossible for such a serious leakage.

She lifted the candle up and examined it carefully, and she saw a dark hole on the opposite side. In her memory, it was clearly a whole wall, but at this time a gap was broken.

There is another mystery in this tunnel! I didn't discover the mechanism in my previous life, but now under the impact of the flood, the door was blown open. Don't know where it ends.

Wu Jie was full of curiosity, but there was still a large area of ​​water stains between the holes, so she could only look at the "foreign" and sigh. Come and see for yourself when the water recedes.

Thinking about the secret passages leading to the outside of the palace in the book I read before, it would be great if this road also leads to the outside of the palace, so I can pack up my things and run away.

Holding such expectations, Wu Jie returned to the study.

After closing the entrance to the secret passage, Wu Jie came out from behind the bookshelf, and just before reaching the table, she suddenly saw a black shadow descending from the opposite side. It was like a big bird flew to the window.

With the light of dusk, Wu Jie could vaguely discern that it was a person.

Wu Jie jumped up in fright and screamed.

"Stop barking!" The voice was extremely familiar.

At the same time, someone turned over on a kite and entered the study through the window.

Wu Jie looked at it intently, it was a man dressed as a bodyguard, extremely handsome and familiar.

"It's you!" Wu Jie opened her eyes wide.

Although knew Chen Jiao was a man for a long time, but this was the first time saw him wearing men's clothes.

I don't know where to get the guards of the imperial army, they are unexpectedly called together, the black and silver fabric outlines a tall and handsome figure, it is simply too good-looking.

When he was wearing women's clothes, this guy looked charming and charming, but when he changed into men's clothes, he didn't look feminine at all. Maybe it was because of the sharp light between his eyebrows and eyes, which weakened the feeling of being too handsome. Even the body shape and voice are slightly different. When wearing women's clothes, there should be special exercises to disguise the body.

Seeing Wu Jie staring at her up and down, Chen Jiao stood there and let her watch, and even cast a peachy eye at her: "How is it, does it look good?"

Wu Jie's eyebrows twitched, and she looked away.

The cheeky narcissist! But I have to admit that this guy does have the ability to boast.

"Why are you here?" Wu Jie asked with a frown. This guy has been elusive these days, and he hasn't seen anyone. Even Chi Rui thought about a few words before, not knowing where Gui Po went. It just happened to appear at this time, across the bookshelf, I probably didn't see myself coming out of the secret passage.

"If I don't come here, I still don't see the empress so calm and breezy, Mount Tai collapsed in front of her without changing her face." Chen Jiao sighed, "What's it like outside. You're living a leisurely life here."

"I can't carry a sword, I can't ride a horse, even if I want to kill a thief, I can't get back to heaven." Wu Jie said naturally, "Listening to the shouts of killing outside, I am always in panic all the time. It is hard work, who can understand .”

"Are you looking like you're in constant fear?" Chen Jiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, he has been running back and forth for the past two days, fearing that something might happen to her, and looking around, he is really furious.

"How's it going outside?" Wu Jie asked. Trapped here for several days, she has been thinking about it in her heart.

"The situation is very chaotic. Most of the palace was submerged by water. For some unknown reason, a large number of concubines and maids went to the Emerald Garden, but they were swallowed by the surging waves. I am afraid that the dead will be near. Thousands of people."

Wu Jie was horrified when she heard that, even though she had a premonition, she never expected that Empress Gao would be so ruthless. These palace people are all concubines and servants of the concubines, they have no grievances and no enmity, why bother to entrap them like this?

Chen Jiao continued: "Empress Gao took Concubine Lijin and the little prince, and they rushed out of the palace under the protection of the imperial army. The gang of barbarians entered the city from the wall that was washed away by the flood, and looted everywhere.The team headed towards the palace with no eyesight. I have been looking for you for the past two days..."

While talking, Chen Jiao's eyes fell on Wu Jie's face.

These days he was busy with his major affairs, neglecting Bixiao Palace. He heard the tragedy of Jade Garden in a blink of an eye. He was so anxious that he rushed over and saw the water in Jade Garden and floating corpses everywhere. He almost died of fright.

I rowed a boat and searched the vicinity for a long time, but couldn't find Wu Jie, and then searched Bixiao Palace, but there was no one anywhere, and was so anxious that passed by this Changqiu Pavilion during the rush, and suddenly remembered the last time The experience of the two coming together.

With a slight thought, came to investigate, but didn't expect to see someone here.

This eccentric little girl, because of floods and barbarians, the whole palace was in chaos, but she found a good place. Chen Jiao was a little impressed.

"Those barbarians have come into the palace?" Wu Jie was taken aback by the news.

"You only know how to be afraid now?" Chen Jiao said angrily, "Di Bing really occupied the palace, and he will definitely search the nearby palaces. What if you are found..."

Chen Jiao didn't dare to continue to say the rest.

Wu Jie didn't speak, of course she wouldn't tell Chen Jiao that she still had the hole card of secret way.

Chen Jiao continued: "But you don't have to worry about it now. Those barbarians have looted some treasures, and they have been killed and retreated by Lin Desheng's troops."

As Wu Jie listened, she suddenly remembered that there was someone Chen Jiao never mentioned.

"What about the Queen Mother?" In the palace, she should be a more important master than Queen Gao.

"Queen Mother..." Chen Jiao showed a strange smile on his face, "I don't think you want to know."

Seeing the coldness in his eyes that were as sharp as black jade, Wu Jie felt a chill in her heart.

She noticed that Chen Jiao was holding a package in his hand, which was boxy like a wooden box. Since entering the room, he has been carrying it in his hand and never put it down.

Sensing Wu Jie's gaze, Chen Jiao lifted the thing in his hand and said with a smile, "Since you guessed it so smartly, I won't hide it from you, the Queen Mother is inside."

Following his movements, while the package was shaking, a strong smell of blood rushed to his face.

Wu Jie came to her senses: "You killed the Queen Mother?" Her eyes were terrified and she couldn't believe it.

Chen Jiao threw the package on the table and said with a smile, "Yes, can't you believe it? Do you want to take a look?"

This pervert!

Wu Jie took a step back and stared at him vigilantly: "Why are you? You said before that you wouldn't assassinate Yu Jia, and you came here to find something."

"I didn't lie to you. I only said I wouldn't assassinate the emperor, but I didn't say I wouldn't assassinate the empress dowager. The things I came to get from the palace were the heads of my enemies." Chen Jiao shrugged.

His goal of entering the palace has never changed, but the Wei court is heavily guarded, not only the guards patrol carefully, but people like the empress and queen mother are guarded by inner eunuchs twelve hours a day, there is no chance of assassination.

Originally, he thought he had to give up, especially after hearing the news from Wu Jie that the old man was dying. Unexpectedly, times would turn around. First, the Hong family rebelled, and the Empress Dowager Hong was moved to the Buddhist hall in the north under the banner of worshiping the Buddha to live temporarily. Then there was another invasion by di soldiers, flooding the city, and chaos in the palace. Found a chance to start.

"You have a grudge against the Queen Mother?"

"The old generation has complained about it. If you want to hear about the rotten sesame seeds, I will tell you slowly on the way south. Time is running out now, so let's leave quickly."

"Where are you going?" Wu Jie stared at him warily.

"Of course you left with me, go back to South Chen with me." Chen Jiao said with a smile.He said this sentence many times, but never again, as solemnly as now.

"It's a matter here. I have decided to return to South Chen. You have nothing to worry about in this palace. Go back with me." While talking, he even took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Wu Jie flung it away as if she had been burned.

Chen Jiao didn't think it was disobedient, and continued to smile: "Is there anything else in this palace that is worthy of your nostalgia? Don't worry, because of this chaos, there are countless palace people who died and disappeared. If you leave with me, you won't hurt the Dongyue family. .”

"We went south by boat, and we could return to Jianye in more than ten days. The climate in Jianye City is very similar to that of Xinshao in East Vietnam. This season is still warm, and there is not so much snow in winter. There are various colors in the palace brought from Lingnan. Fresh fruit, you can eat as much as you want. Whenever you want to go back to Dongyue, I can go back with you."