Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

Gui Yao's breath hitched, but her heart skipped a beat.

"What...is wrong?"

When he opened his mouth, his voice was soft and hoarse, carrying a hint of secret excitement and joy that was not easily noticed by others.

The emperor, hiding behind her, pointed into the distance and said, "Someone is chasing me."

Gui Yao listened intently; the streets and alleys were quiet and still. She glanced at Mao Dan, who was following behind her.

Mao Dan understood, flew ahead to scout ahead, and shook his head at her. There was no suspicious person ahead, nor did he see Li Deshun and the others.

"where are you going?"

Gui Yao withdrew her gaze. "I'll take you there."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to find Zhuzhu'er."

The emperor gripped Gui Yao's sleeve even tighter, "Zhu Zhu'er, you're not allowed to leave your father out of the game."

Then she looked curiously at Wang Cigu, who was being carried by Gui Yao, and asked, "Who is this? What is Zhuzhu taking her for?"

Gui Yao's eyelashes trembled, and she composed herself. "Someone you don't know."

For a fleeting moment, she actually hoped that her father would recognize her, recognize her clearly...

She moved her ankle and used the sound of a bell to tell Maodan to go find Li Deshun and bring the emperor back to the palace.

The emperor, unaware of her arrangements, was still tilting his head, curious about Wang Cigu, "With Zhuzhu carrying her like that, is she a bad person?"

"Yeah, it's definitely not a good thing."

Gui Yao looked the emperor over; he was still in the same nightmare state as the previous two times. But she had clearly channeled spiritual energy into him, so he shouldn't have another episode.

She released Wang Cigu and raised her hand to feel the emperor's pulse.

The emperor dodged her hand, saying, "Zhuzhu, do you want to take your father's pulse again?"

He looked a little aggrieved. "Last time, Zhuzhu took Dad's pulse, which made Dad sleep for a long time and not come to see Zhuzhu. Zhuzhu has been corrupted by Deshun."

Seeing that he was hiding, Gui Yao did not forcibly grab him, but brought up Wang Cigu again, saying, "Then we won't take his pulse."

The emperor immediately perked up, chuckled, and tugged at Gui Yao's sleeve, following beside her. "My little pearl is still as good as ever. Pearl, where shall we go?"

Gui Yao's eyes flickered slightly. "I want to interrogate her. Do you know a good place?"

"trial?"

The emperor ruffled his hair and thought for a moment, "Looking for Zang Lan?"

Gui Yao smiled slightly, "Okay."

She had previously reminded Cang Lan to investigate the Ghost Market, and she wondered how the investigation was going. Wang Cigu was from the Ghost Market, so she could give Cang Lan some information.

However, in order to avoid implicating the Duke of Ningguo's mansion, she should be the presiding judge, and Zang Lan can act as a henchman.

It's unclear whether the emperor mentioned it subconsciously because he trusted Zang Lan, or for some other reason...

The emperor also looked at Gui Yao, feeling both shy and expectant.

"It's not appropriate for Father to meet strangers like this. Zhuzhu, would you like to buy Father some clothes?"

Wearing undergarments to meet with his subjects would indeed damage the emperor's dignity.

After binding Wang Cigu's hands and feet and hiding her away, Gui Yao led the emperor to a clothing shop and took out a luminous pearl to make a lamp.

"Choose one you like."

The emperor looked at each one carefully, looking somewhat troubled. "I like any of them, but none of them are quite right. Zhuzhu, please choose one for me."

There were shop assistants on night duty at the shop. Gui Yao used her spiritual power to put them to sleep. The longer they dragged it out, the more spiritual power Gui Yao used.

Not wanting to waste her spiritual energy, she took out a dark blue garment. "This one will do."

The emperor was delighted, "Then I'll give it a try."

Trying on clothes for men is simple; they just put them on. There are mirrors in the shop.

He turned around, looking left and right, and grinned, "Zhuzhu picked out really beautiful ones."

Gui Yao put down a piece of silver. "Let's go then."

The emperor didn't move, but pointed to his head and said, "It's too messy, not dignified."

Gui Yao understood what he meant, but she didn't move.

"Zhuzhu'er..."

The emperor shook her sleeve, "Father's arms are old and it hurts to lift them. How about you help Father tie his hair?"

When Zhuzhu was little, her father often braided her hair.

"Then why did you come out with your hair down like that?"

Gui Yao had some doubts; he wasn't actually having a nightmare.

"Dad sneaked out to find Zhuzhu, and he was about to be discovered while he was dressed, but Zhuzhu doesn't mind."

The emperor smiled ingratiatingly, "But if Zang Lan doesn't perform well, Father will lose face. Please comb Father's hair..."

A man in his forties, noticeably older than his peers, waved his sleeves, his face full of pleading, and Gui Yao's heart softened.

He pressed him into a chair and used his fingers as a comb to tie up the emperor's hair.

Another problem arose: the emperor hadn't brought any hairpins, and the shop didn't have any either.

As Gui Yao combed his hair, images of herself as a child flashed through her mind; she looked about three or four years old.

Her hair was fluffy, soft, and sparse. A group of palace servants coaxed her, "Princess, His Majesty is in court. Shall we help the palace maids comb their hair?"

"We servants have prepared many beautiful ribbons for the princess, and we are sure they will make her look absolutely gorgeous..."

With her chubby lips pouting, she said, "No, Father said he's going to comb Zhuzhu's hair today."

The palace maids had no choice but to wait for the emperor to arrive.

A bright yellow figure appeared cheerfully, picked up the little figure, and said, "Little thing, I just said it casually, but you remembered it well. Come on, let me comb your hair. When I get old, remember to help me style my hair too."

The emperor back then was about the same age as the current crown prince, very handsome, and his hair was as black as silk, unlike his current gray and dry hair.

Gui Yao pursed her lips, took a jade hairpin from her hair, and tied the emperor's hair on top of her head.

"Alright, we can go now. If we stay any later, Doctor Zang will be taking Lady Zang to sleep."

The emperor readily agreed to leave this time, but after leaving the shop, he muttered something under his breath.

"Zhuzhu, a young lady should speak with restraint."

Gui Yao paused, something seemed to be pressing on her chest, and she said with a half-smile, "When I was young, my parents probably felt it wasn't time to teach me yet."

As they grew older, their daily thoughts on marching and fighting were all about how to survive under the enemy's blades; they never thought about what it would be like for a girl. And then...

She swallowed the rest of her words, then leaped out of the shop with the emperor and stepped into the night.

Later, she escaped death, and the only thing that mattered to her was a bird.

What is modesty?

Mao Dan himself didn't understand it, but when he was jealous of the prince, he would mutter a few words about her.

But whenever she wanted something, Mao Dan would always give in to her unconditionally.

Thinking of the bald egg calmed Gui Yao's restlessness, and he was about to ring the bell on his ankle to ask where it was when...

My hand was being held.

The emperor asked hesitantly, "Zhuzhu, are you blaming your father?"

"You were sent to the battlefield at thirteen, and five years later, when you returned at an age when you should have been married, you were sent to Nanyao as a hostage."

"I did all of this voluntarily."

Gui Yao's voice was calm.

What he truly resented was that she died without him even noticing.

When she returned and appeared before him, he did not recognize her, or perhaps he had not yet decided whether to recognize her or not, and could only approach her in this way.

"Let's go."

Gui Yao was unwilling to say more. On the way, the emperor was a little listless and did not ask any further questions.

Upon arriving at the capital, he took out a token and said, "Summon Zang Lan here."

Zang Lan was indeed holding his wife, about to fall asleep, when he learned that it was a token from the palace. He quickly got dressed and rushed to the government office, only to find that it was the emperor himself. He was so frightened that he almost knelt down.

The emperor pointed at Gui Yao and said to Cang Lan, "Listen to her."

When Cang Lan saw Gui Yao, he was also confused, wondering why she would be with the emperor so late at night.

Gui Yao placed Wang Cigu in front of him, saying, "The people in the Ghost Market are stubborn. I'll trouble you, Master Zang, to loosen her tongue."

After saying that, he flicked his finger, silencing Wang Cigu and preventing her from talking nonsense later.

Zang Lan was indeed very skilled in torture. He used whips, clamps, and needles in turn, and soon Wang Cigu was trembling with pain, making muffled pleas for mercy.

Gui Yao didn't even lift her eyelids. "Continue."

How could someone who was chosen by the Ghost Market, lying in wait by his enemy's side for seven years without making a move, be a spineless coward?

Gui Yao didn't want to waste time with Wang Cigu, so she decided to let her suffer more.

Listening to the muffled sounds of pain emanating from the torture chamber, she slowly sipped her tea, her face expressionless.

Wang Cigu's words just now were aimed at taking the little yaksha's life.

Those closest to you know best how to effectively hurt you; they don't even spare a child. Such evildoers are unlikely to show any mercy.

The emperor sat obediently beside her, stealing glances at her from time to time. Seeing the coldness on her face, he dared not speak.

Mao Dan brought Li Deshun with him.

Li Deshun rushed forward anxiously, "Master, why have you come out again?"

He had planned to leave the palace tonight to look for Gui Yao, but the guards reported that the emperor had run away again, so he had to search the whole city for him.

"It's late, let's take him home."

Gui Yao stood up, her tone indifferent; she should go and interrogate Wang Cigu.

His sleeve was tugged again, and the emperor asked cautiously, "Zhuzhu, can Father play with you again?"