The daughter of the emperor was reborn and was spoiled by the sickly prince.

Although the hot spring villa is quiet and elegant, there is nothing else to do here except soaking in the hot springs.

Liao Qinglan was worried that being alone with Gu Mingzhao for a long time would make him upset, and impulsively she awakened the poisonous insect in her body.

She came up with an idea and decided to take him out to climb the mountain, which would not only help him cultivate his character but also help him consume his abundant energy.

The two of them walked along the winding mountain road.

Along the way, there were fragrance of flowers, singing of birds and gurgling of springs, so it was not boring at all.

Before they knew it, they had walked a long way.

When it was dusk, the two prepared to return.

Liao Qinglan felt exhausted and slumped down on a stone bench by the roadside: "A Zhao, let's rest for a while."

Gu Mingzhao glanced at her and said calmly, "If I remember correctly, the princess just rested an incense stick of time ago."

Liao Qinglan was immediately dissatisfied and muttered, "So what? I just recovered from a serious illness, so I need to rest more. You have to accommodate me!"

"At this speed, we may not be able to get back to Villa before dark."

Liao Qinglan didn't care: "There's nothing to do when we get back anyway, why don't we walk slowly and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the mountains."

Gu Mingzhao also sat on the stone bench, tapping the tabletop with his index finger casually: "Princess, are you blaming your husband for being useless and unable to satisfy you?"

Liao Qinglan, who was originally lying on the table, smelled a hint of danger, shuddered all over, and quickly sat up straight.

When I looked up, I saw Gu Mingzhao smiling.

She just said it casually, how could he have such a misunderstanding!

Liao Qinglan quickly waved her hands to deny it, and said to him, "How could that be! My prince is so handsome and elegant, just looking at this face alone can make people feel fascinated and have wild thoughts!"

Gu Mingzhao's expression became more and more unhappy: "Oh? Princess, are you saying that I am good-looking but useless?"

Liao Qinglan was suddenly speechless and felt like crying but had no tears.

She obviously didn't mean that...

Is Gu Mingzhao capable? She had experienced this in her previous life...

But now Gu Mingzhao couldn't prove himself, and she couldn't say she knew...

When it comes to a man's dignity, Gu Mingzhao is a bit too sensitive.

Liao Qinglan was afraid of saying more and making more mistakes, so she didn't dare to say anything else. She could only open her eyes wide and look at him pitifully.

Gu Mingzhao gave her a cold look and said, "There's no point in talking any more. We have a long way to go."

Then, he stood up and held Liao Qinglan in his arms: "If you can't walk, don't try to be brave. I'll carry you back."

Liao Qinglan's expression changed: "Put me down quickly, or the insect will get out of control again!"

Gu Mingzhao was unmoved, snorted and said, "It's just a small poisonous insect. I don't take it seriously."

Liao Qinglan: “…”

She almost believed it.

If there hadn't been a trace of blood flowing from Gu Mingzhao's mouth...

After struggling for a few times, Gu Mingzhao refused to let her go.

She could only stand still, like a stone, and try not to irritate Gu Mingzhao and the poisonous insect in his body...

*

Soon, the day for ancestor worship arrived.

At the first light of dawn, the rosy clouds cast their light on Fengming Mountain.

Gu Mingzhao and Liao Qinglan wore luxurious royal dresses and walked up the white jade steps, step by step, to the highest point of Fengming Mountain.

The mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, and shaded by verdant pines and cypresses, while the solemn and majestic royal ancestral temple stands on the top of the peaks.

Gu Mingzhao and Liao Qinglan walked into the ancestral hall side by side.

Under the guidance of the master of ceremonies, the process of ancestor worship began.

Wash hands, burn incense, and recite scriptures.

When they arrived at the place where the tablets were enshrined, they knelt on the ground, clasped their hands together, and prayed to their ancestors.

After this series of processes were completed, Shen Ci, who was in charge of protection, stepped forward.

"Your Highness, Princess, according to the requirements of the ancestral worship at Fengming Mountain, you need to concentrate on praying in the ancestral hall for a day and a night, and you can only come out tomorrow morning. We will retreat to the outer hall to wait. If necessary, you can summon us at any time." Shen Ci said.

Gu Mingzhao said: "Thank you General Shen and everyone for your help."

Shen Ci winked at everyone present, and everyone understood and left the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall suddenly fell into silence, with only Gu Mingzhao and Liao Qinglan left.

The flickering flame of the eternal lamp illuminated the figures of the two people kneeling in front of the tablets of their ancestors.

This was Liao Qinglan's first time visiting the ancestral hall in Fengming Mountain. She did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. She knelt respectfully in front of the tablet, with her eyes lowered, silently reciting words of prayer in her heart.

After everyone had left, Gu Mingzhao suddenly stood up, took her hand and helped her stand up.

Liao Qinglan felt guilty and lowered her voice: "Aren't we supposed to pray for blessings? Isn't it bad for us to be lazy like this?"

Gu Mingzhao signaled her to be quiet and then walked to the altar.

He groped under the altar, and after a while, he heard a slight noise coming from the floor tiles under the altar.

The floor tiles were removed, revealing a hidden compartment.

Hidden in the secret compartment is an antique copper box.

Gu Mingzhao took out a bunch of golden keys from his arms, on which hung four keys of different styles.

He picked out one of them, inserted it into the keyhole on the box, turned it lightly, and the lid of the box opened.

There are four iron puzzle pieces in the box.

Gu Mingzhao took them out one by one and put them together according to the numerical order on the puzzle.

Liao Qinglan took a closer look and saw that it was crisscrossed with horizontal and vertical lines, like a fragment of a map, but she couldn't tell where it was.

Then, Gu Mingzhao activated the mechanisms at the portrait of Taizu, the pillars, and the incense burner, and took out three more boxes, each containing four puzzle pieces.

After the sixteen pieces of the puzzle were put together, a complete map appeared before them.

"Is this... the capital?" I couldn't help but exclaimed.

The map shows familiar names such as "Suzaku Avenue", "Xuanwu Avenue", and "Shenwu Gate", all of which are places in the capital.

But the road depicted on the map was completely different from the capital city in her memory.

There are also many places with door patterns painted on them, but I don’t know what they mean.

Gu Mingzhao placed the four boxes side by side and motioned Liao Qinglan to look over.

There was a word engraved on the bottom of each box - "Jing", "City", "Dan", "Tao".

Only then did Liao Qinglan realize that she had discovered a shocking secret.

"There are so many secret passages underground in the capital?"

These secret passages are intricate and complex, and the most terrible thing is that they can go directly from the outskirts of Beijing to the depths of the imperial palace!

With these secret passages, entering and leaving the palace is as easy as entering an empty space.

Liao Qinglan suddenly thought of what she had heard in her previous life.

At that time, Gu Mingzhao was like a divine soldier sent from heaven, and he directly attacked the imperial city, catching Li Jin off guard.

No one knows how he did it.

In the end, they could only blame it on the fact that there was an accomplice among the imperial guards who let him enter the palace quietly and silently.

After Li Jin ascended the throne, he removed him from his position as commander of the imperial guards and assigned him a sinecure. He was not allowed to enter the palace on weekdays, and had no chance to come into contact with the imperial guards.

From this point of view, he most likely came in from the secret passage, holding the tiger talisman bestowed upon him by His Majesty, and used it to command the imperial guards.

At this moment, Liao Qinglan suddenly understood something.

Whether in the previous life or this life, Gu Mingzhao has always been recognized by Li Zheng as the legitimate heir to the throne.