Xiao Qingtang's mind was full of thoughts as she ate slowly.

When the palace maid served her food, she reminded her, "Your Highness, His Majesty made you a Consort De. You should dress up and thank him."

She had to kowtow and thank him for being a consort …

Xiao Qingtang gritted her teeth and took a bite of the dessert. Her cheeks bulged, but she pretended that she didn't hear anything until the palace maid called her in fear. She wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief and asked slowly, "How much is my salary as a consort?"

The palace maid was startled and answered in a low voice, "Your Highness, your annual salary is 300 taels of silver."

"That's too little. I won't do it!"

Xiao Qingtang said bluntly. She was angry, so her words were not polite, "A Consort De is a consort, but in fact, it's just a concubine. You go back and tell him to keep me by his side. Either give me a title or give me money. It's just a consort position. It's just 300 taels of silver. Don't make a fool of yourself!"

She was ready to risk everything. Originally, she felt guilty about Qin Yanling and hoped to reconcile with him. That was why she tried to please him. Now, he was unrighteous and changed a lot. He was no longer the person she liked in the past. She didn't want to be submissive anymore.

Even though she had wronged him, he shot her with an arrow and made her "dead" for a few days, so it should be enough to offset it.

The palace maid's face was pale. She knelt down and said with a trembling voice, "Your Highness, please don't talk nonsense. Be careful not to spread it.

In fact, according to your rank, you will be given silk and satin. In addition, His Majesty will also give you 'regular money' and 'salary'. The salary is not small. "

"'Regular money' and 'salary'?"

Xiao Qingtang was suspicious. She rolled her eyes and abruptly widened them. "Is it because you sleep with him and make him satisfied that you're rewarded?

It's really an unfair deal! "

She counted with her fingers and muttered, "Take last night as an example. He tortured me so much, but he still hasn't rewarded me with anything. Obviously, he's not satisfied. Then didn't I work for nothing?"

The young palace maids were dumbfounded. Their faces turned red and white.

"Go and refuse him. Just two words, I won't do it!" Xiao Qingtang flung her wide sleeves and scooped up a spoonful of crab porridge, eating it happily.

She had been scolded and forced by Qin Yanling, so she had been resentful. Now, she had vented her anger.

The palace maid knelt down with a plop and repeatedly kowtowed. She said fearfully, "This servant doesn't dare. Please have mercy, Your Highness!

I hope Your Highness will reconsider. Don't commit a great crime in a moment of anger! "Who would dare to refuse His Majesty's decree?

That was a great crime of disobeying an imperial decree!

Xiao Qingtang took a sip of porridge and leaned lazily on the chair. She suddenly called out, "Du Li."

"This subject is here!" Du Li lowered his head and cupped his fists. "What orders does Your Highness have?"

Xiao Qingtang blinked. She carefully rinsed her mouth, wiped it with a silk handkerchief, and looked at him with a smile. "They don't dare to go. You go back and report to His Majesty."

Du Li's eyes were cold, and his tone was flat. "By His Majesty's verbal order, this subject will stay in the palace and protect Your Highness."

"There are imperial bodyguards at the door, and there are also imperial guards patrolling. It's very safe."

Xiao Qingtang refuted. She tried to persuade him again and again, but Du Li was unmoved. She sneered inwardly. "You fool, why don't you understand?

They miss His Majesty. That's why they asked you to go find His Majesty and lead him here! "

Du Li's mouth twitched. He nodded and said, "This subject obeys the decree!"

After dealing with Du Li, the young palace maids were easy to deal with.

In less than ten breaths, Xiao Qingtang found an excuse and ran out of Qiongyu Palace. Following her memory, she turned left and right in the palace and secretly found Prince Xicang.

One of them was in front of the window, and the other was outside.

Su Ming was surprised. He opened his mouth a few times and finally spat out two words. "Tang Tang!"

"I want to sneak out of the palace."

Xiao Qingtang said softly. She asked expectantly, "Is there any way to achieve my goal without involving you?"

Su Ming frowned and said hesitantly, "The palace is heavily guarded. It's like an iron bastion. Unless you have a token or a token to leave the palace, you can't escape even if you have wings."

He frowned and thought carefully. "Rumor has it that there is a secret passage in the palace that leads directly to the people, but few people know where it is."

"Secret passage?"

Xiao Qingtang's eyes lit up. "In the past, we accidentally broke into the gate. When he pulled me back, he told me that it was a forbidden area. It must be the secret passage." As she said, her voice lowered. She was in a daze. Obviously, she was recalling something from a long time ago.

How she wished that she could go back to thirteen years ago and not be like today.

"Thank you, Swordsman of Forgetfulness."

Xiao Qingtang smiled. Her eyebrows relaxed and the corners of her lips curled up. The faint candlelight shone on her face, making her look especially delicate and charming. "We'll meet again. You don't have to go with me. I don't want to implicate you."

Su Ming's heart tightened. He was afraid that if they parted, more than ten years would pass. He blurted out, "I'm not afraid of being implicated!" As he said this, he looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

He waited anxiously and felt that it was endless. Suddenly, he heard her say softly, "If you're not afraid of being implicated, then what about your sister, Father's relatives, and your Nishino Castle?" He looked up in surprise and saw her turn to leave. His heart was unusually bitter.

"Tang Tang," he called out. Holding on to a glimmer of hope, he asked bitterly, "Can I see you again?

After leaving the palace, I'll look for you. Is that okay? "

Xiao Qingtang stopped in her tracks. "No, it's better to forget about each other in Jianghu."

"Forget about each other in Jianghu …" Su Ming's heart palpitated. He felt like he was being pricked by countless needles. There was no severe pain, but there was no part of his body that did not feel uncomfortable.

The woman that he had missed for thirteen years disappeared from his life once again.

Xiao Qingtang arrived at the door of the secret passage without a hitch.

The news that there was an additional Imperial Concubine in the palace had spread throughout the palace. No one dared to stop her from coming and going. Even if they did not recognize her, they could tell that she was dressed luxuriously.

The secret passage was hidden behind a bookcase. She looked back at the palace with a complicated expression and walked in.

At that time, in the imperial study, Qin Yanling's tone was languid. His voice rose as he said, "Is your position too low and your salary too low?"

Du Li said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine said that she missed you, so she said something surprising and asked you to go."

Did she miss him?

Qin Yanling snorted. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly and his eyes became sharp. He flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Let's go back to Qiongyu Palace!"

She found an excuse to send Du Li away. She wanted to run away!

He ordered, "Seal the palace gate. No one is allowed to leave the palace!"

After interrogating the palace maids and bodyguards, Xiao Qingtang's escape route was clear.

Qin Yanling's eyes flashed. He whispered, "The secret passage …" As he expected, she really ran into the forbidden area.

When he issued the imperial edict to make her a concubine, he expected this to happen. With her temper, if she knew that he only made her a concubine and took her as a concubine, she would definitely be angry.

Once Tang Tang was angry, she liked to torture people. For example, she deliberately ran away and led him to chase her. She made him angry and let him loose in order to catch him better.

Now she was trying to deceive him to get something from him. That was the bargaining chip he used to keep her here.

He had to know what it was. Therefore, he set up today's trap to test her mind.

The palace was heavily guarded. If she wanted to sneak away, she could only escape through the secret passage. In the secret passage, there were three rare treasures, which he used to test her.

"Guard the door. I can go in alone." Qin Yanling ordered, "Inform the secret guards to guard the back door. Don't worry about the rest."

In fact, this step was not necessary. He was 100% sure that Tang Tang would wander back and forth in the secret passage, waiting for him to find her.

At that time, Xiao Qingtang was carefully groping in the secret passage.

["I got it!" Xiao Qingtang was extremely excited.]

[Amazing. She asked curiously, "What did you think of?"]