The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

“There are six in total,” Liuli pointed to each one with her finger. “The two most troublesome are these two; they offer excellent visibility, almost covering the entire western side.”

Murong Xuewei stood up and paced back and forth in the room: "If we could lure away these two hidden sentries..."

"I've come up with a plan," Gu Ye suddenly said. "General Zhang will create a disturbance in the south of the city, which will allow us to divert some of the guards. As for the rest..."

"Leave it to me." A cold glint flashed in Murong Xuewei's eyes. "I have my own ways of dealing with this."

Gu Ye glanced at his wife, hesitating to speak. He knew her personality too well; once she made up her mind, she would never easily change it.

“Madam,” Liuli hesitated, “but Master Sun is imprisoned in the innermost dungeon. Even if he gets in, getting him out won’t be easy.”

Murong Xuewei sneered, "Don't worry, I was prepared." She took out a small bottle from her sleeve. "This is a unique sleeping potion from the Taiqing Palace; anyone who smells it will fall unconscious."

"Where did you get this?" Gu Ye asked in surprise.

"In the sachet Uncle Lin left behind," Murong Xuewei said softly, "he had long foreseen this day."

Mentioning Uncle Lin caused a moment of silence in the room. Was the old man, who betrayed them at a crucial moment yet provided a vital clue at the end, friend or foe?

"Time is of the essence; we need to finalize a plan quickly," Gu Ye broke the silence. "The blessing ceremony begins at noon; we must complete the rescue before dawn."

Murong Xuewei nodded: "I'll disguise myself as a food-delivering maid and sneak in. Liuli, go and find out the exact time of the shift change."

"Rest assured, Madam." Liuli accepted the order and left.

After Liuli left, Gu Ye took his wife's hand and asked, "Xuewei, are you really sure?"

"Is my husband worried about me?" Murong Xuewei turned around and met her husband's worried gaze.

Gu Ye sighed, "I always felt things weren't that simple. Xiao Wan Ning is a very cunning person. If she deliberately leaked the information..."

“I know this might be a trap,” Murong Xuewei interrupted him. “But husband, do we have a choice? Taiqing Palace is our last resort. If we can’t rescue Daoist Sun…”

Her voice choked with emotion, and Gu Ye immediately pulled her into his arms: "Alright, that's enough. Since you've made your decision, I will do everything in my power to help you."

As night deepened, the candlelight flickered in the room. The two began to meticulously rehearse every detail of their plan.

"At 11:15 AM, General Zhang will set fire to the granary near the south of the city," Gu Ye circled on the map. "At that time, the defending forces will be thrown into chaos."

“Liuli and I sneaked in amidst the chaos,” Murong Xuewei continued, “According to the information we gathered, the dungeon is located here. If we can hold out for an hour…”

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside.

"Madam!" Liuli burst through the door, her face grave. "Something's happened!"

"What's wrong?" Murong Xuewei and Gu Ye stood up at the same time.

"I saw Jiang Lingyun go in while I was staking out outside the Imperial Observatory," Liuli said, panting. "He stayed inside for a long time, and when he came out..."

How was it when you came out?

"He led a troop of guards and carefully surveyed the area around the Imperial Observatory, as if..." Liuli hesitated, "...to set up defenses."

Murong Xuewei's eyes flashed sharply: "This Jiang Lingyun!"

“It seems he’s become suspicious,” Gu Ye said in a deep voice. “We need to change our plans.”

“No,” Murong Xuewei gritted her teeth, “we’ll proceed according to the original plan. No matter how cunning Jiang Lingyun is, he wouldn’t expect us to make our move the night before the blessing ceremony.”

"But..."

“Husband,” Murong Xuewei turned to look directly at Gu Ye, “do you believe me?”

Looking into his wife's determined eyes, Gu Ye finally nodded: "Okay, I trust you. But you have to promise me that if there's any unusual activity, you'll retreat immediately."

"Don't worry." Murong Xuewei smiled. "I still need to stay alive to find our child."

As midnight approached, the moonlight, like water, spilled onto the mottled walls of the Imperial Observatory. Murong Xuewei changed into a simple gray dress and styled her hair in the manner of an ordinary maid.

"Madam, I will accompany you." Liuli had also changed her clothes.

Murong Xuewei shook her head: "No, you stay outside to provide backup. If anything changes, send a signal immediately."

Gu Ye handed a short sword to his wife: "Be careful."

Murong Xuewei took the short sword and hid it close to her body. She gave her husband a deep look, then turned and disappeared into the night.

At this time, the Imperial Observatory was dimly lit. Several guards yawned, patrolling listlessly. No one noticed that in the shadows of the western wall, a figure in gray was holding his breath, waiting for something...

The sound of the water clock echoed in the distance; it was midnight. Murong Xuewei held her breath, her eyes fixed on the guards not far away.

A muffled thud came from the south of the city.

"What's going on?" The guards looked alertly toward the source of the sound, where flames were already shooting into the sky in the distance.

"Go! Go and take a look!" the leading guard shouted, leading a group of men away in a hurry.

Murong Xuewei's lips curled into a cold smile. Just as the guard turned around, she flashed past like a ghost and nimbly vaulted over the wall.

"Who goes there?" a voice suddenly shouted from the shadows.

Murong Xuewei remained calm and said in a tearful voice, "My lord, spare my life! I've come to deliver food." As she spoke, she held up the food box in her hand.

The guard looked her over suspiciously: "Delivering food at this hour?"

"It was...it was the master's special instruction. He said that Master Sun hasn't eaten much these past few days, and he's worried that he..." Murong Xuewei lowered her head, her voice trembling.

"Hmph," the guard scoffed, "Open it and take a look."

Murong Xuewei obediently lifted the lid of the food box. Just as the guard bent down to examine it, a fine powder drifted out with her movement.

Before the guard could react, he felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Murong Xuewei quickly dragged the guard into the shadows, took the key from his waist, and strode towards the dungeon.

The dungeon was dark and damp, with flickering shadows cast by torchlight on the walls. Murong Xuewei held her breath, carefully examining each cell.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out: "Benefactor, you've finally arrived."

Murong Xuewei looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man in gray sitting cross-legged in the corner; it was none other than Master Sun.

"Master Sun, I've come to get you out of here." Murong Xuewei stepped forward quickly and used the key to open the cell door.

Master Sun did not immediately rise: "Benefactor, are you aware that this is a trap?"

Murong Xuewei paused in her actions: "What do you mean?"

“Xiao Wan Ning had long anticipated that you would come to rescue me,” Master Sun sighed. “She deliberately spread the news to…”

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Not good!" Murong Xuewei's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly pulled Master Sun up, "Let's go!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. Outside the prison gate, Jiang Lingyun and a squad of guards blocked their way.

“Murong Xuewei,” Jiang Lingyun sneered, “I knew you would come.”

Murong Xuewei stood protectively in front of Master Sun, her gaze icy: "Jiang Lingyun, you really are a good dog."

“Likewise.” Jiang Lingyun took a step closer. “You think I don’t know your and Gu Ye’s plan? Too bad, you’ve both fallen for that bastard’s trap.”

"What plan?"

Just as Jiang Lingyun was about to speak, a sudden shout of killing came from outside.

"Lord Jiang!" A guard rushed in, flustered. "It's terrible! The fire in the south of the city is getting bigger and bigger, and now... now even the Imperial Observatory is..."

Jiang Lingyun's expression changed: "How could this be?"

Murong Xuewei suddenly laughed: "Jiang Lingyun, even you have your miscalculations."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the dungeon walls exploded, and through the smoke and dust, Gu Ye led a group of men in.

"Xue Wei!"

"My husband!"

Seeing the situation was turning against them, Jiang Lingyun hurriedly ordered, "Stop them!"