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

The sun was gradually setting in the west, and it was getting dark. Murong Xuewei had to get to the mortuary before nightfall. But just as she turned around, she suddenly noticed a familiar figure flash past not far behind her.

"Consort Ning?" Murong Xuewei was taken aback. How could Consort Ning be here?

After hesitating for a moment, she followed. Consort Ning walked quickly, heading east, and finally entered an inconspicuous teahouse.

Murong Xuewei found a corner to sit down. After a while, a servant brought over tea and casually left a note.

"At midnight, at the back gate of the Ning residence. Bring a map of the secret passage."

Murong Xuewei was startled. How did Consort Ning know she had the secret passage map? Could it be... she was following her?

Just as she was deep in thought, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"Seal off the teahouse immediately! Murong Xuewei is inside!"

Murong Xuewei knew something was wrong and hurriedly got up. But it was too late; soldiers were everywhere in front of and behind the teahouse.

"Madam, over here!" Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind the counter. Murong Xuewei looked closely and saw that it was Cui'er, Consort Ning's personal maid.

Cui'er pushed aside a floor panel under the counter, revealing a hidden passage: "Come in quickly!"

Without a word, Murong Xuewei jumped inside. The passage was dark and damp, but she didn't care and followed Cui'er quickly forward.

“Miss, Her Majesty told me to tell you,” Cui’er said as she walked, “that the person you’re looking for isn’t in the palace.”

"Not in the palace?" Murong Xuewei exclaimed in surprise. "Then where is he?"

"Her Majesty said the answer lies on the map of the secret passage." With that, Cui'er pushed open a hidden door. "After you go out, turn right and keep walking until you reach the mortuary."

Before Murong Xuewei could ask anything else, Cui'er had already turned and left. She took a deep breath, touched the secret passage map in her arms, and hurried towards the mortuary.

It was completely dark. Inside the mortuary, Gu Ye was waiting anxiously.

"Husband!" Murong Xuewei's voice suddenly rang out.

"Xuewei!" Gu Ye rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Why are you so late?"

Murong Xuewei recounted her encounter with Consort Ning and then produced a map of the secret passage.

“There’s something wrong with this map.” Gu Ye examined the drawing carefully. “Look at these markings; they’re not ordinary secret road routes.”

"What's the meaning?"

"The distribution of these points..." A glint suddenly flashed in Gu Ye's eyes, "...If I'm not mistaken, this is a blueprint for an underground palace!"

Murong Xuewei was startled: "An underground palace?"

“Yes, it’s right below the imperial mausoleum.” Gu Ye pointed to a location on the map. “Look at this lotus symbol; that should be the entrance.”

“But…” Murong Xuewei suddenly thought of something, “Why did Xiao Wanning give the secret passage map to the old tailor? Could it be…”

“Unless she’s also looking for something,” Gu Ye said in a deep voice, “or rather, there’s something she’s extremely wary of.”

Just then, Liuli rushed over: "Madam, something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"Xiao Wanning has ordered a house-to-house search to begin tomorrow. And..." Liuli gritted her teeth, "I heard she even hired shadow guards from Jiangnan to help."

Murong Xuewei's expression changed. The Shadow Guards were specially trained search experts; they would find them soon enough.

"We need to think of a way quickly." Gu Ye looked at the map of the secret passage. "If we can get into the underground palace..."

“No,” Murong Xuewei suddenly said, “we don’t need to run.”

"What?" Gu Ye looked at her in confusion.

Murong Xuewei unfolded the map of the secret passage, a strange light flashing in her eyes: "Since Xiao Wanning is so eager to find this map, then we'll let her have her wish."

You mean...

“It’s time to reel in this big fish,” Murong Xuewei sneered. “Let’s see who’s behind this scheme.”

After hearing Murong Xuewei's plan, Master Sun frowned: "Benefactor, this plan is far too risky."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Murong Xuewei said, unfolding a map of the secret passages and pointing to one spot. "You see, this is a hidden passage in the palace, leading to the underground palace. If I'm not mistaken, something important must be hidden here."

Gu Ye took the blueprints and examined them carefully. "The entrance to this secret passage..." he suddenly paused, "...is near the site of the prayer ceremony!"

A sharp glint flashed in Murong Xuewei's eyes: "Xiao Wanning's choice to hold the blessing ceremony here is probably for ulterior motives."

“But Madam,” Liuli said worriedly, “the Shadow Guards have already entered the city. How are we going to get close to the prayer ceremony site?”

Murong Xuewei's lips curled into a cold smile: "It's simple, let them catch me."

"No!" Gu Ye immediately objected, "It's too dangerous!"

"Husband," Murong Xuewei grasped Gu Ye's hand, "do you believe me?"

Looking at his wife's determined eyes, Gu Ye finally sighed: "Tell me your plan."

“Xiao Wanning wants this map, so we’ll let her get the news,” Murong Xuewei said, taking out an identical map from her bosom. “However…”

Master Sun suddenly realized: "Are you trying to pass off a fake as the real thing?"

Murong Xuewei nodded: "I deliberately revealed my whereabouts so that the shadow guards could catch me. Xiao Wanning will definitely interrogate me personally, and then..."

“I understand,” Gu Ye continued, “You want to take this opportunity to investigate the secrets of the underground palace.”

“That’s right.” Murong Xuewei’s gaze was firm. “I always felt that our child might be in the underground palace.”

Just then, a slight noise came from outside. Liuli immediately drew her sword on alert, and Murong Xuewei and Gu Ye also quickly went into battle.

"It's me." A dark figure climbed in through the window; it was General Zhang.

"Why has the general come?" Gu Ye stepped forward quickly.

General Zhang lowered his voice: "This is terrible! The Shadow Guards have already begun searching the area around the mortuary. And..." He glanced at Murong Xuewei, "I just received news that Xiao Wanning has already sent people to Jiangnan."

Murong Xuewei's expression changed drastically: "Jiangnan? They're going to harm my family!"

“No,” Gu Ye suddenly said, “this is precisely the opportunity.”

Everyone looked at him.

“With the Shadow Guards dispersed to Jiangnan, the search efforts in the city will be weakened.” Gu Ye’s eyes gleamed. “We can…”

“No,” Murong Xuewei interrupted him, “I suspect this is a diversionary tactic. Xiao Wanning wants to lure me back to Jiangnan so I can leave the capital.”

Master Sun stroked his beard and nodded: "What you say makes sense, benefactor. In my opinion, the real secret lies in the capital, within that underground palace."

"Time is of the essence," General Zhang cautioned. "The Shadow Guards will arrive here in about an hour."

Murong Xuewei made a quick decision: "Liuli, you take Master Sun and leave first. Husband..." She turned to Gu Ye, "You and General Zhang prepare to provide backup."

"And what about you?" Gu Ye held her hand.

"I'll go and meet those shadow guards." Murong Xuewei smiled. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Under the moonlight, Murong Xuewei's figure gradually disappeared into the night. Gu Ye gazed in the direction his wife had gone, a strange unease creeping into his heart.

“She’ll be alright.” General Zhang patted his shoulder. “Madam is no ordinary woman; we must have faith in her.”

Gu Ye gripped the sword at his waist: "I hope everything goes smoothly."

In a dark room somewhere in the palace.

"What did you say?" Xiao Wan Ning stood up abruptly. "They discovered her whereabouts?"

Jiang Lingyun knelt and reported, "Yes, the Shadow Guards have surrounded the mortuary. I find something strange; it's too obvious there..."

"Hmph," Xiao Wan Ning sneered, "She thinks she's so clever? Perfect, I'd like to see what tricks she can pull."

"About the underground palace..."

“No rush,” a strange glint flashed in Xiao Wan Ning’s eyes, “Once we capture her, everything will naturally become clear.”

Xiao Wan Ning's lips curled into a cold smile. Who is the hunter and who is the prey is still unknown!