Old Master Gu and Zhan Yi rose, their minds a complete muddle. They didn't know if they had misheard or if the Emperor had gone mad; his generosity with the rewards was staggering.
"Miss Xiang, it's getting late. We should be going. I must hurry back to the palace to attend to the Emperor," Mr. Li urged.
Ye Qianning nodded. "Old Master Gu, Old Master Zhan, I'll be on my way. You two should hurry home, too. Don't forget to eat the apples."
With that, she lowered the carriage curtain, and the carriage began to move forward slowly.
In the instant she lowered the curtain, Ye Qianning caught a glimpse of a white-robed figure out of the corner of her eye. It was Qian Fanji!
'He was waiting outside the palace gates for half the night, too?'
Ye Qianning was puzzled but didn't dwell on it. It was a fair distance from the palace gates to the General's estate, so she lay down on the soft chaise to get some rest.
