At this moment, outside the Gemini Palace.
Qu Wanyue had already blended into her surroundings using the " chameleon card " before entering the palace. This card lasted longer than the " Invisibility Cloak," making it the most convenient for reconnaissance.
She had obtained a map of the Imperial Palace from Long Sen beforehand, so upon entering the palace, she immediately found Xiao Lou's residence, Gemini Palace, which was also arranged by Xiao Lou.
Before the dinner began tonight, Xiao Lou made three arrangements.
First, according to the plot of this locked room scenario, Tang Ci's legs were injured in the previous battle of Hilt No Mans Land. Since Tang Ci was unable to attend the banquet, it would be a good opportunity for him to go to the hospital for a thorough medical examination. Given his leg injury and partial memory loss, it is reasonable for him to go to the hospital for a checkup. It would also be a good opportunity to test whether he and Lu Jiuchuan had undergone hypnosis.
Secondly, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang disguised themselves and arrived at the banquet so that they could respond immediately if anyone came to assassinate Clone.
Thirdly, Qu Wanyue used the chameleon card as a disguise to guard the vicinity of Gemini Palace. In case the other party wanted to assassinate Xiao Lou of Gemini Palace instead of the person at the banquet, Qu Wanyue could notify them immediately.
It was already nine o'clock, and Qu Wanyue was hiding near a stone pillar in front of Gemini Palace.
There weren't many soldiers patrolling around Gemini Palace. Most of the guards were at the banquet to protect His Majesty and the princes, so this place was relatively quiet, with only two soldiers standing straight at the entrance.
Qu Wanyue stared at the door for an hour, but there was no movement at the door. Just when she thought Professor Xiao was overthinking things, suddenly, the two soldiers at the door fell straight to the ground!
She saw nothing; the two soldiers seemed to have been blown over by the wind.
Qu Wanyue was horrified—the other party had the same invisibility ability as her, and must have hidden behind the guards to attack them! This person's move was fast and accurate; almost instantly, two guards who were over 1.8 meters tall were knocked to the ground.
The doors to Gemini Palace opened, and it was as if a gust of wind blew in.
Qu Wanyue immediately followed.
The chameleon card not only allows her to blend perfectly into her environment, but also increases her crawling speed to some extent.
Qu Wanyue nimbly climbed into Gemini Palace. Inside, an entire wall of glass shimmered with color under the lights, and the palace was as spacious as a maze. A shadow seemed to flash by ahead, and Qu Wanyue followed it forward. After passing through several corridors, the shadow came to a door, opened it, and entered the room.
—This should be Xiao Lou's residence.
Is the shadow here to kill Xiao Lou?
A moment later, the person seemed to realize that no one was inside and quickly opened the window and escaped. Since this person had no physical form, Qu Wanyue didn't know which direction he would escape to.
Qu Wanyue left Gemini Palace and quickly arrived at the banquet venue.
She used the card at the palace gate and saw Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou use the card as a disguise outside the palace. She knew who the soldier Yu Hanjiang was impersonating was.
Qu Wanyue followed the wall to the soldier Yu Hanjiang was disguised as, and whispered, " Captain Yu."
Yu Hanjiang nodded to confirm his identity.
Qu Wanyue said, " Something has happened at Gemini Palace."
Yu Hanjiang also felt that something was amiss...
Wasn't it His Majesty's concern that the prince might be assassinated that led him to find a stand-in to attend the birthday banquet? Why is there no activity at the birthday banquet, but someone has infiltrated Gemini Palace to assassinate Xiao Lou?
At the banquet, the prince and his fiancée went around toasting guests. The host and guests chatted happily. The prince seemed to have completely immersed himself in the atmosphere and had forgotten his clone identity.
That day, Yu Hanjiang saw him with a blank stare, behaving as obediently as a pet in front of His Majesty…
That compliant clone has completely disappeared.
At this moment, all that remained in his eyes was composure and confidence. He spoke with politicians with ease, always maintaining a polite smile. His resemblance to Xiao Lou was becoming increasingly close to 100%, as if he were the real prince.
A sense of unease gradually rose in Yu Hanjiang's heart.
This unease also affected Xiao Lou. Xiao Lou asked uncertainly, "Is he really a clone?"
The banquet was a lively and bustling affair.
The prince's birthday banquet did not officially end until 10 p.m., and the guests were escorted out of the palace in batches.
Yu Hanjiang, disguised as a guard, took the initiative to deliver Shao Qingge.
Shao Qingge looked at the unfamiliar face beside him and smiled, "Is it you?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded without saying anything more. Only after seeing them out of the palace did Xiao Lou, hidden in Yu Hanjiang's pocket, peek out and softly call out, "Xiao Ye."
Ye Qi looked down and saw a Professor Xiao about the size of a thumb.
No one else could possibly have a Thumbelina card; this is the real Professor Xiao!
Ye Qi exclaimed excitedly, "Finally, I've seen the original! Professor Xiao, what exactly does that person want to do?"
Xiao Lou said, "Time is tight, let's talk in Peach Blossom Spring."
Yu Hanjiang followed Shao Qingge onto the hovercar, while Xiao Lou activated Peach Blossom Spring inside, instantly summoning all his teammates.
Soon, eight people gathered under the peach tree— Liu Qiao, Lao Mo, Senior Gui, and Chu Huaying were still absent.
All eight people currently at Capital Star have now arrived.
Yu Hanjiang took Xiao Lou out of his pocket and held him in his hands.
Xiao Lou asked Qu Wanyue, " Teacher Qu, what did you see?"
Qu Wanyue said nervously, "Someone has infiltrated Gemini Palace. The guards at the entrance were instantly knocked down. He has the ability to become invisible, but a ghostly shadow appears when he is exposed to strong light. Judging from the shadow, he should be a male who is about 180 cm tall."
Xiao Lou nodded: " What about Lin Yan? When did she first meet the prince?"
Qu Wanyue said, "I asked her about this matter before, pretending to be concerned. She said that when she was sixteen, her mother discussed it with the Queen, and with the consent of His Majesty and General Lin, the marriage was arranged. She met His Highness once at the engagement and fell in love with him at first sight."
Xiao Lou's expression grew increasingly grim.
Yu Hanjiang asked softly, "When you were sixteen, I should still be studying at military academy, not yet officially a member of the Royal Guard. Do you know about our engagement party back then?"
Xiao Lou shook her head: "I didn't attend any engagement party at all."
The teammates looked at each other in bewilderment.
Shao Qingge leaned closer and joked with a smile, "Is your father being overly anxious? Even if he's worried about you being assassinated, he can't possibly have Clone attend the entire engagement banquet, can he? Does he expect that person to stand in for you on your wedding night, when you get married and have children?"
Xiao Lou was silent for a moment, then said softly, "There is only one explanation."
The teammates all looked at the little Xiao Lou in Yu Hanjiang's palm.
The next moment, he calmly said, "I am the clone."