Chapter 353 Heartwarming (Second Update)

If he didn't leave soon, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist chopping off Gu Chao's head!

He deserves to die!

"Your Majesty—Your Highness the Imperial Concubine—"

Granny Cai cried out in despair.

The emperor turned around abruptly and saw Consort Jing with a pale face, swaying like a fallen autumn leaf.

With tears in her eyes, she took one last look at the emperor, then closed her eyes and fainted.

The emperor stepped forward and caught her, holding her almost skeletal body, and shouted anxiously, "Mother! Mother! Summon the imperial physician—"

Consort Jing woke up in the middle of the night.

The emperor was reviewing memorials in his study, and the old marquis was kneeling opposite him.

The emperor hadn't decided how to deal with him yet. Making him kneel in the courtyard would be too humiliating, a disgrace to the royal family!

A young eunuch arrived at the study door. Eunuch Wei walked over, listened to him for a few words, nodded, and returned to the study, whispering, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has awakened."

The emperor no longer had the urge to rush over to see her as he used to, perhaps because her leaving him had hurt him deeply.

He never imagined that he was less important to her than some random guy outside.

The emperor glared coldly at the old marquis, and it was unclear how much effort he had to exert to avoid issuing an imperial edict ordering the extermination of nine generations of his family.

Eunuch Wei sighed and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to go and see her? The imperial physician said that the Empress Dowager's condition is not good; she just vomited blood."

Upon hearing that Consort Jing had vomited blood, the Emperor's heart clenched.

After all, it's a mother-son bond that's lasted for so many years; it can't be severed so easily.

He got up and went to Consort Jing's bedroom.

Consort Jing had just taken her medicine, and her face was even paler than it had been a while ago.

The emperor suddenly remembered that during the time she had returned to the palace, she was either sick or injured, and it seemed that she had not had a single peaceful day. She probably wanted to escape because she was too tired, too miserable, and too scared.

"You may all leave," said Consort Jing to Granny Cai and the others.

"Yes." Granny Cai led the palace servants out.

The emperor stood neither too far nor too close to the bed, and did not immediately go over.

Consort Jing propped herself up on her elbows and coughed lightly twice. Her weakness at this moment was indeed genuine. The injuries she had sustained earlier from being stuffed in a sack had not yet healed, and just now, two of her tendons had been severed, causing her to vomit blood.

She asked, "Is there anything Your Majesty would like to ask me?"

The emperor clenched his fist.

Consort Jing gave a bitter smile: "Never mind, I'll explain it myself. Did His Majesty just think I was going to abandon him? Cough cough..."

Her chest ached terribly, and she coughed uncontrollably for a while. "If I told Your Majesty that I had no such intention, and that I never even thought of leaving Your Majesty, would Your Majesty believe me?"

The emperor remained silent.

"Yes, I didn't let the Dragon Shadow Guards stop the old Marquis because he had saved my life after all. I couldn't let the Dragon Shadow Guards kill him rashly without knowing what he was going to do."

"Later, he got anxious, thinking that I had suffered a lot in the palace, so he wanted to take me away. I didn't react in time. Just as I was about to refuse, His Majesty arrived."

The emperor clenched his fists tightly, his gaze icy: "Then...did Mother and him really never have had any affection for each other?"

"No," said Consort Jing.

"Is Mother so certain?" the Emperor asked.

Consort Jing met his gaze without flinching and said firmly, "Yes, I am very certain of my feelings. My heart has always belonged only to the late Emperor, and has never held any other man. I have always regarded him as my savior, and have no romantic feelings for him. He has misunderstood."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly realized something and turned her head sharply to look at the door. She saw the old Marquis standing at the door with a shocked and hurt expression.

She was stunned.

"Don't be so impulsive. You'll implicate your family. I was born a member of the royal family, and I will die a member of the royal family. I can never escape it. I don't want you to suffer the fate of having your entire family wiped out because of me. Your family is innocent!"

"Think of Changqing, think of Chengfeng and Chenglin, and that child who has suffered from a heart condition since childhood. Can you bear to let them die with you and me for your own selfish reasons? I am not afraid of death, but I do not want to harm them!"

"From now on, you shall pretend you have never met me, and in front of His Majesty, you shall only say that it was a moment of impulse and not romantic love."

"I owe you, I'll repay you in the next life... in the next life."

She could have had so many words to reassure him, without offending anyone.

But now, it's all too late.

She glanced at the emperor.

The emperor turned his head and looked expressionlessly at the old marquis at the door: "Did Minister Gu hear the Empress Dowager's thoughts?"

It's more than just hearing it.

Every single word pierced his heart!

The old Marquis was so angry that he trembled all over, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Consort Jing's expression changed, and she opened her mouth.

The old marquis didn't give her a chance to explain. He took out a red knot that he had treasured for many years and casually threw it into the burning fire next to him. Then he turned around and left resolutely!

Consort Jing closed her eyes, her knuckles, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, faintly turning white as she pinched her fingers.

...

The events that occurred at Huaqing Palace were kept secret. A gag order was placed on everyone in Huaqing Palace, and even when Empress Xiao came, she was unable to find out a single thing.

The Empress Dowager Zhuang did not let the news leak out either.

The emperor was grateful for this.

He unusually stopped Empress Dowager Zhuang on his way to court and awkwardly thanked her.

"Thank me for what?" Empress Dowager Zhuang said indifferently.

Nobody's watching right now, so why pretend?

"It's nothing." The emperor walked away without looking back.

Empress Dowager Zhuang rolled her eyes: "What a disgrace!"

The palace nunnery was repaired and the Imperial Concubine Jing moved there. It is said that the emperor was busy with official duties that day and did not personally escort the Imperial Concubine Jing to the nunnery.

"Could it be that she has fallen out of favor?" A palace maid sweeping the imperial garden muttered to herself.

The eunuch beside her said, "How could that be? The Imperial Concubine is His Majesty's mother. His Majesty personally brought her back to the palace from the nunnery!"

"But haven't you heard that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have recently reconciled? And His Majesty is in such a hurry to have the Imperial Concubine move out of Huaqing Palace..."

The palace maid had only spoken halfway when she felt someone pinch her arm.

“I didn’t say anything wrong! I…” She turned her head and saw that Consort Jing’s sedan chair was parked behind her.

She was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, Your ...

Consort Jing didn't say anything, but Granny Cai gave her a venomous look.

"I'm leaving," said Consort Jing.

"Yes," Granny Cai replied.

After walking a distance, Consort Jing said to Granny Cai, "Ah Yue, did you see that everyone in this palace exists because they depend on His Majesty... except for the one in Renshou Palace."

Granny Cai looked at her with pity: "Your Highness."

Consort Jing casually plucked a leaf, stroking it as she murmured, "Without His Majesty's love, one could choke to death even drinking water in the palace. She doesn't need it, A-Yue, she doesn't need it!"

...

Gu Jiao hasn't been to the palace for several days.

When Xiao Liulang was at home, he didn't seem to do much, but after he left, everyone realized that he was the one who worked the hardest at home.

Putting everything else aside, just tutoring three little men is exhausting.

Xiao Jingkong will always have a hundred thousand whys, Gu Yan will always have a hundred thousand things he doesn't want to learn, and Gu Xiaoshun will always have a hundred thousand things he doesn't understand.

The old chief minister is getting old; he can manage for a day or two, but being constantly confronted like this is driving him crazy.

Moreover, he wasn't free every day. Once he was tied up with official duties at the Imperial Academy, the task of tutoring his studies fell to Gu Jiao.

So Gu Jiao has been extremely busy lately.

Xiao Jingkong had abacus homework today, and Gu Jiao asked him to take out his golden abacus: "Where's your abacus? Hasn't Chu Yu returned it to you yet?"

Little Jingkong's eyes darted around: "I returned it, but... I lent it to Brother Zhouzhou again! We're all good friends, we should treat each other equally!"

Yes, that means treating everyone equally. He's such a clever little devil!

Gu Jiao looked at him with a skeptical expression: "Really?"

Xiao Jingkong nodded vigorously: "Really, really! I didn't sell it!"

Gu Jiao narrowed her eyes.

After finishing my homework, dinner wasn't ready yet.

Gu Jiao went to the backyard to collect the dried medicinal herbs, and Xiao Jingkong poked his little head out of the main room: "Jiaojiao! I'm going to go play with Zhao Xiaobao!"

After saying that, he ran away in a flash!

It's Zhao Xiaobao again.

The little guy has been going to see Zhao Xiaobao a lot lately. When did he become so fond of playing with children younger than himself?

Gu Jiao felt something was off. After hesitating for a moment, she put down the medicinal herbs and left the courtyard.

She went next door, where Grandpa Zhao was repairing a stool in the yard. When he saw her coming, he greeted her with a smile: "Jiaojiao! Come in and sit down!"

"Uncle Zhao," Gu Jiao greeted him politely, then asked, "Has Jingkong arrived?"

"No," Grandpa Zhao shook his head.

really.

Gu Jiao asked again, "Where's Xiao Bao? Is he here?"

Grandpa Zhao said, "Xiao Bao isn't here; he went to find Brother Hu!"

Tiger is Grandma Zhou's grandson, and he lives at the other end of the alley.

Could it be that Xiao Jingkong went there to find Zhao Xiaobao?

Grandpa Zhao asked, "Has Jingkong left?"

Gu Jiao said, "Yes, he said he came to see Xiao Bao."

Grandpa Zhao frowned, pointed in the direction of Chang'an Avenue, and said, "I've seen this child going that way a few times recently, I thought you knew."

"Then I'll go look for it."

Gu Jiao left the Zhao family's house and headed towards Chang'an Avenue.

The little guy has gotten bolder lately; he even dares to lie and sneak out of this alley.

Gu Jiao decided that once she caught the little guy, she would punish him severely no matter how much he tried to act cute or charming!

Gu Jiao arrived at Chang'an Avenue. Chang'an Avenue used to be more bustling and lively than Xuanwu Avenue, but since the girls' school opened on Xuanwu Avenue, it has brought a lot of customers.

Now the two streets are almost indistinguishable in terms of size.

Gu Jiao took a few steps and vaguely sensed a strange aura.

The aura was very faint; it was almost impossible to detect unless you got very close.

That person was keeping watch on Bishui Hutong.

Gu Jiao rarely goes this way; this aura wasn't there when she came last time.

With a flick of her finger, Gu Jiao fired a black powder pellet!

Thinking it was a hidden weapon, the opponent drew his sword to block it, and the gunpowder exploded on the blade with a bang!

"Oh dear! What is this thing?!"

The man tumbled down from the roof with a loud crash!

Gu Jiao took a few steps forward and stepped on the other person's chest.

That person was no pushover. Even after being hit by the explosion, he still had a fighting chance. He sprang to his feet and dodged Gu Jiao's foot.

He then swung his knife and stabbed at Gu Jiao!

The only cold weapon Gu Jiao ever used in her previous life was a dagger, so it wouldn't be easy to injure her with it.

Gu Jiao grabbed his wrist with one hand, twisted it again to knock his dagger away, and then chopped him with a chop, sending him sprawling against the wall.

Gu Jiao pinned his hands behind his back, forcing his face against the cold wall: "Who are you? Why are you lurking around here?"

He retorted angrily, "What's it to you!"

As soon as the other person finished speaking, a golden object fell out of his arms and landed on the ground. What else could it be but Xiao Jingkong's golden abacus?

Gu Jiao's eyes turned cold: "So you stole the Golden Abacus!"

The other party shouted, "What do you mean, 'stolen'? I didn't steal anything!"

Gu Jiao said coldly, "If it wasn't stolen, then it was stolen?"

The other person gasped: "It wasn't stolen!"

Gu Jiao exerted force, and he felt his bones cracking. He quickly said, "I bought it! I bought it from someone! Take it if you like! It's not worth much anyway!"

The abacus is worthless; what a boastful tone!

This person clearly knew martial arts. Gu Jiao was worried that he had bullied Xiao Jingkong and extorted money from him, so she was even less willing to show mercy.

Just as she nearly broke his ribs, he suddenly spoke up: "Don't believe me? Ask him! You bought it from him!"

Gu Jiao turned her head to look, and Xiao Jingkong looked up at her.

Their eyes met, and Xiao Jingkong's body trembled.

"Jiao, Jiao Jiao?" He quickly hid the thing in his hand behind his back.

Gu Jiao held the man down with both hands, unable to pick up the abacus, so she looked at the golden abacus on the ground and said, "Your abacus has been found, pick it up quickly."

Xiao Jingkong, however, did not move.

He lowered his head.

The gray-clad guard said, "Young man, this is the abacus my young master asked you to buy! Do you remember my young master? The man with the white jade folding fan, dressed in white robes and black veil."

Xiao Jingkong's expression gave Gu Jiao the answer.

Gu Jiao released her grip, and the gray-clad guard fell to the ground in pain.

What kind of woman is this? How can she be so strong?

Gu Jiao walked over, squatted down, looked at Xiao Jingkong who was hanging his head, and asked, "Why did you sell your abacus?"

Xiao Jingkong lowered his head and said, "I want money."

Gu Jiao looked at him and said seriously, "You can tell me if you need money. All your money is with me. I'm just keeping it safe for you. You can take it whenever you want."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Gu Jiao asked again, "What do you want the money for?"

"Buy this." Xiao Jingkong took out the bundle hidden behind his back.

The bundle was heavy and bulging, and it was unclear what it contained.

Gu Jiao took the bundle: "Why did you buy this?"

Xiao Jingkong whispered, "Give this to Jiaojiao."

"For me?"

Gu Jiao opened it curiously, and a bright red glow shone down upon her—

She never expected that what was inside would be a brand new wedding dress.

(End of this chapter)