Chapter 573 The Truth Comes Out (Second Update)

Long Yi grabbed the prince and took him to a secluded spot, giving him a good spanking. It wasn't a severe beating, but it was enough to give the prince a hard time.

After returning to Kunning Palace, Empress Xiao sent someone to summon Xiao Heng to the palace.

Because Xiao Heng was not a man, he could not enter Kunning Palace. Empress Xiao met him in a side hall of Huaqing Palace.

Ever since leaving the Golden Palace, Empress Xiao's mind has been filled with doubts.

From the moment Xiao Heng received the summons, he knew that secrets could not be kept forever, and some things were bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, at this point, there was nothing left to hide from Empress Xiao.

Xiao Heng first recounted all of Consort Jing's actions, including those not mentioned by Princess Xinyang, such as the fact that she was given death by the emperor.

During the hour she waited for Xiao Heng, Empress Xiao had already calmed down. When she heard that the emperor had actually ordered the death of her most beloved Consort Jing, she was surprisingly unmoved.

It's just a bit disheartening.

It is said that the imperial family is ruthless, but Empress Xiao understands that the emperor is a very sentimental person, and the crown prince has perfectly inherited his sentimentality, which is why he is so deeply infatuated with Wen Linlang.

"Then, what about Princess Ning'an? What's the story with her?"

Compared to the already dealt-off Consort Jing, Empress Xiao was more concerned about the living royal princess before her. "Ning An... does she really want to harm Xinyang?"

Xiao Heng shook his head: "That's not it."

Princess Ning'an returned to seek revenge, but her target was not Princess Xinyang.

His Majesty, Aunt, Gu Jiao, the Gu family... are the targets of her ultimate revenge. In Ning An's view, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager killed Consort Jing, while Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing killed the Imperial Son-in-Law.

Empress Xiao frowned: "What does this have to do with the Gu family girl?" She could understand the other three, but wasn't the consort killed by Gu Changqing?

Xiao Heng said, "When we were at the border, the remnants of the previous dynasty found plague patients and tried to use them to poison the Gu family army. Jiao Jiao was treating a patient when she was unfortunately infected. Jiao Jiao herself was unaware of it and fell into a coma during an operation. Afterwards, she was captured by the prince consort. The prince consort was also infected, but Jiao Jiao did not give him any medicine."

Empress Xiao said indignantly, "Of course such a scoundrel shouldn't be given medicine! So what? She's blaming the Gu family girl? But didn't they bring this plague upon themselves? Getting infected is just reaping what they sowed! What does it have to do with the Gu family girl!"

Xiao Heng said calmly, "Some people are unreasonable. If you were reasonable, you wouldn't be that kind of person."

Empress Xiao sighed: "That's true. It seems that her decision to give up the consort wasn't out of a sense of justice, but rather because she had no other choice."

Xiao Heng continued, "According to Jiao Jiao, her relationship with the prince consort had soured before he was diagnosed with the plague. Now that I think about it, she may have planned out her escape route a long time ago."

Even the prince consort couldn't understand her thoughts, only thinking that she had truly distanced herself from him.

"This person is too cunning... How come I never noticed how scheming she was before?" Empress Xiao frowned, the bright smile of the young girl Ning An flashing through her mind, and for a moment she could hardly believe it.

Next, Xiao Heng told Empress Xiao everything about the Xianleju case, as well as Princess Ning'an's killing of Sun Ping, persecution of His Majesty, and bribing Vice Minister Li to slander Minister Xing and Empress Dowager Zhuang.

Of course, there's also the matter of Princess Ning'an forging two imperial edicts.

Empress Xiao was so angry that her face turned pale: "Outrageous! Outrageous!"

She was so angry she gritted her teeth, but after a long while she suppressed her anger and asked Xiao Heng, "Is the Empress Dowager alright?"

Xiao Heng said, "It's alright. The Empress Dowager lives in Biyue Hutong, so she's very safe."

"That's good." Empress Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. "You all need to be careful too."

Xiao Heng nodded: "We will."

Empress Xiao looked at him again, her eyes filled with a complex expression: "Speaking of which, you guys are too audacious. Not only did you learn from Ning An to forge an imperial edict, but you even had someone impersonate Princess Xinyang!"

She said that Princess Xinyang from yesterday was acting strangely, speaking in a sarcastic tone, and even falling flat on her face in front of her! Everyone in the harem saw it!

If Xinyang finds out about this, he'll skin them alive!

Empress Xiao felt sorry for them when she thought about it.

Empress Xiao added, "Furthermore, if your mother hadn't returned in time, how would you have handled the situation that occurred in the Golden Palace this morning?"

Xiao Heng had actually considered this.

Yesterday, after Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng followed Princess Ning'an back, they discovered that a bit of gold gauze had been torn off Gu Chengfeng's skirt, and they immediately guessed that his identity might have been exposed.

Princess Ning'an will definitely expose them, the sooner the better.

The most opportune moment was Princess Xinyang's first court appearance.

Just as they were racking their brains for a solution, Princess Xinyang returned.

They returned quietly, without alerting anyone.

It's worth mentioning that Gu Jiao's disguised identity wasn't fabricated out of thin air. There was indeed a maid named Yu'er in the house on Zhuque Street, and the human skin mask that Gu Jiao wore was made based on her face.

A scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice and became a Hanlin Academy official, he certainly had that level of rigor.

Princess Ning'an's outburst in front of the court officials today has completely backfired. Princess Xinyang is not someone to be trifled with. Her lack of cunning doesn't mean she can't; she simply disdains it.

Empress Xiao sighed that these guys were truly fearless and reckless, committing any crime punishable by death, yet they still managed to kill the master with their chaotic punches.

It's hard to say whether they were lucky or Ning'an was unlucky.

Empress Xiao, both amused and exasperated, asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

Xiao Heng said, "There is another force operating in the shadows. The next step is to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Empress Xiao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where did that force come from?"

Xiao Heng paused for a moment: "The Yan Kingdom."

Empress Xiao gasped!

...

Xiao Heng confessed everything he needed to, except for one thing: the Yan Kingdom's forces were targeting him.

It wasn't that I was afraid to tell Empress Xiao, but I didn't know how to bring it up.

He was afraid that if he brought it up again and again, he would get closer and closer to something.

She also feared that one day he would leave Princess Xinyang's side to seek the truth that he should never have sought.

He only had one mother, Princess Xinyang.

...

Bishui Hutong.

Gu Jiao sat listlessly in the main room peeling corn. Last night, Long Yi dragged her around and made her poke charcoal pencils all night. She was sleepy and tired, and her little head kept pecking at the corn like a chick.

Gu Chengfeng walked over, sat down in front of her, and waved his hand: "Hey, girl!"

Gu Jiao ignored him and continued pecking at the rice like a chick.

She almost pecked the table, and Gu Chengfeng quickly reached out the back of his hand to cushion her forehead.

Gu Jiao closed her eyes and said disdainfully, "Your hands are so hard."

Gu Chengfeng: I've used you as a cushion and you're still complaining! Is the back of my hand harder than the table?

Gu Jiao sat up straight.

Gu Chengfeng looked at her strangely: "What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't sleep well," Gu Jiao yawned. "My hands are so sore when I woke up this morning."

Gu Chengfeng scoffed, took the half-peeled corncob from Gu Jiao, and said, "Why are your hands sore, you women? You're not men!"

Gu Jiao asked, "Why can't a woman's hands get tired?"

"Woman..." Gu Chengfeng realized what he had just said halfway through his sentence, choked abruptly, cleared his throat, and said, "I'm so hungry, let's go see if there's anything to eat in the back!"

After saying that, he left in a flash, forgetting to even put the corn cob back.

When Xiao Heng returned from the palace, Gu Jiao was already asleep on the table, with a little puddle of drool on her face.

The family members had all gone out, not even Gu Xiaobao and Yao Shi were there; unsurprisingly, they had gone to watch their great-aunt play cards again.

Xiao Heng came up behind Gu Jiao, gently carried her back to the east room, took off her outer clothes and shoes, and pulled the quilt over her.

Gu Jiao turned over to face him. He was fixing Gu Jiao's hair when, unexpectedly, his hand was pressed under Gu Jiao's cheek.

A soft and delicate touch came from my palm.

It felt as if something had squeezed his heart.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, without pulling his hand away.

He looked at her, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curled up slightly.

Gu Jiao was sleeping soundly and deeply.

The room was already warm with a charcoal brazier burning inside, and before long she felt hot all over, her cheeks turning rosy.

Xiao Heng felt the warmth of her palm. He looked at her face and unconsciously reached out his other hand to brush away the strands of hair that were falling on her face.

He then slowly lowered his head.

But just as he was about to kiss him, he suddenly sensed something. He turned his head and saw a masked face that had somehow gotten close to him, its innocent yet cold eyes wide open, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Xiao Heng sat up straight in a flash!

Long Yi sat up straight as well.

Xiao Heng was sitting on the bed, while Long Yi was sitting on Xiao Jingkong's tiny stool.

Xiao Heng's eyelashes trembled. Thinking of what Long Yi had seen earlier, his ears turned slightly red, and he said seriously, "You can't do that."

Long Yi understood.

Xiao Heng added, "No one else can do this to her either."

Long looked up at the sky, thought for a moment, and realized he probably understood.

Xiao Meiren: You can't ask Jiaojiao to swear anymore.

What Long Yi heard was: "Hehehe, find Jiao Jiao to slap the pen~"

(End of this chapter)