Chapter 80 The Forgotten "Do you remember now, Gu Xi?"...
(The previous chapter was rewritten on November 16, 2025. If you've read it, remember to go back and read it, otherwise you won't be able to follow the story.)
Early in the morning, the warm winter sun shone through the windowpanes into Kunning Palace.
Gu Xi woke up from her dream, and when she opened her eyes, the overwhelming red color came into view, and she realized with a start that everything yesterday was not a dream.
She suddenly felt a little dazed. In fact, she still didn't understand why he would suddenly make her his empress.
Was it because he felt guilty and wanted to make it up to her?
Or is it because he loves her?
"Awake?" A low, husky voice sounded in her ear. Xiao Heng rolled over and hovered above her, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.
Gu Xi instinctively tried to push him away, but Xiao Heng restrained her hands and rested his chin on her neck, the stubble on his beard making her feel numb and itchy.
She suddenly remembered what he had done to her last night, and she was furious. She bit him hard on the shoulder.
Xiao Heng hissed in pain, looked up and stared at her intently for a long time. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips and a hint of pleasure in his eyes.
Gu Xi looked at him, puzzled.
Do you like being bitten?
Xiao Heng lowered his head again and buried it in her neck, his lazy, husky voice coming through the tremors of his chest, "Get up and have your meal."
Gu Xi tilted her head slightly, resisting his advances.
After washing up, the two stood by the dining table, ready to take their seats. The entire palace was filled with a joyous atmosphere, but Gu Xi felt out of place.
Just as Xiao Heng sat down, Gu Xi suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, please enjoy your meal. I shall take my leave now." She bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Xiao Heng immediately grabbed her wrist and looked up at her, "Where are you going?"
Gu Xi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Return to Weiyang Palace."
This place doesn't belong to her, and she doesn't belong here. Whether it's out of compensation or love, she doesn't dare to accept anything he's doing now.
She feared that this sudden favor would plunge her into utter ruin once again.
She built a high wall in her heart and kept saying hurtful things to him, just to keep him away from her.
She didn't like herself that way, but she had no other choice because she didn't know how to get rid of this painful relationship.
No one knew that she still couldn't truly face him calmly. The wounds of the past couldn't heal; every time she saw him, they ached, reminding her of how humbly and hopelessly she had loved someone.
She never wanted to see herself crying in the snowy night again.
Gu Xi struggled forcefully, and Xiao Heng stared at her for a long time before slowly releasing her hand.
She gracefully departed, leaving only her faint fragrance in the air.
*
Gu Xi led Zhu Yin and Hua Yue back to Weiyang Palace.
Just as she stepped into the palace gate, Gu Xi suddenly clutched her chest. Before she could react, she had already lost consciousness. If it weren't for Zhu Yin and Hua Yue supporting her, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
When Gu Xi woke up, it was already two hours later. Zhu Yin and Hua Yue's eyes were slightly red, but they didn't say anything.
This has happened several times already; it seems even her master can't save her now.
She felt her life slipping away, and perhaps soon she would have to say goodbye to this world.
After noon, Gu Xi was sitting at her desk compiling a medical record when a rare guest suddenly arrived at Weiyang Palace.
"Sister Lu!" Gu Xi's eyes lit up, and she quickly put down her pen and stood up to greet her.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Lu Mengli curtsied.
Gu Xi quickly stepped forward to help her up. "Get up quickly. Just call me as you used to." She herself wasn't used to this identity, and she would return it soon.
The two sat down around the round table, and Zhuyin served them tea.
"What brings you here today, Sister Lu?"
“Sister,” she said with a smile in her eyes, her expression more relaxed than ever before, “I’ve come today to say goodbye to you. I’m leaving the palace.”
"Leave the palace?" Gu Xi didn't understand what it meant at first.
"Yes, His Majesty has agreed."
She worked for him, and he promised to send her out of the palace and give her a new identity after the job was done, while publicly stating that she had died suddenly and that she could pursue her own life.
Her father was originally the Empress Dowager's man, and her entry into the palace was also arranged by the Empress Dowager. When they first met, she realized that he knew everything, so she decided to take the initiative to confess, because she felt that the Empress Dowager could not defeat him.
She made the right bet.
Initially, she offered to help him obtain information from the Empress Dowager and her father on the condition that he spare the lives of all 130 members of the Lu family on the day he succeeded, excluding her father, of course.
He didn't agree, his eyes filled with disdain.
But one day, he took the initiative to find her and agreed to her conditions in order to cover up the truth that Consort Wan had been banished to the Cold Palace.
It was from that moment on that she knew who the real person in his heart was.
But later, for some reason, he changed his mind. His blatant and extravagant affection for Gu Xi might be because he couldn't bear to see her being humiliated, and he wanted to give her the title of the most favored concubine in the palace.
At that time, the concubines were secretly indignant, feeling that the emperor actually favored Gu Xi, a woman who was utterly useless.
But she didn't think so.
She never believed in love without a reason. How could a woman without beauty, character, or knowledge win someone's pity? Similarly, how could a man without power, wealth, or virtue be entrusted with anything? Therefore, she knew that Gu Xi must have some extraordinary qualities that made the king of Sheng Kingdom so unforgettable and willing to use every means to protect her.
Therefore, she was not surprised at all by what happened to her later.
Looking at Gu Xi, who was still in a daze, she suddenly took her hand and said with a smile, "Before leaving the palace, I want to take you somewhere."
Lu Mengli led Gu Xi to a palace—a side hall of Chengqian Palace.
"Sister Lu, why did you bring me here?" Gu Xi asked in surprise. Wasn't this the place where she hid on the day she returned to the palace?
“There’s a secret room here,” Lu Mengli led her to the entrance of the secret passage. “Go in, perhaps you’ll find the answer you’re looking for here.”
Gu Xi looked at her hesitantly, but after receiving a look of affirmation from her eyes, she walked step by step into the depths of the secret passage.
As Lu Mengli watched Gu Xi's retreating figure, a relieved smile appeared on her face, her eyes filled with pure blessings and sincere acceptance.
They both fell in love with the same man, but that man only had eyes for her. She should have hated him; if he were like Consort Wan, she could have hated him without restraint, but he wasn't. She called her Sister Lu, seemingly truly regarding her as an older sister. When the Empress Dowager was poisoned, she even risked her life to save her.
When she was in Chuxiu Garden, her so-called friendship with her was merely that they were closer than others, but it was by no means to the point where she would risk her life to save her. Besides, in this deep palace, who else was worthy of such treatment?
Sometimes she would wonder why it had to be her, but then she would think, thankfully it was her.
If they hadn't fallen in love with the same man, they might have truly become great sisters.
The sound of footsteps behind her pulled her from her thoughts, and she suddenly said, "I told you you would regret it."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng's back stiffened, and the regret pierced his heart like a needle, bringing sharp pain.
Lu Mengli smiled.
The woman who had already entered the secret chamber—if one were to say she was unfortunate, for she alone received the emperor's complete affection; if one were to say she was fortunate, for this man did not understand love, and for someone as pure as her to be with him was bound to cause her much suffering.
She had once hoped to stand shoulder to shoulder with this man, but when he used her to poison the Empress Dowager, she realized that all her desires were in vain.
*
Gu Xi walked along the secret passage, the flickering candlelight on the niches on both sides illuminating the bluestone path.
She followed the faint light to a stone door. When her fingertips touched the cold stone door, the hinges began to turn, making a creaking sound.
The stone door swung open, and the room was filled with candlelight. Gu Xi stared in shock at the scene before her.
Countless portraits covered the entire secret room; on the surrounding walls and the table, the people in the paintings were all hers.
There are photos of her taking pulses while practicing medicine, photos of her laughing and joking on Chang'an Avenue, and photos of her playing the zither in the Gu family courtyard...
When she saw the painting of her playing the zither, she realized that he had seen her true appearance at the Gu family long ago. Her brother mentioned in his letter that their father had already served Xiao Heng before she entered the palace. She remembered that her father once told her to leave when there were distinguished guests at home, and that was probably when he discovered this.
Gu Xi's gaze finally fell on the portrait of her as a child. In the painting, she had all sorts of expressions, the most common being her smiling face with her eyes crinkling at the corners.
In the corner of this entire portrait, there is a boy who looks a few years older than her. His forehead and face are covered with shocking wounds, but his eyes are deep and clear, yet they have a melancholy that is inconsistent with his age.
She strode forward, staring at the portrait in the corner for a long time. Suddenly, she felt a jolt, and those memories that had faded with the years gradually became clear in her mind.
She covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears.
"Do you remember now, Gu Xi?" A low, husky voice sounded. Xiao Heng had entered at some point and hugged her from behind.
He knew that ten years was far too long, long enough for her to forget him.
But he hadn't forgotten, he dared not forget; all these years he had survived on those memories of her.
This side hall of Chengqian Palace is where he grew up, and it was the cold palace where his mother placed him.
When he was thirteen, he went hunting with his father, the emperor, and was pushed off a cliff by his ninth brother. He was missing for a day and a night, and no one came to look for him or cared whether he was alive or dead.
He fought his way out of the wolves and tigers and barely made it back to the palace.
His mother was waiting there. The moment he saw her, hope ignited in his eyes. He thought he had finally won his mother's love.
But it turned out to be a deeper hatred.
She dragged him, barely alive, into the icy river; she wanted him dead.
At that moment, he gave up struggling. He didn't understand why he was alive, so he let her have her wish.
He let himself sink little by little, and he still remembers the bone-chilling cold.
But someone saved him—his tutor.
Grand Tutor Yu took him to his own villa and hid him there. On that day, Gu Xi accidentally stumbled into the room where he was hiding, and that's where he met her.
By then, he was practically dead, and he didn't want to live anymore.
She seemed to have figured it out.
From then on, she came to see him every day, bringing him delicious food, and telling him stories from her book while he talked about them. She also told him that she had recently started learning the piano and that she really enjoyed it.
One day, she proudly played a piece for him, saying that she had written it especially for him and hoped he would like it.
That was the first time he knew what it felt like to be missed.
She said her name was "Xiaoxi". He didn't tell her his name, but only told her that he was the third child in his family and asked her to call him "Third Brother".
But she never appeared again. At first, he was a little angry, thinking that she had forgotten him, and later he worried that something had happened to her.
After waiting for several months, he finally decided to return to the palace, bringing with him the sheet music she had accidentally left behind.
On his way back to the palace, he encountered Lu Yong fighting with someone in the street and took him in.
He wanted to live, to see her one more time, and ask her why she no longer came to see him.
He didn't know who she was, only that her name was "Xiao Xi". At that time, he didn't dare to inquire directly, for fear of causing her trouble.
Later, his father sent him to the countryside for training, a difficult task that no one wanted to do, and it fell to him, the unfavored son. It was on that occasion that he met her again.
It was on the way to and from the capital from Medicine King Valley. Although her appearance had changed a lot, he recognized her at a glance. Her smiling face was exactly the same as when she was a child. He heard them call her Xiao Xi, and he knew that he had finally found her.
The moment they met again, he was suddenly annoyed that she hadn't said goodbye to him back then, but when he saw her smile at him, he forgave her.
Later he learned that she was Gu Chengzhong's daughter, and also the person Xiao Che was in love with.
From then on, whenever he had the chance to leave the palace, he would try to see her. Occasionally he would disguise himself and get close to her, but she never recognized him.
He watched her practice medicine and save lives, teaching people music, poetry, and songs. She was still as innocent and kind as she had been when she was a child. He kept her hidden in his heart, never letting her see the light of day.
During the struggle for the throne, he wished she were by his side so he could face it together, yet he was also grateful that she wasn't there to witness his terrifying state.
Now that he finally has her, it feels like he has lost her.
He hadn't told her before because he didn't want her to be with him out of pity. But now, whether it was out of pity or compassion, as long as she was willing to stay by his side, he wouldn't force her to stay.
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Author's Note: Filling in the plot holes! The male lead was a bitter gourd when he was young.
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