Chapter 26 The Death of Consort Wan His kiss was restrained yet gentle, with a hint of…
Gu Xi didn't know how she got back to Weiyang Palace. All she knew was that her heart was pounding the whole way, and she almost took the wrong path several times.
"Miss! You're finally back!" As soon as Zhu Yin saw Gu Xi, she rushed over and hugged her. "Did the Empress Dowager and General Qin make things difficult for you these past few days at Cining Palace?" After saying that, she grabbed Gu Xi and looked her up and down.
"Your Majesty, it's so good to see you back! Sister Zhuyin was so worried she couldn't sleep," Huayue said from the side.
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi gently stroked the top of Zhu Yin's head and said, "Zhu Yin, I'm sorry for making you worry."
Zhu Yin shook her head and said, "Miss! You can't be so impulsive next time! What if..." She meant what if the Empress Dowager couldn't save her? Wouldn't the young lady be punished along with her?
Gu Xi nodded: "Okay." Actually, she was also a little scared. Although she knew how to cure the poison and was confident that she could save the patient at the time, as Zhu Yin said, what if... But if she had to do it all over again, she thought she would still make the same choice.
"Your Majesty, I just heard some news in the Imperial Kitchen..." Hua Yue said impatiently, "I heard that Consort Wan is to be executed in three days. It was even ordered by the Emperor himself. She is the one who poisoned the Empress Dowager."
Gu Xi hummed in agreement, indicating that she understood, and did not want to continue the topic.
After chatting for a while, Zhuyin and Huayue went to prepare dinner, leaving only Cailian to keep her company.
Dusk gradually seeped into the window. She looked up and gazed out the window. The distant sky flickered, but it left no trace in her eyes.
"Your Majesty, have you seen the Emperor today?" Cailian couldn't help but ask.
Gu Xi snapped out of her daze and asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Cailian pursed her lips and said, "Perhaps Your Majesty hasn't noticed, but every time Your Majesty finishes seeing the Emperor, you always look preoccupied."
Gu Xi was taken aback upon hearing this, and murmured, "Really...?"
"Cailian," Gu Xi called softly, "Do you think the Emperor treats me well?"
"His Majesty treats the Empress extremely well." She didn't know about other things, but she had seen how good the Emperor was to Gu Xi.
"But he used to treat Consort Wan and Consort Shu so well, but now..." Now one of them is about to be executed, and the other is no different from being in the Cold Palace.
Seeing that Gu Xi was lost in thought, Cai Lian wanted to comfort her but didn't know how.
After dinner, Zhao Fuquan came to inform her that the Emperor would be coming that evening and that she should be prepared.
Xiao Heng had already told her about this at the rockery in the Imperial Garden earlier today, so she didn't understand why Zhao Fuquan had come over to tell her again.
"Your Highness, what Chief Steward Zhao means is... Your Highness should prepare to serve him tonight." After Zhao Fuquan left, Cailian couldn't help but remind Gu Xi, who still looked confused.
Gu Xi was stunned by what she heard! Then her face turned red instantly as she remembered what Xiao Heng had done to her behind the rockery.
Urged on by Cailian, Gu Xi slowly finished washing up, wearing only an undergarment, and sat on the bed waiting for Xiao Heng.
She tried several times to put her clothes back on properly, but Cailian stopped her each time.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Gu Xi suddenly stood up, but then, realizing her clothes were disheveled, she sat back down on the bed and grabbed a corner of the blanket to cover herself.
Xiao Heng strode in, Zhao Fuquan was waiting outside the door, and Cai Lian tactfully withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.
As soon as Xiao Heng entered the room, he saw Gu Xi sitting on the bed looking restless, her eyes filled with both embarrassment and wariness as she stared at him.
He walked closer to her step by step until he sat down beside her. She looked like she had just finished washing up; the hair at her temples was still damp, and there was a thin layer of sweat on the tip of her nose.
Gu Xi stared nervously at Xiao Heng, trying her best to maintain her upright posture. Suddenly, a warm, large hand grabbed her lower back and pulled her forward, causing her to fall into Xiao Heng's arms.
"Smells so good..." He buried his head in her neck, greedily inhaling her scent, his desire deepening in his eyes.
Gu Xi trembled all over from his touch, and the hairs on her neck stood on end. His breath swept over her, the scent of ambergris mixed with ebony and sandalwood filling her nostrils, so strong that she felt she was almost intoxicated by it.
She maintained her last shred of sanity and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty..."
But Xiao Heng didn't give her a chance to speak. He raised his head, supported her lower back with one hand, and held her chin with the other. His thumb gently caressed her lips. Looking into her watery eyes, he finally couldn't hold back and leaned down to kiss her.
His kiss was restrained yet gentle, with a cautious probing, as if afraid of startling her.
Gu Xi stood frozen, letting Xiao Heng conquer her. She could hear each other's heartbeats, and gradually she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Feeling the stiffness in his arms, Xiao Heng loosened his grip slightly, but his lips remained on hers as he coaxed in a hoarse voice, "No need to hold your breath... just breathe."
After saying that, his warm lips covered hers again, his tongue gently prying open her teeth, teasing her hesitant response little by little.
Gu Xi's eyes were glazed over. Just as she was about to indulge herself and sink into depravity, the image of Consort Shu's sorrowful expression in the main hall that day flashed before her eyes, like a bucket of cold water being poured over her, instantly sobering her up.
She suddenly opened her eyes and forcefully pushed Xiao Heng away.
Xiao Heng abruptly stopped, his eyes gleaming with undisguised desire: "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes bloodshot.
Gu Xi said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I...I am not ready yet."
Xiao Heng stared intently at Gu Xi, and after a moment pulled her into his arms. Gu Xi instinctively pushed him away, placing her hands on her chest.
Her hoarse voice came from above: "Then wait until you're ready... Don't be afraid, I won't force you."
The desire in Xiao Heng's eyes gradually faded.
"Your Majesty, this servant has something important to report," Zhao Fuquan suddenly called out from outside the door. If it weren't for the urgency of the matter, he would never have dared to disturb the Emperor at such a time.
Xiao Heng seemed to realize this as well. He glanced at Gu Xi, who was still in a daze, and got up to walk towards the door.
After a while, he came back and saw that Gu Xi had wrapped herself up tightly in the quilt, with only her head showing. Her eyes were looking at him warily and fearfully, as if she was afraid that he would do what he had just finished.
Xiao Heng sighed, turned and left. When he was almost at the door, he paused, turned his head and said to Gu Xi, "I have things to do tonight, you should rest early."
Gu Xi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
*
"What exactly happened?" The veins on Xiao Heng's forehead throbbed, and his eyes were filled with barely concealed ferocity.
"Just now, someone from Jingyang Palace reported that the Imperial Concubine suddenly led a group there, saying it was the Empress Dowager's decree." Zhao He just reported that the Imperial Concubine actually wanted to personally execute Consort Wan, which was originally scheduled to be carried out by the Eunuch Supervisor in three days.
Based on what Consort Wan knows... she absolutely cannot be allowed to meet with the Imperial Concubine.
"Didn't I tell you to send people to guard it?"
"They said... they couldn't stop her." Ever since Consort Wan was banished to the Cold Palace, he had been following the Emperor's orders to have people guarding the area to prevent her from getting close, in order to prevent her from saying anything she shouldn't have. This time, the Imperial Concubine personally led people over, and they simply couldn't stop her.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
As soon as they stepped into Jingyang Palace, the mournful laughter of Consort Wan echoed from the main hall.
"Hahahaha... Imperial Concubine? The Empress? You dare call yourself worthy?... Hahahaha... Do you know why the Emperor has no children? You don't know, do you... The Emperor doesn't have you in his heart at all, the person in his heart is..."
Xiao Heng kicked open the palace door.
Consort Xue and Consort Wan were both taken aback, not expecting Xiao Heng to appear so suddenly.
"Your Majesty...you've come to see me? I knew you couldn't bear to part with me..." Consort Wan looked at Xiao Heng with a sorrowful smile, her throat feeling like it was filled with grit, probably because she had been tormented these past few days.
Receiving no response, she didn't seem to care. Lost in her own memories, she continued, "Like...like that day, even though I was under house arrest, you still had that old eunuch Zhao Fuquan send me many things. I knew then that His Majesty always remembered me..."
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she screamed, "It's her! It's all because of that bitch! That's why you abandoned me..." Her voice was shrill and eerily sharp, as if it had been torn apart.
Listening to Consort Wan's ramblings, Xue Huixin thought she had truly gone mad! Looking at her like this, she didn't feel any pleasure either. If the Empress Dowager hadn't summoned her, she wouldn't have bothered to look at her again.
After speaking, Consort Wan stared intently at Xiao Heng, as if seeking his response.
But Xiao Heng's eyes were filled with disgust when he looked at her.
Seemingly provoked by his gaze, Consort Wan suddenly burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha...you hellish demon! You knew all along that I was the Empress Dowager's person, you deliberately indulged me, waiting to see me die, didn't you...hahahaha..." Her voice suddenly rose, her sobs mixed with maniacal laughter.
Xue Huixin was frightened by her appearance and took a few steps back.
Consort Wan suddenly turned to look at Xue Huixin, her eyes filled with suppressed hatred and pity. She smiled sarcastically, "Hahahaha...Are you very curious to know who I'm talking about?"
Just as Consort Wan was about to say something she shouldn't, Xiao Heng's murderous aura was terrifying. Zhao Fuquan quickly glanced at Xiao Heng and was about to make his move.
Consort Wan suddenly turned her head and smiled defiantly, saying, "I won't tell you..." Finally, she turned to Xiao Heng and asked in a mournful voice, "Your Majesty, did I really administer that poison?"
After saying that, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. So what if she was the one who committed the act? If he wanted her dead, she had no choice but to die.
She looked at Xiao Heng in despair and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, please spare my father's life, or I will curse you, curse you to be forever unlucky in love and to live a lonely life!" As she spoke, blood flowed from the corner of her mouth and dripped onto the stone bricks, creating a glaring red stain.
Consort Wan committed suicide.
Zhao Fuquan was taken aback and quickly withdrew the silver needles he had hidden in his hand.
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Author's Note: I'm late! [Let me see]
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