Chapter 28 The Cruel Truth "Whom will Your Majesty blame this time? Your Majesty? Your concubine..."
The next morning, as soon as Gu Xi got up, she heard Hua Yue's urgent voice outside the door.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you awake?"
Gu Xi's heart skipped a beat, thinking something had happened, and she hurriedly opened the door.
"What's wrong, Huayue?"
"Your Majesty, would you like to know where the Emperor went on the night of your birthday?"
Before Gu Xi could react, Hua Yue continued, "I found out that the Emperor really did go to Consort Li's place that night! And he even sent her a food box!" Hua Yue became more and more angry as she spoke, "How could the Emperor do this? It was clearly Your Highness's birthday, why did the Emperor send a gift to someone else? I even said before that he was good to Your Highness."
That emperor is really something! Does he have to send it on the empress's birthday? Couldn't he spend more time with her that night and choose another time to send it?
Gu Xi remembered that Zhao Fuquan had indeed brought two boxes over that night. It turned out that the other one was for Sister Lu. But it wasn't a big deal. Why did Sister Lu seem so nervous when Cai Tang brought it up yesterday, as if she didn't want others to know about it?
Gu Xi wiped the sweat from Hua Yue's forehead and couldn't help but chuckle, "You silly girl, you went out so early in the morning just to find out about this?" It seems that what Cai Tang said last night has really bothered her.
Hua Yue nodded heavily.
Gu Xi was amused by her appearance: "It's nothing. It's none of our business when the Emperor gives gifts to whom or when, understand?" He is the Emperor, with many beauties in his harem. How could she care?
For some reason, thinking about this made me feel a strange pang of sadness.
Hua Yue gave a muffled "hmm".
Gu Xi ignored her and went back to her room to fix her hair and makeup in preparation for heading to Cining Palace.
As she and Cailian walked along the road, Gu Xi suddenly remembered the candied fruit that the Empress Dowager ate on the day she was poisoned. Could it be that the candied fruit was the one that Xiao Heng gave to Sister Lu?
She shook her head. No, no, if that were the case, wouldn't it mean he deliberately put Sister Lu in a dangerous situation? He wouldn't do that.
As Gu Xi pondered, she arrived at Cining Palace.
As usual, she took the Empress Dowager's pulse and adjusted the prescription. In fact, the poison had been basically cleared, and now it was just a matter of daily conditioning, which the imperial physicians could probably do better. However, the Empress Dowager insisted that she come every day, and she couldn't refuse.
"I heard that the Emperor visited you yesterday?"
Gu Xi was taken aback by the question, not understanding why the Empress Dowager would suddenly ask her this, but she still nodded.
"I heard that the emperor never stays for more than a short while before leaving?"
Gu Xi thought for a moment. Xiao Heng did indeed never stay at her place for long. Just as she was about to answer, she was suddenly startled. How did the Empress Dowager know? Could it be that she had someone monitoring Xiao Heng?
Gu Xi collected her thoughts and said calmly, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager held Gu Xi's hand and earnestly advised, "Sometimes you have to go along with a man. You have to understand that being too rigid can lead to breaking."
Gu Xi recalled what happened last night and pursed her lips: "Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Empress Dowager." She did not want to talk to the Empress Dowager about her relationship with Xiao Heng, so she replied in agreement.
"I see you seem quite unsettled today. Please copy this scripture for me before you go back." She had already heard about what happened at court today, and the Emperor would likely come over soon to put on a show with her. She could use this opportunity to let Gu Xi spend more time with the Emperor. If she wanted to make good use of her in the future, Gu Xi's current relationship with the Emperor wouldn't suffice; she would need to take it a step further.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she returned to her palace to rest, leaving Gu Xi alone in the side hall.
Gu Xi had been copying for a long time, and her hands were getting a little sore. She was just stretching her wrists when she suddenly heard Zhao Fuquan's voice outside the hall.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Gu Xi rose to greet him.
Xiao Heng glanced down at her and said, "Rise."
Gu Xi sat back down and continued copying the scriptures, while Xiao Heng also found a seat.
"Why are you still here?" Xiao Heng asked, frowning.
"Your Majesty, I am copying scriptures for the Empress Dowager," Gu Xi said without looking up. She didn't want to pay attention to Xiao Heng, but since he was the Emperor, she had no choice but to reply.
"How much have you copied? Your hand must be tired!"
“Your Majesty, copying scriptures requires utmost sincerity and focus. Please do not disturb me,” Gu Xi said stiffly.
Xiao Heng hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions.
Zhao Fuquan took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This Consort Gu was truly unafraid of the Emperor's anger, but he was!
Good heavens! How could we have produced such an ancestor!
Xiao Heng sat for a while, and Qin Wanyu came out to report: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has just taken her medicine and is now asleep."
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will come back later." After saying that, he got up and walked out of the side hall.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
"This servant respectfully sees Your Majesty off."
Not long after Xiao Heng left, Gu Xi finished copying the scriptures. She gave Liu Mama some instructions and then left.
After leaving the side hall, she remembered that she had left her needle pouch behind, so she asked Cailian to go back and get it while she waited outside the hall.
Gu Xi waited for a while, and suddenly heard hushed conversations in the distance. Not wanting to eavesdrop, she was about to leave. But when that familiar voice rang out, she stopped in her tracks.
"Did she find out?" Xiao Heng asked.
“No, but she also suspects it’s related to you,” the woman said in a low voice.
"It's alright, the person is already dead, no matter how much she investigates, there's no way to prove it."
"Then Consort Li..." The woman's voice sounded somewhat worried.
“I warned her, but she dared not say anything,” Xiao Heng said in a deep voice.
“Yes…” the woman replied.
"Someone..."
The sound of Cai Lian's footsteps approached from afar, and the conversation stopped abruptly, indicating that she had already gone far away.
Gu Xi returned to Weiyang Palace in a daze.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Zhu Yin asked worriedly when she saw that Gu Xi looked absent-minded.
Gu Xi did not answer. Zhu Yin looked at Cai Lian questioningly, but Cai Lian shook her head as well.
Gu Xi didn't say anything, went into the room alone, and closed the door.
It really was him. She wished she had been wrong.
It seems that Sister Lu was aware of the situation, which is why he treated her that way yesterday.
Now that she knows, how will he treat her?
*
At night, after finishing his official duties, Xiao Heng led Zhao Fuquan to Weiyang Palace.
Two things happened today that put him in a very good mood.
First, in the imperial court, Bai Xingzhi led the way in impeaching Qin Jianshan, accusing him of abusing his power in the palace and, during the days when the Empress Dowager was poisoned, of arbitrarily confining officials within the palace, disregarding the emperor's authority. He successfully regained control of the Imperial Guards, preventing them from falling into the hands of others.
Secondly, a report came from the border town that Xiao Che had successfully wiped out the enemy, our army had won a great victory, and the enemy general had also voluntarily surrendered to our dynasty. We will be able to return to the capital soon.
He had wanted to share this good news with her at the Cining Palace today, but the timing wasn't right, so he waited until now.
He knew she was still angry with him because of what happened to Consort Li yesterday, so he tried to coax her until she calmed down.
As soon as Xiao Heng stepped into Weiyang Palace, he saw several of her maids pacing outside her room, looking gloomy and distressed.
"What happened?" Xiao Heng's heart tightened, and he asked with a frown.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, the Empress has locked herself in her room since returning from Cining Palace. She refuses to eat, and no matter how we call her, she won't open the door," Hua Yue said anxiously.
"Open the door, it's me," Xiao Heng called from outside the door.
There was no response.
"Gu Xi, open the door," Xiao Heng called out patiently again.
The door opened gently, and Gu Xi stood inside, her eyes slightly swollen, as if she had been crying.
"Why has the Emperor come?" Her tone was indifferent, not angry, but even more distant than when she was angry.
"Go and prepare some food," Xiao Heng instructed Zhu Yin and the others before going inside.
"What's wrong? Were you bullied at Cining Palace today?" Xiao Heng asked softly.
Gu Xi shook her head and remained silent.
Xiao Heng thought that she was probably still angry with him, so he would tell her about Xiao Che's great victory. He knew that they had grown up together since childhood and had a deep bond, so this should make her happier.
"I have something I want to tell you..."
Gu Xi suddenly interrupted him: "Your Majesty, who exactly poisoned the Empress Dowager?" She stared intently at Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng frowned, wondering why she had brought this up again. He said in a deep voice, "Naturally, it was Consort Wan who gave it to me. This is the result of the Ministry of Justice's investigation."
"Really?" Gu Xi chuckled lightly. "But I heard it was the Emperor who placed it?"
"Who told you that?" Xiao Heng asked, squinting slightly.
"Isn't that right? It was the Emperor who deliberately poisoned the things he gave to Sister Lu before presenting them to the Empress Dowager. It had nothing to do with Consort Wan."
"Who told you all this?" Xiao Heng asked with a dark expression.
“If the Emperor doesn’t deny it, then it’s true…” Just a second ago she was defending him, but perhaps she misunderstood; things weren’t as she thought.
"I ask you, who told you this?" Xiao Heng asked in a deep voice, struggling to suppress his anger. "Was it Lu...?"
"No!" Gu Xi interrupted him urgently, "I heard it myself! Outside the side hall of Cining Palace, I personally heard His Majesty say..."
Xiao Heng pursed his lips and remained silent.
"Whom will Your Majesty blame this time? Your Majesty? Your Majesty? Your concubine?" Gu Xi said sarcastically.
"I don't blame you." He didn't expect that Gu Xi would overhear their conversation today, and it was fortunate that she did. It seems that they will have to find a different place to meet next time.
"What exactly is the Emperor's purpose in doing this?"
Xiao Heng explained, "I want to take this opportunity to regain control of the Imperial Guards." He hadn't wanted to tell her these things, but since she had asked, he would.
"I see..." He knew that once the Empress Dowager was poisoned, Qin Jianshan would definitely jump out to investigate thoroughly. In order to prevent the poisoner from escaping, he would confine everyone in the palace, which would cause dissatisfaction among the officials.
But she still didn't understand why he would poison Consort Li's offerings; he clearly had other options.
"But the Emperor's actions will put Sister Lu to death? What did she do wrong?" Gu Xi questioned.
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment and said, "I knew you would save her."
Gu Xi was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had included himself in the calculation.
Gu Xi's eyes dimmed instantly: "Your Majesty, what if I can't save her either?" If they couldn't be saved, she and Consort Li would be thrown into prison together.
"You can save him," Xiao Heng said confidently.
"What if...?" She didn't voice the second half of the question: would His Majesty abandon her?
"Even if you can't save her, I have a way to protect you." He had already come up with a foolproof plan; they couldn't touch her no matter what.
"Is that so..." Gu Xi muttered to himself. He doted on Consort Li so much, yet he couldn't stop Qin Jianshan that day, let alone himself.
Gu Xi gave a bitter smile.
Xiao Heng couldn't bear to see her like this, so he reached out to hug her, but Gu Xi took a step back, and Xiao Heng's hand stopped in mid-air.
-----------------------
Author's Note: We've surpassed 100 favorites! Thank you all for your support, I'll keep working hard!! [cheering emoji]
P.S.: Section comments are now open; welcome to discuss!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com