"Miss Gu, the Queen wants you to come in."
"Thank you, sister."
Gu Jiu took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom.
The light in the bedroom was dim, and the palace maids were hiding in the dark, so their appearance could not be seen clearly.
A eunuch was standing in front of the bed. When he heard the footsteps, he immediately raised his head and looked at her.
Gu Jiu also looked at the man. He was pale and beardless, and in his thirties. To be able to enter the Empress's bedroom at this time, he must be someone the Empress trusted.
After going over the list of people in Weiyang Palace in his head, Gu Jiu guessed the other person's identity. This person must be the most powerful person in Weiyang Palace, Fang Shaojian.
The Queen was lying on the bed, barely breathing, her eyes closed, as if she were already dead.
Gu Jiu stepped forward and bowed, "Your humble servant greets Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a long and healthy life."
The Queen suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a torch, and looked straight at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu lowered his head slightly, avoiding the Queen's gaze.
“Here I come!”
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "Please teach me, Madam."
The Empress raised her hand, and Fang Shaojian immediately extended the back of his hand. The Empress placed her hand on the back of Fang Shaojian's hand.
The Empress pointed at Gu Jiu and asked, "Are you used to living in the palace?"
Gu Jiu was already prepared for the battle.
As a result, the Queen Mother's friendly expression made Gu Jiu a little uncomfortable.
She didn't dare to let her guard down, her whole body tensed as she spoke carefully, "I've been learning the rules from Madam every day, and I've benefited a lot these days."
The Queen smiled, her skinny cheeks full of wrinkles.
The queen of a generation, her beauty faded, her life nearing its end. However, her eyes, like stars in the night, could not be ignored by anyone.
There was a glint of wisdom in her eyes.
Her life will surely leave a significant mark in history.
Gu Jiu admired the Queen from the bottom of his heart. This woman was so strong.
But she had to be an opponent of the Queen.
However, in the eyes of the Queen, Gu Jiu was not qualified to be her opponent.
"Come here, I want to take a good look at you."
Gu Jiu's heart skipped a beat and he walked slowly forward, still one step away from the edge of the bed.
The Empress grabbed her hand fiercely. "Young Master Zhao chose you, so you must have something extraordinary. I heard that you can memorize things very quickly."
Gu Jiu lowered her brows and said docilely, "Your Majesty, I am only good at memorizing."
"So, you have a good memory?"
Gu Jiu whispered, "It's not that great, but I'm willing to work hard."
The Empress laughed, and the other eunuch said, "Look at the children nowadays, how modest they are."
Fang Shaojian smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right. Miss Gu is of good character and appearance, and comes from a clean family. As a girl, she is willing to study hard. No wonder Young Master Zhao has always been thinking about her."
The Queen nodded, staring at Gu Jiu with a slight smile in her eyes, "You have such a good memory, why did you forget something from half a year ago so quickly?"
Gu Jiu's heart skipped a beat, and he said calmly, "Please tell me, Your Majesty. I don't know what you are talking about."
The Empress laughed. "Young girls nowadays are so good at playing dumb. Unlike me when I was young, I would answer whatever the adults asked and never play dumb. Even His Majesty said that my greatest strength is honesty."
"Of course, the girls nowadays cannot compare to you, Your Majesty, in your youth." Fang Shaojian looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile.
"Miss Gu, you dare to fool people in front of the Empress. Are you really not afraid of death?"
The word "death" was dragged out by Fang Shaojian in a long way, which was very deterrent.
Gu Jiu lowered his head and said hurriedly, "I really don't know what your majesty is referring to. Please tell me everything you know."
"Oh? It's rare that you are willing to tell the truth in front of me." The Queen smiled and finally let go of Gu Jiu's hand.
Gu Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fang Shaojian stepped forward and said, "Miss Gu, the Queen last asked you if you had ever met Young Master Zhao when you were in the northwest. Have you thought about your answer to this question?"
Gu Jiu made a bewildered expression. "I don't understand. The last time Your Majesty asked me about this, I told you that I had never seen Gongzi Zhao in the northwest. At that time, I was lying in my room all day recuperating and had never even left the second door. Moreover, at that time, I had never even heard of Gongzi Zhao."
Fang Shaojian snorted coldly, "Miss Gu, the Queen has given you a chance, but you refuse to cherish it. You keep saying you haven't left the house, but some people know that you went out for several days and went to Tianmen Temple with your brother to burn incense and pray for your deceased mother. Has Miss Gu really forgotten this?"
Gu Jiu looked panic-stricken, which made Fang Shaojian very proud, thinking that he had found Gu Jiu's weak spot.
While dealing with it, Gu Jiu was thinking that it was indeed the Xie family who leaked the news.
She said helplessly and aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, at that time, I had just escaped from the gates of hell and was terrified. It was my late mother's death anniversary, so I went to Tianmen Temple to burn incense and pray for her. At that time, I didn't even know who Gongzi Zhao was, so how could I have known him?"
"Her Majesty didn't say you knew Gongzi Zhao. Her Majesty simply asked if you had seen Gongzi Zhao at Tianmen Temple in the northwest."
Fang Shaojian stared at Gu Jiu fiercely.
Gu Jiu shook her head. "I've been in Tianmen Temple for a few days. Due to my frail health, I've either been burning incense and praying in the main hall or resting in the side rooms. And I've always been accompanied by maids. I haven't met any young masters in those days, but I have seen a few ladies."
Fang Shaojian snorted coldly, "It seems that Miss Gu will not cry until she sees the coffin. Bring the person in."
people?
Who?
Gu Jiu was panicking. Could it be Xie Xian coming?
No way!
Hearing the footsteps, Gu Jiu suddenly looked towards the door, and was startled by the person coming.
The person who came was not Xie Xian as she guessed, but Nanny Ping who was beside Madam Xie.
How could it be Nanny Ping?
She's actually here? Could it be that Xie...
No, that's not right.
There must be something wrong here.
"Your servant greets Her Majesty the Queen."
Nanny Ping didn't even look at Gu Jiu. She walked in and knelt on the ground to pay her respects to the Queen.
The Queen looked at Madam Ping and asked, "Do you know Gu Jiu?"
Nanny Ping then glanced at Gu Jiu and nodded, "Your Majesty, I know him."
"It's good to know each other. Tell me what happened in the northwest, when Gu Jiu went to Tianmen Temple?"
"As you command."
Madam Ping lowered her head and gave Gu Jiu a malicious smile, then began to speak: "At that time, the madam wanted to betroth the second young lady to Xie Xian, the fourth young master of the Xie family. Master Gu had been hesitant about this marriage, and the madam wanted to take advantage of Gu Jiu's stay in Tianmen Temple to make Xie Xian a fait accompli.
From the beginning, everything went smoothly. By nightfall, after the drug was administered, someone appeared and saved Gu Jiu at the critical moment. However, Xie Xian was beaten and his injuries were serious and life-threatening. I heard that Xie Xian took half a year to recover completely from his injuries.
After hearing this, the Queen looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile and asked Nanny Ping, "Who saved Gu Jiu?"
Madam Ping said, "According to Xie Xian, he was a very tall guard. He had a standard-issue sword on his waist, so he was definitely not a guard from an ordinary family."
The Empress looked at Gu Jiu and asked sternly, "Tell me who the guard was who saved you?"
Gu Jiu was very excited. "Your Majesty, Madam Ping is talking nonsense. Although I am not your biological child, I have always been cared for by you, and that is why I have grown up so well."
Madam is kindhearted and would never be as cruel as Aunt Ping said, letting Xie Xian go to Tianmen Temple to harm me, tarnish my reputation, and bring shame to the Gu family.
The truth was that Xie Xian was a dissolute man with no reverence for the Buddha, and he deliberately wanted to embarrass the head monk of Tianmen Temple. In the middle of the night, he sneaked into Tianmen Temple with his servant to steal the Buddhist treasures, but was discovered by the head monk of Tianmen Temple.
Because he said he was a relative of the Gu family, the abbot of Tianmen Temple, for the sake of our Gu family's reputation, and because my brother and I happened to be in Tianmen Temple at the time, the abbot of Tianmen Temple handed Xie Xian over to my brother and me for disposal.
My brother was angry at Xie Xian for bringing disgrace upon himself, so he gave him a good beating and handed him over to the second master of the Xie family. As for Xie Xian's servant, he handed him over to the government for legal action.
This matter is recorded in the Jinzhou Governor's Office. Everything I said is true and I dare not lie.
"But this Madam Ping, I wonder if she's lost her mind, or if she's seeking revenge on our Gu family, she's fabricated this outrageous lie, alleging that Madam instigated Xie Xian to tarnish my reputation. Your Majesty, please understand this matter."
Nanny Ping looked at Gu Jiu in disbelief. She was almost shocked by Gu Jiu's words.
As soon as Gu Jiu finished speaking, she shouted, "This slave is not lying. Madam, everything this slave said is true. Xie Xian and the second master of the Xie family can testify to this."
Gu Jiu pointed at Madam Ping's nose and scolded her harshly, "Madam Ping, shut up! How did the Gu family wrong you to make you go crazy and make up such vicious lies to slander Madam, slander me, and even slander the Xie family.
You have done such a heartless and worse thing than pigs and dogs. Are you still a human being?
Could it be that what you say is more trustworthy than the government files?
absurd!
You have done such a thing. Where do you put the dignity of the court?
You betrayed your master, slandered the government, are unkind and unjust, disloyal and unfilial, you deserve to die!"
Nanny Ping was scolded by Gu Jiu and panicked, "No! What this slave said is true. Your Majesty, you must believe this slave!"
Gu Jiu snorted coldly, "The Queen is extremely wise, how could she be deceived by such an unkind and unjust person like you? Just give up."
Nanny Ping is still defending herself.
The Queen had no intention of listening and closed her eyes slightly. Fang Shaojian waved his hand and someone came in immediately, covered Nanny Ping's mouth and dragged her away.
Gu Jiu watched as Nanny Ping was dragged away.
She saw with her own eyes the light in Nanny Ping's eyes gradually disappear, saw her tears streaming down her face, saw her eyes filled with hatred, panic, struggle, and begging for mercy.
Nanny Ping is dead!
Gu Jiu remained indifferent.
The queen chuckled.
The laughter reached Gu Jiu's ears, making him shiver all over and feel very bad.
The Queen Mother stared at Gu Jiu and said, "According to what you said, no guards rescued you."
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "That's right! All of this is fabricated by Madam Ping."
The Empress sneered, "I really underestimated you before. You're so good at confusing right and wrong, and making the dying look alive. No wonder Young Master Zhao fell for you."
Gu Jiu looked terrified.
The Empress smiled again and said, "I would like to thank you. Now I can finally confirm that Gongzi Zhao stayed at Tianmen Temple during his time in the northwest. If we send someone to Tianmen Temple to investigate, we might be able to find any trace of Gongzi Zhao's residence there."
Gu Jiu faced the Queen with a bewildered look on his face.
However, at this moment, her heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out of her throat.
Did she just make things worse?
No no no!
She couldn't just sit there and watch Nanny Ping slander the Gu family, destroy her reputation, and drag Liu Zhao into it without doing anything.
Fighting back against Aunt Ping was something she had to do.
It was obvious that the Queen Mother had calculated this and deliberately provoked a fight between her and Nanny Ping.
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth secretly, what should he do now?
The Empress looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile, "Seeing how hard you're trying to deny the existence of that guard, if I still can't guess the truth, then I've been the Empress for so many years in vain."
Gu Jiu's face turned pale, but she still held on, "What your servant said is the truth. The Jinzhou Governor's Office really does have the case file."
"I believe there are files. How about you listen to my speculation about the truth?"
Gu Jiu was uneasy.
Fang Shaojian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please take a rest. Let me tell you. The Gu and Xie families are planning a marriage. To facilitate the marriage, Xie sent Xie Xian to Tianmen Temple to make it a done deal."
It happened that Prince Zhao had secretly left the capital and was staying in the backyard of Tianmen Temple. He heard a cry for help in the middle of the night and sent his guards to rescue him.
Because of this opportunity, Miss Gu met Master Zhao.
On the other hand, in order to silence the gossips and also for Miss Gu's reputation, Lord Gu deliberately made it look like Xie Xian had gone to Tianmen Temple to steal Buddhist treasures and was beaten after the incident. In the end, the case was closed with the servant taking the blame.
Miss Gu, does this story we told you sound familiar to you?
Gu Jiu was shocked and frightened. It turned out that everyone in the palace was a shrewd person and none of them was easy to fool.
However, Gu Jiu still managed to remain calm.
"The story told by Young Master Fang is well-founded and sounds like it's true. However, that's not what I experienced. Your Majesty, please understand."
Fang Shaojian chuckled, "At this point, Miss Gu still refuses to tell the truth. She really won't cry until she sees the coffin.
If Prince Zhao leaves the capital without permission, he should be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned. Miss Gu, as clever as she is, can surely imagine how miserable Prince Zhao's fate will be.
We would like to advise Miss Gu to quickly draw a clear line between herself and Young Master Zhao while there is still time.
"The Queen, seeing that you've worked so hard, will definitely protect you, cancel your engagement with Young Master Zhao, and find you another marriage, such as the Zhenguogong Mansion. What do you think?"
Gu Jiu looked aggrieved and tears suddenly fell.
Fang Shaojian frowned. What happened? She was fine just now, why did she suddenly start crying?
The little girl is so annoying, she cries all the time.
But at least this shows that Gu Jiu was frightened, which is a good sign.
Fang Shaojian pressed on, "Miss Gu, it's time to speak. Her Majesty's patience is limited, so don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit."
Gu Jiu cried to delay time while thinking of a solution.
Just as Liu Zhao said, without concrete evidence, the Queen Mother did not dare to act rashly and said that Liu Zhao had no order to leave the capital.
They are pressing forward step by step, racing against time.
He wanted to convict Liu Zhao of his crime before the Empress passed away, so that Liu Zhao would never be able to turn over a new leaf.
Also due to time constraints, they did not have time to go to the northwest to investigate and collect evidence, so they could only use threats and inducements in an attempt to force a confession from Gu Jiu.
Obviously, they believed that Liu Zhao had secretly gone to the northwest. They also believed that Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao knew each other when they were in the northwest.
I have to say, the Queen's guess was very accurate.
However, it was impossible for Gu Jiu to tell the truth.
Gu Jiu cried and said, "I am telling the truth. I really don't know Gongzi Zhao. I, I...Fang Shaojian, no matter how you force me, I will still say this. I can't make up something that didn't happen."
Gu Jiu cried so sadly.
Fang Shaojian snorted coldly, "It seems that the Queen has been too kind to you, and you don't know what's good for you. Come, bring..."
"I say, I say..."
Gu Jiu interrupted Fang Shaojian while crying.
She is very afraid of pain, so never torture her.
Fang Shaojian smiled complacently, "Tell me. Where were you in the northwest? When did you meet Gongzi Zhao? Tell me exactly how you met."
Gu Jiu sobbed twice before saying, "I was in the northwest and never met Gongzi Zhao."
"What did you say?"
Fang Shaojian was furious, "Gu Jiu, are you kidding me?"
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