"Your Majesty, I really didn't! Look at my face, it was my sister who hit me!"
"It is clearly my elder sister who harbors resentment towards me!"
No matter how hard Gu Jiangli tried, her explanations seemed utterly weak.
The emperor's face was gloomy, and he didn't take her words to heart at all.
Gu Jiangli then stepped forward to explain:
"Your Majesty, it is true that I laid a hand on my sister, but there was a reason for it..."
"The sachet Your Majesty gave me was ruined by my sister, and she also said some unpleasant things, so I couldn't help but take action."
She gently handed over the sachet with a hole in it.
The emperor glanced at it and his eyes darkened further.
Gu Jiangli added softly, "This was the first gift His Majesty gave me. I intended to keep it safe, but I accidentally broke it while shoving my sister..."
She sounded extremely aggrieved, her eyes red.
She didn't say this in front of the Empress Dowager because the Empress Dowager wouldn't be angry with Gu Jiangru if she found out.
But the emperor was different.
When emperors gave gifts, they always prioritized the valuable ones.
It is extremely rare for someone to give such an unassuming sachet as a gift.
Therefore, this sachet held a special significance for the emperor.
This is at least proof that he has started to care about Gu Jiangli.
The emperor was a rational person and would not act impulsively.
She made a point of emphasizing that it was the first gift she had ever given, and that she valued it highly, all in order to prevent the emperor from being too rational.
A meaningful gift has been ruined; it's time to act impulsively.
The sachet was broken, and the emperor visibly gritted his teeth, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.
"Consort Gu, you've really made the harem a living hell."
The emperor's words, spoken through gritted teeth, startled Consort Gu so much that she forgot to utter a rebuttal.
She knelt on the ground, head raised, letting hot tears stream down her face.
"Consort Gu damaged the sacred object and maliciously instigated strife in the harem. She shall be given twenty strokes of the cane and demoted to the rank of Noble Lady."
Gu Jiangru stared blankly at the emperor, "No... Your Majesty... it was Gu Jiangli who harmed me! I'm innocent!"
The emperor turned his head away in disgust and ordered the eunuchs outside, "Take him out! He is not to set foot in Guangming Hall again."
"No...Your Majesty! My sister framed me! I'm innocent! I'm completely innocent!"
She couldn't understand why the emperor's heart had changed so much in just one month, when she had been so favored just a month ago.
Could a child really make the emperor and empress dowager unable to distinguish right from wrong, black from white?
"I refuse to accept this! Gu Jiangli lied to you! Your Majesty! Empress Dowager!..."
As two eunuchs carried her out by her arms, her cries grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard.
Guangming Hall returned to silence for a moment.
The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and comforted Gu Jiangli:
"Good child, you've been wronged. You should be resting properly while you're pregnant, but instead you have to endure this noise."
"Fortunately, I am quite satisfied with the Emperor's handling of the matter."
"I never realized before that Consort Gu... Noble Lady Gu was such a vicious person, trying to harm you right in front of me."
The Empress Dowager still felt a lingering fear when she recalled the scene.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened. If something had happened to the child, she really wouldn't know how she would face her royal ancestors.
Gu Jiangli was barely satisfied with the punishment.
The caning in the imperial harem was not as severe as that used when interrogating criminals.
Twenty strokes of the cane might leave Gu Jiangru with raw, bleeding skin and unable to get out of bed for a month, but it wouldn't cripple her.
Being demoted to a sixth-rank noblewoman, a rank lower than her own, must have been a psychological torment for Gu Jiangru.
But that's not enough.
That's far from enough.
Her mother was killed by Gu Jiangru, and she only received such a light punishment? That's far too lenient.
The most useful assistant right now is still the emperor.
Gu Jiangli nodded and said, "Yes, it's all thanks to Your Majesty's timely arrival, otherwise I really don't know what would have happened."
She looked at the emperor with gratitude.
The emperor's expression was complicated; his lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.
His gaze darted away, and after a long pause, he asked:
"Really...pregnant?"
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly: "Physician Wang personally took the pulse, so there's no mistake."
She suppressed her smile and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty...doesn't you like this child?"
The emperor denied it almost immediately, "No."
He was just surprised.
He never imagined he could have a child.
Looking at his slightly dazed expression, Gu Jiangli thought of the emperor's previous experiences.
Even the emperor was cautious about his excitement about the child.
This made Gu Jiangli think to herself, "It's a pity this child is fake. She gave the emperor a glimmer of hope, but soon she will destroy that hope herself."
What will the emperor's attitude be then?
She pondered for a moment, then decided to deal with the more important matters first.
She smiled and said to the Emperor and Empress Dowager:
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I have a request."
The Empress Dowager could now grant her any request, and quickly said:
"If Consort Gu wants anything, just say so. Gold and silver jewelry, brocade and fox fur, whatever you want, I will decide for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I don't need these things for the time being."
Material possessions will come eventually; she's not interested in them right now.
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