Gu Jiangru burst forth with hatred, "It's all Gu Jiangli's fault!"
"She did it? How did she do it?"
Gu Jiangru was about to say that Gu Jiangli had misled the emperor and used malicious means to injure her.
But when he turned his head, he saw that his mother was wearing an expensive gold hairpin.
Looking down again, I saw that she was wearing a green jade bracelet.
On second thought, it was Lotus who led her mother here, so the origin of these two items is self-evident.
Gu Jiangru used all her strength, ignoring the injury on her buttocks, to prop herself up. She reached out and pulled the hairpin from Aunt Zhang's head, then threw it forcefully, sending the hairpin flying to the side of the door.
"Ru'er! What are you doing?!"
Aunt Zhang hurriedly ran to pick up the gold hairpin, holding it in her hand like a treasure. She only breathed a sigh of relief after checking it from all sides and finding no cracks.
"You're not allowed to take it! Gu Jiangli gave it to you, didn't she! You want her things too! We're sworn enemies!"
Aunt Zhang carefully carried the hairpin back to the bedside and said timidly:
"How can something be so serious as to be irreconcilable enemies... Even if you have a lot of grudges with her, it doesn't have to be about money, does it?"
"This is a gold hairpin. You can't find such a high-quality design on the market. It's worth a lot of money!"
"Gu Jiangli is a fool. She has no idea what we've been doing and still treats me like family."
"Since that's the case, why should we make things difficult for her? I've only been in the palace for one day, and she's already given me so many things. Once she gives birth to the child, she'll probably give me countless treasures!"
"Ru'er, you enjoy all the riches and honors of being a Consort in the palace. Don't you want your mother to experience the pleasures of a wealthy lady outside the palace?"
Gu Jiangru said fiercely, "Your Highness Zhaoyi? Don't you know? I'm no longer Zhaoyi!"
"Thanks to Gu Jiangli! I've now been demoted to a sixth-rank noble!"
"What?! You're not Consort Zhaoyi anymore? A sixth-rank noble lady? Isn't that a rank lower than Gu Jiangli, who was a fifth-rank concubine?" Aunt Zhang looked surprised.
Gu Jiangru said viciously, "Not only that, I'm also the only concubine in the entire harem who was punished with a cane! It's all Gu Jiangli's fault!"
"What?! She even caused you to get a beating? How vicious! She was acting all nice to me just now!"
Gu Jiangru said with exasperation, "Mother! Gu Jiangli is a wicked person! She is no longer the legitimate daughter of the Gu family that you knew!"
"Once she entered the palace, her scheming was deeper than the sea! Do you still think she's a fool? Do you still think she treats you like family?"
"Can't you refuse the gold and silver she gives you for the sake of your daughter's dignity and my own reputation?"
"It's just some money! You can have your daughter too!"
Gu Jiangru's painful screams made Aunt Zhang look distressed.
"I didn't expect her methods to be so ruthless. She's only a Jieyu now, yet she's already causing so much harm. What will happen after she gives birth? Won't she be promoted? Won't that be even more disadvantageous for you then?"
Gu Jiangru's eyes flashed with a sinister light. "She definitely won't let me off easily."
Aunt Zhang paced anxiously back and forth in the room, clutching her gold hairpin.
Then she squatted down by the bed and said urgently, "Ru'er, His Majesty has asked me to take care of Gu Jiangli. Why don't I get rid of her child? If the child is gone, His Majesty might take a second look at you!"
"What?! His Majesty wants you to take care of the pregnant Gu Jiangli?" Gu Jiangru asked incredulously.
"Yes, I'll have to stay with Gu Jiangli until she gives birth, taking care of her constantly. Since I'm taking care of her, I'll have an opportunity to make my move!"
Gu Jiangru was silent for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, she gritted her teeth and said:
"It wasn't His Majesty, it was Gu Jiangli who sent you!"
"She hates me so much, and went to so much trouble to make me into the way I am now, how could she really trust you to take care of her?"
"If anything happens to the baby in her womb while you are taking care of her, you will be the first to be held accountable!"
"She gave you gold, silver, and jade only to seduce you!"
"Mother, from now on, you must treat the child in her womb with utmost care and attention every single day! Do you understand?!"
Aunt Zhang was so frightened that her face turned ashen.
She never thought of that.
"Ru'er, what do you mean by this? Would Gu Jiangli really joke about his own child's life? Can anyone be so vicious?"
"Besides, what good will it do her to lose the child? Isn't the child just a bargaining chip for her to gain favor?"
"Without the child, will His Majesty still favor her?"
As Aunt Zhang spoke, she kept recalling the scene when Gu Jiangli gave her the gift.
She really couldn't tell that Gu Jiangli was a vicious woman.
The way Gu Jiangli spoke and his expression showed that he genuinely treated her as an elder.
She even wondered if her daughter was overthinking things.
Gu Jiangru frowned: "It's hard to say, Mother. Gu Jiangli is really extraordinary. She is shrewd and cunning. If she were a little more ruthless... she would truly be fearless and invincible."
Aunt Zhang patted her chest, her eyes flickering, and said, "Alright, Ru'er, I'll be careful and won't act rashly."
Gu Jiangru didn't speak; she only felt a strong sense of unease.
This unease felt like a giant hand gripping her neck, making it hard for her to breathe.
At that moment, the sound of lotus flowers came from outside the door.
“Aunt Zhang, it’s time for lunch. Consort Gu said that you will be in charge of arranging her meals from now on. Let’s go back to Guangming Palace first. You will have many opportunities to meet Consort Gu in the future.”
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
