Aunt Zhang was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.
Once she entered the palace, she was taken care of, received money, and could see her daughter every day!
With such a great opportunity, how could she possibly refuse?
Now it seems that Ru'er's worries were completely unnecessary! Gu Jiangli never put any guard against her, and even trusted her completely!
"Thank you so much, my lady! Ru'er will definitely be grateful to you as her older sister!"
Gu Jiangli smiled as he saw Aunt Zhang off, then pulled out a red and green cloth from under his pillow, which was exactly the same as the one Aunt Zhang had taken.
Aunt Zhang has already walked into her trap, and is just waiting for the day she can reel it in.
She took out her needle and thread and pretended to work on the ugly cloth.
Not long after, the emperor returned after finishing his business.
He saw the luminous pearl on the shelf and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Then he saw Gu Jiangli doing needlework. At first glance, the fabric was shockingly ugly, so he asked, "What is Li'er doing?"
Gu Jiangli seemed to have just noticed the emperor's figure, and quickly put down what he was doing, explaining:
"Your Majesty, I am mending it. There are some tears in this piece of cloth, but I can fix them myself."
The emperor frowned slightly. "Is there... any need for further treatment?"
"Of course, this is the first swaddle blanket I was ever wrapped in after I was born! It was blessed by the master in the temple! When my child is born in the future, he will also be wrapped in this blanket, and the good fortune will continue."
The emperor's stern face showed a hint of suspicion, as if he doubted that such an ugly piece of cloth could possibly have been blessed by a master.
Gu Jiangli immediately saw through the emperor's thoughts, and said:
"If Your Majesty finds this unsightly, when the child is born, we can sew this piece of cloth into the swaddling blanket prepared by the Imperial Wardrobe. That way, the good fortune will still be there, and it won't be an eyesore for Your Majesty. Is that alright, Your Majesty?"
Gu Jiangli smiled, her eyes crinkling, with a hint of coquettishness and pleading.
The emperor gave a faint smile, seemingly feeling somewhat helpless, and said, "Just listen to Li'er."
Gu Jiangli nestled into the emperor's arms and said many words of thanks.
This piece of cloth is certainly not going to be used on the child.
She deliberately chose an extremely ugly piece of cloth, so that the emperor would remember it at first glance and never forget the appearance of this ugly quilt for a long time.
Someday in the future, this bag will appear in another place, and the emperor will be the one who recognizes it at a glance.
————
Following Gu Jiangli's instructions, Hehua arranged for two obedient palace maids to take care of Aunt Zhang.
"Xiao Tao, Xiao Lan, from today onwards you two will follow Aunt Zhang. Wherever she goes, you will lead the way for her. Whatever she asks you to do, you will do it."
“Aunt Zhang is not a member of the inner palace. If she does anything against the rules, you must keep an eye on her and try to persuade her to stop.”
"If you can't persuade her, then come and tell me. This is, after all, Guangming Hall, His Majesty's palace. Small matters don't matter, but if we offend His Majesty, it will inevitably make the young lady unhappy, understand?"
Xiao Tao and Xiao Lan exchanged a glance.
Having entered the palace at a young age, how could the two of them not understand the hidden meaning in Hehua's words?
Lotus's words were ostensibly to tell them to take good care of Aunt Zhang, but in reality, they were to keep a close watch on her and report any suspicious activity immediately.
These past few days, Aunt Zhang has been flaunting herself everywhere in Guangming Palace, acting like she's the mistress of the house, which has long made the palace servants unhappy.
They were delighted to have this opportunity to keep a close watch on Aunt Zhang.
Xiao Tao and Xiao Lan nodded earnestly, "Please rest assured, Miss Lotus, we will definitely take good care of Aunt Zhang and not let her cause any trouble for you, young mistress."
————
Aunt Zhang has been going to Lanfang Palace every day lately.
Gu Jiangli didn't know what she and Gu Jiangru talked about in Lanfang Palace, and she didn't care.
All she knew was that the more Aunt Zhang went, the better.
Xiao Tao and Xiao Lan quickly noticed something unusual and immediately wanted to report it.
Lotus didn't listen to them alone; instead, she had the two of them tell Gu Jiangli.
"Your Highness, we have noticed that Consort Zhang has been behaving strangely these past two days. We are unsure of what to do and have come to ask for your advice."
Gu Jiangli was secretly overjoyed, but her face showed confusion.
"What's wrong with Aunt Zhang?"
Xiao Tao said, "Aunt Zhang goes to Lanfang Palace every day, and after she comes back, she hides in her room and doesn't come out, as if she's doing something shameful in her room."
Xiao Lan continued, "Yes, my lady. In the past, Aunt Zhang loved to flaunt her gold and jade jewelry everywhere, but these past two days, she hasn't been out much. She only takes off all her precious jewelry when she goes to Lanfang Palace."
“Aunt Zhang acts strangely. We wanted to find out why, but without your permission, we dare not act rashly.”
"My lady, should we give us a chance to sneak in and see what Aunt Zhang is doing?"
Gu Jiangli's expression was solemn, his brows furrowed, and after thinking for a while, he shook his head and said:
"Oh dear, Auntie always loved tinkering with novelties back in the Gu household. I'm afraid she's found something interesting again these past few days. Oh well, let her be."
"Xiao Lan, Xiao Tao, thank you so much for your concern. I'll have to trouble you to continue taking care of Auntie."
Although Xiaolan and Xiaotao did not receive permission, they were very happy to receive Gu Jiangli's thanks.
In all their years as palace maids, they had never seen such a courteous and considerate master.
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