The emperor did not wake up, and another tear fell from the corner of his eye.
Gu Jiangli raised her hand to wipe away the tear, and murmured softly, "It's understandable that Your Majesty wants to blame me, but don't torture yourself... Heaven has never punished you; it's all my fault..."
Aside from apologizing, she couldn't think of any other useful way to turn things around.
It cannot be said that the child is fake, after all, this was confirmed by the imperial physicians of the harem.
The emperor was intelligent and quick-witted; he could see through all the tricks she used in front of him.
She no longer wanted to use her wits in front of the emperor.
She used the emperor's most cherished child as a bargaining chip, which has already broken the emperor's heart.
The emperor slowly opened his eyes and met Gu Jiangli's sorrowful gaze.
"Consort Gu, you seem to really enjoy looking at me with those pitiful eyes."
This time, Gu Jiangli did not avoid his gaze.
Yes, from the very first day she entered Guangming Palace, she discovered the emperor's pitiful side.
The emperor's coldness was never a true rejection of people, but rather an aura of intense sorrow.
He bound and tormented himself; he was truly pitiful.
“Every parent who loses a child is pitiful… Your Majesty is no exception.”
"So, you're also saddened by that child?"
Gu Jiangli lowered his eyes slightly, without saying anything explicitly.
After a while, the topic was steered in another direction.
“Your Majesty, Mother did not commit suicide out of fear of punishment; she is innocent.”
"She was just like Aunt Zhang and Gu Jiangru today, who were framed by me. Back then, she was also framed by these two women."
"My mother was confined to the Gu family, rarely venturing beyond the inner gates, yet she was framed and killed by Gu Jiangru, who was far away in the palace. I cannot bear such an undeserved calamity."
"Therefore, I will retaliate in the same way, so that the mother and daughter will taste the bitterness of being framed for no reason and suffer the consequences of their own actions."
"Besides this, I can't think of any other more vicious method..."
The emperor interrupted her: "But the child is innocent."
"How could I not know that the child is innocent, Your Majesty is innocent, and the Empress Dowager, who longs to have a grandson, is innocent? But I cannot remain indifferent and wait for my enemies to strike me again."
"If Gu Jiangru could harm my mother once, there's no guarantee she won't try to harm me again."
"I believe that after our great revenge is achieved, I will be able to live each day with Your Majesty without any worries."
"By then, we will have more than one child; we may have many children."
"I don't care about rank or wealth. Whether it's 'Jieyu' or 'Zhaoyi', as long as I can stay by Your Majesty's side, none of these matters."
"Your Majesty, I only wish to be with you without any worries."
Gu Jiangli's tears fell at just the right moment.
The emperor did not embrace her, but gently wiped away her tears.
"How much of what Li'er said just now was sincere?"
Gu Jiangli was slightly taken aback.
She heard the emperor call her "Li'er" again.
She unconsciously clutched the quilt; whenever the emperor looked at her with such expectant eyes, she found it hard to utter a lie.
When asked how much of her sincerity was genuine, she couldn't say.
In short, revenge is her true desire, having a child is her true desire, and as for the rest, there's probably at least seven or eight parts of that sincerity in her.
After a moment, she choked up and said:
Every word and phrase comes from the heart.
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly. "Can I trust your sincerity?"
Gu Jiangli felt a pang of sadness.
The emperor had actually come to value emotions to this extent.
It turns out that when you fall in love, you become this cautious.
"Please believe me, Your Majesty. From now on, I will never deceive Your Majesty about anything again."
The emperor didn't say anything, but got up, tucked her in, and got out of bed.
It was only then that Gu Jiangli realized that he had gone to sleep without taking off his coat when he came back last night.
"Your Majesty...where are you going?"
"Go see a few ministers. I saw the Empress last night, and she already knows about your promotion to Zhaoyi. An imperial edict and rewards will be sent over later."
So that's what he was talking about with the Empress last night. Was he telling her this on purpose so that she would know he wasn't doing anything else in the Empress's palace?
Seeing that she remained silent, the emperor continued:
"I have ordered the Empress to investigate Gu Jiangru's use of witchcraft to murder your mother. Since your mother is not the real culprit, her suicide is also suspicious."
"In the next few days, she may frequently enter and leave the Cold Palace, not to take care of Consort Gu, but to ask about things."
Gu Jiangli nodded.
It's good that the emperor explained it to her.
To avoid her misunderstanding that the Empress had secretly visited Gu Jiangru.
However, the emperor had already instructed the empress to begin the investigation last night, which shows that he had also thought of it.
Even though the emperor was devastated by the loss of his child, he still thought about her. If she were an ordinary palace woman, she probably would have fallen for him long ago.
"I will obey Your Majesty."
Let the Empress investigate. The Emperor has many affairs to attend to in the court, and the Empress holds the Phoenix Seal in the harem, so her involvement is just as good.
"If you also want to ask questions, you can go directly to the Empress after you have recovered."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
It would be best if she could participate in such matters. The emperor has already considered everything for her, so she has no reason to scheme against him anymore.
Lotus came in after the emperor left.
"Lotus, what time did His Majesty arrive last night?"
"It was just past midnight, Your Highness. You had just fallen asleep when His Majesty returned. He told me not to wake you, so I've been keeping watch outside the door all night."
It is truly rare for an emperor to provide a woman with such a sense of security.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
