Gu Jiangli was enjoying tea and flowers in Jinghe Palace, feeling quite content.
Especially after hearing about the Fang family's troubles, she became even more eager to see how the eldest princess would perform.
She waited for the eldest princess to come to her.
Chu Tan'er did not disappoint her and soon came to her door.
Unlike her previous arrogant demeanor, this time, Chu Tan'er clearly came with fear and dread.
"Where is my brother?" Chu Tan'er barged in, ignoring the advice of the palace servants around her, and went straight to Gu Jiangli.
Gu Jiangli looked at her with a smile and replied, "His Majesty is not here. Is there anything you need, Princess?"
"Where did he go?" Chu Tan'er asked anxiously again.
"I don't know. If there's anything important about the Princess, you can tell me first. When His Majesty returns, I will definitely relay the Princess's request to him word for word."
Chu Tan'er gritted her teeth and said defiantly, "Why should I tell you? Do you really think that becoming an Imperial Noble Consort means you can sit on the Empress's throne? Not a chance! Since my brother isn't here, I'll wait until he is before I come back. Don't think you're really the mistress of Jinghe Palace!"
She snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly behind her, subtly reminding her:
"The Princess Consort did not come to see His Majesty about the Fang family, did she? I heard from His Majesty that Fang Ziyao, your husband has been imprisoned."
"Sigh, winter is just around the corner, and it's freezing cold in the prison. I wonder how long he can hold out."
"I've heard that once someone enters the Heavenly Prison, few manage to come out alive. Even if they are lucky enough to escape death, they are bound to suffer from illness for the rest of their lives."
Gu Jiangli's voice was soft and slow, with a hint of enjoying the drama, which made Chu Tan'er furious and her teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
"Have you said enough? It's not your place to laugh at me!"
Seeing that she was angry, Gu Jiangli was not in a hurry and slowly said:
"Princess, you should rein in your temper. Your husband's family is in trouble. If you continue to be so arrogant, you will not get away with it."
"I might as well tell you that His Majesty once mentioned Fang Ziyao's tax evasion to me. I must say, the Fang family is truly unmatched in business. After His Majesty learned the amount of that silver, he never intended to give him a lenient punishment."
Chu Tan'er became a little anxious at this point. She took several steps to stand in front of Gu Jiangli and bombarded him with a series of questions:
"Your brother actually told you something like this? He doesn't intend to let Ziyao go? How could that be? He's not that heartless. I'm his sister. How could he bear to watch me become a widow?"
Gu Jiangli revealed a disdainful smile at this moment, "Now you remember you're his sister? When you asked Consort Lan to poison His Majesty, did you never think that you and he were siblings born of the same mother?"
Chu Tan'er was startled, then hurriedly looked around. The palace maids and eunuchs standing around all kept their heads down and dared not move.
She lowered her voice, "Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting!"
Gu Jiangli resumed her innocent smile. "Don't be angry. I just wanted to tell you that there are some things that His Majesty and you both know. You came with malicious intentions from the start, so how could His Majesty feel at ease helping you?"
“But I’m a good person. As your sister-in-law, I can put in a good word for you with His Majesty.”
Chu Tan'er's fierce expression gradually turned into disbelief.
"You? Put in a good word for me? Do you think I'd believe that?"
Gu Jiangli spoke casually and unhurriedly:
"You may not believe it, but it seems you don't have any other choice right now."
"The Empress Dowager can't help you with this matter; she has no power to participate in the affairs of the previous dynasty."
"At this moment, the Prime Minister is probably eager to distance himself from Fang Ziyao, and it is highly unlikely that he will take the initiative to plead for him."
"As for Your Majesty, I don't need to elaborate on what happened between you and him, do I?"
"Besides me, is there anyone else you can ask for help?"
Chu Tan'er listened to Gu Jiangli's words in silence, and felt a sense of unease looking at her confident expression.
But one has to admit that what she said makes sense.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked in return, "What are your conditions?"
Gu Jiangli's eyes lit up. "Since the Princess asked, it means she has agreed. Actually, there's nothing else. I want to ask the Princess about a secret in the palace."
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand gently.
Xiao Anzi, who was by the door, understood her meaning and led the palace servants out one by one, so that Gu Jiangli and Chu Tan'er could chat freely.
The room became empty and quiet, with all the doors and windows tightly closed.
Not a breath of wind could get in, and no sound could escape.
It's a place where you can have a perfectly safe conversation.
"Even the Imperial Noble Consort has things she can't hide?" Chu Tan'er asked, somewhat puzzled. "It seems the question you want to ask is quite dangerous."
Gu Jiangli remained noncommittal and began asking questions directly:
"Princess, why don't we start by talking about the late Emperor's children? How many children did the late Emperor have during his lifetime?"
Chu Tan'er narrowed her eyes, as if she had sensed something, and immediately tensed up.
Why are you asking this?
“I treat Your Majesty as a woman outside the palace treats her husband. It’s not unreasonable for me to want to know about my husband’s family situation.”
Chu Tan'er's expression turned serious, and she uttered each word carefully, "The late emperor had five sons and three daughters."
"Where did you go?"
"Dead."
"How did he die?"
"Throughout history, power struggles have always resulted in death. As for how they died, does it even matter?"
"Burned to death?"
After Gu Jiangli asked this question, Chu Tan'er suddenly fell silent.
She wasn't sure if her guess was accurate, so she had to be bold and try it once.
But from Chu Tan'er's expression, she could tell that she was probably right about halfway.
At least the deaths of these princes and princesses were indeed related to fire and the emperor's inner demons.
Chu Tan'er remained silent. She turned her head and stared straight at Gu Jiangli. "Imperial Noble Consort, I think I understand what you want to do. You want to help my brother resolve his inner conflict?"
Gu Jiangli raised an eyebrow. Chu Tan'er did not deny her guess, which meant that her direction was absolutely correct.
She remained silent, waiting for Chu Tan'er to continue.
But Chu Tan'er gradually revealed a maniacal smile, which was chilling to behold: "Hahaha, so he still hasn't let go, hahaha, Imperial Noble Consort, I'm so surprised. It turns out he still can't get over this, making you feel sorry for him to the point of wanting him to resolve his inner conflict, hahaha..."
Her shrill laughter was extremely unpleasant.
"It seems the eldest princess does indeed know quite a lot."
"Of course I know! You've come to the right person. In this palace, most people who know about this matter have been silenced. The few who know a little about it are all tight-lipped about it and no one dares to mention it. But I am the only one who dares to talk about it."
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