"Your Majesty, it is indeed all my fault. Please do not blame the eunuchs who serve you so faithfully."
The anger in Xiao Dingyuan's heart was swept away in an instant.
The astonishment in his eyes was completely undisguised.
What happened to the arrogant and domineering Gu Jiangli?
What happened to Gu Jiangli, the one who only knew how to point fingers and curse at others?
What happened to Gu Jiangli, who used to subject his servants to corporal punishment at the drop of a hat?
Could it be that two years of confinement have worn down her edges?
Xiao Dingyuan wasn't the only one surprised; even the servants around him were shocked by Gu Jiangli's change, exchanging glances and seeing undisguised astonishment in each other's eyes.
Xiao Dingyuan looked straight in Gu Jiangli's direction.
What did you just say?
Xiao Dingyuan looked incredulous.
Through the narrow crack in the door, he could glimpse Gu Jiangli's thin shoulders and slender neck. Her head was lowered, and wisps of hair fell beside her cheeks, but instead of making her look unkempt, it added to her fragile appearance.
For some reason, Gu Jiangli like this made him unable to get angry, and even made him feel a little urge to protect her.
Gu Jiangli guessed his surprise, so she pretended to say it again:
"Please forgive the eunuchs who carried your palanquin, Your Majesty. It's all my fault. I didn't notice Your Majesty passing by when I took out the used rice bowl, and I accidentally startled the eunuchs, which is why they didn't hold on tight to the palanquin... It's all my fault."
Gu Jiangli's words were extremely sincere.
This made the fathers-in-law feel somewhat guilty.
They were trying to pin the blame on Gu Jiangli, but to their surprise, Gu Jiangli took the blame herself and even spoke well of them...
But Xiao Dingyuan noticed more than just these things; his brows furrowed into a deep frown as he focused his gaze on the bowl on the ground.
"Eating? Which bowl do you use to eat?"
That bowl looks like a dog bowl.
Gu Jiangli kept drawing circles with her fingers on her knees, revealing her unease.
"Your Majesty, this is my meal. After I finish eating each day, I hand the bowl out of the palace gate so that the palace maids can take it away. Only then can I have food to eat the next day."
"It's long past mealtime, why are you only eating now?"
He had eaten almost an hour ago, and Gu Jiangli was only now getting to eat?
Xiao Dingyuan's questioning tone made Gu Jiangli shrug her shoulders as if she had been startled.
She spoke, her voice slightly choked with emotion:
"Your Majesty, I usually have lunch at noon, but today I guess the maid who delivers the food had something come up and was delayed, so the food is a little late."
"It is also my fault. If I could eat faster, I could have brought out the bowls and chopsticks sooner and would not have disturbed Your Majesty."
Gu Jiangli's words were full of genuine self-reproach, with no trace of resentment in them.
But Xiao Dingyuan immediately understood the hidden meaning in her words.
"Do you only have one meal a day at noon, and nothing else?"
Yes, yes, yes!
Gu Jiangli nodded vigorously in his heart.
Not bad, not bad, a promising young man.
Gu Jiangli praised the emperor in his heart, then made his tone more anxious.
"Your Majesty, please do not blame the palace maid who brought me food! It was all my own choice."
"For the past two years, I have been blaming myself for the mistakes I made. Whenever I think of the harm Your Majesty has suffered because of me, I cannot sleep at night or eat."
"So eating only one meal a day is not because I am being mistreated, but because I want to atone for my sins, Your Majesty."
After saying this, Gu Jiangli suddenly looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. The last word she uttered was the last one to fall from her eyes, and Xiao Dingyuan saw it clearly.
Even though Xiao Dingyuan only saw half a face through the crack in the door, that half face was enough to throw him into turmoil.
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