The hatred in Gu Jiangru's eyes suddenly erupted, and she looked at Gu Jiangli as if she wanted to tear her to pieces.
"Isn't it all because of you! Gu Jiangli, you got what you wanted! Is this your method? I see!"
"You've conspired with those lowly servants, haven't you! That Lotus, and that other one named Xiang, how much silver did they take from you? How much benefit did they get from you? How dare they spout nonsense in front of His Majesty!"
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly. Although she hadn't yet figured out exactly why Manxiang lied to help her, she had a rough idea.
However, she had no intention of telling Gu Jiangru.
"His Majesty will not dislike you just because you did not treat me well. His Majesty's anger today is entirely your own doing and has nothing to do with me."
"Hmph, stop being so smug. What exactly do you want to say?"
Gu Jiangli stepped forward, bent down slightly, and whispered in Gu Jiangru's ear:
"Do you know that His Majesty's birth mother, the current Empress Dowager, was once a palace maid who swept floors, the 'lowly servant' you keep talking about?"
Gu Jiangru's face suddenly turned pale.
"What did you say?"
Gu Jiangli straightened up, a smile playing on her lips. "Gu Jiangru, you're not stupid, you should have figured it out by now, right?"
Seeing Gu Jiangru standing there stunned, her face even more unpleasant than if she had swallowed a fly, Gu Jiangli felt much better.
"In the past, His Majesty liked you, but in the future, it's hard to say. His Majesty is aloof, but he is very respectful and filial to the Empress Dowager."
"Back then, His Majesty was just a prince, but because of his mother's humble origins, he suffered endless cold looks and contempt."
"Fortunately, when the late emperor established the crown prince, he had only one principle: to appoint the virtuous rather than the eldest son. Your Majesty has the talent of a monarch, which is why you stood out from all the princes."
"The first thing he did after becoming emperor was to restore the Empress Dowager's status."
"His Majesty knows all too well how much suffering his mother endured when she was a servant, and how much contempt she suffered after giving birth to him because of her status as a servant."
"Today, at least three times, you have looked down on those servants in front of His Majesty, just as those who looked down on the Empress Dowager did back then. This will inevitably stir up some painful memories for His Majesty."
Gu Jiangli's memories were all known to the original owner.
The original owner's mother was a cautious person. After learning that her daughter was going to enter the palace, she found out these palace secrets for her so that she would be careful in the palace and not do anything that would offend the emperor and empress dowager.
Simply put, it was to prevent her from accidentally touching on the emperor and empress dowager's sore spots.
Gu Jiangli had to thank the original owner's mother for her good intentions, which allowed her to take advantage of this and make Gu Jiangru suffer a great setback.
After she finished speaking slowly, Gu Jiangru's legs went weak and she almost couldn't stand up.
She chuckled softly and exhaled a breath of stale air. "Sister, you should be more careful in your dealings with others in the future. But you don't need to worry too much that His Majesty will hate you for this. When I get to Guangming Palace, I will speak well of you in front of His Majesty."
She spoke with great force in the last few words, and Gu Jiangru knew better than anyone whether she was speaking well of Gu Jiangru.
This sounds like a provocation, and in the past, Gu Jiangru would have been extremely dismissive of it.
But today, she is filled with dread about it!
"What...what are you trying to do?!"
She looked flustered, frantically wondering if Gu Jiangli had any other leverage over her.
Gu Jiangli simply smiled mysteriously and said cryptically, "Guess."
Gu Jiangru clenched her fists, both angry and anxious, wishing she could strangle Gu Jiangli to vent her anger.
But she could only watch Gu Jiangli slowly walk away, helplessly furious as she watched her retreating figure.
————
It was already night when Gu Jiangli arrived at Guangming Palace.
The emperor was still sitting at his desk reading memorials when he saw her approach and glanced at her briefly.
Compared to the dirty Gu Jiangli I saw during the day, she now has a unique, cool and elegant charm after washing and dressing up.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Although Gu Jiangli disliked the rule that one had to perform a grand ceremony upon seeing the emperor, she had no choice; she was not yet favored enough to be exempt from all formalities in front of the emperor.
She was waiting for the emperor to call her to get up, but the emperor remained silent and rose from beside the dragon desk, walking to her.
The emperor looked down at her, scrutinizing her carefully until Gu Jiangli's legs were almost numb from kneeling, before he finally spoke:
"I never realized you were so strategic."
Gu Jiangli lowered his head and was stunned.
What does that mean?
Even the emperor noticed?
Unable to fathom his thoughts, Gu Jiangli could only feign ignorance, saying, "Your Majesty, I do not understand."
The emperor walked around her once, a rare smile appearing on his usually cold face.
"Consort Gu may indeed treat you badly, but she wouldn't be foolish enough to make you stay in a side hall when I know you'll be staying in the main hall. You went there on your own, didn't you?"
Gu Jiangli looked up in surprise and met the emperor's eyes, which were scrutinizing her.
She racked her brains, but she still couldn't figure out what the emperor was trying to do.
After thinking for a while, I still felt I couldn't admit all of this, so I said ambiguously:
"Your Majesty, it is true that I am living in the side hall, it is also true that my sister does not allow anyone to serve me, and it is true that there are insects and ants in the main hall, which Your Majesty witnessed with your own eyes. It is a fact that cannot be more true than it seems."
"Your Majesty, I don't know what you find strange about this?"
The emperor's smile deepened, becoming especially pronounced on his usually stern face.
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