The emperor's eyes were bloodshot, his emotions a complex mix.
"Li'er, are you really... pregnant? Or are you just trying to comfort me?"
"I know how important the child is to you, so how could I joke about something like this with you?"
The emperor's pale face showed signs of tension.
"Have you had the imperial physician...? We still need to have the imperial physician examine you. Li'er, it hasn't been long since your miscarriage. Has your body fully recovered? Is it safe for you to get pregnant?"
Gu Jiangli smiled, held the emperor's hand, and said:
"Your Majesty, only you, me, and the Empress Dowager know that I am pregnant."
The emperor looked doubtful. "Li'er, you don't want others to know about this? Are you worried that someone might harm you?"
Gu Jiangli nodded and then explained, "Your Majesty, there are people in the harem with ill intentions, as evidenced by your recent experience. Someone intends to harm the royal family, so I think it's best not to let anyone else know about my pregnancy for the time being."
"Find the real culprit first, then it won't be too late to announce my pregnancy."
The emperor's eyes were deep and serious. "If someone in the harem dares to harm me, it's hard to guarantee they won't harm Li'er as well. It's right to be careful."
"Your Majesty is wise. Does Your Majesty remember what happened before you lost consciousness?"
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "There is nothing unusual. When the Empress Dowager came to Guangming Hall for a meal, I lost consciousness after eating half of it. If the food was poisoned, it is really strange that the Empress Dowager was unharmed."
Gu Jiangli said solemnly, "Has Your Majesty considered that what you have been afflicted with is not poison, but a rare... Gu poison?"
The emperor's usually stern face showed shock. "Gu?"
This legendary secret technique? Someone in the imperial harem actually knows how to use it?
"Li'er, how did you find out?"
Gu Jiangli frowned. She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't very well tell the emperor that the system had told her. So she said:
“When I was young, I went up the mountain to worship and met a barefoot doctor. He said that we were destined to meet and taught me some things about Gu poison.”
"However, I am of dull talent and have not learned it very well. I have only learned some very basic things."
"I never expected it would come in handy with His Majesty."
After hearing this, the emperor frowned just like her, saying, "It is already a great fortune that Li'er was able to save my life with this."
"Your Majesty, your health is already fine, so this matter is no longer important," Gu Jiangli changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, please think carefully about what unusual things have happened recently, not just today."
"Have you ever touched anything strange, seen any strange people, or eaten any food you've never eaten before...?"
Gu Jiangli asked earnestly.
Not long after, a glint appeared in the emperor's eyes, as if he had thought of something.
"When I ordered the palace servants to clean the room, they found a jade pendant that you left in Guangming Hall. I was thinking of sending it to you in a couple of days, so I put it on the shelf over there."
"This is the only unfamiliar thing I've touched in the past few days."
Jade pendant?
Gu Jiangli felt that these words looked familiar.
So he immediately got up and went to the shelf the emperor was pointing to, and found the thing he had mentioned.
After seeing the complete appearance of the jade pendant, Gu Jiangli finally found the reason for the sense of familiarity in her heart.
"Your Majesty, this is not my jade pendant, but a gift from the Empress."
“A few months ago, when I became pregnant, Her Majesty the Empress personally presented me with this jade gourd pendant. She also said that this jade gourd pendant symbolizes many children, many blessings, and good fortune.”
"A gift from the Empress?" The Emperor fell into deep thought.
Gu Jiangli held the gourd and looked at it, nodding as she did so.
She still vividly remembers what happened that day.
The Empress was elegant, graceful, and dignified at the time.
When I gave her the gift, I was sincere and full of goodwill.
She almost thought the Empress was a good person, until the Empress said some ambiguous things to her, which made her more reserved about the Empress.
When they moved back to Yunguang Palace, many things were packed and packed with the help of Hehua and the palace servants around the emperor.
Lotus probably forgot about this jade pendant, and the other palace maids also thought it belonged to the emperor, so they didn't pack it up and take it with them.
Gu Jiangli held the jade gourd in her palm, examining every detail from every angle.
Finally, a tiny hole, the size of a pinhole, was found at the gourd's navel.
"Your Majesty, look."
She pointed to the tiny hole at the bottom of the gourd and said, "This jade is clear, green, delicate and lustrous, and very valuable. If there wasn't a specific purpose, they wouldn't have made a hole at the bottom of the gourd."
"Your Majesty, I originally thought this was a solid piece of jade, but now it seems to be hollow inside. If there really are Gu worms, wouldn't this be the best hiding place?"
The emperor's face was extremely grim. "You mean, someone planted a Gu worm in this jade gourd, and when someone touches it, the Gu worm takes the opportunity to come out, enter their body, and harm them?"
Gu Jiangli said with a heavy expression, "That's possible... but since this jade gourd was given to me, almost no one has handled it. If it was intended to release insects, it must have been placed there before it was given to me."
The emperor's gaze was deep as he looked directly at Gu Jiangli. "Li'er, do you mean that this was very likely done by the empress?"
Gu Jiangli's heart suddenly trembled.
She knew what the emperor suspected.
“Your Majesty, I understand. You must have heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. I have already used tricks to lure you into my trap twice before to achieve my goals. This time, you are naturally also a suspect. I understand.”
Just as the emperor was about to speak, Gu Jiangli interrupted him.
"However, I have never had any grudges with the Empress, and I have no reason to deliberately frame her."
"I promised you before that I would not deceive you again, so can Your Majesty believe me this time? It really is 'the boy who cried wolf'."
"The 'wolf' that Li'er mentioned..."
"It is the Empress," Gu Jiangli said decisively.
She was gambling too.
The question is whether the emperor's trust in her can match his trust in the empress.
Fortunately, the ending satisfied her.
The emperor felt a moment of desolation.
"Li'er, the Empress has been by my side since I was the Crown Prince. We've maintained a respectful relationship for so many years. I never imagined she would harm me like this..."
Gu Jiangli said, "Perhaps it wasn't meant to harm His Majesty. This thing was given to me by the Empress. She should be the one who wanted to harm me."
After some thought, Gu Jiangli continued, "The jade gourd may not harm me immediately after it is given to me, because if something happens to me immediately, Your Majesty the Empress will certainly be implicated."
"Therefore, this Gu worm must take effect some time after the Empress sends it out."
"But she didn't expect that after I accepted it, I never touched it again."
"The next person to come into contact with this jade gourd will be Your Majesty."
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