After the emperor renovated the Yunguang Palace, it presented a magnificent appearance that was completely different from before.
Even that luminous pearl was sent to the Yunguang Palace by the emperor.
Although the emperor hadn't been particularly warm towards her lately, Gu Jiangli knew very well that while he would be saddened and pained by the child, he wouldn't hold a grudge against her forever.
Even when Gu Jiangli pleaded with the emperor to allow his father to enter the palace to retrieve Gu Jiangru's body, the emperor agreed without hesitation.
This intensified the sense of fragility within the emperor himself.
Even Gu Jiangli, who had seen countless men, couldn't help but feel pity and affection.
So she had made up her mind, just as she had promised the emperor that day, that she would never again use schemes to plot against him.
Even though the person she was dealing with was the shrewd and unassuming Empress.
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My father entered the palace three days later.
Gu Jiangru, who was in the cold palace, breathed her last. He came to claim her body.
The moment she saw her father, perhaps due to the original owner's memories, this middle-aged man, whom she was meeting for the first time, made her feel extremely heartbroken.
He was not the father I remembered.
In my memory, my father was dignified, tall, and taciturn.
But now, he has aged and become much more haggard, and the white hair at his temples makes him look even more hunched and frail.
"This old minister pays his respects to Consort Gu..."
Seeing that he was about to kneel down, Gu Jiangli immediately stepped forward and helped him up.
“Father... There are no outsiders in Yunguang Palace, so there is no need for such a grand ceremony.”
Tears welled in Gu's aged eyes, as if he wanted to see the image of his once innocent and obedient daughter in the face of the gorgeously dressed and glamorous woman in front of him.
"Jiang Li, are you feeling better? I heard you had a miscarriage..."
"Father, rest assured, your daughter has recovered. But how are you doing?"
Gu Jiangli also knew that her problem was obvious.
In a short period of time, Gu's father lost his wife, his aunt, and his daughter.
He couldn't possibly enjoy a comfortable life as if nothing had happened after such a devastating blow as the death of a loved one.
"Daughter, hello. I, as your father, am also happy."
"I heard about what's been happening in the palace lately at home. I never imagined that Aunt Zhang and Ru'er would do such a thing..."
"Thank goodness... thank goodness you're alright... we'll have a baby eventually..."
Gu Jiangli lowered his head and led his father outside.
“Father is right, we will have a child eventually. Father, come with me, I will take you to see Gu Jiangru.”
Logically speaking, she didn't need to do this kind of thing.
But this was, after all, her last blood relative in the world.
It's always good to be able to accompany him for a while longer.
She was familiar with the road to the Cold Palace. Several workers carrying the body followed behind her father as they walked straight there.
Gu Jiangli stood outside the Cold Palace gates without going in.
When the father arrived, he held Gu Jiangru's body and cried for a while, then resignedly let the workers carry Gu Jiangru away on a stretcher.
"Jiang Li, you are a good child. The road in the palace is more difficult than anywhere else. You have no relatives left. You must take good care of yourself."
Gu's father's words were all well-intentioned.
How could she not know that the roads inside the palace were difficult to traverse?
"Father, don't worry about me. Please take good care of yourself at home. If anything happens, remember to write to your daughter."
Mr. Gu held her hand, and none of his words could compare to the weight of his simple "Take care."
As the two were about to say goodbye in front of the palace gate, Gu's father's gaze fell on a eunuch in the distance.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Gu Jiangli followed his gaze.
"What's wrong, Father? Do you know that person?"
In the distance, a eunuch was scolding a new maid who had just entered the palace. He slapped the thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl while verbally abusing her.
Father Gu frowned and nodded with a sorrowful expression. "It was that eunuch who came to the Gu residence to deliver His Majesty's decree, ordering your mother to atone for her sins with her death as soon as possible."
He said that the practice of witchcraft is extremely harmful, and that His Majesty, considering that both of Gu's daughters are concubines in the harem, can spare them from being implicated and allow your mother to commit suicide at home.
"After receiving the imperial edict, your mother obeyed and committed suicide that very night."
Gu Jiangli's eyes narrowed slightly.
Everything that has happened will leave a trace.
The one who falsely conveyed the imperial edict has now revealed himself, and it is time for the person hiding in the shadows to show his true colors as well.
"Father, based on your understanding of Mother, do you really think she would use such evil magic to harm Gu Jiangru?"
Mr. Gu answered almost without hesitation: "Of course not, your mother treats Ru'er as her own daughter..."
"If it weren't for this imperial edict, would my mother have committed suicide so quickly to protect me?"
After a moment's thought, Gu's father said, "No, if it weren't for His Majesty's decree, your mother would have waited patiently for the investigation until the day her innocence was cleared."
Gu Jiangli's gaze gradually turned cold. "Yes, so it is said that the person who framed Mother is despicable, and the person who falsely conveyed the imperial edict is also despicable."
Upon hearing this, Gu's father was instantly startled. "A false imperial edict? Jiang Li, what do you mean by this?"
Gu Jiangli didn't say much; the palace gates weren't a good place for conversation.
"It's alright, Father. You should go home first. I'll write to you if anything happens."
Gu's father understood Gu Jiangli's unspoken meaning, gave a few more words of comfort, and then left the palace.
Gu Jiangli then walked towards the eunuch.
She had never seen that eunuch's face before.
All she needed to know was whose man this eunuch was.
Even as she approached the eunuch, his reprimand of the newly arrived maid was still ongoing.
He hurled a string of nasty insults at her, and the little palace maid couldn't even lift her head in front of him; she could only cover her face and cry, her shoulders trembling.
Lotus stepped forward: "Whose father-in-law are you? Why are you so angry? You're so busy scolding people that you can't even see Consort Zhao standing right in front of you?"
The abusive father-in-law finally stopped his tirade, turned around, saw Gu Jiangli, and gave a perfunctory bow before saying in a shrill voice:
"It was this servant who was so angry with this fool that he didn't notice Consort Gu. It was truly this servant's fault. Please forgive me, Consort Gu."
Although his words were polite, his manners were not up to standard.
It's clear that this apology lacked sincerity.
Gu Jiangli curled the corners of his lips. "What did this little girl do wrong?"
The eunuch straightened up, glanced disdainfully at the silent maidservant, and said, "Looking back at Consort Gu, she broke the Empress's favorite glass cup. That glass cup is priceless; even ten of them wouldn't be enough for her to pay for it. Tell me, shouldn't she be scolded?"
Gu Jiangli smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
So they were the Empress's people.
It seems that the Empress was indeed behind it.
“Your Excellency, it’s just a glass cup. I have one in my palace too. She’s just a new palace maid and she can’t afford to pay for it, but I can.”
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