Li day.
After Bi Lian whispered in Guan Zhiyue's ear for a while, a mocking smile appeared on Guan Zhiyue's lips.
He then coldly rebuked, "Ha, I told you! There isn't a single good man in this world."
"When you're being affectionate, you call her 'baby' all the time, but when something goes wrong, you just yell 'Fuck you! You're so despicable! You deserve to die!'"
"Your Majesty, be careful what you say!" Bilian quickly stopped her.
Guan Zhiyue shrugged indifferently.
Last night, in the Imperial Guard's cell.
Xiao Dezi was ordered to go to the Imperial Guard's quarters, which was where the Imperial Guards rested.
After the soldiers finish their shifts, they return to this place to rest. Xiao Dezi used to come here often to play and chat with them.
It wouldn't be too abrupt for him to suddenly appear now, since everyone knows he's currently serving in the Cold Palace. He's only been released a few days ago, and everyone's playing and joking with him.
"Hey, have you guys heard?"
"What did you hear?"
"Xiao Dezi, come here. Have we heard that Her Majesty has produced some new, high-yield grains this time?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Dezi put his hands on his hips with great arrogance, flicked his whisk, and said, "That's for sure. We got to eat it on the day the harvest was finished, and it tasted absolutely delicious."
The Imperial Guard standing nearby swallowed hard and said, "What? Tell us!"
Have you ever eaten potatoes?
"It's soft and chewy, and what's more, you can control the texture yourself. If you want it soft, it'll be chewy; if you want it firm, it'll be crunchy. It's great."
"Really?"
Xiao Dezi found a place, sat down, and said, "Hey, that's not very tasty, and let me tell you, the potatoes are way too much."
"If you're just making stir-fried shredded potatoes, one potato is enough, because it's so big. The key is that it doesn't shrink after being stir-fried, you've never seen that before!"
The Imperial Guards had never heard of it before, and they looked at Xiao Dezi expectantly, hoping he would get some for them to try.
Xiao Dezi thought for a moment and said, "Well, I'll go back and ask the Empress first. After all, this thing was grown by the Empress, don't you think?"
"That's true too. Then I'll wait for your good news, brother!"
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll go back and ask the brothers," Xiao Dezi readily agreed.
Xiao Dezi then said, "Have you heard?"
"What?! What kind of gossip is going on in the palace now?" a man asked.
Xiao Dezi pretended to whisper, looked around, and then said, "Consort Xiuyi was punished by the Empress today."
"Ah! What happened?"
"Yes, yes! Hasn't Her Majesty the Empress never punished anyone physically? How did Consort Xiu fall into her hands?" the Imperial Guard asked.
Xiao Dezi said, "Hey, I heard that Consort Xiu is pregnant. I wonder who the adulterer is! Consort Xiu won't say anything, so the Empress punished him."
"Still talking..." Xiao Dezi drawled out, then shook his head.
The Imperial Guards were now burning with gossip, eager to share their stories.
"Tell me quickly, what else did you say?"
"Yeah, tell me, you little rascal!"
"Hurry up and tell me!"
Several grown men urged Xiao Dezi to speak quickly, or they would beat him up.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been set, Xiao Dezi then said, "I don't know."
"Ah! I'll beat you to death!"
The men laughed and joked. Xiao Dezi laughed and said, "I really don't know, because the rest of the conversation was all between the Empress and Consort Xiuyi."
"So, I don't know what happened next. If you want to know, go ask Consort Xiuyi yourself!"
Xiao Dezi got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and said, "Alright, I'm not going to waste my breath on you guys anymore. I'm going back to the Cold Palace."
"Go on, go on, but don't forget what you promised us!" a bearded man shouted.
Xiao Dezi laughed and said, "Allah, Allah! Don't worry, I won't forget!"
——
Guan Zhiyue then thought for a moment and said, "Let's go! Let's go see how things are now."
"Yes, Your Majesty, let's go!"
Guan Zhiyue gave a self-deprecating laugh; she knew it would all end up like this.
When the two arrived at Chonghua Palace, they heard the sound of a zither coming from a side hall. It was a sound of deep affection and sorrow, and they wondered which family's son the girl was longing for.
Yun Zhao's zither playing is truly exceptional!
"Such a melancholy voice, she must have had a lot of unavoidable troubles in her heart! It's a pity that in this deep palace, she has to swallow all her grievances."
Guan Zhiyue seemed to feel her own heart twitching and trembling through Yun Zhao's zither music!
"Your Highness, aren't we supposed to be visiting Consort Xiuyi?" Bilian reminded her.
Guan Zhiyue shook her head, composed herself, and walked towards another side hall.
The two entered the house and found it filled with small, broken things. Everything that could be smashed had been smashed, leaving only a few broken pieces.
"So you know the result?"
"I suppose he came looking for you last night?"
"Did he tell you to abort the child and not expose him?" Guan Zhiyue looked down at Fu Lingqiao, who was squatting to the side, and said in a cold voice.
Fu Lingqiao heard Guan Zhiyue's voice, glanced at her, then lowered her head again, saying somewhat dejectedly, "Since you already know, why did you come and say it?"
"Miss, there's a saying that you have to accept the consequences of your bet. Since we made a bet, we should naturally see the final result, right? Besides, I still have to deal with this matter."
Guan Zhiyue bent down and picked up the stool that had been knocked over, stood it up, and then sat down.
"I told you yesterday, men are unreliable!"
"So what if we were childhood sweethearts? It all becomes nonsense once something goes wrong. You are the emperor's woman, and he feels very resentful about that, which is why he went to great lengths to find a way into the palace and went through all sorts of tests to get to you."
"You love him deeply and resent the emperor in your heart, but he uses his pitiful appearance to win your sympathy, making you believe that he is the only good person in the world and that he loves you the most."
"So you willingly, even if it means bearing the stigma, still want to be with him. He's always having a good time, but have you ever thought about what will happen when your affair is exposed?"
"You can't hide fire with paper, and you can't keep a secret forever. So when your affair was exposed, he just ran away and even came to threaten you, asking you to keep it a secret and not to betray him!"
Guan Zhiyue calmly recounted everything. Fu Lingqiao's eyes reddened even more as she listened, but unfortunately, no more tears would fall. She had been crying ever since that man left last night...
"Yes, Your Majesty is right. Lingqiao is willing to accept punishment! Please, Your Majesty, do not let go of the man who made me so humble."
Guan Zhiyue stood up, nodded and said, "Yes, I will report this matter to the Emperor properly. As for that man, let the Emperor deal with him!"
"You'd better watch yourself!"
Guan Zhiyue left after saying this.
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