When Gu Nanjiao woke up, she found three familiar faces staring at her with blinking eyes.
She wondered, was she dreaming? She could see the person she wanted to see as soon as she opened her eyes.
Seeing Gu Nanjiao standing there in a daze, Lü Siniang smiled gently: "Jiaojiao, you're awake! Are you hungry?"
Huang Qingqing quickly brought over a bowl of hot porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and said, "It's not too hot, eat up!"
Gu Qingyan, who was standing to the side, said with a smile, "My dear daughter, look who I am?"
"My soul came into my dream, and I actually believed it." Gu Nanjiao murmured with empty eyes. Lü Siniang pinched her arm, and Gu Nanjiao cried out in pain and got up.
"It's not a dream, Father, Stepmother, Qingqing." Gu Nanjiao shouted and pinched her cheek hard.
"It's not a dream, Father is still alive!" Gu Qingyan hugged Gu Nanjiao tightly, patting her back tenderly.
After hearing what her father had said, Gu Nanjiao was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.
She...she actually had a deep connection with the Minister's mansion.
But the Minister's mansion actually wanted to kill them, and even the innocent Fourth Sister and Qingqing were not spared.
If they just sit there waiting, they'll only be at the mercy of others.
Gu Qingyan said that he and Yanzhao planned to jointly submit a memorial to the emperor with the help of the crown prince, bringing this matter to the forefront.
Therefore, Minister Zhou should not dare to act rashly in the near future.
After Gu Nanjiao and the others are temporarily safe, they will spend the rest of the time figuring out how to deal with the Minister's Mansion.
Lu Yanzhao and Gu Qingyan have now joined the Crown Prince's faction. However, this is being done in secret; if they have matters to discuss, they will meet secretly at Zheng Shiyi's residence.
...
When Minister Zhou learned that Gu Qingyan and Gu Nanjiao were not dead, he was so angry that he smashed a room full of precious antiques.
"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Look at how you all do things! Useless, all of you are useless."
That day, the nanny came to report that she had seen a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old, whose appearance was very similar to that of the Empress in her youth. Minister Zhou immediately sent people to secretly investigate, and found that the young woman's father's surname was Gu, and he was actually a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) of this year.
Considering the circumstances of that year and the young woman's age, it's not hard to rule out that she was the bastard child from back then.
Minister Zhou felt that their sudden appearance in the capital was not accidental. After reporting the matter, Qixiang Palace replied: Kill them!
Who would have thought that these good-for-nothings would repeatedly fail in their murders and arson attempts, causing the Crown Prince to seize upon their weakness and impeach him before the current Emperor?
Coupled with the rumors circulating in the capital, many people were already dissatisfied with the Zhou family and echoed their sentiments. Now, Minister Zhou had no choice but to keep a low profile, and the assassination attempt on Gu Nanjiao was temporarily shelved.
However, the Imperial Concubine was uneasy and issued a final order: even if he couldn't be killed, his face should be ruined.
The usually ruthless Minister Zhou was terrified; his beloved daughter had actually been so cruel.
Having spent years immersed in the inner palace, she had become unrecognizable. Her eyes were now only on power and status, devoid of any familial affection.
...
Before they knew it, the day arrived for the Crown Prince to marry a concubine, and the Minister's mansion was filled with joy.
Zhou Wan sat by the window, calmly picking up the scissors and gently cutting off the flower branch in front of her.
Qingci paced back and forth anxiously: "Miss, the situation is urgent, why aren't you worried at all?"
Zhou Wan gently put down the scissors, looked at the flower branches she had pruned with satisfaction, and said softly, "What's the use of rushing? This is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, and also the will of the Imperial Concubine."
"But Miss, the Imperial Concubine is clearly pushing you into a fire pit. Knowing full well that the Crown Prince and our Minister's family are at odds, she still wants to marry you off. Isn't this blatant..."
"Alright." Zhou Wan interrupted Qingci and slowly stood up. "Don't say such things. I'm just a concubine's daughter, and my aunt died young. Who would care whether I live or die?"
"But..." Qingci wanted to say something more, but seeing the impatience on Zhou Wan's face, she could only purse her lips and retreat.
Looking at the festive silk and cherry-red wedding dress, Zhou Wan smiled slightly, her delicate white fingertips gently tracing the embroidery on the dress.
So what if she's the Crown Prince's concubine? One day she'll climb to that position.
The Zhou family wanted to use her as a shield, a pawn. But it's not that easy.
Little did they know that this marriage was exactly what Zhou Wan wanted.
Everyone thought she was infatuated with His Highness Prince Cheng, even Consort Yue thought so.
Since His Highness the Crown Prince was implicated by the Empress, he has disappeared without a trace. Zhou Wan had no choice but to turn her attention to His Highness Prince Cheng.
Consort Yue was ambitious but incompetent, so naturally she looked down on the illegitimate daughters of her own family. The Prince Cheng's wife or concubine had to be a daughter of noble birth from a prominent family.
Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has returned, the Imperial Concubine feels threatened. The support of the Minister's Mansion alone is far from enough. Prince Cheng's consort must marry a legitimate daughter from another noble family.
She asked Zhou Wan, "Which eldest daughter do you think is knowledgeable, reasonable, and capable of helping Prince Cheng?"
Zhou Wan, who had been fawning over Consort Yue, lowered her eyes: "Wan'er has no right to discuss His Highness Prince Cheng's marriage. However, today Prince Cheng suddenly said that he wanted to marry Wan'er as a concubine. Wan'er knows that her status is too low to be worthy of His Highness, so she came to inform her aunt about this matter. She hopes that her aunt will make a decision as soon as possible for the sake of the great cause."
Consort Yue was very satisfied with Zhou Wan's performance. Looking at the obedient and submissive Zhou Wan, she came up with a plan and decided to ask His Majesty to bestow Zhou Wan upon the Crown Prince as a concubine.
Zhou Wan had already dressed in her wedding gown and was waiting for the Crown Prince to come and marry her, but instead, a small sedan chair arrived instead.
The people in the Eastern Palace said that a concubine is a secondary consort and is not entitled to a grand sedan chair carried by eight men; she can only enter through a side gate in a small sedan chair.
Zhou Wan felt humiliated, but thinking of that handsome face, she forced herself to endure it.
Chu Luoxun didn't come on their wedding night, and Zhou Wanjing sat by the bed waiting all night.
Qingci was dissatisfied and lashed out at the servants and maids.
This time, however, Zhou Wan slapped her hard and gave her a verbal warning, telling her to kneel on the ground and reflect on her actions. Qingci couldn't understand why, when she and her young mistress had always worked together perfectly, with one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, why she had been beaten so severely today.
Qingci was indignant. Her young lady was always like this, appearing weak and harmless in front of others, but she got to do all the bad things.
Now she's the one getting beaten up again.
Chu Luoxun, who had spent the night in his study, washed up and prepared to go to court. Unexpectedly, a woman blocked his way.
Chu Luoxun glanced at her with disgust: "If you know what's good for you and behave yourself in the Eastern Palace, I won't touch you. But if you have other ideas, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The usually gentle Zhou Wan actually raised her eyes and looked directly at Chu Luoxun, her tone unusually firm: "Your Highness, I have something important to discuss with you?"
"What mischief are you up to now?"
What good things could the Zhou family possibly have to talk to him about? They'd just try to manipulate him with underhanded tactics. Chu Luoxun had no time or inclination to waste words with Zhou Wan. He didn't even glance at her before turning and leaving.
"Your Highness, this concerns the Imperial Concubine's secret. Don't you want to know?"
Chu Luoxun stopped in his tracks. Of course he knew about Consort Yue's secret, but what did this concubine's daughter from the Zhou family mean by it?
Is she trying to prove her loyalty to him? Or does she have ulterior motives?
Since she wanted to show her loyalty, he would give her a chance and see what tricks she could pull!
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