Reunion
"You live in a place like this."
When Liu Piao suddenly knocked on her door that day, Ah Jiao was a little surprised. "What brings you here, my lady?"
Liu Piao's men were guarding the door, and she walked in without paying any attention.
"Don't act like that in front of me. You're blackmailing him by using the fact that Qiao'er went to Red Light District during his father's mourning period. No one knows about this except you. This lotus seed candy tastes exactly like the one your father made."
"What brings you here, Madam?" Gillian asked the same question.
"His Majesty asked for my blood a few days ago to perform some kind of witchcraft to reincarnate you. I thought he was crazy, but I didn't expect it to work. Since you know you are Chen Ajiao, what are you still doing here?"
"Where else can we go if not here?"
"Go home, or return to the palace."
"Return to the palace? The position of Queen is already occupied. When His Majesty killed me, mother didn't hold any grudge against him?"
"She can be driven down as soon as she can sit on it. Why are you so cowardly? Are you afraid of Wei Yun?"
"Mother... I don't want to see them again, Liu Che, Wei Yun, I don't want to see any of them again."
"You're running away."
"I'm just running away, mother. Being Liu Che's queen is too tiring. I want to have a new life. Since I haven't asked for help from you, please don't bother me."
"Ridiculous." Liu Piao was very disappointed with A Jiao's attitude. "You are my daughter. How can you live here and lead this kind of life? Come back with me."
"I'm not going back."
"Don't be so rude to me. If you continue to stay here, I will have to send someone to invite His Majesty over."
Liu Piao always kept her word, and today she brought such a large group of people with her, which meant that they had already made plans to take her back to the mansion. There was still a chance to leave if she went back to the mansion, but if she stayed with Liu Che, she would never be able to leave. She thought about it and agreed to Liu Piao's request.
Although decades have passed, her house is still well preserved, and all the furnishings inside are as clean and dust-free as before.
"Miss, this is the dress that the princess chose for you. Would you like to try it on?"
"No need, just leave it there." She had no interest in these clothes now. "Where is the Marquis of Tangyi?"
"He always lives in Tangyi Marquis's Mansion and doesn't come to my place often."
After bathing, Liu Piao walked into Ah Jiao's room and glanced at her from head to toe. "How come your waist is so thick? And your neck and hands are rough and dull. I made her a light porridge for dinner today."
Gillian was quite perceptive of the scrutiny, as if testing the quality of a piece of merchandise. Her breath caught in her chest instantly, and she said to the maid, "I want beef pancakes, water shield soup, and roasted lamb with choy sum."
"After eating these, your waist will be as thick as a bucket." Liu Piao glanced at her with a hint of mockery.
"I'm hungry. I haven't eaten meat in days."
"You can't wear any of the clothes I prepared for you. I'm starting to doubt whether you're actually Gillian. How can you describe it so crudely..."
"I said I was hungry, skin and bones, I couldn't even eat meat every day and I couldn't cook. Didn't mother understand? Or did mother think that none of this mattered? My body, my emotions, are no more important than a shell?"
"I'm teaching you. I know you're Gu Wenying now. You've been in that poor, barbaric place in Jiangdong for so long, and you've picked up these vulgar behaviors. If you continue like this, how will you feel when Archer sees you again?"
"How embarrassed he must be. And I've already said, I won't go into the palace and make the same mistake again. I just want to find an ordinary husband and live an ordinary life. Mother, I will never go into the palace."
She stared at Liu Piao and spoke word by word.
After Liu Piao left, A Jiao sighed deeply. In this princess's mansion, she couldn't relax for a moment. After dinner, she went to Guanfeng Pavilion to pay her respects to her father.
Guanfeng Pavilion is located on a small island in the middle of the lake. Whenever she feels upset, she goes here to watch the birds flying and the fish swimming, and the wind dancing on the water. Looking out from the rows of glazed windows, she sees the shadows of flowers changing and her heart follows the light.
When she saw Dong Yan sitting in the place where she used to sit and stroking the strings of the zither, she couldn't help but feel angry and broke his zither.
"Who allowed you to touch the things here? Where is the memorial tablet of Tangyi Hou?"
Dong Yan glanced at the person who came. It was the girl who sold lotus seed candy on the roadside that day. He did not give in at all, and his anger rose in his heart. "What qualifications do you have to question me? The princess gave me this place as a reward to practice the piano. I can take whatever I want and throw it away. Do you still need to ask me? I need to understand my identity. You are just the princess's adopted daughter. Do you really think you are a princess?"
"I want to ask you where you placed the spirit tablet of Tangyi Hou."
"Marquis Tangyi? He's been dead for eight hundred years, and people still remember him..." Dong Yan laughed mockingly, "There are too many unlucky things here. I've already had them put in a box and burned."
"Who are you calling unlucky? If we're talking about unlucky people, aren't you, an entertainer selling smiles in brothels, more unlucky and filthy?"
"The princess and I were in love, but Chen Wu insisted on asking for trouble by interfering and even interfering with the princess. He deserved to die. He has been dead for so many years, why is he still here and getting in the way?"
"I don't think you have any reason to live anymore."
Gillian picked up the broken zither and threw it at him. He didn't expect this woman to be so crazy. After being hit hard on the head, he shouted, "Someone come! Come and take her down for me!"
When Liu Piao arrived after hearing the news, she saw Dong Yan walking towards A Jiao in a rage. She shouted, "Stop it, everyone!"
"Princess, look at my head. She broke my piano for no reason and hit me like this..."
Dong Yan originally thought that Liu Piao would do him justice, punish the woman and drive her out of the house, but Liu Piao just let it go and gave the place to the woman.
"Princess, who on earth is she that you indulge her like this? She hit me on the head like this, don't you feel any pain at all?"
Although Dong Yan was nearly forty, he was still well-maintained. Without the powder on his face, his skin was fair and delicate. His beautiful eyes beneath thick eyebrows looked at Liu Piao with pity, which moved her. The maids had all left, leaving only the two of them in a whisper in the middle of the night. She told the truth.
"I see. But since His Majesty has asked you to take the princess's blood and reincarnate her, you will surely find her soon. The princess is unwilling to return to the palace. If His Majesty knew that we were hiding the princess and kept it secret, it would bring disaster to both the Marquis' Mansion and the Princess' Mansion."
Liu Piao seemed lost in thought. Dong Yan said, "Princess, why don't you inform His Majesty about the princess's affairs? This will not only ensure the safety of the princess's mansion, but also secure a safe and happy life for the Marquis of Tangyi. If he commits a crime in the future, His Majesty will forgive him for the princess's sake. When you arranged a marriage with Concubine Wang, wasn't it to preserve your family's prestige? Now that the crown prince is disfavored by His Majesty, if the princess gives birth to a prince, with you here, you can certainly ensure that the little prince succeeds to the throne and overthrow the Wei family."
What really moved Liu Piao were the following words. After A Jiao's death, her status was no longer as noble as before. Although her son inherited the title of Marquis of Tangyi, he was unlikely to be of great use and might cause trouble in the future. However, if her grandson was of royal blood, things would be different. In the past, A Jiao had poor health and difficulty conceiving, which had caused discord between them. Now that she had a new body, she no longer had to worry about having a child.
Dong Yan asked, "What do you think, Princess?"
Liu Piao's face showed no emotion, she only said: "It depends on what Ah Jiao thinks, we can talk about this matter later."
On Liu Piao's birthday, she invited everyone for a boat ride, and a large group showed up. Chen Qiao, his concubines, and several of his grandchildren sat at the bottom, while A Jiao sat opposite Chen Qiao, drinking idly.
"A few days ago, I heard that His Majesty was unwell. So, Longli, have you visited His Majesty?"
"I've checked, and Your Majesty is fine. The imperial physician said it's just due to excessive worrying and a weak spleen and stomach. Don't worry, mother."
"That's a worry," Liu Piao said, glancing at A Jiao. "Now that the world is at peace and the war is over, what else could your Majesty worry about? It's so bad that it could harm your health. Longli, take the two children and visit their uncle more often when you have time."
"yes."
"Don't think this is a minor illness and don't take it seriously. If you leave it untreated for too long, it will cause serious problems. Secondly, our Guo'er is old enough, and Fang'er can inherit his father's title. Guo'er is also your son, so please speak to His Majesty and ask for a title for Guo'er as well."
Longli and Liu Che were born from the same mother and had two sons, Guo'er and Fang'er. Among them, the younger Guo'er was the most beloved by Liu Piao. When the emperor issued an edict of favor, not only did Longli's two children have to share land and property with the concubines' sons, but the land was also divided into smaller and smaller parts, and power became more and more dispersed. Liu Piao had to find another way out for them, and naturally, she also placed her hopes on her.
A Jiao didn't even raise her head, and ignored her hint. Let Liu Che do whatever he wants, she will never get entangled with him again. Besides, she has other important matters today.
"Miss Wenying, I apologize for my words that day. I offer you a glass of wine, and I beg your forgiveness."
Dong Yan suddenly came over and poured her a glass of wine. He said forgiveness, but his eyes were full of provocation. He thought Gillian would ignore him, but she took the wine and drank it all. Then he poured him another glass himself.
"Since you know you've offended me, you want to just drink a glass of wine and let it go?"
Gillian's voice suddenly became louder, attracting everyone's attention. Dong Yan drank a glass of wine. Just as he was about to leave, he saw her pour four or five more glasses and place them neatly on the table.
"Drink all of this, and I'll forgive you and let you go."
Chen Qiao was shocked and turned to Longli, saying, "This mother's adopted daughter is quite interesting. How dare she disrespect this bitch like this? What's her background?"
Longliu said, "I heard that he only knows how to make lotus seed candy that Cousin Gillian loves to eat. Mother is reminded of her when she sees it. Now it seems that their personalities are very similar."
"So that's how it is, no wonder..."
"No wonder what?"
Chen Qiao whispered something to Longli, who immediately widened his eyes. "You said my brother is here too? What does that mean, mother..."
Chen Qiao nodded. "So no matter what she does today, Dong Yan will have to endure it. This is probably what Mother meant."
Chen Qiao smiled and said, "Let's just wait and see. I've already had three or four cups..."
"I don't think one pot is enough. I need to fill a whole jar with it."
"Wait, what's that?" Longli suddenly pulled Chen Qiao, who was picking up some food with his head down, and said, "Don't eat it, that's..."
"It's blood..."
"Dong Yan's ears are bleeding."
Chen Qiao raised his head suddenly and saw the wine glass in Dong Yan's hand shook and rolled to the ground. He also fell down, holding his stomach, with blood flowing from his ears and nose.
He looked at Gillian, who was sitting opposite him with a calm expression, in disbelief, and pointed at her with a trembling hand, "You poisoned me..."
Liu Piao was horrified and ran down from the upper seat, "Come on, hurry! Pull the boat to the shore and find a doctor!"
She pulled Gillian over and began to search her body. "Where's the antidote? Hurry up and get the antidote out! You're so brave! Do you think I have no way to deal with you?"
Ah Jiao looked at the anxious look of the person in front of her, letting her tear at him, and suddenly laughed, "When my father was poisoned to death by Dong Yan, if my mother had been as anxious to find a doctor and medicine as she is now, my father would not have died."
"You know?" Liu Piao suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and looked at the woman in front of her with some vigilance.
"Liu Che's people found out and told me. Mother, don't be afraid. Although you are protecting and indulging me, I can't kill you. After all, you are my biological mother."
Liu Piao was furious when she heard this. "You want revenge on me, you hate me."
"My third and final year in Changmen Palace. I was neglected and desolate by His Majesty. What was Mother doing? You took advantage of my loss of power and watched coldly as Dong Yan murdered my father, poisoning him to death in the Marquis's residence. The funeral was hasty, and then you became affectionate with Dong Yan. Killing him was a great gift to such a treacherous man. Mother, experience how I felt when I was in the cold palace, heartbroken and powerless."
Liu Piao sneered, "So I was wrong? I gave birth to you and raised you, I worked tirelessly for you, I planned everything, I let you marry the emperor and become the most honorable empress in the world, and yet you resent me..."
"I know you blame me for arranging the wrong marriage for you. You should have married a loser just like your father wanted and lived a miserable life. You don't have the ability to hold onto the throne of Queen, yet you blame me, blaming me for planning so much for you, for finding you such a noble husband. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have raised you in my arms, for treating you so well. Damn it, I gave birth to such a fool!"
"Yes, isn't it all mother's fault? She gave birth to a fool like me. I couldn't be as selfish and self-centered as mother. If mother hated me, she could have killed me to make Dong Yan an accomplice. Anyway, I am nothing now."
Gillian ignored the chaos in the front hall and headed straight for her own wing. Chaotic noises could be heard faintly from the front, and the incense from the incense burner in the room gave her a headache. Perhaps it was because she had drunk too much earlier that her head began to feel dizzy.
When she reached the inner room, she almost stumbled and fell. She hurriedly reached for the table beside her, but before she touched the table, a pair of warm hands grabbed her arms.
She was startled and looked up, and Liu Che's thin face appeared in front of her, making her almost think it was an illusion.
She pushed him away and took a few steps back, until his mellow voice, tinged with a faint smile, woke her up. Goosebumps instantly spread from her neck to her entire body, and her hair stood on end.
"Ah Jiao, I finally found you."
"We never want to be apart again, ever again."
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