Chapter 272 Regaining Memories (Two Updates)
She was stunned.
She was stunned for a long time, and moved her mouth in disbelief, but no sound came out for a long time.
...Jiaojiao?
Did that name that slipped out of her mouth unintentionally belong to this little girl?
Why did I treat her...?
"Empress Dowager!"
Zhuang Yuexi's voice suddenly appeared. She saw a familiar little figure standing next to the Empress Dowager from afar. Suspicious, she walked over and saw that it was indeed Gu Jiao.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Then she saw the small purse in Gu Jiao's hand, and her expression changed instantly.
She tried her best to hide her unease, telling herself that the Empress Dowager had long forgotten about this girl, and that she was now the one the Empress Dowager favored, so no matter how much this girl tried to cause trouble, it would be in vain.
After a moment of reflection, she calmed down.
She looked at Gu Jiao and asked with a questioning expression, "What are you doing here? Is the palace a place you can just come and go as you please?"
Of course not. But since Gu Jiao was able to get in, it at least means that she has connections. The only people Gu Jiao knows in the palace are the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Since the Empress Dowager didn't give her the right to come and go freely, it can only be the Emperor.
Zhuang Yuexi's words were undoubtedly a reminder to Empress Dowager Zhuang that Gu Jiao was the emperor's person.
Empress Dowager Zhuang's expression indeed grew even colder.
Zhuang Yuexi continued, "I heard that His Majesty is unwell, and you were the one treating him. I wonder how the treatment went."
Everyone in Zhao Kingdom knew that Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Emperor were mortal enemies. Empress Dowager Zhuang supported the Emperor's ascension to the throne only to cultivate a puppet emperor, but once the Emperor had gained power, he was no longer willing to be a puppet.
The open and covert struggles between the two have never stopped.
The Empress Dowager wanted to kill the Emperor while he was sick, but Gu Jiao's appearance gave him a glimmer of hope. Will the Empress Dowager like Gu Jiao?
The words still echoed in Empress Dowager Zhuang's mind, but instead of confusion, they were replaced by coldness. This girl approached her at the emperor's behest, and she let her take the opportunity to enter her heart, mostly because she had lost her memory.
She just accidentally fell for this girl's trick; she won't do it again.
"Leave your things here, you may leave." Empress Dowager Zhuang raised her chin and looked towards the flower bushes in the Imperial Garden.
"Oh." Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhuang Yuexi. "So it wasn't your great-aunt who had it returned to me?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang then realized that the girl seemed to have been using the word "return" from the very beginning. She frowned and looked at the crumpled money bag, which was indeed a very strange money bag, with all the loose threads left outside.
Did this girl... make it herself and give it to her?
"It's obvious that you stole the Empress Dowager's things and came here to talk to yourself!" Zhuang Yuexi clenched her fingers and turned to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Empress Dowager, it must have been accidentally dropped on the road and picked up by this girl."
Gu Jiao looked at Zhuang Yuexi: "You gave it to me."
Zhuang Yuexi vehemently denied it: "I didn't!" She turned to face the Empress Dowager Zhuang, "Empress Dowager, please don't listen to her instigation!"
"Enough!" Empress Dowager Zhuang interrupted Zhuang Yuexi, who was being too noisy today, which annoyed her.
In fact, Gu Jiao talked much more than Zhuang Yuexi today, but Empress Dowager Zhuang herself didn't realize that she only thought Zhuang Yuexi was noisy.
Gu Jiao looked at Empress Dowager Zhuang with a pitiful expression: "Do you really want me to leave? Then tell me yourself that you don't want me anymore."
Empress Dowager Zhuang took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
She couldn't bring herself to say it. The thought of telling this girl that she didn't want her anymore felt like a huge rock was stuck in her throat.
"Boring." Empress Dowager Zhuang stood up coldly, flicked her sleeves, and left the Imperial Garden.
Gu Jiao touched the money pouch in her hand.
After Empress Dowager Zhuang had walked away, Zhuang Yuexi said coldly, "Don't make a fool of yourself! You know in your heart what your family has done to my great-aunt! She is kind-hearted and doesn't hold it against you, but don't take advantage of her kindness! Do you really think she loves you? She only treats you as me! I am her real grand-niece!"
"Oh," Gu Jiao replied casually, not taking Zhuang Yuexi's words to heart at all.
This woman never tells the truth; she won't listen to anything, she's just spouting nonsense!
Seeing that she seemed completely unconcerned, Zhuang Yuexi felt as if she had punched a cotton ball, and felt utterly powerless.
She was actually quite intelligent, but when it came to Gu Jiao, she easily lost her temper and forgot her limits. She steeled herself and blurted out, "You better know your place! Stop daydreaming! Your aunt doesn't even remember you anymore!"
Gu Jiao paused for a moment.
So you don't remember her...
Gu Jiao believed this.
Gu Jiao, who was about to leave the palace, turned back and strode forward with great pride.
"Where are you going?" Zhuang Yuexi scolded.
“Renshou Palace,” Gu Jiao said, raising an eyebrow without turning her head.
Zhuang Yuexi stomped her foot in anger: "You!"
Gu Jiao caught up with Empress Dowager Zhuang's palanquin. The palace servants were used to reading the Empress Dowager's expression, and since she had caught up with her, the Empress Dowager did not order her to leave. So the palace servants did not dare to speak.
Upon arriving at Renshou Palace, Empress Dowager Zhuang stepped inside.
Gu Jiao also quickly went inside.
Eunuch Qin gritted his teeth. Why was this girl so persistent?
Empress Dowager Zhuang finally stopped in the small garden in front of the palace. She looked at Gu Jiao expressionlessly and asked, "Why do you always follow me?"
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and said, "I want to follow you."
Empress Dowager Zhuang: "..."
She should be very angry, but why does she feel a little... secretly pleased?
Was she bewitched by this girl? During the year or so she was under house arrest, how much bewitching potion did this girl give her?
Empress Dowager Zhuang, enraged and humiliated, returned to her bedchamber.
Gu Jiao naturally followed her in. Looking at the magnificent palace, she asked in confusion, "Aunt, is this where you live? Aren't you lonely?"
It appears luxurious, yet it is large and empty, with every corner feeling cold and lifeless.
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhuang seemed momentarily dazed.
No one ever asked her if she was lonely.
Her father, who sent her to the palace, never asked about her; her husband, who left her in the deep palace, never asked about her; and her clansmen, who hoped she would rise higher and higher, never asked about her either.
Lost in thought, a slender, pale hand reached out, holding a freshly opened paper package containing three candied fruits.
This kind of candied fruit looks like it came from the common people; the dried fruits from the imperial court were much more refined.
"How dare you! How could you feed the Empress Dowager such filthy things from the common people!" Zhuang Yuexi walked over carrying a mixed fruit platter, which contained freshly cut melons and fruits, sprinkled with a few dried fruits from the palace as garnish. It looked much more upscale than Gu Jiao's candied fruit.
Empress Dowager Zhuang's gaze fell on the candied fruit in Gu Jiao's hand. She swallowed hard and said sternly, "I will not eat it!"
"Oh." Gu Jiao started eating by herself.
Empress Dowager Zhuang ate the fruits offered by Zhuang Yuexi, but she had no taste for them.
Gu Jiao went to the small kitchen and made a bowl of sweet egg soup for Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Zhuang Yuexi looked at the bowl of sweet egg soup with disdain: "Is this the kind of thing you give the Empress Dowager?"
The imperial court also served eggs, but those were shrimp and egg soup, shark fin egg soup, abalone scrambled eggs, osmanthus and goji berry pearl egg drop soup... Who would eat this kind of sweet soup egg?
Gu Jiao ignored her and walked over to place a steaming bowl of sweet egg soup on the table next to the Empress Dowager, whispering, "I added an extra half spoonful of brown sugar."
There was still too much sugar in it!
Empress Dowager Zhuang was reluctant. As the Empress Dowager of the country, how could she eat such unrefined food?
She turned her face away coldly, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth...
Empress Dowager Zhuang was going to take a nap, so Gu Jiao and Zhuang Yuexi were invited by the palace servants to rest in the side hall next door.
Gu Jiao's origins are somewhat unclear, but as long as the Empress Dowager doesn't expel her, the palace servants wouldn't dare to do anything to her.
"You may all leave. I do not like anyone serving me when I sleep."
"yes."
The two maids who were close to her also withdrew.
The vast bedroom was now empty except for Empress Dowager Zhuang. She lay on the large and luxurious phoenix bed, her eyes half-closed, her back to the table.
The windows were wide open, and a gentle breeze blew in.
Gu Jiao added ginger to the sweet egg soup, and the aroma of ginger juice mixed with brown sugar filled the entire bedroom.
Empress Dowager Zhuang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Finally, she steeled herself, sat up, went to the table, sat down, and started slurping down a bowl of sweet egg soup!
Suddenly, a small, blue figure dangled upside down from the beam, its head hanging out of the window, and happily called out, "Grandma~"
Empress Dowager Zhuang shuddered, nearly choking to death!
Getting caught eating sweet egg soup is just unbelievable.
Gu Jiao was hanging upside down, blood rushing to her head, her little face flushed red, making her look rather cute.
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at it, then looked at it again.
Gu Jiao didn't hang there for long. She braced herself against the windowsill with her delicate hand and leaped in through the window.
Empress Dowager Zhuang then said without changing her expression, "I just don't want to waste it."
Gu Jiao nodded: "Yes, yes, every grain is hard-earned!"
After finishing her meal, Empress Dowager Zhuang wiped her mouth and said in a serious tone, "It wasn't very tasty."
Gu Jiao stared at the bowl, now completely devoid of any crumbs: "..."
Gu Jiao asked again, "Grandma, don't you remember what happened in Biyue Alley?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang was slightly taken aback, then said solemnly, "I never remember unimportant things!"
"oh."
Gu Jiao said "Oh," came to Empress Dowager Zhuang's side, knelt down on one knee, took her hand, and looked up at her: "Aunt, let me take you out of the palace."
Empress Dowager Zhuang said calmly, "What are you doing?"
Gu Jiao: "You're not happy in the palace."
Empress Dowager Zhuang thought she would say, "I will take you out of the palace to help you regain your past memories," but unexpectedly, she said something like this.
Does this girl not care at all whether she will remember him or not?
Is it just a matter of whether she's happy or not?
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked away and said coldly, "Who said I'm unhappy? I am the most honored woman in Zhao Kingdom, the Empress Dowager who holds immense power in the court. Anything I want in this world is within my grasp."
Gu Jiao didn't say anything, but looked at her with heartache.
I thought my great-aunt had forgotten, and that she was the saddest person, but actually... it was my great-aunt.
Empress Dowager Zhuang dared not meet Gu Jiao's clear eyes. Looking out the window, she said coldly, "The Emperor sent you again, didn't he? All this talk of being kind to me is just another attempt to bewitch me! Let me tell you the truth, this trick of yours..."
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a soft, warm touch on her palm.
She looked down and saw the little girl open her hand and bury her cheek in her palm.
Her face was soft and chubby, with the baby fat that hadn't yet faded.
Her long eyelashes, with each tremor, brushed against her palm and also touched the tip of her heart.
Half an hour later, as usual, Eunuch Qin came to wake Empress Dowager Zhuang up.
For decades, Empress Dowager Zhuang maintained an extremely strict schedule in the inner palace, never wasting a single moment.
"Your Majesty, this servant has come in to help you change your clothes."
After reporting outside the door, Eunuch Qin pushed open the door and entered, carrying a stack of gorgeous clothes.
But when he arrived at Empress Dowager Zhuang's bed and saw the person on it clearly, he was startled: "Empress Dowager—"
Before he could utter the word "courage," he felt two sharp gazes.
He quickly turned around and bowed to Empress Dowager Zhuang, who was already dressed in her finest attire: "Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Zhuang was not wearing a phoenix robe, nor was she wearing ordinary palace attire; instead, she was wearing... a set of coarse cloth clothes typical of commoners.
Eunuch Qin was dumbfounded.
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at Gu Jiao, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and said indifferently, "I am going out of the palace. You should also go and change your clothes."
"……yes."
Eunuch Qin agreed.
As an old servant of Empress Dowager Zhuang, he naturally did not need the Empress Dowager to teach him what clothes to wear.
Eunuch Qin often went out of the palace to buy things, and he also had clothes for people outside the palace. He told the Empress Dowager that she wanted to practice calligraphy in her study and asked the palace servants not to disturb her. Then he secretly took the Empress Dowager out of the palace.
In the carriage outside the palace, Eunuch Qin asked the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty... cough, Madam, where are we going now?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang gazed at the vast sky outside the palace, breathing in air that didn't belong to her, and murmured, "Bishui Hutong."
That's what that girl seemed to say.
Bishui Hutong is located near the Imperial College and is quite well-known; it just so happens that Eunuch Qin knew about it.
Night had fallen, and lights from thousands of homes illuminated the streets.
This is her peaceful and prosperous era, but this liveliness does not belong to her.
"It's just ahead." Eunuch Qin slowed down and was about to turn into the alley when Empress Dowager Zhuang suddenly said, "Stop here."
"Yes." Eunuch Qin got off the carriage, instructed a young eunuch to watch over it, and then helped Empress Dowager Zhuang down.
The road in Bishui Hutong used to be a bit bumpy, but now it has been filled with all sorts of strange materials, as if each household had been filled a little bit.
"Huiyuan Road," Empress Dowager Zhuang suddenly said.
Eunuch Qin was taken aback: "Empress Dowager... are you going to bestow a name upon this road?"
"I don't know," Empress Dowager Zhuang shook her head.
It was just a fleeting thought, and she didn't understand why she said that.
She continued walking, very slowly.
Suddenly, someone opened the gate of a house on the right and came out. When they saw her, their eyes lit up: "Aunt Huo! I haven't seen you for days! You're back from visiting your family! Why were you gone for so long?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang stared at her blankly.
Aunt Liu stepped forward and took her hand: "You've come at the perfect time! We're one short for mahjong!"
"Insolence!" Eunuch Qin muttered through gritted teeth.
Aunt Liu spotted Eunuch Qin: "Hey? Who's this? Is he a relative of yours?"
Eunuch Qin almost knelt down!
He's a servant; how could he possibly claim kinship with the Empress Dowager? Wouldn't that be incredibly disrespectful to him?
“Coachman,” Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
"He's so handsome!" Aunt Liu's eyes lingered on Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin squeezed his legs together: "I am a eunuch!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at the hand that was holding her wrist. In the palace, even the emperor dared not touch a single corner of her clothes.
Aunt Liu didn't notice anything unusual about Empress Dowager Zhuang. Mainly because she had always been the kind of person who was not to be trifled with, and everyone was used to it. She was just cold on the outside but warm on the inside!
"Hey! Aunt Zhao! Aunt Huo is back!"
"Sister-in-law Huo is back?" Aunt Zhao came out of the house and indeed saw Empress Dowager Zhuang. She called into the house, "Liang-ge'er, go and call your grandma, Grandma Huo is back!"
"Hey!"
A little boy named Liang Ge'er ran quickly out of the Zhao family's house and back to his own home, shouting, "Grandma! Grandma Huo is back!"
In an instant, the entire Bishui Hutong was alarmed.
Without the old lady playing cards with them, life is truly as lonely as snow!
A large group of people surrounded Empress Dowager Zhuang, asking her why her trip to visit her relatives had taken so long. Her children were very worried. Several times they saw the youngest one looking out the door. When asked if he missed his great-aunt, he said no, but tears welled up in his eyes. His pitiful little face broke their hearts!
Small?
Empress Dowager Zhuang was deep in thought.
That little bald guy?
Speak of the devil, and he appears; Xiao Jingkong just happened to come out and look outside again.
He poked his little head out, his big, watery eyes looking incredibly innocent.
He still didn't know what had happened in the alley or why everyone had come out.
Then he saw a person walk out of the crowd.
She is my great-aunt.
Little Jingkong's eyes lit up, and she was about to call out "Grandma," but then she seemed to remember something, pouted, turned her back, and ran into the house!
Aunt Zhao quickly said, "Alright, alright, go and coax her, we'll call you to play cards another day."
Empress Dowager Zhuang was practically escorted to her doorstep.
She was born superior to others. She entered the palace at the age of sixteen and became empress. Wherever she went, she was surrounded by thousands of people and admired by tens of thousands of people. But what they surrounded and admired was her noble daughter of the Zhuang family, her virtuous empress who ruled the country, and her powerful Empress Dowager Zhuang. It was her many identities, but not her as a person.
Empress Dowager Zhuang entered the courtyard.
A familiar scent wafted over me.
She was almost immediately certain that she had lived here.
The bamboo, vegetable garden, and small fishpond in the front yard, and the crabapple tree, doghouse, and chicken coop in the back yard, quietly overlapped with the scenes that kept lingering in her mind.
"Woof!"
Little Ba excitedly pounced on her!
Eunuch Qin's expression changed drastically, and he spread his arms to block her way: "Protect the Emperor!"
Xiao Ba rolled her eyes at him, pounced at the old lady's feet, and started jumping around happily.
Soon the eaglet flew down from the roof.
"Ahhh!" Eunuch Qin was scared half to death; it was an eagle!
The fledgling eagle flapped its wings and landed on Empress Dowager Zhuang's shoulder.
"Who's here?" Madam Yao came out of the house and saw Empress Dowager Zhuang dressed in the same clothes she had worn the day she left home. Madam Yao's voice stopped abruptly.
She was pregnant; that was Empress Dowager Zhuang's first reaction.
She didn't just see it; she should have known.
"You...you're back?" Yao didn't know how to address her, nor did she know why she had come here. Yao felt a little uneasy and nervous.
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at a room under the corridor.
Madam Yao glanced back and hurriedly said, "Xiao Shun and Yan'er have gone to learn their craft and haven't returned yet."
Empress Dowager Zhuang then looked at the house opposite.
Madam Yao said, "I have always kept your room tidy."
Her house?
Empress Dowager Zhuang patted the fledgling eagle's wings, and the fledgling eagle obediently flew down, while she herself went into the house.
Eunuch Qin strode forward and pushed open the door first.
It was getting dark, and there were no lights in the room, but it was well-ventilated from north to south and looked like a nice room, just too small, not even as big as a phoenix bed in Renshou Palace.
Eunuch Qin was heartbroken. Had the Empress Dowager been living in such a remote place all this time?
Empress Dowager Zhuang did not dislike this place. Her fingertips brushed against the peeling paint on the furniture, and a deep sense of familiarity came from her fingertips and spread throughout her body.
Little Jingkong locked himself in his room. After a while, his aunt came to coax him. He was worried that his aunt had left again, so he quickly opened the door of the west room a crack and poked his little head out to look around.
Then he met Empress Dowager Zhuang's gaze.
Little Jingkong quickly pulled his head back and slammed the door shut with a huff!
Empress Dowager Zhuang went to the little boy's room.
The little guy had his back to her and was sitting in a corner next to a wardrobe.
"Come out," Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
"I'm not coming out!" Xiao Jing said angrily, then glanced back at her stealing a look. "You...you have to feed me before I come out!"
When she acts cute, even reduplicated words come out.
Fifteen minutes later, Empress Dowager Zhuang and the little one sat in the courtyard.
A bowl of steaming millet porridge sat on a small wooden table in front of them.
"Eat it yourself," Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
Little Jingkong pouted, tilted his head back, and shouted in one breath, "Waaah—"
Empress Dowager Zhuang shuddered, grabbed a spoonful of millet porridge, and stuffed it into the little guy's mouth!
The old chief priest and Xiao Liulang returned from the Imperial Academy and the Hanlin Academy.
"You don't need to pay any attention to those few scoundrels from the Zhuang family. I'll find a way to deal with them later..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old priest and Xiao Liulang walked through the passageway. He immediately saw the old lady sitting on a small stool, feeding Xiao Jingkong.
Why an old lady, and not Empress Dowager Zhuang? Because she was wearing the clothes of an old lady.
The old chief priest had just received his salary today, and his first reaction was to grab the money bag: "I didn't hide any money from anyone!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang gave him a sinister look.
The old chief priest knelt down with a thud.
Little Jingkong clicked his tongue: "Grandpa, why did you fall?"
"Great-uncle?" Empress Dowager Zhuang's expression turned cold!
The old priest's hair stood on end. "Ahhh! Little monk, how can you treat your uncle like this?"
Oh no! I'm not your great-uncle!
No, she's not your great-aunt!
It doesn't seem to have hit the nail on the head...
The late emperor!
The relationship between me and the Empress Dowager is purely that of ruler and subject.
Bang!
The old chief priest, utterly despondent, was dragged into a dark room by Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The commotion was quite loud.
Everyone: We don't know, and we dare not ask.
...
Granny Fang and Liu Quan were so frightened by Empress Dowager Zhuang that they couldn't hold their knives. Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun were not there, so Xiao Liulang cooked dinner for them.
Empress Dowager Zhuang instinctively felt a sense of rejection, though she couldn't explain why, but she still picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
This guy looks perfectly normal, so how come his cooking is so terrible?!
Empress Dowager Zhuang trembled all over from the unbearable taste, her blood surging, and it felt as if the top of her head was about to be blown open by the chaotic blood and qi. Her head ached again, and sweat beaded on her forehead.
Just then, Xiao Liulang gave her a deep look and suddenly asked, "Has Auntie's injury healed yet? Jiaojiao's hasn't. She was seriously injured and almost died."
She was badly injured...
She almost lost her life...
"Grandpa, where are you from?"
Do you remember what illness you had?
"So few, only three!"
"Candied fruit is expensive, so if you don't want it, that's fine!"
"Is that how you talk to your great-aunt?"
“I’m going to sell mountain produce. I’ve kept the food warm in the pot. Eat it yourself if you’re hungry. Also, take the medicine. You can’t miss a meal. I’ll know if you throw it away.”
"Jiaojiao".
"Jiaojiao, come to your great-aunt."
"Grandma, I'll take you home."
"good."
...
Renshou Palace.
Zhuang Yuexi lingered outside the Empress Dowager's bedchamber for a long time, but the Empress Dowager never came out.
Two strong and powerful eunuchs stood guard at the entrance.
She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and asked, "Gentlemen, it's getting late. It's time to remind the Empress Dowager to have her meal."
One of the eunuchs said, "The Empress Dowager has ordered that no one is to disturb her unless she comes out herself. Otherwise, we cannot disturb her."
Zhuang Yuexi asked, "But it's so late, what if the Empress Dowager gets hungry?"
Another eunuch smiled and said, "Miss Zhuang, please rest assured, if the Empress Dowager is hungry, she will have someone bring food. Besides, there is no shortage of food inside."
"How can those snacks fill our stomachs?" Zhuang Yuexi asked with a worried expression.
What Zhuang Yuexi didn't say was that what she was really worried about was that girl surnamed Gu.
The girl was clearly in Renshou Palace, but she disappeared in the blink of an eye. She strongly suspected that the girl had entered the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
What will she be doing in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber? What will she be saying to the Empress Dowager? Will she rack her brains to remind the Empress Dowager of what has happened over the past year?
She's not stupid; how could she not see that the things the Empress Dowager gave her weren't what she truly liked? And the way the Empress Dowager liked her wasn't the way she originally was.
I wonder how much bewitching potion that girl gave the Empress Dowager?
She didn't believe that girl had no ulterior motives!
Zhuang Yuexi said softly, "You two eunuchs, please inform the Empress Dowager for me. She dotes on me so much, and if she knew I've been worrying about her all this time, she would be displeased."
Upon hearing this, the two hesitated for a moment.
Empress Dowager Zhuang is a very principled person, but recently they have all seen how much she has favored Zhuang Yuexi. Not only did she give her the finest treasures, but she also personally built a mansion for her.
This is clearly treating her like a princess.
If Miss Zhuang really gets exhausted from working outside, it will be those of us who are servants who will suffer the consequences if Empress Dowager Zhuang blames us.
However... they dared not openly disobey the Empress Dowager's orders.
Zhuang Yuexi said, "Or you two eunuchs can just let me in. I will take full responsibility for anything that happens later. Please rest assured, with me here, I will not let the Empress Dowager make things difficult for you."
The two exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
Zhuang Yuexi carried a plate of freshly baked rose pastries into the bedroom.
The palace servants in the sleeping quarters were all dismissed, and the palace was quiet. Moonlight, like water, poured down and spread across the floor, shining brightly.
A slightly raised figure could be vaguely seen under the blankets on the bed. Zhuang Yuexi was about to step forward to pay her respects when she saw the other person's face clearly.
She gasped, so startled she almost dropped the plate she was holding!
How could it be her?
Why was she sleeping on the Empress Dowager's bed?
She hasn't slept at all!
She wouldn't even dare to touch it!
This girl is really bold; she actually dared to sneak onto the Empress Dowager's bed!
This is going to be interesting.
Zhuang Yuexi wasn't so kind as to remind Gu Jiao; she hoped Gu Jiao would continue sleeping, preferably until she went to summon the Empress Dowager!
What Zhuang Yuexi didn't expect was that the moment she turned around, she stepped on her own skirt, lost her balance, and crashed violently towards Gu Jiao on the phoenix bed.
The plate in her hand fell to the ground and shattered.
The crisp sound startled Gu Jiao awake instantly. Before she could understand what was happening, she saw a dark shadow looming over her. Instinctively, Gu Jiao slapped it back!
A sharp crack suddenly rang out in the bedchamber, and Zhuang Yuexi was sent flying by the blow. She crashed heavily into the display cabinet opposite her, causing the porcelain and jade artifacts on it to clatter and fall to the ground, including the Empress Dowager's phoenix seal hidden in her dressing case.
Empress Dowager Zhuang held immense power in the court, and the value of her Phoenix Seal was no less than that of the Imperial Seal of the State. Damaging the Phoenix Seal was a capital offense, far more serious than climbing into the Phoenix Bed!
When Zhuang Yuexi saw the Phoenix Seal break in two right in front of her, she was completely stunned!
Just then, Empress Dowager Zhuang returned to the palace.
She had changed her clothes in the side hall. The solemn and majestic black phoenix robe slowly flowed across the floor reflecting the moonlight, making her even more imposing and domineering.
"Oh dear! The Phoenix Seal!" Eunuch Qin's face changed drastically upon seeing the mess on the ground!
Zhuang Yuexi rushed over and knelt before Empress Dowager Zhuang, pointing to Gu Jiao on the phoenix bed and saying, "Empress Dowager! It's her! She actually climbed onto your phoenix bed while you were away! I kindly went over to ask her to get up, but she slapped me across the face, and I was knocked against the display cabinet, which is how the phoenix seal fell off!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang narrowed her eyes: "You mean... she hit you?"
Hearing the dangerous tone, Zhuang Yuexi was secretly delighted: "Yes, Your Majesty, she slapped my face so hard it was swollen!"
It's really swollen, really swollen, and my mouth is also broken and bleeding a little.
Empress Dowager Zhuang's gaze swept over Zhuang Yuexi's swollen face, and then fell on Gu Jiao in an instant: "Which hand did you hit her with?"
Zhuang Yuexi was secretly delighted. You're doomed. Just wait for the Empress Dowager to cripple your hands!
Gu Jiao pitifully raised her right hand.
She slapped herself with the back of her hand, and there are still red marks on it.
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at the slightly reddened back of her hand, and her gaze suddenly turned cold.
It's almost the end of the month, are there any monthly passes left?
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
