Chapter 308 The Beloved Darling (First Update)
Originally, when we ate at home, the first bowl of soup was always for my great-uncle, because he usually cooked, and he worked hard cooking.
But right now, Gu Jiao inexplicably felt that if she really gave this bowl of soup to her great-uncle, it might cost him his life.
The old chief priest was also trembling with fear, afraid that the girl would give him the soup as a sign of respect. If that happened, his status as the head of the household would be impossible to clear, and he would be chopped into mincemeat and boiled into soup by His Majesty!
Gu Jiao put down the soup spoon and gently handed the soup towards her aunt.
The emperor's eyes were piercingly sharp!
Gu Jiao paused for a moment, then slightly tilted the soup toward the emperor.
My aunt's eyes were piercingly sharp!
Without even thinking about giving it to Gu Changqing, Gu Jiao silently brought the soup back to herself, picked up the spoon, and began to drink it.
The two snorted and began to eat as well.
The meal was still prepared by the old chief priest. Yu Ya'er's cooking skills were not bad, but she struggled to cater to the emperor's picky tastes.
The old chief priest prepared five dishes and a soup, mainly to cater to the tastes of Empress Dowager Zhuang and Gu Jiao. He didn't know what the emperor and Gu Changqing liked to eat.
Fortunately, Gu Changqing was not picky, and it was also fortunate that the Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhuang had surprisingly similar tastes.
Empress Dowager Zhuang loved sweet treats, such as sugar-coated duck. After being cooked, the crispy duck was topped with a layer of maltose and sprinkled with a few white sesame seeds. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender, with a salty and sweet flavor that was not cloying.
Gu Changqing and Gu Jiao barely ate any of the dish; it mostly ended up in the stomachs of Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Emperor.
Then there was the plate of brown sugar glutinous rice cakes. The old chief priest originally made two plates: one with sesame seeds sprinkled on it, which Zhuang Jinse loved, and the other without sesame seeds sprinkled on it, which Gu Jiao loved.
Then the emperor didn't touch the plate without sesame seeds, even though he preferred the one with sesame seeds.
The emperor always dined alone in the palace, only occasionally going to the inner palace. The last time he ate at the same table with Empress Dowager Zhuang was when Princess Ning'an and Consort Jing were both in the palace.
At that time, he had not yet broken with Empress Dowager Zhuang. He regarded her as a kind mother and confided in her, believing that she also regarded him as her own son. She cared for him in the same way as Consort Jing, without any intention of taking advantage of him.
But the reality is so cruel.
After helping him rise to power, her pretense gradually crumbled, and she became repulsive and estranged.
She even targeted Consort Jing's mother, precisely to prevent Consort Jing from becoming an empress dowager on par with herself.
He had already been adopted by Consort Jing, so he was Consort Jing's son. Why couldn't Consort Jing become Empress Dowager?
Ironically, even after being forced into a nunnery by her, Consort Jing was still speaking up for her.
She told him that everything she did was for the sake of Zhao Kingdom, and that he should never hold a grudge against her.
He also said that he would understand the Empress Dowager's good intentions one day.
Oh?
What was her good intention?
One year, during a blizzard in the capital, Consort Jing nearly died in a nunnery. The emperor himself, a dignified ruler, knelt in the freezing snow outside Renshou Palace, pleading with her to bring Consort Jing back!
But she didn't!
So he settled for second best and asked her to give the Tianshan Snow Lotus to Consort Jing to prolong her life, but she refused!
She stood by and watched someone die!
She forgot how her mother, Consort Jing, shielded her from the sword when the Liu family tried to eliminate her!
And have you forgotten how, when the late emperor left a will ordering her to be buried alive with him, Consort Jing risked her life to steal the will and burn it!
She has no heart!
She's a vicious woman who repays kindness with enmity!
"His Majesty."
Gu Jiao called his name.
The emperor snapped out of his reverie and looked in the direction Gu Jiao was pointing. He realized that he had been lost in thought and hadn't even noticed that he had picked up a piece of brown sugar glutinous rice cake with his chopsticks, which had already been picked up by Empress Dowager Zhuang.
This is the last piece of brown sugar glutinous rice cake sprinkled with sesame seeds.
The emperor was extremely embarrassed.
Even if he loathed Empress Dowager Zhuang, he shouldn't have disregarded his dignity and snatched a piece of brown sugar glutinous rice cake from her. If word got out, where would the emperor's face be?
To show that he hadn't done something childish on purpose, he coughed lightly and said seriously, "It was originally meant to be a tribute to Mother, but I didn't expect her to pick it up herself."
Everyone: "..."
It was clearly the Empress Dowager who picked it up first; if you want to smooth things over, you don't have to assume we're all blind.
Empress Dowager Zhuang was not going to stand on ceremony with him; she picked it up and ate it without a care in the world.
Of all things, food is the most important, and Empress Dowager Zhuang's appetite would never be affected by anything.
Seeing her so calm and collected, the emperor was furious and lost his appetite!
After the meal, Gu Changqing helped the emperor back to his room.
The emperor lay on a bed that wasn't too large; he didn't like hard beds, but he also didn't like beds that were too soft—this was just right.
Moreover, although the room was small and simply furnished, it inexplicably gave him a sense of peace and security, as if every item was placed where he wanted it to be.
No one knew that the supreme ruler of Zhao Kingdom had a slight fear of the dark.
On the bedside table, within easy reach, was an old little tin box containing a candle and a tinderbox.
The candles were new, clearly just spares.
He remembered that when he was a child, his mother, Consort Jing, would always leave a candle and a tinderbox by his bedside. He never expected that the little miracle doctor would be so thoughtful.
In fact, the palace had strict rules, and tinderboxes could not be placed close to the bed.
But Jing's mother knew he was afraid of the dark.
Thinking of Consort Jing, the Emperor's eyes welled up with tears.
He needed to get rid of that wicked woman as soon as possible so that he could bring Consort Jing back to the palace to live out her remaining years in peace.
Gu Changqing stayed in Bishui Hutong to protect the emperor.
Eunuch Wei's left arm is broken. Gu Jiao has put a cast on it to immobilize it. He also needs some blood-tonifying and qi-boosting herbs to help him recover.
Gu Jiao decided to go to the clinic again.
She ran into Gu Chengfeng right after she picked up the medicinal herbs.
Gu Chengfeng was wearing a mask in broad daylight, yet he was also dressed in the clothes of the Second Young Master Gu.
Gu Jiao gave him a strange look: "What? You're disfigured and can't show your face?"
Gu Chengfeng choked.
"He's disfigured, isn't he? The old man slapped him so hard, his face is still swollen this morning!"
Gu Chengfeng cleared his throat and said seriously, "Never mind my face, I'm here to see you today because I have important business."
"What is it?" Gu Jiao asked calmly.
Gu Chengfeng looked around and whispered to Gu Jiao, "Someone is trying to assassinate His Majesty."
Gu Jiao said, "It's not that I want to, it's that I've already attempted to assassinate him."
Gu Chengfeng was shocked: "What? They've already...already carried out the assassination? So fast? I only heard the news yesterday!"
Gu Jiao asked, "Where did you hear that?"
Gu Chengfeng said, "Xianleju."
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback: "You went to Xianleju? Isn't that place difficult to get into?"
Gu Changqing once said that one must have connections in public, usually through introductions from acquaintances. Unfortunately, a gentleman like Gu Changqing did not know anyone who could enter and leave Xianleju.
Gu Chengfeng waved his hand: "I sneaked in quietly and almost got discovered. I overheard someone plotting to assassinate His Majesty, but I didn't expect them to act so quickly. They only plotted in the afternoon and carried out the assassination in the evening... No wonder His Majesty didn't attend the morning court session today."
He had originally planned to go to Xianleju again to find out if someone had really attempted to assassinate His Majesty, and where the assassination would have taken place.
He was different from his elder brother. He had no loyalty to His Majesty, nor did he have the patriotic heart to protect his country. He was just a spoiled brat from a noble family and a notorious bandit.
Even though he was idle, he understood that the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion and His Majesty were in the same boat, so he secretly did not want anything to happen to His Majesty.
Gu Jiao asked, "Did you come here today just to tell me this?"
"I came here...no." Gu Chengfeng suddenly realized that he had been led by the nose by this girl, and he regained the initiative. "How did you know His Majesty was assassinated? I didn't even hear a word about it!"
His Majesty's assassination attempt is a major event, and it's normal for the palace to block the news. But he has his own connections, and he doesn't believe this girl has faster access to information than he does.
Gu Jiao calmly said, "I've brought His Majesty back."
Gu Chengfeng: "..."
This actually works?!
Gu Chengfeng's face beneath the mask was exceptionally captivating, but unfortunately, Gu Jiao couldn't see it.
"I'm leaving now, nothing else." Gu Jiao didn't have time to chat with him.
Gu Chengfeng gritted his teeth, a hint of smugness creeping into his eyes as he thought about what he was about to say: "I'm here to sell you some information! Haven't you always wanted to know who the mastermind was who almost harmed my brother and Gu Yan?"
"You know?" Gu Jiao turned to look at him.
Gu Chengfeng took out a token from his pocket: "Look what this is?"
"What?" Gu Jiao didn't understand.
Gu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow and said, "This is the token of Xianleju. Whether it's the murderer who went to the military camp to assassinate my elder brother that night, or the assassin who almost assassinated His Majesty last night, they are all related to Xianleju. As long as you enter Xianleju, you will definitely be able to find out about them."
Gu Jiao reached out to take the token.
Gu Chengfeng was prepared for this move. He hid the token behind his back, stretched out his other hand, and said, "One thousand taels, no bargaining!"
Gu Jiao touched her chin.
Gu Chengfeng took a step back and said, "Don't even think about taking it from me! If you dare to use force, I'll destroy the token and make sure you can never go to Xianleju again! Don't think you can get a second one. Let me tell you, I went through a lot of trouble to get this one! It's heavily guarded inside, much harder to get into than the Marshal's Mansion!"
He was serious. This girl had tricked him so many times, he had to get his revenge this time!
“Alright, one thousand taels it is,” Gu Jiao agreed.
Why did you agree so readily? Could there be something fishy going on?
Gu Chengfeng looked at Gu Jiao with suspicion. Having been persecuted so much, it felt unreal when she suddenly stopped persecuting him!
Gu Jiao said, "I don't have that much money on me. Can I pay you back first?"
Gu Chengfeng replied without hesitation, "No way! Cash on delivery!"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "But there isn't any."
Trying to back out?
Hehehe.
Gu Chengfeng took out the paper and pen he had prepared beforehand: "I knew you would renege on your promise. Here, write an IOU! I'll come to your clinic to pick it up later!"
Gu Jiao pursed her lips, gave him a resentful look, picked up a pen and paper, and quickly wrote an IOU.
"Signature!" Gu Chengfeng reminded her. Was this girl taking advantage of his illiteracy? No signature at all—whose IOU was this?
Reluctantly, Gu Jiao took out a seal from her bosom, removed the cap, breathed on it, and smacked it with her tongue: "Is this okay now?"
Gu Chengfeng accepted the IOU with satisfaction and tossed the token to her.
Gu Chengfeng knew this girl too well. Her promises were never to be trusted. Even if she gave him the silver notes now, she might knock him out and snatch them away right away!
"See you later! Hahaha!" Gu Chengfeng waved his arms and fled like he was being reincarnated!
Gu Chengfeng ran for two blocks in one breath, and only after making sure that Gu Jiao hadn't caught up did he lean against the wall, panting heavily, and take out the IOU that Gu Jiao had given him.
"You brat, you've finally fallen for my tricks!"
He was so pleased with himself that he looked at the IOU over and over again, but then he suddenly felt something was wrong.
The seal was upside down. He glanced at it and recognized the character "顾" (Gu), and immediately understood.
But now—
He held the seal up to the sunlight and examined it carefully.
The seal bore four characters: Gu Changqing's Seal.
Gu Chengfeng coughed up a mouthful of blood—
So it turns out he only had an IOU from his older brother?
Why does this girl have her older brother's seal on her?
If he goes to his elder brother with an IOU for a thousand taels of silver to collect the debt, he'll probably get beaten into fertilizer by his elder brother!
Gu Chengfeng suddenly remembered Gu Jiao's resentful little eyes.
He wouldn't have fallen for that little look so easily. This girl has learned to act after just a few days? Who taught her?!
I'm so angry! So angry! Ugh!
Gu Jiao first went back to Bishui Hutong and instructed Yu Ya'er to brew medicine for Eunuch Wei. After that, she changed her clothes and went to Xianleju.
Despite lacking sufficient evidence, Gu Jiao's intuition told her that the person who assassinated His Majesty and the person who had recently sown discord between the Marquis of Ding'an's residence and the Marshal's residence were from the same force.
The ultimate goal of the other party instigating the conflict between the Marquis of Ding'an's residence and the Marshal's residence was to sow discord between the Emperor and his aunt.
But he failed, so he decided to assassinate the emperor instead.
As the other party wished, the emperor concluded that his aunt was the murderer.
"What a cunning fellow."
Gu Jiao gazed calmly at the plaque of Xianleju, a flash of murderous intent passing through her eyes!
(End of this chapter)
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