Chapter 331 Seeing Through (Two Updates)
At night, Gu Jiao was in her room recording the power and drawbacks of various hidden weapons made from gunpowder, and before she knew it, the night had deepened.
Knock knock knock.
A soft knock came from outside the door. Gu Jiao rubbed her sore neck and turned to look at the half-open door: "The door is open, come in."
Xiao Liulang pushed open the door and walked in carrying a bowl of mung bean soup.
He came to her and placed the mung bean soup on the table in front of her.
Gu Jiao looked at the bowl of mung bean soup chilled with well water and tilted her head in surprise.
She used to be the one bringing him things, but today it's like the sun rose in the west—he's the one bringing her things now.
Hmm, that's not right either.
He made her brown sugar water when she had menstrual cramps.
But today she had neither abdominal pain nor menstrual flow, so she didn't understand why he was taking such good care of her.
Xiao Liulang sat down opposite her and said calmly, "Jingkong was clamoring for mung bean soup just now, so I made a little extra and saved a bowl for you."
"Brother-in-law, what are you doing?"
"Make mung bean soup."
"I won't drink it."
"Jiaojiao wants to drink."
"Okay, I'll have a bowl too."
Images of Xiao Jingkong flashed through his mind, and Xiao Liulang coughed lightly.
Gu Jiao didn't notice the slight change in someone's expression. She happened to be thirsty, so she brought over the mung bean soup, scooped a spoonful, and fed it to her mouth: "Mmm, so sweet."
Xiao Liulang's cooking was terrible, except for the mung bean soup, which was quite good. However, the way she ate it with great relish still exceeded her expectations.
Xiao Liulang couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that delicious?"
"Mmm!" Gu Jiao scooped up a spoonful and naturally fed it to his mouth.
Xiao Liulang was slightly taken aback. Her eyes were open and her expression was innocent, clearly indicating that she had no other intentions. It was he who had been overthinking things and adding a lot of meaning that did not exist.
Xiao Liulang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly lowered his head, gently taking the spoon into his mouth and drinking the mung bean soup.
"Is it sweet?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Sweet." He looked at her, unsure whether he was referring to the sweetness of the soup or to her.
“I think so too.” Gu Jiao took the spoon he had used and continued eating her mung bean soup.
As he watched her put the spoon in her mouth, Xiao Liulang's gaze deepened.
"Want some more?" Gu Jiao asked, pushing the mung bean soup towards him as she looked into his burning gaze.
"I really want to eat..." He suddenly snapped back to reality halfway through his sentence. Had he been possessed? He almost said something!
Fortunately, it was brought under control.
He broke out in a cold sweat.
Gu Jiao tilted her head and looked at him: "Would you rather eat me?"
"Cough cough!" Xiao Liulang choked!
His face turned bright red, whether from choking or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
Seriously, is it really okay for my wife to be so direct?
"Hmm." Gu Jiao took the bowl back and scooped a spoonful of mung bean soup. "It's not that it's not possible."
Xiao Liulang's eyes flickered!
"But this body is still too small. You have to wait until I grow up a bit more." She said this very seriously, and then, as if afraid he would lose patience, she added, "I taste very good!"
Xiao Liulang's mind exploded with a bang, like fireworks suddenly blooming in the night sky. His heart pounded so hard he couldn't even breathe.
This is absolutely terrible...
Does this girl even know what she's saying?
Gu Jiao knew that, of course, but flirting doesn't cost money, right?
After flirting with someone, he went off to eat mung bean soup without a care in the world.
Xiao Liulang: "..."
Gu Jiao slurped her food, then suddenly looked up halfway through: "My herbs..."
"I'll take it." Xiao Liulang took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart. He decided that he would never talk nonsense with this girl again.
She would flirt and then leave it at that; she would be fine, but he would feel bad.
"Oh." Gu Jiao continued eating, "The swing in the empty space..."
"It's fixed," Xiao Liulang said again.
Gu Jiao: "An empty box."
Xiao Liulang: "I've packed it up."
Gu Jiao: "The basket from Aunt Liu's house."
Xiao Liulang: "It's all over now."
Gu Jiao: "The salted duck eggs that Grandpa Zhao wanted."
Xiao Liulang nodded: "Sent."
She had forgotten to tell Yu Ya'er and Granny Fang about these things, but she didn't expect him to be so thoughtful, keeping an eye on things and taking care of everything quietly.
Gu Jiao rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, her eyes shining brightly as if they held a thousand stars: "Husband, you are so good."
You are fine too.
Xiao Liulang thought to himself.
Gu Jiao continued eating her mung bean soup.
Xiao Liulang's gaze fell on a large brocade pouch wrapped in gold thread on the table, and he asked, "What is this?"
Gu Jiao said, "The flower petals were picked from the Imperial Garden. I made flower cakes with them, and I brought some back to make dried flowers."
Xiao Liulang had seen her make dried flowers before and knew roughly the process, so he said, "I'll go get a sieve."
"Mm." Gu Jiao nodded.
Xiao Liulang got up and went out. Gu Jiao was used to being alone, but it wasn't so bad to have someone around to do things with her occasionally.
Xiao Liulang took a sieve, opened the brocade pouch, and poured out the flower petals inside. Suddenly, he heard a thud, and something that was clearly heavy fell out of it.
Xiao Liulang looked at the jade pendant that had suddenly appeared among a pile of flower petals and asked in confusion, "What is this?"
He was about to ask if it was a jade pendant given to Gu Jiao by her great-aunt, but before he could finish speaking, he realized that the jade pendant was broken. His great-aunt would not give Gu Jiao something like that, not even a priceless piece of thousand-year-old cold jade.
Gu Jiao didn't recognize the Thousand-Year Cold Jade, but she thought the jade pendant was quite exquisite, though it was a pity that a corner was missing.
She shook her head: "My aunt didn't say she was giving me anything, and I don't know where it came from. It was probably just accidentally put in this brocade pouch."
careless?
A piece of ancient jade was accidentally placed in a brocade pouch.
This is not impossible, after all, Renshou Palace is very wealthy.
Xiao Liulang paused for a moment: "Did you put these petals in there yourself?"
“No,” Gu Jiao shook her head and said, “It’s jade.”
"Who is Jadeite?" Xiao Liulang asked. He hadn't been to Renshou Palace many times and wasn't very familiar with the place.
Gu Jiao said "Oh", and then said, "She is a little palace maid from Renshou Palace. She is efficient and clever. She serves Aunt Zhuang and is mainly responsible for taking care of the Empress Dowager's jewelry and clothing. I wonder if she accidentally put Aunt Zhuang's things into the embroidered bag. I will take it back to her next time."
"No need, I'll go." Xiao Liulang touched the thousand-year-old cold jade and said calmly, "I happen to be going to the palace tomorrow to lecture the Crown Prince."
Gu Jiao hummed in agreement.
The following day, Xiao Liulang entered the palace to teach mathematics to the Crown Prince.
He didn't make things difficult for the Crown Prince today, and let him leave school when the time came.
The Crown Prince was quite puzzled. Why was this fellow being so kind? Was he not going to keep him in the hall?
"What are you up to now?" the prince asked coldly.
Xiao Liulang pulled out a stack of papers from the lecture notes and handed them to the Crown Prince: "If Your Highness feels that I am too kind to you, then you may finish these questions, and I will check them next time."
The crown prince looked at the dozens of pages of questions that had suddenly appeared, and his mouth twitched so badly it felt like he had a stroke.
Why did he ask that unnecessary question?!
Xiao Liulang went to Renshou Palace.
Empress Dowager Zhuang was reviewing memorials when Eunuch Qin invited Xiao Liulang in and asked, "Should I go and inform him?"
"No need, I'm just bringing some food for the Empress Dowager." Xiao Liulang said, handing the prepared food box to Eunuch Qin. "Jingkong picked these dates and told me to bring them to my aunt no matter what."
At this moment, Xiao Jingkong, who was attending classes at the Imperial Academy, was unaware that he had once again been used as a tool.
Eunuch Qin smiled and accepted the food box: "Jingkong is very thoughtful."
Xiao Liulang asked naturally, "By the way, Eunuch Qin, does Renshou Palace have any thousand-year-old cold jade? I wonder if I could borrow it to take a look?"
“What’s so difficult about that? Xiao Xiuzhuan is no outsider. This servant will send someone to fetch it right away.” Eunuch Qin invited Xiao Liulang to sit down in the pavilion and ordered someone to go to Empress Dowager Zhuang’s bedroom to retrieve the jade pendant.
"Please take a look, Xiao Xiuzhuan." Eunuch Qin personally presented the jade pendant to Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang took the jade pendant and stroked its patterns and texture: "It is indeed a top-quality jade. Even in the sweltering summer, it feels cool to the touch. I wonder where this jade came from? And who presented it to me?"
Eunuch Qin replied with a smile, "It was given to Princess Ning'an by the Prince Consort. He gave her a whole piece of jade, and Princess Ning'an had it carved into three jade pendants. One was given to the Empress Dowager, one to His Majesty, and the last one to Consort Jing."
Xiao Liulang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Isn't there a fourth piece?"
Eunuch Qin shook his head with a smile: "It's gone. There's definitely none left in the palace. I dare not say for the servants outside, but it's probably hard to find them either. The Thousand-Year Cold Jade is a rare treasure. The Prince Consort went through countless hardships to obtain it. If it weren't so precious, he wouldn't have presented it to Princess Ning'an. Why is Consort Xiao suddenly so curious about the Thousand-Year Cold Jade?"
"Oh, I saw it in a book by chance and became a little curious." Xiao Liulang returned his aunt's jade pendant to Eunuch Qin. "Since it was given to him by Princess Ning'an, please make sure to keep it safe."
Eunuch Qin took the jade pendant, wrapped it in a silk handkerchief, and put it back into the brocade box: "Of course, such a precious thing is something the Empress Dowager is reluctant to wear on her own. She has the servants store it in a secret compartment and take it out to wipe it every day."
In fact, if it hadn't been a gift from Princess Ning'an, the Empress Dowager would have given this piece of cold jade to Xiao Xiuzhuan without hesitation.
What Eunuch Qin didn't know was that Xiao Liulang once possessed a piece of thousand-year-old cold jade, a gift from his mother, Princess Xinyang.
However, he was no longer Xiao Heng, and the piece of cold jade was no longer in his possession.
At this point, it can be confirmed that this broken jade pendant did not belong to Renshou Palace. However, how it ended up in Gu Jiao's brocade pouch is something we'll probably have to ask the palace maid named Fei Cui.
Just as Xiao Liulang was pondering how to summon Jadeite without being abrupt or arousing suspicion, he heard Eunuch Qin say, "Jadeite, come here and put the jade pendant back."
"yes."
A young palace maid in pink stepped forward and presented the brocade box handed to her by Eunuch Qin with both hands.
"You... pour me a pot of tea," Xiao Liulang said to Emerald.
Jade was taken aback.
Eunuch Qin assumed that Xiao Liulang was just ordering around a little palace maid and didn't suspect anything: "Just go when I tell you to."
“Yes!” Emerald replied and turned to leave.
Xiao Liulang said, "Eunuch Qin, please go ahead with your work. I'll have a seat by myself."
Eunuch Qin said, "Very well, then this servant will go and tidy up the house."
Not long after Eunuch Qin left, Emerald brought over a pot of tea: "Lord Xiao, please have some tea."
Xiao Liulang looked at her and took out the jade pendant from his palm: "Do you recognize this?"
“Uh… I recognize it, I recognize it!” After examining it carefully, Jade said, “It’s Miss Gu’s jade pendant!”
"Her jade pendant?" Xiao Liulang frowned.
Jade nodded: "Yes, yesterday I was collecting the flower petals that Miss Gu hadn't used up, and this jade pendant was lying in her basket."
Xiao Liulang stared at her intently, making sure she wasn't lying.
This jade pendant wasn't placed there by someone in Renshou Palace; rather, it was put into Gu Jiao's basket before she even entered the palace.
Where would it be placed?
Did Gu Jiao go to the Imperial Garden to pick flowers?
Xiao Liulang went to the Imperial Garden but didn't find many clues. He then turned and went to Huaqing Palace.
"Lord Xiao, are you here to see His Majesty?" asked the young eunuch at the door.
“No, I’m here to see Eunuch Wei,” Xiao Liulang said.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Xiao," the young eunuch reported to Eunuch Wei upon entering the room.
Eunuch Wei emerged, whisk in hand, and said with a broad smile, "Oh, what brings Xiao Xiuzhuan here?" His smile froze for a moment, and he whispered, "Is the Crown Prince neglecting his studies again?"
Xiao Liulang politely replied, "No, the Crown Prince has made progress in his studies and is not attentive in class."
Eunuch Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. I'm sure His Majesty will feel much more at ease about His Highness the Crown Prince after hearing this. Uh... then may I ask what brings you here, Compiler Xiao?"
"I just passed by the Imperial Garden and found a jade pendant." Xiao Liulang handed the broken jade pendant to Eunuch Wei.
When Eunuch Wei saw the jade pendant, his eyes lit up: "Oh my! We've finally found it! I knew it! It couldn't possibly have been Miss Gu who picked it up!"
"Why is my father-in-law like this?" Xiao Liulang asked.
Eunuch Wei sighed, "Xiao Xiuzhuan may not know this, but this is a jade pendant that Princess Ning'an gave to Consort Jing years ago. Consort Jing has returned to the palace and is now living in Huaqing Palace. Yesterday, Consort Jing lost her jade pendant in the Imperial Garden, and coincidentally, Miss Gu was there at that time. His Majesty trusts Miss Gu and did not send anyone to question her, but instead gave his own jade pendant to Consort Jing."
As he spoke, he smiled and said, "His Majesty's jade pendant was also a gift from Princess Ning'an, and he treasures it dearly. Now that the Empress Dowager's jade pendant has been found, this servant can also go and retrieve His Majesty's jade pendant."
A meaningful glint flashed in Xiao Liulang's eyes: "Are you saying that this jade pendant belongs to Consort Jing?"
"Yes." Eunuch Wei nodded.
Speak of the devil and he appears.
Supported by Granny Cai, Consort Jing went for a walk outside the palace. She was still wearing the clothes of a nun and a hat. Her face looked haggard as she recovered from a serious illness, but she was composed and had a kind expression.
She spotted Eunuch Wei and Xiao Liulang at the door.
Xiao Liulang also looked at her.
Their eyes met, and the surroundings seemed to fall silent for a moment.
Xiao Liulang's gaze was deep and calm, like a bottomless pool under the moonlight.
Before Xiao Liulang was born, Consort Jing had already moved to the nunnery, and this was the first time he had seen Consort Jing.
He was able to confirm her identity because there was no one else in the entire palace dressed like her.
Xiao Liulang gave a slight bow, then turned and left Huaqing Palace.
Eunuch Wei walked over with a smile, holding the jade pendant: "Your Highness, your jade pendant has been found. It was picked up by Consort Xiao in the Imperial Garden."
Consort Jing looked at Xiao Liulang's retreating figure: "Xiao, Xiu, Zhuan?"
After leaving the palace, Xiao Liulang first went to the Hanlin Academy to work for half a day. After finishing his shift, he did not immediately return to Bishui Hutong, but instead went to Minghui Hall of the Imperial College.
"Alright, you may leave now." The old chief priest pardoned Zheng Siye's punishment of standing for the day.
Zheng Siye felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He had always disliked Xiao Liulang, but now he longed for him as much as he had. After all, only when Xiao Liulang came would the old chief priest not have time to punish him.
Xiao Liulang entered the room, and guards closed the door of Minghui Hall behind him.
"Please sit down," said the old chief priest.
Xiao Liulang knelt down opposite the old chief minister, with a low table between them, on which were piled some excellent articles written by students of the Imperial Academy.
The old chief priest put down the article he was halfway through correcting and looked at Xiao Liulang, asking, "What happened?"
He never visits the temple unless he has a reason.
After Xiao Liulang recounted the story of the jade pendant, the old chief priest's expression turned serious: "You suspect that Consort Jing has a problem?"
As expected of master and disciple, they had an unspoken understanding between them. Xiao Liulang didn't mention his suspicions about Consort Jing at all; he simply recounted the whole story.
But who is the old libationer?
If you're a virtuous, innocent person, don't pretend to be pure in front of your apprentices.
Xiao Liulang asked, "In your eyes, what kind of person is Consort Jing?"
“Of course she’s a good person,” the old chief priest said without hesitation. But his previous perceptions might not be accurate. For example, he was once convinced that Zhuang Jinse was a bad person, but in the end he found that Zhuang Jinse wasn’t so bad. Perhaps he thought that Consort Jing was a good person, but in fact Consort Jing wasn’t so good either.
—I absolutely refuse to admit that I am biased towards Zhuang Jinse!
"You can know a person's face but not their heart." After experiencing the Zhuang Jinse incident, the old chief priest deeply understood this saying.
"What is her relationship with the Empress Dowager?" Xiao Liulang asked.
The old chief priest smiled faintly: "The two used to be very close. She was Zhuang Jinse's only friend in the palace, and the person Zhuang Jinse trusted most. I still remember once, in order to bring down Zhuang Jinse, I made her, who was still Consort Jing, take the blame for something, and Zhuang Jinse almost killed me! Even when I caused Zhuang Jinse to be sent to the Cold Palace, she wasn't this angry. Zhuang Jinse had no children of her own, but she treated her two children as her own... Princess Ning'an and the current Emperor. Consort Jing's maternal family was also brought up by Zhuang Jinse."
At this point, the old chief priest sighed sadly, "Later, the late emperor passed away, Your Majesty ascended the throne, and Consort Jing went to a nunnery to become a nun, so the two of them had less contact."
Xiao Liulang asked suspiciously, "Why did she go to the nunnery? Did she really go there of her own volition?"
The old chief priest shook his head: "No, it was an imperial edict issued by Zhuang Jinse."
Xiao Liulang pondered for a moment and said, "His Majesty will certainly disagree—"
The old chief priest nodded: "You guessed right, His Majesty did disagree, but Zhuang Jinse is all-powerful. His Majesty has painstakingly built up his power over so many years and has only just managed to fight Zhuang Jinse to a standstill. His Majesty, who has just ascended the throne and whose power is not yet fully developed, is no match for Zhuang Jinse at all. His Majesty's relationship with Zhuang Jinse broke down because of this matter."
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(End of this chapter)
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