Chapter 344 Suspicion Arises (Ninth Update)
The servants at Huaqing Palace didn't dare to give Qin Chuyu anything to eat.
Empress Xiao looked at the Emperor, who was even more confused than she was. It seemed that he hadn't given the food to Qin Chuyu.
So there's only one person left.
Empress Xiao bit her lip and remained silent. She walked over and sat down by the bed, silently taking her son, who was suffering from abdominal pain, into her arms.
The emperor rubbed his aching temples and sighed helplessly.
It was very late when the emperor returned to Huaqing Palace. Qin Chuyu had been restless for half the night before finally falling asleep in Empress Xiao's arms, sobbing intermittently. Even after falling asleep, he was still sniffling, muttering, "Father, please don't punish me. I know I was wrong."
Empress Xiao was heartbroken and tears streamed down her face.
"Your Majesty, watch your step," said Eunuch Wei, holding a lantern.
The emperor paused, then lifted the cloth and walked up the steps.
A slender figure stood at the end of the corridor. He recognized her as Consort Jing as he approached and said, "It's so late, why isn't Mother Consort resting yet?"
Consort Jing held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, her eyes filled with undisguised worry: "I heard that Xiao Qi is ill."
The emperor nodded: "Ah, I ate too much tonight and got an upset stomach, but it's nothing serious now."
"What a sin." Consort Jing pinched her prayer beads and closed her eyes. "If I had known he would eat so much tonight, I wouldn't have given him any snacks or plum juice."
The emperor sighed and said, "It's not Mother's fault. Mother doesn't know what he ate last night. This child has a sweet tooth and always wants to eat more, which is why he's so fat."
Consort Jing looked at him and said, "Then I will be more careful in the future."
Her eyes were full of guilt. Although the emperor was initially a little displeased, he was now only heartbroken. He had brought her back not to let her suffer.
She is her own mother, and Qin Chuyu is her grandson. What's wrong with her feeding her grandson a couple of bites?
It couldn't be that she was deliberately trying to trick him; wasn't she just being too kind to him?
The Emperor said, "Your mother's injuries have not yet fully healed. She should go back and rest as soon as possible. I will have Xiao Qi come to pay his respects to you once he is better."
"Yes." Consort Jing nodded.
The emperor went to the imperial study to review memorials for a while before resting.
Perhaps because he had too many worries, the emperor did not sleep well that night. In his drowsy state, he seemed to feel someone push open his door.
His eyelids felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't open them. He tried to summon the palace servants, but found that he couldn't make a sound.
He tried to sit up, but felt powerless all over, as if he were frozen.
He used all his strength but could only barely open his eyes a tiny slit. He saw the person slowly walking towards him.
His inability to move gave him the illusion of being a fish on a chopping board, and the man's approach made him uneasy and made him feel danger.
As the man drew closer, he discovered that the man was holding a dagger.
The cold glint of the dagger stung his eyes.
Who are you?
He tried desperately to ask the question, but his throat felt completely numb.
A sense of dread washed over him.
Finally, the man sat down beside his bed, raised the dagger high, and plunged it into his heart!
In that instant, he saw the other person's face clearly.
"Mother Consort—"
The emperor let out a scream and woke up from his sleep.
He was drenched in cold sweat, large beads of sweat sliding down his forehead, his heart was pounding, his breathing was erratic, and his eyes still held the terror from the nightmare.
Eunuch Wei rose from the small couch, walked to the emperor's side, lifted the bright yellow curtain, and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The emperor's expression frightened him.
He hurriedly hung the curtains on the hooks, adjusted the candle wicks on the candlesticks, and returned to the bedside to ask, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"
The emperor sat up, panting heavily. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said, "I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."
It's absurd that he would dream of his mother, Consort Jing, coming to kill him.
It is said that what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Could it be that these few incidents have made you dissatisfied with Consort Jing, or have you become suspicious of her?
That would be such a jerk of my own.
Anyone in the world might harm themselves, but Consort Jing would never do so.
Eunuch Wei said earnestly, "Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs and many matters in the harem lately, so you must be under too much pressure. State affairs are never-ending, Your Majesty must take care of your health. This servant does not know how many more years I can accompany Your Majesty, so please take good care of yourself."
The emperor said irritably, "How old are you? How come you can't stay with me for many more years? Even that Qin fellow didn't say he couldn't stay with the Empress Dowager for many more years!"
The emperor was a sentimental man. He remembered the kindness of Eunuch Wei when Wei had followed him during his most difficult time.
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "Yes."
But in his heart he thought, “You really can’t stop talking about the Empress Dowager these days.”
A nightmare kept the emperor wide awake, and since he was too lazy to go to the imperial study, he asked Eunuch Wei to bring the memorials to his bedchamber for review.
Eunuch Wei, accompanied by two clever young eunuchs, brought the memorial to the emperor and placed it on his desk, then lit a lamp for him.
The emperor took a bath, changed into dry clothes, and sat behind his desk to begin reviewing memorials.
"Go to sleep," the emperor said to Eunuch Wei.
Although Eunuch Wei was not as old as Eunuch Qin, he was still a few years older than the emperor. The emperor took his words to heart and worried that if he continued to waste his time, he would ruin his health.
Eunuch Wei understood His Majesty's intentions perfectly well. He smiled and said, "This servant was just saying that. Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart. This servant is in good health and I'm not sleepy at all right now."
The emperor knew that even if he forced him to go to sleep, he wouldn't sleep soundly, so he stopped insisting.
After reviewing several memorials, the emperor's palpitations from the nightmare subsided considerably, but he still couldn't fall asleep, so he continued reviewing the memorials.
After the rainstorm, the number of patients increased again, and the clinic became busy once more. Gu Jiao took on two house calls, both on the same street.
Gu Jiao passed a chess club on her way to the second patient's house after leaving the first patient's house.
Chess clubs are usually quiet places, but this one was unusually lively today, packed with people inside and out, with gasps of surprise erupting from time to time.
Gu Jiao glanced at it strangely, but since the patient was still waiting, she didn't go in.
A grand chess match is taking place in the chess club, and the reason for its grand scale is that one of the players is the recently renowned Shigeyama Kōshō.
Maoshan Jushi was in his early forties and was not a native of the capital. He had only traveled to the capital last year. Because of his excellent chess skills, he was invited by many chess clubs, and even wealthy families invited him to play chess.
He was extremely valuable, and all the chess players in the capital considered it an honor to play against him. If someone was lucky enough to beat him once or twice, they could boast about it for years.
Unfortunately, no one has yet managed to defeat him.
The Crown Princess was an exceptional chess player, but unfortunately, the two never played against each other.
Maoshan Jushi only plays against one person a day. That person must either pay a large sum of money to buy a game or defeat all the other players in the chess club that day in order to be eligible to play against him.
The player sitting opposite him right now belongs to the latter category.
Calling him a chess player is not quite right; an old beggar is more accurate.
Yet this ragged old beggar actually sat down in front of the hermit of Maoshan.
A spectacle of unparalleled wonder.
Whether the onlookers came to watch the game or just for the spectacle is unknown, but the hall was packed with players, leaving almost no room to stand.
In a side room, a female official dressed as a commoner said to the Crown Princess, "A formidable old beggar has come to play chess with Master Maoshan. Once Master Maoshan defeats him, he can come and pay his respects to the Crown Princess."
"No rush." The Crown Princess didn't let anyone interrupt their game. "We'll call him over after he's finished."
She came looking for someone to play chess with.
I heard that this hermit of Maoshan is quite skilled at chess, and she needs to maintain her level by playing against highly skilled players.
To her surprise, the old beggar won in the end.
The female official exclaimed in surprise, "No way? Master Maoshan has lost!"
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war." The Crown Princess was strict with herself, but not so demanding of others.
The female official asked, "Then... will the Crown Princess still like to play chess with him?"
"Hmm." The Crown Princess wouldn't deny someone's ability just because they lost once, nor would she immediately think more highly of the old beggar just because he won a game. There are always some people in this world with extraordinary luck, but she still trusts accumulated reputation more. "Let him in and play a few games of chess with me."
"yes!"
The Crown Princess played several games of chess with the Hermit of Maoshan. The Hermit of Maoshan was quite skilled at chess, and the Crown Princess did gain some insights after the game, although she was still somewhat inferior to the level of the masters she admired.
Unfortunately, there are few people in the Zhao Kingdom whose chess skills are more superb than his.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will come again another day." The Crown Princess politely bid farewell to the Hermit of Maoshan and left the chess club.
After getting into the carriage, the lady-in-waiting lifted the curtain and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, look!"
The Crown Princess glanced around and saw an old beggar and a young girl in blue carrying a small basket squatting at the corner of the street.
"Is it her?" The Crown Princess paused, her expression faltering.
"It was him!" The lady-in-waiting thought the Crown Princess was referring to the old beggar, and replied, "He was the one who beat Master Maoshan at the chess club just now!"
The Crown Princess didn't speak; she didn't even look at the old beggar. Her gaze was completely drawn to Gu Jiao.
The scene she witnessed in the alley that night was too traumatic for her. Now, whenever she sees Gu Jiao, she can't help but recall the ambiguous and passionate way she was pinned against the wall by Xiao Liulang.
She felt a surge of irritation in her chest.
Gu Jiao is playing chess with the old beggar.
She wasn't wearing a mask today, but the old beggar recognized her as soon as she spoke.
Today, the old beggar didn't play around. He seriously played a game with Gu Jiao, and Gu Jiao was utterly crushed.
The old beggar laughed heartily: "How about that, little brat? Now you know how powerful I am!"
Gu Jiao's face darkened, and she got up and left.
The old beggar called out, "Hey—you're leaving already? Let's play another round!"
Gu Jiao said coldly, "Ten taels, just for one round."
The old beggar: "..."
I'll have to patronize the chess club again tomorrow.
Gu Jiao took the silver and walked back. As she passed the Crown Princess's carriage, the Crown Princess lifted the curtain and called out to her, "Doctor Gu, please wait."
Gu Jiao looked at her calmly, her expression serene as if nothing in the world could surprise her.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
The Crown Princess wasn't too surprised by Gu Jiao's attitude, but she still couldn't quite accept it, after all, she was the Crown Princess, while Gu Jiao was just a female doctor without even an official title.
She suppressed her displeasure and said calmly, "If Doctor Gu likes playing chess, she can go to the chess club. There's no need for her to associate with beggars on the street. Doctor Gu is the daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an, and also... the wife of Scholar Xiao, as well as a favorite of the Empress Dowager. It would be best if she didn't act in a way that would make her lose her dignity."
Gu Jiao asked, "What's it to you?"
The female official retorted angrily, "How dare you speak like that? My Crown Princess is doing you a favor!"
Gu Jiao said, "Do I need her to respect me?"
The female official choked: "You..."
"Ping'er!" The Crown Princess frowned slightly at the female official. The female official, who was called Ping'er, glared coldly at Gu Jiao and reluctantly shut her mouth.
The Crown Princess then said to Gu Jiao in a seemingly indifferent tone, "If Miss Gu doesn't mind, I can introduce you to a chess club. There are several excellent chess clubs in the capital, and the nearby Qinghuan Chess Club is quite good. Of course, if Miss Gu would like to be closer to the clinic, you can go to Haotian Chess Club."
"No need," Gu Jiao said indifferently, and left without another word.
Ping'er said angrily, "Crown Princess, she's gone too far! Even if she's favored by the Empress Dowager, she can't treat you with such disrespect!"
The Crown Princess wasn't angry. She had seen too many people who were arrogant because of the Crown Prince's favor. Being glorious for a short time is not important; being glorious for a lifetime is the real skill.
Wasn't Gu Jinyu once incredibly popular? In the end, she fell from grace in just six months. Now, when people in the capital talk about her, they no longer have even a trace of the amazement and affection they once had.
At most, he could only salvage his reputation by marrying Prince An.
Gu Jinyu is at least gentle, humble, and well-educated.
This Miss Gu's temperament is far inferior to Gu Jinyu's.
So how long can she remain arrogant?
(End of this chapter)
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