Chapter 346 Luring the Snake Out of its Hole (Eleventh Update)
The sky darkens earlier in July than in June.
When the emperor emerged from his study, only the last vestige of gray-blue remained on the horizon. By the time he strolled back to Huaqing Palace, even that last glimmer of light had vanished.
Night falls, and the stars twinkle in the sky.
When the emperor entered Huaqing Palace, the palace servants all bowed to him.
He asked, "Has Her Majesty the Empress Dowager rested peacefully?"
A young eunuch replied, "Your Majesty, no."
The emperor said to Eunuch Wei, "I'm going to see the Empress Dowager. You go back by yourself."
This old servant is not tired.
well.
Eunuch Wei reluctantly agreed, "Yes."
The emperor went to Consort Jing's bedroom, where she was kneeling in front of the Buddhist shrine, holding prayer beads in one hand and gently tapping a wooden fish with the other, her eyes closed, devoutly reciting Buddhist scriptures.
The emperor did not disturb her, and quietly waited for her to finish striking the wooden fish.
After Granny Cai helped her up, she seemed to notice her shadow on the ground. Turning her head, she asked, both amused and exasperated, "When did His Majesty arrive? How long have you been here?"
The Emperor said, "I just arrived and listened to my mother recite Buddhist scriptures for a while, and my heart suddenly became much calmer."
Consort Jing looked at him and asked, "Has Your Majesty been troubled by something lately?"
Of course there are problems: natural disasters like torrential rains, banditry and man-made calamities, rumors of restless activity on the borders of Chen Kingdom, and the fact that the assassin who secretly tried to kill Consort Jing is still nowhere to be found.
The previous few murderers were dealt with by the civil and military officials of Zhao, but the last murderer left the emperor at a loss.
"It's nothing, just a bit tired from the affairs of state." The Emperor decided not to trouble Consort Jing.
"Granny Cai, go to my room and bring me the calming incense," Consort Jing instructed.
"Yes," Granny Cai replied and withdrew.
The emperor helped Consort Jing to Qiuhua Pavilion.
The two sat down on the chairs.
A young palace maid served snacks and flower tea, which Consort Jing loved to drink. The Emperor preferred Longjing tea, but he couldn't drink strong tea at night.
"Go and fetch some melons and fruits," said Consort Jing.
"Yes." The little palace maid turned around and brought over a plate of fresh grapes and a few delicious pears.
Consort Jing was about to peel a pear for the Emperor when, just as she picked up the dagger from the table, the Emperor's teacup crashed to the ground.
Consort Jing was slightly taken aback: "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Did you burn yourself?"
"No, I didn't hold it properly," the emperor said, wiping away a cold sweat.
What's wrong with him?
Jing's mother was merely peeling a pear for him, but a scene from his nightmare—Jing's mother raising a knife and stabbing him—flashed through his mind.
I'm so tired lately, my brain isn't working properly anymore.
Consort Jing put down the dagger and pear, took a handkerchief to wipe the tea stains off the emperor's clothes, but the emperor unconsciously leaned back.
Consort Jing's hand froze in mid-air as she stared blankly at him.
The emperor realized his loss of composure and cursed himself for being unfilial. His mother cared for him so much, how could he let her down?
He took the handkerchief from Consort Jing and said, "Don't get Mother's clothes wet, I'll do it myself."
Consort Jing smiled and said, "Alright."
Fortunately, the emperor did not lose his composure again, and the mother and son chatted happily until Eunuch Wei came to report that the old Grand Master of Ceremonies was requesting an audience. Only then did the emperor get up to take his leave of Consort Jing.
Consort Jing said, "I will have someone deliver the calming incense to your bedchamber."
The emperor smiled and said, "Thank you, Mother Consort."
The emperor went to the imperial study.
The old chief priest bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
The emperor walked around to the desk and sat down, coldly snorting, "Alright, enough of this pointless formality. What brings you to the palace so late?"
"Your Majesty, Jiaojiao has been assassinated!"
"What!" The emperor jumped to his feet. "How could she have been assassinated? Where is she? Is she injured?!"
The old priest sighed inwardly, "At least you have a conscience; you still know how to care about Jiaojiao."
"Your Majesty, please don't worry. These things happened several days ago, and her injuries are no longer serious."
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows quickly furrowed again. "These? How many times has she been assassinated?"
The old chief priest said, "Three times."
Actually, it happened twice. The first time was when she went to the nunnery with Princess Rui to make a house call and was rescued by Prince Ning. The second time was not long ago when she encountered the Dragon Shadow Guard and met Gu Changqing.
The old chief priest did not intend to tell the emperor that the other party was the Dragon Shadow Guard. Before leaving, Xiao Liulang told him something—it turned out that the late emperor's Dragon Shadow Guard was not only left to His Majesty, but Princess Xinyang also had some.
As for whether there were any other people, Xiao Liulang did not know.
The old chief priest wouldn't dare say there's absolutely none.
His Majesty seems unaware that there are other Dragon Shadow Guards in Zhao Kingdom, but it's hard to say whether the old fox, Consort Jing, knows.
What if she finds out and insists that it wasn't her Dragon Shadow Guard? Wouldn't that implicate innocent people?
The emperor's expression turned cold: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
The old chief priest looked utterly wronged: "It's because this girl didn't tell me! If I hadn't noticed the new scar on her hand today, I wouldn't have known she'd been through so much. Commander Gu is also muddle-headed, keeping this from me!"
The things that the brother and sister do are things that both of them are done by quiet, reserved people.
The emperor frowned.
The old chief priest continued, "His Majesty must have heard about the time when His Highness Prince Ning saved me."
The emperor knew about this matter, but he did not suspect Gu Jiao, assuming that she was targeting Prince Rui's residence.
The old chief priest said, "The second time was a few days ago. A servant lied that someone in his family was sick and asked Jiao Jiao to make a house call. On the way, they were ambushed. Fortunately, Commander Gu arrived in time, and Jiao Jiao had a powerful hidden weapon, so she was able to barely fool the other party."
The emperor was slightly surprised: "Even Gu Changqing is no match for the assassin?"
“That’s right. There’s a very skilled assassin among them, whose origins are unknown.” The old chief priest said calmly. “As for the third time, it was just now. We encountered assassins again on our way to the palace. Fortunately, that skilled assassin wasn’t there this time, otherwise we would both be dead.”
This is made up; it's purely for the purpose of creating a cumulative effect.
"Where is she?" the emperor asked anxiously.
"She..." The old chief minister looked troubled and said with a dry laugh, "She said that His Majesty hates her now and will definitely not stand up for her. She might as well go to the Empress Dowager."
This provocation thoroughly enraged the emperor, who slammed his hand on the table: "Who says I won't stand up for her! Am I really that untrustworthy in her eyes?!"
Isn't that because you're blind?
Cough cough.
That's going too far! That's going too far!
He is a subject and should not speak ill of His Majesty in his heart.
Ever since I became His Majesty's "father," I've become a little too bold.
This is no good, no good!
The old chief priest straightened his expression, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to guess that the people who murdered the Dowager Consort and the people who murdered Jiao Jiao are the same group of people."
The emperor asked suspiciously, "How do you know?"
The old chief priest boldly looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager were to encounter any misfortune, who would be the first person you suspect?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The answer was almost obvious.
Last time, the murderer disguised himself as Gu Jiao to assassinate Consort Jing, intending to frame Empress Dowager Zhuang. Unfortunately, he was outsmarted and the emperor saw through his plan.
The emperor still felt lingering fear when he recalled it. He clenched his fist and said, "But what does this have to do with Jiaojiao? If something happened to her, I wouldn't suspect the Empress Dowager. Would the Empress Dowager suspect me?"
The old chief priest shook his head: "That's not it. But, because of Jiaojiao, His Majesty's relationship with the Empress Dowager has improved, which is an indisputable fact."
The emperor teased, "Who has improved their relationship with her?"
The old Grand Master of Ceremonies ignored His Majesty's insincere and boastful expression and said solemnly, "Your Majesty knows exactly what it is, so I will not say more. Jiaojiao is the only one who has won both Your Majesty's favor and the Empress Dowager's love. With her dead, there is no possibility of reconciliation between Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager. All of this is aimed at sowing discord between Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager!"
The emperor remained silent.
The old chief priest pressed on while the iron was hot: "The matter of the Empress Dowager being thrown into Taiye Pond by the assassin has been told to me by the Sixth Prince. Your Majesty must also be looking for the assassin's movements. I wonder if Your Majesty has made any progress?"
"No." The emperor was utterly exasperated by this.
The old chief priest looked up at the roof and sighed again: "It seems the assassin realized he had alerted the enemy and, in order to avoid the limelight, has completely hidden himself. The other party is very cunning and has not left any clues. But Your Majesty, are you really going to sit and wait for death? As long as the murderer is not eliminated, the lives of the Empress Dowager and Jiaojiao will be hanging by a thread every day!"
These words struck a nerve with the emperor.
Aside from his own son, aren't the people he cares about most these days Consort Jing and Gu Jiao?
He can't let anything happen to them!
The emperor gazed intently at the old chief priest and asked, "Then tell me, what should be done?"
The old chief minister raised an eyebrow: "Lure the snake out of its hole! As long as Your Majesty is willing to cooperate with this old minister, this old minister will definitely have a way to make her reveal her true form!"
I'm 4 votes away from breaking 1,000. Please help me break through.
(End of this chapter)
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