Chapter 367 Exceptional Acting Skills (First Update)
Gu Jiao had never heard of such a thing before. Her rumors about the late emperor and her great-aunt mainly came from Princess Rui. However, Princess Rui mentioned most of them in relation to Consort Jing, such as Consort Jing having someone she loved and willingly moving into the nunnery.
What Princess Rui said may not be the truth; at least the claim that she willingly entered the nunnery is false.
Eunuch Qin has already refuted the rumors about Gu Jiao; it was Empress Dowager Zhuang who issued an imperial edict to send her to the nunnery.
Why didn't Empress Dowager Zhuang directly issue an edict to kill Consort Jing? Gu Jiao once thought the key factor lay with the Emperor. If her aunt issued an imperial edict openly, the Emperor would not hesitate to break off relations and issue an imperial edict to stop her; if her aunt acted covertly, she would be stopped by the Dragon Shadow Guards sent by the Emperor.
However, if what Gu Chengfeng said is true, and the Dowager Consort Jing burned an imperial edict ordering her death for her aunt back then, then her aunt owes her a life-saving grace.
But Gu Jiao felt that this was unlikely.
Consort Jing had already drugged her aunt and the emperor, so why would she be so kind as to burn the imperial edict for her aunt?
Of course, there is another possibility: that the imperial edict ordering the aunt to be buried alive with the deceased was not burned by Consort Jing, but was instead used as leverage by Consort Jing.
Before receiving the imperial edict, the aunt could not let Consort Jing die, otherwise no one could guarantee that Consort Jing would not have a backup plan—once she died, the imperial edict would be revealed to the world.
But Gu Jiao quickly ruled out this possibility as well.
The Dowager Consort Jing had been scheming against her aunt, and with this imperial edict, she could have sent her aunt to the deepest hell. Why leave her there as leverage? Wouldn't that be redundant?
Assuming Gu Chengfeng's words are true, and Consort Jing did indeed risk her life to steal and burn the imperial edict, then who has seen the contents of the edict? How can we prove that it says on it that her aunt should be buried alive with the emperor, and not something else?
Isn't it all just based on what she says?
As long as interpersonal relationships and romantic love are not involved, Gu Jiao's mind works very quickly.
Despite all the thought she had, it was all in the blink of an eye.
Gu Chengfeng had already taken the imperial edict out of the box. He held the box in the crook of his arm and unfolded the edict with both hands.
However, just as he opened the imperial edict, Consort Jing suddenly returned. She noticed a commotion while she was still in the corridor.
Unlike the Dragon Shadow Guard, she was exceptionally sensitive to the sound of conversation.
"Who goes there!" she demanded sharply.
Gu Chengfeng's hand trembled, and the box in his arm fell to the ground with a crisp thud!
"Grab him!"
With a command from Consort Jing, the Dragon Shadow Guards burst through the door and grabbed at Gu Chengfeng and Gu Jiao with their bare hands.
"Hurry up!" Gu Chengfeng grabbed Gu Jiao with one hand and stuffed the imperial edict into his pocket with the other.
Just as the Dragon Shadow Guards were about to grab them, Gu Jiao quickly took out a piece of gunpowder from her purse and threw it at them!
Having learned his lesson from the black powder, the Dragon Shadow Guard knew it was a hidden weapon that couldn't be taken head-on. He quickly dodged to the side, and the black powder slammed into the table behind him, shattering it with a loud bang!
Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Chengfeng grabbed Gu Jiao and rushed out of the nunnery.
Both of them wore masks and changed their clothes, so Consort Jing could not recognize them.
When Consort Jing entered the room, she immediately noticed that the imperial edict was missing.
Her expression changed drastically, and she said to the Dragon Shadow Guard, "Bring back the imperial edict!"
Upon receiving the order, the Dragon Shadow Guards chased after Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng in the direction they had left.
Dragon Shadow Guard was unparalleled in both martial arts and agility, and he quickly caught up with the two.
When Gu Chengfeng was carrying the imperial edict, the Dragon Shadow Guard saw it. He knew that the edict was on Gu Chengfeng, and without saying a word, he grabbed Gu Chengfeng's shoulder.
The hand, like an eagle's claw, dug deep into Gu Chengfeng's flesh. Gu Chengfeng's face contorted in pain. He didn't resist immediately, but instead used all his strength to push Gu Jiao away!
The instant he pushed it away, he stuffed the imperial edict into Gu Jiao's sleeve.
He was probably the only one who could do such a thing right under the noses of the Dragon Shadow Guard. The Dragon Shadow Guard did not realize that the imperial edict had been moved. He reached out his other hand and reached for Gu Chengfeng's chest.
He was a suicide squad member, and he didn't know his own strength. This blow might just tear Gu Chengfeng's chest open.
Gu Jiao glanced back at the two of them, then suddenly produced the imperial edict: "The imperial edict is here!"
The Dragon Shadow Guard's gaze immediately turned towards Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao suddenly threw the imperial edict in another direction from the palace.
The Dragon Shadow Guard was ordered to retrieve the imperial edict, so he chased after it.
Gu Chengfeng clutched his shoulder and collapsed to his knees, utterly exhausted.
Gu Jiao squatted down: "Can you still walk?"
Gu Chengfeng shook his head, his face pale: "I can't use my lightness skill anymore..."
The Dragon Shadow Guard was terrifying. He had only grabbed him casually, and all his power was instantly rendered useless.
"You should leave quickly," he said, enduring the weakness and excruciating pain throughout his body.
The imperial edict was too important. In the chaos just now, Consort Jing was only concerned with grabbing the edict. Once she actually got it, Consort Jing would remember to silence the two of them.
Gu Jiao grabbed him: "Come with me!"
The Dragon Shadow Guard retrieved the imperial edict and handed it over to Consort Jing.
Consort Jing took the imperial edict, her expression turning cold and detached.
"Your Highness!" Granny Cai hurried over, glanced at the imperial edict in her hand, and her expression changed drastically. "Someone stole the imperial edict? Who is it? How did they know about this edict?"
Consort Jing glanced in the direction of the palace wall but remained silent.
Renshou Palace.
While Qin Gonggong was feeding his pond full of turtles, two figures suddenly fell from the sky and landed on his turtles.
"Oh dear! You damned bastard!"
Qin Gonggong was shocked, and the vegetable leaves in his hand flew out.
He was about to summon the imperial guards when he saw one of the small figures remove her mask. His eyes widened: "Miss Gu?"
Just then, Gu Chengfeng's mask fell off, revealing a pale, handsome face.
Eunuch Qin was startled again: "Second Young Master Gu?"
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Gu Jiao: You're so fast!
Empress Dowager Zhuang was not present; she had gone to a side hall of the Golden Palace to discuss matters with her ministers. Eunuch Qin led Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng into Empress Dowager Zhuang's bedroom.
Then, Eunuch Qin went to the outside of Renshou Palace to pay his respects to the emperor: "This servant greets Your Majesty."
The emperor was accompanied by Granny Cai.
Eunuch Qin glanced at Granny Cai without changing his expression and said with a smile, "Why has His Majesty come here? The Empress Dowager is discussing matters with the ministers in the Golden Palace."
The Emperor said, "Granny Cai said that an assassin tried to kill Consort Jing just now, but was injured by the expert around Consort Jing and escaped into Renshou Palace."
"Such a thing is true?" Eunuch Qin asked in surprise. "Is Her Highness the Imperial Concubine injured?"
Granny Cai said politely, "The Imperial Concubine was a little frightened, but she is fine. The Imperial Concubine was worried that the assassin might harm the Empress Dowager, so she quickly reported to His Majesty."
"This servant didn't see any assassins." Eunuch Qin turned to look at the palace maids in the courtyard. "Did any of you see any assassins?"
The palace servants all shook their heads: "No."
Eunuch Qin laughed and said, "Your Majesty, Granny Cai must have mistaken you. This is Renshou Palace, a place teeming with experts. What assassin would dare to risk their life to venture inside?"
Granny Cai said with a worried look, "That assassin is extremely skilled in martial arts. He actually managed to escape from the Dragon Shadow Guard. Eunuch Qin, you'd better not be careless."
In the past, the emperor would have been too lazy to care about Empress Dowager Zhuang's life or death. However, now he and Empress Dowager Zhuang were allies, and they had a common enemy. That person was hiding in the shadows, holding him by the neck and targeting the people he cared about. He could not let the other party succeed.
"Get out of the way!" the emperor said coldly.
Eunuch Qin did not allow it. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is not in Renshou Palace. If the assassin really wanted to assassinate her, he should have gone to the Golden Palace."
Granny Cai, her previous worried and humble demeanor vanished, her brow furrowing as she said, "Perhaps the assassins are lying in ambush here, waiting for the Empress Dowager to return before striking! Eunuch Qin, why are you blocking His Majesty's search like this? Could it be... that you're in cahoots with the assassins!"
"Who gave you the audacity to shout and yell in front of my door?"
Accompanied by a voice that was both dignified and imposing, Empress Dowager Zhuang's imperial carriage appeared behind the crowd.
Everyone turned around and bowed in unison to Empress Dowager Zhuang on the phoenix carriage.
The emperor looked at the imperial carriage from afar, his expression displeased.
The phoenix carriage stopped in front of the group. After landing, Eunuch Qin stepped forward and handed his wrist to Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Empress Dowager Zhuang, supporting his wrist, slowly walked out. She didn't need a loud voice or sharp words; a single, faint glance was enough to intimidate everyone.
Just moments ago, Granny Cai, who had been relying on the emperor's backing, suddenly fell silent.
Empress Dowager Zhuang strolled leisurely to her side: "Speak up, why are you silent? When I wasn't here, you were quite eloquent, weren't you? How come you've become a gourd with its mouth sawed off as soon as I arrive?"
Granny Cai lowered her head in grievance and moved closer to the emperor.
As she was Consort Jing's trusted nanny, the Emperor couldn't bear to see her suffer such an injustice, so he said, "What wrong has Granny Cai done? If there is an assassin, we should naturally search for him. But this old servant is obstructing us in every way, which is indeed suspicious."
Eunuch Qin reported to Empress Dowager Zhuang: "Miss Gu is resting inside. I was worried that having so many people in would disturb her, which is why I stopped them. Besides, I truly didn't find any assassins. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can ask the imperial guards at Renshou Palace; they didn't find any either—"
Before Eunuch Qin could finish speaking, the sound of weapons clashing came from the direction of the bedchamber. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, followed by Gu Jiao's cold shout: "Still trying to escape!"
"Ah! Miss Gu!" Eunuch Qin's expression changed drastically, and he called to the imperial guards of Renshou Palace, "Quick! Go and see her!"
Four top imperial guards turned and rushed towards the bedchamber, but before they could fully move, another pitiful scream came from the end: "Ah—"
It's a man's voice!
Eunuch Wei spread his arms and stood in front of the emperor, shouting, "Assassin! There's an assassin! Protect the emperor!"
Just as the experts from Huaqing Palace were about to make their move, Gu Jiao stepped out, grabbing a disheveled assassin in black. She threw the assassin to the ground and said calmly, "Assassin, here you go!"
Gu Jiao had already changed back into her own clothes, her hair loose, as if she had just woken up in bed and hadn't had time to comb it.
Granny Cai looked at the assassin with a bit of confusion.
Did the Empress Dowager really guess correctly? The assassin was from Renshou Palace?
But—aren't there two?
Granny Cai looked at Gu Jiao suspiciously: "Miss Gu, there are two assassins in total."
"Two? I only caught one," Gu Jiao said, arms crossed, her expression unchanged.
The assassin's face was covered in mud, obscuring his original appearance, but blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, indicating that he was seriously injured and unable to fight back.
The emperor looked at him coldly: "Who sent you? If you reveal who's behind this, I will spare your life! I am the supreme ruler, my word is law, and I never break my promise!"
A hint of hesitation flashed across the assassin's face. His terrified gaze swept over the crowd outside Renshou Palace, finally settling on Granny Cai's face.
A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in Granny Cai's heart!
The assassin looked at Granny Cai in terror and stammered, "It's...it's Jing..."
"Shut up!" Granny Cai stepped forward in one swift motion. She seemed to have guessed what the assassin was about to say and wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
The assassin lay half-reclined on the ground, propping himself up with his elbows, and gritted his teeth as he said, "It was Consort Jing! Consort Jing sent me to assassinate the Empress Dowager!"
Granny Cai was completely dumbfounded!
how so?
How did the assassination attempt end up targeting the emperor's own empress?!
She exclaimed in panic, "You're making false accusations! When did the Imperial Concubine send you to assassinate the Empress Dowager? If it was truly the Imperial Concubine who sent you, why did she instruct me to search you?"
The assassin coughed up blood and said with a cold laugh, "How should I know? Perhaps... the Empress Dowager suddenly discovered that I knew her secret—"
Before the assassin could finish speaking, Granny Cai suddenly lunged forward and plunged a knife into his heart!
"You...you killed people...to silence them..."
After saying this, the assassin rolled his eyes, swayed, and collapsed into a pool of blood.
Granny Cai was so shocked that she stumbled back several steps and fell straight to the ground.
"I...I didn't...it wasn't me...I didn't kill anyone..."
She really didn't intend to kill anyone.
She didn't lunge at all; it felt like her knee was hit by something, her legs went weak, and she fell towards the other person. Before she could even react, a knife appeared in her hand.
Then the knife was plunged into the other person's heart.
Gu Jiao squatted down, probed the assassin's neck with her fingertips, and stood up, saying, "He's not breathing."
Empress Dowager Zhuang frowned and said, "Why aren't you cleaning it up yet? Clean the area around the doorway clean for me! Not a single drop of blood is allowed to remain! I hate the smell of blood!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Eunuch Qin hurriedly ordered the eunuchs of Renshou Palace to carry the assassin's body away for disposal, and then called the palace maids to clean up the scene.
Granny Cai was completely bewildered by this series of events. She had never seen such shameless behavior before. Her mind was in complete chaos, and she couldn't think straight at all. She could only keep trying to defend herself: "Your Majesty... I didn't kill anyone... You have to believe me... That knife wasn't mine..."
Gu Jiao said, "I saw it all. If it's not yours, whose is it?"
Eunuch Wei said, "Yes! If it's not yours, whose is it? I saw it too!"
Granny Cai shot her a cold glare. "You, surnamed Wei! Have you forgotten which side you're on again?!"
Eunuch Wei shrank his neck, turned around, and slapped his mouth. He'd slipped his tongue again! He'd slipped his tongue again!
Granny Cai knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, if you don't believe me, you should at least believe the Dowager Consort! How could she possibly frame the Empress Dowager—the Dowager Consort is kind-hearted, she wouldn't do such a thing—"
A complex emotion flickered in the emperor's mind.
He grew up relying on Consort Jing, and he knew very well what kind of person she was. She wouldn't even step on an ant, and she always repaid evil with kindness. Even when Empress Dowager Zhuang banished her from the palace, she never complained about Empress Dowager Zhuang in front of him.
Not only that, she also tried to reconcile her relationship with Empress Dowager Zhuang.
How could she do such a terrible thing?
Furthermore, no one would send an assassin to carry out the assassination and then immediately and publicly capture the assassin.
According to the assassin, he knew Consort Jing's secret, which Consort Jing only realized after sending him out to assassinate her.
That's even more ridiculous.
How could someone as innocent and pure as a blank sheet of paper as Consort Jing possibly have any secrets?
No, she had a secret.
The secret with Gu Chao.
The emperor suddenly felt agitated.
The thought that Gu Chao almost became his father made him furious!
Perhaps because he was in a fit of anger, he suddenly found Granny Cai somewhat of an eyesore.
“Your Majesty…” Granny Cai looked at the emperor nervously.
The emperor frowned: "Take Granny Cai away... and interrogate her thoroughly!"
He used the words "detain" and "interrogate," which are extremely distrustful. You should know that the emperor used to listen to Consort Jing without any doubt, and even Consort Jing's confidantes were regarded as his own confidantes.
But now, he's actually treating Granny Cai as a suspect.
Even Eunuch Wei was astonished: "Your Majesty?"
The emperor ignored everyone else, flicked his sleeves, and left in a foul mood!
Empress Dowager Zhuang and Gu Jiao returned to their bedchamber.
In the backyard of the sleeping quarters, the corpse that should have been disposed of suddenly sat up, wiped the mud off his face, took the blood pack from his arms, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "My acting skills are not bad, are they?"
Gu Jiao said indifferently, "So-so, not as good as me."
Gu Chengfeng: "..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
