Chapter 777 Meeting with Aunt (Two Updates)
The king turned around.
Xiao Heng smiled.
The laughter was excessive.
He switched modes in an instant, appearing weak, pale, and on the verge of death, barely able to manage a smile: "Take care of yourself too."
"Hmm." The king nodded with a complicated expression, put his hands behind his back, and led Zhang Dequan and the wet nurse who was holding the little princess out of the Qilin Palace.
...
Gu Jiao stayed in the intensive care unit until dawn before she came out.
She sat in a chair in the middle of the night, then fell asleep by the bedside. When she woke up, the Grand Preceptor was no longer there.
Two bodyguards were back on guard outside the iron gate, but they didn't react much when Gu Jiao came out.
"What did the Imperial Advisor say to you?" Gu Jiao asked the two of them.
One of them said, "The Grand Preceptor said that no one else can enter except him and Young Master Xiao."
Gu Jiao gave an "oh" and muttered to herself, "That's more like it."
Xiao Heng opened the door and walked towards Gu Jiao: "Are you tired? I had someone make some porridge, go and have some."
"Okay." Gu Jiao walked with him towards his room. "Where's Jingkong?"
With two assassins behind him, Xiao Heng carefully chose his words and said, "He went to school, and his sister came to pick him up."
This is to tell Gu Jiao that Xiao Jingkong is safe with Gu Chengfeng by his side.
Relieved, Gu Jiao went to Xiao Heng's place and had a bowl of porridge.
Although it was hot in the summer, she still had a good appetite because she had expended a lot of energy, and she ate another big meat bun.
"Where is the young princess?" she asked.
Xiao Heng said, "I returned to the palace with the king. Also, it seems the king has restored my mother's status as a princess."
Although Xiao Heng did not attend court, the emperor personally addressed Shangguan Yan as the Third Princess this morning, so it is likely true.
Gu Jiao nodded in satisfaction: "That's great."
Despite paying such a high price, it wasn't just about deposing the crown prince.
First, restore her status as a princess; the next step is to plot for the position of crown princess.
Mentioning this, Gu Jiao suddenly remembered her conversation with the Imperial Advisor in the intensive care unit late at night.
She took a handkerchief, wiped her mouth, and said to Xiao Heng, "You don't need to find an excuse to go to the Crown Prince's residence anymore. I already know who stabbed Gu Changqing. It was Consort Han's advisor, a very powerful expert known in the martial arts world as Dark Soul."
"Dark Soul?" Xiao Heng murmured.
This title sounds impressive but doesn't quite make sense.
"Did the Imperial Advisor tell you that?" he asked.
"Yes." Gu Jiao nodded. "He also told me Han Wuye's secret. Han Wuye's premature gray hair was all due to poisoning and premature aging, but it also improved his martial arts skills."
Xiao Heng asked in confusion, "Premature aging? Enhances internal energy? That's so bizarre, what kind of poison is it?"
Gu Jiao shook her head: "I don't know. I'll find a chance to ask Madam Nan later. But I think that since Qi Xuan has been in the Han family for so long and still hasn't cured Han Ci's poison, the origin of this poison must be complicated. Also, the Imperial Preceptor mentioned someone else. I wonder if it's Long Yi."
The late emperor left behind a total of eight Dragon Shadow Guards. The youngest was given to His Majesty of Zhao, and the older ones were given to Princess Xinyang.
These elite warriors were all purchased by the old King Liang through underground training grounds. A ten-year contract was signed between the two parties at the time of the purchase, and they were trained by specialists according to the requirements of the late emperor.
The Dragon Shadow Guards given to Princess Xinyang were the first batch of assassins, and they were already quite well-trained. If they had needed to continue training at the camp, Dragon would have been exposed much earlier.
Life is full of coincidences.
Gu Jiao told Xiao Heng about Shi Tian and An Hun.
Xiao Heng asked, "Do you believe that Long Yi is Shi Tian?"
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and said, "If it were just the Imperial Advisor saying this, I might not have thought of Long Yi so easily. But last time I saw a portrait from the third floor of the library. The boy in the painting looks very much like Long Yi."
Xiao Heng remained silent.
Third floor.
The entire Imperial Preceptor's Hall, no, to be precise, the greatest secret of the entire Yan Kingdom, is located there.
If the person in the portrait is indeed Long Yi, then Long Yi must be someone of very high status and background.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Gu Jiao was taken by Ye Qing to the third floor of the library.
She received special permission from the Imperial Advisor to view a designated area, but she was still not allowed to wander around the rest of the area.
She stared blankly at the massive three-meter-tall bookshelf in front of her and said, "I just wanted to find a portrait of Shitian, is this really necessary..."
Is this huge bookshelf, which takes up almost an entire wall, all accessible to her?
Ye Qing pointed to the bookshelf and said, "There are portraits of Shitian and Anhun in here."
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Ye Qing explained, "Shitian and Anhun never show their true faces. These are portraits drawn by people in the martial arts world who claim to have seen Shitian and Anhun, and they were collected here by my master."
Gu Jiao squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "So many... how long would it take me to see them all?"
Or I can draw it for you and you can identify it for me?
Ye Qing added, "None of us have seen Shitian, so you'll have to identify him yourself."
How can I possibly identify it?
So even if I see Long Yi's portrait, you can't be sure that he is Shi Tian, right?
...
It is a scandal for fathers and sons to kill each other.
If this had happened to the Emperor of Zhao, he would have adhered to the principle of not airing family scandals in public, kept the news tightly under wraps, and then found another reason to punish the Crown Prince.
The King of Great Yan, however, did not care. As soon as he entered the court, he announced that Shangguan Qi had ulterior motives, slandered Shangguan Yan, and committed the crimes of patricide and regicide. He also had Zhang Dequan announce the imperial edict abolishing the crown prince in public.
Along with the imperial edict deposing the crown prince, an imperial edict was also issued restoring Shangguan Yan's status as a member of the imperial family.
From then on, Shangguan Yan became the Third Princess of Great Yan.
The entire court was astonished.
Although she had received the news last night, the fact that it actually came from the Golden Palace still greatly angered Consort Han!
She was so angry her chest felt like it was going to explode: "What assassination! What slander! That Long Aotian is clearly a spy planted by Shangguan Yan in the Crown Prince's residence! Is His Majesty senile? How can he not see such a huge flaw!"
She sent someone to the Crown Prince's residence last night to find out the whole story of Long Aotian's visit. It was all a trap, a complete trap!
"Oh, Your Majesty, you can't say such things!" The chief eunuch Xu Gao stepped forward in alarm. "Be careful someone doesn't overhear."
Consort Han snorted, "This is my bedchamber. Who dares to spread this message?"
Xu Gao chuckled dryly: "That's true, but better safe than sorry."
The information about Long Aotian came from Xu Gao's inquiry at the Crown Prince's residence. To be honest, the Third Princess's move was indeed ingenious; she had perfectly calculated the Emperor's thoughts.
He has been in the palace for so many years, and he has rarely seen anyone who can accurately predict the king's thoughts.
Whether a ruler punishes someone or not is generally up to his own will. Those who take advantage of the situation to trip up the victims are simply being turned a blind eye by the ruler, and it doesn't mean they are particularly clever.
Xu Gao said, "Your Majesty, the Third Princess may have a mastermind behind her."
Consort Han said thoughtfully, "What you say makes some sense. I watched Shangguan Yan grow up. She's straightforward and doesn't have much of a mind of her own, otherwise she wouldn't have been plotted against back then."
Xu Gao hurriedly said, "Isn't that right, Your Majesty? If she had such scheming, why would she have waited until now? She would have returned to Shengdu long ago to compete with the Second Prince for the position of Crown Prince. Moreover, the eldest grandson's personality is also different from before. It's hard to believe that one person would change, but for two people to change at the same time, who would believe that there isn't a mastermind behind it all?"
Consort Han said coldly, "We must find out who the mastermind behind them is! I want to see who has the audacity to oppose me!"
Xu Gao smiled smugly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, our people have already been sent to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall."
Consort Han smiled upon hearing this: "Oh? So fast? I hope there won't be any flaws?"
Xu Gao smiled and said, "They were all personally selected by Zhang Dequan. They are all his confidants. Even if you investigate their ancestors for eighteen generations, it has nothing to do with us."
Consort Han smiled coldly: "It's not easy to plant a confidant by Zhang Dequan's side. I've been planting these pawns for so many years, intending to use them in more important places. But since Shangguan Yan and her son are so annoying, I'll use Eunuch Zhang to get rid of these two thorns in my side!"
Xu Gao flattered, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Consort Han was already envisioning the fruits of victory: "After it's all over... who should we pin the blame on? I think Consort Wang is quite good, and Consort Dong is not bad either."
As she spoke, she burst into unrestrained laughter.
Meanwhile, Zhang Dequan led four palace servants to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
Gu Jiao went to the library, leaving only Xiao Heng in Shangguan Yan's room.
Zhang Dequan bowed respectfully to Xiao Heng, who was seated: "Your Highness, the few servants outside are palace maids I selected. They are quick-witted, diligent, and clever. Let them serve the Third Princess and Your Highness for now. Your Highness, please rest assured, their backgrounds are all clean."
"Understood," Xiao Heng said.
Zhang Dequan smiled and said, "If there are no further instructions, this servant will return to the palace now."
Xiao Heng nodded.
After Zhang Dequan left, Xiao Heng lifted the bed curtains and looked at Shangguan Yan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, eating half a watermelon with a spoon: "Can Zhang Dequan be trusted?"
Shangguan Yan ate a spoonful of watermelon balls: "Oh, he's not a bad person."
Xiao Heng said, "So, those people outside can stay?"
Shangguan Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let's keep him for now. Zhang Dequan is the only person in the palace who won't harm me."
...
Lingbo Academy.
A horse-drawn carriage stopped in the alley diagonally opposite it.
This alley was originally intended for students of the academy to park their carriages, but this carriage was the first to arrive, so it took the first spot.
At this point, the driver's task was completed, and the old priest settled his fare.
The driver left satisfied with his payment.
The old chief priest and Empress Dowager Zhuang waited in the carriage.
"Are you sure you want to wait here?" Empress Dowager Zhuang asked.
The old priest said, "Jingkong is taking classes at Lingbo Academy. After he finishes school, Aheng will definitely come to pick him up. If Aheng doesn't come, Jiaojiao will."
Summers in Yan are hotter than in Zhao, and today's weather is exceptionally humid, turning the carriage into a steamer in no time.
Empress Dowager Zhuang was like a small steamed shrimp, sweating profusely.
She leaned against the car wall, utterly dejected: "Didn't it rain last night? How come it's hot again so soon after cooling down?"
The old chief priest took a fan and fanned her, while he himself was also drenched in sweat: "It's really hot in Yan. I wonder if the children can stand it."
Empress Dowager Zhuang was too weak to even speak. She felt like she had heatstroke and slumped in her seat like a shrimp with weak legs.
Seeing how hot she was, the old chief priest couldn't bear it and said, "There's a teahouse right next door. Go have a cup of tea there, and I'll wait here."
Empress Dowager Zhuang glared at him and said weakly, "Does drinking tea not cost money?"
Prices in Yan are so high, the money the children brought will definitely not be enough, so she has to be frugal with Jiaojiao.
Of course, there was another very important reason: she wanted to see Jiaojiao as soon as possible.
Although it may not be Jiaojiao who comes to pick up Jingkong.
The two waited from morning until afternoon, and were so hot that they lost their temper.
Finally, school ended at Lingbo Academy, and students in their academy uniforms walked out of the academy with high spirits.
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked on anxiously: "Why haven't I seen any children? Go and find out if the prodigy class has finished school yet."
The old libationer has passed away.
However, ever since the young princess was kidnapped near the academy, the academy has become much more vigilant and is wary of strangers who come to inquire about information, especially about the prodigy class.
The guard shouted sternly, "Don't you dare inquire about the academy! If you don't leave now, I'll report you to the authorities and have you arrested!"
Indeed, more patrol officers were stationed nearby.
The old priest was an unregistered person and naturally could not fall into the hands of the officials. He wanted to say that he was a family member of a student, but when he looked down at his shabby clothes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
To avoid attracting thieves, they dressed very poorly, wearing the simplest clothes and using the most dilapidated carriages.
The old chief priest was about to go to a nearby shop to ask when he heard the guard say to his companion, "Keep an eye on that old man."
The old priest's lips twitched. Was he being treated like a thief?
What was the story behind the academies in the State of Yan?
Having failed to obtain any information, he could only wait patiently: "Don't worry, I inquired at the inn. After school, there's only one door you can use to leave. Jingkong will definitely come out from there."
"Don't interrupt, get out of the way!" Empress Dowager Zhuang ruthlessly turned his face away, staring intently at the main gate of Lingbo Academy.
Finally, perseverance paid off, and a child around ten years old emerged.
Her eyes lit up: "The prodigy class is over!"
The prodigy class has indeed ended.
But Xiao Jingkong and the little princess were always the slowest two, collecting books until Master Lü questioned his existence.
The young princess said to her classmate, "Jingkong, come to my house to play today!"
Xiao Jingkong asked, "Where do you live?"
"Hmm...it's over there!" The little princess pointed in the direction of the palace (which she thought it was), "I've been to your place so many times, but you've never been to my house!"
Xiao Jingkong thought about it and realized that made sense.
"Alright, but I need to go and tell Master Cheng."
He had tutoring from Mr. Cheng after school today.
However, in his view, tutoring could be taken on leave, and he didn't think much of it anyway.
The two little ones carried their schoolbags and went to Master Cheng's place to ask for leave.
The young princess stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Master Cheng. Master Cheng didn't dare to disagree even if he wanted to.
"Someone was asking when the prodigy class ends. I wonder if another thief has his eye on the princess? Just to be safe, let's go directly to the academy to pick up the princess."
"yes!"
An ordinary-looking but incredibly luxurious carriage, carrying the privileges granted by the king, drove into Lingbo Academy and stopped directly in front of the prodigy class.
Four top-level imperial guards stood in a row.
The wet nurse stepped down from the carriage and took the little princess's book bag from her: "Little princess, we should go back now."
The young princess said, "Today I want to invite Jingkong to my house to play!"
The wet nurse smiled and said, "If the young master's family has no objections, then of course it's fine."
"No objections, no objections." Xiao Jingkong made his own decision.
Anyway, he's not a bad brother-in-law, so Chengfeng can't control him.
The two little ones boarded the carriage.
Two of the four imperial guards sat in a carriage, while the other two rode horses to escort them on either side.
The old libationer peered out from the alleyway.
The carriage passed him by.
Another half hour passed, and the last student came out of Lingbo Academy. The guards of Lingbo Academy began to close the gate.
The old chief priest was startled: "Hey! What's going on? Why is it closed?" He turned to look at Empress Dowager Zhuang in the carriage, "Did the purification ceremony just take place? Did you see it?"
"She didn't come out," Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
She was getting on in years, but not to the point of failing eyesight, and she was absolutely certain that she hadn't missed anything.
The old priest asked suspiciously, "Could it be... that Jingkong didn't go to school today? Could it be that they didn't come to Lingbo Academy, and something happened to them? They..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang said coldly, "Shut up!"
The old priest fell silent, looking rather annoyed.
The sky, which had been sweltering all day, began to gather dark clouds, and it looked like it was going to rain.
The old chief priest said, "Why don't we find an inn to stay in first, and come back tomorrow?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang gazed intently and said, "The door isn't completely closed yet; it's left a crack. Let's wait a little longer."
The aroma of stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts wafted from the restaurant next door, and the old libationer felt a sudden pang of hunger. He then realized that they had been so busy waiting for someone that they hadn't eaten all day.
He was hungry, and Zhuang Jinse was so hungry, she probably wasn't much better off.
"I'll go buy some food," he said, touching his empty purse. He coughed lightly and said to Empress Dowager Zhuang, "I've run out of travel money."
He paid for everything along the way.
Empress Dowager Zhuang clutched the bundle in her arms warily: "It's for Jiaojiao!"
Not a single penny can be spent!
The old chief priest had no choice but to search his pockets, and finally pulled out two knife-shaped coins that had somehow fallen into the tattered lining of his sleeve.
He was lucky; normally two coins could only buy one steamed bun, but today it was about to rain, and the shopkeeper was in a hurry to close up shop, so he gave the last two steamed buns to the old priest.
The old chief priest gave the larger one to Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The heavy rain in Shengdu came suddenly.
A gaping hole appeared in the sky, and the rain poured down impatiently, accompanied by howling winds that overturned roadside stalls!
The old priest held the remaining half of the steamed bun in his mouth, quickly pulled the car window shut, and lowered the curtain.
However, the weather was too bad; the carriage curtain snapped open with a loud crack, and the torrential rain poured mercilessly into the carriage.
The old chief priest hurriedly stood up, intending to use his frail body to block the wind and rain. He gripped the door frame tightly with both hands, but unexpectedly, the roof of the carriage was blown off the next second.
The old chief minister was so wet that he couldn't open his eyes. He reached for an umbrella, wanting to open it to shield Empress Dowager Zhuang from the rain, but before he could open the umbrella, he was blown to the ground by the wind.
"This can't go on! We need to find shelter from the rain quickly!" He wiped the rain from his face, struggled to open his eyes, and reached out to Empress Dowager Zhuang, "Get down! I'll grab you!"
It is extremely dangerous for two elderly people to be exposed to such harsh weather; they could easily fall and never get up again.
Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes were already closed, so she naturally couldn't see the hand he was reaching out to her. She held the bundle in her arms tightly with one hand and gripped the side of the carriage with the other, slowly and laboriously moving down the carriage.
She slipped and fell, and the once powerful Empress Dowager Zhao ended up sitting awkwardly in a puddle.
The old chief priest asked loudly, "Are you alright?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang clutched the bundle in her arms: "It's alright."
She tried to stand up, but fell back down several times.
The old priest exerted a great deal of effort to finally reach her, and he reached out and grabbed her arm.
He had just pulled Empress Dowager Zhuang up, but before they could even stand up properly, they both fell to the ground with a thud.
Just then, a beggar in his early twenties suddenly rushed out from behind the two of them, snatched the bundle from Empress Dowager Zhuang's hands, and ran away!
"money for the journey!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes turned cold!
That was silver I brought for Jiaojiao. We saved every penny along the way and didn't spend a single silver note. And yet, it was stolen by a petty thief.
Empress Dowager Zhuang was furious!
She didn't know where she got the strength, but ignoring her bruises and sprains, she picked up a stick from the ground and threw it hard at the little beggar!
"oops--"
The little beggar was hit by the stick and fell down in the rain with a thud.
Empress Dowager Zhuang, in her old age, chased after her unfilial grandson. She stormed up to the young beggar, picked up the stick from the ground again, and started beating him mercilessly!
"I'll teach you to steal my things!"
"You dare steal Jiaojiao's money!"
"You dared to steal chickens and dogs!"
"That'll teach you to do nothing proper!"
The rain was torrential, and in her fury, Empress Dowager Zhuang spoke in the Zhao language, which the beggar couldn't understand a word of, but he clearly felt the blows coming from the sticks on his body.
"Ouch! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Here you go! Here you go, okay?! You old hag, how can you be so strong!"
The beggar's head was almost beaten to a pulp.
How could he have imagined that a little old lady who had fallen down and couldn't even get up would hit people so hard?
That was way too heavy-handed!
Empress Dowager Zhuang struck again with her stick, nearly wiping out his countless descendants. The beggar shuddered, looking at the stick that had landed between his legs.
If that stick were just half an inch further forward, he would—he would—
He looked at the old woman in front of him again, and saw that her eyes exuded a powerful murderous aura of a superior, which made him feel fear to the core.
He didn't even dare to try anything funny anymore. He threw the bundle in his hand at the old lady and, while she was catching it, he scrambled away.
The bundle was flung open, and the silver ingots inside clattered to the ground, while the banknotes were blown away by the strong wind and scattered everywhere in the alley.
Empress Dowager Zhuang squatted down to pick up the silver notes.
The old chief minister had just sprained his ankle and it took him a while to limp over. He looked at Empress Dowager Zhuang, who was squatting on the ground picking up silver and banknotes, and suddenly felt a mix of emotions.
She was the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family, born into nobility. Upon entering the palace, she became the empress. After the late emperor's death, she became the regent empress dowager.
She lived her entire life on a cloud, never bending down to pick up anything from the ground. Let alone a mere stack of silver notes, even if an antique worth a thousand gold pieces fell to the ground, she would never give it a second glance.
But right now, she is—
He opened his mouth: "Zhuang Jinse..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang picked up a silver note that had floated into the sewage pit and wiped it on her sleeve: "When we first arrived in the countryside, our family was not well-off. Every day before dawn, Jiaojiao had to go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables and pick mountain products to sell at the market. In order to save two copper coins for the cart fare, she would carry the heavy mountain products on her back for more than ten miles."
"She was only fourteen then. She couldn't even bear to eat a bowl of hot soup noodles outside. In the dead of winter, she would just eat a hard, cold steamed bun in the market. But she never skimped on Liu Lang's tuition money, and she never lacked meat and vegetables for the family. She didn't eat them herself, but saved them for Liu Lang, Xiao Shun, and me. Later, when the little monk came, she spared no effort to buy him everything he needed. She only bought herself a pair of cloth shoes, which she shared with Liu Lang."
The old libationer was deeply moved.
Empress Dowager Zhuang lowered her eyes and said, "If there is not enough money, she will always be short of her own... I don't want Jiaojiao to suffer, I don't want her to suffer even a little bit."
The old priest's eyes were slightly red, it was unclear whether it was for Gu Jiao or Zhuang Jinse.
He squatted down: "I'll pick them up with you."
The two of them squatted on the ground and silently picked up the silver notes that had been soaked by the rain.
As Empress Dowager Zhuang was picking things up, she suddenly sensed someone approaching.
She moved forward slightly, blocking the few silver notes in the puddle in front of her.
A boy wearing a straw raincoat, a bamboo hat, and carrying a red-tasseled spear entered the alley from behind her.
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't pay much attention and continued picking up the silver notes.
The boy walked past her.
When he reached the alley entrance, the boy suddenly stopped.
With only a few silver notes left, and more people seemingly coming into the alley, Empress Dowager Zhuang quickened her pace in collecting the notes.
Her legs were about to go numb from squatting when suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her.
"...Grandma?"
(End of this chapter)
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