Chapter 779 Fighting the Imperial Concubine (Second Update)
Xiao Heng went to Shangguan Yan's room.
There are five palace servants serving Shangguan Yan. One of them is Huan'er, a little palace maid who was originally brought from Zhaoyang Palace. The other four are the people that Zhang Dequan sent this morning.
None of the five people knew that Shangguan Yan was faking illness, but because Huan'er had served Shangguan Yan the longest, Xiao Heng kept her in the room just now out of both courtesy and reason.
"Has my mother woken up?" Xiao Heng asked Huan'er.
Huan'er bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Third Princess has not yet woken up."
It seems he didn't give himself away and didn't let us down at the crucial moment.
Xiao Heng stood by the bed for a while, then said to Huan'er, "Alright, you continue to watch over her. If my mother wakes up, remember to go and let me know. I'm with Young Master Xiao."
Huan'er respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
Shangguan Yan, who had been lying dead inside the mosquito net all night: "..."
They're gone already? Gone?
Son!
I need to get some fresh air!
Xiao Heng went to Gu Jiao's room.
Empress Dowager Zhuang is stockpiling candied fruit.
She hadn't eaten for three days, and the fifteen candied fruits she had painstakingly saved up were broken in the heavy rain.
Gu Jiao promised to make up for it, not missing a single one.
As she packed the candied fruit into her new jar, she casually remarked, "Whose men are those four outside?"
Xiao Heng said, "The palace maids and eunuchs sent by the king are, strictly speaking, my mother's people."
Empress Dowager Zhuang asked, "Was it just delivered?"
Xiao Heng hummed in agreement: "That's right, it was delivered this morning."
Empress Dowager Zhuang said calmly, "Keep an eye on that little eunuch with protruding ears."
Xiao Heng realized something and frowned, asking, "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Yes." Empress Dowager Zhuang gave him an affirmative answer without hesitation.
Xiao Heng was slightly taken aback: "That little eunuch is the one who looks the most honest among the four... and all four of them were sent by Zhang Dequan. My mother said that Zhang Dequan is a trustworthy person."
Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "Either your mother trusted the wrong person, or that Zhang Dequan trusted the wrong person."
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment: "How did Auntie figure that out?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "I find that person an eyesore and find him annoying. Anyone who can make me feel this way must have a problem."
Xiao Heng: "Uh...is that so?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang said with a sigh, "When you have been betrayed by a thousand palace servants, you will remember a thousand kinds of betrayal, and all your little schemes will have nowhere to hide."
Gu Jiao: "Grandma, speak like a human being."
Empress Dowager Zhuang: "I would like a candied fruit."
Gu Jiao: "..."
There won't be any extra candied fruit; I said fifteen, and that's fifteen.
After packing the last candied fruit, Empress Dowager Zhuang smacked her lips, somewhat considering sneaking in two more when Gu Jiao wasn't looking.
As soon as she raised her hand, Gu Jiao said, "There are six left on the plate."
Gu Jiao was laying out the mattress on the bed. She didn't look up, but she saw the shadow on the ground.
Empress Dowager Zhuang stiffened.
She pouted, pushed the plate of candied fruit aside, and sulked, "Can't people trust each other anymore? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would steal candied fruit? Humph! I'm not eating it! Liu Lang, you can have it!"
"I... okay then." Under his aunt's death stare, Xiao Heng brought over a plate of candied fruit.
Needless to say, these six candied fruits will soon become Empress Dowager Zhuang's personal possessions.
Xiao Heng said, "That...that eunuch..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang chuckled and said, "I've already mastered these low-level tricks. Keep him around, and I'll see who really sent him."
She actually planted a spy next to her daughter and son, Liu Lang! She's tired of living!
If I can't crush you, I'm not Zhuang Jinse!
"Does Auntie have a plan in mind?" Xiao Heng asked.
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng and said indifferently, "Just wait to receive the gifts I'm giving you."
...
The Imperial Palace.
Consort Han was copying Buddhist scriptures in her palace.
A heavy rain fell at night, and many parts of the palace were flooded. Xu Gao came in from outside soaking wet, and his shoes were also soaked.
But he didn't dare to change his shoes first. Instead, he went to Consort Han and reported the news from the scouts.
"How is the situation over there?" Consort Han asked, copying Buddhist scriptures.
Xu Gao bowed and said, "The Crown Prince trusts Zhang Dequan's people very much and has accepted them all."
Consort Han said with a sneer, "Zhang Dequan received a favor from Empress Xuanyuan back then and has always remembered her kindness. Shangguan Yan and Shangguan Qing both understand this, so they trusted the person Zhang Dequan sent without a doubt. However, they never expected that I had already placed someone by Zhang Dequan's side."
Xu Gao laughed and said, "That man was bullied by the chief eunuch when he was eight years old. Zhang Dequan happened to see it and rescued him. After that, he sought refuge with Zhang Dequan. Zhang Dequan took care of him for nine years and observed him for nine years."
Consort Han smiled smugly: "It's a pity that no one noticed the flaw."
Xu Gao said, "How could he have imagined that the bullying he suffered back then was arranged by the Empress?"
Consort Han dipped her brush in ink and said arrogantly, "That little eunuch is quite shrewd. We've cultivated quite a few undercover agents over the years, but many have also been exposed. He's very clever. Tell him that if he can help me bring down Shangguan Yan and her son this time, I will petition for his transfer to the Palace Attendant's Office. The head of the Palace Attendant's Office just happens to be vacant. Although he's young, it won't be difficult for me to put him in the position."
Xu Gao exclaimed, "This is truly an immense blessing! Even I, your humble servant, am envious!"
Consort Han said, "Then I will transfer you to the Palace Guard."
Xu Gao hurriedly laughed and said, "Look at what Your Highness is saying. This servant is just jealous that he has gained Your Highness's favor. How could I be jealous of the position of head of the Palace Guard? Being able to serve Your Highness is the blessing this servant has accumulated over eight lifetimes. This servant will follow Your Highness for the rest of my life!"
Consort Han laughed: "You're so good with words."
Xu Gao smiled and stepped forward to grind ink for Consort Han.
Consort Han glanced at him and said, "Go change your clothes before you come to serve me. You are ill, and I am not used to having others serve me."
Xu Gao was deeply moved: "Yes!"
Just as he was about to leave, a burst of soft laughter came from outside the bedchamber.
Consort Han disliked noise, and she frowned: "What's all that noise?"
Xu Gao listened carefully: "It sounds like the little princess's voice. This servant will go and check."
The rain has lessened now; there's only a light drizzle falling from the sky.
Two little kids, barefoot, wearing tiny raincoats and straw hats, were splashing in the puddles.
"This is so much fun! This is so much fun!"
The young princess was so excited about stepping in water for the first time in her life that she kept shouting "Wow!"
Xiao Jingkong often splashed in the water in Zhao Kingdom, wearing the little yellow raincoat that Gu Jiao made for him, but this fun did not diminish because he splashed in the water so much.
After all, he's now treading on the waters of the Yan state!
And then Xiaoxue stepped on it with him!
The two little ones were having a great time.
The wet nurse couldn't stop them.
Xu Gao glanced at the two from afar, then returned to his bedchamber to report to Consort Han: "Your Majesty, it is the young princess and one of her classmates."
The whole harem knew that the young princess was going to study at Lingbo Academy, so it wasn't strange that she brought back a classmate.
Consort Han slammed the brush down on the brush rest: "So noisy!"
Consort Han disliked the young princess mainly because the princess had taken away too much of the king's favor, which aroused great jealousy among the women in the harem.
Consort Han felt increasingly annoyed as she listened to the children's laughter coming from outside.
She stood up coldly.
Xu Gao looked at her in surprise: "Your Majesty..."
Consort Han said with a mocking tone, "The little princess is having so much fun, I'd like to go and see what she's playing."
"...Yes." So he can't change his wet shoes and wet clothes?
Xu Gao reluctantly followed Consort Han out of the palace.
He held an umbrella for Consort Han.
Consort Han stood at the entrance of her palace, looking at the two innocent little ones. Instead of tenderness and affection, her eyes were filled with intense disgust.
She suppressed her disgust and walked over with a smile: "Isn't this Xiaoxue? What brings Xiaoxue to Aunt Consort Gui? Are you here to see Aunt Consort Gui?"
The two little ones' puddle game was interrupted.
The young princess looked up at her and said seriously, "You are not my aunt, you are the Imperial Concubine."
The young princess did not intend to embarrass Consort Han; she was simply stating the facts: her aunt was the Empress, who had already passed away.
With all the palace servants present, Consort Han felt a burning sensation on her face as she was slapped.
She clenched her fingers, smiled, and said, "Xiaoxue, call me whatever you like. Are you tired after playing for so long? Would you like to come sit at my place? There's delicious food in my palace."
Although I dislike this little girl, it seems not so bad that the king will come looking for her to come to his palace soon.
At her age, she no longer seeks favor for herself, but there's nothing wrong with being a couple with the king in their twilight years, just like the king and Empress Xuanyuan.
Princess: "Jingkong, would you like some?"
Xiao Jingkong: "And you?"
The young princess said, "I'm not hungry."
Xiao Jingkong: "I'm not hungry either."
The little princess said, "Then we won't eat! Let's keep playing!"
Xiao Jingkong's first impression of Consort Han was not good. She spoke in a condescending manner and never bent her back. The children had to look up at her so much that it was tiring. She didn't even ask his name.
Xiao Jingkong was unaware that this was called being arrogant; he just felt uncomfortable.
He said, "I don't want to play here anymore, let's go over there!"
The young princess nodded, "Yes, yes!"
The two little ones happily made their decision.
"Goodbye, Your Highness!"
The young princess politely took her leave.
Consort Han's face turned cold.
I'm offering you my warm welcome, but you're just a lowly princess. Your father doesn't even have any real power, yet you dare to disregard me!
It's not true that the older you get, the more tolerant you become; sometimes, a person's malice has nothing to do with age.
Some wicked people only become more vicious as they get older.
Consort Han couldn't afford to offend the young princess, so she could only vent her anger on the young princess's new friends.
The two children walked forward with a clattering sound.
Xiao Jingkong happened to be with Consort Han.
Consort Han casually stretched out her foot and placed it under Xiao Jingkong's foot.
Xiao Jingkong didn't realize it was Consort Han's foot; he mistook it for a stone and stepped on it!
Consort Han: "...!!"
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(End of this chapter)
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