Chapter 688 Settling the Final Accounts (First Update)
"This rascal..." The king looked at the little boy in front of him, swallowed the words "accounting," and said with a deep gaze, "Who told you that?"
Outside the Imperial Study, the eunuchs and palace maids who heard these words had already knelt down. Even the Grand Eunuch, who was carrying snacks inside, knelt down at the door, holding the tray high above his head, his whole body trembling.
The young princess was a focused child and didn't notice the noise at the door or outside.
She said in a childish voice, "My cousin Shangguan Yan told me!"
A terrifying undercurrent surged in the king's eyes: "She said I'm dead?"
The little princess tilted her head seriously: "She didn't say it directly, but I'm so smart, of course I can guess! When I asked her who her father was, she seemed a little sad. She said she hadn't seen her father for more than ten years! So I think her father must be dead, otherwise how could he not see her for more than ten years?"
The king felt a mouthful of blood choke in his chest and almost suffered a stroke on the spot!
The palace servants outside the imperial study were all terrified, their faces turning deathly pale.
Of all the rulers in history, you, little princess, are the first to curse a king like this.
If you lose your head in a moment, don't blame us servants for not pleading for you.
The king clutched his chest, which was nearly giving him a heart attack, and asked about the content of their conversation. He finally confirmed that Shangguan Yan had indeed not said anything or given any hints in that regard; it was all just the little boy's wild interpretation.
If anyone else had said that, they would have been beheaded hundreds of times over.
The king suppressed his surging anger and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow you will go to the Imperial Academy and study under the Grand Tutor."
"Huh? Why?" The little princess doesn't want to study!
The king said in a deep voice, "You're four years old now, it's time for you to start your education." As he spoke, he muttered under his breath, "At least you should be able to understand human speech!"
The little princess, with her sharp ears, overheard his mutterings and said with a disgruntled expression, "I can understand human speech! I can understand what His Majesty Uncle is saying! Waaah—"
She wanted to say something more, but the chief eunuch who came in quickly covered her mouth.
My goodness, my little ancestor, you've already cursed the king to death, so stop cursing him to be inhuman!
The Grand Eunuch laughed and said, "This servant will take the young princess back to her room!"
"Waaaaah!"
Don't cover my mouth, I want to talk more! I want to talk more!
The young princess was carried away by the chief eunuch.
After the chief eunuch settled the young princess in, he felt as if he had shed a layer of skin. The young princess looked very well-behaved, but she was actually not an easy child to handle.
"Your Majesty." The Grand Eunuch Zhang Dequan returned to the Imperial Study, his brow beaded with sweat.
Night had fallen, the surrounding light had faded, and darkness gradually enveloped the entire palace.
Although the lamps were lit in the imperial study, the night wind blew from time to time, causing the oil lamps to flicker, making the already tyrannical and cold-faced monarch appear even more unpredictable.
The king asked in a deep voice, "Has it been investigated? How did the young princess get there?"
Zhang Dequan replied, "This servant has carefully questioned the palace servants around the young princess, and it was the young princess who went there on her own."
The implication was that no one had led her there.
The king picked up a memorial and said, "Go and take care of that matter."
Zhang Dequan understood and bowed respectfully: "Yes, this servant obeys the order."
That night, the bodyguard who had injured the former crown princess was executed, and more than a hundred of the crown prince's imperial guards were taken away overnight, imprisoned in the dungeon, and severely tortured.
The interrogation covered three points: first, whether the Crown Prince was involved in the assassination of the deposed Crown Princess; second, whether the Crown Prince was involved in the destruction of the imperial tombs; and third, whether the Crown Prince was involved in the Crown Princess's amnesia.
In the Crown Prince's study, the Crown Prince's face was icy cold: "I really didn't expect her to give me such a big show of force as soon as she arrived."
Nangong Li agreed, saying, "This is indeed unlike the behavior of the deposed crown princess."
The deposed crown princess was of such high birth that all schemes and tricks were insignificant in the face of absolute power; she disdained to play tricks on others.
After a moment of contemplation, Nangong Li continued, "However, people change. After experiencing so much, she has been biding her time at the imperial mausoleum for many years. Perhaps she is no longer the deposed crown princess we knew."
The Crown Prince gave a cold snort with a deep gaze: "It's been many years, and I'm truly impressed."
Nangong Li said, "I believe that Your Majesty's actions are not to stand up for the Crown Princess."
The Crown Prince sighed helplessly, "I understand, Father is just being suspicious."
The king was naturally suspicious. Rather than saying he was worried that the crown prince would bully the deposed crown princess, it would be more accurate to say that he was warning the crown prince not to harbor any rebellious intentions.
The Crown Prince stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the crescent moon in the sky, saying, "I am completely loyal to my father, so how could I possibly harbor any rebellious thoughts?"
Nangong Li walked to the Crown Prince's side: "This is not only for the Crown Prince, but also for all the princes and civil and military officials. After all, His Majesty does not want a second Xuanyuan family to appear again."
Thinking of what happened back then, the Crown Prince remained silent for a moment.
Nangong Li asked worriedly, "Won't Zhang Dequan get anything out of us through interrogation?"
The Crown Prince gave a cold laugh: "I really hope he can find out something. I'm also very puzzled. How did the bridge break? How was the imperial mausoleum destroyed? And how did the Crown Princess lose her memory? Ha, amnesia!"
Upon hearing this, Nangong Li roughly understood that the Crown Prince had already dealt with everything that needed to be dealt with. The Imperial Guards who had been taken away were probably not involved in the assassination of the Crown Princess, so no matter how they were interrogated, they would not produce any testimony that would be detrimental to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince looked at Nangong Li with icy eyes: "Didn't you say she had no one she could use? Why haven't any of the people I sent returned!"
Nangong Li hurriedly bowed and said, "I have secretly investigated the Crown Princess, and there have indeed been no powerful experts around her in recent years. Could it be... some remnant of the Xuanyuan family?"
The Crown Prince said, "The Xuanyuan family was wiped out long ago, how could there be any remnants?"
The men of the Xuanyuan family either died in battle or were executed; even infants in swaddling clothes were not spared. Although the women were sent to the Jiaosifang (a place for educating women), they could not bear the humiliation and all committed suicide.
The Crown Prince continued, "The remnants are nothing more than the deposed Crown Princess and the eldest grandson of the Emperor!"
Mentioning the eldest grandson, the crown prince's expression turned even colder: "Haven't you found the child's whereabouts yet?"
Nangong Li hurriedly replied, "I have already given the order, and we should have results soon."
The crown prince said coldly, "To cut the weeds, you must nip them in the bud."
Nangong Li said, "Your subject obeys!"
"Father! Father!"
A childish voice suddenly came from outside the study.
The Crown Prince changed his cold expression and winked at Nangong Li. Nangong Li understood and disappeared behind the bookshelf.
A toddler stumbled in.
The crown prince walked over with a smile and picked up his youngest daughter: "Ling'er, what brings you here?"
The youngest daughter said, "I can't sleep, I miss my father."
The crown prince smiled and said, "Father will sleep with you, okay?"
"Okay. Father, please tell me a story too."
"Alright, alright, tell me, what story does Ling'er want to hear?"
The crown prince carried his youngest daughter out of the study, his joyful and indulgent laughter echoing all the way.
Nangong Li came out of the study, touched the wound on his right arm, his eyes turned cold, and said, "Xiao Liulang, the sins of the father must be paid by the son. This time, you can't escape!"
...
Gu Jiao had dinner at Tianxiang Pavilion and was about to go back when suddenly, a gyrfalcon flapped its wings and flew to Gu Chengfeng's windowsill.
Gu Jiao asked in surprise, "Xiao Jiu?"
Xiao Jiu also looked at Gu Jiao in surprise, its wings flapping and pausing in mid-air.
The only one who wasn't surprised was Gu Chengfeng.
It seems that Xiao Jiu has been here more than once or twice.
A rolled-up piece of paper was tied to Xiao Jiu's right foot with a red string. Gu Jiao looked at Gu Chengfeng, who said, "Take it off and take a look. It's probably written by Xiao Heng."
Gu Jiao learned from Nan Shi Niang that during the days she was away, Xiao Heng and Gu Chengfeng frequently went to the rented house to wait for her, which is how they ran into each other.
Gu Jiao had no idea that the two of them would secretly exchange letters.
Gu Chengfeng explained, "He has many inconveniences in the inner city. If he can't leave the city one day, he will have Xiao Jiu send a letter to ask me if you have returned."
Gu Jiao untied the paper strip from Xiao Jiu's right foot.
The note was written in Xiao Heng's handwriting. It contained only a few words, first asking about Gu Jiao's whereabouts, and then mentioning something.
"What's wrong?" Gu Chengfeng asked, noticing Gu Jiao's cold expression. "Has something happened to Xiao Heng?"
Gu Jiao handed him the note: "He ran into Nangong Li."
It was because he encountered Nangong Li that Xiao Heng gave up leaving the city, lest he accidentally bring Nangong Li's men to Gu Jiao's place.
Given Nangong Li's methods, he will definitely investigate the Zhao people who entered Shengdu, especially the identities of "Gu Jiao" and "Xiao Liulang". Xiao Heng reminded Gu Chengfeng to pay attention to the movements of Tianqiong Academy on the note.
Upon seeing this name, Gu Chengfeng's eyes darkened instantly: "Was it Nangong Li who injured Gu Yan?"
This caused Gu Yan's heart condition to flare up, leaving him half-dead and forcing him to travel to the State of Yan for surgery.
"It's him." Gu Jiao looked out the window towards the inner city, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. "It's time to settle the score with Nangong Li!"
(End of this chapter)
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